oddXian: Challenge the Consensus

I've heard the expression used before "SAME heresy, but just dressed up in different clothes." This one is no different and it should not surprise us any longer to see supposed discoveries and documentaries such as this just before Easter, for it's now beginning to be more the trend than the exception. (Does the Da Vinci Code bring back any memories?) Having not seen the documentary, but having witnessed those on the both the side of Christianity (conservative and liberal) as well as professed unbelievers express their excitement or lack thereof, as well as their opinions, let me briefly address a few issues. First, let me make it clear that while the scholar from UNC says that if this finding is true, it really doesn't affect Christianity all that much, that he cannot be further from the truth. This issue strikes at the heart of religion itself and the heart of the gospel. While he suggests that "when Paul says he saw Jesus, this could have just been spiritu...

I did a quick rundown on the DNA testing. In my opinion, it is pretty much worthless. One thing that is mentioned in passing in the Jesus Tomb documentary is the DNA testing. It immediately struck me as odd that they will release fairly detailed supporting documents for all other "evidence", but that the DNA analysis is not really shown in detail anywhere. There is a lot of precedence for the testing of ancient DNA, most notably on mummies. DNA testing on mummies has shown this type of testing to be quite hard. DNA is one of the first things that decompose. Decomposition will break up the DNA strands, which will lead to false sequencing. The factors that lead to decomposition include temperature, PH and the availibility of oxygen and water. Read more here: Critical assessment

See a great list of resources at the CounterCult blog . Here is a Fox News video - not the greatest response from the Christian Skeptic side, but that is no surprise - when will they ask somebody like James White to be the counterpoint to this effluvia? From Dr.White: “We are also seeing the danger of investing Hollywood celebrities with nigh unto divine powers. James Cameron brought us Terminator and Titanic, but now he seems to have become an archaeologist and theologian as well. He is quoted as saying, “It doesn’t get bigger than this. We’ve done our homework; we’ve made the case; and now it’s time for the debate to begin.” Well, if a true scholarly debate is what they wanted, they would have presented this material first in a completely different context. They don’t want debate anymore than Dan Brown did. They want money, they want power, and evidently, they know the best way to get it these days is to join the “attack Christianity” bandwagon. They have presented their conclusions ...

from MORNING & EVENING: "Thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation." -- Psalms 91:9 The Israelites in the wilderness were continually exposed to change. Whenever the pillar stayed its motion, the tents were pitched; but tomorrow, ere the morning sun had risen, the trumpet sounded, the ark was in motion, and the fiery, cloudy pillar was leading the way through the narrow defiles of the mountain, up the hill side, or along the arid waste of the wilderness. They had scarcely time to rest a little before they heard the sound of "Away! this is not your rest; you must still be onward journeying towards Canaan!" They were never long in one place. Even wells and palm trees could not detain them. Yet they had an abiding home in their God, his cloudy pillar was their roof-tree, and its flame by night their household fire. They must go onward from place to place, continually changing, never having time to settle, and ...

Recently - while reading this compendium of Christian theological propositions - I began thinking about theology for children and the resources available to teach them in a systematic fashion. In due course, I ran across some good resources that I wanted to capture - see below for some results. I pray these are helpful to you - please feel free to post additional sources in the comments section. From here : Catechism for Young Children Catechism for Your children A small Reformed catechism for Preschoolers with Bible verse answers The Small Child's Catechism The Westminster Larger Catechism, part one The Westminster Larger Catechism, part two The Westminster Shorter Catechism The Westminster Larger Catechism with proof texts The Heidelberg Catechism The Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics Fisher's Catechism and the catechism of the Church of Geneva at this site, but because of the way they are set up, you need to go the main page (which is a frameset...

Triablogue answers RR Paul Manata has actually taken the time to answer all 89 questions posed by the "Rational Responders". Typically, Manata is precise and to the point in his answers, which I guess will get no rational reaction from the amateur atheologians, except for the "waaa-waaa" defense. It will be good fun to get our own set of questions together for atheists to answer in the same fashion though. I'll start with a few, then the other contributors can weigh in with their questions. 1. Why is there something rather than nothing? 2. How do you know that you exist (without being circular)? 3. Where does human self-consciousness come from? 4. How do you know that your senses are reliable (without being circular)? 5. What is truth? 6. What is the cause of everything? Feel free to add to the list, I will do so too as we go along. To our unbelieving visitors, feel free to have a crack at answering the questions. Please quote sources as neccessary and take ca...

Mark 2:29 states "But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." It should not be surprising when unbelievers are seen to key in on this verse in attempting to taunt believers and promote their unbelief. The Blasphemy Challenge is no exception. In it, as captured by Nightline , members of the Rational Response Squad is trying to encourage and provide a method for atheists to come out of the closet and to resist and erase a social vilification (and subjective fear), challenged people to make videos of themselves denying, denouncing or blaspheming the Holy Spirit and then to post them on YouTube. Hundreds have participated, but the question remains: What in effect have they accomplished and what in effect are they accomplishing? I'd like to address those issues. First, it is possible that some in participating show a misinterpretation of the text itself. While some in posting a video may by doing so reveal their a...

Bob Kauflin responds to the question below here : What would you say are the benefits of a "worship team" (several singers leading at the front) as opposed to one "songleader"? From what I can see, at least one major benefit is, to have many voices projecting the volume of a song *AT* the congregation, to help them catch on to it. This has been especially helpful when learning new songs. Are there other benefits of a worship team, in your opinion?

Article here - what a profound testimony!

I really can't say anything more than...just watch this ...

Mark 7 The Syrophoenician Woman 24 Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice. 25 But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 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." 28 But she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children's crumbs." 29 And He said to her, "Because of this answer go; the demon has gone out of your daughter." 30 And going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, the demon having left. Compare and contrast with: John 6 Five Thousand Fed 1 After these things Je...