Theology

Does God cause and determine all things all the time? Do humans possess libertarian freedom? Christians have been debating these questions for centuries.  What does the Bible teach?  Before answering that question, another question must be answered: What is meant by libertarian freedom?  A person possesses libertarian freedom if they are ever free to think or act apart from the causal deterministic forces of something or someone else. That is to say, if one is ever in control

The aim of this article is to demonstrate that accusations of inconsistency between Christian theology and a political philosophy of anarchism are not well-founded based on Scripture. If a Christian is to refrain from considering anarchism as a means of organizing society, he or she cannot do so on Christian grounds. The term anarchist tends to connote visions of chaos, burning buildings, mass murder in the streets, and a sense of “every man for himself.” An anarchist society

Why did you write the song? As a doctoral student who’s also a musician, I need a creative outlet that gets my hands back on a guitar to create something.  When I get a chance to steal away from my studies, I still like to play guitar and work on music. I attended a songwriter’s retreat in Dallas where I got a packet with a number of Scriptures, poems, ancient prayers, and other materials to look over. A piece called “The Prayer of St. Yared” caught my eye because of lines li

Most people agree that we should love one another. But what does it mean to love others? Love can’t mean what our culture says it means.  It can’t be untethered from a transcendent moral standard (i.e. God’s word and natural law) and left to be defined subjectively by our feelings, to be molded and fashioned into whatever shape current societal trends bend it. The average person in the US today is a Popular Secularist and has accepted the Popular Secularist definition of lo

The primary goal of  FreeThinking Ministries  is to equip the church to engage the culture. In my opinion, no one is doing that better than  MAVEN , an organization founded by Brett Kunkle focused on helping the next generation “know truth, pursue goodness, and create beauty” (to learn more about MAVEN,  click here ). FreeThinking Ministries is also devoted to bringing rational discussions about Christianity to college campuses. In my opinion, no one is doing that better than

Death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. (Ecclesiastes 7:2, NIV) Over the last few weeks, I have made some interesting sociocultural observations. For example, a local grocery store has limited the number of sanitizing wipes available for its customers and has offered to disinfect shopping carts for shoppers entering the building. A local soccer club has sent me an email message with instructions on how to deal with the coronavirus. The county

On October 25 th , 2019, Richard Carrier, published a blog titled, Mark’s Use of Paul’s Epistles . Carrier’s main argument is that Mark used Paul and that Matthew and Luke used Mark.  Specifically, Mark transvalued what Paul had written into his own stories.  This is problematic for Carrier, because he believes “Paul clearly taught that all his information came from visions, not conveyors of a tradition (‘tradents’).”   Or stated another way, Paul’s teachings about Jesus ca

I wanted to take some time and share with you something that I have been working on this year: Markan research. In the spring semester of 2019, I was taking a course at Houston Baptist University under Dr Michael Licona.  During the course, Dr Licona had offered the opportunity to supervise a master’s thesis on the topics of the Gospel of Mark’s dating, authorship, and connection with Peter.  From what I understand, Dr Licona became interested in those topics because a Faceb

As a man who loves Jesus, is in a heterosexual marriage, and still experiences some same-sex attraction that is lingering from my previous gay life, I spend a lot of time talking to Christian men about what life as a same-sex attracted (SSA) Christian man should look like. Much of the conversation centers on behavior. “How do I go the rest of my life without acting on these desires which seem so innate and natural?” they ask many times. It is an important conversation. Denyi

Family times over Christmas and New Year’s can spawn interesting conversations and sometimes heated “discussions.” This was true at the Johann Calvin home, where his daughter Connie and son-in-law Erasmus had gathered to celebrate the holidays. Erasmus had received his Ph.D. in philosophy from UA (the University of Arminia), and his view of human freedom was diametrically opposite of his theological professor father-in-law’s deterministic theology. Usually when the debate bet

Another assertion has become commonplace in discussions of abortion. Pro-lifers who own firearms, or support military actions abroad are misled at best, and at worst, hypocrites. The critic assumes that any inconsistently held pro-life beliefs are evidence pro-lifers aren’t actually motivated by a desire to protect human life, but rather a desire to control women’s liberty. This line of criticism lacks substance and misunderstands both the essential pro-life position as well

With the release of , the “Skywalker Saga” is officially complete (for better or worse), and we can now examine all nine episodes as a completed whole. (Spoilers ahead!) While all of the movies carry similar themes, such as hope, the importance of family, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil, I think there is one concept that rises above the rest: redemption .  Quickly defined, redemption is the act of making up for one’s past wrongs. The greater the wrongs committed,

Spoiler Alert!  The Book of Eli is about to celebrate its ten year anniversary on January 11, 2020. If you have yet to see this awesome flick, then I hope this article encourages you to finally watch this R-rated "Christian movie" about what would happen if the world was devoid of The Bible (watch the original trailer here ). This movie deserves its "R" rating based on extreme amounts of violence and language. However, what should we expect in a world which does not have a

I will never forget when the Mandalorian armor was first introduced. It was 1978 and a Star Wars " Holiday Special " aired on CBS. The special was not that "special" at all -- it is actually one of the weirdest things I have ever seen -- save for one thing: Boba Fett was first revealed ( Click here to watch this weird show)! Not long after that Kenner had a Boba Fett action figure available. I saved up enough " proof of purchases " and my dad sent them off. Several weeks l

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!!! A long time ago . . . . Ever since I was a four-year-old, Star Wars has been a central part of my life. As a young boy I would pretend I had the power of the force and I would always have a lightsaber on my belt (usually my dad’s flashlight). Much has changed now that Disney owns the Star Wars franchise. I loved Disney’s first attempt with Episode VII: The Force Awakens  and I thought  Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was brill

On October 25 th , 2019, Richard Carrier, published a blog titled, Mark’s Use of Paul’s Epistles . Carrier’s main argument is that Mark used Paul and that Matthew and Luke used Mark.  Specifically, Mark transvalued what Paul had written into his own stories.  This is problematic for Carrier, because he believes “Paul clearly taught that all his information came from visions, not conveyors of a tradition (‘tradents’).”   Or stated another way, Paul’s teachings about Jesus ca

Two of my favorite things to study and discuss are The Bible and Star Wars! My mom first shared the gospel with me when I was three years old -- right before my fourth birthday. Right around the same time my parents took my sister and I to see Star Wars (now known as "Episode IV: A New Hope" ) in the movie theater. These two events had a significant impact on the rest of my life. In fact, my parents often used the Star Wars saga to help me understand a few things about ultim

A number of years ago a young woman came to our church for counseling and talked to me. She poured out her story of disappointment with her husband’s unfaithfulness, his unwillingness to change, and the mess her life had become, not only because of him but also because of her own unwise choices. She felt she was in a hole and wanted to know how to get out and begin afresh. While she was sharing and I looked into her searching eyes, I was asking myself and God how he and the h

Introduction C. S. Lewis claimed that the doors of hell are locked from the inside. In this article, I provide an argument to support Lewis’ claim. I also discuss the apologetic significance of his assertion. Assumptions I assume that free will exists and that human beings have libertarian freedom. I also assume the moral principle ought implies can ; i.e., for any action A and any person S, if S morally ought to do A, then it is possible for S to do A. The Meaning of the Cl

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die”  - Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 Apple and pumpkin picking, the cool evening breeze, sweaters and scarves. I love autumn. And where I live, the trees are absolutely beautiful, as they change into their various, bold autumn colors. But do you know why this happens? Because their leaves are dying. They stop making food, starve, and eventually fall to the ground. The tre