Sunday, May 27, 2018

Two Accounts of Creation? Comparing Genesis 1 and2



On May 20th, 2018, I (Chad Vaughn aka "The Other Chad") had the privilege of speaking at my home church, Faith Christian Fellowship.  We've been in a sermon series entitled "From Beginning to End."  The topic I spoke on was comparing the creation accounts described in chapters 1 and 2.  My objective was to show that the two chapters do not conflict one another, but instead the second chapter provides a closer look at the pinnacle of God's Creation- mankind.

I am grateful but at the same time humbled by this opportunity to speak on this topic as I have even more appreciation for pastors and their ability to prepare their sermons on a weekly basis.

My hope is this message will both encourage and challenge listeners to study these accounts further!

God Bless,

Resources:
1.  One Minute Apologist: Question #472- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szkMZO2vDNQ
2.  Seven Days that Divide the World: The Beginning According to Genesis and Science by Dr. John  Lennox 
3.  The Pentateuch by L. Thomas Holdcroft


Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Saving Truth by Abdu Murray



About the Author

Abdu Murray (JD, University of Michigan) is North America director of RZIM, a regular speaker at churches and on college campuses, and host of the radio program and podcast Embrace the Truth with Abdu Murray. A scholar in residence at the Josh McDowell Institute of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, he is the author of many articles and two books, including Grand Central Question.



About the Book


Increasingly, Western culture embraces confusion as a virtue and decries certainty as a sin. Those who are confused about sexuality and identity are viewed as heroes. Those who are confused about morality are progressive pioneers. Those who are confused about spirituality are praised as tolerant. Conversely, those who express certainty about any of these issues are seen as bigoted, oppressive, arrogant, or intolerant.

This cultural phenomenon led the compilers of the Oxford English Dictionary to name "post-truth" their word of the year in 2016. How can Christians offer truth and clarity to a world that shuns both?

By accurately describing the Culture of Confusion and how it has affected our society, author Abdu Murray seeks to awaken Westerners to the plight we find ourselves in. He also challenges Christians to consider how they have played a part in fostering the Culture of Confusion through bad arguments, unwise labeling, and emotional attacks.

Ultimately, Saving Truth provides arguments from a Christian perspective for the foundations of truth and how those foundations apply to sexuality, identity, morality, and spirituality. For those enmeshed in the culture of confusion, the book offers a way to untangle oneself and find hope in the clarity that Christ offers.

You can learn more about this book here.

Order your copy here.

Courage and Godspeed,
Chad

Related Posts

Abdu Murray makes his C.A.S.E. for the Resurrection of Jesus

Debate Video: John Loftus v. Abdu Murray- Was Jesus Raised from the Dead?

Abdu Murray on Appealing Only to the Mind

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

The Trinity for Kids by Scott Stein

In this 2-part post, apologist and dad Scott Stein explains how to explain the doctrine of the Trinity to your children.  He writes:

"The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most important teachings of the Christian faith, and yet admittedly one of the most difficult to understand, especially for kids. Nothing caused me more trepidation during nightly bible reading with my kids than beginning to explain to them how the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were all God yet different persons. My approach was prayerful, slow but steady.

I’d like to say that I have done it all right, but that would be a lie. I have tried however, to teach my children thoughtfully and accurately about God. No more has this been a challenge than when it comes to teaching them the Doctrine of the Trinity. What follows is not necessarily a formula, but just the approach I muddled through. My hope is that it might provide you with some help and confidence to not shy away from tackling this essential Christian truth with your own kids."

Part I is here.  Part II is here.

Enjoy!

Courage and Godspeed,
Chad

Friday, May 04, 2018

Understanding Genesis 1-3

In this video, John Walton, professor at Wheaton College, and Joe Fleener, pastor at Rolleston Bible Church, present their views for interpreting the first three chapters in Genesis.  


God Bless,

Tuesday, May 01, 2018

Book Preview: The Morals of the Story by David Baggett and Marybeth Baggett

About the Authors

David Baggett (PhD, Wayne State University) is professor of philosophy in the Rawlings School of Divinity at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. He is the coauthor of Good God: The Theistic Foundations of Morality, God and Cosmos: Moral Truth and Human Meaning, and At the Bend of the River Grand. He is the editor of Did the Resurrection Happen? and the coeditor of C.S. Lewis as Philosopher: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty; The Philosophy of Sherlock Holmes; and Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts.

Marybeth Baggett (PhD, Indiana University of Pennsylvania) is professor of English at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. She is the coauthor of At the Bend of the River Grand and the editor of They Hummed of Mystery: Representations of Faith in the Contemporary American Novel.

About the Book

What arguments best support the existence of God?

For centuries the moral argument—that objective morality points to the existence of God—has been a powerful apologetic tool.

In this volume, David and Marybeth Baggett offer a dramatic, robust, and even playful version of the moral argument. Tracing both its historical importance and its contemporary relevance, they argue that it not only still points to God's existence but that it also contributes to our ongoing spiritual transformation.

Recommendations

"The Morals of the Story is timely, educational, and entertaining. Due to his lectures and previous writings, Professor Baggett has established himself as one of a small handful of elite experts on moral arguments for God and related matters. Now, colaboring with his wife, Marybeth, we finally have a readable and authoritative treatment of a very wide range of issues relevant to the moral argument. The book's structure could not be better, moving from a historical sketch of moral arguments to an identification of the central topics associated with them and closing with a summary of these topics and a word of practical application. Thanks be to God and to the Baggetts for giving us such a treasure."

- J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University

"The Morals of the Story is a delight to read! It weaves together resources from philosophy, literature, and science as well as illustrations from popular culture and the authors' personal experiences. The result is a powerful, accessible, winsome presentation of the moral argument for God's existence and—in light of our own moral failure—the hope we have in the gospel of Christ."

- Paul Copan, Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics, Palm Beach Atlantic University, author of A Little Book for New Philosophers

You can learn more about this work here.

You can order your copy here.

Courage and Godspeed,
Chad

Related Posts

Presenting the Moral Argument Clearly

Article: Can Moral Objectivism Do Without God? by Peter S. Williams

Video: The Moral Argument- Good without God?