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Broken is the promise, betrayal / The healing hand held back by the deepened nail / Follow the god that failed -Metallica (I strongly recommend that you listen to all the music that I link to here, it will make it far easier to grasp the points I’m making.) I suspect that most people who are not rock fans have no idea that Metallica wrote a song about the Exodus. The story is that their original bassist saw the death of the firstborn in The 10 Commandments , said something l

In recent years, many Christian leaders—most famously the late Pastor Tim Keller—have promoted what’s often called a “Third Way.” Keller’s idea was that Christians shouldn’t become pawns of either political tribe. Instead, we should resist culture-war polarization by emphasizing gospel-centered principles that critique the imperfections of both the Left and the Right. There’s wisdom in that impulse. And I agree that the Kingdom of God transcends every imperfect human politica

Is Kirk Cameron a heretic? In a recent podcast he discussed a change in his view of hell and eternal conscious torment.

In the past few years while I was researching and thinking about a possible challenge to Perfect Being Theology, I stumbled across the argument I’m sharing here. [1] So far the other philosophers and theology minded people I’ve shared it with have all received it positively. I do think it’s interesting or perhaps ironic that I only came to these conclusions after Eden was diagnosed. So there is a broad consensus in philosophy of religion that our world is not the best of all

Part 1: We Can Know How, not Why: But we really want to know Why. "He who has a why to live, can bear almost any how." -Fredrick Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols. [1] "Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!"-God, Job 38:4-5 If you don’t know my family you wouldn’t know this, but our three-year-old daughter Eden has inoperable and incurable brain cancer. Absent an extreme medical breakthro

Charlie Kirk was Assassinated one week ago today... and now we are seeing the ramifications both evil and good coming from it. Join us as we unpack how to move forward as believers after the fact. There is a lot of noise out there - let's sift through it together. Check out this episode!

Due to recent events, the world has been shaken. The various murders, and specifically the assassination of Charlie Kirk, have left many Americans with questions of justice, the future, and truth. Our world has never seemed so dark, and the divide in America has never seemed so wide. Yet despite the horror and darkness of the past few weeks, hope is on the horizon. Revival. Never, in recent years, has the Church had such a potential harvest laid at our feet. God is truly turn

When I wrote a short reflection on Charlie Kirk’s memorial on Facebook, I didn’t expect it to go viral. But clearly, it struck a nerve. Multitudes of likes, comments, and shares followed. Because of the attention it received, I thought it wise to expand upon it and memorialize it here. Trump Derangement Syndrome in the Church Some Christians are missing it. In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s memorial, I’ve seen some brothers and sisters so consumed by Trump Derangement Syndrome (T

The assassination of Charlie Kirk has left millions grieving, and many asking the hardest theological question of all: Why does God allow such evil? Last week, the world watched in horror as Charlie Kirk was assassinated in cold blood. What some may not yet know is that one of my mentors and friend, Dr. Frank Turek, was right there with him. Frank was in the SUV. He prayed over Charlie in those final moments, and he even performed CPR though he already knew his friend was gon

In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination there have been many reactions. Some are obviously evil, like celebration, others are obviously understandable and good, like grief. But there are those that will seek to make a person think twice about putting emphasis on this particular event. They will say something like "well, why didn't you care about X more than or the same amount you cared about Charlie?" For some, this is a dishonest question (and I will address those at t

In the days following Charlie Kirk’s assassination, one debate has surfaced repeatedly: Was Charlie Kirk a Christian martyr, or was he simply a political activist who was assassinated for his politics? Some argue that because his assassin targeted him for his political influence, his death cannot fit the historic definition of martyrdom. They point out that in Christian theology, a martyr is someone who is killed specifically because of their allegiance to Jesus Christ — whe

Now that you are past the headline, I’ll be more specific. “I don’t condone violence, but . . .” is usually wrong. As with most ethical and moral issues, there are some exceptions and cases where it is a bit gray. But most of the time, “I don’t condone violence, but . . .” and similar thinking is at best a moral/ethical confusion and often it is simply wrong akin to how cheating, lying, and stealing is immoral. Frequently it is functionally little different from a step toward

By now you've probably heard of the tragedy in Charlotte North Carolina as Decarlos Brown Jr. took the life of Iryna Zrutska (a Ukrainian refugee). But why did this happen? What should Christians think about the tragedy? How does this get fixed? Also, the team will talk about Charlie Kirk and his assassination and what we do next. Dr. Johnathan Pritchett joins Dr. Tim Stratton and Josh Klein to lament and discuss. 🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamY

I usually strive to stay in my lane as a philosophically inclined theologian. I don’t go looking for political fights. But when politics swerves into my lane of theology (which includes questions of truth, objective morality, ethics, and justice) I have a responsibility to address it head-on. The assassination of Charlie Kirk was a wake-up call for many. It showed us what happens when bad ideas, left unchecked, harden into evil actions. Evil thoughts, beliefs, and ideas event

Dr. Tim Stratton and Josh Klein address a recent video by @MindShift-Brandon on 11 problems with free will that Christians don't want you to ask. Does he have some points? How WOULD/SHOULD Christians address these issues? Tim and Josh explain. Original Video: https://youtu.be/jsrj055tQ_U?si=qhBRnsZWlyjBM1Mf Dr. Tim Stratton and J.P. Moreland's paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/10/988 You Are Not Your Brain by Jeffery Schwartz and Rebecca Gladding: https://a.co/d/

I couldn't sleep last night. I’ll never forget where I was when I first heard the news. I was at the dentist, sitting in the chair getting a cavity filled by my dentist—who, years ago, was in my youth group. After numbing me up, he left the room to let the medication set in. I pulled out my phone, opened Facebook, and saw Graham Allen’s post (seconds after he posted it) asking for prayers for Charlie Kirk. My heart sank. I immediately googled “Charlie Kirk.” Nothing came up.

A friend recently asked me a hard question. She wrote: “Why do you keep sharing videos of this tragic death? It’s horrific on so many levels and yes, I completely agree with what you are saying. However, this girl is a human being and her murder should not be displayed on public forums for people to see. This is not a movie. Her life was real. I support your stance, but you are dehumanizing the situation by sharing footage of her dying. What if this were someone you knew? You

Recently, I wrote a review of Pastor Brandan Robertson’s book Queer and Christian (read it here: Queer and Christian Book Review ) but had to leave much of the critique of his arguments on the cutting room floor. However, his work is important enough that I believe more must be done to address the specific arguments he makes concerning scripture and its relation to human sexuality and identity. Because of this I am writing responses to specific chapters in his book. Some wil

There is no disrespect meant in the title. Saying "members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" is just too long for a YouTube video title! That said, Dr. Tim Stratton and Josh Klein assess the claims of the LDS, both historically and theologically. Why can't we be mormons? Here's why! Maven Experience: https://maventruth.com/immersive-experience/ Josephlied.com: https://www.mormoninfo.org/ ➡️ CHAPTERS ⬅️ 00:00 Introduction 05:45 Maven and Its Importance

The Changing Religious Landscape In the past couple of years, we have seen a new interest in Christianity from the younger generations. This is an exciting turn of events for the Church which has lost the interest of many young people. However, though this may seem like a turn in the tides, the overall trend in the past 20 years has seen a steep decline in US adults who identify as Christians and those who attend church. This has been due to the extreme secularization of our