General

Illumination or Revelation? Which is It?

By Elias Ayala (MDiv & M.A.T.) The Bible is a revelation of God. It intends to convey divine truth to man so that the will of God is understood and the actions of God are made known throughout redemptive history. The Bible is not a book of enigmatic riddles and secret codes. As a divine revelation, the Bible seeks to unveil many things of which were hidden in times past and to illuminate that which God has already made known. However, it is important to recognize that the revelation of … Read More »

Can We Know or Say Anything Meaningful About God?

By Elias Ayala (MDiv & M.A.T.) Some have the understanding that the concept of God is so grand and incomprehensible, that even if God did exist, we couldn’t know anything about him. The very moment we try to conceptualize the infinite, every time we try to put into words some truth with regards to God, we have lost the concept of the infinite, since we have limited the infinite by either linguistic constructs or conceptual analysis. So, the person will suggest that even if God existed he is unknowable and … Read More »

A Silent God Provides No Basis For Morality

By L. Alfred James In my last post, we saw how the Bible has been the most important factor in the development of Western culture’s attitudes regarding human life, dignity, freedom, and equality. Even an atheistic historian like Tom Holland admits that Christianity has been the greatest social force for making the world a better place. That is an interesting historical observation. But it prompts an important question: Why? Why would the Bible have that effect? Why would the Bible lead to a reverence for human life? Why would the … Read More »

Practical Apologetics

By Elias Ayala (MDiv & M.A.T.) Apologetics should be practical and useful for everyday life situations and not confined simply to academia and the discussions/debates between the scholars. If we are reminded of the primary context of the New Testament, much of its content is aimed at the average joe of the first century of which we as modern readers can glean great practical application. The New Testament itself presents to us a narrative in which God used normal people to proclaim and defend his truth. Indeed however, this is … Read More »

The Power to Change the World

By L. Alfred James Do you want to become a better person? Do you want to grow in your character? Do you want to enhance your ability to love others? Do you want to improve your health? If so, I can tell you what you need: truth. It sounds trite to say this, but it still needs to be said: Human beings need truth. They need to hear the truth, and they need to be firmly convinced that it is indeed the truth. That is what motivates them to make … Read More »

Apologetic Resources

By Elias Ayala (MDiv & M.A.T.) For those who are interested in getting into apologetics but are having difficulty finding good learning resources, I want to share some helpful content here to send you on your way. Often times there is great zeal to engage in the defense of the faith but little knowledge as to what sites to visit or what books to read to get started. Hopefully I can provide some helpful guidance. Books: Bible All joking aside, I just want to get the obvious out of the … Read More »

Why We Want A Vague God

By L. Alfred James There are many intelligent people who believe that God exists. Whether it is for emotional reasons, intellectual reasons, or because of some experiences they’ve had, they believe that God is real. However, they remain very skeptical about whether or not God has told us very much about himself. I’ve had many conversations with people who think this way, and I’ve heard several explanations for their skepticism: “I believe in a higher power, but I’m convinced that we can never know anything about it.” “I believe there … Read More »

Should Christians Obey The Old Testament Laws?

By Elias Ayala (MDiv & M.A.T.) As is the case with a variety of theological issues, this is a hotly debated topic. I can do nothing more than share my opinion on the matter with the hopes that folks find it useful. To be simple, there is a sort of yes and no answer to this question. Let us consider first that when we speak of the “Law” we are not speaking of simply one “Law”. In the Old Testament there are 613 commandments that the Jews were to follow. … Read More »

Is A Universe Without Aliens A Waste Of Space?

By L. Alfred James In the movie Contact Ted Arroway (father of Ellie Arroway) explains why he believes in alien life: “The one thing I know about nature is it hates to waste anything. So I guess I’d say if it is just us, an awful lot of space is going to waste.” The atheist physicist Victor Stenger put it this way: “If God created the universe as a special place for humanity, he seems to have wasted an awfully large amount of space where humanity will never make an … Read More »

Christian Maturity and Its Apologetic Implications

By Elias Ayala (MDiv & M.A.T.) When a person experiences spiritual rebirth (regeneration) and they are hence united with Christ by faith and are justified (declared righteous) by faith in Christ alone, the Christian life has just begun. The believer then begins his/her journey in being conformed into the image of Christ. This is called “sanctification.” Sanctification is a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives.”1 Before progressing then, it will become important to distinguish … Read More »