Is Christianity True? – Part 2: The Christian Worldview
The Four Basic Worldview Questions A religion is fundamentally a system of religious beliefs. What makes a collection of religious beliefs a “system” is that they are built up around a set of core beliefs called a “worldview”. There are different ways of conceptualizing worldviews; I favor conceiving of worldviews as problem-solving schemas, on analogy … Is Christianity True? – Part 2: The Christian Worldview
Did Jesus Die on the Cross? Part 1: Geisler’s Case
According to the Christian philosopher Dr. Norman Geisler: Before we [i.e. Christian believers] can show that Jesus rose from the dead, we need to show that he really did die. (When Skeptics Ask, p.120) William Lane Craig does not understand this basic principle concerning the alleged resurrection of Jesus, and as a result his case for … Did Jesus Die on the Cross? Part 1: Geisler’s Case
What is Christianity? Part 17: Worldviews as “Master Stories”?
James Sire comes from an Evangelical Christian point of view, so for him the miracle stories in the Gospels are crucial to the Christian worldview, especially the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection of Jesus. Belief in such miracles are indeed part of ancient Christian Creeds that are still used in most Protestant and Catholic worship … What is Christianity? Part 17: Worldviews as “Master Stories”?
Debate: The Evidence for Jesus from the Talmud – Wrap-Up Comments
I summarized Joe Hinman’s argument from the external evidence of the Talmud this way: 1. There are MANY references to Jesus in the Talmud that were censored but that were preserved in some texts. 2. There are A FEW references to Jesus in the Talmud that were not censored. 3. ALL of the references to Jesus … Debate: The Evidence for Jesus from the Talmud – Wrap-Up Comments
Is Christianity True?
As indicated in a previous post, for the next four or five years I plan to focus on the question: Is Christianity true? I plan to do most of my Christianity-centered posts on my old Cross Examination blog site, where I have set up the initial logical structure of interconnected blog posts (including a number that … Is Christianity True?
Skepticism and Conjunctions
Belief in God and belief in the Christian faith are both vulnerable to skepticism in view of the fact that both beliefs consist in conjuctions. Some of the key divine attributes are: In order for God to exist, there must be one and only one person who has all five of these divine attributes. If … Skepticism and Conjunctions
Debate: External Evidence for Jesus – Wrapping up the Debate
Josh McDowell and various life events have distracted me from the debate with Joe Hinman about the external evidence for the existence of Jesus. (Sorry for the delay, Joe.) I wrote an introductory post about the debate: Introduction to the Debate Hinman presented five arguments for the existence of Jesus based on external (non-biblical) evidence: … Debate: External Evidence for Jesus – Wrapping up the Debate
McDowell’s Trilemma – Part 1: An Eternally Bodiless Person
Here are the basic premises of McDowell’s Trilemma Argument (hereafter: MTA), from The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict (hereafter: NETDV by Josh McDowell: ================= …Jesus definitely claimed to be God (see below and in Chapter 6). So every person must answer the question: Is His claim to deity true or false? This question deserves a … McDowell’s Trilemma – Part 1: An Eternally Bodiless Person
Debate: External Evidence for Jesus – Parts 5B and 5C
Joe Hinman’s fifth argument for the existence of Jesus based on external evidence is presented in two sections of his post on the Web of Historicity: 5B. Big Web of Historicity 5C. Jesus Myth Theory Cannot Account for the Web The fifth argument for the existence of Jesus can be summarized in terms of a … Debate: External Evidence for Jesus – Parts 5B and 5C
Debate: External Evidence for Jesus – Part 5A: Various Points
Some of Hinman’s discussions about his five principles of historical investigation provide needed clarification of a principle, and some of his discussions fail to provide clarification of the relevant principle. But even when Hinman fails to clarify one of his general principles of historical investigation, he often makes some significant or interesting points. I will … Debate: External Evidence for Jesus – Part 5A: Various Points