Larry Wessels presents a series of informative programs on the Jehovah's Witness religion which was begun by a man named Charles Taze Russell who had no formal theological training but was able to spread his strange & peculiar beliefs throughout the world. This man Russell even believed that Revelation 14:6 was talking about him & that Revelation 8:3 referred to Russell's "Watch Tower Society." The following statistics for the Jehovah's Witnesses are dated however they do provide insight into the scope of this religion: The Watchtower Bible & Tract Society organization has a worldwide active membership of over 5,800,000 in 205 countries with over 931,162 here in the U.S. 15,000,000 people (active JWs and non-members) participate in Jehovah’s Witnesses meetings worldwide each week.
This radio show begins with a clip of a woman named Irena who claims she was contacted by space aliens while she was in prayer for her dog Jack. She says she heard the "voice of God" which consists of celestial brothers from Jupiter after they put on a light show in her backyard. She says she was attracted to one of these space travelers & ended up marrying him & is now a messenger to humans on earth concerning what these aliens have to say. More clips of this "space wife" come up during this radio broadcast. Bill Alnor does an excellent job of analyzing the global Ufology craze that has taken place through the main stream media, such as Hollywood movies, television, magazines, etc. The general public seems to have an amazing fascination with this subject but with very little discernment. People will believe almost any theory about who or what these UFOs are EXCEPT what the Bible says about it (with the exception of wild theories about Ezekiel's wheel found in the Old Testament).
Larry Wessels, Director of Christian Answers of Austin, Texas/ Christian Debater (websites: BibleQuery.org, HistoryCart.com & MuslimHope.com) & editor of the "Christian Debater Guide" presents his ministry's radio broadcast "Christian Answers Live!" This particular program features guest Christian author & apologist Robert M. Bowman, Jr. speaking on the subject of his book, "Why You Should Believe in the Trinity: An Answer to Jehovah's Witnesses" published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. As Robert Bowman states in his book, "Trinitarians (people who believe in the Trinity) hold very firmly and without compromise to belief in one God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are NOT three Gods (Mormons, who believe that they are three Gods, claim to believe in the Trinity but make it very clear that they reject the traditional doctrine of the Trinity in any form). The Athanasian Creed makes this point repeatedly: "And yet they are not three Gods, but one God ... So we are forbidden by the universal faith to say, there are three Gods or three Lords." The God worshipped by trinitarians is the one and only God; they recognize no other gods at all. Jesus is not another god alongside God: he is God, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit."
Dr. William Lane Craig discusses the hype over Stephen Hawking's upcoming book "The Grand Design." In it, Hawking claims that God is not necessary for the creation of the universe.
Top Five Questions about Christianity University of Iowa Students Ask
Ravi Zacharias and William Lane Craig
The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa - October, 1997
THE JOHN ANKERBERG SHOW COMPARES THE BELIEF OF ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY WITH THE BELIEF OF THE UNITED PENTECOSTAL INTERNATIONAL CULT
They were As their name implies, the United Pentecostals were once a part of the Pentecostal Churches, and the Assemblies of God. They were excommunicated from this fellowship for their denial of accepted Christian theology. The United Pentecostals now claim salvation exclusively in their ranks due to their "special understanding" of God and baptism. Dr. Walter Martin and Cal Beisner Debate Dr. Nathaniel Urshan and Robert Sabin. Topics on The Trinity, Salvation, Baptism.
Dr. Craig shows why "scientism" can not account for all of reality!
This is taken from the 1998 debate between Craig and Atkins. You can see the full debate here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Y6ev152BA&feature=related
President and Founder of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. Matt earned his Bachelors in Social Science from Concordia University, Irvine, CA in 1988. He earned his Masters of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary, in Escondido, CA, in 1991. He now resides in the Boise, Idaho area with his family. He is ordained. Matt started CARM in October of 1995 to respond to the many false teachings of the cults on the Internet when it first began. (www.carm.org)
Edward, "Eddie," Tabash is a lawyer in the Los Angeles area. He graduate magna cum laude from UCLA, and received his law degree from Loyola Law School. Mr. Tabash has filed numerous amicus briefs for cases of Church and State separation. He is also currently the chair of Americans United for Separation of Church and State (www.au.org). Mr. Tabash has debated world-famous Christian philosophers, including Peter van Inwagen, Greg Bahnsen, William Lane Craig, and Richard Swinburne. (www.tabash.com)
The Cell's Design: How Biochemistry Reveals the Work of a Creator Fazale Rana California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo 20 January 2009
What is the most compelling evidence for the work of a Creator from the biological realm? This talk describes recent advances in biochemistry that reveal startling details about the structure and function of life at its most basic level. These insights compel only one reasonable conclusion—life must logically result from the work of a Creator.
Can Science Know the Mind of God? The Case Against Naturalism Philip Johnson Princeton University 1 January 1996
A unified theory, says physicist Stephen Hawking, would be the ultimate triumph of human reason and would allow us to "know the mind of God." Philip Johnson begins his talk by pointing out that such a theory would allow humans not to know the mind of God, but rather to be omniscient. Dr. Johnson proceeds to give his audience a guided tour of the history of Darwin's ideas of evolution and their ramifications and implications in present day society. Ultimately, Johnson provides convincing arguments against the "scientific game" that assumes a materialistic reality in its pursuit of an explanation of the universe and exposes many of the problems of evolutionary theory.
Letter from Ravi Regarding The Mormon Tabernacle Event
Many have asked how the invitation to the Mormon Tabernacle came about. Ten years ago, I was invited by the philosophy department at Brigham Young University to deliver a series of lectures on atheism and theism, a comparative study. At that time I also presented a defense of the Christian faith. Much has transpired in the intervening years as evangelical Christian scholars and Mormon scholars have held discussions on their differing faiths. Sometime ago, a group of about 150 churches and academic institutions under the leadership of Greg Johnson of Standing Together invited me to speak in defense of the Christian faith at a series of open forums on university campuses in Utah. Greg then suggested that perhaps the LDS church would open the Tabernacle for a major presentation by an evangelical Christian.
With that in mind, Greg and Bob Millet (from the faculty of Brigham Young University) approached the First Presidency with the idea and to everyone’s surprise, they graciously agreed to extend an invitation to me. Greg and Bob came to my office in Atlanta to discuss with me what this meant and how we should go about this. Needless to say, I had a lot of questions on the “why” of such an invitation. What it boiled down to was that they were interested in hearing from an evangelical Christian about what lay at the heart of our faith. I asked for two personal conditions. One, that I be given the privilege of selecting the subject and two, that I bring someone to provide the music. They gladly granted both. But even after that I hesitated till several key evangelical leaders and professors from across the country wrote and urged me to accept the invitation to speak at the Tabernacle. After much prayer and reflection, I did. I selected the subject: The Exclusivity and Sufficiency of Jesus Christ. I asked Michael Card if he would come and provide the music.
November 14th was the historic moment. The last time an evangelical Christian had spoken there was in 1899 when D.L. Moody spoke. I have to say the entire weekend was one remarkable event after another. I had a personal meeting with the First Presidency. I did open forums at Weber State University and at the University of Utah. The climactic meeting at the Mormon Tabernacle was packed with an overflowing crowd. What a night it was!
From all over the world I have received numerous messages of encouragement and appreciation. Anyone who hears the tape will know the clarity of the message presented. Only the Lord gave such enablement.
To the critics who objected to my being there, I say that all my life as an apologist I have spoken across wide chasms of thought and virtually to every major religious group, sometimes at the risk of threats and violence. Differences ought not to keep us from carrying the truth to everyone. Must we not graciously build one step at a time in communicating our faith with clarity and conviction? Is it really necessary at the early stages of such openness to “dump the whole truckload of goods,” rather than first gaining a hearing and respect? I have no doubts about the differences between the LDS faith and the historic Christian faith, differences that are deep and foundational in terms of authority. But the proclamation of the living Christ can break down hearts all over the world that we might see ourselves as He sees us and call upon Him and no one else for our salvation. Must not our methods be in keeping with our message? There are numerous instances in Scripture where Jesus went to those of a contrary view and with grace, sowed one small seed at a time. I must also add that the courtesy and graciousness extended to me by every Mormon leader or professor that I came into contact with cannot be gainsaid. My earnest prayer is that the Lord was honored in what happened and that the opportunities that come from this event will multiply. There is no other name given under heaven whereby we may be saved. How we communicate that name is equally important as the message itself if we are to be persuaders of men and women under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
As you hear the message presented, I pray you will hear the sound of the seed being sown. Only Heaven will reveal the fruit that has resulted.
Is Faith Reasonable?
Stuart McAllister
Georgia Institute of Technology
19 February 2008
International speaker and Christian author Stuart McAllister discusses the topics of culture, relativism, truth, post-modernism, and morality. Participants were be invited to join in discussion and a Q&A session afterwards.
This episode of ID the Future features part one of Casey Luskin's interview with atheist philosopher of physics Bradley Monton, author of Seeking God in Science: An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design. Prof. Monton has a unique perspective of the debate over intelligent design as an atheist who is trying to elevate the debate.
We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach people to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.
On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin examines how, contrary to the stereotype, it's actually the supporters of evolution who encourage violations of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. This podcast is excerpted from a law review article published in Liberty University Law Review. The article, "Zeal for Darwin's House Consumes Them: How Supporters of Evolution Encourage Violations of the Establishment Clause," is available here.
Science and Religion
William Lane Craig, Alvin Plantinga, Richard Gale Ph.D., Quentin Smith
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
30 January 2004
A conversation with Drs. Alvin Plantinga and Richard Gale on the topic “The Existence of Evil and the Problem of God.” This conversation is followed by a question and answer session with the audience.
The 2009 Aquinas Lecture, Desires of the Heart: Finding True Fulfillment, will be delivered January 25, 2009, by the internationally renowned Thomist, Elenore Stump, Ph.D.
When the Psalmist says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4), we are reminded that our heartsore longing and loss not only undermine our flourishing, but also frustrate our deepest heart desires. In this lecture, Dr. Stump will discuss this distinctive feature of suffering, along with our need as seekers of true fulfillment to address the desires of our heart as part of the problem of evil.
Peter J. Kreeft, Ph.D., spoke on "Seeking and Responding to Truth" in January 2010 as part of AQ's annual St. Thomas Aquinas Week festivities. Kreeft is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and The King's College, and is the author of over 55 books.
Peter Kreeft, Professor of Philosophy at Boston College, addresses "What Christians Believe," Book II of "Mere Christianity" by C. S. Lewis, which Kreeft calls "Lewis's most powerful book."
Mary Jo Sharp of "Confident Christianity" debates Ehteshaam Gulam of "Answering Christian Claims" on one of the central areas of disagreement between Christians and Muslims: Jesus death by crucifixion.
The Book of Mormon claims to be "a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible." Both the Bible and the Book of Mormon declare themselves to be ancient, historical, and reliable rules of faith--the very word of God.
These claims have historically been taken on faith. But is there any evidence to support them one way or the other? Is it even possible to "test" a rule of faith? More to the point, is there any basis for placing one's faith in the Bible or the Book of Mormon?
It's an important question. It's an eternal question. This presentation puts the Bible and the Book of Mormon to the same tests. History, archaeology, textual criticism, and other disciplines combine to shed light on what is true...and what is false.
Truth never fears investigation. Faith need not--and should not--be blind. Discover for yourself which of these books is worthy of being called "scripture" and which is worth of your trust.
Over the course of a year, Stephen C. Meyer's Signature in the Cell has made a powerful impact for intelligent design, reaching a wide audience with its cutting-edge science. Visit http://www.signatureinthecell.com for more information.
Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith. Which Faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled; without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic Faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son unlimited; and the Holy Ghost unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite.
So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity; to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; So are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion; to say, There are three Gods, or three Lords.
The Father is made of none; neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created; but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten; but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before, or after another; none is greater, or less than another. But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid; the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation; that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God, of the Essence of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the Essence of his Mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.
Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching his Manhood. Who although he is God and Man; yet he is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the Manhood into God. One altogether; not by confusion of Essence; but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of the God the Father Almighty, from whence he will come to judge the quick and the dead. At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies; And shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the Catholic Faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved.
In this episode from KTEH's Uncommon Knowledge series, Dr. Genie Scott debates creationist Dr. William Dembski and Dr. Robert Russell, from the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences. Air date: 12/7/2001
When people ask questions about Jesus, for instance like the JW's, we must make sure we parse the question. For instance, if Jesus was God, then why did He did not know the hour of His own coming {Matt. 24:35-36}? This and other questions of this type are answered actually very easily and when you understand this concept MUCH confusion disappears!
In John 1:1 we are told: "In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word WAS GOD" and then in John 1:14 we read: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us".
Jesus has 2 natures: one is fully Human, the other fully Divine. Many think that Jesus stopped being God when He came to earth, but this is false. Instead of "subtraction", think of it as "addition " Jesus ADDED a human nature to Himself. In fact we are told in
Philippians 2:6-8 "who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 2:7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
The Greek word here for "emptied" means that Christ laid aside His divine attributes and chose not to use them at certain times; however, there are times when He does use them. For instance, in Matthew 12:25 we read: "And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand." This is a example of Jesus demonstrating His omniscience {All- Knowing }. Another example is when Jesus is in the boat with the disciples. We read in Mark 4:38-40: "But Jesus was in the back of the boat, asleep on a cushion. So they woke him up and asked him, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to die?" v-39--And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. -v--41--They became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"
This is a great example of Jesus being omnipotent by calming the wind and the waves, yet He is in the boat sleeping. We know that God doesn't sleep, and man can not control nature, so what we see is Christ's dual natures.
This is how you answer the question: did Jesus know all things? In His human nature "no", but in His divine nature "YES"! Consider the following when you are asked a question about Jesus.
JESUS' DIVINE NATURE:
Uncaused
Unchanging
Knowledge is INFINITE
Necessary Being
All-Powerful
Simple Being {Not composed of parts}
INDEPENDENT
JESUS' HUMAN NATURE:
Caused
Changing
Knowledge IS finite
Limited Power
Composed Being
Dependent
This hopefully will help clear up much of the confusion. Let us sit in awe and wonder of our amazing and great God as it was Him and Him ALONE who sacrificed His Son, the Second Person of the Trinity so that we may live!!!
Featuring the author, Michael Shermer, Director, Skeptics Society; With comments by Jonathan Wells, Senior Fellow, Center for Science and Culture, Discovery Institute. Debates over evolution range from Pennsylvania to Kansas to the University of California. Michael Shermer, a former evangelical Christian and creationist, argues that "intelligent design" theory appeals to a human predisposition to look for a designer behind life's complexity. But in fact the theory of natural selection is supported by the scientific evidence and is the foundation on which modern biology rests. Conservatives and Christians should accept evolution because it explains family values, social harmony, human nature, and the origins of morality. Jonathan Wells, author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design, disagrees with Shermer
UC Berkeley's Professor Johnson offers his unique insight into the philosophical basis of modern Darwinian theory and the problems he finds with it. Series: Focus on Origins [2/2002]
New discoveries regarding the Outer Planets are creating a fundamental rethinking of our solar system. Uranus is a toxic combination of hydrogen, helium and methane. Scientists speculate that the planet was knocked on its side after colliding with another body. Neptune's largest moon, Triton, is cold and barren, but some scientists speculate that liquid water might exist under Triton's icy surface. If this is proven true, Triton could be the home to one of the biggest discoveries of all time. Cold and inhospitable, Pluto completes one orbit around the solar system every 248 years. Cutting-edge computer graphics are used to bring the universe down to earth.
Academic freedom is being suppressed, says Ben Stein. He contends that professors from around the United States are being fired from their jobs for promoting, or even exploring the possibility of, intelligent design as an alternative to Darwinism. Stein interviews the expelled academics and other supporters of intelligent design. He also interviews the scientists in the mainstream, who support Darwinism.
J.P. Holding exposes the many problems in Bill Mahers movie "religulous" and shows why the views expressed in his movie are refuted by sound arguments!
Dr. Phil Fernandes is president of the Biblical Defense Institute and author of "The God Who Sits Enthroned--Evidence for God's Existence," "No Other Gods--A Defense of Biblical Christianity," and "God, Government, & the Road to Tyranny--A Christian View of Government & Morality."
Dr. Bob Price is the author of numerous books on Christianity and fundamentalism including "The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man," "Deconstructing Jesus," and the forthcoming "A Crock of Christ," a refutation of Lee Strobel.
Gracepoint Berkeley had the privilege of hosting Dr. William Lane Craig, author of "Reasonable Faith" and "God is Great, God is Good." In this session, he presents the arguments against the problem of pain.
If you like this video be sure to checkout more of his videos at Veritas48 on youtube!
The Kalam Argument
Exhaustive Dilemmas:
1.The universe either had a beginning or no beginning. 2.If it had a beginning, the beginning was either caused or uncaused. 3.If it was caused, the cause was either personal or impersonal.
Argument Outline:
1.The Universe Had a Beginning. a.Big Bang Theory i.Red Shift ii. Uniform Background Radiation b. The Impossibility of Crossing Infinity
2.The Beginning of the Universe was Caused. a.Whatever Comes into Existence Has a Cause i.Empirical Principle ii.Metaphysical Principle
3.The Cause of the Universe was Personal. a.Event vs. Agent Causation b.Efficient Causes vs. Final Causes
Sources:
1.Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology by J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig 2.Scaling the Secular City by J.P. Moreland 3.Philosophical foundations for a Christian Worldview by J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig 4.The Anthropic Cosmological Principle by John D. Barrow and Frank J. Tipler 6.http://www.reasonablefaith.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5321 7.http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/quentin_smith/cosmology.html
This is Pastor Britt Merick who has a church in California, and here is his story.
A week ago, I felt overjoyed. Our family had suffered through 8 months of cancer. It seemed as though Daisy had beaten it. We had seen God do so much. We were celebrating – Daisy wanted to go to Hawaii, so we did, as a family. She wanted to swing on vines, and we did. She wanted to swim with turtles, and we did. It was the best time of our lives. While we were there, Daisy began to have stomach pains. We thought she had too much shave ice. My wife put a ban on shave ice – who goes to Hawaii and can’t eat shave ice? We thought it was constipation, so we were giving her laxatives and flax oil and she was pooping her little guts out.
Preaching Christ, our Treasure
We got home Friday at 1:30 in the morning and left for LA just over 24 hours later to fly to San Francisco, where I preached on Christ as our greatest treasure. I talked about my daughter’s previous battle with cancer and how Christ became more beautiful in our family because of suffering.
That night, we were heading out to dinner in San Francisco, and we received a call from the friend who was watching our kids. She told us that Daisy’s stomach was hurting her badly, and she didn’t know what to do. Kate and I immediately flew home to be with Daisy, and the next morning, we took her to her doctor. The pediatrician recommended we go to the ER, so we did, and they performed at CAT Scan.
“It’s Back”
When the results came back, the surgeon pulled us into a hallway, and pulled up the image of her CAT scan and there was the tumor. He looked at us and said: “It’s back. And it’s the size of a grapefruit.” The previous tumor she had since birth and it took 5 years to grow to the size of a Nerf football, but this one grew to the size of a grapefruit in weeks.
For some reason, it was so much harder to hear this time than last time. I think it was because we were so convinced this was finished. I had to go back into Daisy’s room and tell her. I had to look into her beautiful eyes and tell her, “Your tumor is back.”
We wept. Kate and I wept uncontrollably on the floor. When we were able to speak, to pray, the first prayer that I prayed was, “Jesus, we still trust You.”
Surgery and Statistics
They took her into surgery on Wednesday morning, and removed one-third of the tumor. The rest is considered inoperable. It’s connected to her stomach and other major organs, and her aorta. They performed the tests and her tumor has favorable histology (responsive to chemotherapy) and is not anaplastic. Her proposed rate of cure is 30-50%. So there is a 50-70% chance that she won’t make it. The chances are she won’t make it.
Mark 8:38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.
Luke 9:26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Some of the most popular preaching in America presents a message of positive thinking. The alternative Gospel of Joel Osteen and the prosperity preachers forgoes the cross and advises us to merely “do our best.” At its heart, this is pure legalism of the worst variety. In this message, Dr. John MacArthur examines the alternative gospel of the prosperity preachers and explains why legalism-lite is still legalism
Here is Part 2 of the debate between Sean McDowell and James Corbett, which took place on February 26, 2010 at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California.
An Evening with Ravi Zacharias (Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University)
Moderated by Prof Daniel KL Chua (School of Humanities, HKU)
Date: Thursday, March 18, 2010 Time: 7:00pm-9:00pm Venue: Loke Yew Hall, The University of Hong Kong
Ravi Zacharias is presently Visiting Lecturer at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University in Oxford. He has spoken in numerous universities, notably Harvard, Princeton, and Oxford University, and has given talks at the White House, the Pentagon, and the British Parliament. He has addressed writers of the peace accord in South Africa, the president's cabinet and parliament in Peru, and military officers at the Lenin Military Academy and the Center for Geopolitical Strategy in Moscow. He has authored or edited twenty books, including Walking from East to West:(Zondervan, 2006), The Grand Weaver (Zondervan, 2007), and Beyond Opinion (Thomas Nelson, 2008); his Can Man Live without God (Word, 1994), was awarded the Gold Medallion for best book in the category of doctrine and theology.
Gracepoint Berkeley had the privilege of hosting Dr. William Lane Craig, author of "Reasonable Faith" and "God is Great, God is Good." In this session, he presents some response to Bart Ehrman's objections to Christianity
Thursday July 8th we will be going over the problem of Evil in our young adults group. This is a link from John Ankerberg that gives some very good articles and part of a video debate between Dr. Norman Geisler and Dr. Harold Kushner as they debate why an all good God would allow evil.
Greg Koukl University of California, Los Angeles 18 April 2001
Moral relativism, says Koukl, is not an alternative way to think about morality, nor is it a refinement of how we are to think of morality—rather, it is an outright denial of morality. In this talk, Koukl addresses what he calls the "myth of moral neutrality," discusses the implications of moral relativity, and illuminates several fatal flaws inherent to the moral relativist position. Ultimately, he argues that moral relativism is untenable and that the best reason for the existence of morality is a moral Lawgiver.
In the spirit of pursuing truth, The Veritas Forum will be exploring the origins of human life and how we came to be. Dr. Rana, Dr. Karplus and Dr. Matthew Rainbow will share their respective views as a creationist, assisted evolutionist, and atheistic evolutionist in a discussion-based setting. Each speaker will have about fifteen minutes to present his or her views on how life came to be, in particular human life. In the spirit of the discussion-based exploration of true life, the second half of this event will be dedicated to an audience Q&A session.
Although both religious believers and unbelievers can be good persons, is it possible for there to be a moral law without a Divine Law Giver? Professor Beckwith answers "no," and offers an argument for why ethics needs God.
"The first question which should rightly be asked," wrote G.W.F. Leibniz, is "Why is there something rather than nothing?"[1] This question does seem to possess a profound existential force, which has been felt by some of mankind's greatest thinkers. According to Aristotle, philosophy begins with a sense of wonder about the world, and the most profound question a man can ask concerns the origin of the universe.[2] In his biography of Ludwig Wittgenstein, Norman Malcolm reports that Wittgenstein said that he sometimes had a certain experience which could best be described by saying that "when I have it,I wonder at the existence of the world. I am then inclined to use such phrases as 'How extraordinary that anything should exist!'"[3] Similarly, one contemporary philosopher remarks, ". . . My mind often seems to reel under the immense significance this question has for me. That anything exists at all does seem to me a matter for the deepest awe."[4]
Why does something exist instead of nothing? Leibniz answered this question by arguing that something exists rather than nothing because a necessary being exists which carries within itself its reason for existence and is the sufficient reason for the existence of all contingent being.[5]"
Steven Hawking says "science will triumph over belief in God. "Science will win because it works."
Sad that a mind so brilliant refuses to give God the glory. He says the one thing he wants to know is why there is something rather than nothing. In the post above philosopher and Christian Dr. William Lane Craig answers Hawkings question!
