General

What Should A Christian Do With Doubt?

By Elysia McColley Doubt can be an unnerving experience. It happens when your mind starts to call into question things that you thought you were certain about. A scientists who just made a ground-breaking discovery may feel doubt about his or her findings; perhaps the procedure used was not clear enough, or there was some kind of interference that the scientist was not aware of, or the discovery actually isn’t all that significant. What does a good scientist do to alleviate this doubt? He or she goes back to the … Read More »

3 Tips on Debating Unbelievers

By Elias Ayala (MDiv & M.A.T.) 1) Stay Committed to your Christian Convictions: Recognizing that there is no neutrality between the believer and unbeliever is extremely important. Indeed, we see and understand the world in a completely different way than the unbeliever. We see and understand all things as created by God and hence all things are given their proper meaning and interpretation by God Himself. We do not engage with the unbeliever as though this is not true. For the believer, all things have the meaning and connections that … Read More »

The Disciples’ Belief in Jesus’ Resurrection

By L. Alfred James We are currently in a series of blog posts that provide an intellectual pathway for moving someone (or yourself) all the way from hardcore atheism to biblical Christianity. In the past couple of weeks we have seen that the evidence for Jesus’ empty tomb is quite formidable, and the evidence for Jesus appearing to the disciples (after his death) is so persuasive that even atheistic scholars admit that there is something to it. But there is another piece of evidence that makes the case for the … Read More »

Logic and Faith

By Elysia McColley If faith is being certain of what is not seen and logic is a mode of reasoning consistent with natural law, then don’t the two stand in diametrical opposition two each other? Aren’t logic and faith contradictory ideas? Maybe at first sight, but not when you look at them in terms of how God reveals Himself to humanity. Theologians have identified two ways in which God reveals Himself, general revelation and special revelation. Looking at logic through the lens of general revelation and faith through that of … Read More »

Can God Only Create That Which Is Consistent With His Nature?

By Elias Ayala (MDiv & M.A.T.) In a recent debate I had with a YouTube skeptic, a very interesting argument was brought up in an attempt to show a logical inconsistency within the concept of God’s inherent goodness. The skeptic argued that since God can only create what is consistent with his nature, and God “created” evil as per (Isaiah 45:7), that therefore it seems to follow that God is evil. But, since the Christian conception of God is that he is all good, then this seems to demonstrate a … Read More »

The Post-Mortem Appearances of Jesus

By L. Alfred James We are currently in a series of blog posts that provide an intellectual pathway for moving someone (or yourself) all the way from hardcore atheism to biblical Christianity. Last week we saw that the evidence for Jesus’ empty tomb is quite formidable. But some people will (reasonably) ask, “Why does the mere fact of the empty tomb prove Jesus has risen from the dead? Aren’t there other explanations for an empty tomb?” Well, the case for the resurrection of Jesus does not rest solely on the … Read More »

Top Five Christian Apologists Of Our Time

By Elysia McColley There have been numerous men and women throughout history who have broken through the cultural mores of their times to bring people the truth of God’s Word. The early church had leaders like Tertullian and Augustine; in the Middle Ages, there was Thomas Aquinas, amongst many others. In the twentieth century, C.S. Lewis helped the most intellectually-oriented people turn their thoughts back to the Bible and the Christian message. Each of these Christian apologists spoke to particular issues that existed in his or her day. I want … Read More »

Is the God of the Bible Evil?

By Elias Ayala (MDiv & M.A.T.) The God of the Bible is often accused of being an evil deity. On the one hand, the biblical text declares the goodness and righteousness of God while on the other hand this very same God commands the death of the Canaanites and often allows the evil acts of men to prevail. Does the biblical conception of God leave us with a contradictory picture of a God who is both perfectly good and at the same time relentlessly evil? No. There is no contradiction … Read More »

The Empty Tomb

By L. Alfred James We are currently in a series of blog posts that provide an intellectual pathway for moving someone (or yourself) all the way from hardcore atheism to biblical Christianity. After reviewing some arguments for God’s existence we observed that Christianity is a historical religion, a grace-filled religion, and that it played a major role in birthing modern science. We also took a brief detour to look at the evidence for an Intelligent Designer of the universe, along with the common claim that we live in a multiverse. … Read More »

Is Christmas A Pagan Holiday? Part 3, Christmas Trees

By Elysia McColley Read “Is Christmas A Pagan Holiday? Part 2” Santa Claus is not in the Bible, and neither is a holiday commemorating Jesus’ birth on December 25. But what about Christmas trees? Some people point to Jeremiah 10:1-4 to show that Christmas trees actually are in the Bible. The passage reads, Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. This is what the Lord says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified … Read More »