Elias Ayala

By Elias Ayala (M.A.T. & Mdiv) When doing apologetics it is often the case that our apologetic is geared towards some form of atheism, agnosticism, or some form of gross metaphysical naturalism. However, what happens when we encounter someone from a religious perspective? Take the Hindu for instance. You may or may not encounter a Hindu in your day to day interactions, however, everyone’s context is different and so I think it would be helpful to provide a brief look into how to answer the Hindu perspective should the situation … Read More »

By Elias Ayala (M.A.T. & Mdiv) There are many theories as to what happens to human beings when they die. Some say that we merely cease to exist, and our bodies go into the ground, decompose, and that”s it. Others speak of a bright light, and a tunnel where the deceased person is welcomed into the company of loved ones. Still others suggest that human beings go through a process of reincarnation whereby due to good karma, they come back in another form so as to continue the cycle of … Read More »

By Elias Ayala (M.A.T. & Mdiv) Every Christmas, families gather together to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Christmas is usually a time to reflect upon the great gift that has been given man; namely, the Son of God who had come to die on behalf of sinners and so reconcile sinful men to God. However, the story of Christmas actually predates the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth. It is a mistake to focus on the birth of Christ in isolation to the wider context of scripture and messianic expectation. For … Read More »

By Elias Ayala (M.A.T. & Mdiv) Brief Introduction Mormonism is a religion founded by Joseph Smith in the mid-1800’s. In short, it posits that the true message of Jesus was lost in a great apostasy long ago, and that the original message was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith, a man that God the Father, and His Son Jesus appeared to when he was only 14 years old. They revealed to Joseph that the true church was not present on the earth, but rather, needed to be restored through the … Read More »

By Elias Ayala (M.A.T. & Mdiv) Reason #1: Atheism cannot provide the preconditions of intelligibility Any worldview, to be rational and coherent, must provide an intellectual framework with which to make sense out of reality. If a particular worldview cannot provide that which is necessary for rational thought and knowledge acquisition, then the worldview should be rejected. Atheism as worldview does not and cannot provide the necessary worldview ingredients to allow for rationality and coherence. While it is important to acknowledge the varied varieties and forms with which atheism can … Read More »

By Elias Ayala (M.A.T. & Mdiv) Covenant theology has been described by some theologians as a hermeneutical principle, whereby one reads the scriptures through the lens of God’s covenant workings among His people. We see as early as the book of Genesis that God establishes His covenant with His servant Abraham, and remembers that covenant and reconfirms it in Abraham’s seed, Isaac and Jacob. Out of this covenant flows further covenants established throughout scripture with Noah, and David, and finally reaches its zenith in the Person and work of Jesus … Read More »

By Elias Ayala (M.A.T. & Mdiv) Deconstructionism is a hermeneutical methodology that seeks to deconstruct a text and reconstruct its meaning. On this view, it is argued that it is impossible to get at the original meaning of a text since the reader always brings to the text various factors that taint his ability to grasp the original intent of the author. In essence, on deconstructionism, meta-interpretations are impossible. One cannot know the one-to-one correspondent relationship between the writer and the reader such that the idea of the author which … Read More »

By Elias Ayala (M.A.T & MDiv) What is Presuppositional Apologetics? It is an apologetic methodology formulated by Dutch Reformed Apologist, Cornelius Van Til. The method emphasizes the superiority of the Christian worldview over and against competing worldview perspectives. Furthermore, it seeks to demonstrate that genuine knowledge is impossible without the presuppositions of the Christian worldview as revealed in scripture. The methodology differs from traditional schools of apologetic thought in that it seeks to bring to light the fundamental presuppositional differences between worldview perspectives, and seeks a two-fold approach of presenting … Read More »

By Elias Ayala (M.A.T & MDiv) There is no doubt that the coming of Christ stands at the heart of the hope that believers have for the future. The day Christ returns will be simultaneously a day of joy and a day of judgment. Coming in humility as a baby in a manger is followed by the coming of a conquering King, who will judge the nations and deliver his people ultimately and completely. There is no doubt, that when King Jesus returns, there will be an evidential and empirical … Read More »

By Elias Ayala (M.A.T & MDiv) When Christians assert that God is “ex lex”, we mean that He is outside of the Law. One of the important features of properly understanding the Creator/Creature distinction is comprehending the fact that God stands in different relation to the “Law” that He has established than we do. As creatures, we are subject to God’s law, which flows from His holy, good, and perfect character. When a creature violates God’s law we call it sin (1 John 3:4). For created beings, there is no … Read More »