Good Morning Friends,
Quote of the week:
Throughout church history, theologians have expressed three different aspects of biblical faith: notitia (knowledge), fiducia (trust), and assensus (assent). Notitia refers to the data or doctrinal content of the Christian faith (Jude 3). Assensus denotes the assent of the intellect to the truth of the content of Christian teaching. Note that each of these aspects of faith requires a careful exercise of reason, both in understanding what the teachings of Christianity are and in judging their truthfulness. In this way, reason is indispensable for the third aspect of faith — fiducia — which captures the personal application or trust involved in faith, an act that primarily involves the will but includes the affections and intellect too. – J.P. Moreland (from, Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul)
Now, here are your weekly links:
- The wonderfully designed cell cycle | Creation.com – Complete cells had to have existed at the very beginning, when life in its full complexity was created by God…: https://creation.com/en/articles/cell-cycle
- Stephen C. Meyer lectures on intelligent design and the origin of life | WINTERY KNIGHT: https://winteryknight.com/2017/09/30/stephen-c-meyer-lectures-on-intelligent-design-and-the-origin-of-life-5/
- Jesus’ Birth: How undesigned coincidences give evidence for the truth of the Gospel accounts. There are many charges raised against the historicity of the birth narratives of Jesus Christ. These run the gamut from objections based upon alleged contradictions to inconsistencies in the genealogies to incredulity over the possibility of a virgin birth. Rather than make a case to rebut each of these objections in turn, here I will focus upon using undesigned coincidences to note how these birth narratives of Christ have the ring of truth. How exactly do undesigned coincidences work? Simply put, they are incidental details that confirm historical details of stories across reports.: https://crossexamined.org/jesus-birth-undesigned-coincidences-give-evidence-truth-gospel-accounts/
- Is Intelligent Design Just God-of-the-Gaps? Centuries ago, scientific knowledge was in its infancy. Although our understanding of the natural world progressed, there were gaps in the explanations. Sometimes a scientist would insert God in this gap of knowledge to explain the unexplainable. But over time those gaps were filled with satisfactory natural explanations. Theists worried that if this trend continued, God would be relegated to the role of passive bystander to creation or worse, a wishful invention of their minds. Many atheists think that intelligent design makes the same mistake. They argue that we just insert God into aspects of science that are too complex and that we don’t understand. But the opposite is true. Intelligent design isn’t a God-of-the-gaps explanation. Rather, it’s a scientific theory that holds that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not a natural or undirected process.: https://www.str.org/w/is-intelligent-design-just-god-of-the-gaps-
- DNA Points to Design – Cyber Penance – Just as there is incredible fine-tuning in our universe, there is incredible fine-tuning in DNA. The evidence is so strong, that it even convinced, Antony Flew, who was one of the world’s leading atheists for several decades, to believe in the existence of God (which he wrote about in his book There is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind.): https://cyberpenance.wordpress.com/2018/08/13/the-odds-of-dna-points-to-design/
- DNA Wired for Design – Reasons to Believe – This biomolecule’s design is “crazy.” Yet every detail of DNA’s structure is crucial for the role it plays as an information storage system in the cell. You might say there is biochemical method to DNA’s madness when it comes to its properties. One of DNA’s “insane” features is its capacity to conduct electrical current through the interior of the double helix.: https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/the-cells-design/dna-wired-for-design
- Engineered Adaptability: Darwin’s Anti-Design Doctrine | The Institute for Creation Research – If you want to understand how evolutionists can clearly see what look like engineered features in a creature and yet conclude that the incredible design is only an illusion, then you must know why evolutionary theory was developed. To treat the root cause and not just symptoms, it is vital that you learn how evolutionary theory interprets data and frames explanations. Darwin’s Design Flip-Flop…: https://www.icr.org/article/darwins-anti-design-doctrine/
- Is God Real? The Bacterial Flagellum and the Divine Design Inference | Cold Case Christianity: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/is-god-real-the-bacterial-flagellum-and-the-divine-design-inference/
- 15 Ex-Gays, Lesbians ‘Come Out of Homosexuality’ in Documentary Film by Christian Ministry | World: https://www.christianpost.com/news/15-ex-gays-lesbians-come-out-of-homosexuality-in-documentary-film-by-christian-ministry-216574/
- Why don’t ex-gays’ stories count? I can also point you to countless thousands who have been helped. Who have improved the quality of their lives. Who are happier and more content. Who have resolved deep inner conflicts. Who have found gender wholeness (without surgery or lifelong hormones). Who have even seen changes in their sexual orientation. Why don’t their stories count? And what about those people who believe that God did not make them gay or trans? Do not their beliefs or convictions count?: https://www.christianpost.com/voices/why-dont-ex-gays-stories-count.html
- Are the New Testament manuscripts reliable? (Part 1) – YouTube – 3 minute video of Dan Wallace, New Testament manuscripts expert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtOWUUMoc6Q
- How Do We Know Who Wrote the Gospels in the New Testament? The earliest Gospel manuscripts in which the titles have survived seem to have been copied in the late second and early third centuries (Papyrus 66 and perhaps Papyrus 4 and Papyrus 75); that’s a century or more after the Gospels were originally written. And that’s one part of the evidence that causes some scholars to make the claim that the New Testament Gospels were originally anonymous. Who wrote the Gospels? But does this absence of titles provide evidence that the Gospels had circulated anonymously and that the titles were added in the second century A.D.? I’m not convinced that it does.: https://www.timothypauljones.com/apologetics-how-do-we-know-who-wrote-the-gospels-2/
- Are Biblical Manuscripts Reliable? – C.S. Lewis Institute (Amy Orr-Ewing) – It may well come as a shock to some that the manuscript tradition of the Old and New Testaments stands up to rigorous scrutiny. There is a widespread belief that much of the Bible was written centuries after the events it records and that it has been changed and tampered with on the whim of different scribes or interested parties. The breadth and age of the existing ancient manuscripts tell a very different story. However, the next question is invariably: “Just because the manuscripts are reliable, that doesn’t make the content of them true.” Indeed, it is true that no one argues for the historicity of Homer’s mythology, for example. The manuscripts of his writings may be reasonably intact, but that does not make what he was writing about reliable or accurate historical material. Aren’t the Gospels on the same kind of level-aren’t they just mythological, with true moral value but very little historical reality? Surely accounts involving people walking on water and water turning into wine weren’t meant to be taken as historically true-it’s all mythology, isn’t it? These questions are all very important, and it is true that the Christian must not assume that an unbeliever will accept the content of the biblical text as true simply because the manuscripts themselves have proved to be so trustworthy.: https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/are-biblical-manuscripts-reliable/
- [J Warner Wallace] Getting to the Original Message through Multiple Copies with Errors – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNfp6M8kMDc
- A Case for the Bible 101: Manuscript Evidence Part 11 – Are there errors in the manuscripts? – Truth, Faith and Reason – Sir Frederick Kenyon, Archeologist, said, “The number of manuscripts of the New Testament, of early translations from it, and of quotations from it in the oldest writers of the Church, is so large that it is practically certain that the true reading of every doubtful passage is preserved in some one or the other of these ancient authorities. This can be said of no other book in the world.”: https://truthfaithandreason.com/a-case-for-the-bible-101-manuscript-evidence-part-11-are-there-errors-in-the-manuscripts/
- The Claims of the Bible Part 3 | Radio Programs | Running to Win – 15 Minutes | Moody Church Media – The Bible claims over 1500 times that it is God’s Word. Many would question if there were too many contradictions to be trusted. In this message, we ponder three conclusive claims about the written Word of God. Either this book’s original manuscripts are entirely true, or totally unreliable and fictitious. : https://www.moodymedia.org/radio-programs/running-to-win-15/the-claims-of-the-bible-part-3/
- Should a Christian Attend a Same-Sex Wedding? I’ve (Alan Shlemon) attended more than one same-sex wedding in my life. In retrospect, I was wrong to attend. I want to unpack my reasoning for attending, explain why it was mistaken, and offer a practical alternative. Ever since same-sex marriage was legalized in the United States in 2015, American Christians have wrestled with whether they should attend a same-sex “wedding.” In many cases, they were invited by a family member or close friend who identifies as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB), and they wanted to communicate the fact that they love them, even though they disagree with homosexuality and same-sex marriage. I understand the temptation to attend. I reasoned it would be permissible to attend if I clarified to the couple that I didn’t approve of same-sex marriage and they still wanted me to attend. Now I realize my reasoning was mistaken, and I can’t, in good conscience as a Christian, attend such an event. Here are the two main reasons why.: https://www.str.org/w/should-a-christian-attend-a-same-sex-wedding-
- Renewing Your Mind | Why Apologetics? – We must not only answer the objections people raise about Christianity but also make a positive case for our faith. From his series Defending Your Faith, R.C. Sproul considers defensive and offensive apologetics.: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/2019/03/09/why-apologetics
- How Should Christians Respond to the Legal Decisions Expanding Abortion Rights? – Some Christians wonder, “What’s my role in this? I can’t help improve things.” The Christian’s responsibility is to influence people to do what is morally right. Of course we should pray for and financially support prolife ministries. We should do all we can to “defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.” (Psalm 82:3) All of us have heard, “If your friends told you to jump off a cliff would you?” It is implied in the question that just because your friends told you to do something that was bad, this would not make it good. Similarly, just because government allows something or even commands it, this does not make it good. Slavery was legal. Everything the Nazis did was entirely legal. Abortion is legal. The best way to ensure moral laws is to learn moral arguments.: https://ses.edu/abortion-rights-christian-response/
- The Issue at the Heart of the Abortion Debate – Christian Apologetics Alliance – The fact is, many arguments raised in favor of the pro-choice position are made from a position where one simply assumes that the fetus is no more than a clump of cells. But that’s exactly what the debate is supposed to be about! If the fetus is no more than a clump of cells, the debate is over. But if the fetus is indeed a person, then the arguments raised in favor of the pro-choice position are just as shoddy as those arguments with “toddler” substituted in for “unborn” or “fetus.” Thus, arguments like this must always be contextualized. The heart of the abortion debate is the status of the unborn. Once that question is answered, the answer to the question: “Is abortion permissible?” becomes crystal clear.: https://christianapologeticsalliance.com/2012/12/03/abortion-debate-heart/
- On the Origin of the Cosmos – An Interview with Dr. Michael Strauss – YouTube – Dr. Michael Strauss is respected both in the National Laboratories where he conducts research in experimental elementary particle physics, and the university classroom where he has received many teaching awards. In this exclusive interview at UC Santa Barbara, Strauss tackles a number of provocative questions relating to the origins and design of our universe. He relates how the evidence pointing to an expanding universe and a moment of creation troubled many scientists in the 20th Century. As a result of mounting evidence for the beginning of the universe and the exquisite fine-tuning of natural laws and physical parameters necessary for life, most of these scientists have come to acknowledge a “superintellect” behind it all.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-5uyGaLYJM
- New Archeological Evidence Fills the Gap in the Biblical Case for Human Origins – Reasons to Believe – Molecular clock analyses of mitochondrial DNA and Y Chromosomal DNA sequences place the origin of humanity around 130,000 years ago in East Africa. Based on the fragmentary fossil record, it appears as if the modern human form emerges around 100,000 years ago. Genetic diversity data also indicates that humanity arose from a small population traceable to a single man and single woman, in line with the biblical creation account. Yet, based on the archeological record, modern humans’ sophisticated behavior apparently did not manifest until around 40,000-50,000 years ago. In other words, there seems to be a gap of 50,000 years between the emergence of the modern human form and modern human behavior.: https://reasons.org/explore/publications/articles/new-archeological-evidence-fills-the-gap-in-the-biblical-case-for-human-origins
- Origin: Probability of a Single Protein Forming by Chance – REASONED CASES FOR CHRIST – Proteins make up our cells and do most of the work in them. This way, they bring genetic code to life because the recipes for building proteins are stored within the genes’ DNA code.: https://bcooper.ca/2018/02/10/origin-probability-of-a-single-protein-forming-by-chance/
- Problem 2: Unguided Chemical Processes Cannot Explain the Origin of the Genetic Code | Science and Culture Today – Let’s assume that a primordial sea filled with life’s building blocks did exist on the early Earth, and somehow it formed proteins and other complex organic molecules. Theorists believe that the next step in the origin of life is that – entirely by chance – more and more complex molecules formed until some began to self-replicate. From there, they believe Darwinian natural selection took over, favoring those molecules that were better able to make copies of themselves. Eventually, they assume, it was inevitable that these molecules would evolve complex machinery – like that used in today’s genetic code – to survive and reproduce. Have modern origin-of-life theorists explained how this crucial bridge from inert nonliving chemicals to self-replicating molecular systems took place? The most prominent hypothesis for the origin of the first life is called the “RNA world.” In living cells, genetic information is carried by DNA, and most cellular functions are carried out by proteins. However, RNA is capable of both carrying genetic information and catalyzing some biochemical reactions. As a result, some theorists postulate the first life might have used RNA alone to fulfill all these functions. But there are many problems with this hypothesis.: https://scienceandculture.com/2015/01/problem_2_ungui/
- Is it Orchid or Insect? | Creation Moments – There are at least four known types of orchids that effectively pretend to be female insects. They are so good at this ruse that they attract the attentions of male pollinators. That there are four different varieties that do this makes it clear that this trickery isn’t due to chance. The Creator does not want us to make the mistake of thinking that He doesn’t exist.: https://creationmoments.com/radio/broadcast-archive/todays-creation-moment/is-it-orchid-or-insect/
- Why It’s Important for Every Christian to Be a Christian Case Maker – YouTube – In this (< 2 min) clip from an Apologetics Canada Conference, J. Warner describes the need for every Christian to be able to articulate what they believe and why they believe it. All of us need to be better Christian Case Makers, especially if we have kids.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx7d8w3F6qA
- Christian Case Makers: Young People Ought to Be Our Jury | Cold Case Christianity: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/christian-case-makers-young-people-ought-to-be-our-jury-2/
- What would make a committed, aggressive atheist become a follower of Jesus and then personally fund a documentary laying out the evidence for God? In today’s conversation, Michael Ray Lewis shares his remarkable journey from rejecting Christianity, mocking believers and making horror films to encountering evidence he could no longer ignore. Since then, he’s now made a documentary about the evidence for Christianity. This is a fascinating story and it is a wakeup call for us Christians, because Michael reports that no Christians were able to give an answer to the objections he posed. The key was when he found a Hugh Ross video and understood his view of the Genesis creation account: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PaogH-qN9I
- Church Hurt is a Problem | Frank Turek #Shorts – YouTube: https://youtube.com/shorts/xcqXJwzRfFE?si=EQZzhU0dsAxJSDCc
- Was the Virgin Conception Borrowed from Prior Mythologies? Skeptics have properly observed that many ancient legendary heroes and kings were said to be the offspring of the gods, and a number of non-Christian religions describe virgin conceptions as well. Did the early Christians simply apply the idea of the virgin conception to the evolving fiction of Jesus? I think there are a number of problems with this idea: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/was-the-virgin-conception-borrowed-from-prior-mythologies/
- Does DNA tell us how old humanity is?: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1369515751329743
- Ray Comfort tries to convince a young atheist that God exists based on creation: https://www.facebook.com/reel/646260431376148
- Kirk Cameron came out in favor of annihilationism and this guy addresses all Kirk’s arguments: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1343446080350176
- Ray Comfort Addressing Kirk Cameron’s New Thoughts on Hell – In this video, Ray responds to Kirk Cameron’s recent comments about conditional mortality and annihilationism, and he clarifies Living Waters’ long held position on the biblical doctrine of eternal conscious torment. Ray also explains Kirk’s current relationship to the ministry. Watch through to see recent street interviews where Ray warns about the reality of judgment and points people to the mercy of Christ. A full podcast episode offering a thorough defense of the historic view of hell is coming soon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1BAU7cdh8Y
In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself ! Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. Mark 15:31-32
Blessings to you all