with John DeRosa
In part 1, I summarized the evidence against the anonymous Gospels hypothesis. It’s a strong case. But you might wonder, if the case is so strong, why do many scholars oppose it? For example, the NABRE introduction to all of the Gospels promotes the anonymous Gospel theory: From...
Many people subscribe to the anonymous Gospel theory. That theory says the Gospel authors wrote their works and circulated them anonymously. The New American Bible Revised Edition reports that the majority of scholars hold the following view: The ancient tradition that the author was the disciple and apostle...
Your worldview has problems. How do I know this? Because every worldview has problems. Our limited minds fail to grasp reality perfectly. This doesn’t mean that we can’t grasp some truths. And it doesn’t mean we can’t know any of the big things in life. But it does mean we...
Many atheists object: There is no evidence for God’s existence. How would you reply? It’s tempting to trot out evidence immediately. Have you ever heard of X, Y, and Z arguments for God? What about all of these intelligent believers A, B, and C!? There is definitely truth...
I don’t believe in God; I believe in science. Ever heard this one? Here’s another version. As someone enlightened by science and modern technology, I can’t bring myself to believe in God and old-fashioned superstition. People used to believe in gods that caused lightning and other natural phenomena...
“Aquinas has been thoroughly refuted.” Maybe your college friend said this. Perhaps even a professor. It’s not uncommon to hear such an assertion thrown out there. I’m using it here to illustrate this idea: you don’t need to rebut phantom arguments. A phantom argument lacks substance, specificity, and clarity....
People like compliments. They like to be praised. I always enjoyed receiving praise from my teachers. I like when my wife tells me I’ve done something well. As Christians, we fight the sin of pride and the urge to desire human praise in a way that leads to...
It’s difficult to think on the spot. Suppose you’re trying to explain rational arguments for God’s existence. No matter how well you know the arguments, skeptics can rattle off quick objections like machine gun fire: Why is there evil if God exists? Children die of cancer all the...
Schoolyard bullies expect you to cower in fear and fold. If the bully has you outnumbered, this is especially true. However, if you catch him off guard, face him, and punch him right in the nose, the shock of the situation may be enough to ward off the...
You don’t want your discussions to go to Hell. This does not mean the topic of Hell should never arise. Rather, you want to monitor the temperature of the discussion very carefully and use the right tactics to prevent an overheated conversation. In part one of this series, I revealed that...
