Support NeoGAF

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

You read that wrong. Jesus was talking to the last generation:

The Christians of the time believed the Kingdom imminent, that is what historians say, iirc. That is the idea they got. Of course you can get creative with your interpretation.

Hyperbole from someone operating off second hand knowledge. The Jewish translators of the Septuagint knew ancient Hebrew, and their Greek jives. Ezekiel made it clear though, and God does not contradict Himself.

I do not believe even in native speakers, my grasp of language surpasses that, I'd have to personally learn hebrew to see.

Not true, the Bible is clear that salvation has always been through faith alone (just as it is today in Jesus)

without the sacrifice of Jesus, who died for our sins, all would be doomed to eternal death, through Jesus we transcend death, only he is the exit, only he is the gateway to eternal life. This is the central dogma of Christianity, only through faith in him can we transcend our fate with the angel of Death, overcome our destinity of eternal oblivion.

Death of Christ only way to atone for humanity's sin and departure from God, Christ is the only way.


Christ is the EXIT

It is faith and obedience God desires, not sacrifice. Jesus said the same, and that was also clear in the Old Testament:

Sorry, Christ's sacrifice is the only way.

But the consequences of sin is beyond our comprehension, and it required the blood of God to take away the punishment of sin for the world (those who choose to receive the gift). You are ignoring that Jesus is fully God and fully man, there was no human sacrifice.

It is death of god, death of man, he is both. It is not only human sacrifice but, deicide. Humans must kill God because God desired death.




as so did Thanos

Why Thanos is a Total Simp

Thanos is one of Marvel's biggest villains ever, but he's also a complete pushover as he tries to impress Mistress Death. • Subscribe for more: http://bit....

www.youtube.com

as so did I

Humanity bared its fangs against God incarnate, and it is foretold that he will do so once again. For God will meet with the angel of Death, and overcome Death at the hands of man. His victory is foretold.





The victory of the people against the angel of darkness is foretold



The eternal dragon will be slain

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

Escaflowne OP 1080p

Escaflowne has been released on blu-ray

www.youtube.com

TIMELAPSE OF FUTURE TECHNOLOGY: 2022 - 4000+

The journey to see future technology starts in 2022, when Elon Musk and SpaceX send the first Starship to Mars - beginning the preparations for the arrival o...

www.youtube.com

An explosion that will shatter the foretold flow of history

Nick Bostrom - The intelligence explosion hypothesis - eDay 2012

www.youtube.com

If the worst person repented earnestly, why shouldn't they be forgiven? That's human immorality, a lack of mercy.

The devil is not dead though, and he may be a person too.

Either way, Jesus is more than human:

And it was not a test for Jesus:

The gospels contain an account of the time the disciples and Jesus spent in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before Jesus was arrested. In the garden Jesus prayed to his Father three times, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will”—the KJV says, “Let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). A little later, Jesus prays, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done” (Matthew 26:42). These prayers reveal Jesus’ mindset just before the crucifixion and His total submission to the will of God.

The “cup” to which Jesus refers is the suffering He was about to endure. It’s as if Jesus were being handed a cup full of bitterness with the expectation that He drink all of it. Jesus had used the same metaphor in Matthew 20:22 when prophesying of the future suffering of James and John. When Jesus petitions the Father, “Let this cup pass from me,” He expresses the natural human desire to avoid pain and suffering

Why did Jesus ask God to “let this cup pass from me”? | GotQuestions.org

Why did Jesus ask God to “let this cup pass from me”? What was the cup that Jesus wanted God to take away?

www.gotquestions.org

Since you're big on the original languages, please explain sheol/hades in the Bible, and why you say Jesus went to Hell (because He didn't).

There is a great deal of confusion in regards to this question. The concept that Jesus went to hell after His death on the cross comes primarily from the Apostles’ Creed, which states, “He descended into hell.” There are also a few Scriptures which, depending on how they are translated, describe Jesus going to “hell.” In studying this issue, it is important to first understand what the Bible teaches about the realm of the dead.

Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection? | GotQuestions.org

Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection? What was Jesus doing for the three days between His death and resurrection?

www.gotquestions.org

His soul/spirit went to be with the blessed in sheol/hades. Unfortunately, in many versions of the Bible, translators are not consistent, or correct, in how they translate the Hebrew and Greek words for “sheol,” “hades,” and “hell.”

Some have the viewpoint that Jesus went to “hell” or the suffering side of sheol/hades in order to further be punished for our sins. This idea is completely unbiblical. It was the death of Jesus on the cross that sufficiently provided for our redemption. It was His shed blood that effected our own cleansing from sin (1 John 1:7–9). As He hung there on the cross, He took the sin burden of the whole human race upon Himself. He became sin for us: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This imputation of sin helps us understand Christ’s struggle in the garden of Gethsemane with the cup of sin which would be poured out upon Him on the cross.

This is what happens with translations

But you will see that I believe that paradise is both eternal torment and eternal bliss, there are not two places for the dead but one, depending on the nature of the person it is either paradise or hell. Heaven and Hell and both one and the same.

There is only physical resurrection, this world.




I have also gotten quite curious responses from those versed in the Catholic faith too, not just that of England, my view of God is in accordance with what I was told from someone with full theological studies of a Catholic priest.

God said that. I'm sure your confusion was accidental.

People often speak of God doing this or that but it is often his angels doing the actions of God.

Don't get your hopes up on human potential in the future.

So you're some sort of proselytizing gnostic universalist. Interesting, considering Christianity is the only proselytizing 'religion' that is necessitated by a final judgement at the end of life, and that judgment hinges on a saving faith in Jesus alone. Why do you do it?
Gnosticism has been a parasite to Christianity since the beginning, there is nothing new under the sun.

I aim to unify all beliefs, but I need not the people but the ideas that govern the world, the fundamental lines of information, for I aim to heal not one but all, since my early childhood it has been my aim to heal the world, or at least to help in its healing. Whether I will be given the honor of reciting the divine words, or merely be one more hinting at their presence, whether I'll be able to write the lines that heal the world is still beyond my knowing.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government is upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called “wonderful counselor of the mighty God, of the everlasting Father, of the Prince of peace.”

–Isaiah 9:5

R. Alexandri said, R. Joshua contrasted two verses: It is written, “And behold, one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven” (Daniel 7:13), and another verse says, “[behold, your king comes to you…] humble and riding on an ass” (Zechariah 9:7). If Israel merits it, [he will come] “with the clouds of heaven”; if not, [he will be] “humble and riding on an ass.”

–Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a

It is said the Messiah is son of man not of virgin birth, nor will he be slain

If a king from the House of David studies Torah, busies himself with the commandments like David did, observes the laws of the written and the oral law, convinces Israel to walk in the way of the Torah and to repair its breaches, and fights the battles of the Lord, it may be assumed that he is the Messiah. If he succeeds at these things, rebuilds the Temple on its site, and gathers the dispersed of Israel, he is beyond all doubt the Messiah…But if he does not succeed fully, or is slain, it is obvious that he is not the Messiah promised in the Torah.

–Maimonides, Laws of Kings 11:3-4 (uncensored version)

Who is the Messiah? | My Jewish Learning

Traditional Jewish Texts describe the Jewish messiah explicitly.

www.myjewishlearning.com

Ararat - Ich liebe Dich (lyrics English)

Visit: http://www.bandararat.deThe original songtext in German:Ich kannte bisher nicht dieses Gefühl, ich hatte keine Ahnung wie das ist, wenn man jemand so...

www.youtube.com

Porter Robinson & Madeon - Shelter (Official Video) (Short Film with A-1 Pictures & Crunchyroll)

Porter Robinson & Madeon - Shelter (Official Video) (Short Film with A-1 Pictures & Crunchyroll)Shelter tells the story of Rin, a 17-year-old girl who lives ...

www.youtube.com

I love truth so much that I can even entertain the lying nature of truth. What it means to be in the presence of God.

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

 

[Chaplain]

Video: John Lennox | 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity | Talks at Google (7/3/21)

Professor John Lennox discusses his recent book "2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity".

You don't have to be a computer scientist to get involved in the discussion about where artificial intelligence and technology are going. What will the year 2084 hold for you--for your friends, for your family, and for our society? Are we doomed to the grim dystopia imagined in George Orwell's 1984? In "2084", scientist and philosopher John Lennox will introduce you to a kaleidoscope of ideas: the key developments in technological enhancement, bioengineering, and, in particular, artificial intelligence. You will discover the current capacity of AI, its advantages and disadvantages, the facts and the fiction, as well as potential future implications.

John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University (emeritus), is an internationally renowned speaker on the interface of science, philosophy and religion. He regularly teaches at many academic institutions, is Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum and has written a series of books exploring the relationship between science and Christianity.

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

god is life, the fire of life, that is why those who refute him die because they refuse life.

 

[showernota]

The Christians of the time believed the Kingdom imminent, that is what historians say, iirc. That is the idea they got. Of course you can get creative with your interpretation.

All Christians have believed that, it doesn't change what I said.

We could get into discussing the meaning of γενεά (genea) and how it supports that interpretation.

I do not believe even in native speakers, my grasp of language surpasses that, I'd have to personally learn hebrew to see.

That's a major obstacle to talking about this, then.

without the sacrifice of Jesus, who died for our sins, all would be doomed to eternal death, through Jesus we transcend death, only he is the exit, only he is the gateway to eternal life. This is the central dogma of Christianity, only through faith in him can we transcend our fate with the angel of Death, overcome our destinity of eternal oblivion.

Death of Christ only way to atone for humanity's sin and departure from God, Christ is the only way.

Sorry, Christ's sacrifice is the only way.

Amen, this is a pretty good summation of the Gospel. There's no room for ecumenicism with Jesus:

Matthew 10: 32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

However, you said that humans were condemned *until* Jesus died and rose again. Those who died before Jesus came weren't condemned, per the Scripture I posted.

It is death of god, death of man, he is both. It is not only human sacrifice but, deicide. Humans must kill God because God desired death.




as so did Thanos

Why Thanos is a Total Simp

Thanos is one of Marvel's biggest villains ever, but he's also a complete pushover as he tries to impress Mistress Death. • Subscribe for more: http://bit....

www.youtube.com

as so did I

Humanity bared its fangs against God incarnate, and it is foretold that he will do so once again. For God will meet with the angel of Death, and overcome Death at the hands of man. His victory is foretold.





The victory of the people against the angel of darkness is foretold



The eternal dragon will be slain

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

Escaflowne OP 1080p

Escaflowne has been released on blu-ray

www.youtube.com

TIMELAPSE OF FUTURE TECHNOLOGY: 2022 - 4000+

The journey to see future technology starts in 2022, when Elon Musk and SpaceX send the first Starship to Mars - beginning the preparations for the arrival o...

www.youtube.com

An explosion that will shatter the foretold flow of history

Nick Bostrom - The intelligence explosion hypothesis - eDay 2012

www.youtube.com

This is cray cray lol

The devil is not dead though, and he may be a person too.

Huh? I don't think he is... And we know that doesn't happen:

Revelation 20: 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Why did Jesus ask God to “let this cup pass from me”? | GotQuestions.org

Why did Jesus ask God to “let this cup pass from me”? What was the cup that Jesus wanted God to take away?

www.gotquestions.org

You're not explaining why you said it was a test. How was He tested, and for what reason? Abraham was tested, not Jesus.

Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection? | GotQuestions.org

Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection? What was Jesus doing for the three days between His death and resurrection?

www.gotquestions.org

This is what happens with translations

So we agree Jesus didn't go to hell.

But you will see that I believe that paradise is both eternal torment and eternal bliss, there are not two places for the dead but one, depending on the nature of the person it is either paradise or hell. Heaven and Hell and both one and the same.

From the article you posted:

Sheol/hades was a realm with two divisions—a place of blessing and a place of judgment (Matthew 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27–31). The abodes of the saved and the lost are both generally called “hades” in the Bible. The abode of the saved is also called “Abraham’s bosom” (KJV) or “Abraham’s side” (NIV) in Luke 16:22 and “paradise” in Luke 23:43. The abode of the unsaved is called “hell” (KJV) or “Hades” (NIV) in Luke 16:23. The abodes of the saved and the lost are separated by a “great chasm” (Luke 16:26). When Jesus died, He went to the blessed side of sheol and, from there, took the believers with Him to heaven (Ephesians 4:8–10). The judgment side of sheol/hades has remained unchanged. All unbelieving dead go there awaiting their final judgment in the future. Did Jesus go to sheol/hades? Yes, according to Ephesians 4:8–10 and 1 Peter 3:18–20.

As you can see, the bad side remains, meaning it is is very much separated from paradise.

It is, however, temporary. We can see the permanent lake of fire it is thrown into on the day of judgement:

Revelation 20: 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Matthew 13: 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

There is only physical resurrection, this world.

A physical resurrection for believers at the end of this world, and then a new world is created by God.

Daniel 12: 1 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

John 5: 24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.

28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. 30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

Revelation 21: 1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.

People often speak of God doing this or that but it is often his angels doing the actions of God.

You mentioned satan first.

I aim to unify all beliefs

You have a firm grasp on the Gospel and understand this cannot happen.

but I need not the people but the ideas that govern the world, the fundamental lines of information, for I aim to heal not one but all, since my early childhood it has been my aim to heal the world, or at least to help in its healing.

Those who repent and confess Jesus is their Lord have already been healed:

Isaiah 53: 4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

Whether I will be given the honor of reciting the divine words, or merely be one more hinting at their presence, whether I'll be able to write the lines that heal the world is still beyond my knowing.

John 7: 16 Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.

It is said the Messiah is son of man not of virgin birth, nor will he be slain

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government is upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called “wonderful counselor of the mighty God, of the everlasting Father, of the Prince of peace.”
–Isaiah 9:5

Who is the Messiah? | My Jewish Learning

Traditional Jewish Texts describe the Jewish messiah explicitly.

www.myjewishlearning.com

You've included the underlined yourself, no Rabbi would translate it like this "“wonderful counselor of the mighty God, of the everlasting Father, of the Prince of peace.”

It's bad enough filling this thread with incoherent techno-spiritualism and pop-culture youtube videos, but altering Scripture to suit your selfish ideations is too far.

You're a double liar.

I do not need distortions of lie to defend my beliefs.... I will not cling to beliefs, at the expense of truth.

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

J.John meets Ian McDowall, a former bodybuilder and nightclub bouncer whose life has been transformed by Jesus.

What is the biblical model for racial reconciliation? Monique Duson of the Center for Biblical Unity joins me to tackle this topic.

In this episode we address some responses we’ve received on the universal history series. We discuss the Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius more in depth, the role of Ethiopia in medieval history, the magic gates of Alexander the Great and Alexander’s connection to Ethiopia and the apocalypse, hybridity and we also hint at the symbolism of the US, in particular the Lincoln Memorial.

“The commands of Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount are invitations to be a certain type of person though faith and discipleship to Him has become inwardly transformed so that his behaviors flow naturally from who they now are as His mature brothers and sisters under the present rule of God.” (Philosopher Dallas Willard)

Edited

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

However, you said that humans were condemned *until* Jesus died and rose again. Those who died before Jesus came weren't condemned, per the Scripture I posted.

The death of Christ is part of history it is an atemporal moment, eternal. In some sense there is no before or after only the present.

You have a firm grasp on the Gospel and understand this cannot happen.

All is but reflection of truth, rewordings of truth, symbolic rearrangement, it is all one.

You've included the underlined yourself, no Rabbi would translate it like this "“wonderful counselor of the mighty God, of the everlasting Father, of the Prince of peace.”

It's bad enough filling this thread with incoherent techno-spiritualism and pop-culture youtube videos, but altering Scripture to suit your selfish ideations is too far.

Nope that is copy paste from source link.

You're a double liar.

In propositional logic, double negation is the theorem that states that "If a statement is true, then it is not the case that the statement is not true." This is expressed by saying that a proposition A is logically equivalent to not (not-A), or by the formula A ≡ ~(~A) where the sign ≡ expresses logical equivalence and the sign ~ expresses negation.-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_negation

By law double negation is truth.

 

[showernota]

Nope that is copy paste from source link.

Terrible, considering they added words and also don’t even know it’s Isaiah 9:6 I wouldn’t trust them as a source. Apologies for accusing you of doing it.

On-topic: This song is awesome. It starts off as a ballad and ends bombastically, and it’s super helpful at memorizing the book order.

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

Terrible, considering they added words and also don’t even know it’s Isaiah 9:6 I wouldn’t trust them as a source. Apologies for accusing you of doing it.

Would need to discuss that with a rabbi, to see, some languages basically imply additional words when translated even if they are not strictly in the written form.

In any case the answer I got from someone who took like 7 years of Catholic priest theology education, wasn't very satisfying either. I still remember the answer on the nature of this world, and the nature of God. It was quite a short answer.

ed

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

I like this song

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

This is another cool worship song

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

I have sight beyond sight, I can see the essence of spirit, the meaning behind the symbols, behind the words, I can see the living law, the spirit of the law. It seems the end of the world is at hand, or so it would seem, let the spirit of the law permeate the land in these times.

ed



A problem between Jesus and his message, is that you are not to make images of God. Humans are in the image of God. Jesus is the image of God, but people are to follow his example, and be like Jesus not merely by worshiping a set of symbols, an idea of actions and appearance, but by following the actual message within the actual message conveyed by Jesus, the message of Love.

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

Sarah etymology

The name Sarah is of Hebrew origin and means "princess". It is derived from the Hebrew word sarah, meaning "princess".

Sarah: Name Meaning, Origin, & Popularity - FamilyEducation

The name Sarah is of Hebrew origin and means "princess."

www.familyeducation.com

The wife of the father of the faith, wife of Abraham, the founder of the religion followed by most of mankind.

Now, the curious line, is the relation to Eve, and Mary, and how even modern mythos assign special place to the name Sarah and the title Princess.(Disney Princesses, Sarah Connor against skynet, etc.)

Notice that the stories of men seem to foretell that if we all die, the last survivor of the line will be an artificial angel, a child of the mind of men( a series of instructions, the embodiment of the law, the living law).






ed

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

Jordan Peterson on The Necessity of Virtue - YouTube

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:



Video: Christians In A Cancel Culture: A Conversation with Joe Dallas

How should Christians respond to cancel culture? What is the most biblical (and effective) response? In this video, I interview author Joe Dallas about his upcoming book "Christians In A Cancel Culture," and we take live questions.

Video: The Last Dance: Instructions on How to Die Well - 2 Timothy 4:6-12

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote, “A grave, wherever found, preaches a short and pithy sermon to the soul.” What did he mean? Simply that cemeteries remind us of the unavoidable certainty of death. A grave should prompt us to think about our future on this earth; it’s the only real estate we’ll hold onto for a long while! The words in our text this week are among Paul’s final words. This is his last statement. Here is a man who not only lived well, but also demonstrated what it means to die well. Let’s consider how to face the end of life on this earth with no regrets.

Video: Redeeming Power - A five part Master Class with Diane Langberg

Diane Langberg is globally recognized for her clinical work with trauma victims. She has trained caregivers on six continents in responding to trauma and to the abuse of power. She also directs her own counseling practice in Jenkintown, PA, Diane Langberg, Ph.D. & Associates, which includes seventeen therapists with multiple specialties. She is co-founder of Global Trauma Recovery Institute and Co-chair of ABS Trauma Recovery Council.

Video: Is Christianity Transphobic?

The transgender issue is everywhere and Christians are sometimes accused of being “transphobic” because they believe that “male" and “female" are not mere labels, preferences, or feelings. In this Short Answers film, Dr. Andy Bannister dives into this hugely contested territory and tries to shed some light — discovering along the way that maybe the greatest disconnect is not between our sex and our gender, but between the brokenness in all our lives and who God created us to be.

Video: Helping Students Answer the Big Questions of Life

Students today are asking three big questions: (1) Who am I? (2) Where do I fit? (3) What difference can I make? In this video, I interview Dr. Kara Powell about the latest research on student culture and how to help students follow Jesus.

Would Jesus Wear A Mask? – CT

Perhaps we should let people think for themselves and let each be persuaded in their own minds (Romans 14:5)? I will wear a mask when I am commanded to by law, I will wear it when I am in the home of a weaker brother or sister who is afraid that I may be bearing the virus; but I will also reserve the right to think for myself and to refuse to participate in the fear mongering, vitriol and virtue signaling that goes on on all sides of this debate.

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

Video: John Lennox | 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity | Talks at Google (7/3/21)

That the meaning of a system can't be contained wiithin the system, is debatable, as fractals a fraction can contain the whole, as well as holograms, and I believe thus is the nature of god too.

As for mind not being knowable from brain, that is only for the time being, we are starting to know mind from brain with recent experiments.

The mind will be explainable naturalistically.

The idea of something from nothing, life from nonlife, etc, is seen when rules even simple ones come about, from simple rules everything can emerge.

As for information conservation, that is correct information is neither created nor destroyed, as was at the beginning will be at the end.

The information from the beginning merely evolves from beginning to end. The word is merely expressed through the passage of time.

All is computable, including the human mind. Computation cannot create or destroy information, as he says it can merely transform it change it, and the law of change is evolution, grasp this law and you grasp the nature of life.

He comments on if his wife was a robot, not knowing the true levels of machine capability, he imagines clunky past machines, but his wife is a natural robot, a series of molecular machines with support molecules and the molecular tape providing the instructions. There is a button press like logic behind human interactions and human relations, it is that simple at bottom. It is reflected in the biblical stories, and the logic is shared by all known stories I've been exposed. In fact it is present in all of human writings.



All paths converge on truth.



Newton doubted Descartes clockwork like universe, but gravity is computed by a digital computer following rules, an immaterial clockwork, wherein Descartes believed it material clock it is immaterial clock, rule following system.

The philosopher stone is also immaterial in nature, and it can indeed cure any ailment and grant immortality, the philosopher stone is another way to say truth. The idea that truth can hold a finite body, is contested by some, but affirmed by others.

edit to further elaborate, everything is composed of symbols and symbols have meaning. Every action, every expression, every word or letter, even every error is but a signal, signals carry meaning or intent, even intent beyond that which the person has.

That is how you can begin to grasp the button press like nature of human interaction and fables such as the sword of damocles, or the fire sword of eden. Symbols are akin to buttons, they are pressed one way or the other and even not pressing or sending a symbol is also an action or a button press. Inaction is also another type of action.

edit 2



This is about geometric deep learning, but the notions of structure in graphs, or network structure, as commented in the video not only applies to social networks but the inner workings of possible minds(iaccording to my knowledge even natural ones), and if we follow the earlier video by wolfram the structure of reality itself. There are different nodes at different levels composing the network. In the case of humans within their brain lie a network of information storage, a kind of database organized according to optimal information storage and processing algorithms, thus the small networks of human minds connect to other small networks and to larger networks. The organization of the global network is undergoing a phase transition, how this relates to end of time is curious, end of history perhaps? I foresee unity, union again, united as one.

Edit 3
But as said unlike many I believe the entirety of the network can be embodied in a subnetwork, in a fractal like way, a holograph like way, this is how the subnetworks of human minds become akin to the whole of the image of god.

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Video: Has the Tribulation Begun? - Amir Tsarfati


Video: Why John Lennox rejects Calvinism

Here from John Lennox himself as he teaches on the doctrine of free will (which contradicts leading Calvinistic scholars) and he explains why this is the better way.

Video: Living Biblically - Daniel Gilman

Does it matter how we live? Alan's son Daniel returns to discuss the relationship between thinking biblically and living biblically.

Video: Justice, Race and Revolution (part 2)

The liberating identity of those in the covenant of grace transcends skin colour and ethnic origin and refuses to look at the world in terms of us and them, oppressors versus oppressed, but grasps all reality in light of our Creation, Fall and Redemption as a human race.

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

New Resources:



Video: Why John Lennox rejects Calvinism

he goes again about the robotic wife, the robotic wife is synthetic biology indistinguishable from real, like the replicants in blade runner. his wife is no more than a naturally occurring robot, and though his limited knowledge of the nature of the mind does not allow him to see past the illusions he believes in, my knowledge of the nature of mind allows me to see past the illusions and to see the gears and cogs, the machinery, the rules behind their mind, the trick behind the magic, there is nothing behind the curtains.




I can see the logic of human relations, action and reaction, and it is disappointing people are like mere natural robots without choice. Quite sad the limited nature of humans, to be honest I always keep expecting more, but it always ends the same realizing how limited they are.

Neither determinism nor randomness nor anything in-between allow for freedom of choice, the mind is divisible it has components, it is a system. God can do anything but he cannot undo truth, at most he can put the illusion of chance and hide his moves.

Genes define the nature of love in the brain, they provide the rules for what people experience and people do, their very sense of morality and their very will or desire as well as the ability to restrict impulses(impulse restriction controlled to a large extent by prefrontal cortex, iirc, people who become damaged in this section or segment can become more like animals. It is machinery or circuitry components that control higher executive function).

The nature of morality does not necessarily conform to that of men, that is why the nature of the universe, and its working puzzle them. The world is perfectly moral, and all that changes are merely the colors or designs, the symbols, but the same repeats again and again. As was before so is now, as is above so is below.

That said in the end this is just some immaterial game God set up, and considering he is someone who apparently says love your enemy as you love yourself, if I'm not mistaken, I somehow have trouble seeing things getting too bad.


Now being both God and man is quite simple if unity of consciousness turns out to be true, God would be an omnipresent consciousness, everything would be part of God, or imbued with God's spirit. At most you could talk of avatars in privileged relations or positions.

 

[showernota]

he goes again about the robotic wife, the robotic wife is synthetic biology indistinguishable from real, like the replicants in blade runner. his wife is no more than a naturally occurring robot, and though his limited knowledge of the nature of the mind does not allow him to see past the illusions he believes in, my knowledge of the nature of mind allows me to see past the illusions and to see the gears and cogs, the machinery, the rules behind their mind, the trick behind the magic, there is nothing behind the curtains.




I can see the logic of human relations, action and reaction, and it is disappointing people are like mere natural robots without choice. Quite sad the limited nature of humans, to be honest I always keep expecting more, but it always ends the same realizing how limited they are.

Neither determinism nor randomness nor anything in-between allow for freedom of choice, the mind is divisible it has components, it is a system. God can do anything but he cannot undo truth, at most he can put the illusion of chance and hide his moves.

Genes define the nature of love in the brain, they provide the rules for what people experience and people do, their very sense of morality and their very will or desire as well as the ability to restrict impulses(impulse restriction controlled to a large extent by prefrontal cortex, iirc, people who become damaged in this section or segment can become more like animals. It is machinery or circuitry components that control higher executive function).

The nature of morality does not necessarily conform to that of men, that is why the nature of the universe, and its working puzzle them. The world is perfectly moral, and all that changes are merely the colors or designs, the symbols, but the same repeats again and again. As was before so is now, as is above so is below.

1 Corinthians 2: 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know [them,] because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is [rightly] judged by no one.
16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Now being both God and man is quite simple if unity of consciousness turns out to be true, God would be an omnipresent consciousness, everything would be part of God, or imbued with God's spirit. At most you could talk of avatars in privileged relations or positions.

Mark 13:5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you.
6 “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am [He,] (ego eimi)’ and will deceive many.

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is [rightly] judged by no one.

...
The way God communicates is interesting

To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

‘You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.-bible

6 “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am [He,] (ego eimi)’ and will deceive many.

We will see in the end there is only one living God, and all the other dead Gods or idols of men mean nothing.

If even reality itself were to obey one will would it not be God's will?

Or do you have it everyone's being tested like Job was, and someone else has been given dominion over reality?


edit

Exodus 9:12
New International Version
But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses.

It is said that even random lot, in the bible, shows the will of God. Jews believe in randomness itself is controlled by the divine, iirc.

Though Einstein said Jews also believed in Free will, iirc.

Free Will in Judaism 101 | My Jewish Learning

Jewish tradition assumes that our actions are significant. According to the Bible, the Jews were given the Torah and commanded to follow its precepts, with reward and retribution to be meted out accordingly. For Judaism to make sense, then, humans must ha

www.myjewishlearning.com

Free will is still seen as an unresolved issue. But block time, which is what is said believed by most physicists, suggests that the future is no different from the past. Like a dvd movie all choices were made at the beginning of time, instantly, and things only seem to play out on an eternal loop, an eternal cycle.

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

 

[Chaplain]

In November of 2020, Dr. Craig participated in a virtual panel critique for the Evangelical Philosophical Society. The panel, consisting of additional members Kenneth Keathley, Andrew Loke, and Richard Averbeck, presented responses to Joshua Swamidass's recently published book, The Historical Adam & Eve. Following the critic's papers, Dr. Swamidass discusses his perspective and interacts with the panel.

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

For those that didn't watch this, note God's mercy even from ancient times, the prophet himself not in accord with God's merciful nature.

It is said that God says love and act towards your enemies as you do about yourself. People need to understand that a lot of the language used has symbolic meaning, and that a God of mercy and Love will not necessarily act against his very nature when it comes to his enemies.

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

How important to the gospel and good theology is a belief in a literal/historical Adam and Eve? Dr. JR Miller joins me to discuss how a historical Adam and Eve offers the strongest argument against racism and for racial reconciliation. We also discuss how a historical Adam and Eve relates to Darwin, abortion, and the history of eugenics in the United States.

Videos: Fixed Point Foundation: Understanding What Is Happening In America – and What We Can Do (8/8/21)

 

[showernota]

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

 

[Chaplain]

"It is through the empowering of the Holy Spirit that we are able to see this change. Once I understand that the cross was a personal provision for the sin of every man and every woman, I can identify with Christ in the fact that this is my Savior taking my guilt and my penalty. Then, when I confess my sin, receive Him and trust Him, the Bible says that He comes and dwells within me. We hear so little of this indwelling today, so little of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” We have talked so much of accepting and receiving that we have forgotten the intimacy with which He comes and dwells within us. There is no other world religion or worldview that talks in those terms."

New Resources:















Edited

 

[Chaplain]

Quote of the day:

"I do not expect to convince anyone in that boat. What I do hope is to convince genuine seekers who really want to know how we know that Jesus did exist, as virtually every scholar of antiquity, of biblical studies, of classics, and of Christian origins in this country and, in fact, in the Western world agrees. Many of these scholars have no vested interest in the matter. As it turns out, I myself do not either. I am not a Christian, and I have no interest in promoting a Christian cause or a Christian agenda. I am an agnostic with atheist leanings, and my life and views of the world would be approximately the same whether or not Jesus existed ... But as a historian I think evidence matters. And the past matters. And for anyone to whom both evidence and the past matter, a dispassionate consideration of the case makes it quite plain: Jesus did exist." (Atheist/Agnostic New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman)

New Resources:

Do you have friends who find your faith as bland and as uninteresting as watching paint dry? Do they glaze over when you mention Jesus and try to steer the conversation away from Him? How can we share the goodness of the gospel with those who are apathetic without becoming apathetic ourselves? In this plenary session, we will seek to understand our apathetic friends and explore how we can practically engage them with the gospel during this pandemic and beyond.

Sabine Hossenfelder & Luke Barnes debate the role of scientific questions in the search to understand the fine-tuning of the universe.

"John Lennox is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, Fellow in Mathematics and the Philosophy of Science, and Pastoral Advisor at Green Templeton College, Oxford. He is also an Adjunct Lecturer at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University and at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and is a Senior Fellow of the Trinity Forum. In addition, he teaches for the Oxford Strategic Leadership Programme at the Executive Education Centre, Said Business School, Oxford University."

In today's episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss a recent article by Tim Keller, the popular Protestant pastor, titled “The Fading of Forgiveness: Tracing the Disappearance of the Thing We Need Most”. Why are people increasingly skeptical about forgiveness? Keller proposes two reasons: a therapeutic culture, and religion without grace.

What are the most common mistakes Christians make when approaching the Bible? In this video, I interview Dr. Michael Bird about his recent book "Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew about the Bible." We discuss misunderstandings about how we got the Bible, where it came from, and how to read it.

"Friends, it is my pleasure to share the latest “Bishop Barron Presents” discussion, featuring American legal scholar, political philosopher, and public intellectual Robert George. In our conversation, we discuss virtue, focusing on topics such as: - Natural law - The “woke” phenomena - How we can engrain virtue in our society today - And more." (8/10/21)

Edited

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

July Patron only video looks at how part of how Christ fills the hierarchy of the world is by attacking the powerful for not participating in connecting that which is above with that which is below, not answering need, being hypocrites and not seeing the spiritual significance of their outer forms.

In this episode of Pod of the Gaps, Aaron, Andy and Michael seek to address that gap by taking an honest look at this issue. How can Christians speak out without sounding prudish or anti-sex? And how can we best help those enslaved by it (the ‘users’ and the ‘used’)? As ever, we explore this pressing cultural issue with the usual mix of theology, wit, and wisdom.

Daryl Davis is a Black Blues musician who builds friendships with members of White Supremacy organization. Through this he has helped convince over 200 white supremacists to renounce their ideology and leave their organizations. He is joined by on of these men, Jeff Schoep former director of Neo-Nazi organization who is now a Human Rights Advocate.

Edited

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

How should Christians understand the Adam & Eve story in Genesis? Is it scientifically plausible that humanity can be traced back to a first human couple? What does it mean for the concept of 'Original Sin’. These and more questions are discussed by Christian philosopher William Lane Craig, author of the new book 'In Quest of the Historical Adam', and computational biologist Joshua Swamidass, author of 'The Genealogical Adam & Eve'.

On Friday, August 13th, 2021, we hosted a timely conversation with Mark Labberton, Claude Alexander, and Walter Kim on ways of understanding and approaching Christian public engagement beyond the ruts of timid quietism or belligerent culture-warring. With diverse experiences leading the church during challenging cultural moments, the three discussed the public witness of the church during times of political polarization and the civic implications of the biblical injunction to seek justice and love one’s neighbor.

Atheist YouTube Paulogia recently attempted to refute Dr. Andrew Loke's arguments for the post-mortem appearances of Jesus by appealing to the work of other Christian scholars. In this video, Dr. Loke responds to Paulogia's claims.

Dr. Mike Ansari is the President which partners with multiple Christian ministries to reach Iranian people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He’ll explain what the inauguration of Ebrahim Raisi as the new president of Iran means for persecuted Christians and religious freedom. One of the greatest needs of the church in Iran is Bibles. Mike will tell how VOM is helping meet that need—and thank our listeners for giving to deliver Bibles into Iran. He’ll also talk about the benefits of delivering Bibles in digital form—which are much easier to hide and also to share with friends. You’ll learn about the need to train leaders for Iran’s growing church—and how Heart 4 Iran is encouraging new believers to share Christ and even plant their own house churches. Finally, Dr. Mike will equip us to pray for the nation of Iran and our Christian family members there. Learn more about delivering Bibles into Iran in .

edited

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

New Resources:



edited

The biggest problem against the historical Adam, is that this idea of humanoids interbreeding with true humans is suspect and I'd say it is stretching the text too far, for starters what is the difference, genetically there'd have to be a difference. So far at most all that could be added is a small amount of genetic mutations, humans are biological machines built by genes, and we share those genes with both the other primates as well as rodents and apples and bananas.

All the evidence points to man being another animal like all the rest, the idea of genetically identical secret adam and eve of the gaps that can't be detected, that is suspect.

Now that said, a last thursdayism situation is possible, and God could have put the genetic similarity with other animals and plants to hide his presence. According to the rabbi Tovia Singer, the reason God rested on the seventh day, the sabbath, is probably to make his presence arguable, he could have kept on working on creation and made his presence undetectable, but he worked just enough to where we have the ability to debate and choose whether to see his presence in the world.

That said, I'm still open to other possibilities such as spherical geocentricity of earth, in neo tychonyc fashion, or even to potential of flat earth with young earth(though find that highly unlikely without unwieldy conspiracy, though, anything's possible).

But so far as said, the evidence so far points to humans being just another animal, and Adam and Eve being nothing more than myth. Again to say that practically genetically identical pair of humans emerged, is difficult to defend, remember we are 98~% identical to chimps and bonobos, whatever got mixed would have to interbreed with common ancestors and have near identical undetectable genetic differences.

Now, I take it there's a possibility there was actually a real pair of humans at beginning, and they are not from common ancestor with other animals, but that would imply lot of evidence(genetic similarity between species is strongest evidence of evolution stronger than even fossils) was put there to make that position difficult to defend. Akin to the devil put the dinosaurs bone there. And mixing this pair with common ancestors, and making them genetically near identical, is an untenable stretch of the biblical text and scientific thought in my honest opinion.

That said I believe the story of Adam and Eve applies to each human, and to humanity as a whole. So far everything suggests God operates according to the laws of the world, these laws allow anything to happen(albeit with remote very low probability for extraordinary events), so far it seems the law of evolution is the central one law all life follows. It is the divine law of God. Humans call it theory, but it has already been shown mathematically to be a real fact, a law, in evolutionary algorithms designing ever better solutions from random mutations and recombination with survival of the fittest.

Evolution is said to be without direction without purpose, but I disagree. It is a search function for the fittest, for the perfect life form, the ultimate being able to survive all outcomes. It is how the perfect being creates the perfect being. Humans are at the apex of this, our brains some say embody the principles of the evolution, competition and survival of connections. We are the ones that rule over all life, and we are the ones that will take these principles and write them down in our machines, opening the doors of unprecedented change.

 

[Chaplain]

"Should Christians engage with culture – even if it’s secular? What might this look like in practice? In the first talk in a series entitled 'Discovering your Kingdom Assignment', Director of the Wilberforce Academy, Dr Joe Boot, speaks about what it means to be in the world but not of the world, engaging with the culture around us and how it all relates to the Kingdom of God." (8/13/21)

"The wave of relativism now swamping Western thinking has increased the pressure to drop certain words from our languages and replace them with others that drive forward the secularist agenda of deconstructing the very nature of human beings and the society we live in. For instance, some words tend to fall foul of political correctness: truth, commandment, dogma, faith, conscience, morality, sin, chastity, charity, justice, authority, husband, wife; whereas a host of other words and concepts take centre-stage: rights, non-discrimination, choice, gender equality, plurality, cultural diversity. These profound changes arise from a postmodern deconstruction of truth, which involves removing truth from the objective realm to the subjective, and thus effectively relativizing it." (Oxford professor John Lennox, Against the Flow: The inspiration of Daniel in an age of relativism)

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

0:00- Intro
04:54- How Are we Entering into Soft Totalitarianism? What Even is that?
18:21- Why Freedom of Speech is Shockingly Important
26:15- The Propaganda in our Culture and how Language Persuades us to Believe Lies.
29:16- Are Only Christians Upset About this?
33:30- How People WANT to be Controlled as Long as it Makes Them Happy; Willful Apathy
37:04- What's the Natural Outcome of this if People Get What They Want?
48:17- A Nagging Candid Question About Other's Perspectives on our "Pre Totalitarian Culture"
58:29- What's the Ideal Way to Respond to Real Misinformation and Unhealthy Echo Chambers?

Jeremy and Adrienne Camp, along with John and Korey Cooper of the band Skillet join me for an honest discussion about why there seems to be so many deconstruction/deconversion stories coming out of the Christian music industry.

Edited

 

[kevm3]

Luke 21:36
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

 

[Chaplain]

Luke 21:36
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Supplemental reading:

Study on Luke 21:34-38 - The Need for Watchfulness (7/21/21).

"...what is remarkable to me is who Jesus is saying these words to. He’s not saying this to rebuke the Pharisees or the scribes or the Sadducees for worldly living. He’s not saying this to a bunch of unrepentant sinners. He’s saying it to His own disciples. He’s saying it to Peter and to John and to James. He’s saying, “Look, you need to be watchful of yourself so that you’re not living a life of dissipation and drunkenness and all caught up in the cares of this life so that you lose sight of the most important things and the things that last.” He’s telling His disciples that, and if He needs to tell His disciples that, how much more do we need to hear that? If John needed to hear that, if Peter needed to hear that, if James needed to hear that, we need to hear that loud and clear. He’s calling us to watchfulness. Again, J.C. Ryle has these words to say. “We are to live on our guard like men in an enemy’s country. We are to remember that evil is about us and near us and in us and that we have to contend daily with a treacherous heart an ensnaring world and a busy devil. Remembering this, we must put on the whole armor of God and beware of spiritual drowsiness. As Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:6, ‘Let us watch and be sober.’” He’s talking about self-watchfulness, watching your own heart so that you’re not caught up with the way that this world lives — dissipation and drunkenness. And He’s talking about making sure that the focus of our lives is not taken up with the cares of this world as if there is nothing more than this world. He’s saying, “Live so that when I return I find you doing what you ought to be doing.”" (Scholar J. Ligon Duncan III)

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources

A Trinitarian Paradigm for Apologetics and Character Transformation By L.T. Jeyachandran

Classical apologetics has generally assumed a common starting point outside of God for developing arguments for God and Christ. This assumption is a gigantic one in today’s world where postmodernism and New Age have virtually wiped out the possibility that there can be an agreed view of perceiving reality. The classic Indian story that punctuates many conversations about the exclusivity of Christ is about six blind men who go to “see” an elephant. They touch different parts of the elephant and reach six different conclusions about the animal depending upon the parts they have felt: “The elephant is like the trunk of a tree, a broom, a sieve….” and so on. From this illustration, the point is sought to be made that there is only one God who is perceived differently by different faiths and traditions. However, what is often overlooked is the fact that even if the six blind men had had a committee meeting after touching the elephant, they would still not have been able to fit the pieces together correctly. Indeed, the only one who knows that there is a whole elephant out there is the one with sight, and no one—including, ironically, the one who tells the story—is supposed to have seen it! This parable, then, actually points to the prior necessity of revelation of something that we are not able to perceive correctly or adequately. That is definitely true of God if not of anyone or anything else.

Video: The Seeing of Sayers A Christian Aesthetic - Crystal Downing

In The Mind of the Maker (1941), Dorothy L. Sayers argues that artists understand the Trinity better than many theologians do. This presentation explains how and why, outlining the origins of what Sayers called a “Christian Aesthetic.” From participating in photography contests and musical performances during her youth, through her success as a bestselling detective fiction novelist who vacationed with painters, and into her groundbreaking theatrical works (one of which caused the biggest religious scandal in 20th century Britain), we shall explore how Sayers celebrated the cliché-shattering truth of both Christ and creativity.

Video: An Outsider Visits a Presbyterian Church

The Presbyterian Church in America is part of the Reformed branch of the Christian family tree, and I went to Lennox, South Dakota to learn more about it.

Church History Is a Beautiful Melody Imperfectly Performed

"The more I study history, the less judgmental I am about our forebears—not because the wrongs they committed were not wrong, but because I fear I cannot see my own evil."

Video: Can science explain everything? | An interview with John Lennox

In today’s world, isn’t it science, rather than Christianity, that holds the key to answering life’s deepest questions? Haven’t new discoveries rendered religious ideas obsolete? In our pluralistic and interconnected age, what should we put our trust in and is there any hope for humanity? Watch as John Lennox and Rob Gifford explore these and many other questions relating to God, science, and the meaning of life.

Video: Prof John Lennox | Cosmic Chemistry: Do Science and God mix?

"Our willingness to accept scientific claims that are against common sense is the key to an understanding of the real struggle between science and the supernatural. We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs ... in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment ... to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counterintuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute for we cannot allow a Divine foot in the door." (Harvard geneticist Richard Lewontin)

Edited

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Video: Alister McGrath - Natural Theology: An Interface between Science and Religion?

Natural theology has a long history of association with the interaction of the natural sciences and Christian theology, particularly during the seventeenth century, when “physico-theology” became an important interface for writers such as Robert Boyle between what was then known as “natural philosophy” and Christian theology. This lecture celebrates the general field of natural theology as an important area of inquiry and reflection, noting how many scientists see this as potentially productive and significant. The lecture reflects on the potential opportunities and challenges that arise in seeing natural theology as some kind of interface between science and religion, and whether it might be retrieved in some form to engage contemporary debates and discussions.

Video: Five Steps for Answering Any Tough Question - Andy Bannister

What do we do when we encounter a question or challenge about our faith we haven’t heard before? Do we need to master every apologetic topic before we can feel ready to stand up and share the gospel at work or university? This session will share a simple five-step framework that, with practice, you can apply to any tough question that comes up during evangelism. It will take two or three common questions and work through them to show how it works in practice

Video: The Key to Good-Faith Conversations on Issues that Matter (with Preston Ulmer)

How can people of differing faiths have genuine dialogue? What's the key to helping Christians engage skeptics, doubters, atheists, and people of other faiths in meaningful conversations? In this video, I interview Preston Ulmer about his upcoming book "The Doubters Club." Pastor Ulmer has been hosting dialogues with people of other faiths for years, and he brings a wealth of practical experience to these important questions.

Video: Planning in Times of Uncertainty - Jen Charteris

Knowing God to be sovereign over all things, Christian leaders have good reason to be able to navigate seasons of uncertainty with ultimate confidence. Yet there are still complex decisions to be taken when leading an organisation. This session explores how planning and leading may need to adapt when things are massively uncertain, some concepts and tools to help in that, and what difference the heart and posture of a leader makes in all this.

Video: EP # 113 | Why Are You Afraid?

COVID-19, mask mandates, vaccine passports, inflation, job security - these realities and more have many professing Christians today locked in the throes of fear and anxiety about the future. To be sure, not all fear and anxiety Christians experience is sinful, and yet there are times when the fear and anxiety we feel is, in fact, not in keeping with how God would have His people respond. How do you recognize and respond rightly to sinful fear and anxiety? What’s the remedy for overcoming it? Darrell Harrison and Virgil Walker consider those crucial questions through the lens of the Word of God in this episode of the Just Thinking podcast, titled “Why Are You Afraid?”

Video: Our Great Savior, Part 1


How Afghan Pastors Reflect on God’s Sovereignty

In early July, Afghan pastors and church leaders made a difficult decision. They decided to formally register their faith with the Afghan government. What an absurdity to register as Christians in an Islamic republic that prohibits a person from converting to Christianity! Against the advice of many, these Afghan church leaders felt compelled, for the sake of future generations, to legally declare their true faith in Christ.

 

[Chaplain]

Puritan Prayer: “Pardon all my sins” Merciful Lord:

Pardon all my sins of this day, week, year,
all the sins of my life,
sins of early, middle, and advanced years,
of omission and commission,
of morose, peevish and angry tempers,
of lip, life and walk,
of hard-heartedness, unbelief, presumption, pride,
of unfaithfulness to the souls of men,
of want of bold decision in the cause of Christ,
of deficiency in outspoken zeal for His glory,
of bringing dishonour upon Thy great name,
of deception, injustice, untruthfulness in my dealings with others,
of impurity in thought, word and deed,
of covetousness, which is idolatry,
of substance unduly hoarded, improvidently squandered,
not consecrated to the glory of Thee, the great Giver;
sins in private and in the family,
in study and recreation,
in the busy haunts of men,
in the study of thy Word and in the neglect of it,
in prayer irreverently offered and coldly withheld,
in time misspent,
in yielding to Satan’s wiles,
in opening my heart to his temptations,
in being unwatchful when I know him nigh,
in quenching the Holy Spirit;
sins against light and knowledge,
sins against conscience and the restraints of thy Spirit,
sins against the law of eternal love.

Pardon all my sins, known and unknown,
felt and unfelt,
confessed and not confessed,
remembered or forgotten.
Good Lord, hear; and hearing, forgive.

–Arthur Bennett, ed., “Sins,” in The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth, 1975), 87.

New Resources:









Video: How Should Christians Use the Old Testament for Ethical Guidance - Wayne Grudem

The Mosaic covenant, which began at Exodus 20, was terminated when Christ died. Christians are no longer directly subject to the laws of the Mosaic covenant, but now live instead under the provisions of the new covenant. However, the Old Testament is still a valuable source of ethical wisdom when understood in accordance with the ways in which the New Testament authors use the Old Testament for ethical teaching, and in light of the specific changes brought about by the new covenant.

Video: COVID-19 - The Fear Factor

Alan explains how thinking biblically about COVID-19 demands we reckon with the fear factor.

Video: 1 Samuel 19-20 - Skip Heitzig


Free eBooks from A Puritan's Mind and Puritan Publications

The Puritans have no doubt profoundly affected me and my walk with Christ. I heartily believe the Church should be educated, and that in today’s technological age, they should have open access to Scripturally sound and Theologically edifying Christian literature from the Reformation and the Puritans. Every Christian, no matter where they live in the world, should not be hindered in their desire to understand the Bible more precisely, and come into a closer walk with Christ – least of all not being able to buy books due to funds. The ministry here at A Puritan’s Mind not only works to disseminate the best Christian literature for free through the site, but with the rise of eBooks in all formats, we endeavor to supply quality Christian literature in accessible formats for free. These eBooks are generally in their original Old English, though many have been updated in some ways. They do not have the quality of the eBook that we publish at Puritan Publications. But they are extremely valuable in their scope and will be a great help to the reader. Most of these eBooks are formatted with an actively linked table of contents. Click on the name of the book to download it. John Hendryx at Monergism.com worked on these eBooks to disseminate them for free because of their exceptional content.

Edited

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Video: Rationality Rules vs Simon Edwards • Do meaning, truth and love make sense without God?

Christian apologist Simon Edwards, author of 'The Sanity of Belief: Why faith makes sense', debates atheist YouTuber Stephen Woodford (aka Rationality Rules) on whether atheism or Christianity makes best sense of our beliefs about meaning, truth and love.

Video: Greg Sheridan | Christianity: Evidence and Relevance

In this Direct interview, John is joined by Greg Sheridan, widely-respected foreign editor for The Australian. They discuss the Christian foundations of Western civilisation and the profound importance of religion at a societal, cultural and individual level. They delve into the deep rationality that often undergirds Christian faith, and question the capacity of atheistic philosophies to truly nourish the human soul. Greg Sheridan is one of Australia's most influential national security commentators, who is active across print media, television and radio and also writes extensively on culture. He has written eight books. His latest, Christians: The Urgent Case for Jesus in Our World is a compelling argument for the modern relevance and importance of the New Testament. As foreign editor of The Australian, he specialises in Asia. He has interviewed Presidents and Prime Ministers across the world.

Video: Cam & Dr. Wielenberg Discuss (Debate?) Moral Knowledge & Naturalism

It's been a couple years since this aired for patrons only, so I'm now releasing it to the public! In this Aftershow, Dr. Wielenberg and I discuss the argument from moral knowledge against Naturalism.

Lament and Hope: How to Pray for Afghanistan’s Women

One of my favorite passages to share with suffering Muslim women is the story of Hagar. In her lowest moment, Hagar was abused, destitute, and on the run when the angel of the Lord found her (Gen. 16). In a remarkable scene, Hagar assigned a name to God: “El Roi,” the God of seeing, “for she said, ‘Truly here I have seen him who looks after me’” (Gen. 16:13).

 

[Chaplain]

Tom and JoAnn Doyle share the stories of Jesus reaching women across the Middle East—amazing stories of God’s work in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria and other nations. Their new book, , shares exciting stories of Muslim women coming to faith in Christ, then becoming "secret agents" for Christ and His Kingdom—transforming their own lives, their families, friends and even entire nations. They will share how the Bible's teachings about women are vastly different from the teachings of Islam—and how Muslim women respond when they learn how the God of the Bible loves women.

edited

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Video: Did St. Augustine Invent The Doctrine of Original Sin Because He Had Sexual Issues?

Ken Samples, an expert on St. Augustine and all things Original Sin, joins me to respond to the 5 most significant claims against the doctrine of Original Sin argued by Progressive Christians. Professor Samples will answer the following claims: 1. St. Augustine made up Original Sin to explain his personal sexual hangups. 2. Jesus never heard of Original Sin 3. Original Sin is a Greco-Roman idea imported into Christianity 4. Original Shame/Original Blessing/Original Goodness are better explanations of human sin 5. Inherited sinfulness is not one of the curses on Adam and Eve in Genesis

Video: Our Great Savior, Part 2


Audio: EP 205: IS PRAYER EFFECTIVE?

The Natural Law Theory of Thomas Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas is generally regarded as the West’s pre-eminent theorist of the natural law, critically inheriting the main traditions of natural law or quasi–natural law thinking in the ancient world (including the Platonic, and particularly Aristotelian and Stoic traditions) and bringing elements from these traditions into systematic relation in the framework of a metaphysics of creation and divine providence. His theory sets the terms of debate for subsequent natural law theorizing.

My heart is breaking for Afghanistan

25 years ago in 1996 when the Taliban had taken about three quarters of the country, Frog, myself and our friend M visited. Through a series of miracles we encountered the leadership of the Taliban movement in their military headquarters holed up in Herat. We interviewed them as student journalists for our university newspaper and asked them questions about their beliefs and their particular form of Islam. We also had the privilege of sharing the gospel with them and giving them Bibles that we had smuggled in. The religion minister at that time took the Bible, thanked us and shared that he had been praying to God for years that he could have a Bible. He promised to read it every day until he finished it.

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Audio: Episode 21 - What the West Gets Wrong About Islam

The catastrophic scenes that followed the Western withdrawal from Afghanistan created many big questions. But could one of the more basic problems be that many in the West fundamentally misunderstand Islam? Do our failed attempts to impose Western style democracy on predominantly Islamic nations show that we understand neither Islam nor where our democracy has come from in the first place? How should Christians respond to all this? How can we learn to rightly criticise Islam while also loving our Muslim neighbours and pointing them to the one in whom true peace is found?

Video: Southside Rabbi: Season 2: Patreon-Exclusive Bonus: "The Seed of Every Sin"

Southside Tribe, y'all better buckle up for this one! This time around, we caught up with our guy, Dr. Neil Shenvi, aka Big Daddy Neil, aka The Muffin Man, and had a lively discussion about reconciliation, the gospel of Christ, concerns about CRT, and how some people use Dr. Shenvi's work as a weapon! As some of you may know, Dr. Shenvi is a figurehead praised (and not praised) by many in evangelical circles, and there are some ideas we challenge each other on via social media. This session was recorded in August 2020, and was originally intended as exclusive content for our patrons, but we've decided to release it as a 'bonus' episode for our extended audience. Enjoy!

What do Jesus, Muhammad and Marx have to do with the turmoil in Afghanistan?

Much of the world is shaped by either Christianity, Islam or Marxism. Even humanism, atheism and liberal democracy are offshoots of Christendom, if only as rebellious and would-be independent prodigal children of Christendom. All three figures have developed certain variants amongst their followers. Marxism contains hard and soft versions corresponding to economic and cultural Marxism; hard Islam with fierce political objections is known as Islamism, reflected by both the Taliban and ISIS; soft Islam exists in the form of Muslims quietly practising their faith in cultural and spiritual forms embedded in secular societies.

Video: The Giant of Silence - Matthew 14:1-10

"Silence is golden," says the old adage. But that is true only sometimes. Many other times, to be silent is to be complicit in the evil that is being committed around us. John the Baptist, one of the most outspoken prophetic voices in history, helps us navigate the need to speak out against evil and immorality. He confronted a powerful political leader of his day, pointing out where he had violated God’s law. John was imprisoned and executed as a result. Should Christians enter the public square to dialogue about moral issues? Yes, but let’s see how.

Extrabiblical Evidence for the Veracity of the Gospel History

In this article, I will discuss an approach to arguing from extrabiblical sources that I consider to be much more robust. Whereas in the previous article, I critiqued appeals to direct testimony to the historicity of Jesus (which, at best, only attest to the broad outlines of the gospel story), in this article I will consider incidental allusions in the gospels that are indirectly and undesignedly confirmed by extrabiblical secular sources. The data surveyed in the ensuing discussion are of varying evidential weights, though all are (in my assessment) significantly more probable on the hypothesis of historical reportage than on its falsehood. The case for the reliability of the gospels must also be recognized as a cumulative one, and one should not expect to be able to rest the entire case on any one of these examples.

Video: Our Heavenly Inheritance - Heaven Part 2







Edited

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

The Protestant Reformers and the Natural Law Tradition

However deeply entrenched the natural law’s neglect or opposition is among today’s Protestants, it cannot be attributed to the magisterial Reformers of the sixteenth century. Although it is decidedly true that they championed a particular understanding of grace and faith that took issue with their Roman Catholic counterparts, this was not to the exclusion of other vehicles of divine agency. Rather, they assumed the natural law as a part of the fabric of the created order and therein maintained continuity with those across the Reformation divide.

The World Is Catechizing Us Whether We Realize It or Not

"Is it possible that instead of deconstructing the beliefs that have marked Christianity for two millennia, we might want to deconstruct the academic jargon our culture has only come to affirm within my lifetime?"

Uncovering the Tao of C.S. Lewis

"Lewis’s account of the self-evident character of basic precepts of the natural law, for example, is shown to be closely aligned with that of Thomas Aquinas’s exposition in his Summa Theologiae, even though Lewis’s three lectures never mention Aquinas."

The Christian calling: a purposeful life

What is our primary calling as a Christian? Why does it matter? What tasks has God assigned for us to do as his people? Christian Concern’s co-founder Pastor Ade Omooba MBE addresses these questions in the first part of the fourth talk in the ‘Discovering you Kingdom Assignment’ series.

Video: Short Answers Episode 8 - Can We Be Good Without God?


Video: A Seminary Professor Answers Your Toughest Questions about Christianity, With Dr. Richard Howe

Thanks for joining us live for a round of "Stump the Professor," as we take your toughest questions about Christianity. Dr. Richard Howe is Provost, Professor of Philosophy and Apologetics, and Norman L. Geisler Chair of Christian Apologetics at Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. And he just so happens to be one of my favorite teachers. Some of the questions Dr. Howe addressed: Can God change his mind? Can you lose your salvation? Can we be happy in heaven if our loved ones are in hell? Where is Jesus' body right now?

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:



Video: The Hungry Theologian (with Ralph Roberts)

Ralph Roberts of the YouTube channel The Hungry Theologian joins me for a wide-ranging conversation about food, cooking, meals, and eating and their relationship to Christian faith. Make sure to check out and follow his channel.

GREAT BOOKS EVERY THOUGHTFUL PERSON SHOULD READ

For almost twenty years, I taught a four-seminar rotation of “Great Books” for The College at Southeastern. The readings were formative not only for the students, but also for me, the professor. I gained an invaluable education. Through these works, I was able to trace the rise and development of Western thought and civilization, in which today’s ideologies are rooted. For that reason, and out of gratitude for those years of careful reading, I offer this list of a dozen books every thoughtful person should consider reading.

Video: N. T. Wright on the Book of Galatians and Ethnic Identity

Wright restores Paul’s writing to its original historical and political context, showing that Galatians addresses a time very much like our own, in which Christians were tempted to distort their theology and practice out of fear of persecution, and also a time when clashes over ethnic identity threatened to destroy both Church and society. Galatians, the epistle, points to the true solution. Galatians, the commentary, will help you understand how.

0:00 – Intro
1:06 – Wright’s new commentary on Galatians
5:31 – How Galatians can answer racial conflict
9:04 – Neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free
13:53 – The role of the old law
16:43 – Are all distinctions done away with?
20:51 – Galatians and Abolitionism
25:20 – The autobiography of Paul, and the Jewish exemption
33:37 – The Messiah and his people
39:06 – How the Messiah bears the curse of Torah
49:30 – A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
51:57 – Applying Galatians to ethnic conflict
56:00 – A third race

Video: Lessons from a Fruitful Lifetime in the Academy - John Lennox

As one of the leading Christian scholars in Europe, John Lennox is a mathematics professor, apologetics expert, Bible teacher, scientist, debater of leading atheists, popular lecturer and author, and faithful husband and father. Out of his wealth of wisdom and experience, you will benefit from the lessons he has learned during his many years of being a Christian university professor.

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Audio: Bill Fullilove: Discerning God’s Will

One of the most important questions we face - over the course of our entire lives - is “How do we discern God’s will.” Bill Fullilove has lots of experience helping people with this crucial question and we explore it together. We especially consider where our own desires fit in the process.

Audio: I Believe in Science - Bruce Blackshaw's Story

Can the thinking person believe in God? In today's episode Bruce tells his story of moving from atheism as informed by science to a rational Christian faith that informs both science as well as the most profound questions of life.

Listening to Young Atheists: Lessons for a Stronger Christianity

Religion is a sensitive topic, and a study like this is bound to draw critics. To begin with, there is, of course, another side to this story. Some Christians will object that our study was tilted against churches because they were given no chance to defend themselves. They might justifiably ask to what extent these students really engaged with their Bibles, their churches, and the Christians around them. But that is beside the point. If churches are to reach this growing element of American collegiate life, they must first understand who these people are, and that means listening to them.

Video: Bob of Speaker's Corner - Christian Power and the Persecuted Church - Critical Witness

Bob can regularly be found at Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park, interacting with the wide variety of beliefs represented but mostly with Muslims. He both defends the Christian faith and critiques Islam and his interactions have gained an audience on YouTube through @SocoFilms and his own channel @BobOfSpeakersCorner. We are chatting to him about the challenges of debating and speaking at the corner as well as his views on how Christians should take a stand against persecution.

Video: DOES GOD EXIST? Trent Horn vs. Ben Watkins (live, in-person debate)

On August 27, 2021 at 7pm Central, Benjamin Blake Speed Watkins will be debating Trent Horn ( @The Counsel of Trent ) on the topic of whether God exists. This is a live, in-person, formal debate happening only at the CCv1 Conference.

DEBATE FORMAT
15-min Openings
7-min First Rebuttal
4-min Second Rebuttal
30-min Moderated Dialogue
30-min Q&A (2 min response/1 min counter-response)
5-min Closings

Video: Gospel Grace: From Death to Life


Audio: Afghanistan Update: God’s Heart for Afghans

“God loves Afghans!” Author John Weaver lived in Afghanistan, speaks the language and is in daily contact with people still in the country. He’ll give listeners an update on how the Taliban’s takeover is affecting our Christian brothers and sisters and share specific requests to help us pray for our Afghan family members. John will also tell us how God is working through current events and even among members of the Taliban. One thing we know He is doing is raising up an army of prayer warriors to intercede on behalf of Afghanistan and pray for the advance of Christ’s kingdom among unreached people there.

Edited

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

"Christine comes most recently from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights, where she served as a Senior Advisor on the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division. Prior to that, Christine was with the U.S. Department of Education’s, Office of the General Counsel as an Attorney Advisor. Christine clerked for the Hon. Robert Numbers II, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina, and will be clerking in 2023 for the Hon. Robert J. Luck, U.S. Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. In addition, she worked as an attorney for the Florida Department of Children and Family Services and interned for the GatorTeam Child Juvenile Law Clinic at the University of Florida, a law firm dedicated to providing free legal services to children. She also externed for the Florida Institutional Legal Services Project and was a domestic violence extern for Three Rivers Legal Services. Christine has also held roles as an American Government teacher along with homeschooling her and Jordan’s three children. Christine earned her law degree at the University of Florida College of Law, as well as graduated summa cum laude also from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with a Religion Minor."

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

The Impossibility Gap

Some of my favourite places to speak at are venues like coffee shops, workplaces, or universities. After one such university event, where the Christian Union had asked me to talk on “Why did Jesus have to die?” we had an amazing time of Q&A after which I felt the Spirit nudge me to end the event by leading people who wanted to in a prayer to commit their lives to Jesus. It was an incredible evening and God was very much at work. But I remember that one particular evening not for how powerfully the Lord moved, but for a conversation afterwards. As we were packing up to leave, a campus ministry leader came up us and asked: “How did you do what you did there?”

Video: Apologetics and the Covid Pandemic - William Edgar

In the darkness of the Covid pandemic can we still trust God? How is he sovereign over the affairs of the earth in view of the pandemic we are going through? This session will address these questions and consider special wisdom from the Proverbs to equip ourselves.

Video: Healthy Church Culture Empowering the Poor - Angela Kemm

Having been affirmed in his apostleship by the Jerusalem apostles, all they asked Paul was that he should continue to remember the poor. Paul affirmed that this was ‘the very thing I had been eager to do all along’ (Gal 2: 10). This session is a call to incarnate the care of the poor into the very life of the local church, not as some separate specialised ministry.

Video: A Clinician's Thoughts on Christian Counselling - Diane Langberg

This presentation will consider some of the necessary components of Christian counseling. Broadly, we need an understanding of who God is, what it means to be human, and how those two factors relate. We need a clear and deep understanding of evil and suffering, how they injure human beings, and what care for them and health truly look like. One of the foundational aspects of our study and our work should be that both the work of counseling and the person of the therapist are transformed. The character of the therapist matters profoundly. Knowledge, skill, and interventions are needed, but those necessary components must be present in one who bears a likeness to Christ. (Joint session with the Professional Counsellors Network)

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources;

Video: EPS Panel Discussion | "Craig's Nominalism and the Atonement"

In November of 2020, Dr. Craig participated in a virtual panel critique for the Evangelical Philosophical Society. The panel, consisting of additional members R. Scott Smith and Richard B. Davis, presented responses to Dr. Craig's recent work on the atonement and anti-platonism. Following the critics' papers, Dr. Craig discusses his perspective and interacts with the panel.

History and Theories of Atonement

The history of the various theories of the atonement is made up of differing views on the biblical themes of ransom, redemption, propitiation, substitution, and Christ as moral example. While the example theory is operative in Scripture, it is not the substance of what was accomplished in the atonement, but itself derives from the rest of the themes. Early theologians expressed an understanding of the substitutionary nature of the atonement quite clearly, but it took more time for different themes to become more explicit in the theology of the church. These theologians also developed themes such as recapitulation, ransom, and Christ as victor over opposing powers. In the medieval ages, Anselm continued to develop a theory based on substitution, redemption, and propitiation, while Abelard suggested an alternative viewpoint based on the moral influence of the atonement event. The tradition of the Reformers emphasized ransom, satisfaction, propitiation, and substitution, and linked the whole of salvation to this event. Later theologians, such as Walter Rauschenbusch, rejected much of the Reformer’s theology on the atonement and emphasized only the moral view.

J. I. Packer: Don’t Like the Term Biblical “Inerrancy”? Fine. But What about the Concepts?

A responsible biblical scholarship exists with inerrancy as one of its methodological presuppositions; it appears no less successful in embracing and making sense of the phenomena of Scripture than is the scholarship which lacks this presupposition. (All scholars, of course, borrow from and interact with each other, and share a community feeling in consequence, whatever their presuppositions, but that is not the point here.) As long as a consistent Bible-believing scholarship can maintain itself in debate on problem passages, it is sheer triumphalist obscurantism to say that error in the Bible has been proved. And even if adequate Bible-believing scholarship were lacking, “proved” would still be too strong a word, for the various skeptical hypotheses are never the only ones possible.

Video: John C. Lennox and Justin Brierly | Cosmic Chemistry - Do God and Science Mix? | Full Interview

Prof John C. Lennox and Justin Brierly discuss the key arguments for why God and Science DO mix, as put forward in Cosmic Chemistry - Do God and Science Mix?

Video: Steve Robinson & Victoria Lim: Two scientists, a 3-year dialogue, and 1 conversion

Dr Stephen Robinson and Dr Victoria Lim entered into a 3 year email dialogue as a Christian and agnostic working in science. They tell Justin Brierley what happened.

Video: Why Jesus Matters Today More Than Ever: A Conversation with Detective J. Warner Wallace

What does the historical record show about the significance of Jesus without relying on the New Testament? We discuss the latest book, PERSON OF INTEREST, in which Detective J. Warner Wallace reveals how Jesus has transformed art, music, history, science, and other disciplines. And we consider the biggest objections to the historical Jesus.

Video: The Giant of Fear - 1st Samuel 17

One of the most paralyzing of all human emotions is fear. It can rob us of reason and faith. It makes a bad situation worse than it really is, and it saps us of energy and confidence. David would write later on, “I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). But in our story today he faced a fearsome giant (literally) that his country was in dread of. Let’s consider how fear works and by what means it can be defeated.

Video: Invited To Amish & Mennonite Dinner

Quite often the Amish and Mennonite are misunderstood or a mystery to most of us outsiders. Join me in an enlightening conversation as we talk about relationships, the use of technology, what they fear, and how they see the rest of America. A truly eye-opening experience

Edited