Is Israel Being Oversensitive?

I just heard that based on a picture taken in the Oval Office of Obama talking on the phone with the Israeli Prime Minister that people in Israel are angry. They feel insulted by the soles of Obama's shoes being prominent in the foreground. Re-calling that in the Middle East, to the Arabic Mindset, showing the soles of your shoes to someone is a huge, disrespecting insult.

I'm amazed that Jews would make this connection. I mean:
1. These are Jews, not Arabs complaining.
2. Given that Obama is not an Arab I'm certain he did not think he was insulting anyone propping his feet on his desk - I mean it is his desk!

The article I read about this in pointed out that the sensitivity could be coming from the tensions in the Middle East now and with the way Obama so glowing talked of Islam in his recent speech in Cairo last week I'm sure it makes those who recognize that Fundamentalist Muslims are never going to play nice with others very nervous. It's those people who have their finger on buttons to attack Israel they are concerned about - not the the Muslims President Obama addresses in Cairo. I also think that if Obama had a more "western" name (ie "White") they wouldn't have went there.

Christianity and the Tradition of Marriage

Some one by VorJack has written an essay on Christianity and the Tradition of Marriage. He talks about how people's ideas of women and marriage has changed over time. I'm not going to respond to everything in his article. I want to respond to an assertion that he made:

Christianity was born into a greco-roman world, and the first Christians accepted the structure of Roman marriage. Marriage was monogamous and heterosexual, but divorce was possible and the husband might have a concubine before marriage. Marriage and procreation were considered civic requirements, and Augustus found it necessary to legislate marriage for Roman citizens.

By the time of Imperial Rome, marriage was relatively fair to women, who were able to control their property and most aspects of their life. In light of this, it’s probably not surprising that rich wives and widows were able to contribute financially to the early church, and that some women could preach and lead rituals.

People who based their lives and worldview on the Bible cannot fit the the points that were made could not agree with the point: "divorce was possible and the husband might have a concubine before marriage." Jesus said in Matthew 19:3-12 the following.

Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"

Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry."

Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."

The church even today allows divorce easily. But that is not what Jesus said.

Just because a person is a Christain does not mean that he or she knows everything correctly. The author cites some quotations from Christian "fathers" however they they fly in the face of what the Bible says.

The sentence of God on this sex of yours lives in this age: the guilt must of necessity live too. You are the devil’s gateway: you are the unsealer of that (forbidden) tree.
-Tertullian

But the Bible says:

For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 1 Timothy 2:13,14

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. - Romans 5:19

Tertullian may have well blamed our sinful state on Eve, but Paul didn't. Along with the Old Testament, the accountability was on the man. Not the wife. Centuries of blaming women for the fall is just what Adam did, but God would not buy that. If it comes down to the word of Tertullian versus the inspired words of Apostle Paul, I'll take Paul's.

I praise wedlock, I praise marriage, but it is because they give me virgins.
-St. Jerome

The Bible also praises marriage but for far different reasons. Because the marriage relationship symbolizes the way Jesus loves the church. It's not for the purpose of providing clergy with fresh virgins/children to molest.

Dead Sea Scrolls MP3 Audio by Probe - Apologetics 315

The Apologetics 315 blog has a great posted audio that explains the history of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The audio also provides information about the Dead Sea Scrolls supports the reliability of the New Testament.


Dead Sea Scrolls MP3 Audio by Probe - Apologetics 315

Is It Gospel? "Jesus Walks"

I've thought of another series of posts that I will call "Is It Gospel?". In this series I will attempt to dive into a song's meanings and message to see if I can find the heart of the Gospel or something of value for the Christian life. I don't want to come off as judging the song writer and/or artist. I only want to look at the theology and worldview in the song.


Here are the lyrics:

Yo, We at war
We at war with terrorism, racism, and most of all we at war with ourselves
(Jesus Walks)
God show me the way because the Devil trying to break me down
(Jesus Walks with me) with me, with me, with me [fades]

You know what the Midwest is?
Young & Restless
Where restless (Niggas) might snatch your necklace
And next these (Niggas) might jack your Lexus
Somebody tell these (Niggas) who Kanye West is
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death is
Top floor the view alone will leave you breathless Uhhhh!
Try to catch it Uhhhh! It's kinda hard hard
Getting choked by the detectives yeah yeah now check the method
They be asking us questions, harass and arrest us
Saying "we eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast"
Huh? Yall eat pieces of shit? What's the basis?
We ain't going nowhere but got suits and cases
A trunk full of coke rental car from Avis
My momma used to say only Jesus can save us
Well momma I know I act a fool
But I'll be gone 'til November I got packs to move I Hope

[Hook x2]
(Jesus Walks)
God show me the way because the Devil trying to break me down
(Jesus Walks with me)
The only thing that that I pray is that my feet don't fail me now
(Jesus Walks)
And I don't think there is nothing I can do now to right my wrongs
(Jesus Walks with me)
I want to talk to God but I'm afraid because we ain't spoke in so long

To the hustlers, killers, murderers, drug dealers even us cripples
(Jesus walks with them)
To the victims of Welfare for we living in hell here hell yeah
(Jesus walks with them)
Now hear ye hear ye want to see Thee more clearly
I know he hear me when my feet get weary
Cause we're the almost nearly extinct
We rappers are role models we rap we don't think
I ain't here to argue about his facial features, But here to convert atheists into believers
I'm just trying to say the way school need teachers
The way Kathie Lee needed Regis that's the way I need Jesus
So here go my single dog radio needs this
They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus
That means guns, sex, lies, video tapes
But if I talk about God my record won't get played Huh?
Well let this take away from my spins
Which will probably take away from my ends
Then I hope this take away from my sins
And bring the day that I'm dreaming about
Next time I'm in the club everybody screaming out

(Jesus Walks)
God show me the way because the devil trying to break me down
(Jesus Walks)
The only thing that that I pray is that my feet don't fail me now
(Jesus Walks)
And I don't think there's nothing I can do now to right my wrongs
(Jesus walks with me... fades)
I want to talk to God but I'm afraid because we ain't spoke in so long

The song has many positive messages. When anyone reaches out to God and seeks after him...it's a good thing and definitely godly. The song gives a picture of the life of many people in our society. It recognizes that the Devil is real and actively out to steal, kill, and destroy. The song also correctly points out that there is hostility that one encounters when ever someone speaks about Jesus from the institutions of society. The song gives the same command Jesus gave us about we have to weigh the cost of following him. I think that the cost is too high not to follow him.

I would not call this song "Gospel". I'd call it more of a cry for help from Jesus. It does not reveal any knowledge of who Jesus is. It does not give Him the praise He is worthy of. However, I would say that it does give us more insight how people seek for God. Such a person knows that he is being dogged by the suffering in this life. He knows that he (like everyone of us) is unworthy. He also seems to know that Jesus is the answer to all of life's problems, he just does not know how to reach out for Jesus or even if God will answer him. I think that this song is more of a spring board for giving other's the Gospel. I would pray that someone will take such an individual who feels this way aside and give him the truth. Here is what I would tell him:

The fact that you are having these feelings and thoughts mean that God is not far from you. He loves you. He's not worried about your past sins and mistakes. He will take you just as you are now. All you have to do is surrender to Him and believe that Jesus is all he claimed to be and that He paid for the cost of your sins when he died on the cross and rose again. The gosple is that simple. It's the only way to get rid of your sins. If you put your trust in God and live the way you know you are supposed to God will help you live it. And He will teach you what you do not already know now.



Here is the music video




Here is the audio

kanye west-jesus walks - Kanye West

It's Really Hit the Fan Now

I have just read on the Black Snob blog a very interesting summary of current events involving people who flip out and kill other people due to "-isms" like racism and homophobia. The most shocking story is about an 88 year-old men who walked into the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum today and shot and killed a security guard who was black! This was James von Brunn, an 88-year-old white supremacist. I googled the story and came across an article from CNN. He was apparently motivated by the fact that he denies the Holocaust ever happened and that Anne Frank's diary is a hoax. I wonder how many people's other worldview will cause them to break like von Brunn. I mean we have an African-American President that had to shock him. IF anything all of this shows us that Jesus is returning soon!

Carrie Prejean -- Fired!

I just found out that Carrie Prejean has been fired from being Miss California. They are saying that its because Carrie did not fulfill her contractual obligations such as making the public appearances that pagent officials have officially sanctioned. If this is true then I can see why she lost her crown. However, I'd like to know if they were constantly asking her to go places and say things against her conscious. I'm going to be following up on that.

Source

D-Day Archival Footage

Truthbomb Apologetics: Flash Video: The Problem of Evil

The Truthbomb blog has posted an incredible post showcasing a flash video discussing the following question, "How Can a Good and Loving God allow Evil?". People often try to use this question to deny the existence of God. After all it is a question we must all deal with and come to grips with. "If God exists, then why does He allow pain and suffering? Why doesn't He just eradicate it?" The thing about the question presupposes that

1. We truly know what good and evil are.
2. We can hold God accountable to our standards not His.
3. That if God did obliterate everything that is evil we will be left standing...which we would not.

The video is way more philosophical than I would like. It uses the free will argument and I'm not comfortable with that. I think we can argue that Adam and Eve were perfect free-will agents before they sinned - actualizing evil; but we who came afterward are enslaved to sin and can't claim free-will. Jesus is the only avenue for our redemption and escape.


Truthbomb Apologetics: Flash Video: The Problem of Evil

Koei Tecmo Paying Employees To Have Children

How would you like to be paid to have children? It's been widely reported that industrialized "first-world" countries have dwindling birth rates. In large part it is because people are purposely choosing not to have children. This has become such a major concern in Japan that some of its companies have taken "drastic" measures. Koei Tecmo, the company responsible for the Dead or Alive video game series, Ninja Gaiden, and other awesome game, is paying their employees bonuses for having children!

First Child - around $1,000
Second Child - around $2,000
Third Child - around $20,000

I saw that with my two, and I thought, "Nah, my wife would not go for the third!" Still almost makes me wanna move to Japan. I got this information form G4TV.

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

On Apologetics 315, the following quote from J.P. Moreland was published:

“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

Of course this caused a mini-debate on that blog in the comments section. People get really passionate about this. I know I do. When I first read the quote I was up in arms. But before I could comment a lot of people said what I was I thinking. For example I think that Ryan Hemelaar is right that people really know that there is a God and actively suppress that knowledge according to Romans 1:18. I also agree that with kart2d2 because Paul also wrote that the evidence for the existence of God is so compelling that we all stand without excuse for not recognizing His existence. In the Greek it could also be rendered "without an Apologetic".

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since 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. - Romans 1:18-20

I must say that I have learned that this passage really only concerned understanding that there is a God because coming into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is by special revelation by the Holy Spirit.

You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. - 1 Corinthians 12:2-3

As for free will, there are so many Bible verses that tell us to choose to serve God and that if we choose to submit to God through Jesus we will be save just as Franck Barfety pointed out in the comment section:

"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." John 3:18

The thing is that verses like these say nothing about us being able to choose to believe...only that if we believe we will be saved! What does the Bible have to say about how we come to believed.

1. When we are unregenerated by the holy spirit we are hostile against God and His enemy.

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. - Romans 8: 6-8

2. No one seeks after God...all have gone astray.

What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."
"Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit."
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."
"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. - Romans 3:9-20

3. No one comes to the son unless drawn by the father. Let's not forget John 6:44

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

If you look up the word "draw" helkuo you see it means "dragged". God must drag us to the cross so that we will be saved. Brothers and sisters this is indeed an in-house debate and whether you think that you chose Jesus solely by an act of your will or you were dragged you are justified and going to heaven. This is the important thing. I however know that God put me in the place where "yes" to him was the only response I could make. He was so slick about it I thought that it was all my idea. It wasn't. All I did was responded because He allowed me to get it. If anyone is interested, let me suggest two books: Martin Luther's On The Bondage of the Will and Jame White's The Potter's Freedom.

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

Richard Dawkins Knows He Cannot Win A Debate

The only reason I can come up with why Richard Dawkins will not debate a Christian Theist of William Lane's calibur is because he knows his ideas will not be able to stand against the crushing weight of science, logic, and scripture. I think Dawkins is chicken. I don't agree with everything Craig believes in especially when it comes to Calvinism and Free will, but I have greatly been impressed with his evidential apologetic against folks who don't accept the Bible as the word of God. We can show that there is good evidence for the Bible being true and that the God described in it is real. Dawkins will not be able to stand before the arguments...although it could be fun to watch his squirm as he tries.

Here is a link to an online petition to support a debate between William Lane Craig and Richard Dawkins.

Atheism is Dead: Christopher Hitchens – The Totalitarian, Dictatorial, Tyrannical Worldview

Mariano has delivered another great post that I totally agree with. In the comments section, a person who is either agnostic or atheistic has asked a pretty good question. It is basically the "problem of evil". I'd summarize his point this way: If your god is personal than why is he not accountable or responsible for human suffering in the same way we hold Hitler and Stalin accountable for the atrocities they committed? It's a good question. Ultimately I'd answer that Hitler and Stalin were but men. They took upon themselves the authority to determine who lives and who dies that they had no right to claim or exercise. God on the other hand has the right and authority to do whatever He wants, when He wants, how He wants, and where He wants. Scripture tells us that what ever He does is just even when we don't see the big picture or how it is for the best. We can only see bits and pieces, God has the masterpiece in mind that He is creating. "Who are you to answer back to God?" - Romans 9

Atheism is Dead: Christopher Hitchens – The Totalitarian, Dictatorial, Tyrannical Worldview

Free Will - God's Style? Not Even Close Part 3

NonStampCollector, has put together three YouTube videos that attempt to show inconsistency in the Christianity based on what we teach concerning human free will and salvation. The author is an atheist and he is criticizing Arminianism, but I don't think he knows what he's arguing against. Look at the third video below to see what he is saying





I think that this is the worst part of the series. It makes no sense. The issue is that this does not represent the God I serve. The plan of redemption that God has put into practice was not an afterthought. The Bible says in Roman 5:5-7 that:

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.

The thing is that God at no point say that he has given us complete autonomy. The author even sounded like Christopher Hitchens in that he insinuates that sending Jesus to first century Palestine was a stupid idea. However, it was actually the perfect time. Let me explore that a moment. The first century is not the "Bronze Age" as Hitchens and this video author says. Also consider for the first time in history the same language was being spoken and written in from Spain to India: Greek. And the Roman Empire was held together by a complete system of roads. This way the message could easily spread all over the empire very well!

TurretinFan Shuts down An Atheist in 60 Seconds!

You may have noticed that there are debates that occur on YouTube. Someone posts a video expressing a viewpoint for the world to see and others write comments or post a video of their own. This is one such duel. First an atheist gives his viewpoint:





And Here is TurretinFan's rebuttal

Free Will - God's Style? Not Even Close Part 2

NonStampCollector, has put together three YouTube videos that attempt to show inconsistency in the Christianity based on what we teach concerning human free will and salvation. The author is an atheist and he is criticizing Arminianism. Look at the second video below to see what he is saying





In the second video, the argument is advanced that God is like a government that imposes taxes and but says that we have the choice not to pay. However if we don't pay we will be punished. It's an analogy parable....but a flawed one. Like the citizens of a government who are indebted to the government we are indebted to God because he owns everything and because of our many trespassed and rebellions against him. However a more apt way of looking at is from the point of view of one who is bankrupt and owes so much in back taxes that we can't possible pay what we owe. This is the state of every human being! Added to that we are so sick and oblivious to how sick we are. Added to that we are like militant radicals hostile to the very government (God) that wants our salvation. Here are some scriptures that illustrate these points:

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
- Isaiah 64:6

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
- Romans 8: 5-8

What government would ever say to it's citizens: "You have free will so pay your taxes but only if you want to."? No all governments will force you to pay because of the threat of punishment. God is not like that. He knows we can't pay. He knows we are bankrupt. He knows that we are hostile.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. - Isaiah 53:6

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
- Romans 3: 22-24

Instead God gives some people a "New Deal" but better than any of Franklin Roosevelt's. He changes them and pays the debts for them. All they have to do is believe and their taxes are paid. This is the ultimate Bailout and its for the individual! This has nothing to do with who you are. God's choice. Just like when the government gives grants. Not everyone gets a Bailout. No one who asks God for this Bailout is refused. Not like the government at all.

He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. - Acts 16: 30-32

What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses,
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. - Romans 9: 14-18

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." - 1 Corinthians 1: 18-19

“Does the New Testament Teach that Jesus Is God?”

Recently James White debated Jalal Abualrub on "Is Jesus God?" It's interesting to hear Muslim perspectives on Jesus because many of the same arguments that are effective against Islam perspectives on Jesus work on other viewpoints and world viewa

William Lane Craig vs Anthony Flew Debate

In 2003, William Lane Craig (left) debated Anthony Flew (right) on the subject Does God Exist? Anthony Flew argued the Atheist position and Dr. Craig argued for the Christian Theist position. Here is is the debate:

Apologetics-DoesGo...

This debate also shows William Lane Craig's Arminianism when it comes to discussing why we have a reality where "evil" exists. I liked Craig's answer on hell, however. I also have to say that Flew actually did show some respect to Craig by obviously having read some of his Craig's work. I really did not think that the debate would also include discussing Free Will. As an Arminian, Craig isn't equipperd to deal with that. Flew, I've got to admit, may have one this one.

I looked up Anthony Flew on Wikipedia. He is one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century. The man has been an atheist for much of his life. He is now 86 years old and sometime after 2003 he has embraced theism. This means that he believes that there is a God who created the universe but rejects Christianity and Islam. Here is what I read on Wikipedia

Conversion from atheism

On several occasions, apparently starting in 2001, rumours circulated claiming that Flew had converted from atheism. Flew denied these rumours on the Secular Web website.[10]

In January 2003 Flew and Gary Habermas, his friend and philosophical adversary, conducted a dialogue on the resurrection at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. During a couple of telephone discussions shortly after that dialogue, Flew explained to Habermas that he was considering becoming a theist. While Flew did not change his position at that time (he signed the Humanist Manifesto III), he concluded that certain philosophical and scientific considerations were causing him to do some serious rethinking. He characterized his position as that of atheism standing in tension with several huge question marks.[11]

In December 2004, an interview with Flew conducted by Gary Habermas was published in the journal Philosophia Christi (published by the Evangelical Philosophical Society with the assistance of Biola University), with the title, Atheist Becomes Theist - Exclusive Interview with Former Atheist Antony Flew. Flew agreed to this title.[3] According to the introduction, Flew informed Habermas in January 2004 that he had become a deist,[3] and the interview took place shortly thereafter. Then the text was amended by both participants over the following months prior to publication. In the article Flew states that he has left his long-standing espousal of atheism by endorsing a deism of the sort that Thomas Jefferson advocated ("While reason, mainly in the form of arguments to design, assures us that there is a God, there is no room either for any supernatural revelation of that God or for any transactions between that God and individual human beings."). Flew stated that "the most impressive arguments for God’s existence are those that are supported by recent scientific discoveries" and that "the argument to Intelligent Design is enormously stronger than it was when I first met it". He also answered in the affirmative to Habermas's question, "So of the major theistic arguments, such as the cosmological, teleological, moral, and ontological, the only really impressive ones that you take to be decisive are the scientific forms of teleology?". He supported the idea of an Aristotelian God with "the characteristics of power and also intelligence", stating that the evidence for it was stronger than ever before. He rejects the ideas of an afterlife, of God as the source of good (he explicitly states that God has created "a lot of" evil), and of the resurrection of Jesus as an historical fact though he has allowed a short chapter arguing for Christ's resurrection to be added into his latest book.[3]

Flew is particularly hostile to Islam, and says it is "best described in a Marxian way as the uniting and justifying ideology of Arab imperialism."[3] In a December 2004 interview he said: "I'm thinking of a God very different from the God of the Christian and far and away from the God of Islam, because both are depicted as omnipotent Oriental despots, cosmic Saddam Husseins".[12]

Although Flew has not publicly endorsed Christianity, to my knowledge, it is a major change to have taught and endorsed atheism and now accept that there is a God. It's huge. I hope he gets a chance to do embrace the light of Christ. I have in the past written a post that shows a video of Flew talking about his conversion.

http://mmcelhaney.blogspot.com/2009/04/habermas-flew-wright-dialogue-mp3-audio.html\


In listening to Flew, it seems to me that he does not truly understand how bad sin really is. He does not see how punishments in hell are justified and commisserate with the sins people commit in life. Although he does recognize God's existence, he does not know God. He has had no relationship with God. I hope he will be able to have that before his life is over. My grandfather just died 2 weeks ago at 84 and he gave his life to Jesus at age 79. I would artgure that he knew more about God's character and who God is than Flew does. Flew only knows what God is - the Creator of the Universe - not who He is.

And here is another article about Anthony Flew's conversion.
Anthony Flew: There Is A God

Announcement: Format Change

Frequent readers of this blog may have noticed that I I usually pit all things of interest to me in terms of fiction on this blog. I've come to realize that I need to focus more on smaller topics to be of the most benefit to the readers and supporters. Therefore from now on this blog will focus less on art and media and more on things I like to study. It will continue to be for reviews, demos, announcements, and interviews but nowe only dealing with the Mugen community. I will now be maintaining 4 blogs.

1. Favorite Fiction will house all my Mugen related activities.
2. What Had Happened Was... will be for all the things I like to study: Theology, Science, Politics, News, Technology, and History.
3. Favorite Media will cover movies, television, YouTube, comic books, and music.
4 Favorite Gadgets will be used for field testing new web technology and widgets.

Please feel free to visit any of these blogs at any time and leave comments on any of them blogs or e-mail me. Thanks for your support

Richard Dawkins and John Lennox: Has Science Buried God? MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

Here is a great debate I got from the Apologetics 315 blogs. It's really interesting. Dawkins is in denial. He actually talked about the God that he would respect. It's not the god of the Bible. His problem is that he doesn't think that a God who created everything would care about us personally. He said it's petty that God cares about how we morally live our lives. That's frightening. No wonder Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins are friends. John Lennox did an awesome job challenging Dawkins philosophically and scientifically. This was awesome.

I don't understand why people like Dawkins think that by crediting God for intelligently designing reality that we don't care about how God's creation functions and why things take the shape they do. All theistic scientist don't see God as the answer to how the universe works, we see God as the cause, sustainer, and designer. He allows us to study and learn how He did what He did. I liiked the approach Lennox took.

Richard Dawkins and John Lennox: Has Science Buried God? MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

The Gospel According to "Supernatural"

There is this show on the CW called "Supernatural". The premise of the show is that two brothers are hunters who travel around opposing supernatural and demonic forces that hurt people. Recently, instead of bunches of stand-alone, crisis-of-the-week episodes, there has been a couple of major story lines. In the first one the brothers and their father face the demon who killed the boys' mother and in the course of it the fathers sells his soul to demon in exchange for saving the older brother, Dean's life. And at the end of season 2, Dean sells his soul in exchange for the life of his younger brother, Sam. They defeated the demon they were after who was attempting to open a gateway between hell and earth, but Dean had only a year to live before he was going to hell. At the beginning of season four, Dean's soul was freed from hell by angel, and the boys had a new mission to stop the demons from starting the Apocalypse by freeing Lucifer via opening 66 seals. At the end of the season 4, the brothers discover that the Angels lied to them. They wanted the seal broken so that Lucifer could rise and be defeated...however looking at the billions of human lives that could be killed as collateral damage. Should be an interesting season starting next September when the show continues.

Although it's enjoyable fiction. I saw the following post and I thought it brings up important questions.

Is "Supernatural" For Atheists?

I think it's important to think about what the show says about God, angels, and demons. The show presents an unbiblical view of God. It's complete fiction. God is largely silent. The angels in the show seem to be operating just like us. Many of them have approached God as agnostics because they have never seen God nor interacted with Him. Also it makes no sense that people could make deals with demons without input from God. Demons do not have power on their own. They can't do anything unless God allows it. The show depicts good and evil as equals and opposites. The Bible does not say that. God is supremely in control. And because of Jesus, Lucifer has already been defeated. It's over. We are just watching the final acts play out. God is portrayed form a deist point of view. As if He made everything and then went on vacation sentencing us all to make it up as we go. The Bible says that God is constantly and purposely working in the creation he created and as well transcends. It is supremely important that the show is fiction and if you want to know what Angels are really like and who God is, you have to study the Bible.

Free Will - God's Style? Not Even Close Part 1

NonStampCollector, has put together three YouTube videos that attempt to show inconsistency in the Christianity based on what we teach concerning human free will and salvation. The author is an atheist and he is criticizing Arminianism. Look at the first video below to see what he is saying.





Here are the scriptures that he says he is drawing on for the first video. It's not that I think these verses are taken out of context but that there isn't no context given. The author believes that a choice can't be free if there are negative consequences and that it's unfair. Several examples are given in the video where a parent tells a child that they can do what ever they want but if they don't make the choice the parent wants the parent will punish them. Finally the video ends with a characature of what the Gospel truly is.

Yes, Rev 3:20 is quoted but then Jesus says things that are no where said in the Bible. No where does the Bible teach that God gave men free will apart from himself. The Bible says that God himself is free and the unsaved sinner is enslaved to sin. John 5:22 and 2 Timothy 4:1 do say Jesus is the judge of all mankind. What's wrong with that? He is the only one worthy of judging everyone. And in no way does it address free will and how you get saved. From Rev 20:15 and Luke 16:24 we see that people who reject God will be going to a place of eternal torment. All people are sinful and on the way to hell even before we are saved. We are saved because we are allowed to choose Christ.


Salvation is a gift from God. We are saved by grace through faith.

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
Romans 5:15

The author referenced the following verse. I'm not sure why it was cited...it has nothing about human free will or whether or not God has the right to hold us to a standard.

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Rev 20:10

I'm in the process of writing a post about free will and God's sovereignty. In the mean time I'd like to offer the facts that this video's author is mistaken about what Christians believe. As an atheist, the author asserts that God does not have right to tell us He loves us and to hold us to standard. He made us! God has all the right. The author further asserts that God wants us to have free will and freely choose to obey and love him. I can't find that in the Bible. We are called to repent and obey God for sure. We are told to choose but no where are we told "You have Free will". The author is applying the definition of Free Will as being able to choose among several options sans constraints and consequences. But it's unrealistic. Because our slavery to sin..no one is free unless God frees us!

Truthbomb Apologetics: Apologist Profile: Josh McDowell

Chad over at the the Truthbomb blog has provided a great, detailed summary of Josh McDowell's career and resources. It's invaluable

Truthbomb Apologetics: Apologist Profile: Josh McDowell

Sunday Quote: Augustine on Faith and Understanding - Apologetics 315

Sunday Quote: Augustine on Faith and Understanding - Apologetics 315:

"Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.'
- St. Augustine of Hippo"

Whatever Happened to Apologetics MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

There is a post on Apologetics 315 is very interesting. Craig Paton defines apologetics in a great and wonderful way. As a Lutheran and an apologist he does a great job of explaining what Apologetist is why it's important. It's worth listening to.

Whatever Happened to Apologetics MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

10 Reasons Why there is No Comparision Between Jesus and Superman

I came across the following blog post that was linked from Twitter. It's called 10 Reasons Why Superman is better than Jesus. It's obviously stupid. But for the sake of argument, I think we must answer trivial arguments like this so the author will not be so smug in his stupidity. I will respond to each point he raises in his post. My comments are in red.

Mon, Jun 1, 2009

Blog

This article made me want to include a little list of why Superman is better than Jesus. I’ve made a comparative list so that I can definitively prove that the last son of Krypton is superior to the King of Kings in almost every way.

1. Superman has saved the planet for destruction numerous times. Jesus has threatened to return and bring upon the end of the earth with him, but so far is a fucking “no-show”.
   
   Jesus keeps all of reality from falling apart. Considering that, I'm sure Jesus is coming back.
   
   
   

   For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
   - Colossians 1:16-18

   
   
   
2. Jesus performed a few miracles, but Superman can shoot laser beams out of his eyes, he can fly, is indestructible, and can see through everything except lead. In one movie he turned back time. How awesome is that?
   
   Jesus can see into people's hearts and know what they are thinking. Jesus can raise the dead and cure all diseases. Superman has never done any of that.
   
   
   
   

   Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.[a] 24But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man. John 2:23-25

   
   
   On top of that Superman is no longer able to turn back time or juggle planets anymore. Jesus never changes! He has no need to evolve or grow!
   
   
   

   
   Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
   
   Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. - Hebrews 13: 7-9

   
   
   
3. Jesus may have died for your sins, but Superman died to protect us from an intergalactic killing machine called Doomsday.
Sorry but hell is a whole lot scarier than Doomsday. Doomsday only threatened physical life. It is through Jesus Christ that we are freed from sin and eternal separation from God. Through Jesus...you not only get eternal life but you get to be free of making stupid mistakes through which you destroy yourself!
4. When Jesus died, he was resurrected 3 days later and then abruptly left, telling his disciples he’d be back within their lifetimes (an obvious lie). Superman died, was in stasis for a while, and emerged with long glorious 90’s hair. Unlike Jesus, however, Superman stuck around and has been busy keeping the world safe from evil.
Jesus never said He would return during their lifetime! To say so is reading something into the Bible that it does not say! Jesus is better than Superman because he changes the hearts and minds of sinners like you and me and makes us children of the living God.
5. Although not a God, Superman still risks his life all the time trying to combat super villains. Jesus, on the other hand, is apparently all powerful, and yet refuses to do something as basic as healing amputees.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." - Daniel 3:16-18

6. Superman can move mountains. Jesus claims praying to him will accomplish the same feat, but no noticeable effects from prayer have ever been measured.
I've seen God moves when people pray...not coincidence. Jesus made the mountains and everything in reality.

He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. - John 1:2-4

7. Superman is an expert in dozens of languages, and is an accomplished journalist. Jesus never left any writings, or evidence of any of his works.
Arguing from silence is not proof. Jesus spoke to Jews and gentiles. He at least could speak Aramaic and read Kione Greek. Considering that he created every nation and language...again Jesus won.
8. Superman hooked up with the insanely hot Lois Lane, while the only women that showed any interest in Jesus were all prostitutes.
We have no Biblical or Historical proof that Jesus hooked up with anyone! On top of that if the author was referring to the lies in the Da Vinci Code, the assertion holds no relevance because no where does the Bible say Mary Magdalene was a prostitute!
9. Jesus said “But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me” (Luke 19:27). Superman, on the other hand, has a strict code of conduct that forbids him to kill anyone.
Context. Context. Context. Come' on. I thought you could read! The quote is taken out of context. Jesus was quoting a king in a parable, not giving a command! And as for how Jesus tells us to treat our enemies he said:

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies[b] and pray for those who persecute you,..." - Matthew 5: 43-44

Jesus did not just say this, he modeled it for us.

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. - Colossians 1: 19-23

10. If you fell out of your apartment window and cried for help, Superman would try and save you. Not only will Jesus not even bother to save you; he will send you to hell for all eternity if you don’t believe in him.
If you believe Jesus is who he claimed to be then you are one of His. This what Jesus promises us who belong to him:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28:19-20

I have tested this out and Jesus did not lie. He have never left me or forgotten me. He has always been there for me to matter how bad things have gotten for me.

Now some people may criticize me for this article, and they might be right: what’s the point in debating which fictional character is better, anyways?

I'm not going to criticize the author for pondering these points. We must all answer: "Who Is Jesus To Me?" If youthink he's just a fictional character you should look at what a real historian has to say in my earlier post called: Paul Maier - Jesus Really Existed.

Phil Fernandes vs. Eddie Tabash Debate: Does God Exist? MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

This is a very interesting debate. At first, I thought that it was nothing new...but give it a moment. Phil Fernandez did a great job rebutting his opponent. I think that Eddie Tabash does not believe in God because he does not agree with the decisions God has made. The only problem I have with Fernandez's presentation is that he said that the debate was not about Biblical Inerrancy. When I listen to debates against atheists, few people defend the Bible but every atheist I have listened to attacks the Bible. That must be answered.

Tabash really did a good job attacking us on the problem of evil. He asked about his parents and family who endured horrors on the Nazi holocaust. They were good people but rejected Jesus as Lord and Savior. He asked them why it is was right that they would go to hell and if the Nazi's who killed them repented would go to heaven? I think the answer is the same as the one Fernandez used when he was asked about genocide in Canaan when the Jews moved in. Fernandez said God is sovereign and can do what ever He wants and we are not qualified to question him.

This debate is worth listening to.

Phil Fernandes vs. Eddie Tabash Debate: Does God Exist? MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

John Warwick Montgomery MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

Here is another great resource from Apologetics 315. Several mp3's of apologist John Warick Montgomery lectures and interviews have been collected for us to enjoy.


John Warwick Montgomery MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

The Gospel According to "X-Men Origins: Wolverine "

A lot of negative comments have been made about Wolverine as being "shallow" when it comes to philosophy and character development. While I agree that there was little character development, I disagree that it had nothing to say about the human condition. As a character, Wolverine is always walking that razor edge between his humanity and beastial - bezerker nature. He constantly is making choices as to whether or not he is going to be rational or give in to his rage. I think that this was explored in the movie.

The movie also explored the idea of "choice". Wolverine chose to undergo the antimantium process because he wanted the added powerto kill Victor Creed whom he believed killed his lover, Silverfox. After Stryker tried to wipe Wolverine's memories and then later tried to kill him, Wolverine told the nice old man who helped him after the he escaped from Weapon X that he had no choice but to seek revenge. The old man called him on that...that we always have choices. I find that when we, as people, say "I have no choice." what we mean is that "I have no other choice that I would rather make". I mean Wolverine could have chosen to walk away and not look for Stryker or Victor, but he didn't. Okay, had he done that there would not have been a movie, but again, he could have done it.

So that gets me to thinking. "Do we, as people, have free will?" I've been studying what the Bible says about Free Will. I have come to the conclusion that it depends on how you define what "Free Will" is and is not. Many folks define "libertarian free will" as the ability to make decisions without being led, coerced, or contrained. This definition is not the way the Bible talks about how people function. The Bible says that God does everything according to his will....not ours. Nothing happens without God knowing about it. I want to write more on this subject. I'll be giving more in another post coming soon.

Read a review on my Favorite Fiction blog.

Whales - Designed Or Evolved? by Dr. Marc Surtees

Here is a video lecture in which Dr. Marc Surtees lectures on the evidence we actually have for whale evolution. He is a qualified biologist.




Part 1


Part 2

Iron Sharpens Iron: DR. JAMES R. WHITE: THE MORMON VIEW OF THE GODHEAD: Does it fit the biblical text?

I just heard Chris Arnzen interviewing James White regarding Mormonism. It's great. He has been studying Mormonism for a while now and he has debated several Mormon apologists in the past few years. If you know nothing about Mormonism this is a great program to listen to.

Iron Sharpens Iron: DR. JAMES R. WHITE: THE MORMON VIEW OF THE GODHEAD: Does it fit the biblical text?

Truthbomb Apologetics: Featured Audio: Interview with Daniel Wallace on the Reliability of the New Testament Text

This is a great interview. I enjoyed it greatly. Wallace can summarize and explain textual variants in the Bible very cleanly. Everything he says confirms my own research and what I have heard other scholars who are not Bart Ehrman say. I think that if you have questions as to where or not the Bible you have in your hands contain the same information as the original manuscripts the following interview will be a great place to begin your research.

Truthbomb Apologetics: Featured Audio: Interview with Daniel Wallace on the Reliability of the New Testament Text

Atheism is Dead: Atheist Greydon Square - Rapper Extraordinaire

Mariano has again published another insightful and awesome post. I never heard of Greydon Square (on the right, top) before I read this post. He does strike me as needing to be answered. People need to know that not all of Hip Hop is godless. God has provided excellent counterparts so that his Gospel can be brought to people in the Hip Hop Culture. One of these "rams in the bush" is the duo known as Hazakim (pictured on the right, bottom). I've posted about them before. This link will show all the times the have shown up on this blog. You can hear some of their music and read what they are about on their MySpace Site.

Atheism is Dead: Atheist Greydon Square - Rapper Extraordinaire

Iron Sharpens Iron: DR. JAMES R. WHITE: Islam and the Qur'an

I just heard Chris Arnzen interviewing James White regarding Islam. It's great. He has been studying Islam for a while now and he has debated several Muslim apologists in the past few years. If you know nothing about Islam or the Koran this is a great program to listen to. They had a power outage so the recording is not complete.

Iron Sharpens Iron: DR. JAMES R. WHITE: Islam and the Qur'an

Answering Steven Carr's Objections

Steven Carr left the following comment on my post:

Jesus' Resurrection: Gary Habermas and Antony Flew

We don't have ANY examples of somebody being raised from the dead.

Actually, I'm sure you could find an example of 10,000 people who all are certain they saw a touchdown that was all in their head....

Not one person in history has ever named himself as having seen a flesh-and-bone resurrected Jesus.

Paul says flat out that Jesus became a spirit.

And the early Christian converts he was writing to were scoffing at the whole idea of their god choosing to raise corpses.

I have a debate on the resurrection at Debate

I've listened to the "debate" but it wasn't a real scholarly debate. It was a webcast where Carr was a guest given an atheistic view of Easter. The man giving the Christian viewpoint was interesting. I think he did good a job defending the faith. All the people who called into the program were Christians also but instead of really interacting with Carr's points (which he summarized in his comments on my blog) they invited him to seek God for himself. I don't disagree. The thing that bothered me is the fact that each of his ideas and challenges can be answered and debunked. If these five points are Carr's reasons for denying the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, he doesn't have a leg to stand on. Make no mistake, Christianity believe that Jesus' resurrection was physical, tangible, and historical! It really happened. Carr's argument is that it didn't and he tries to use the Bible to prove it. Let's take his assertions in turn and see if it holds up.

We don't have ANY examples of somebody being raised from the dead.

Jesus...nuff said, but I'll dig deeper. Jesus resurrection is different than all the other times someone died in the Bible and came back to life. They all died later. Jesus never died again. Second, He said He was going to be betrayed, crucified, and resurrected...then He did it. On top of that the Old Testament says the same thing was going to happen to the Messiah and it happened to Jesus.

Actually, I'm sure you could find an example of 10,000 people who all are certain they saw a touchdown that was all in their head....

I'm assuming that Carr's trying to appeal to the theory that the Apostles and the first Christians only thought they saw Jesus as as some kind of shared vision. I can't believe that he even tried it. This has more than been shot down by the likes of William Lane Craig, Lee Strobel, and Gary Habermas. So I will use the same reasoning they use. There is no documented case where two or more people have the very same vision at the same time. You can't share a hallucination. This is a proven psychological fact!!!


Not one person in history has ever named himself as having seen a flesh-and-bone resurrected Jesus.

Peter Did.

"You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. - Acts 3:14-16

"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." - Act 10:39-43

Paul says flat out that Jesus became a spirit

I don't think so. There is no way because Paul never wrote it.


And the early Christian converts he was writing to were scoffing at the whole idea of their god choosing to raise corpses.

Carr is right there were some early church members (not Christians) who did not entirely believe in the resurrection of the dead. Just like today. This is one of the reasons Paul had to write 1st Corinthians to se them strait. This wasn't the only thing they needed to be schooled on. Look at what Paul actually wrote:

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I die every day—I mean that, brothers—just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
"Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die." Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. - 1 Corinthians 15: 20-34

The Reformation Is Defnitely Not Over

Catholicism is not a cult, but there are a few doctrinal and theological ideas that are held in Roman Catholicism that I must reject. There are many different ideas and beliefs in Catholicism because not all of the church follows the Pope and there are many Catholics that are saved as the Bible says and are in better or worse shape than Protestant believers. There is a vocal group of Catholic apologists who lay claim to the idea that all Christians should be Roman Catholic - to not just follow the Bible but all of the traditions of their church. Dr. James White has pointed out that an some Catholics have compiled a list of arguments Roman Catholics should not use when talking to Protestants. Here is what He wrote:

Benjamin Douglass and others have put together a list of common Roman Catholic arguments that, well, shouldn't be common at all. Now, posting something like this, given that it would decimate the arsenal of the most popular Roman Catholic apologists on the web and on radio today, can't make Mr. Douglass and his associates the most popular Roman Catholics around, but you have to give them a lot of credit for honestly recognizing these issues (issues I have been raising for many years). So kudos to Mr. Douglass and his associates! And a word of advice to Mr. Douglass: put on your asbestos booties and gloves before opening the resultant e-mails from the likes of Dave Armstrong and all the others who are so dependent upon these very arguments.

Lee Strobel's "The Case For A Creator"

Here is the documentary companion piece to Lee Strobel's book The Case For A Creator and it's great. It really makes me wanna read the book. Some interesting points is that evidence most of all of earth's lifeforms appearing quickly not slowly called the "cambrian explosion of life".

Deadliest Warrior: William Wallace vs Shaka Zulu

I watched the show last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. The truth is I thought that Shaka would win before I saw the show. I quickly changed my mind when I saw the sword that Wallace used to wield called the "claymore" - an 4.5 ft, steel sword! They did a test with the replica where they proved that he could have decapitated 3 people with one swing of the thing. I really wanted to believe Shaka could have won, but after that... Here is a video from the show:

More James White Analysis of William Lane Craig

Yesterday on his webcast, Dr. James White offered further analysis of William Lane Craig's attempt to harmonize libertarian free will of people with the sovereignty of God in matters of salvation. I can't harmonize them. You can seem to hold one or the other, but not both. You can hold on to complete human libertarian free will and reject scripture or you can embrace that God is in complete control and does whatever He desires to do and when HE decides to do it and follow scripture. The webcast is very helpful and should start a great deal of discussion. Here is the link.

New Atheism by Norman Geisler MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

I have found another gem on the Apologetic 315 blog. It's a lecture by Norman Geisler about the current forms Atheism that have cropped up. Please follow the link below for an audio and a video. I enjoyed the lecture. If you know little about other religions, this lecture will help you think about what you believe and why. Why are you following the religion you are following? This lecture will help you think about this.

Here is the video from YouTube





New Atheism by Norman Geisler MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315