God Behaving Badly? – Introduction
“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” – Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion Christians maintain that God is all-good, … Continue reading God Behaving Badly? – Introduction
God’s Origin Story
In my last article, I compared superhero origin stories to the beginning of the universe. Every superhero needs an origin story, and so does the universe. We need a reason why it exists. I argued the best explanation is a God who caused the universe to come into existence. But doesn’t that just push the … Continue reading God’s Origin Story
Comics and Cosmic Origins
Every superhero has an origin story. Spider-man was bitten by a radioactive spider. Batman’s parents were murdered before his very eyes as a child. Superman’s parents sent him on a rocket to earth where he was discovered and raised by the Kents. Origin stories tell the tale of how a superhero gained his powers or … Continue reading Comics and Cosmic Origins
Dan Brown’s Origin: No God Required?
“Where do we come from?” and “Where are we going?” These are the two big questions Dan Brown explores in his latest novel, Origin (Doubleday, 2017). (Minor spoilers ahead.) This is the fifth book in the series starring Harvard professor, Robert Langdon, the most famous being The Da Vinci Code. While many of them have … Continue reading Dan Brown’s Origin: No God Required?
Book Review: Talking with Your Kids about God by Natasha Crain
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6 (ESV) “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” – Ephesians 6:4 (ESV) “But as for me and my … Continue reading Book Review: Talking with Your Kids about God by Natasha Crain
Interview with Dr. Sean McDowell: Evidence That Demands a Verdict
A few months ago, I interviewed Dr. Sean McDowell about the recently-released AWANA Youth Ministries Advocates curriculum. Now I’m excited to have him back for another interview about an awesome apologetics project: the updated version of Evidence That Demands a Verdict. Can you tell me about the history of Evidence That Demands a Verdict? When was the … Continue reading Interview with Dr. Sean McDowell: Evidence That Demands a Verdict
Book Review: Why Does God Allow Evil? by Clay Jones
Why Does God Allow Evil? with Clay Jones was probably the most important class I took during my time in the Christian apologetics program at Biola University. Years of pastoring and teaching have allowed him to craft a solid theodicy, a defense of God’s goodness in the face of great evil. And now I’m thrilled that … Continue reading Book Review: Why Does God Allow Evil? by Clay Jones
Interview with Dr. Sean McDowell: Awana Youth Ministry Advocates Curriculum
Last year I had the privilege of working on the AWANA Youth Ministry Advocates curriculum. But to be honest, I had never even heard of AWANA until I was contacted by my former Biola professor, Dr. Sean McDowell, to help work on the project. (I attended a Royal Rangers/Girls Ministries church.) So I thought I would … Continue reading Interview with Dr. Sean McDowell: Awana Youth Ministry Advocates Curriculum
Book Review: A Practical Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle
As a Christian father with young children, I’m always looking for resources to help me prepare my little ones for a post-Christian culture. Our society is filled with unbiblical – and even anti-Christian – ideas, and the thought of raising a child in such an environment is very daunting. That’s why I am thankful for … Continue reading Book Review: A Practical Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle
The Stratton Myth
How well do you know Tim Stratton, founder and president of FreeThinking Ministries? Let me list some facts about Tim: Christian apologist who blogs at FreeThinking Ministries Enrolled in the Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics program at Biola University from 2012 – 2014 Graduated with Highest Honors on December 19, 2014 Heavily influenced by … Continue reading The Stratton Myth
The Price of Denying Free Will
Every time I turn around I find someone else denying that humans have free will. From scientists to philosophers to theologians, it’s the cool new trend. We aren’t actually making free choices. We have been programmed either by God or our DNA to act in a certain way and have no choice but to follow … Continue reading The Price of Denying Free Will
Stuff Atheists Say: Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence
Welcome to another installment of Stuff Atheists Say, a series dedicated to combatting slogans and sayings that skeptics raise to stop conversations in their tracks. You can catch up on the previous articles here: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4. Today’s slogan is a common skeptic phrase, made famous by the late Christopher Hitchens. … Continue reading Stuff Atheists Say: Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence
Stuff Atheists Say: Atheism Is a Lack of Belief
Welcome to the fourth – and LONG overdue – edition of my series Stuff Atheists Say. This is where I deconstruct some of the sillier slogans that some atheists use as conversation-stoppers with theists. (And if you haven’t checked out the first three yet, you can catch up here: part 1, part 2, part 3.) … Continue reading Stuff Atheists Say: Atheism Is a Lack of Belief
Don’t Like It? Don’t Do It
“Don’t like abortion? Don’t have one.” “Don’t like guns? Don’t buy one.” “Don’t like drugs? Don’t use them.” You’ve probably heard one of these – or something similar – before. It expresses the notion that if you don’t like something, don’t do it, and don’t try to take away someone else’s right to do it … Continue reading Don’t Like It? Don’t Do It
Book Review: The Story of Reality by Gregory Koukl
I’ve waited for this book for a long time. I’ve been listening to Greg Koukl – one of my personal apologetics heroes – on the Stand to Reason podcast for years and he would occasionally mention this book he was working on, The Story of Reality (originally entitled Credo). I had been (not so) patiently waiting for it … Continue reading Book Review: The Story of Reality by Gregory Koukl
Rogue One Reflections: Death and Hope
This article contains spoilers for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. You’ve been warned. The obvious theme of Rogue One is hope. Many characters repeated the phrase “Rebellions are built on hope.” Hope is the last word uttered in the film. The events in this movie directly lead into the original Star Wars film (1977), which … Continue reading Rogue One Reflections: Death and Hope