Experience Apologetics #1 (Intro)

 

In 1 Kings 18 we read of Elijah confronting the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.  God answered in a miraculous way witnessed by many thousands (v. 38).  And the people responded, "The Lord - he is God!"

1 Peter 3:15 (ESV) >>

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

A Syrophoenician woman came to Jesus, 

 

... And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it

is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 

But she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs

under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.”  And He said to her,

“Because of this answer go; the demon has gone out of your

daughter.”  And going back to her home, she found the child lying

on the bed, the demon having left. (Mk. 7:26-30, NASB)

 

Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics - Geisler:

https://arcapologetics.org/product/baker-encyclopedia-of-christian-apologetics-baker-reference-library/

 

The Big Book of Christian Apologetics: An A to Z Guide by Norman Geisler.

This book clarifies difficult biblical passages, clearly explains various philosophical systems as well as classic apologetic arguments. Do you desire to intelligently and persuasively engage with skeptics?  This is an abridged version of the Baker Encyclopedia on Christian Apologetics:

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Christian-Apologetics-Guides/dp/0801014174

 

Geisler bio, very powerful, tragedy and #HOPE ↑ #Grace ...   

https://youtu.be/fH_rbNUQKwU

 

Andy Stanley, son of Charles Stanley (d. 2023, 90 yo), is featured in this profound documentary on Geisler.  Sadly, Andy's gone off the rails regarding the Old Testament:

https://answersingenesis.org/christianity/andy-stanley-says-we-need-to-unhitch-the-old-testament-from-our-faith/

CARL GUSTAV JUNG = SUGAR JUG TV CLAN

What about Carl Jung (d. 6-6-61)?

 

... as a student of new religious movements, I have repeatedly found Carl Jung to be a fountainhead of all manner of spiritual aberrations, whether in non-Christian movements or in Christianity itself.  More recently,  psychologist and best-selling author, Jordan Peterson, has drawn attention to Jung’s philosophy, which he draws on and uses as a lens to interpret the Bible. -- Douglas Groothuis

 

LYCOS search: A Christian critique of Carl Jung >>

https://search14.lycos.com/web/?q=A+Christian+critique+of+Carl+Jung

 

C.G. Jung’s War on the Christian Faith by J. Budziszewski (2010):

https://www.equip.org/articles/c-g-jungs-war-on-the-christian-faith/

 

The Hidden Dangers of Carl Jung by Douglas Groothuis (2023)

https://www.douglasgroothuis.com/post/the-hidden-dangers-of-carl-jung

 

    Jung was heavily involved in the occult. Deuteronomy 18 warns us about those practices such as consulting with the dead.  

    He denied the Trinity, but proposed a “Quaternity” with Lucifer as an additional Person of the Godhead!

    He said that Good and Evil could be reconciled, contradicting Romans 12:21.

    The collective unconscious is not a Biblical idea.

    Clinical psychologist Richard Noll wrote The Jung Cult which documents Jung's pagan and occultic tendencies.

Our Christian Worldview must be based on Scripture!

Is it okay to use our mind or be a scientist?  Go ask King Solomon! #Sol_the_Scientist

 

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (Jn. 17:17)

 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

    and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Pr. 9:10)

 

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.  Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. ... He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.  From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom. (1 Kings 4:29-34)

 

Even a child knows that #Evolution is wrong (Apes Ain't Grapes) and that there is a God!  A number of "atheists" dealt with early tragedy in a negative manner and lost their father at a young age.  A kid knows it's wrong to steal.  Consider Romans 1:20 and 2:15 along with Hebrews 3:4,

 

Rom 1:20 >>

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

 

Regarding the Gentiles, Paul says (Rom. 2:15):

They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.

 

Heb. 3:4 >>

For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.

Faith of the Fatherless: The Psychology of Atheism by Dr. Paul Vitz hits the mark!  Disappointment in one's earthly father can progress towards a denial of God (e.g. death, absence, mistreatment):

https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Fatherless-Psychology-Paul-Vitz/dp/1586176870

 

Even Kant (d. 1804) had the witness of Creation & Conscience figured out: “Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and reverence, the more often and more steadily one reflects on them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”

That statement is on his tombstone!

      

Immanuel Kant and Genesis:

https://creation.com/immanuel-kant-and-genesis

>> A Very Helpful Resource >>

Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties by Gleason L. Archer Jr. (1982):

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/458027.Encyclopedia_of_Bible_Difficulties

 

New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties - Archer:

https://www.amazon.com/New-International-Encyclopedia-Bible-Difficulties/dp/0310241464

 

We read this from the Forward by Kenneth Kantzer:

 

Miller Burrows, former professor of New Testament at Yale University, accurately summarizes this rather typical modern viewpoint: "The Bible is full of things which to an intelligent educated person of today are either quite incredible or at best highly questionable. ... The protracted struggle of theology to defend the inerrancy of the Bible (i.e. its complete truth) against the findings of astronomy, geology, and biology has been a series of retreats ending in a defeat which has led all wise theologians to move to a better position." (Outline of Biblical Theology, 1946, pp. 9, 44)

Dr. James White discusses the "problem" of the location of the Feeding of the Five Thousand (Mt. 14, Mk. 6, Lk. 9, Jn. 6) at the 29:10 mark, he shows a helpful map of the Sea of Galilee at 44:50 ...

https://www.aomin.org/aoblog/general-apologetics/mark-confused-birth-narratives-original-readings/

 

Note "pros Bethsaida" in Mark 6:45,

Καὶ εὐθὺς ἠνάγκασεν τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἐμβῆναι εἰς τὸ πλοῖον καὶ προάγειν εἰς τὸ πέραν πρὸς Βηθσαϊδάν, ἕως αὐτὸς ἀπολύει τὸν ὄχλον.

 

πρὸς can mean "nearby," "alongside," or "towards" >>

https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/pros.html

 

Dr. White has written What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur'an:  https://www.christianbook.com/every-christian-needs-know-about-quran/james-white/9780764209765/pd/209765

 

Sea of Galilee map:

https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/105442/was-marie-magdalene-healed-once-or-twice-according-to-luke-82-and-mark-169-as

 

my site: https://totalyouth.us

cool swag: https://totalyouth.us/merch

 

HW: Does the study of Aesthetics prove the existence of God?

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jay-hall-m-s-b64526a_aesthetics-god-apologetics-activity-7364223720556564481-KxTl?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAHbbPwBBTN3-5NHy1Ow3Aqgq-KCW2E14ew

 

Graphic Sources:

https://www.craiyon.com/image/AX1iwBjKRf-i9NqGVSRc3g

https://chatgpt.com/c/68a7fd04-4cd4-8328-9e69-6697f74b936a

https://chatgpt.com/c/68a93734-65a0-8327-a343-3d9575ad575d

https://www.amazon.com/Demolishing-Supposed-Bible-Contradictions-1/dp/0890516006

 

#Experience_Apologetics # Apologetics_Experience #RU_Apologetic ? #Ben2Space ? ✨✳✺ #evo #evolution #JamesWhite #AOMIN #Elijah #Baal #Mt_Carmel #God #Jesus #Bible #BB6640 ╬ #OnePeter315 #Becauseof_thisAnswer ... #Norman_Geisler #Geisler #Geisler300 #CARL_GUSTAV_JUNG #SUGAR_JUG_TV_CLAN

#Richard_Noll #The_Jung_Cult #YouthCult ♫ #Jung_Messless ☺ #Jung_Irth #YES #Young_Earth_Science #Y6K #King_Solomon #wisdom #wise #YY #Sol #Sunday #Faith_ofthe_Fatherless #Atheism #PaulVitz #Rom120 #Rom215 #HEB3_4 ✨✳✺ #Kant #Creation #Conscience ╬ #Genesis #Gen1to11 #GIII

#Bible_Difficulties #Bible_Contradictions ?? A↔A' #Gleason_Archer (d. 2004)

#πρὸς #Sea_of_Galilee #TrueTruth #Schaeffer

Did Adam Support Gay Marriage?

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”  Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them.  And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.  The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field.  But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.  So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.  And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. (Gen. 2:18-22 ESV).

Male and female are complementary to each other.  Only the male/female pair reproduce.  A masculine man brings certain qualities to a marriage (1 man + 1 woman 4 LIFE) and a feminine woman brings other characteristics that make a marriage work.  When Adam named the animals he noticed the male-female pairing.  Where was Adam’s compatible and complementary female counterpart?  Adam believed in complementarianism, not gay marriage.       

Genesis continues, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh (Gen. 2:24).

A man leaves his Father and Mother.  Neither father & father nor mother & mother constitute parents.  Same sex couples do not become one flesh.  Only the male/female pair can do this.

Robert Reilly has written a fascinating book on the morality of same-sex relationships, Making Gay Okay: How Rationalizing Homosexual Behavior Is Changing Everything.  Reilly has shown that a reasonable man or woman can understand that same-sex couples are ethically incorrect.

In 2009, President Barack Obama held a meeting to celebrate the gay rights movement.  Obama said this about alternative lifestyle activist Franklin Kameny, “We are proud of you, Frank, and we are grateful to you for your leadership.” [1]  Kameny said the following in 2008:

Let us have more and better enjoyment of the more and better sexual perversions, by whatever definition, by more and more consenting adults…  If bestiality with consenting animals provides happiness to some people, let them pursue their happiness.  That is Americanism in action. [2]

In Plato’s Laws, the Athenian states his position:

…our citizens must not be worse than fowls and many other animals which are produced in large broods, and which live chaste and celibate lives without sexual intercourse until they arrive at the age for breeding; and when they reach this age they pair off, as instinct moves them, male with female and female with male; and thereafter they live in a way that is holy and just, remaining constant to their first contracts of love: surely our citizens should at least be better than these animals.

In Book 1 of Plato’s Laws, the Athenian affirms,

…I think that the pleasure is to be deemed natural which arises out of the intercourse between men and women; but that the intercourse of men with men, or of women with women, is contrary to nature, and that the bold attempt was originally due to unbridled lust. The Cretans are always accused of having invented the story of Ganymede and Zeus because they wanted to justify themselves in the enjoyment of unnatural pleasures…

Philosopher Immanuel Kant proposed his Categorical Imperative:  If it’s right, it’s right for all.  If gay is good and all practiced that maxim, then there would be no more babies.  Kant rejected homosexual conduct. 

Pleasure is indeed part of marriage (Song of Solomon).  But worshipping pleasure is a vain pursuit.  The Pleasure Principle can lead to destruction.   Consider the parable of Sam & Dave.  Sam and Dave are very good friends.  Sam loves to hit Dave in the head with a baseball bat.  Dave loves to hit Sam in the head with a baseball bat.  They practice this habitual pleasure for many years.  Sam & Dave never become one flesh (1 Cor. 6:16).

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” (Eph. 6:1-3 ESV)

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:9-11 ESV)

Special thanks to Francis Hall for the first graphic.  You may contact us through the email in our profile.  Please follow us on Twitter. 


Notes:

1)  Making Gay Okay: How Rationalizing Homosexual Behavior Is Changing Everything by Robert Reilly (Ignatius Press, 2014), p. 3.

2)  Ibid., p. 4.