Sunday Quote: J.P. Moreland on God's Existence - Apologetics 315

RE-Do. About two weeks ago, I read a post on the Apologetics 315 blog and now I can't find it! I hate it when that happens especially since I wrote quite a bit. Here is my attempt to re create it. Here is the quote:

“God maintains a delicate balance between keeping his existence sufficiently evident so people will know he's there and yet hiding his presence enough so that people who want to choose to ignore him can do it. This way, their choice of destiny is really free.”

– J.P. Moreland

I found myself looking up this post because othe post just below this one. There is a link to a lecture given by Moreland on how it's important to be able to reason out and think about what you believe and why. I totally agreed with everything he said. What struck me is the fact that I so vehemently deny the quote I read from him on June 7, 2009. It really left a bad taste! Re-reading the quote and the comments made me relaize that I jumped all over Moreland because I thought that he was talking about salvation. While he may be an Arminian (ad I don't know that for sure), I should not have taken the discussion there. Moreland was only talking about human knowledge when it comes to God's existence. He just tacks on "free choice". I'm gonna have to disagree with him and agree with one of the commenters on the original blog

Ryan Hemelaar said...

I disagree with J.P. Moreland there. Everyone knows that God exists, but the reason why many deny His existence is not because there is not enough evidence, but because "...by their unrighteousness [they] suppress the truth." (Romans 1:18).

Setting aside the idea of "free will" for other posts, Paul is really clear...no one has any excuse for not recognizing that there is a creator.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. - Romans 1: 18-25

Sunday Quote: J.P. Moreland on God's Existence - Apologetics 315

Truthbomb Apologetics: The Greatest Apologist Who Ever Lived: Jesus Christ

Chad is starting a series on his blog Truthbomb Apologetics in which he provides resources and astute commentary regrading Jesus from the point of view of Jesus as an intellectual and apologists. I agree with Chad that Jesus is not just the best and perfect man who ever has ever lived but also the most intelligent. He was constantly intellectually challenged by the skeptics of His day and He pawned all of them. This is a series worth checking out to learn more about who Jesus is.

I listened to the JP Moreland recording in the post and he does a great job of showing through scripture that we must love Jesus with our minds and be prepared to explain what we believe and why we believe it.

Truthbomb Apologetics: The Greatest Apologist Who Ever Lived: Jesus Christ

Obama Speaks in Cairo

Not long ago President Obama gave a speech to the world in general and the Arab world in particular. In this day, the Presidential offices seems to post all speeches in YouTube so i have linked to it below.





As always the speech in structure and style was flawless. The content I have a problem with. Anyone who has studied anything about Christianity and Islam knows that there can never be any true common ground! By definition being a Christian means that you believe that Jesus was the incarnate Son of the living God who died for the sins of humanity via crucifixion to reconcile us back to God and then rose again 3 days later. It is by this we are saved. Islam rejects every bit of this! Every thought expressed in my summary of what a Christians is Muslims reject by definition. Where is the common ground? Yes, we are monotheistic, hate abortion and immorality, but so are many Atheists, Buddahists, and other folks. How can we have common ground if we reject the foundations the other stand on? There will be no peace in the Middle East until Jesus comes back and brings it.