Early April 2022 Presuppositional Apologetics’ Links

Here are links related to Presuppositional apologetics gathered between April 1st-7th, 2022.  Enjoy!

1.) Cave to the Cross: God Redeeming Evil In The Old Testament – Ep.170 – What About Evil? – God’s Redemptive Glory In Scripture – Part 1

2.) Bible Contradiction? Should we think for ourselves?

3.) Copycat: Genesis and the Ark of the Covenant

4.) Question on Religious Neutrality and Apologetics in Acts 17

5.) In What Ways is God the Foundation for all Knowledge?

6.) Apologetics Sermon Illustration #72: Javelin Missile and Laying out Biblical Doctrines for Apologetics’ Methodology

7.) A Veritas Domain Apologetics’ Meme

8.) Watch “TikTok PASTOR CALLS JESUS RACIST” on YouTube and Part 2

9.) Apologetics Session 3: Relationship of Faith and Reason

10.) Some Were Amazed, Others Thought the Believers Were Just Drunk

Missed the last round up?  Check out the re-blogged post from a friend 

Bible Contradiction? Should we think for ourselves?

For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: Should we think for ourselves?

Here are the answers which the skeptic believes indicate a Bible contradiction:

Yes

“Make your ear attentive to wisdom; Incline your heart to understanding.” ( Proverbs 2:2)

“I directed my mind to know and to investigate, and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of foolishness and the foolishness of insanity.” (Ecclesiastes 7:25)

“but examine everything; hold firmly to that which is good,” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

No

Don’t try to understand things: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.”” (Proverbs 3:5)

It’ll only get you killed: “There is a way which seems right to a person, But its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

Make your mind a slave of Christ: “We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)

Apologetics Session 3: Relationship of Faith and Reason

Establish the need: What is the relationship of faith and reason?

Purpose: We will look at four truths to have have a biblical view of faith and reason so that we can properly defend the faith.

1. God wants us to have faith
2. God wants us to reason
3. Wrong Views of relationship of faith and reason
4. The Right View of Faith and Reason

Review: Previous Lessons and how it connects with this session

• Session one introduce us to apologetics both with the definition and the duty Christians have to defend the faithàSo this week we want to look at the relationship between faith and reason because we cannot properly defend the faith if we have a wrong view of faith and reason.
• Of course there are different views with faith and reason. How should we proceed? The second session we covered there is no religious neutralityàTherefore we need to hold to a biblical view of faith and reason.

Free PDF and Review: The Holy Spirit Glorifying Christ

Note: For fans of Spurgeon have you checked out my Review: Charles Spurgeon Framed Art Print?

Charles Spurgeon. The Holy Spirit Glorifying Christ.  Pensacola, FL: Chapel Library, May 26, 2020. 24 pp.

4 out of 5

Free: Chapel Library

Purchase: Amazon

The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus, yet what implications does this have for the Christian life?  In this booklet published by Chapel Library my favorite Victorian era English preacher Charles Spurgeon answers that question.  This is based upon a sermon that Spurgeon delivered on August 17^th, 1862 yet is relevant for today.  I was blown away thinking that Spurgeon was twenty eight years old when he preached this sermon at London’s Metropolitan Tabernacle.  It made me appreciate what God has done through this man to bless God’s people than and also now with his writings.

Question on Religious Neutrality and Apologetics in Acts 17

A dear brother whom I esteem name Craig last week brought up some thoughts for conversation based upon my Apologetics Session 2: No Neutrality post.  He wrote:

I’ve thought a lot of about non-neutrality–what it might be. I’m not sure what to think about Paul on Mars Hill/the Areopagus (Acts 17:22-31). It seems to me he ‘compromised’ a bit, by engaging them at their level. And I’m not saying that was/is a bad thing.

He took their altar to THE UNKNOWN GOD and explained this as their mistaking this ‘unknown deity’ for the True God. Yet he is careful not to outright denigrate their belief system, though he does in a round-about way in his assertion that God does not dwell in human-made ‘temples’, and His nature cannot be reduced to mere silver or gold. In other words, his explanation for (and to counter their version of) THE UNKNOWN GOD does, by implication, apply to their altars to their other ‘deities’. Yet at the same time, he didn’t explicitly speak against their idols/’deities’.

So, was the Apostle completely ‘neutral’ in his speech/preaching here?

I thought I share my thoughts.

This Sunday at Church: Honor those who have served at Church for years

For this Sunday here’s what you can do: Honor those who have served at Church for years.

Apologetics Sermon Illustration #72: Javelin Missile and Laying out Biblical Doctrines for Apologetics’ Methodology

GO TO PART 71

Point: An important aspect of Presuppositional Apologetics is that is shaped by Biblical doctrines.  The implication of what the Bible teaches are drawn towards apologetics.  Typically most teaching series on Presuppositional Apologetics will devote some time to talk about what does the Bible teach about area such as revelation, God’s attributes, doctrine of sin, salvation, etc.  Yet some listeners can get impatient.  Some may think Presuppositional Apologetics is just about what does the Bible say about unbelief (it is that, but its more than that, and it does defend truth and refute error).  Can we give an analogy to help listeners be patient, and to not give up with an apologetics that seem to ascend into theology?

Late March 2022 Presuppositional Apologetics’ links

Here are the links related to Presuppositional apologetics that was rounded up from the web from March 22nd-31st, 2022.

1.) Cave to the Cross’ Christianity, Sci-Fi, & Indie Publishing – Ep.169 – Katie Roome From Periapsis Press Interview

2.) Apologetics Session 1: Apologetics: What and Why

3.) The Inferiority of Women According to Darwin

4.) Bible Contradiction? How many days is unleavened bread to be eaten during the passover?

5.) Why Do Atheists Care What Christians Believe?

6.) The Christian Tupac Apologist: Greg Bahnsen

7.) The Impossibility of the Contrary

8.) Apologetics Session 2: No Neutrality

9.) Review of Van Til’s Master’s Thesis titled “Reformed Epistemology”

10.) Being trapped in the wrong body is contrary to biblical truth

11.) Ringing Down the Curtain?

12.) Bible Contradiction? How long was the Egyptian Captivity?

13.) Neutrality is War

Missed the last round up?  Check out the re-blogged post from a friend OR here

Bible Contradiction? How long was the Egyptian Captivity?

For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: How long was the Egyptian Captivity?

Here are the answers which the skeptic believes indicate a Bible contradiction:

400 years

“Then God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.” (Genesis 15:13)

“But God spoke to this effect, that his descendants would be strangers in a land that was not theirs, and they would enslave and mistreat them for four hundred years.” (Acts 7:6)

Four generations

“Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the wrongdoing of the Amorite is not yet complete.”” (Genesis 15:16)

430 years

“Now the time that the sons of Israel had lived in Egypt was 430 years.” (Exodus 12:40)

“What I am saying is this: the Law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.” (Galatians 3:17)

(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)

Apologetics Session 2: No Neutrality

Session 1: Apologetics: What and Why

(Note: What follows below is an improved version from a previous outline)

Establish the need: Is Religious Neutrality Possible?

Purpose: We will look at four truths that in regards to ‘facts’ and all that man think and do, no one can approach any subject with neutrality towards God. This will of course shape our method of apologetics.

1. Characteristics of Religious Neutrality
2. Biblical doctrines does not allow for Religious Neutrality
3. Religious Neutrality is unethical in a biblical worldview
4. Religious Neutralty is philosophically impossible

The Christian Tupac Apologist: Greg Bahnsen

A light humor post.

If you know know the reference to the rapper rapper name Tupac he has a lot of his songs released after his death.

My favorite apologist Greg Bahnsen is like Tupac as most of his books and audios were published and released after his death.

Bahnsen is like Tupac. Short life. Wrote a lot. Taught nonstop. Like a productive robot. More stuff came out after he got shot. Ok maybe not shot. But after his death, his content were still hot. New contents are still released and bought.

Here’s some of the books I recommend:

Exposition of Nahum Series: Table of Contents

I enjoyed teaching through the book of Nahum for the last few weeks/months.

I appreciate all those who prayed, listened, read and showed support and also insights into the passage!

Below are the table of contents to the outline to the lessons!

 

This Sunday at Church: Discuss with a Youth what they learn from mid-week Youth Group

For this Sunday here’s what you can do: Discuss with a Youth what they learn from mid-week Youth Group.

Bible Contradiction? How many days is unleavened bread to be eaten during the passover?

For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: How many days is unleavened bread to be eaten during the Passover?

Here are the answers which the skeptic believes indicate a Bible contradiction:

For six days

“For six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a festive assembly to the Lord your God; you shall do no work on it.” ( Deuteronomy 16:8)

For seven days

“For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove dough with yeast from your houses; for whoever eats anything with yeast from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.” (Exodus 12:15)

“For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and nothing with yeast shall [a]be seen among you, nor shall any dough with yeast [b]be seen among you in all your borders.” (Exodus 13:6-7)

“You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in [a]that month you came out of Egypt. And no one is to appear before Me empty-handed.” (Exodus 23:15)

“Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.” (Leviticus 23:6)

“You shall not eat leavened bread with it; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in a hurry), so that you will remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.” (Deuteronomy 16:3)

(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)

Question: Is 1 Peter 2:13-17 about Church Leadership or Civil Magistrate?

Someone in an apologetics group believe 1 Peter 2:13-17 refers to the leadership in the church and not about civil magistrate.  (Note: I have dealt with his use of Romans 13 here: Question: Is Romans 13 about Church Leadership or Civil Government?)

This is what he said:

Now I will deal with 1 Peter 2:13-17. First, Peter tells us to submit to every human institution or creation. This is a broad and direct command. And if it is meant to include secular governments than this is a contradictory command to the great commission in which Jesus claims all authority and commands everyone to obey all that He has commanded. This command is better understood as “Submit to every institution for humans” as in the whole law of God. I have come to this conclusion, because the contrary would have us submitting to Nazis and Commies. So lets deal with the emperor or king in verse thirteen. Traditionally, the word “basileus” in verse thirteen is translated as “emperor” but the word means “king”. Who does Peter think is king or emperor? Well Peter not only knew Jesus was the rightful King of the Jews but he thought Jesus was the rightful King of the world (Acts 4:24-26). After all, he was present when Jesus gave the Great Commission, claiming all authority in heaven and on earth. So maybe Peter thinks Jesus is King but who else? Actually, Paul does too! In 1 Timothy 1:17 Paul uses the same word, basileus, to describe Jesus as King. Jesus also acknowledges Himself as King before Pilate, John 18:37 “Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.” Once again, that is basileus. Why doesn’t 1 Peter 2:13 refer to the Roman Emperor? Peter blasphemed against the Emperor when he rephrased the empires gospel “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). So Peter did not submit to the Roman Emperor as supreme, but to Jesus. Next, who are these “governors” in verse 14? They are men who are sent by Jesus to punish evil and praise the righteous. How are these men not the civil authorities we know as Governors? Seeing how Peter fled an imprisonment from a governor I’m inclined to think he is speaking of someone else. I believe Acts 15 has some insight into this. The word for “governor” is “hegemon” meaning leader or governor. It’s from the word “hegeomai” which is used in Acts 15:22 which describes an event that is precisely what Peter is writing about in verse 14. “Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers…” The same words used in the same context. In verse 15 Peter tells us that this is the will of God and doing this will silence the wicked scoffers. In verse 16 Peter tells us to live free or in liberty. This makes much more sense in light of the previous verses, especially since we are freed from secular authorities and answer to Jesus directly through His ordained ministers, not to say we need more mediators than Christ alone but to clarify the order of authority and justice. This is a freedom that makes you a slave to God, emphasizing His authority. This verse is so similar to Romans 6:22 its almost like plagiarism. Finally in verse 17 Peter calls for us to honor everyone, love the brotherhood, fear God and honor the Emperor or King, Jesus. It would read this way; 13Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution (referring to the law of God), whether it be to the King [Jesus] as supreme, 14or to leaders as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King [Jesus].

Here’s the passage:

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 15 For [b]such is the will of God, that by doing right you silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Act as free people, and [c]do not use your freedom as a [d]covering for evil, but use it as bond-servants of God. 17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the [e]king.

Below is my response to him.