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 Why are you here?

 

Is Christianity a fairy tale fit only for children and the feebleminded?  Or is this worldview a revelation of God's truth for humanity?  Can someone accept it or reject it  without eternal consequences ultimately?  How can we know whether or not accepting Christianity is reasonable given the evidence presently available to make a decision?

 

 

The Bible is the "instruction booklet" for a very complex, intricate "product" of the Creator:  humanity itself. Given the truth that the Bible reveals special knowledge to humanity that can't otherwise be known by human reason and/or experience, what does it actually teach us to do and to believe?  Are the mainstream traditional churches, Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant, correctly interpreting Scripture by and large?  Or, perhaps leaning on tradition itself as a source of authority, could have they made fundamental errors unbeknownst to generations of sincere believers, whether they be laypeople or clergymen?

Consider the following doctrinal controversies:  

Should God's existence and the reliability of Scripture be proven by human reason?  Or should they be believed in by faith alone?

Click here to access essays that defend Christianity's truth

Was Jesus Christ, the Savior from sin according to Christians, God in the flesh?  Do Christians have to obey God in order to be saved?  Or is faith alone sufficient for both justification and sanctification?  

Is the Old Testament law still binding on Christians in any form?  May Christians ignore the Fourth Commandment?:  "The seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work" (Exodus 20:10).  Does God expect us to tithe today or even obey such festivals and holy days as the Passover, Pentecost, and the Day of Atonement as described in Leviticus 23?  

How should the assembly of believers, the church, be organized?  Should it be hierarchical, with ordained ministers?  Or should it be congregationalist, with no one having earthly church authority directly from God but only as allowed (ultimately) by a vote of the assembled believers?

Click here to access essays about specific Christian teachings

Click here for the notes of various sermonettes

So our quest here is two-fold:

1.  Is Christianity true to begin with?       

2.  Given that Christianity is true, what should Christians specifically believe?

SINCE  ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS ABOVE ARE GOOD ONES TO ASK, WHERE SHOULD WE TURN FOR THE ANSWERS?

GIVEN ALL QUESTIONS ABOVE THAT COULD BE ASKED, ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT TO ACCEPT CHRISTIANITY TO BEGIN WITH AND WHAT CHRISTIANS DOCTRINES ARE TRUE, WHAT SHOULD THE SINCERE SEEKER DO?

THIS WEB SITE IS DEDICATED TO HELPING THE INQUIRING SOUL IN TWO WAYS:  

1.  IT PROVIDES INFORMATION BEARING ON WHETHER OR NOT TO EMBRACE CHRISTIANITY AS A CORRECT WORLD VIEW.   

2.  IT PROVIDES INFORMATION BEARING ON THE CORRECT INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE.  

THE DOCUMENTS AND ESSAYS POSTED ON THIS WEB SITE ARE THE MAIN WAY IT SEEKS TO HELP THE SINCERE SEEKER.  

 


  (February 2022)

Does the Bible endorse or promote slavery?  Let's examine the Old Testament's law on this matter to see if the skeptics' attacks have any merit.

Slavery in Bible Explained.rtf

Slavery in Bible Explained.doc

Slavery in Bible Explained.htm

The late Carl Franklin, who was long associated with the Christian Biblical Church of God (CBCG) and Fred Coulter, was a 1964 graduate of the Worldwide Church of God's Ambassador College.  He wrote extensively about many doctrines that the Church of God has upheld.  Although I never have attended that particular church of the COG, I believe it's a good practice to distribute the truth when it's freely available to those interested, regardless of who wrote it originally.  This downloadable zip file of 1.1 gigabytes is an extensive, perhaps even nearly complete, collection of his writings over his lifetime in pdfs.  So this file has to be downloaded first before it can be opened.  It may take five minutes to download, depending on your ISP service/modem speed, because of its large size.

Carl Franklin Collected Articles Research Writings.zip

Would you like to listen to the bible in your car while driving?  This dramatized version of the New Testament (NIV) is particularly good.  I think the use of British actors to play the parts is particularly appealing; it seems that they did a better job (or had better voices) than the comparable Americans did in the same series.  Since this is a zipped file, it will take some time to download (two or three minutes possibly).  It has to be downloaded before it can  be listened to or opened since it is in a zipped format.

English_New_International_Version_NT_Drama.zip

 

Was there a great early apostasy in the church's history?  This essay explains both the biblical evidence and the evidence from what church history has survived from the ancient world that a major departure from the first-century church's doctrines did occur.  It's a serious error to have an "optimistic" viewpoint of church history, such as the Catholics have, in which the major teachings of the church from the first century were successfully transmitted down through the centuries.

Church History Early Apostasy Evidence.rtf

Church History Early Apostasy Evidence.htm  

Is homosexual sex wrong?  This essay makes makes the biblical case against homosexuality.  Many liberal Christians want to try to justify homosexuality using the bible, but that can't be honestly done.  It requires them to constantly split hairs and redefine terms such that the bible's condemnations are about other types of homosexual relations, not the type that they are talking about.

Homosexuality Condemned.rft

Homosexuality Condemned .htm.

 

Is evolution bad philosophy or good science?  This essay here is a quick overview of the basic problems with the theory of evolution.  It's basically bad philosophy masquerading as good science.  Agnostics simply assume materialistic premises in advance a priori, and find it amazing when "God" can't be in their conclusions.  They rig up the definition of "science" and other terms to fit their philosophy, which deceives people into think that evolution has been proven when it really has only been assumed.  The second essay below demonstrates why it's absurd to believe that the first living, self-replicating cell occurred by chance in the ancient ocean somewhere. The third (incomplete) essay is an analysis of how old the earth is from a view that's sympathetic to the young earth viewpoint, but not totally sold on it

Evolution Based on Philosophy not Science.doc

Evolution Based on Philosophy not Science.htm

Spontaneous Generation Is Impossible.doc

 Spontaneous Generation Is Impossible.htm

How Old Is the Earth? .rtf

How Old Is the Earth? .htm

 

Who is John Galt?  Correspondingly, who is Ayn Rand?  Rand's 1957 novel "Atlas Shrugged" finally hit America's movie screens some years ago after decades of delay.  Since her books have sold in the millions, it's worthwhile to review briefly the flaws in her Objectivist philosophy from an informed intellectual Christian perspective.  This essay has been newly updated from its original version with material that responds in detail to anti-Christian assertions found in her novel "The Fountainhead.":

Atlas Shrugged Brief Response 0411.doc

Atlas Shrugged Brief Response 0411.htm

 

What are the theology and doctrinal views of the Black Muslim movement, which Elijah Muhammad (Poole) and Malcolm X led?  What should Christians think of the claims of Malcolm X's "Autobiography"?  The goal of this analysis is to admit the systematic mistreatment that black Americans have received at the hands of whites while also pointing out why Islam is no solution to what ails black Americans.  This essay is also a critique of the liberal view of race relations as well. from a conservative viewpoint.  This is the "Alpha Version."  The plan is to add a lot more at a future date.

 

/Malcolm X Autobiography Analyzed Critically Alpha Version.doc

Malcolm X Autobiography Analyzed Critically Alpha Version.rtf

Malcolm X Autobiography Analyzed Critically Alpha Version.htm

  

Who and what is God? God is the Creator of the universe, but what else can be known about Him from nature and from the Bible?  This essay explains that God isn't a Trinity, but a single Family of two Beings at present, the Father and the Son.

Who and What Is God? .htm

Who and What Is God? .rtf   

 

Should Christians celebrate Christmas?  Do the pagan origins of most of the customs used for celebrating Christmas matter?  Read this essay to find out why the pagan origins of Christmas matter:

 

Christmas' Pagan Origins Examined.htm

Christmas' Pagan Origins Examined.rtf 

 

What is the millennium?  What is the difference between pre-millennialism, amillennialism, and post-millennialism?  Which one of these fits the Bible’s teachings best?  Let’s first define and explain what the millennium is and what will happen during it.  That is the foundation for beginning to understand pre-millennialism and post-millennialism.   This essay will defend the truth of pre-millennialism as against post-millennialism.

Millennialism Defined.htm

Millennialism Defined.rtf

Are most people predestined to go to hell?  Is "once saved, always saved" true?  Did Jesus die only for saved Christians and not for the whole world?  The theological system of Calvinism traditionally has claimed that the Bible teaches that most people have no choice about whether they will be saved or not because of God's utter sovereignty.  This essay makes a basic case against Calvinism, although it makes a few concessions in its direction.  Overall, this essay defends the viewpoint of Arminianism, which emphasizes humanity's free will.

Calvinism Versus Arminianism.rtf

Calvinism Versus Arminianism.pdf

Calvinism Versus Arminianism.htm

Is Pope Francis right to condemn the death penalty in all cases?  What does the Bible have to say about capital punishment?  What does social science research really say?  Can a case be made for the death penalty from the viewpoint of philosophical ethics?  This essay makes the Biblical case for the death penalty, including by citing texts that show it deters evil behavior.

Death Penalty Defense Summary.rtf

Death Penalty Defense Summary.pdf

Death Penalty Defense Summary.htm

Are you allowed to prove God's existence?  Should Christians avoid trying to prove the Bible and God's existence to skeptics?  The school of Christian apologetics called "presuppositionalism" argues that Christians shouldn't do this, but these essays show that belief is mistaken.

 Presuppositionalism Fideism Critique.doc

Presuppositionalism Fideism Critique.rtf

Presuppositionalism Fideism Critique.pdf

Presuppositionalism Fideism Critique.htm

Is Zionism Evil?

This essay makes a moderate case for Zionism, since I maintain that Christians should be pacifists.  However, I do believe that the government of the modern state of Israel is no more illegitimate than that of (say) France or any Arab state.

Is Zionism Evil.htm

Is Zionism Evil.doc

Is Zionism Evil.rtf

Is the Koran the Word of God?

This essay is an analysis of the textual problems and contradictions within the Muslim's holy book, the Koran.  Much of the first part of this essay is dependent on the research of Robert Morey, "The Islamic Invasion."  Secondarily, Stephen J. Shoemaker's "Creating the Qur'an:  A Historical-Critical Study" is used here for analyzing how reliably the text of the Koran was preserved.

Is the Koran the Word of God.htm

Is the Koran the Word of God? .doc

Is the Koran the Word of God? .rtf

Should Christians Observe Sunday as Their Sabbath?

Many Christians over the centuries have asserted that Christians hsould go to church on Sundays instead of Saturdays.  Does the bible support this viewpoint?

Is Sunday the Christian Sabbath? .doc

Is Sunday the Christian Sabbath? .htm

Is Sunday the Christian Sabbath?  .rtf

 

 

 Whitewash!  Islam's hidden history exposed!

Is Islam really a "religion of peace"?  Do poverty, ignorance, and oppression explain why Muslims on average are more apt to resort to non-state terrorism?  Have Muslims always been the victims of "Christian" Crusades and Western imperialism throughout history?  Or have Muslim nations been frequently guilty of launching jihads and aggressive wars of conquest of their own? Are crusades evil, but jihads good?  If "equal opportunity" conquest by many different civilizations has happened historically, why is the West being unfairly singled out for excessive criticism on this issue?  Can non-Western civilizations also be imperialistic?   Is the modern State of Israel, the product of the Zionist movement, a uniquely sinful and illegitimate state?  Does its very existence violate God's law more than any other nation's existence?  Is the self-determination the ultimate political value that overrides all others?  Click on the essay below to find out more about these subjects:

Whitewash!  Islam's Hidden History Exposed! .doc  

Whitewash!  Islam's Hidden History Exposed! .pdf

 Whitewash!  Islam's Hidden History Exposed! .htm

This Web site also has a page dealing with various general historical subjects.  Click below in order to visit it:     

 

Who was better off on average in 1830?  A black slave living in the American South or an English farmworker?  Who had the higher standard of living?  Who had the better quality of life?  How did the sexual division of labor affect both groups?  How did the respective ruling classes keep control of the slaves and farmworkers?  How did the slaves and farmworkers resist their respective masters?  While citing many primary and secondary historical sources, this document carefully compares and contrasts these two groups while describing the way they lived and worked on an everyday basis.  Part of the original form of this document (roughly the first fourth) was accepted as an M.A. thesis in history at Michigan State University in 1997.  This kind of history writing shows how falsely Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind" portrays the slaves' conditions while it  romanticizes nostalgically the antebellum South.

Were American Slaves or English Farmworkers Better Off?  .html

Were American Slaves or English Farmworkers Better Off?  .doc

Were American Slaves or English Farmworkers Better Off?  .wpd

Were American Slaves or English Farmworkers Better Off?   .rtf

Were American Slaves or English Farmworkers Better Off?  .pdf

  

 

 

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.  We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."  (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) 

  

 

 


 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."  (Matthew 5:5)

  

    Special disclaimer:  No statement or document posted on this Web site should be construed or cited as  an official statement on doctrine by the United Church of God, AIA or the Church of God, International.  I am not an official spokesman for either organization.

 

 


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Apologetics 
Doctrinal 
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History