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

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

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

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

Proposition 8 - Upheld

When I woke up this morning and I was reminded from a news report that the California Supreme Court would be ruling on the constitutionality of Proposition 8 to day. The ruling came down about 10 AM, PST. I just read the results at the Huffington Post and SF Gate. Basically, the Court is going to let the Proposition stand as is. I was surprised. Considering that this was the same court that legalized Marriage between people of the same gender, I was surprised that they would go on and uphold the proposition that went against its earlier ruling because the majority of us Californians voted for it. I'm not going to get into the reason why I supported Prop 8 last year here because I argued in favor of it else where on this blog. What I do want to point out that this snuck up on me. I did not hear anyone talk about this event today or bring it up. I knew it was coming. I even heard that opponents of Proposition 8 are discussing whether to get their thoughts on the ballot either for the next general election in 2010 or the next Presidential election in 2012. Here is a quote from the final ruling made by the California Supreme Court today.

"Proposition 8 does not by any means "repeal" or "strip" gay individuals or same-sex couples of the very significant substantive protections afforded by the state equal protection clause either with regard to the fundamental rights of privacy and due process or in any other area, again with the sole exception of access to the designation of 'marriage' to describe their relationship."

So to summarize, Proposition 8 stands, but the Same-Sex Marriages that have already taken place in California wiull still stand.