In Defense of the Christian Faith

From the Youtube Description: Based upon the Gold Medallion award-winning best-seller, The Case for Christ documents Lee Strobel's journey from atheism to faith through his two-year investigation of the Bible and the life of Jesus Christ. Strobel, the former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, draws upon his investigative skills to examine the historical accuracy of the Gospels, the personal claims of Jesus and His resurrection from the dead. Is there evidence to confirm that Jesus of Nazareth was, indeed, the son of God and the savior of the world? This remarkable film features interviews with 10 leading Biblical scholars from North America and England, cutting-edge apologetics, and a compelling original music score. You can watch the full version below... Enjoy! Hat Tip: The Poached Egg

Today's quote from C.S. Lewis is some serious food for thought.... 

I recently had the chance to review Accessible Apologetics , a curriculum by apologetics speaker and trainer Mikel Del Rosario . Accessible Apologetics is a compilation of Mikel’s teaching notes (based on other apologist’s works and ten years of teaching and training) put into 5 easy-to-understand lessons on defending Christianity. “This class in defending the faith is all about increasing your confidence as a Christian by exploring the reasons and evidences for the faith, and preparing yourself to be a more effective ambassador of Jesus Christ.” Each lesson includes a Power Point presentation, Leaders’ Notes and suggested correspondence follow-ups (before and after class), Student Notes with room for student answers, interactive activities to aid in learning the material, and Student absentee handouts. All of the above make for a very enjoyable 5 to 10 week learning experience in Christian apologetics with your group or church. Lesson 1 - “What is Christian apologetics?” and “Wh...

Have you ever heard someone say that they won't believe in God because it is based on "blind faith"? Or maybe they say, "I believe in science -- that which is testable, observable, and repeatable." In other words, they only believe in what they can see. Many times, even when we know the evidence for Christianity, this phrase can stump Christians. So how do we answer this assertion? The answer is found in the very Scripture which the skeptics use to say that faith is blind: Hebrews 11:1. Let's take a look at it for a moment: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...." Does this mean that Christians believe in what they can't see? After all, the skeptics will say, "We can't see God." However, if we examine this passage more closely, we can see that this is not what is implied at all. What Hebrews 11 is asserting is that there is substance to faith. It is not just some "blind faith,...

You must suppose that twelve men of mean birth, of no education, living in that humble station which placed ambitious views out of their reach and far from their thoughts, without any aid from the state, formed the noblest scheme which ever entered into the mind of man, adopted the most daring means of executing that scheme, conducted it with such address as to conceal the imposture under the semblance of simplicity and virtue. You must suppose, also, that men guilty of blasphemy and falsehood, united in an attempt the best contrived, and which has in fact proved successful for making the world virtuous; that they formed this single enterprise without seeking any advantage to themselves, with an avowed contempt of loss and profit, and with the certain expectation of scorn and persecution; that although conscious of one another's villainy, none of them ever thought of providing for his own security by disclosing the fraud, but that amidst sufferings the most grievous to flesh and bl...

Ever heard the saying, "Many roads lead to God"? With so many religions claiming to be  the way, how can we know that Christianity is the right one? Apart from the Bible (which I do believe is the starting point Jesus said, "I am the WAY..."), it helps to examine other religions. For example, by comparing them to Christianity and cross examining them in other ways based on evidence, we can determine who is right and who is wrong. Today, I'd like to present one piece of food for thought on Mormonism. Keep in mind that this is just ONE of many things I could point out (and probably will as time goes on)... Please also peruse the links, since they document the claims being presented. -------------- Did You Know... As Mormonism's founder, Joseph Smith is touted as a Prophet through whom God revealed His "laws, ordinances, and gospel." Joseph Smith made many prophecies in the Name of God, so was He really speaking what God was leading Him to speak?...

Can we be good without God? Apologetics speaker and trainer Mikel Del Rosario takes a look at this question in the following guest post. ---------- Do the Right Thing? Guest post by Mikel Del Rosario ApologeticsGuy.com Driving from Sacramento to the Bay Area, I saw a billboard that read, "Are you good without God? Millions Are." Apparently, a theistic tagger added the words, "Also Lost?" at the end of the message. Now, I think the original question probably meant, "Do you feel comfortable without a belief in God? Millions feel the same way." Kind of like if you offer someone a drink, and they go, "No, thanks. I'm good." But that got me thinking, "Can't people be good without God?" I mean, could an atheist do a bunch of good deeds without God? If we mean "doing the right thing while not believing in God," then sure. An atheist could do the right thing in any given circumstance. She could honestly report her incom...

"I have examined all religions, as well as my narrow sphere, my straightened means, and my busy life, would allow; and the result is that the Bible is the best Book in the world. It contains more philosophy than all the libraries I have seen." (Second President of the U.S., December 25, 1813 letter to Thomas Jefferson) Have our Presidents maintained this over the past years? Judge for yourself: Where has America's faith gone?

Today, I rediscovered a video by comedian Mark Lowry, entitled, " Home Depot/Dealing With An Atheist." The first half has absolutely nothing to do with apologetics, but I thought it was so funny that I included it anyways. In the second half, Mark shares a story of his first encounter with an atheist. I do have a few disclaimers for this video, though: First of all, do NOT watch the first half while you are eating (for more than one reason, as you shall see)! :) Secondly,  while I do not endorse Home Depot due to its support of homosexuals , I did find the first half to be quite humerous -- because it is true! :D Thirdly, I am in no way attacking atheists by posting this video; however, I do find Mark's points to be quite pertinent to the "Does God Exist?" debate. Sometimes, I think it's good to be lighthearted about topics like this, because it's a unique way to get the point across. I was "laughing my head off" all the way through it; I h...

Matthew 7:16-21 "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into th fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven...." There are varying opinions on what this verse means, so today, I'd like to focus on this passage briefly. Let's start by examining verse 15:  "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." Here, we see that Jesus was speaking about hypocrisy. But it is important to notice that this was right after He said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broa...

UPDATE : Something unexpected came up, so I am going to count my WFW as this week's Inspiring Story. I will also be extending the link party through Monday, October 18 this week. This should work out for ALL participants, so if you're thinking that you won't be able to make it, maybe you will! :D Be sure to link up (bottom of post) and then leave me a comment to let me know what you think! -------------- The following is an essay that I wrote after reading The Pastor’s Wife , an inspiring book written by Sabina Wurmbrand, the wife of The Voice of the Martyrs' founder. I am posting it today for the WFW, because I believe it provides a challenge to us as Christians to be set apart for Christ -- to be representative of Him, showing the love of Christ to the world instead of following its ways. As the Scripture says, “Therefore ‘Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.’ ‘I will be a Father to you, A...

Welcome to the Inspiring Story link party! If this is your first time participating, be sure to check out the rules and detail for this meme here . To kick off the now bi-weekly meme, I would like to share an amazing story that I found via Mini Missions Magazine . This is a testimony from P.G. Vargis, of Indian Evangelical Team . I found it to be truly inspiring, and it also poses quite a challenge to us as Christians. Be sure to let me know what you think! ------------ THE TRAIN CAME BACK In the early 70’s when we were pioneer missionaries in Katra, in the Himalayan Mountains of Kashmir it was a hard and difficult life, often filled with hunger and poverty. One day I was returning to Katra with an orphan boy. Our train arrived in Delhi railway station at about 3:00 PM and I was to catch the train (Jhelum Express) to Jammu from Delhi at 9:00 PM, and then go by bus from Jammu to Katra, our mission station. After the train arrived in Delhi , I took things easy since there ...

A few weeks ago, we talked about how the Jews of the Dispersion mentioned in 1 Peter 1:1 were Gentiles who had been sanctified; we talked about this in connection with the OSAS doctrine . Today, I'd like to continue on this topic. Let's begin with verse 3 of chapter one: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... We immediately notice from this Scripture that we have a "living hope"; too often, we are full of "wishful" thinking in the worldly sense -- "I wish that could happen," "I hope so," etc. But the Biblical word for hope is "expectancy." It is used everywhere in the Bible in the same sense as it was with Abraham: "being fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was able also to perform." In other words, hope is "knowing" that God will do what He said He wi...

The following is an entry from my journal on July 15. I don't normally go writing a whole study in my journal, but this is something that I felt the Lord was dealing with me about; I want to share it for today's Word For Wednesday... This morning, I was reading 2 Corinthians chapter 6, and I was beginning to think, “God, are you trying to show me something?”-- ever had that feeling? -- when I suddenly came across this verse (16): “And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” This struck me, because I’ve been having a hard time putting God first in the day. I do have my devotion time, but it seems that lately, something has come along to distract me first thing; and then my time with God gets pushed to the back burner – to later in the day. Connecting with God is so important, because it builds our relationship with ...

While an atheist professor was teaching a college philosophy class, he told the students that he was going to prove to them that God does not exist. He looked up and mockingly proclaimed, "God if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you 15 minutes!" After more than ten minutes, the professor continued to taunt God, saying, "Here I am God, I'm still waiting." With only a couple minutes remaining, a BIG football player walking down the hallway passed by the door and heard the professor's taunts. The football player slipped into the classroom. As the clock ticked through the last seconds before 15 minutes had passed, he sprinted, hitting the professor, and sending him flying off the platform into a couch on the side. Cursing, the obviously shaken professor got up, exclaiming "Where did you come from and why did you do that?" The burly football player replied, "God was busy, so He sent me!" -----------...

This morning, I had not planned on what to write this week. However, during my prayer time this morning this Scripture came to mind: Romans 5:1-5 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." I have mentioned this Scripture before; I had seen that since God is love and perfect love casts out fear, then if the Holy Spirit sheds this love abroad in our hearts, we are free from fear -- we have this love in us! But this time, I noticed something else: Hope does not disappoint. Do you know what this means? Well, let's look at the Scri...

This week for the Word for Wednesday, I am going to present a new series entitled "Is Jesus God?" I may not always do it on Wednesdays, but I hope that this series will inspire you and help to establish you in your faith... ----------- Was Jesus God? Muslims claim He was a good prophet; Jehovah's Witnesses claim He was just a good teacher (or "a god," according to John 1:1); some Jews claim that He is the Messiah; skeptics claim that He does not exist; Christians claim that He is God's Son, that He is God. So is Jesus God? Let me begin this discussion by saying that I believe in the Trinity -- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit -- they are all One. Jesus is God. I think most Christians would agree, but for those who hold to other views, I would like to examine this topic in detail. I want to warn everyone -- this is LONG; I am in the process of a very detailed study on this topic. (For this reason, I will be presenting this in a series of p...