No Special Rights, So . . . One Law for All | MandM

One of the best things about the blogosphere is the ability to read thoughts and word of people from all over the world. An article by John Tertullian posted on the M and M blog sheds a light on the subject of how should we address the evils inherited from colonialism and racism from the point of view of the things that are happening in New Zealand. As someone who lives with the results of European colonialism (who doesn't?), I find that I am far from objective. It is still good to see what other people think. This article deals with how a particular indigenous ethnic group, the Maori, is now trying to find its place in New Zealand society and how they can get back some of what was taken from them. The thing that really amazes me in this discussion is that people who benefited and still benefit will admit and say "Yes, it's horrible what was done to you and it was completely unfair." However, they seem to stop there and never answer the next question: "How do we compensates and make restitution for those injustices?" I don't pretend to know the answer and the United States has nothing to teach New Zealand on this. Think about it. Just two weeks ago people were calling for the President of the United States to provide his birth certificate to prove he was born in the United States and when provided it, they said he should provide his grades and transcripts to prove he deserved the opportunities he has had and had not taking the place of some deserving (read "White") person (read "man"). Yes, racism is still with us - even and especially in America.

No Special Rights, So . . . One Law for All | MandM

dangerous idea: Straw Men Burning: Tim McGrew on Misinterpretations of the McGrews' article on the Resurrection

I've been following the discussion on using Baye's Theorem for calculating a probability for Jesus' Resurrection. The paper was originally written by Doctors Tim and Lydia McGrew. Dr William Lane Craig also made a similar argument in his debate on the Resurrection against Dr Bart Ehrman much to Ehrman's consternation. Tim McGrew wrote a response to the criticism posted on Dr. Victor Reppert's blog. Follow the link to read it.

dangerous idea: Straw Men Burning: Tim McGrew on Misinterpretations of the McGrews' article on the Resurrection

In addition Dr. Reppert wrote a short post explaining how he sees the role of probability theory philosophy of religion.

dangerous idea: On the use of probability theory in the philosophy of religion

Calvinistic Cartoons: Fatherly Advice

Great advice!

Calvinistic Cartoons: Fatherly Advice

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Madeleine on Unbelievable? | MandM

A scant few weeks ago Dr Paul Copan appeared on the UK radio program Unbelievable? to discuss his book Is God A Moral Monster? Paul Copan's view is that people have been misunderstanding several passages in the Bible that appears that God commanded His people to perpetuate genocide on the people of Canaan.  He argues that, like many accounts of the period, instead of truly meaning that everything was killed - men, women, children, and live-stock - the Bible is just saying that the Israelites' enemies lost really, really badly and not that they killed everyone - even civilians. I'm personally not completely sold on this viewpoint but I find it interesting.  In weeks after a program, Unbelievable?'s host Justin Brieberly, reads e-mails and correspondence on earlier programs. In the episode just a couple of weeks after Paul Copan appeared, he read an e-mail from Madeleine Flannagan who, along with her husband Dr. Matthew Flannagan, agree with Dr Copan's view. In the following link to their blog, the Flannagans posted the text of what was read on the air. I'm still not sure if I'm convinced I mean why not just go with what the text says and understand that God had good enough moral reason and authority to command what God do/does and do/allow what God does?  If we disagree - we are wrong.  Be-that-as-it-may, I found Madeliene Flannagan's expressions well-worth reading and she summed up the position in a very compact way.

Madeleine on Unbelievable? | MandM

Sunday Quote: Thomas Jefferson on Design - Apologetics 315

Image via WikipediaA few weeks ago, Brian Auten posted the following quote from Thomas Jefferson.

"I hold (without appeal to revelation) that when we take a view of the Universe, in its parts general or particular, it is impossible for the human mind not to perceive and feel a conviction of design, consummate skill, and indefinite power in every atom of its composition....So irresistible are these evidences of an intelligent and powerful Agent that, of the infinite numbers of men who have existed thro’ all the time, they have believed, in the proportion of a million at least to Unit, in the hypothesis of an eternal pre-existence of a creator, rather than in that of a self-existent Universe."

- Thomas Jefferson

I like the fact that  Brian posted this given how people usually point out how anti-Christian Thomas Jefferson was. As if the fact that he was not a believer in Christ and what the Bible says about Christ is reason to chuck Christianity under the bus. It turns out that Jefferson was no willing to go as far as today's atheists are willing to go.

Sunday Quote: Thomas Jefferson on Design - Apologetics 315

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Lara Logan Speaks Out About Assault In Egypt: 'They Raped Me With Their Hands' (VIDEO)

I'm still shocked that this happened to someone and it seems that nothing official will happen to them who did this to her. It almost seems like the attitude is that Lara Logan shouldn't have been there anyway because she was a woman and she should have known that it wasn't safe. I just don't understand that. This should never happen to anyone but it seems to happen all too often all over the world. IT is not just in Egypt. It's not just Muslims. It's just wrong. I think she was singled out because she is white and blond. This kind of thing has got to stop. I'll be praying for Lara Logan and her family.




Lara Logan Speaks Out About Assault In Egypt: 'They Raped Me With Their Hands' (VIDEO)

Lara Logan breaks her silence on '60 Minutes': 'They raped me with their hands' | Show Tracker | Los Angeles Times

Faithful Thinkers: Article: Review of "Love Wins"

Luke Nix called attention to a two-part review of Rob Bell's book Love Wins by Dr. Ben Witherington. I love Dr. Witherington's work and the way he puts things when he talks about the Bible and theology. He is truly a top-notch scholar and it is interesting to look at his opinion regarding Love Wins and the controversies it has stirred.

Do not Ask for whom the Bell tolls…… A Chapter by Chapter review of ‘Love Wins’ | The Bible and Culture

Faithful Thinkers: Article: Review of "Love Wins"- Part 2

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Fallacy Friday: Ad Populum (Appeals to Popularity) - Apologetics 315

Again Brian Auten and Matthew Flannagan have teamed up to release valuable material on logical fallacies. This week it is appealing to popularity. Follow the link to get the valuable insights!

Fallacy Friday: Ad Populum (Appeals to Popularity) - Apologetics 315

Debunking Christianity: Did You Know? Odds on the Resurrection of Jesus Are 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 to 1

I'm not really one to argue statistics  but it's amazing to me that John Loftus posts the following 

Debunking Christianity: Did You Know? Odds on the Resurrection of Jesus Are 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 to 1

which in turn is linked to the following:

Odds on the Resurrection of Jesus: 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 to 1

I tend to not argue from statistics because you can make it say whatever you want. Given the way you spin it you can make something seem likely or not so likely.  Deane Galbraith tries to debunk Dr Tim McGrew and Dr Lydia McGrew on a paper they did in which they argued that from a statistics point of view Jesus' Resurrection was very probable. He tries but in my opinion fails. For me the Resurrection isn't about probabilities. Either it happened or it did not. I believe it did. End of story. There is enough historical evidence and personal experience with the resurrected Jesus to insure that it makes sense to base your life around the fact of Jesus. I did also find an interview Dr. Lydia McGrew did regarding Philosophy, Apologetics, and this paper. The link to it follow.

Lydia on The Probability of Christianity

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Thinking God's Thoughts: The Viral Representative's Argument for Homosexual Marriage

Brennon posted comments on the following video from a speech by Minnesota Representative Steve Simon.




I agree with Brennon's comments. Dr. James White agrees with Brennon also.



Thinking God's Thoughts: The Viral Representative's Argument for Homosexual Marriage

Yesterday on the Dividing Line: Analysis of Minnesota Representative's Comments

A Refutation of Fitzgerald's "Nailed": Part 1 - Historical Relativism and Presuppositions

Jamin Hubner has started a series on Fitzgerald's book Nailed: Ten Christian Myths that show Jesus never existed at all. I enjoy Hubner's blog essays and articles very much! This particular essay does a great job in beginning to defend the historicity of Jesus. Well worth reading the article.

A Refutation of Fitzgerald's "Nailed": Part 1 - Historical Relativism and Presuppositions

Answering Muslims: President Obama's Alternative Bin Laden Speech

I'm glad Obama went with the version he went went with!!!! This one is funny however.


Answering Muslims: President Obama's Alternative Bin Laden Speech

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Infographic: Evolution of the Internet « : Crushable - Crushable gives you the celebrity news, style and scoop on the stuff you care about.

Infographic: Evolution of the Internet « : Crushable - Crushable gives you the celebrity news, style and scoop on the stuff you care about.

Answering Muslims: Six Suicidal Assumptions about Islam

David Wood has posted a summary of six mistaken assumptions people make about Islam. He writes:

The conclusions we reach reflect the assumptions we make. Start with false assumptions and you reach false conclusions. Start with suicidal assumptions and you reach suicidal conclusions. We don’t have to make these mistakes ourselves; our leaders are making them on our behalf. We and our children will suffer the consequences.

Islam has a foothold in our country. If you want to prevent that becoming a stranglehold by means of the “peace process” described in 5 above, you need to join the Resistance.

This one is a must-read!

Answering Muslims: Six Suicidal Assumptions about Islam

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The Kingdom of David and Archaeology | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament

Dr Mariottini has posted another great article regarding Biblical minimalism and competing opinions.

People who are not familiar with the maximalist/minimalist controversy should read Shtull-Trauring’s article. In addition, those who are not familiar with the archeological argument put forth by both groups to support their respective views will learn much from this article. It is a long article, but here is an opportunity for people to educate themselves about the issues that divide archeologists, biblical scholars, and even Christians.

Read the article to find out more.

The Kingdom of David and Archaeology | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament

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President Bush Reacts to Osama Bin Laden's Death with Will Ferrell from Will Ferrell, Adam "Ghost Panther" McKay, dannyjelinek, Brian Lane, Chris Kelly, Zach Zdziebko, Colton Dunn, BoTown Sound, Shauna O'Toole, and FOD Team

President Bush Reacts to Osama Bin Laden's Death with Will Ferrell from Will Ferrell

President Bush Reacts to Osama Bin Laden's Death with Will Ferrell from Will Ferrell, Adam "Ghost Panther" McKay, dannyjelinek, Brian Lane, Chris Kelly, Zach Zdziebko, Colton Dunn, BoTown Sound, Shauna O'Toole, and FOD Team

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Bin Laden's Dead! Here's An Updated Guide To The 2012 Presidential Hopefuls from As Usual, Dan Abramson, and Nate Maggio

Bin Laden's Dead! Here's An Updated Guide To The 2012 Presidential Hopefuls from As Usual, Dan Abramson, and Nate Maggio

The Death of Biblical Minimalism vs Harry McCall: Mosaic Authorship of the Pentateuch is Unfounded

What are the odds that on the same day Dr. Claude Mariottini would post an article on Biblical Minimalism as John Loftus would post a comment from a Harry McCall that attempts to prove that Moses did not write the Pentateuch? It is amazing. Mariottini's article was in my RSS  feed before Loftus' post. It's like getting the antidote before the poison shows up. 

Dr. Mariottini defined Biblical Minimalism as follows:

Biblical minimalists have a very low concept of the Bible.  Those who hold a minimalist view of the Bible believe that the Bible was written in the Persian period and that the facts contained in the Bible cannot be used to write an authoritative history of Biblical Israel.

Dr. Mariottini goes on to explain why scholarship is moving away from that view. Juxtaposed with McCall' statement it becomes obvious that  Mariottini's post addresses McCall's concerns in a general fashion. McCall is quoted as writing:

The belief that either Moses wrote the Pentateuch or that it predates the Deuteronomistic History (Deuteronomy – II Kings) is unfounded by the Biblical facts themselves:

(Yet it is clear that Jesus thought Moses gave Israel the Law: “Did not Moses give you the Law,…” John 7: 19). Thus, if the modern critical view of the Bible is correct, then Jesus himself is subject to error.)

Point A: Why do latter books of the Bible totally ignore early Mosaic Laws - such as when Elijah is commanded by God to eat what unclean ravens brought (1 Kings 17:6) - especially when the Law clearly forbids eating that which has been torn by beasts?

1. "You shall be holy men to Me, therefore you shall not eat any flesh torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs." Exodus 22: 31

2. "Also the fat of an animal which dies and the fat of an animal torn by beasts may be put to any other use, but you must certainly not eat it." Lev. 7: 24

3. "He shall not eat an animal which dies or is torn by beasts, becoming unclean by it; I am the LORD." Lev 22: 8)

Some more Biblcial proofs of the LATE creation of the “Mosaic Law” (Pentateuch) is listed below:

Point B: Why did Samuel hesitate to anoint a king over Israel (1 Samuel 8) when Samuel already had Deuteronomy 17: 15?

Point C: Why did Elijah build an altar to Yahweh away from the legitimate central sanctuary?

Point D: Why can Hezekiah quote no “Mosaic Law” for his reform, whereas Josiah does (2 Chronicles 31 to 2 Kings 23)?

Point E: Why does Deuteronomy permit Levites to come to the altar where as Leviticus does not? Link.

Again while, Mariottini does not address points A-E, he does talk about why we should think of the Pentateuch as authoritative regarding the Biblical history of Biblical Israel - which McCall denies. This discussion does not depend on whether or not you believe Moses wrote the Pentateuch in his own hand or if was passed from Moses by oral tradition. The bottom line is that Jesus in various places in the Old Testament testified that the Law came from Moses and many times appealed to it as binding and authoritative. This is a point worth contending on. I will be giving a more detailed response to McCall's 5 points because they deserve some added space and time to wrestle with. I would highly suggest that anyone interested in this issue should read Dr. Mariottini's article closely at the following link.

The Death of Biblical Minimalism | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament

You can read McCall's quote at the following link:

Debunking Christianity: Harry McCall: Mosaic Authorship of the Pentateuch is Unfounded

First Look Inside at Martin Luther Graphic Novel – We are Ready to Take Your Orders Now | CyberBrethren-A Lutheran Blog

James Swan posted an article on a Graphic Novel based on the life of Martin Luther. I like such books. The thing I'm sadden about is that people look down on such things as being just for children and no real value as a viable medium for telling important stories. I'd like to read this very much and I like the promotional video.




Luther Goes to the Cartoon Network

First Look Inside at Martin Luther Graphic Novel – We are Ready to Take Your Orders Now | CyberBrethren-A Lutheran Blog

Hidden Gems in Old Apologetics Literature by Tim McGrew - Apologetics 315

Dr Tim McGrew was recently interviewed by Dr Mike Licona on his work on studying the history of Apologetics. I loved the interview. Not only did we learn more about Dr. McGrew's amazing family but how important it is not to forget the work of previous apologists and scholars. It reminds me of how valuable the older works of scientist and engineers in their own work and not just what modern writers say what they discovered. For example, reading Einstien's papers on relativity or Enrico Fermi's book on thermodynamics is way cooler than just reading about them in a current textbook.

McGrew shows that some of the most famous and useful literature from previous centuries have been forgotten and makes me wonder if today's great works might be forgotten in 100 years.

Be sure to visit the Library of Historical Apologetics for more classical apologetic works.

Hidden Gems in Old Apologetics Literature by Tim McGrew - Apologetics 315