Debunking Christianity: “The Human Faces of God” by Thom Stark, Should be Required Reading in Every Evangelical Seminary, Bar None

John Loftus posted a review of Thom Stark's book: The Human Faces of God. According to the review, I disagree with much in the book, but that wouldn't stop me from reading it. Loftus and Stark actually agree on a lot of things and disagree on a lot of things. One point Loftus and Stark wrote about came to my attention in a big way:

Stark claims he is a Christian because he was born into that faith by Christian parents. And although he knows his parent’s flaws he is still their son and embraces them. “I am a Christian,” he writes, “because I chose to be a Christian. I am a Christian because I am a white male living in the West…Because I am a Christian, this book we call the ‘Holy Bible’ is uniquely my own. Whether I want it or not, I am stuck with it. Even if I were never to pick it up again, I could never put it down. It has shaped me in irrevocable ways.” (p. 242).

I really don't think Starks think that the only people can be Christian are white men who live in the west. That would be silly. How every I think it's a pretty bad reason to be Christian just because your parents raised you that way and you live in a nominal Christian culture. That's not a good enough reason to be a committed Christian. What struck me is how different Stark's definition of a Christian is verses what the Biblical description of a Christian.The Bible clearly describes what a Christian believes. Here is an example:

¹ Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
⁴ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit^a]" of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Does anyone see Christianity defined by race, culture, or geography? Nope.

Given that Stark denies the infallibility of the Bible - it's veracity and consistency - and the essential doctrines that characterizes who God is and what He has done, I don't know how Stark can consider himself a Christian.

Debunking Christianity: “The Human Faces of God” by Thom Stark, Should be Required Reading in Every Evangelical Seminary, Bar None

The Dunamis Word: The Difference Between Happiness & Joy

Elder Harvey Burnett has posted an awesome article based on a recent article from Essence magazine. The Magazine contains a list 0f 25 things you can do to bring yourself happiness. However it flies against what the Bible says in a few ways. Elder Burnett explains that the God promises us more than Happiness. God promises Joy. He goes on to show a true Biblical worldview.

The Dunamis Word: The Difference Between Happiness & Joy

Calvinistic Cartoons: Old Movie Poster Discovered

Hilarious!!!!


Calvinistic Cartoons: Old Movie Poster Discovered

Biblical Studies and Technological Tools: Bible Software for Android

I am always on the look out for good software for my Android devices. In looking for good digital lexicons and Hebrew/Greek texts for Android I came across a blog that is dedicated to biblical studies and technological tools. On it, I found a great post about Bible Studies software on Android! I'm familiar and happy with Olive Tree Software on my phone and tablet but it was nice to see what someone else thought about it. As per the recommendation I will also be installing Cadre's version. Sometimes to get all the features we need we have to use multiple apps/programs - nothing new there. Here are a couple of excerpts explaining why I'm making this decision.

OliveTree

http://www.olivetree.com/android/index.php

• Free BibleReader app with assortment of free Bibles: KJV, ASV, HCSB, JPS1917, NET (w/ limited notes)
• Most developed, most resources
• Study Bibles (e.g., ESV, HarperCollins, HCSB, NET w/ full notes: most in $10-30 range)
• Greek and Hebrew Bibles (SBLGNT for free; BHS, LXX, NA27 also available in morphological versions w/ lexicons: $30-75 range)
• Commentaries, dictionaries, devotionals, eBooks, maps, Strong's resources available
• Josephus and Philo (English) are free
• Android development lags behind iPhone/iPod Touch and earlier PalmOS and WinMobile, but they are busy expanding capabilities for Androi
• Many non-English Bibles available
• I have been a long time user of OliveTree, and I appreciate the ability to move my library from one platform to the next. (Palm > Axim > DroidX) I'm using versions I purchased previously like the NRSV and BHS, and the new SBL GNT is also on my DroidX. I have Philo and Josephus there too. The only problem is that I had purchased the Gramcord NT with its morphological analysis and dictionary, but this is not available on Android. They now offer a new morphologically tagged GNT (the Greek New Testament (NA27) with Mounce-Koivisto Morphology and UBS Dictionary), but it's still rather expensive, even with an upgrade path they offer. Given all the work OliveTree has done, their longevity in the business, and the wide collection of resources they offer, this one comes highly recommended.

CadreBible

http://cadrebible.com/index.php

"Over 60 Bibles, Dictionaries, Commentaries and Books available for offline reading"

Free versions include: ASV, KJV, NA26 GNT, Westcott-Hort NA26/UBS3 GNT, Scrivener GNT,

NET (w/ limited notes), Tanach (public domain Hebrew), LXX, Vulgate,

Search, bookmarks, notes, sharing, highlighting, reading plans

Parallel view (translations and/or commentaries; e.g., I have Gen 1:1 on screen showing NET, LXX, Hebrew, Vulgate!)

Can synchronize with Evernote

Non-English Bibles available

I am keeping this one on my DroidX because, as far as I have found, it's the only one to have a free LXX and Hebrew text. What's more, the Parallel view feature is extremely helpful to have Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and English versions of a verse all on screen together

Biblical Studies and Technological Tools: Bible Software for Android

Edward T. Babinski: The Flat Earth Myth? It's true that Columbus and most Church Fathers were not flat earthers, but don't start cheering just yet. . .

I got a link to this post from John Loftus. The post is on Edward T. Babinski. I think that this article is important. However I disagree with Babinki's points being argued. It proves that many Christians throughout history, beyond any shadow of a doubt, believed in a flat earth in a geocentric universe. So what? They were fallible human beings that were wrong. What Babinski attempts to do is to suggest that those Jews and Christians who were flat earthers and geocentric in their cosmology because the Bibles gives a wrong description of the universe. He fails to show how the Bible messes up real cosmology - he merely kept stating it. I'm not going to go through stating the Bible verses that show the universe is not geocentric and that the earth is not flat because I have blogged them before as has many others showed this over and over for centuries!


Edward T. Babinski: The Flat Earth Myth? It's true that Columbus and most Church Fathers were not flat earthers, but don't start cheering just yet. . .

Now THAT is an Upgrade!

James White posted a note about his experiences with Bible Reader 5 from Olive Tree on his iPad. I didn't even know he used it. I use the Android version and love it. I hope to see try the Android version.




Now THAT is an Upgrade!

Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: The Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day

James Swan posted the following on his blog:

The Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day

Though no one has pinpointed the exact origin of the holiday, one good place to start is ancient Rome, where men hit on women by, well, hitting them.

Those Wild and Crazy Romans

From Feb. 13 to 15, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. The men sacrificed a goat and a dog, then whipped women with the hides of the animals they had just slain.

Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: The Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day


My only question: why would men do that and why would women allow it.

God's Sovereignty, Quantum Mechanics, and "Micromanaging"

Jamin Hubner has been posting excellent articles! Here is one I liked very much. Take a look at what he has to say.

God's Sovereignty, Quantum Mechanics, and "Micromanaging"

Related articles

• Gravity finally starts cooperating with quantum mechanics...maybe [Mad Physics] (io9.com)
• Please, Don't Appeal to Quantum Mechanics to Propagate Your Pseudoscience " Exposing PseudoAstronomy (kestalusrealm.wordpress.com)
• How quantum mechanics brought us the Blu-ray player (boingboing.net)
• Can Quantum Mechanics Be Used to Fight Disease? (fastcompany.com)
• Comment: A skeptic of quantum theory explains his misgivings (sciencenews.org)

Answering Muslims: David Horowitz on the Muslim Brotherhood

Answering Muslims: David Horowitz on the Muslim Brotherhood

FacePalm #60 - Debunking Christianity: Quote of the Day on the Outsider Test for Faith (OTF)

John Loftus has posted the following quote from a website:

There is an entry on the Outsiders Test at Iron Chariots. Here's the dilemma it presents for believers:

On the one hand, believers who object to the OTF look like a person who argues in a court room that he does not want a fair impartial judgment, but rather a biased one from a biased judge who operates on double standards.

On the other hand, believers who accept the rationale for the OTF have a great amount of difficulty in arguing that the raw uninterpreted historical data without any culturally adopted Bayesian "priors" leads the historian to the conclusion that Jesus bodily arose from the dead.

I disagree that believers are not interested in fair impartial judgment. Impartiality is part of God's character. I'd like to see proof that unbelievers who think that the Christianity fails Loftus' OTF test are not biased or operating double standards. How can they admit that science is influenced by the biases and thoughts of scientist and yet claim that they are fairly evaluating evidence. Most definitely problematic.

Debunking Christianity: Quote of the Day on the Outsider Test for Faith (OTF)

Related articles

• Victor Reppert and John Loftus' Outsider Test for Faith: The Debate Continues (arizonaatheist.blogspot.com)

Witnessing to False Teachers: a Question on the MCTS Podcast

Dr. James White posted the 5th part of his interview on the MCTS podcast

Interview 5 | White and Barcellos from MCTS on Vimeo.

Witnessing to False Teachers: a Question on the MCTS Podcast

Apologist Interview: Fazale Rana - Apologetics 315

Brian Auten has posted his interview with Dr. Fazale Rana

Today's interview is with biochemist Fazale Rana, executive vice president of research and apologetics at Reasons to Believe, a science-faith think tank based in Southern California. He talks about his journey to faith, the role of natural theology, trying to create life in the lab, the thesis of his new book, how we define life, two different approaches to synthetic biology, the goals for synthetic biology, possible moral issues behind artificial life (are we playing God?), the harmonization between new scientific discoveries and scripture, RTB's origin of life model, the plausibility of "pre-biotic soup," the future of synthetic biology, the apologetic value of science, having confidence in the scriptures, and more.

Apologist Interview: Fazale Rana - Apologetics 315

Calvinistic Cartoons: Warming Up

Here is a great poem Eddie Eddings on his blog.

Calvinistic Cartoons: Warming Up

Sermons from London at Trinity Road Chapel

James White has posted links to the sermons he gave today in England at Trinity Road Chapel. He writes:

I spoke on the historicity of the crucifixion in the morning service, and was asked, specifically, to revisit Romans 9 for the congregation Sunday evening. Here is the download page from Trinity Road Chapel. The Romans 9 presentation, while similar to last Sunday evenings, includes a refutation of "equal ultimacy" as well (which would not have been helpful in the preceding weeks' context).

Sermons from London at Trinity Road Chapel

Sunday Quote: Ravi Zacharias on Jesus - Apologetics 315

Brian Auten posted this great quote:

"The character of Jesus has not only been the highest pattern of virtue, but the strongest incentive in its practice, and has exerted so deep an influence, that it may be truly said that the simple record of three years of active life has done more to regenerate and to soften mankind than all the disquisitions of philosophers and all the exhortations of moralists."

- Ravi Zacharias, Jesus Among Other Gods, p. 4


Sunday Quote: Ravi Zacharias on Jesus - Apologetics 315

YouTube - Has Islam Misunderstood Christianity? Rebuttals

Here is the rebuttal period from James White's and Bassam Zawadi's debate in London on February 12, 2011. The debate topic was: Has Islam Misunderstood Christianity? I can't wait to see the whole debate.





YouTube - Has Islam Misunderstood Christianity? Rebuttals

FacePalm of the Day #58 - Debunking Christianity: Quote of the Day

John Loftus posted the following today:

For a religious faith to pass the Outsider Test for Faith (OTF) it must be justified by the sciences. Period. If believers reject the sciences as a way to know the truth then let them propose a better alternative. So if the OTF is to be rejected, what do we put in its place? What’s the alternative?

Loftus again seems to assert that science is the a way to know truth as if Christians reject science as a way to know truth. Here is the heart of the problem I have with his "argument": I'd like to see a single good example of science contradicting something the Bible says - not what some folks over time have misinterpreted the Bible to say. He and others seem to assert that the Bible contradicts science and history and then when pressed don't produce any reasonable proof that there is contention between the Bible and reason. The bottom line is science cannot rule out miracles. Since it can't rule out miracles, science cannot be the only justification for true conclusions about reality. What else is there? God. If you have no guarantee that your reasoning powers and thought processes are reliable (and why should you, given how fallible you are), what else do you have?

Debunking Christianity: Quote of the Day

Thinking God's Thoughts: Yeah, I went there

Brennon, I'll go there along side you. I wanna know what the answer is but I think I already know what the answer is: They have no good arguments. They have things they believe is true despite any contrary evidence.

Thinking God's Thoughts: Yeah, I went there

FacePalm of the Day #57 - Debunking Christianity: Failure by Divine Design (A Christian Construction of Unbelief)

John Loftus posted a video recently in which the video's author tries to explain why believers believe.

He first sets up the argument that faith is mis-defined from Bible basically that Faith is believing the Bible and the Resurrection even if we have contradictory evidence. FacePalm number 1: This is not how God defines faith and the video presents no contradictory evidence but instead says that believers wouldn't stop believing even given contradictory evidence. I would say that I believe and I cannot find contradictory evidence. I agree that someone would raise the objection that presenting contradictory evidence was not the point of the video but it assumes that there is contradictory evidence without proof.

He then tries to say that unbelievers are a threat to believers and that we need theological reasons to explain why they don't believe. The fact that such videos and books as this one exists tells me that unbelievers are feeling just as threatened by believers (if not more). The question must be asked by both sides: There are intelligent people who disagree with me about my religion being true - why am I right and they are wrong? Of course the first Christians had to answer this just like we do today. The video's author does recognize that the Bible gives answers to this question - regarding Jews rejecting Christianity and people in general. He admits that the Bible teaches that a person who turns away from God was never really a Christian. Of course instead of taking the Bible's words as true he attempts to suggest that it's PR stunts that Paul and the Apostles used that people should be too smart to fall for today.

When the video turned to speak of reaffirmation, I was struck at the tone. Does this guy really think that atheist don't experience or seek reaffirmation in their disbelief? Some people are fighting tooth and nail to hold on to their atheism. FacePalm #2: There is so much evidence against atheism that some people find it hard to accept and yet the author takes atheism as the default truth.

FacePalm #3: Aside from mis-defining "faith" (which is trusting God based on the relationship with Him you are building on) and a few other things, the author's exegesis of scripture is better than most atheists I have read and spoken to. The Bible does indeed tells us that people who fail to believe fail because God has hardened their hearts and minds but it also states that the minds of men are already hostile to God (he conveniently leaves out Romans 8). Without God's intervention no one would believe.

FacePalm #4: The author of the video misses asking the fundamental question. It's not why do people not believe or believe for a time and then fall away? The question that needs to be asked is why do believers believe? The author does not answer this question but instead contends that believers are reaffirmed.

FacePalm #5: The author contends that the Biblical answers to why unbelievers do not believe are not reasonable. I don't understand that conclusion. The Bible never actually says that God's purpose is to save every single human being for hell. Therefore why is it not reasonable to just say we don't fully understand why God has set these thing up the way He has? You don't know who is chosen and who isn't outside of what God has done in you, personally. You can't believe on your own or keep yourself. God does it and gets all the credit. All we deserve is the blame because our sins are really that bad and without his intervention - and under most circumstances - hell is the only place you can expect to go!

This video is an exercise in reaffirming and encouraging atheists that they are truly okay and not missing anything - how is that any different that what the video's author accuses Christians and the Bible of doing in pointing out that people who don't believer are incapable of believing? It's not.





Debunking Christianity: Failure by Divine Design (A Christian Construction of Unbelief)

Molinism in a Nutshell: God Makes Do the Best He Can

Turretinfan did a great job discussing Molinism. He explained why he rejects it as a viable understanding of how to reconcile God's Sovereignty with Human responsibility and free will. Added to the recent post from Jamin Hubner on Molinism, I think it's very evident how you can't substantiate Molinism from scripture. Turrentinfan wrote:

As you can see, ultimately it comes down to a question of whether a will - in order to be free - must have an ability that it never, ever uses - the ability to do the contrary. This rationale seems to be what drives the engine of Molinism, and while many people accept this rationale, you'll never find it in Scripture.

Agreed.

Molinism in a Nutshell: God Makes Do the Best He Can