What’s in a name? When Colton Burpo had a near death experience as a small boy,[1] he encountered a sister he had never met in heaven. She said their mother had miscarried her and she didn’t have a name. When Colton told his parents, they were shocked. They had never mentioned the miscarriage to Colton …
Evidence John, Son of Zebedee, Wrote the Gospel of John
Some have made claims the gospel of John was authored by another minor apostle or someone other than John, the son of Zebedee and brother of James. John often accompanied Peter and was considered one of the more prominent apostles (with Peter and James, his brother), having been chosen just after Jesus chose his first …
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Hostile Ancient Sources Point to Jesus’ Divinity
We have extrabiblical hostile sources that support Jesus’ ministry, crucifixion, and claims of His resurrection. Jesus’ existence was supported by Tacitus (56 – 117),[1] Josephus (37 – 100), Pliny the Younger (61 – 113), Mara Bar-Serapion (70 - ?), Suetonius (75 – 160 ), Thallus (5 – 60), as recorded by Africanus, Phlegon (80 – …
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Can Jesus’ Empty Tomb Accounts Be Reconciled?
The four Gospels detail the women’s discovery of Jesus’ empty tomb in slightly different ways, which to some are difficult to reconcile. The intention of this blog is to offer one possible reconciliation. There may be more. Mark “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that …
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Why this Question (Psalm 110) from Jesus Stumped the Pharisees
Jesus stumped the Pharisees with the following question in Luke 20:41-44: Then Jesus said to them, “Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself declares in the Book of Psalms (110): “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ …
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Why Did Jesus Have to Die?
What is love? How much love do we have for our fellow humans? Consider the soldier in a battle who jumps in front of his fellow soldier to block him from a bullet. Consider the mother during a plane crash who covers and hovers over her sweet infant to give her child a better chance …
Free Will Vs. Determinism
Do we have free will? Both Christians and atheists have varying views on this question, which are sometimes related to their beliefs in various types of determinism. The intention of this article is to examine biological and theological determinism and to explain the relationship of the latter to God’s omniscience and our free will. Biological …
Jonah, the Whale and 3 Days and 3 Nights
In the Book of Jonah, we learn of a man whom God called to go to the city of Ninevah to preach against wickedness. Jonah resisted and ran away, getting onto a boat with others. Soon, God sent a great storm to the sea, which shook the boat and scared the men. They wondered who …
Evidence to Support Jesus’ Resurrection: A Response to Paulogia
I watched a debate on the resurrection of Jesus between a Christian called Samuel Nesan and an anti-theist called Paulogia on the Modern Day Debate channel. You can access the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyUwYjrCZnE&t=4386s. While I believe that Samuel Nesan made many excellent points, I would like to add to his arguments in support of Jesus’ …
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Atheists Believe in “One Less God”
I've encountered numerous atheists who claim they believe in "one less God," so we're all atheists towards the thousands of gods that we do not revere. They will say that Christians, Jews and Muslims just believe in one more. They make the assumptions that all gods are of equal importance, so the evidence we applied …