Posts Tagged ‘apologetics’
How do I deal with skeptics?
Question: I’ve been looking at material from skeptics recently and I’ve noticed that I have a big problem with approaching their material. I find myself getting really anxious and worked up in my mind. For example, if I find myself reading an article claiming that Jesus was a myth, I find myself in a state…
Read MoreDoes Buddhism prove Jesus to be a myth?
Question: I recently stumbled onto a web site where the author talks about how Christianity borrowed from other religions and that Jesus was a mythical figure. She tries to make similarities between Jesus and Buddha, Horus, etc. One example from her web site claims that Buddha had 12 disciples just like Jesus, that Buddha was…
Read MoreWhy did God allow slavery or commit genocide?
Question: Why did God allow the Israelites to commit actions which are clearly wrong, by His command, such as allowing daughters to be sold into slavery (Exodus 21:7) or committing genocide upon the peoples of Canaan (Joshua)? If the Bible is infallible, is this the kind of moral code that God wants us to apply…
Read MoreHow Did They Know?
by Doy Moyer via Gospel Guide, Vol. 27, No. 7, July 1995. Fountains of the Deep Moses wrote, concerning the flood, that “all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened” (Genesis 7:11). Then later he said that “The fountains of the deep and the windows of…
Read MoreCould you explain this answer I got concerning Acts 2:38?
Question: I was writing the NIV translators, who are intermixed with IBS, about the “for the forgiveness of sins.” I got a regular response, but I am writing to him some more on certain verses. I also wrote the NASB guys but haven’t gotten a response yet. Anyway here is the letter I got. He…
Read MoreIsn’t it a contradiction when God changed His mind about the eating of animals?
Question: I read your article about contradictions in the Bible, and I agree most are silly ones and, unfortunately, usually malicious. However, I feel I have something rather genuine to present to you. (Yes, I am a vegan. This will clarify a few things about my perspective.) At the beginning of Genesis God said people can eat…
Read MoreWhy did God kill many people in the Old Testament?
Question: Why did God kill many people in the Old Testament, such as: “But God struck down some of the men of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the LORD had dealt them” (I Samuel…
Read MoreWhat do you think about this Jesus tomb found in Jerusalem?
Question: What is your feeling about this Jesus tomb found in Jerusalem? They say the odds of a “Jesus son of Joseph” and Mary on the same tomb together is 1 out of 600. Does this mean Jesus had a son? Answer: When I saw the article in yesterday’s paper, I just knew someone would…
Read MoreWould you explain what apologetic writing is?
Question: Would you please explain what is ‘apologetic writing’? I have noticed this phrase before and do not understand it. Thank you. Answer: Apologetics comes from the Greek word apologia, which means to defend a position against an attack. It should not be confused with the English word “apology,” which means to plea for forgiveness. Therefore,…
Read MoreWhat About All Those Mistakes in the Bible?
by Jon Quinn It is quite amazing to me that a common complaint made about the Bible is that it has so many contradictions and mistakes. It is not surprising that such a charge would be made by some unbelieving scholar who will investigate the Bible’s pages and turn logic on its ear in order…
Read MoreDo Warring Factions Mean Christianity Is False?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 11:17-22 I. You hear all sorts of excuses when you attempt to talk to others about Christianity. A. “Well, I can’t take that Christian stuff seriously. You folk are all suppose to worship the same god, love your neighbor, and things like that, yet look at all the fighting…
Read MoreCan you prove God exists?
Question: I’ve been reading your website for days and now I decide I have to say something: You mentioned in one of your letter to a reader that “a drunken atheist living on the streets of New York.” Well, is that the impression from atheists to you? I can tell you that I’m not drunk,…
Read MoreCan you explain some apparent contradictions in the Gospel accounts?
Question: Matthew 8:28 records two men who were demon-possessed. Mark 5:1-2 and Luke 8:26-27 record one man. Why? And how do you defend this to someone? Also, Matthew records Jairus’ daughter was dead in Matthew 9:18, but Mark records it at the point of death in Mark 5:23. Why? Also, Mark records Jesus as saying take a staff for…
Read MoreJesus of Nazareth: The World’s Greatest Character
by N. B. Hardeman The Dallas Lectures for 1943, pages 122-125. Back in 1943, N. B. Hardeman and ten other men preached a series of sermons in Dallas, Texas—brother Hardeman was the featured speaker of the group. There were fifteen sermons with brother Hardeman preaching five of them. The sermons were recorded and printed in…
Read MoreIs There a God?
by Keith Sharp In 1986 a famous visitor made a brief tour of the inner solar system. A luminous body with a long, faint tail hurried on its journey around the sun and returned to the recesses of space. The British astronomer Edmond Halley observed this phenomenon in 1682 and, based on the times of…
Read MoreHow Do They Do That?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton You watch as the magician waves his hands and mutters mysterious words. Suddenly, the handkerchief he was holding becomes a dove. You know it is a trick, but you wonder how he did it. You read yet another account of a con man taking the money of several people. The lies…
Read MoreAnything to Make a Point
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton An old friend of mine, with whom I have had an ongoing debate concerning the necessity of baptism, found a reference that he felt proved that baptism occurs after salvation. The book is The Immerser: John the Baptist, by Joan Taylor, published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997. In the…
Read MoreHow do you prove there is a God?
Question: How do you prove that there is a God to a friend who insists that there isn’t a God? Can you teach me how? Thanks. Answer: The first thing that you need to ask yourself and your friend is: Would any proof of God’s existence be adequate to your friend? Some people have already…
Read MoreWhy Does God Allow Evil?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton No doubt, sin and the evil accompanying it exist in this world. When atrocious examples of evil come to our attention, people commonly wonder why God allows such evil to happen. Atheists will use the very existence of obvious evil to argue against God. “If God were so good,” they smirk,…
Read MoreWhy does the Bible contain the words of Satan?
Question: If the Bible is inspired, why is it that there are words of Satan? Answer: If two political parties oppose each other, why do they quote their opponent’s words? The Bible contains an accurate record of numerous key events in the history of mankind. In that history, there are interactions between righteous and wicked…
Read MoreHow many horsemen did David kill?
Question: II Samuel 8:4 — 1,700 horsemen I Chronicles 18:4 — 7,000 horsemen Are these two passages related to each other? Why the discrepancy? Answer: The two passages do deal with the same event, but they are worded differently. The following is taken from the New King James Version: “David took from him one thousand chariots,…
Read MoreWhy Believe in the God of the Bible?
Billy B. Norris via Gospel Guide, Nov. 1995 One may be a believer in the One God; an atheist, a disbeliever in any god; or a heathen, a believer in many gods. Let’s examine each of these positions: Heathenism In its plural number of gods, heathenism is confusing and divisive. As a young man, Solomon…
Read MoreSpiritually Blind
by Thomas Thornhill Many years ago, a preacher who faithfully proclaimed the gospel was challenged by an unbeliever who stepped from the crowd and said, “I don’t believe in heaven or hell. I don’t believe in God or Christ. I haven’t seen them.” Then a man wearing dark glasses came forward and said, “You say…
Read MoreHow do we know the Bible is inspired?
Question: How do we know absolutely that the Bible is the infallible and inspired Word of God? How did the Bible as we know it today come into existence? Answer: Entire books have been written on the subject of the inspiration of the Bible. It is unlikely that I will be able to address the…
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