Answering Monica Dennington

TurretinFan has done an excellent job refuting a person who has no idea what theologians do or what Calvinism is. He is referring to the video that I mentioned in an earlier post: Reasoning with William Lane Craig

Atheism is Dead: Atheism - The New (Emergent) Atheists, part 3 of 4

Here is the third part of a great series from Atheism is Dead. Check out my article on the same subject if you haven't seen it yet.

Atheism is Dead: Atheism - The New (Emergent) Atheists, part 3 of 4

Truthbomb Apologetics: An Apologetics Arsenal

Truthbomb Apologetics has a great post that summarizes and bookmarks a great deal of apologetic information. This is a great place to start for any religious questions.

Truthbomb Apologetics: An Apologetics Arsenal

The World Seem to Love It When Christians Fail

All Christians are people and we fail sometimes. This is why we have to put our complete trust in Jesus...He never fails. As you have probably heard that Father Alberto Cutie has been caught breaking his vows. Here is the link to an article.

Also those racy pictures of Carrie Prejean, Miss California, have turned up more dirt which enemies of anyone who confesses to be a Christian have been trying to use to destroy her. Four semi-nude pictures she posed for have come to light. It had been stated that she was 17 at the time, but now it's being reported that she had taken them last January after breast augmentation. Some people because of this think she should loose her crown because she broke the rules. Fine. But that does not mean that she is not a christian or that church people should condemn her. Here is the link to an article.

We need to hold up these people in prayer and not judge them. It could have been anyone else caught up in mistakes and poor decisions that we have made. We must never forget two very important facts: I am the worse sinner than I know. You are the worse sinner that you know.

Jesus' Resurrection: Gary Habermas and Antony Flew

I found another debate Anthony Flew (right) was in before he became a theist. He debated Dr. Gary Habermas (left) in 2003 at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. This was more of a discussion that a debate. It looked like as if Anthony Flew was given a chance to ask his own questions about Jesus' Resurrection and have them answered by Habermas. It's very informative.





Gary Habermas pointed out that the Resurrection is a more probable explanation of Jesus' post-crucifixion appearances than multiole groups of people sharing a vision of seeing Jesus because we don't have any examples of multiple people sharing the same vision.

Reasoning with William Lane Craig

I had the opportunity to listen to James White's webcast from Thursday, May 21, 2009. It was extremely interesting. I think James White summed up the contents of the webcast on his blog. I've pasted it below because I want to make sure readers read it.

We did a Radio Free Geneva today, starting with a few minutes reviewing an example of really bad argumentation (from Monica Dunnington) and then moving on to the serious stuff, that being the comments of William Lane Craig on the topic of man's freedom, Romans 9, Roman Catholicism, etc. Important documentation that "theology matters." Here's the program.
Now here is another gem from the wacky world of those suffering from Calvin Derangement Syndrome. A new book from a Southern Baptist deacon from Florida titled Calvin the Psychopath. Anyone want to take a wild guess as to how fair, and accurate, this scholarly work might be? If you are wondering, here are some whopper quotes from the author's website:

The written history of John Calvin dramatically reveals that he was a premeditated murderer, a heretic, a blasphemer, and a liar. He forced his beliefs by fear, punishment, terrorism, and had his own inquisition. He beheaded children and justified it with an extensive discussion of the Fifth Commandment. (Honor thy father and thy mother.) Calvins temper was described as the wild beast of his wrath. In my opinion Calvinism is a cult. Like all cults it has picked those things they want to believe and eliminated the others. By this they have created their own religion with the usual half-truths. They have reinterpreted the Scriptures in an unorthodox way, and used them in an orthodox way. It is a sinful spiritualizing exegesis.

Calvinists are increasingly coming out in the open. The president of one of our seminaries, who is a Calvinist, has been quoted in Time magazine recently and if true it is absolutely a lie. The seminary president as quoted said, The moment someone begins to define Gods (being or actions) Biblically, that person is drawn to conclusions that are traditionally classified as Calvinist. This statement is Biblically Illiterate! He says when one seeks God they find Calvinism! At the very least this is sacrilegious or gross irreverence. To me this is a dissent from Biblical dogma and is therefore heresy. We need to speak up and out against this man. He is dangerous to the minds of our young people.

Well, there you go! We all stand refuted once again! Truly, Calvin Derangement Syndrome is a sad thing to observe, it truly is.
We will continue with Radio Free Geneva next week!

I have found the presentation by Monica Dennington that White referenced. It's on YouTube just like he said.





The truth is that I think Dr. White's commentary on Dennington's words were way more charitable than they deserve. He laughed...but I think it was to keep from crying. I'm not even sure how to respond because her ideas are so...I almost want to say stupid but that's not right. "Ignorant" is better. As Dr. White points out she could not have obviously studied church history or listened to other viewpoints on what scripture says but instead holds on to her own traditions.

As far as Dr. White's comments on Dr William Lane Craig's presentation I found myself disappointed with Craig's presentation. He seems way more concerned to me about human dignity and free will than just admitting that God is sovereignly in control of all of reality. The truth is that if God did not supercede human will, no one would ever be saved. I really would like to hear more of Craig's presentation but I think I could find the first part. I think Jame White is correct he should debate William Lane Craig.

Atheism is Dead: Atheism - The New (Emergent) Atheists, part 2 of 4

Here is the second part of a great series from Atheism is Dead. Check out my article on the same subject.

Atheism is Dead: Atheism - The New (Emergent) Atheists, part 2 of 4

To Dick Cheney, No one likes a sore loser!

You can just hear the bitterness in this clip:

The Four Horsemen

I have found a series of videos on YouTube that have some of the largest named atheist in a round table discussion. Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennet, Samuel Harris, and Christopher Hitchens sit around and talk about Atheism and talking to Christians. Here is the video playlist:





I'm amazed by that they really seem to think that those who believe the Bible are deluded and arrogant. They would tell us that if there really is a divine, ultimate intelligence that we can't possibly know what that entity thinks or desires. They reject the Bible because they don't accept it as true. To talk to people with this mindset I can see how showing that the Bible could not come from men is a good tactic. The Bible is authoritative because it comes from God. From there then we have a platform on which to talk. It's alo an important point that they must use the Christian Worldview to argue against us. The very name they chose to refer themselves come from the Bible. I know some people think that it's just irony but let's take it up a notch. Which of the four horsemen does each man represent? This is my guess (just for fun - I mean if they want to be the four horsemen of the Apocalypse - "the unveiling" - this is what they are claiming for themselves; absolutely no offense is intended):


War - Christopher Hitchens because he is kind of belicose and angry against God. He doesn't want to be beholden to anyone but himself.


Pestilence - Richard Dawkins because he is a biologist and we can conncet it to studying germs and diseases.


Famine - Sam Harris because I think he represents "spiritual" famine. He searched the world and several religious experiences and came up with nothing.


Death - Daniel Dennet because if you equate religious experience with natural phenomenon there is no way you can get life out of your worldview. By its very nature, being regenerated and being tranformed fdrom being hostile to the things of God to a believer requires an act of God - outside of natural expectations and processes.



If you disagree with the parallels I've drawn feel free to suggest others in the comments.

Atheism is Dead: Atheism - The New (Emergent) Atheists, part 1 of 4

I was shocked to find the following post from my brother-in-Christ Mariano on the same topic I had planned to post on for tomorrow. We didn't set this up. His is a thoughtful series of articles on the so-called "New Atheists". I highly recommend his series. Feel free to check out my post on these same guys tomorrow.

Atheism is Dead: Atheism - The New (Emergent) Atheists, part 1 of 4

Open Letter to Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens, I've listened to several of your debates with Christian Theists. They have been quite....educational. I have to admit that I completely disagree with you but you are too intelligent to be just written off as a moron. I regret that many of your points against the Bible are important questions and never seem to be addressed in your debates. Most of your opponents offer good philosophical arguments but never address your points concerning the character of God and the reliability of the Bible. I hope that you will one day debate more people like Douglas Wilson (who did an awesome job debating you). I would suggest James White, Gary Habermas, or Ben Witherington. Along with Wilson, they can really challenge your views and give reasons why your conclusions are wrong.

You often issue the challenge of demonstrating a single moral act proscribed in religion that you can't come up with on your own. I'll take that bet. There are many examples but I will give you two:

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. - Romans 12:3

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. - Luke 6:35

I've been a Christian my whole life. I gave my life to Jesus as a child and while I agree that these verses are true and correct I have a problem with them. There is no way I would not have thought this up. It's completely opposite to my human nature and what I want to do. From what you have said, it's opposite from yours as well. You don't agree with this morality taught in the Bible teaches, without the power of God no one, espiecally me, could hope to live up to these verses. I'm still working on it.

S.M. Lockridge's Famous Message - "That's My King" (Full Audio)

A couple of weeks ago I posted a small post on SM Lockridge's message "That's My King". That post had a link to transcript and had videos where people took his message and set it to music and images. Powerful stuff. But no way near powerful as just hearing the message in its entirety. It's been 33 years and it still beckons everyone to bow the knew to our Lord and Master, Jesus. Lockridge asks two profound questions that each of us must answer about who Jesus is:

1. Do you know HIM?
2. Is HE your king?

In just under 7 minutes, Lockridge manages to share gospel, invite anyone listening to make Jesus their king and explains why we should make him Lord over us. Here is the original post I did and here is the message in full audio mp3 format.

That Is My King.mp...

Zeitgeist

I'm sure many have heard of the Zeitgeist movie. It seeks to make an argument that because of all the corruption in politics in society in efforts to control the world including religion in general and Christianity in particular. It attempts to prove this by discrediting the Bible and Historic Christianity. It accuses Christianity and Bible of plagarizing other ancient traditions and personages. Also they equivocate everything about Jesus with ancient astrology. All lies. Here is the video




Here is the movie:



You can see a lot of problem with this film
1. You can't equate the "sun" with "son"
2. Jesus was not born on December 25
3. I have never seen the winter solstice fall on Dec 25
4. I have never seen the summer solstice fall on Easter
5. Joseph of the Old Testament had 11 brothers not 12

This movie has a lot of problems. A lot of conclusions are made that are not true. If you go and do some research yourself anyone can show that some of the facts in the films are lies. Listen to a real historian's viewpoint.




Here is a critique by historian Dr. Chris Forbes

Zeitgeist: Time to discard the Christian story? from CPX on Vimeo.

found it on YouTube




The truth is that if a person wants to reject Christ and ignore the Word of God...fine. That is their right. I think that it's completely stupid, but be that as it may. However, I have to draw the line at the truth. People don't lie to make themselves feel justified! The truth is if these film makers can get things so messed up concerning Jesus and Christianity, then that casts doubts on the assertions made and "facts" presented about the September 11, 2001 attacks and other terrorist actions.

Update: I did miss commenting on the fact that Forbs mistakenly said Horus did things that Osirus did.  Mary Jo Sharp's comments on her blog  clarify the mistake,. Read her post for more information

Truthbomb Apologetics: Apologist Profile: Mike Licona

In another great post from Truthbomb Apologetics, Michael Licona's career as a scholar is summarized in one place, including his credentials, publications, and some free audio to listen to. This is truly a great resource because Mr. Licona has done some some very interesting and important work.

Truthbomb Apologetics: Apologist Profile: Mike Licona

Mt Saint Helens

Here is a video of the event of Mt Saint Helens' eruption from May 18, 1980 - 29 year ago. I actually remember when this happened - I was 5 years old and ash was actually falling in Oakland, California.

Dinesh D'Souza vs. Peter Singer Debate: Can There Be Morality Without God? MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

The Apologetics 315 blog has recently posted a debate between Dinesh D'Souza and Peter Singer. Their topic was Can There Be Morality Without God. Singer, who is an atheist, argued that we can have morality with God. D'Souza argues that there is a God and we need God to understand Morality. Singer's approach is to just change morality to match the secular worldview. For example. Singer has proposed that a baby should not be considered to have human rights until it has lived about about 24 days to make sure its viable. I find that repugnant. Singer however attacked the Bible and I wish that D'Souza had defended the Bible in his arguments. I did like D'Souza's arguments.

Dinesh D'Souza vs. Peter Singer Debate: Can There Be Morality Without God? MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

Eugenics - Applied Dawinism

Here is a great podcast I found on the internet talking about the "science" of Eugenics. Applying Dawinian Evolution to human population is extremely evil. What right does any one of us have the right to decide who has the right to reproduce? This is worth hearing because it brings up questions of morality and who knows what is best for humanity. Remember Hitler used eugenics to "improve" the "German" race. Some real people died and civil rights violated in this country because of Eugenics. Listen to this. I would not say that Charles Darwin and other evolutionary biologists are responsible for Nazism and Eugenics but they did take those ideas of "natural selection" to its logical conclusion. I would love to know that if those who think that some people are worth more than others, are they willing to concede that there are people worth more than they? I'd be willing to bet that they don't.

Apologetics-DarkDa...

Atheism is Dead: From Zeitgeist to Poltergeist, Part 13 of 13

This post is the thirteenth and final post in Mariano's series of articles discussing Hitler's relationship to Christianity and Atheism. Check it out!

Atheism is Dead: From Zeitgeist to Poltergeist, Part 13 of 13

Obama Speaks at Notre Dame ; Abortion Comes Up

I just heard that this last weekend, President Obama gave the commencement address at Notre Dame this year and received an honorary Doctorate. Recall that Notre Dame is a Roman Catholic university and opposes Obama's abortion policies, so he did have some protests and negative hecklers, however he is not one to stop talking with those who disagree with him. That is one of the things I admire about him even though I do disagree with his abortion policies. However, the President is right: Pro-Life and Pro-Choice positions are antithetical to each other. Here are excerpts from that speech and the news article.

Todd Friel Interviews Christopher Hitchens MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

I just found this interview of Christopher Hitchens. Unfortunately, people listen to this guy so we need to know what this guy is telling people so we'll know how to refute him.

Todd Friel Interviews Christopher Hitchens MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

Todd Friel did a great job. He basically approached Hitchens from a direction that I think most people think that he should be dealt with; namely people wonder could anyone really believe that anyone like Hitchens could truly exist. I mean we wonder has he really considered if he's wrong or not? Friel asked him pointed questions about how would he respond if the Bible was right and he wrong various ways. Hitchens did not bring out anything new. I didn't hear anything that I have not previously heard. Hitchens was only there to promote the farce he wrote God Is Not Great. He did not seem to take Friel seriously nor answer his questions. Hitchen's point was that even if God does exist he refuses to recognize God's right to rule over him and all humanity. Hitchen totally missed Friel's point when he read Romans 1:18-20

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.

Hitchens is blinded that the passage describe him and people like him to a tee.
I really think Hitchens response is rather telling. I kinda wish Friel had read further - verses 21- 23

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.

But I guess he decided that it would be overkill and just add insult. Still, I sure would have liked to know how Hitchens would have responded.

I have recently heard a song that is a great answer to people like Hitchens.

Hazakim - Brace Yo...

Check out Hazakim's Myspace.