the BLOG
Explore by Topic
Explore by Format
Search Results | 33 results found
Is Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder?
Just like God’s rational nature grounds rational truth and His moral nature grounds moral truth, God’s aesthetic nature is the grounding of aesthetic truth.
Debunking the Religious Wars Myth
“Religion is the cause of most wars,” declared our atheist guest. A few students shot nervous glances at me, hoping I would jump in. I sat there silently, not responding, instead waiting for the students’ training to kick in. We were in Berkeley, on a mission trip with more than 60 high schoolers and staff from Upland Christian Academy. Our atheist speaker, Victor, was outlining various objections to religion. He continued, “And Christianity can be blamed for many of those wars.”
Students Don’t Have to Be Intimidated by Evolution
When was the last time you went to a birthday party for a dead guy? Here’s your chance. On February 12, evolutionists everywhere will gather for Darwin Day, a celebration of Charles Darwin’s birthday. Darwin can’t make it, but that won’t stop the celebrations planned worldwide.
Not Just Any Ol' God
In July, I took the leaders and students of Lutheran Church and School of Messiah in Grand Junction, Colorado, to the radically different culture of Berkeley, California, on their very first apologetics mission trip. I love taking new groups on the Berkeley Mission, setting up opportunities for them to dialogue with real atheists and then watching them discover just how reasonable it is to believe in God.
Are Mormons Christians?
Brett's monthly letter for August 2011 Dear Friend, It was a simple request. “Would you be willing to take a survey on the differences between Christianity and Mormonism?” I asked, standing in the shadow of the Mormon temple in downtown Salt Lake City. “I am a Christian. Mormons are Christians, too,” declared a puzzled-looking middle-aged woman, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). As we stood on the sidewalk talking, she expressed her confusion.
Ambassadors for Christ
Brett's monthly letter for October 2010 Dear Friend, “An atheist from Berkeley is here.” The youth pastor’s statement caught me off guard. I was sitting in a church lobby, reviewing notes for a talk I was about to give. My first thought was, “What atheist in their right mind would drive from Berkeley to attend a youth apologetics conference in the Inland Empire?”
Is Faith a Blind Leap?
According to New Atheist Sam Harris, “Faith is generally nothing more than the permission religious people give one another to believe things strongly without evidence.”* Coming from an atheist, this view is not surprising. But when it comes from believers? Recently, I heard a Christian argue, “Providing a reason for your faith is ultimately fruitless, regardless of how logical your reasons might be. Faith is believing without reasons or evidence.” Again, I’m not surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised.
We Live at the Mercy of Our Ideas
Brett explains why what we believe is critical for the way we live. The truth - or what's false - affects us deeply.
Getting in the Game
Brett gives some practical advice for evangelism. Christians talk too much. At least, they feel the pressure to. In “Why I Am a Christian,” I tell students the first reason I’m a Christian is because it’s true, and that I’ve got good reasons to think so. When they hear this, students sometimes feel pressure to have all the right answers for their friends. I hear the stress in their voices when they ask, “So what should I say to my non-Christian friend?” That’s when I give them two pieces of advice.