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A concise summary of the Cosmological Argument
The Cosmological Argument is a philosophical argument that attempts to prove the existence of God through the observation of the universe and its order. It is based on the concept of causality, which states that every effect has a cause. According to the argument, the universe must have had a cause that caused it to exist. This cause, which is often referred to as the “first cause”, must be outside of the universe and beyond space and time, which is commonly believed to be God.
The argument can be broken down into three main points. The first point is that the universe had a beginning and that it is not eternal. This is supported by the Big Bang theory, which states that the universe began as a singularity and has been expanding ever since. The second point is that everything that begins to exist must have a cause. This is based on the principle of causality, which states that every effect must have a cause. The final point is that the cause of the universe must be an uncaused, self-existent, and necessary being, which is commonly referred to as God.
The Cosmological Argument has been a topic of debate for centuries, with many objections and counter-arguments. Some critics argue that the first cause does not necessarily have to be God and that it could be something else, such as a natural force. Others argue that the argument is circular and that it assumes the existence of God before proving it. Despite these objections, the Cosmological Argument remains one of the most popular arguments for the existence of God and continues to be studied and debated in philosophical circles.
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Building A Solid Christian Worldview
Greg Koukl, author of the the book “The Story of Reality,” recently appeared on a Focus on the Family broadcast to discuss building a solid Christian worldview.
Greg Koukl helps listeners discover, develop, and nurture a Christian worldview by examining the story of the Bible. Based on his book The Story of Reality , Greg Koukl offers believers a glimpse of the bigger picture, along with their role in the overarching Christian Story.
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Is free will an illusion?
Dan Barker is a common antagonist against the Christian worldview. Here, he has to go more into scientific and philosophic realms rather than Biblical. He states, “free will is a social construct not a scientific one”, while Hunter claims we do have real freedom! Unbelievable?: Notable atheists like Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett claim we live in a deterministic universe and that free will is an illusion. But does losing human free will pose a problem for justice, morality and even the very act of reasoning itself? Dan Barker of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and author of ‘Free Will Explained’ defends determinism. Christian guest Braxton Hunter defends libertarian free will, which he believes points to God. Dan Barker: https://ffrf.org …and for the chipmunk! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zTKh… Braxton Hunter: https://www.youtube.com/user/braxhunt Subscribe to our newsletter and receive the free Unbelievable? e-book ‘In Conversation With…’ https://www.premier.org.uk/Unbelievab…
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Picking your Battles
We are often told to pick our battles, so why is it so many of us keep picking the wrong battles? Leaders go on arguing, losing sleep, getting depressed and resigning over some of the silliest things out there.
What is more tragic still is often these battles are not between evangelicals and people who deny the gospel. Often they are between people who share the same biblical and gospel convictions as the rest of us. So it begs the question: why is it that so many of us keep picking the wrong battles and burning bridges along the way? Let me suggest three reasons why it seems we keep getting it wrong.
The post Pick your Battles: Good Advice that is not Good Enough appeared first on The Gospel Coalition | Australia.
No Neutrality
I have been conflicted for a long time now. I struggle with this inner turmoil on an almost daily basis. I have spent my whole life, and most of my marriage, trying to avoid conflict at all costs. I hate it. Conflict that is. There is always this balance of seeking peace, but not at the expense of truth. I’ve written on the difference between peacekeeping and peacemaking before, so I won’t bore you with a review. But I find within myself this battle again, for both peace and truth.
I have friends with vastly different religious and political views, many of whom I am certain I have offended at some point in the last twenty months. According to Aristotle…
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Wander More
Featured Image by Bárbara Cascão from Pixabay
The post No Neutrality appeared first on Kingdom Winds.
Artificial Intelligence, Gene Editing, and the Future of Humanity
The future could see the world’s human data, delivered through the rising power and reach of artificial intelligence, in the hands of a powerful few – a recipe for a dystopian tomorrow populated by “hacked humans,” says Yuval Noah Harari. The world-renowned author tells Anderson Cooper nations must begin cooperating to prevent this by regulating artificial intelligence and the collection of data across all nations.
The post Artificial Intelligence, Gene Editing, and the Future of Humanity appeared first on Kingdom Winds.
Can We Trust the Gospel of Mark & the Resurection
The long ending of Mark’s gospel appears to be a late addition. If this is the case, should we trust anything Mark has to say about Jesus? Is the resurrection of Jesus a late addition to the Jesus narrative as well? J. Warner and Jimmy Wallace discuss recent news articles in this episode of the NRBtv Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast.
Be sure to watch the Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast on NRBtv every Monday and Saturday! In addition, here is the audio podcast (the Cold-Case Christianity Weekly Podcast is located on iTunes or our RSS Feed):
For more information about the reliability of the New Testament gospels and the case for Christianity, please read Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels.
The post Can We Trust What Mark Said About the Resurrection? (Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast S8E14) first appeared on Cold Case Christianity.
God Used Roads to Pave the Way for Jesus
Every year as Christmas approaches, holiday travel picks back up in cities across America. A recent study reported that 70% of us plan on taking a road trip as part of our holiday celebration. Roads are important to our travel plans, and they were also important to God as he planned the arrival of Jesus. According to the Apostle Paul, God timed the appearance of Jesus perfectly:
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters. (Galatians 4:4-5 NASB)
But what did Paul mean when he wrote that…
(This article was originally published at The Stream and includes an excerpt from J. Warner’s new book, Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World That Rejects the Bible – www.PersonofInterestBook.com)
The post How God Used Roads to Pave the Way for Jesus first appeared on Cold Case Christianity.
A Critique of the Argument Against Free Will from Neuroscience
Maybe it’s just me, but I find neuroscience absolutely fascinating! Watching just the first two minutes is all you need to do to (1) feel like there’s a lot to learn in this subject, and (2) understand that neuroscience can play a role in our apologetic toolkit! The Analytic Christian: Dr. Matthew Flummer is a professor of philosophy at Porterville College, and co-host of the Free Will Show. To go deeper into this topic, check out the two links below. Podcast: Season 3 of the Free Will Show https://youtu.be/tmFC10L2mJA Book: Free- Why Science Hasn’t Disproved Free Will by Alfred Mele https://www.amazon.com/Free-Science-H… If you’d like to participate in Ask A Scholar, become a patron! Go to https://www.patreon.com/theanalyticch… For merch and more, go to https://www.theanalyticchristian.com
10 arguments for the existence of a divine creator
- Cosmological Argument: The universe had a beginning and something or someone had to cause it.
- Teleological Argument: The universe and living beings show signs of design and purpose, suggesting a designer.
- Moral Argument: Universal moral values and ethics suggest the existence of a universal lawgiver.
- Complexity Argument: The complexity of life and the universe suggests the existence of an intelligent creator.
- Fine-Tuning Argument: The precise physical constants and conditions necessary for life suggest a creator who fine-tuned them.
- Historical Evidence: The accounts of a divine creator in many cultures and religions add credibility to the argument.
- Personal Experience: Many individuals claim to have had personal experiences that confirm the existence of a divine creator.
- Objections to Naturalism: The limitations of naturalistic explanations for the origin of life and the universe support the idea of a creator.
- Unity of Reality: The integration of all aspects of reality points to a single, unifying consciousness, possibly a divine creator.
Apologetics 315 Podcast 088 – Deep Dive – Rebel’s Manifesto Part 1
Episode 088 – Deep Dive – A Rebel’s Manifesto Part 1 This is a Deep Dive into the book: A Rebel’s Manifesto: Choosing Truth, Real Justice, and Love amid the Noise of Today’s World by Sean McDowell. This is Part 1 of the Deep Dive: “The Challenge”0:25 – Intro and current reading• The Postmodern Pilgrim’s […]
Article: Don’t Believe Me? Check for Yourself!
This article follows the personal journey of Mr. Cowley as he went from skeptic set out to disprove the authenticity of Christianity, to full-fledged apologist. Check it out “for yourself!” Conveniently, Christ understood this and acknowledged our skepticism. Christ knew that there would need to be undeniable proof that he was the Son of Man […]
Apologetics 315 Podcast 0087 – Sean McDowell – A Rebel’s Manifesto
Episode 087 – Sean McDowell – A Rebel’s Manifesto In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Sean McDowell on themes in his book A Rebel’s Manifesto: Choosing Truth, Real Justice, and Love amid the Noise of Today’s World. Helpful links: Sean’s Website:www.seanmcdowell.org A Rebel’s Manifesto Book:https://a315.co/Rebel Think Biblically Podcast:https://a315.co/ThinkBiblically Book Review: Fate of […]
Apologetics 315 Podcast 086 – Frank Turek and Hollywood Heroes
Episode 086 – Frank Turek and Hollywood Heroes In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Dr. Frank Turek of Crossexamined.org. They discuss themes in his most recent book Hollywood Heroes: How Your Favorite Movies Reveal God.https://a315.co/HollywoodHeroesBook 0:43 – About Frank Turek1:31 – Featured Resource: Worldview Bulletinhttps://a315.co/WorldViewBulletin2:55 – About Hollywood Heroes5:43 – Welcoming Frank […]
Apologetics 315 Podcast 085 – Worldview Legacy with Joel Settecase
Episode 085 – Worldview Legacy with Joel Settecase In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Joel Settecase to discuss parenting and apologetics, how we might teach young people to defend the faith using his 3-step method, discussing worldviews and more.
Apologetics 315 Podcast 084 – Maximal Data Case for the Resurrection with Lydia McGrew
Episode 084 – Maximal Data Case for the Resurrection with Lydia McGrew In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Dr. Lydia McGrew about making a case for the resurrection of Jesus with a “maximal data” approach. 0:43 – Where have we been? On Holidays!!1:03 – Chad’s important info on two Walters… https://a315.co/3PLbTXo4:10 – […]
Article: Did Paul Write the Pastoral Letters? Well, It’s Complicated…
This article details the various reasons why it may be difficult to ascertain the authorship of the New Testament’s pastoral letters. Do you agree? Is there enough evidence to stand firm on one side of the Pauline aisle? What do you think? Evangelicals may balk at the idea that the pastoral letters were written by […]
Article: Responding to Jordan Peterson’s Message to the Christian Churches
Michael F. Bird brings some nuance to how we can process the work of psychology professor turned intellectual guru Jordan B. Peterson. This short article is worth a read! We need a post-patriarchal conception of manhood that recognizes the biological differences between the sexes but restrains the worst of male behaviour. Michael F. Bird https://michaelfbird.substack.com/p/responding-to-jordan-petersons-message
