Archive for the 'Apologetics' Category

Published by admin on 03 Aug 2008

Warning Signs: Will we respond in time?

He was hard on them. “You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky,” He charged, “but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”[1] In some ways, the religious people of Jesus’ day were very clever; they could look at the sky and predict the coming weather. But they had missed the signs alerting them to the spiritual realities quickly coming upon them.

We are much like the Pharisees of the first century in this regard. Signs of the future of spiritual life are everywhere, like roadside billboards, but we don’t always recognize them for what they are.

The Signs of Our Times 

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America, Apologetics, Church

Published by admin on 23 Jun 2008

That’s Your Interpretation: Can anyone really understand what the Bible says?

Perhaps you’ve heard this before. You are trying to share with someone (Christian or non-Christian) something that the Bible teaches. You say, “The Bible says so-and-so…” Their reply amounts to quick stiff-arm: “Well, that’s your interpretation.”

What the person is trying to communicate to you is that they doubt that the words of the Bible can be understood with any certainty so many years after they were written, and you can see their point. It seems like everybody has their ‘take’ on what the Bible says or doesn’t say. With all these ‘opinions,’ maybe there is really no way to tell for sure.

However, is this really true? Is it impossible to understand what the original Biblical authors meant? Although I grant you there are some things in the Bible that are difficult to understand, I submit it is not only possible for us to understand its central teachings about God, Jesus, and right and wrong, but fairly easy. You do this, not through some super-spiritual, insider-only set of guidelines, but just like you would understand any other form of communication in your day-to-day life. Let me give you an example.

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Apologetics, Bible, Defending Your Faith, Interpretation, Truth

Published by admin on 05 May 2008

The Most Important Word in the Church: Apologetics

One of the most important words in the American church going forward is the word ‘apologetics.’ Ironically, most Christians don’t know what the word means. Below is a section from our upcoming book, My Friend, My Mission, where we give a good, easy to understand definition of this word.

What is apologetics?

I believe Dale Murphy should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. That’s my position. His stats support my view. He led the National League twice in homeruns and RBIs (that’s runs-batted-in for those of you who live on Mars); he was only the sixth player ever to have 30 homeruns and 30 stolen bases in the same season; and he was the only player ever to have a .300 batting average, hit 30 homeruns, drive in 120 runners, score 130 runs himself, and steal 30 bases in the same season (1983).

Dale Murphy should be in the Hall of Fame. That’s my position.

But not everybody agrees with me. While acknowledging the facts I just presented, some will say his weaknesses are too great to merit Hall admittance. They will point out, for example, his high career strikeouts (1748), his not-so-impressive lifetime batting average of .265, and his decline in productivity at a relatively early age.

In response, I say he has more than made up for these weaknesses by his positive influence on the game and sports in general since his retirement, like founding iWontCheat.com, a nonprofit organization that encourages kids, parents, and coaches not to cheat through the use of performance enhancing drugs.

Why am I telling you this? Because this is apologetics.

Apologetics is a big word, but don’t let it intimidate you. It comes from a Greek word apologia which means “to defend.” Any time you take a position on something-from politics, to movies, to Dale Murphy-someone will disagree with you. They will challenge your position and you will have to defend it.

I have a position about Dale Murphy (and I just happen to be right), but others disagree so I must defend what I believe. When I do this, I am engaging in apologetics.

I also take a position on Jesus Christ, the Christian Bible, and the Christian faith. I believe-as you do and millions of others on planet Earth-that Jesus is the unique Son of God, that the Bible is God’s singular, complete, and credible communication to man, and that the Christian faith is the world’s only true, God-given faith system. Not everybody agrees with me (and us), so I must defend what I believe.

You have a belief system. Do you know how to defend it?

Wes

Apologetics, Church, Defending Your Faith, Evangelism