aclearlens

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Where Are You, God? “I’ve tried to believe in God. I want to believe, I really do, but I just can’t.

[aclearlens]

Should Christians Obey Old Testament Laws?

Should Christians Obey Old Testament Laws? #Bible #OT #law #christian #theology

Sometimes I meet Christians who feel beholden to the Old Testament law, sometimes simply out of a respect or reverence they feel for those prescriptions, sometimes out of a strict duty they believe still exists.  But are they correct?  Are Christians still obligated to obey the Old Testament Laws?  The short answer is that Christians are no longer obligated to the Old Testament Laws, but this…

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3 Views on How to Understand "Day" in Genesis 1

3 Views on How to Understand "Day" in Genesis 1 #Bible #exegesis #christian #theology #worldview

Intro: Many Christians disagree when it comes to the issue of how the Hebrew word yom (“day”) should be understood when reading Genesis 1. Sometimes the loudest voices in this disagreement come from the two well known groups: the young earth and the day/age folks. However, it should be noted that there are other less known views that Christians take on this issue, two in particular are referred…

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Letter to the Editor: We Need to Define Terms

"Letter to the Editor: We Need to Define Terms" via @ATheistWhisprer #science #christian #apologetics

About a year ago I wrote a piece called, “Sorry Christians, Macro-Evolutions Does Exist”. That article was discovered recently by Ryan, who wrote a letter to the editor about it. Here is what Ryan wrote: Letter to the Editor: I was just given your article titled: “Sorry, Christians: Macro-Evolution Does Exist”While I was very pleased to see you handling the concept of clearly defining terms, I am…

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Podcast #45: Abortion and the Presidential Candidates with Elijiah Thompson

Ep. 45: Abortion and the Presidential Candidates with Elijiah Thompson #politics #abortion #christian #worldview

Nate, Gene, and Logan welcome special guest Elijiah Thompson of The Fetal Position Podcast and thefetalposition.com. They laugh their way through a brand new commercial and play a new game: “Question of Character”. They also chat with Elijiah about three Presidential candidates’ positions on abortion: 1. Donald Trump 2. Hillary Clinton 3. Gary Johnson Don’t forget to check out the ACL website for…

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Did Jesus' Followers Exaggerate His Claims to Deity?

Did Jesus’ Followers Exaggerate His Claims to Deity?

Did Jesus ever claim to be God, or was this something his followers made up after his death? In response, Christians typically point to examples in the Gospel of John as evidence of Jesus’ divinity, such as Jesus claiming “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Christians choose these examples in John because they are the most explicit. Critics, however, are not usually satisfied with this…

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The American Response to Persecution, and Why it's Unbiblical

The American Response to Persecution, and Why it’s Unbiblical

American Christians talk a lot about the possibility or reality of persecution coming to the United States.  What we often don’t realize is how much our culture is directing the conversation. (more…)

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Help! My Pastor Became An Atheist! If your pastor became an atheist, would you rethink your Christian worldview? Are you a tough-minded believer, able to think for yourself?

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Podcast #44: Why More Women Should Study Apologetics with Professor Mary Jo Sharp

Ep 44: Why More Women Should Study Apologetics with @MaryJoSharp #christian #apologetics #podcast

Welcome to our 44th episode! (Look out for our 50th episode coming soon!) Nate, Gene, and Logan sift through the mail bag in order to answer two questions: 1. What are your thoughts on the dating of Revelation 2. Why is the church reluctant to embrace the resurgence of Apologetics? A huge thanks to Mark Jones and Misty Callahan (@MistyACallahan) for those questions! The fellas also play a round…

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The Nicene Creed

Affirmations and summations of the faith have proved vitally important to believers, even from the earliest years of Christianity’s origins.[1] Known as creeds, these synopses of Scripture and doctrine were used by believers as a way of sharing ecumenical testimony and orthodox mutual beliefs. (more…)

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The Real History of the New Testament Canon

The canonization of Scripture came at a crucial moment in early Christian history.  An exhaustive treatment of the historical considerations for canonization will not be achieved in this short essay but, rather, several key factors will be investigated that played decisive roles in the eventual outcome of the New Testament as we know it. A brief synopsis of those key factors are:  1. There was an…

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I Took the God-Free Challenge, and I Liked It

"I Took the God-Free Challenge, and I Liked It" via @ATheistWhisprer #God #christian #apologetics #worldview

Recently I read a Christianity report from 2014 with some staggering statistics[i]: 86% of evangelical youth drop out of church after graduation, never to return 70% of young adults drop out of church 80% of young people who dropped out of church said they did not plan to do so during high school These stats and a recent podcast by, friend of ACL, Greg Koukl, introduced me to a radical concept:…

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Podcast #43: Imaginative Apologetics with Dr. Holly Ordway

Ep 43: Imaginative Apologetics with Dr. Holly Ordway @HollyOrdway #story #imagination #christian #apologetics

Nate, Gene, and Logan meet a brand new correspondent on the show: Middle Aged Mutant Hindu Turtle. They answer a question from Jana B. (@janabezt) about Noah’s Ark and the Creation Museum. And they welcome Dr. Holly Ordway of Houston Baptist University on the show to discuss her work on “Imaginative Apologetics”. For more information about Dr. Ordway, including her book Not God’s Type: An Atheist…

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Clues That Corroborate the Traditional Authorship of the Gospels

Clues That Corroborate the Traditional Authorship of the Gospels

When trying to discern the authorship of the four gospels, scholars look at two types of evidence: external (outside the NT) and internal (inside the NT). In my previous post, we primarily looked at the external evidence in accessing the traditional authorship of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But what about the internal evidence? Are there any clues in the gospels and other New Testament books…

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Why the Historical Jesus is the Best Starting Place for Apologetics

Why the Historical Jesus is the Best Starting Place for Apologetics

There are myriad apologetic arguments that have been employed for evidential Christian apologetics. But generally speaking, the best starting point out of all them is the Argument for the Historical Jesus. (more…)

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Ragtag Christianity: A Place for Everyone A group of explorers on an alien planet discover what appears to be a giant human thumb resting on the opposite side of a canyon.

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Podcast #42: Hollywood Worldviews with Brian Godawa

Ep. 42: Hollywood Worldviews with Brian Godawa #christian #story #narrative #apologetics #podcast

Nate, Gene, and Logan briefly chat about their kids’ quirks and try to fool each other with another round of Fact or Fib. They also sit down with Hollywood filmmaker and author Brian Godawa and discuss cinema and worldview from a Christian perspective! For more information about Brian, including his books Hollywood Worldviews and God Against the Gods, check out his website: www.godawa.com Don’t…