THE JESUS SEMINAR AND RADICAL HIGHER CRITICISM
Power Point: The Jesus Seminar 752.50 Kb
Biomimetic Tissue Engineering: Evidence of a Master Designer
Biomimetic Tissue Engineering: Scientists’ and Engineer’s Reliance on The Master Designer This Power Point presentation was created for the Apologetics Conference in Irvine, California at Concordia University. To view of download the power point, scroll to the bottom of the document and click on the link. Tom Hedman, PhD Associate Research Professor Biomedical Engineering […]
Intelligent Design: Are we fighting against God? by John Oates
? Editor’s Note: This article is by John Oates, not John Oakes. In fact, I disagree with some of the points in this article. Nevertheless, I feel it is quite well researched and written and contains many points the reader will find useful and instructive. J. O. ? Intelligent Design: Are we fighting against God? […]
?Connecting Jerusalem with Athens: The Place of Worldview in Apologetics?
Editor’s Note: Below is an outline for the talk given by Robert Kurka at our recent Apologetics Conference. At the bottom is included an outline on a case study: The Problem of Pain and Suffering. International Apologetics Conference Dr. Robert C. Kurka Irvine, California Professor, Theology and Church in Culture June 22-24, […]
Connecting Jerusalem with Athens: The Place of Worldview in Apologetics
Editor’s Note: Below is an outline for the talk given by Robert Kurka at our recent Apologetics Conference. At the bottom is included an outline on a case study: The Problem of Pain and Suffering. International Apologetics Conference, Irvine, California June 22-24, 2007 Dr. Robert C. Kurka Professor, Theology and Church in Culture LincolnChristian Seminary Lincoln, […]
Why is the Book of Enoch not in the Bible if Jude quotes from it? Also, how could a modest sized boat such as the ark hold all those animals?
Question: There are two questions that have been troubling me. 1) The Ark – how could such a modest sized boat keep so many creatures alive for so long? 2) Why is the book of Enoch not part of the Bible. Surely if the apostles could quote from it it should carry some weight? Answer: […]
How can homosexuality be a sin when it is natural behavior? Some are born genetically predisposed to be homosexuals.
Question: I am curious about the Biblical explanation of homosexuals and omnisexuals as advanced by Paul in Romans chapter 1. Paul claims that homosexuality is a punishment for idolatry. However, homosexual behavior is exhibited in over 1500 species of animals with roughly the same percentages as human beings across the globe. If it caused by […]
How can I follow the God of the Bible, given that he "took" Mary and had a child by her?
Question: In the Bible we are told to be a shining light unto the world – to live by example that others may follow. So, then, why does God not live up to the example of the rules he insist that we obey such as murder and adultry. After all, he “took” someone elses wife/betrothed […]
Is Leviathan a myth? If so, how does this fit with the claims that the Bible does not contain myths?
Question: Many theologians and teachers say that the Leviathan is a mythical sea creature yet you state within your book that the Bible never resorts to myth. I know that there is much picture language in the book of Job, but this has often troubled me. I would really love to hear your thoughts. Answer: […]
How Should We Interpret Genesis One, by John Laing
Editor’s note: The following is a recent answer to a question from an on-line class I have been teaching from the book Is There a God? The response from John Laing was so good, I thought I would share it with users of the EFC web site. What is your argument for how we […]
What will the afterlife be like for little children and retarded people who die?
Question I think this a perfectly rational question, so please don’t think that I’m trying to be insincere. What are the afterlife experiences like of aborted fetuses, children who die very young or at childbirth, or people who die with mental retardation? I’ve discussed this with friends, and we cannot rationalize how these “people” would […]
Eldership:? Qualities or Qualifications?
BIBLICAL ELDERSHIP: QUALITIES OR QUALIFICATIONS? ?The reason I left you in Cretewas that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders (presbuteros) in every town, as I directed you.? (Titus 1:5). In this passage and others in the New Testament, God is providing a model to his church for church […]
The Holy Spirit:? A Brief Outline
The Holy Spirit The Facts About the Holy Spirit Genesis 1:2 The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. ??Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.?? (1 Samuel 16:13 Samuel, oil, David, ??The Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.) […]
Power Point: A response to The God Delusion by Dawkins
Power Point: A Response to The God Delusion 2.45 Mb The God Delusion: A Response A Response to Scientific Materialism and The God Delusion Richard Dawkins, author of A River out of Eden, The Blind Watchmaker, The Selfish Gene and Unweaving the Rainbow. Main points in this book: Evolution by a […]
Power Point on Christianity and World Religions (theology and world view)
Power Point: Christianity and World Religions (and World View) 3.89 Mb
World View Apologetics: Ethical Answers in an Unethical World (Power Point)
Ethical Answers in an Unethical World Power Point: What is Truth? World View Apologetics 7.49 Mb What is Truth? Subtitle: World View Apologetics John 18:37-38 Jesus: ?I came to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.? Pilate: ?What is truth?? Now that is a good question. […]
Power Point: The Bible: From God or Man?
Power Point: The Bible, From God or Man? 3.06 Mb The Bible: From God or Man? Note: The notes below are not detailed. Most useful will be the Power Point. To open the Power Point, scroll to the bottom and click on the appropriate link. Quote to get us started: DelosB. […]
Is the Bible inerrant? Should I defend belief that it is inerrant?
Question: My pastor preached a sermon suggesting that we should not believe that the Bible is without error. I happen to disagree with his assertion however, he said that the numbers in the book of Numbers do not add up and used this as proof of his belief. He did not go into detail on […]
What do you think about the identity of the ICOC?
Question: I am interested in your perspective that you considerus part of the Church of Christ, not the ICOC. I wonder if they agree. I am personally confused about church relations especially with Kip McKean?s new movement and establishment of churches. Response:I am, by nature, but also by biblical conviction, a believer in unity wherever […]
Should Christians allow themselves to watch movies that have sinful activities such as sex scenes, cursing, violence, etc?
Question: Should Christians allow themselves to watch movies that have sinful activities such as sex scenes, cursing, violence, etc? Answer: There is no simple answer to this question. We need to look at Bible passages which give principles to answer such quesions. One helpful passage in in Psalms 102:3; “I will set before my eyes […]
Please help me with Muslim criticism of the Bible (scientific error, Jesus did not die, etc.)
Request: (from a Christian in Dhaka, Bangaladesh) I need help, I am faceing few questionss from Muslims about Bible. I think you know all the commen questions that Muslims made about Bible, such as; the Bible is not scientificaly proved, there are problems in genesis, Jesus did not die on the cross…etc. So do you […]
Explain how Daniel says Darius asked people to pray to him when we know from other sources that the rulers of Persian and Media were Zoroastrians and would never have allowed themselves to be worshipped
Comment: 1) The Medes became Zoroastrian before the Persians 2)Daniel 6;9 has King Darius signing a decree that no prayer should be directed to anyone except the king. This would be unthinkable for a Zoroastrian and therefore the account cannot be historical. 3) The word for king is totally separate from the word for governor […]
At what age did Daniel die? How did Daniel come to be in Babylon in 606/605 BC
Question: 1) At what age did Daniel die? 2) How did Daniel come to go to Babylon in 606/5 BC ? Answer: We know from Babylonian records that Nebuchadnezzar campaigned in Canaan in 606/605 BC. His father died during that time. The evidence says that Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem, but the Jews chose to submit […]
Please explain the historical error in Daniel which has a Persian emperor accepting worship when we know the Persian emperors were devout Zoroastrians.
Comment: Leaving all nitpicking on one side, my main objection to the historicity of Daniel is that the Persians and the Medes were devout Zoroastrians and as such did not even have idols. It would be totally unthinkable for them to even consider being worshipped as a god. Anyone living at the time of the […]
What are Leviathan and Behemoth?
Question: What are Leviathan and Behemoth? I have books that say they are the hippo and crocodile, I have books that say they are dinosaurs and I have books that say they are mythical creatures. Answer: Leviathan and Behemoth are certainly not dinosaurs and they probably are not a hippo or a crocodile either. In […]
Genesis 7:20 says the water stood more than 22 feet above the highest peaks. Doesn't this draw into question the inerrancy of the Bible unless it is literally true?
Question: The NLT of Genesis 7:20 says the water was “standing more than 22ft above the highest peaks” What may I ask is ambiguous about that? You cannot be “agnostic” about the Word of God. It is perfectly clear in what sense it covered the mountains. The depth of the water matters as much as […]
Are you aware of "Iglesia ni Cristo," a group which teaches that Jesus is a mere man and that Felix Manalo is the fulfillment of Rev. 7:2.
Question: Are you aware of the Church “Iglesia ni Cristo” or the Church of Christ? This Church believes that Jesus Christ is just a “mere man” with extraordinary power given to him by God the Father and that Felix Manalo the founder of this Church is the fulfillment in Rev.7:2. What can you say about […]
What about the evidence that deutro-Isaiah was written after the Persian conquest. (and other questions)
Comment: I notice that you do not include deutero-Isaiah in the list of books that were completed after the Persian conquest. In this, you differ from modern scholars of the Old Testament and I would be interested to know your reasons for so doing. I am currently in the process of reading through the old […]
Please explain the contradiction created in 2 Samuel 24, where it says Satan incited David and 1 Chron 21 where it says God incited David.
Question: Why the change from “God incited” to “Satan incited” in 2 Sam 24 and in 1 Chronicles 21? Ponder also on the theological change from “ha-satan” a helper of God who sometimes asked people hard questions to test their faith such as Job, into “the Prince of this World” and an adversary of God, […]
Ezekiel 26:14 says that Tyre will never be rebuilt but it is there to this day and HAS been rebuilt. Can you explain this?
Question: Ezekiel 26;14 says that Tyre will never be rebuilt but it is there to this day and HAS been rebuilt. Can you explain this? Answer: Yes, but not on the original site. The original site is still basically a bare rock, even today. It has been excavated. The rock Tyre stood on lies just […]
How do you know Jesus was born in Bethlehem? Maybe the Gospel writers fit the details to match the prophetic passages.
Comments: What is interesting about the Gospel writers is the way in which they fit the details of the story to match the “prophetic” passages which are pre-existent to the story and are already selected as “must be” parts of the story. How for example do you know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem? The […]
What are the churches from which the four text types of the Greek New Testament (Alexandrine, Western, Caesarean and Byzantine) circulated?
Question: What are the churches from which the four text types of the Greek New Testament (Alexandrine, Western, Caesarean and Byzantine) circulated? Answer: The Western text type will have circulated in the West. Generally, the Western churches are taken to mean North Africa, Spain, Gaul and Italy. The North African churches were very strongly influenced […]
We know that the Essenes interpreted messianic ideas in the Old Testament allegorically–wresting passages from their context. Isn't that exactly what the gospel writers did to make Jesus appear to be the Messiah?
Comment: One of the benefits of reading Essene interpretations of Scripture written 100/200 years before the Gospels, is that it enables one to see how religious Jews of the period would happily wrest any passage of Scripture from its clear ancient context and apply it allegorically either to the present or the future. The evangelists […]
What is the history and the importance of the four text types of the Greek New Testament? Is Bruce M
Question: My question is can you tell me where specifically did the four text types originate and when they originated and by whom or what local group are most likely to have done so? I understand by Bruce Metzger that using the fathers to locate a certain family of text or reading is also a […]
Please explain the differences between the Septuagint and Masoretic text in relation to your belief in the faithful transmission of Scripture. How does it impinge on your belief in the prophetic element in the OT ?
Question: Please explain to me the differences between the Septuagint and Masoretic text in relation to your belief in the faithful transmission of Scripture. How also does it impinge on your belief in the prophetic element in the OT ? Answer: I have found in my study that the transmission of the original has been […]
Is it not true that the Buddhist scriptures are far inferior to the Christian scripture (by the criteria listed in the question)
Question: (note, this is a long series of questions, followed by a general response to all the question) (1) Should the sacred texts of a religion be understandable to anybody that reads it (ex. Buddhist texts are fairly hard to understand in Chinese…even to those that know Chinese)? (2) Should there be a presence of […]
What text type or types do the most early church fathers use? If the Byz. type goes no further than the 4th cent. why then do kjv. only people say that church fathers from the 2nd cent used this type?
Question: What text type or types do the most early church fathers use? If the Byz. type goes no further than the 4th cent. why then do kjv. only people say that church fathers from the 2nd cent usedthis type? My second question is what are the text types for the earliest versions of the […]
The God Delusion: A Review
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins: A Review Richard Dawkins is arguably the best-known evolutionist and atheist today. He has written a number of books explaining modern discoveries as they relate to the neo-Darwinian theory of evolution. Some of his better-known works include The Selfi sh Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, River out of Edenand […]
Please explain to me the discrepancies, both theological and numerical, between 2 Samuel 24 and 1Chronicles 21.
Question: Please explain to me the discrepancies, both theological and numerical, between 2 Samuel 24 and 1Chronicles 21. Answer: If you read my book Reasons for Belief on the reliability of the biblical texts, you will find the comment that we have a NT which is a virtually perfect copy of the original. With the […]
Please explain about the star named Wormwood in the Bible (rev.8.11)
Question: Please explain about the star named Wormwood in the Bible (rev.8.11) Answer: I am assuming you are aware that the book of Revelation is written in a highly symbolic style. The technical term is apocalyptic literature. In normal writing, the reader is to assume a literal meaning of something unless the context suggests a […]
Is the burial custom in 2 Chron 16:14 an anachronism? I find no knowledge of such a Jewish burial custom.
Question: I detect an anachronism in the burial practice described in 2 Chron 16:14. To the best of my knowledge there is no Jewish custom recorded elsewhere regarding this clearly ongoing practice. What therefore is its explanation? Answer We do not know all the cultural practices of the Philistines. If the Bible were to mention […]
I would be interested to see any paper trail that takes us back to 1300BC as far as archaeological evidence that supports the Bible.
Question: I would be interested to see any paper trail that takes us back to 1300BC as far as archaeological evidence that supports the Bible. Response: Paper? Paper was invented by the Chinese some time in the early centuries AD. (just teasing… forgive me) Have you read me book, Reasons for Belief? I make the […]
What is the evidence of the 2nd coming of Jesus?
Question: What is the evidence of the 2nd coming of Jesus? Answer: I am afraid that there is no physical evidence to confirm the second coming of Jesus. This is obvious, given that the second coming is in the future. It is, by definition, impossible to produce evidence of an event which has not yet […]
Who exactly was Paul referring to as ?the lawless one? in 2 Thessalonians 2:8?
Q: Who exactly was Paul referring to as “the lawless one” in 2 Thessalonians 2:8? A: Here is the relevant passage in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12: “Now regarding the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to be with him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to be easily shaken from your […]
Do you have an outline of the Passover meal and the coorelations between it and Jesus' life
Question: My husband and I are planning a Passover meal for our Bible group. Do you have an outline of the Passover meal and the coorelations between it and Jesus’ life? Answer: I have a friend who is an expert on this. He is Phillip Lester. His e-mail is PPLester@aol.com. He did a Passover seder […]
The Book of Hebrews: Notes and Power Point
Is suicide sinful?
Question: I was wondering what philosophical/theological argument could be mustered in favour of the proposition that people should not commit suicide. A bit of background to the question might help. From a secularist perspective, surely we are ultimately going to die anyway. Our lives will necessarily end with a certain degree of pain and suffering […]
Leviticus 26:19 mention iron when the iron age did not start in Canaan until 1150 BC. Doesn't this prove that Moses did not write Leviticus?
Question: There is evidence of proto-Israelite settlement in Canaan around 1400BC. The Iron Age in Canaan is dated to 1150BC at the earliest. How then can Moses be the author of Leviticus when he reports God as speaking of iron in 26;19 when it was not to be discovered until 200 years after his death […]
What is your take on the strange passage Exodus 4:24-27 in which God almost kills Moses?
Question: What is your take on the strange passage Exodus 4:24-27 in which God almost kills Moses? Answer: I found a web site which presents a range of responses from a Judaic Christian perspective, which I think might be the best. Bottom line, we are not sure why God wanted to kill Moses, but we […]
What is your explanation for the apparent contradiction between Gen 1:11-13 and Gen 1:26-31 with Gen 2:5-7 ?
Question: What is your explanation for the apparent contradiction between Gen 1:11-13 and Gen 1:26-31 with Gen 2:5-7 ? Answer: I can see why one might ask this perfectly reasonable question. I believe that Genesis 2 is the story, not of creation as a whole, but of the creation of “man.” It is not a […]
