Apologetics

Welcome to the third installment of Stuff Atheists Say , a series dedicated to bad arguments used against theists. (Be sure to check out part 1 and part 2 !) This article will discuss three quick slogans, two aimed at mocking religion (and thus religious people) and one centered around a logical fallacy. Let's begin: Bad "argument" #3: Religion is a crutch. Quick response: Maybe. So what? Maybe religion offers people meaning and comfort. It gives them strength and helps t

"LORD", the psalmist declares, “thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God. Thou turnest man back to the dust, and sayest, Turn back, O children of men! For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night” (Ps. 90:1-4). Here the psalmist confirms the familiar idea of God’s everlasting

Welcome to the second installment in my series, Stuff Atheists Say ! ( Read part 1 here. ) This series is dedicated to bad arguments and statements that some atheists (the internet troll type) make to derail a conversation and avoid having to put forth any arguments or evidence of their own. My intention is not to smear every nonbeliever as there are many thoughtful and honest questions that skeptics ask which need to be answered. In fact, there are many atheists who are just

I recently engaged in a debate with a physicist who objected to the Kalam Cosmological Argument based on his metaphysical assumption of the B-theory of time (he referred to this theory as “eternalism”). I have written about some of the problems with the logical conclusions that follow from this metaphysical assumption here and here . When I joined this Facebook conversation, Charles Einman (who claims he has a PhD is physics from Cambridge) had already been railing against

Some in academia today claim that science has “killed God!” They do not mean that in a literal sense. What they hope to communicate is that science has removed  need for God, or stronger, that science has demonstrated the non-existence of God. Statements like these lead many to think these two concepts – God and science – are mutually exclusive. In this article I address the question: Can God and science both be true? Before answering this question, clarification is needed.

Over the past two weeks I have responded to the ESPN article on Arian Foster's atheism here and here . I pointed out several errors in his reasoning which have led to Foster’s false beliefs. In my third and final response I will continue to examine more of his misguided statements, but I also want to point out some of the ideas Foster gets right. "I've got no problem with Jesus" Foster made a significant statement in the ESPN article: “ if you look at the teachings of Jesu

Becoming a Christian apologist proficient at the popular, much less, the academic level, requires dozens of hours, even years of intellectual involvement depending on how deep one is willing to study. I remember when first reading “Time and Eternity”, a popular-level book by Dr. William Lane Craig. It took me two entire days to get a full recognition of just what was being said on the first page of that book alone! This kind of intellectual rigor is of the type Christian apol

Last week I offered a response to the ESPN article on Arian Foster’s atheism . I pointed out several of his errors in reasoning leading to false beliefs. I will continue to examine more of his mistakes (which many commit today) and other related issues in this article. Recent Trends The ESPN reporter referenced a recent study from the Pew Research Center indicating a gradual shift in religious affiliation. The article noted a “number of Americans who say they are not affil

Every year around this time I start thinking about football. Although I never played football (I ran cross-country), since I grew up in Nebraska, football has always been my favorite sport to watch (I am also a huge NBA and MMA fan). This time of the year also means Fantasy Football and I begin to question who I am going to draft this season. One of the best players I have had on my team in the past is a beast of a running back named, Arian Foster. I always enjoy watching t

We at FreeThinking Ministries are dedicated to answering the biggest objections to Christianity. We respect sincere skeptics and seekers and understand that everyone has doubts. We do too at times. If there's a certain obstacle that is keeping you from faith, we want to help remove it. Responding to objections is mandatory to the Christ-follower: "always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness

Many atheists exclaim that the existence of natural evil leading to suffering (gratuitous or otherwise) is proof that God does not exist. Is this a logically valid objection? Here's something to think about: (1) Evil is privation of good (metaphysical evil) (2) Absence of good is evil; to a degree that something is not perfect, to that same degree it is evil (3) Anything that is created must be less than Creator (4) Therefore it must suffer from some metaphysical evil—being

In December of 2014, after three years of hard work and long hours of study, my colleague, Timothy “Orthodox” Fox, and I finally graduated from Biola University with a couple of Master’s Degrees in Christian Apologetics (both of us graduated with highest honors)! This field of study focuses on logic, science, metaphysics, the historical method, philosophy, and of course, theology. I was completely transformed through this experience and I highly recommend this course of stud

Does objective truth apply to morality? This question has major ramifications depending on how you answer it, because it ultimately asks, “DOES GOD EXIST?” We can see this demonstrated through the use of logic in a deductive syllogism known as “The Moral Argument.” Here it is: 1- If God does not exist, objective moral values and duties do not exist. 2- Objective moral values and duties exist. 3- Therefore, God exists. To avoid this theistic conclusion, those committed to t

A few weeks ago I wrote an article discussing why there isn’t more evidence for God’s existence. Why we don’t see Him floating around everywhere we go. But many an atheist will say there is , therefore one should not believe in Him. But before we fall for this claim, we need to understand more about evidence, especially for God’s existence. Once we’ve done that, we’ll see that this isn’t the knockdown objection the skeptic thinks it is. The nature of evidence Suppose there

In my last article I demonstrated that if a committed atheist rejects the logical conclusion of the Kalam Cosmological Argument  by appealing to the B-theory of time, then they must also reject Darwinian evolution as an explanation of primate biological complexity. It follows that if one thinks evolution is true, they must reject the B-theory of time and deal with the conclusions and rational inferences of the Kalam. That is to say, if one affirms evolution, they must also

In my last article , I examined the problem of evil, asking if it would be possible for God to create a world without evil while allowing us to have free will. (Spoiler alert: No.) This week I want to look at pain and suffering through the lens of . It's easy to kick back and ask why God allows evil, but I'm more concerned with finding a cohesive worldview where the existence of evil makes most sense. (And if the concept of worldview is completely foreign to you, check out th

In my last article I discussed and explained one of my favorite arguments for the existence of God known as, the Kalam Cosmological Argument . This argument is based on logic and utilizes science to confirm what we can logically prove. From the deductive conclusions of the Kalam, we can rationally infer the existence of God. Be that as it may, there is one objection to the Kalam that needs to be taken seriously. This objection, and the Kalam itself, both involve metaphysica

The #1 argument against God's existence is probably the problem of evil. If an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving God exists, why is there so much evil and suffering? It’s been asked (and responded to) for centuries and we’re still asking it. However, I want to narrow it down and look at it from a specific angle: What if God prevented all evil completely? I'll try to give some reasons why God hasn't solved the problem of evil yet. Or has He? No evil whatsoever So what

One of my favorite arguments for God’s existence is called the Kalam Cosmological Argument (KCA). It consists of two premises that lead to a logically deductive conclusion. The syllogism goes as follows: 1- Whatever begins to exist has a cause. 2- The universe began to exist. 3- Therefore, the universe had a cause. Premise One Let’s begin by analyzing the first premise: “Whatever begins to exist has a cause.” We see examples of this every day in our lives. Through the dec

Where is God? If He exists, why is He so hard to find? This is known as the hiddenness of God. Believers and nonbelievers alike seek signs from God, either for guidance in their lives or for evidence of His existence. Why does He hide Himself from us? I see you! Imagine Jesus was knowingly, physically there everywhere you went. Admit it: you’d find it creepy and kind of annoying. Like when you hit your teenage years and you didn’t want anyone knowing you had parents. You wan