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February 5, 2019
In the first two parts of this series (see here and here) I discussed how secular scientists, given their naturalistic worldview, expected to discover that we live in an eternal—and therefore uncaused—universe, as well as in an ordinary solar system. Yet on both scores scientists were surprised by what scientific advances revealed. In both cases, the great contrast for scientists who hold a purely secular worldview is that the universe’s and solar system’s features seem to best comport with the expectations of theism over atheistic naturalism.
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Secularism
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Planet Formation
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Intelligent Design
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Earth's History
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Anthropic Principle
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January 29, 2019
I have enjoyed playing and watching sports most of my life. Now that I’m sixty years old I sometimes think back to my time playing baseball and basketball, with fondness for the camaraderie, teamwork, discipline, and competition these sports engendered. I often think about the particular people I played with and against on the courts and fields of competition. In some ways playing sports as a youth prepared me for later life, including my calling as a Christian apologist.
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Sports
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Christian Life
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Pop Culture
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January 22, 2019
In part 1 of this series, I discussed how scientific evidence demonstrates that the universe had a beginning and that such a notion best comports with the expectations of theism over atheistic naturalism. Yet that conspicuous beginning took secular scientists by complete surprise. In this article I will briefly discuss what the expectations of secular scientists concerning our solar system were, and what science has revealed. The results will also show which worldview— naturalism or theism—is preferred.
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Naturalism
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Worldviews
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Solar System Design
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January 15, 2019
How did the universe come into being? The last century has revealed a stark contrast between what secular scientists expected to find regarding the big “origins” questions and what scientific research actually uncovered. In part 1 of this series, I’ll discuss how this contrast played out concerning the origin of the universe. In future installments I’ll consider, in turn, the origins of the solar system, Earth, and the human species.
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Science & Faith
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Origin of the Universe
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Multiverse
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Cosmology
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Big Bang Theory
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January 8, 2019
I’m not sure if the internet and social media as a whole are either an intrinsic good or an intrinsic bad, but as technologies they do afford opportunities to discuss Christian apologetics issues. In part one of this series I responded to an objection by a skeptic who raised questions about what I wrote in “The Historic Alliance of Christianity and Science.” Here in part two I’ll address his other major objection (summarized below).
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Incarnation
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Bible Difficulties
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Logic
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Apologetics
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January 1, 2019
Social media and the internet allow ample opportunities to discuss the truth claims of historic Christianity. A while ago I interacted with a skeptic who had some questions about an article I wrote, “The Historic Alliance of Christianity and Science,” in RTB’s former magazine Facts & Faith (vol. 12, no. 3).
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Problem of Evil
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Natural Disasters
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God's Existence
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December 25, 2018
Can we justify concepts like logic, moral values, and universals from a naturalistic, atheistic perspective? Or do we need a transcendent grounding like historic Christianity’s explanation for these meaningful realities?
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Worldviews
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God's Existence
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Resurrection
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Apologetics
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December 18, 2018
The God of the Bible is infinite and eternal while human beings are finite and temporal. That means humans can never fully comprehend or exhaustively understand God.1 Yet those profound limitations do not mean human beings can’t know God or enjoy a personal relationship with him. Also, because many, if not all, of the things Christians believe about God involve mystery, it does not mean those beliefs involve logical contradiction.
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Logic
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Theology
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Good Questions
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Bible Difficulties
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December 11, 2018
I have been very afraid at least four times in my life. On one occasion I fought a man who had attacked my wife in a dark alley late at night. On another, my daughter Jacqueline was extremely ill with a mysterious virus. A similar experience took place when my son Michael was struggling with serious health problems. And lastly, I was numb with shock and fear when my doctor told me that I had a life-threatening brain and lung illness.
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Philosophy
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Christian Life
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Evil & Suffering
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December 4, 2018
One of the most controversial topics that the Bible addresses is eschatology. This theological term literally means the study of last things—popularly known as end times. Scripture speaks of both humankind’s past origin in creation as well as our future destiny in consummation. Yet rightly interpreting and properly understanding what the Bible teaches about the end of the world has proved difficult and controversial in church history.
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End Times
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Interpretation
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Controversies
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Christian Issues
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Prophecy
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Bible Difficulties
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November 27, 2018
I am writing this ongoing blog series on Reflections to encourage Christians to read more vigorously and enrich their lives with Christian classics in such fields as theology, philosophy, and apologetics. Hopefully, a brief introduction to these Christian texts will motivate today’s believers to, as St. Augustine was called in his dramatic conversion to Christianity, “take up and read” (Latin: Tolle lege) these excellent books.
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November 20, 2018
Two men I’ve been reading about for virtually my entire life but for very different reasons died on the exact same day. For more than 50 years, I have been learning about the life and thought of both President John F. Kennedy and Christian thinker and author C. S. Lewis.
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Events
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History
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C.S. Lewis
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Books
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November 13, 2018
I am writing this ongoing blog series on Reflections to encourage Christians to read more vigorously and enrich their lives with Christian classics in such fields as theology, philosophy, and apologetics. Hopefully, a brief introduction to these Christian texts will motivate today’s believers to, as St. Augustine was called in his dramatic conversion to Christianity, “take up and read” (Latin: Tolle lege) these excellent books.
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Books
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Reading
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Christian Literature
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November 6, 2018
C. S. Lewis may have been the most important Christian thinker of the twentieth century. His modern classic Mere Christianity was the first Christian book I ever read back in my early college days. And that book played an important role in shaping my early faith and motivating my interest in Christian apologetics. I’ve gone on to read and reread many of Lewis’s remarkable works.
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Christian Literature
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Atheism
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Seeking Truth
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C.S. Lewis
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October 30, 2018
Christian unity is very special to me as a believer in Jesus Christ. In fact, I feel called by God to promote truth, unity, civility, and charity among all who embrace the historic Christian faith. Personally, I would much rather talk about what all historic Christians affirm theologically than discuss the doctrinal distinctives of my particular theological tradition. I guess that is one reason I find the ecumenical creeds of Christendom (Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed) so appealing.
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Seeking Truth
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C.S. Lewis
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Christian Life
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Disunity in the Church
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October 23, 2018
I am writing this ongoing blog series on Reflections to encourage Christians to read more vigorously and enrich their lives with Christian classics in such fields as theology, philosophy, and apologetics. Hopefully, a brief introduction to these Christian texts will motivate today’s believers to, as St. Augustine was called in his dramatic conversion to Christianity, “take up and read” (Latin: Tolle lege) these excellent books.
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