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May 28, 2019
In part 1 of this two-part series I noted that for Christians to effectively engage secularists in meaningful discussion, it is vital to understand secularists’ beliefs. I also pointed out that many people often refer to atheism (the view that no God or gods exist) as an overarching worldview, but it would be more correct to say that the worldview that encompasses atheism is called naturalism.
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Atheism
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Worldviews
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Secularism
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Naturalism
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May 21, 2019
British thinker and writer J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien (1892–1973) is one of the most beloved fantasy authors ever. As author of The Lord of The Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, his works rank among the best-selling books of all time. He has been popularly referred to as “the father of modern fantasy literature.” I saw the recent movie about his life, Tolkien, and wanted to offer my impressions.
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Famous People
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People
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Movies
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Pop Culture
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People of Faith
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May 14, 2019
Belief systems, like family members, often share recognizable features or traits. In that sense one can determine what a belief system is about by observing its traits.
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Secularism
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Science & Faith
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Worldviews
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Philosophy
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Naturalism
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May 7, 2019
Hypocrisy among Christians is a serious issue. At minimum, it’s a huge turnoff for believers and unbelievers alike. In situations where people are actually victimized by it, hypocrisy can comprise a justifiable reason to rethink or reject the truth of Christianity. In either case, hypocrisy among those who claim to follow Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is always regrettable.
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Ethics
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Christian Life
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Christian Issues
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April 30, 2019
With the recent observance of Easter, I’m reminded of an exchange I had with a reader concerning when Christians should worship. About a year ago I wrote an article entitled “A Dozen Evidences for the Resurrection of Jesus.”1 There I pointed out that one of the supporting factors for the resurrection is that Christ rose on Sunday and that the emergence of Sunday as a Christian day of worship (not observed by Jews) commemorates and supports the truth of the resurrection. But a reader challenged this claim by saying Sunday is a “pagan” day of worship.
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Seventh-Day Adventism
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Resurrection
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Christian Issues
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Church History
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April 23, 2019
On my Facebook and Twitter pages I have a weekly segment called #FridayPhilosophy, where I provide quotes from great philosophical thinkers. One philosopher I quote often is professor Ed L. Miller. Dr. Miller’s book Questions That Matter was the first philosophy textbook that I ever used in teaching philosophy and his writings significantly influenced my thinking on the subject.
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Philosophy
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Books
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Critical Thinking
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April 16, 2019
On my Facebook and Twitter pages I have a weekly segment called #WednesdayWisdom, where I provide thoughtful quotes from great thinkers in various fields. The thinker that I most often quote is philosopher and educator Mortimer J. Adler. Adler influenced me significantly through his many books and public talks and I had the great pleasure of interacting with him through email shortly before his death at 98 years of age.
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April 9, 2019
What is one of the best ways to prepare for explaining and defending Christianity’s truth claims? I suggest that tapping into the wisdom of historic Christianity’s greatest thinkers is one such way.
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Incarnation
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Historical Theology
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Christian History
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Augustine
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Apologetics
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April 2, 2019
What can past defenders of the faith teach us today? As it turns out, historic Christianity’s preeminent voices have passed on a treasure trove of wisdom. In parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 (of six) in this series, we highlighted the term apologia sophia (Gk: ἀπολογία σοφία), which transliterates the Greek word endings and roughly translates to “apologetics wisdom.” In that spirit, I offer some more practical advice (hopefully even genuine wisdom) for engaging in the apologetics enterprise (the art and science of giving a reasoned defense of Christianity: see 1 Peter 3:15).
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Blaise Pascal
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Books
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Augustine
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Historical Theology
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C.S. Lewis
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Apologetics
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March 26, 2019
Do you struggle with how to engage people who disagree online? You’re not alone. As noted in parts 1, 2, and 3 (of six), the term Apologia Sophia (Gk: ἀπολογία σοφία) transliterates the Greek word endings and roughly translates to “apologetics wisdom.” In this post, I hope to offer more such wisdom—practical advice—that can lead to more fruitful online discussions.
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Worldviews
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Ethics
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Apologetics
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March 19, 2019
One of my favorite contemporary Christian theologians, Dr. Desmond Ford (1929–2019), died recently. He was an Australian evangelical theologian with deep roots in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) theological tradition. He was educated at both Michigan State and Manchester Universities, where he earned dual doctorates in New Testament studies. At Manchester, he studied under the eminent New Testament scholar F. F. Bruce. Ford had a long, distinguished career and ministry.
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Walter Martin
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Famous Christians
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People
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People of Faith
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March 12, 2019
Are you prepared for apologetic engagement? In part 3 (of six) in this series, I’ll offer three practical suggestions to help prepare you for potentially life-changing interactions with nonbelievers. As noted in parts 1 and 2, the term Apologia Sophia (Gk: ἀπολογία σοφία) transliterates the Greek word endings and roughly translates to “apologetics wisdom.” These three points will help provide you with such wisdom, whether you’re a professional or lay Christian apologist.
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General Apologetics
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Worldviews
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Apologetics
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March 5, 2019
In part 1 of this series, we noted that Apologia Sophia (Gk: ἀπολογία σοφία) transliterates the Greek word endings and roughly translates to “apologetics wisdom.” In this second (of six) installment, I hope to offer more apologetics wisdom for our noble task. Here are three points that apply equally to both professional and lay Christian apologists. These points relate to connecting apologetics to Christian foundations.
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History of Christianity
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Apologetics
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Historical Theology
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February 26, 2019
Apologia sophia (Gk: ἀπολογία σοφία) transliterates the Greek word endings and roughly translates to “apologetics wisdom.” Since I am an adjunct professor for Biola University’s MA program in apologetics, I teach and interact with many students who are preparing for a career in apologetics or are studying to deepen their knowledge and sharpen their skills in the field. Thus, as a teacher and a full-time scholar at RTB, I hope the following series gives practical advice—and even some genuine wisdom—when it comes to the apologetics enterprise (the art and science of giving a reasoned defense of Christianity; see 1 Peter 3:15).
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General Apologetics
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Seeking Truth
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Apologetics
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February 19, 2019
One of my favorite contemporary Christian thinkers, Dr. Edward Michael Bankes Green, more commonly known as “Michael Green,” (1930–2019), died recently. He was a British evangelical theologian, apologist, evangelist, and Anglican priest. He was educated at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities and had a long, distinguished career and ministry.
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Role Models
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People of Faith
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People
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February 12, 2019
Some people think the advance of science continues to remove any reason for believing in God, but in reality scientific discovery over the last century has opened up vistas of knowledge that are best explained by the worldview of theism over atheistic naturalism. In the three previous parts of this series (see here, here, and here), I explained that what secular scientists thought they would discover concerning the universe, the solar system, and Earth were very different from what they actually uncovered. The universe’s extraordinary beginning, the solar system’s fine-tuning for life, and Earth’s distinctiveness as a hospitable home for intelligent life have all been surprising finds for a secular view.
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Secularism
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Science & Faith
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Image of God
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Human Uniqueness
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