Monthly Archives: August 2020

Aren’t Miracles Impossible?

By Elias Ayala (MDiv & M.A.T.) The assumption of the regularities of nature is a powerful one indeed. Surely, what we observe in nature must be that way, and it is irrational to believe that the laws of nature can act contrary to what we have continuously observed all throughout history…right?! This line of reasoning is sometimes coupled with the assumption of the immutability of the laws of nature. That is to say, that the laws of nature do not change, they cannot change. The nature of the laws of … Read More »

Does the Bible Really Condemn Homosexual Behavior?

By L. Alfred James In the book of Leviticus there are two verses that clearly condemn homosexual behavior: “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.” (Leviticus 18:22) “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.” (Leviticus 20:13) It is hard to imagine Moses being any clearer on the subject. Nonetheless, there are some valid objections to simply taking these verses at face value. Isn’t This Just An Old Testament … Read More »

How to Be a Confident Apologist

By Elias Ayala (MDiv & M.A.T.) Christian philosopher and apologist Greg Bahnsen once said, “the reason I am not afraid to take on any opponent, is not because I am so smart, but because I have read the back of the book.” Greg Bahnsen was a fearless Christian apologist and a brilliant philosophical mind. He was such a good debater that he developed the nickname: The man that atheists fear the most. Yet, for all his intelligence and debating skills, he consistently taught that as apologists we should trust in … Read More »

Why Do Christians Make Such A Big Deal About Sex?

By L. Alfred James “Sex is no big deal.” We hear it all the time. “So why do Christians make such a big deal out of it?” A good example of this kind of complaint comes from Sam Harris: You [Christians] believe that your religious concerns about sex, in all their tiresome immensity, have something to do with morality. And yet, your efforts to constrain the sexual behavior of consenting adults—and even to discourage your own sons and daughters from having premarital sex—are almost never geared toward the relief of … Read More »

Animals in Heaven?

By Elias Ayala (MDiv & M.A.T.) Unfortunately the Bible is silent on this topic and so anything I can provide will be by way of speculation. However, I think the speculation that will be expressed here can go a long way in answering the question. While the Bible does not explicitly touch on our question, the Bible does have much to say in regards to the nature of man. Biblically understood, man is composed of body and soul. There is a physical and immaterial aspect to man. At death, these … Read More »

Does the Bible Really Forbid Premarital Sex?

By L. Alfred James I’ve had several conversations with young Christians who tell me they are puzzled as to why churches preach that premarital sex is wrong. They tell me that they’ve read through large parts of the Bible looking for passages that clearly condemn it, and they did not find anything. “So,” they tell me, “since the Bible doesn’t forbid it, and I don’t see how it hurts anything, I’m moving in with my girlfriend.” In response, this week we are going to simply do some basic exegesis to … Read More »

How Can a Good God Send People to Hell?

By Elias Ayala (MDiv & M.A.T.) The logical answer to this question may not be emotionally satisfying, but then again, truth is not determined by emotion. So to be perfectly blunt: If the Christian God exists, and the Christian God is good, then it would seem to follow from this that it is a “good” thing to send guilty sinners to hell. Indeed, it is a good thing for true justice to be executed. In human terms, I think we can understand this when we reflect upon the court room … Read More »

How Can Jesus Be Both God and the Son of God?

By L. Alfred James This is the final post of a long series of posts designed to provide an intellectual pathway for moving someone (or yourself) all the way from hardcore atheism to biblical Christianity. We first reviewed several arguments for God’s existence, and then arguments for Christianity (including the resurrection of Christ). Since then, we have worked our way through the most common objections to Christianity. Today, we finish with one last objection that deserves much more attention than it commonly receives: How can Jesus be both God and … Read More »