Apologetics to the Glory of God

Category: Convos, Observations, and Quotes

  • Various and Sundry Issues to Recap

    Last week, my comment at Aporetic Christianity resulted in a bit of a firestorm – of posts, and sometimes fiery discussion. I’d like to use this opportunity to make a few comments on this exchange, and exchanges in general. In the exchange between Paul, myself, and BK, some might consider the “tone” in places to be overly harsh. While I think Paul may have thought at one point that I was objecting to the tone, I think we’ve come to at least a partial understanding of the other’s goals. That being said, there’s a balance to be had in the …

  • Formal Statement of the Transcendental Argument for God

    A common objection to TAG is that it has not ever been formally stated. Of course, an argument need not be formally stated to constitute an argument, but it would perhaps be helpful to have the argument so stated. It is worth pointing out that there is not only one way to state TAG, and there have been attempts to state it formally in various ways, whether or not opponents (or proponents) of TAG think that these statements are sufficient or not. All of this aside, one of our readers came across James Anderson’s article on TAG and was inspired …

  • Believing to Understand

    Man was created to see God. Man by sin lost the blessedness for which he was made, and found the misery for which he was not made. He did not keep this good when he could keep it easily. Without God it is ill with us. Our labors and attempts are in vain without God. Man cannot seek God, unless God himself teaches him; nor find him, unless he reveals himself. God created man in his image, that he might be mindful of him, think of him, and love him. The believer does not seek to understand, that he may

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  • For the Apologist's Soul

    Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

    2 Tim 2:15 (ESV)

    And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

    2 Tim 2:24-26 (ESV)

    Show yourself in all respects to …

  • A Thanksgiving Psalm

    For the choir director; on Muth-labben. A Psalm of David. I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. When my enemies turn back, They stumble and perish before You. For You have maintained my just cause; You have sat on the throne judging righteously. You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemy has come to an end in perpetual …

  • Acquainted with the Watch-Maker

    The so-called argument from design by well-meaning “Apologists” has, we believe, done much more harm than good, for it has attempted to bring down the great God to the level of finite comprehension, and thereby has lost sight of his solitary excellence.

    Analogy has been drawn between a savage finding a watch upon the sands, and from a close examination of it he infers a watch-maker. So far so good. But attempt to go further: suppose that savage sits down on the sand and endeavors to form to himself a conception of this watch-maker, his personal affections and manners; his

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  • Some thoughts

    Being an apologist is not a path to popularity and popularity does not make an apologist.

    The most intelligent and knowledgeable unbelievers are no less and no more fallibly human than you are.

    We should not be neutral and never can be, but we pretend that this is not so.

    More than the minimal facts are needed for the metanarrative and motivation necessary to make sense of their use in the first place.

    How to inductively prove that 1 Kings 12.29 is the Word of God?

    No worldview goes without logic, science, or morality but logic, science, and morality only …

  • Tertullian Quotes

    Oddly enough I received several questions concerning Tertullian within about an hour. You may read him here. I have listed some quotes from him below which may be of interest.

    We Christians are forbidden to introduce anything on our own authority or to choose what someone else introduces on his own authority. Our authorities are the Lord’s apostles, and they in turn chose to introduce nothing on their own authority. They faithfully passed on to the nations the teaching which they had received from Christ. So we should anathematize even an angel from heaven if he were to preach …

  • A Guide To Godly Disputation

    HT: Fisher

     GUIDE TO GODLY DISPUTATION
    JOHN NEWTON (1725-1807)
    A minister, about to write an article criticizing a fellow minister for his lack of orthodoxy, wrote to John Newton of his intention. Newton replied as follows.
    Dear Sir,
    As you are likely to be engaged in controversy, and your love of truth is joined with natural warmth of temper, my friendship makes me solicitous on your behalf. You are of the strongest side; for truth is great, and must prevail; so that a person of abilities inferior to yours might take the field with a confidence of victory. I am
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  • Norman Geisler On Ethics

    Can you spot the problem(s)?

    “Ethics deals with what is morally right and wrong. Christian Ethics deals with what is morally right and wrong for a Christian.”

    Norman Geisler (Christian Ethics: Options and Issues, 17)

    Strive to remember that God is our standard for right thinking and right living. There is no other standard.…