Apologetics and Evidence

I am often surprised at the reactions of people when I show and tell them how I read. They are frequently very interested in my methods and practice. It took me a long time to develop my reading method, but early on in my studies I was going through a Navigators course that suggested that you dig into the text when you read. This has resonated well with me since I was an excavator and bulldozer operator by trade for a few decades, which much of this took place while I was enrolled as a college student.   Excavating the Text In this article, I would like to spill the beans on my digging method, and I’ll start by listing the four tools I use to do so. First, the main tool is a highlighter. Below, in the picture is the brand I prefer because I can operate the marker, opening, highlighting, and closing, with one hand (reminds me of cracking a plastic egg open). This allows me to be more efficient in reading, because I can still hold the book with one hand, highlight with the other, and...

I frequently run into the discussion with Christians that some cult members seem to produce spiritual fruit, and this brings into question for them whether or not such people are actually saved.  In their minds, a person could not produce spiritual fruit unless they were actually saved. Jesus’ words, “You will know them by their fruit” is often referenced and the question arises, how is it that some Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses seem to produce spiritual fruit if they are not saved? Because, on the one hand it really seems like some of them truly have their lives in order and appear to live biblical lives.   Jesus says, in Matthew 7:15-20,   “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad...

The Bible teaches   at least   two different methods that the Holy Spirit uses to reach people.     In John 16:4-15, John Records Jesus saying,    “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you...

Jehovah’s Witnesses  (JW’s) have a severe problem with the question of worship when it comes to Jesus. They say that Jesus is not God, and that because of the First of  the Ten Commandments , we should not worship Him. Is this correct thinking biblically speaking? In this article, I will argue why it is not correct, and I will do this from the New World Translation (NWT) which is the  Jehovah’s Witness corrupted version of the Bible . Allow me to briefly say here that they believe that Jesus is a “lower case g” god, which immediately has scriptural issues in their own translation with the First of the Ten Commandments, namely that they would have “other gods besides me” (NWT of the First of the Ten Commandments).   First, since I have argued in multiple places concerning John 1:1 that Jesus is God, which implies our worship of Him, I will direct you to those articles  HERE ,  HERE , and  HERE .  Moving forward, I want to look at three specific pri...

Dr. Michael Licona, an expert on the  Risen Jesus , asked a question on social media recently if anyone had questions regarding the Resurrection. The reason for the question was because he was planning to have a meeting with Dr. Gary Habermas, who is the world’s leading scholar regarding the Resurrection of Christ.  I have personally been familiar with and influenced by Habermas’ material since I began my bachelor’s degree, and throughout my studies all the way through my doctorate to the present. He is accurately regarded as a scholar in this field, and arguably as well as others, such as NDE’s (near death experiences), the historical Jesus, suffering, and skepticism, to name a few.  I was thinking about this the day before Licona made this post, and so I replied,   “I was literally just remembering a conversation I had with him (Habermas) about the location of the nails in Christ on the cross. I still cannot be convinced that they were in the wrists. I understand w...