The Poached Egg Christian Worldview and Apologetics Network

The failure of the church to educate | Tekton Apologetics

Weekend Apologetics Hit and Misc:
The Case for Christianity

Getting to the Bottom of Reason | God & Neighbor

The Case for Christianity Quiz : Lee Strobel

Apologetics: It’s All About Jesus - Stephen J. Bedard

Why did God allow Satan and the demons to sin? | GotQuestions.org

Truthbomb Apologetics: Apologetics Fun with Movie Clips

Kenneth Samples Lectures on mp3

How to Debate a Christian Apologist | Reasonable Faith

Lecture, Dr. Edward Feser: “What We Owe the New Atheists”

Can The Existence and Nature of Hell Be Defended? (Free Bible Insert)

WATCH: Brown vs. Vines, the 'Gay Christian' Debate You've Waited For

Apologist Blake Giunta takes on atheist Dan Barker on the nature of God | Wintery Knight

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Discovering God: Exploring the Possibilities of Faith by Dennis Callum $0.99

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Letters from a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with His Father’s Questions about Christianity by Greg Boyd $1.99

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Richard Dawkins and His God Delusion: A Preliminary Critique of His Truth Claims by J. Steve Miller $0.99

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07/01/2014

Is universalism / universal salvation biblical?

Is universalism / universal salvation biblical? | GotQuestions.org

Is universalism / universal salvation biblical?

GotQuestions.org

Question: "Is universalism / universal salvation biblical?"

Answer: Universalism is the belief that everyone will be saved. There are many people today who hold to universal salvation and believe that all people eventually end up in heaven. Perhaps it is the thought of men and women living a life of eternal torment in hell that causes some to reject the teaching of Scripture on this issue. For some it is an over-emphasis on the love and compassion of God—and the neglect of the righteousness and justice of God—that leads them to believe God will have mercy on every living soul. But the Scriptures do teach that some people will spend eternity in hell.

First of all, the Bible is clear that unredeemed men will dwell forever in hell. Jesus’ own words confirm that the time spent in heaven for the redeemed will last as long as that of the unredeemed in hell. Matthew 25:46 says, “Then they [the unsaved] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” According to this verse, the punishment of the unsaved is just as eternal as the life of the righteous. Some believe that those in hell will eventually cease to exist, but the Lord Himself confirms that it will last forever. Matthew 25:41 and Mark 9:44 describe hell as “eternal fire” and “unquenchable fire.”

How does one avoid this unquenchable fire? Many people believe that all roads—all religions and beliefs—lead to heaven, or they consider that God is so full of love and mercy that He will allow all people into heaven…

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03/21/2014

Eternal Punishment for Temporary Crimes?

by Jason Wisdom

As the saying goes: "The punishment should fit the crime." We all agree that it would be unjust for a judge to sentence someone to the death penalty for a speeding ticket. But what about God sentencing people to eternal punishment for sins committed in a finite span of time? Isn't that overkill? Christians often argue that suffering we face in this life is very temporary, almost nothing, when compared to eternity in Heaven. "It is just a drop in an infinite ocean," they say. But doesn't that same idea work in reverse? Aren't the sins that a person commits in his or her short lifetime rather insignificant when compared to punishment that lasts for eternity?

These are all excellent questions arising from highly emotionally charged concerns. The problem is that they are somewhat misdirected. We should be considering the nature of the offense and punishment rather than their respective durations. It is a bit like saying "the death of one man can't pay for the sins of millions of men." But what if that one man was also God? Obviously, that changes things. You see, no good judge would get hung up on

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quantity at the expense of judging quality. Suppose a defense attorney said, "It is unfair for my client to be sentenced to 80 years in prison for a crime that took him less than a minute to commit." The severity of the punishment is primarily based upon the quality of the crime, not merely how long it lasted. The nature of the offense is what matters the most. What would we think of a judge who sentenced a man who stole 3 candy bars more harshly than a man who stole a car? We wouldn't be distracted by the fact that there were 3 candy bars and only 1 car. We would immediately think about the value of what was stolen. Why then should we assume that God would be more concerned with how long a person lived or how many sins they committed (quantity) rather than the nature of sin (quality)?

When we conclude that a human judge has acted unjustly, we are appealing to a higher standard of justice. The trouble is that when the judge is God, there is no higher court to which we can appeal…

Eternal Punishment for Temporary Crimes? - Because It's True

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Finding Hell in the Oddest of Places

by Peter Morrow

Hell. It isn’t a doctrine we rush to discuss, and that is a good thing – we ought to fear Hell, and we ought to weigh our words carefully. Without a serious understanding of Hell we risk undermining the doctrine of the cross, the wrath of God, the magnanimity of grace and the import of our forgiveness.This ‘quick thought’, however, is not a précis on the doctrine of Hell, nor is it primarily an apologetic defence of the doctrine of Hell; it is, rather an observation based the defence of a form of eternal punishment found in the secular, scientific community.

The article, ‘Enhanced punishment: can technology make life sentences longer?’, was published on the University of Oxford Practical Ethics blog and makes for an interesting read. In the article Rebecca Roache argues not only for “the mainstream view of punishment in the UK legal system and in every other culture I can think of… retributive punishment”; but also for ways in which the severity of such punishment might be increased in certain circumstances (“how can we ensure that those who commit crimes of this magnitude are sufficiently punished?”)

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And what is particularly curious about this is that her suggestions do not relate merely to an increase in the length of sentence; rather, she argues on the basis of scientific and technological advancement – specifically, “lifespan enhancement”, “mind uploading”; “altering perception of duration” and “robot prison officers”. The details are easily accessed by reading the original article; but what is significant about each of them is that the punishment given is to be thought of as both “unpleasant” and potentially interminable.

Key phrases highlight this:

“life imprisonment could mean several hundred years rather than a few decades”…

“uploading the mind of a convicted criminal and running it a million times faster than normal would enable the uploaded criminal to serve a 1,000 year sentence in eight-and-a-half hours”…

“Our emotional state can influence our perception of how quickly time passes…”…

“the worst criminals (could be) sent to special institutions designed to ensure their sentences pass as slowly and monotonously as possible”

and, intriguingly, none of this is necessarily inhumane…

Finding Hell in the Oddest of Places - Saints and Sceptics

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03/13/2014

A Road Paved With Good Intentions

When we begin to define our own standards and laws, when the truth becomes a construct of man rather than a revelation of God, it is then that we become “as God” and, thereby, travel the road of original sin over and over again as did our ancestors before us; ancestors who now likely know the final destination of all roads paved with good intentions and bad ideas.—Dr. Everett Piper (from, A Road Paved With Good Intentions…)

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02/28/2014

Take Away Hell and It's All Good, Right?

Take Away Hell and It’s All Good… Right?

by Jason Wisdom

"A good and loving god wouldn't send anyone to Hell." This is a common objection raised by opponents of Christianity and even some Christians. The implication is that the Christian God, if He exists, isn't good and loving since He sends some people to Hell. Therefore, even if He exists, He isn't worthy of worship. So, the general objection is: God does X, and X is not good and loving; therefore, God is not good and loving." Remember this formula, because I want to look at it again in a moment.

Rather than start by pointing out the problems with this objection, I would rather take it at face value and see where it leads me. If God sends people to Hell, then He is not good and loving. Okay, let's work with that. Now, before we dive into the deep end, please understand that I am working with this objection and only this objection here. I understand that there are a lot of related issues, but I do not have space to address them all in this space. Furthermore, I am taking it on its own terms, which requires at least the possibility that God exists (e.g. If God

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exists then...). Otherwise, the objection is just nonsense--akin to saying, "The tooth fairy is a jerk because she is always stealing children's teeth." With that preface, here is my train of thought.

What if God didn't send people to Hell? Presumably that would be good and loving, and eliminate the problem. For the moment, ignore everything that is wrapped up in that question, such as the biblical teaching on Hell, the historical Christian teachings on Hell etc. Dump your brain for a second and try to imagine an alternate universe where God exists and human beings exist but God does not send any of them to Hell (which is a noun that doesn't exist in this universe, so we will just say that God doesn't punish anyone). Would that be a world where no one calls God's goodness and love into question? I don't think so.

The way I see it, there are only a couple of ways that such a universe could exist…

Take Away Hell and It’s All Good… Right? - Because It's True

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11/27/2013

Inconvenient Truths

Inconvenient Truths

by Maeve McDonald

In a conversation I had with an unbeliever recently, the difficult subject of Hell came up that makes most Christians cringe, including me. He respectfully put forth the notion that the concept of Hell is inconsistent with that of a loving God. He followed up quite poignantly with the question: “So is Gandhi in Hell, for example?” This is a challenging question, because it “puts skin on,” or lends a layer of personal identity to, the issue; when we are confronted with the idea of an actual person we know, love, or respect being eternally lost, the idea is harder to accept. On an emotional level, we don’t want to believe that “good” people go to Hell.

As Paul outlined in his letter to the Ephesians, however, salvation cannot be earned: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9). Jesus clearly taught that the only way to everlasting life in Heaven was through following Him, plainly stating: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6). Gandhi rejected Christ and--while only God knows the condition of a person's heart--we know this leads to Hell.

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We may shrink away from discussing Hell with unbelievers, but Jesus, on the other hand, broached the subject frequently during His ministry, referring to it 23 times as recorded in the Gospels. This illustrates the reality and true gravity of eternal separation from God if we reject the gift of Christ's atoning sacrifice.

As uncomfortable as the subject of Hell may make us, the reality of it should give us a sense of urgency in spreading the Gospel. All believers are commanded to take part in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20) and spread the Good News about Jesus as Savior in our neighborhoods and to the ends of earth (Acts 1:8). This was the last thing Jesus urged His disciples to do right before His ascension.

Another topic that makes us squirm is that of homosexuality. As Christians, we are called to go against the cultural tide when it comes to sexual purity and many of us shy away from addressing the topic because of this. Paul, however, was forthright in his treatment of sexual immortality, including homosexuality; he stated unequivocally, “do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor 6:9-10). Clearly, sin is serious in the eyes of God.

Our children are growing up in a new era in which Christianity is more counter-cultural than ever before…

Faith Actually: Inconvenient Truths

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