oddXian: Challenge the Consensus

Interesting discovery. Whatever one may think of "evidential" apologetics, this particular discovery, if valid, throws a wrench into the "Exodus was a myth" theory. From Archeologists find 'Joseph-era' coins in Egypt "A thorough examination revealed that the coins bore the year in which they were minted and their value, or effigies of the pharaohs [who ruled] at the time of their minting. Some of the coins are from the time when Joseph lived in Egypt, and bear his name and portrait," said the report."

More than 350 schools in 43 states have implemented courses on the Bible for the 2009-2010 academic year, a new report reveals. See the report in The Christian Post here .

We have the following bit of experience from a general officer of the United States Army. He was in a great western city at a time of intense excitement and violent rioting. The streets were over-run daily by a dangerous crowd. One day he observed approaching him a man of singularly combined calmness and firmness of mien [bearing], whose very demeanor inspired confidence. So impressed was he with his bearing amid the surrounding uproar that when he had passed he turned to look back at him, only to find that the stranger had done the same. On observing his turning the stranger at once came back to him, and touching his chest with his forefinger, demanded without preface: "What is the chief end of man?" On receiving the countersign, "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever"--"Ah!" said he, "I knew you were a Shorter Catechism boy by your looks!" "Why that is just what I was thinking of you," was the rejoinder. It i...

It would be nice to think that hell does not exist, or that men and women may avoid it even if they do not have faith in Jesus Christ. But such thoughts are a delusion and, as J. I. Packer writes: "It is really a mercy to mankind that God in Scripture is so explicit about hell." Derek Thomas addresses the question: Will a Loving God Condemn People to Hell?

McDermott added, “The underlying issue is really the authority of Scripture. [Rejecting Scripture means] you have to come up with a different God, a different Jesus, a different gospel and a different salvation,” he said. “Homosexuality is simply the surface manifestation right now of that basic rejection. It will be different in the future.” Quote from Gerald McDermott, teaching pastor at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Roanoke, Va. See article here .

There has been much controversy in the contemporary church around two doctrinal positions, Arminianism and Calvinism. In a nutshell: Arminianism (drawn from Wikipedia ) is a school of soteriological thought within Protestant Christianity based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609) and his historic followers, the Remonstrants . The doctrines' acceptance stretches through much of mainstream Christianity, including evangelical Protestantism. Arminianism holds to the following tenets: Humans are naturally unable to make any effort towards salvation (see also prevenient grace ). Salvation is possible only by God's grace , which cannot be merited. No works of human effort can cause or contribute to salvation . God's election is conditional on faith in the sacrifice and Lordship of Jesus Christ. Christ's atonement was made on behalf of all people . God allows his grace to be resisted by those who freely reject Chris...

... we typically don't promote the works of agnostics, but... In The Devil’s Delusion, Berlinski turns the scientific community’s cherished skepticism back on itself, daring to ask (and answer) some rather embarrassing questions: Has anyone provided a proof of God’s inexistence? Have the sciences explained why our universe seems to be fine-tuned to allow for the existence of life? Are physicists and biologists willing to believe in anything so long as it is not religious thought? Has secularism in the terrible twentieth century been a force for good? Is there a narrow and oppressive orthodoxy of thought and opinion within the sciences? Does anything in the sciences or in their philosophy justify the claim that religious belief is irrational? Agnosticism vs. Atheism... and some good questions/critiques come out of it. In The Devil's Delusion , David Berlinski explores the limits of science and the pretensions of the New Atheists.

And that’s what DNA does. It contains and transmits the extraordinarily complex, precisely sequenced chemical code of life—a code that atheist Richard Dawkins has likened to computer code. Indeed, Bill Gates has said that “DNA is like a computer program, but far, far more advanced than any software ever created.” Could such an “advanced” code, or “software for life,” have happened by chance? Well, as Dr. Meyer shows, given the vast complexity of information required to create the 250 proteins necessary to sustain the simplest living cell, the probability that life originated in the primordial soup by chance is beyond astronomically slim—only 1 in 10 to the 41 thousandth power! But here is your takeaway, and I’ll let Dr. Meyer do the talking: “Our uniform experience affirms that specified information—whether inscribed in hieroglyphics, written in a book, encoded in a radio signal, or produced in a simulation experiment—always arises from an intelligent source, from a mind and not a stri...

Two thousand and eight was a banner year for the assisted-suicide/euthanasia movement. It’s likely that no new states will legalize assisted suicide this year. But if the last 20 years prove anything, it is that euthanasia advocates are passionately committed, work hard, and feel that time is on their side. Are their opponents equally committed? Wesley J. Smith's post A Myth Is as Good as a Mile is a good resource for assessment and understanding where this movement stands. Mr. Smith is a Senior Fellow in Human Rights and Bioethics at the Discovery Institute and a consultant for the International Task Force on Euthanasia and

Justin Taylor provides an answer to that often asked question here .

Thirty years later, the myth of the good divorce has not stood up well in the face of sustained social scientific inquiry — especially when one considers the welfare of children exposed to their parents' divorces. Taking into account both divorce and non-marital childbearing, sociologist Paul Amato estimates that if the United States enjoyed the same level of family stability today as it did in 1960, the nation would have 750,000 fewer children repeating grades, 1.2 million fewer school suspensions, approximately 500,000 fewer acts of teenage delinquency, about 600,000 fewer kids receiving therapy, and approximately 70,000 fewer suicide attempts every year (correction appended). As Amato concludes, turning back the family-­stability clock just a few decades could significantly improve the lives of many children. While I do not know Bradford Wilcox (or his religious convictions), and do not suggest to stand behind all his research, his article entitled The Evolution of Divorce in Na...

The Gospel Coalition (/Justin Taylor) has posted some notes from Peter Kreeft’s Socratic Logic. Read here .

In June 2009, President Obama declared the month of June to be LGBT month and he bragged about his intention to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. Obama told the crowd at the White House, “I have called on Congress to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act to help end discrimination against same sex couples in this country.” Christian Post columnist Dr. Tony Beam reveals the Defense of Marriage Act is being considered for repeal. See: Obama Administration Moves to Redefine Marriage

New Book coming out... This one looks pretty promising to have some great insights and overdue points! Here's a writeup: Reframing Human History Here's a sample from the article: If Hart is correct that "Christianity has been the single most creative cultural, ethical, aesthetic, social, political, or spiritual force in the history of the West," then we must ask ourselves: Why? Christian hands are by no means free of blood and wrongdoing. As Hart writes repeatedly, "human beings frequently disappoint." We are corrupt and callous, and the temptations of power and conquest have snuffed out the holiness of many. But through the darkness, a glimmer of hope shines, for unlike atheism, Christianity offers hope—a hope of transformation from beyond ourselves. As we survey modernity's rewriting of history, we must remember this hope as we look to shape the future. For it is the life and death of Jesus Christ that has transcended the ages: for Christians, faith i...

In Letter to a Young Skeptic of Color , Sikivu Hutchinson in seeking to evangelize those of color to the side of atheism commits several errors: 1. She confuses the presence of continuing injustices to suggest God must either not exist or not care. Job deals with this issue in depth in Job 24 and points out that while God sets his own times for judgment, and while God may even let the wicked rest in a feeling of security, they have no assurance of life, & God's eyes are upon them! Point: We must not confuse God's timing with God's ability and intentions of bringing about justice/judgment! 2. She fails to recognize that that turning from God and embracing athiesm is not going to change the oppression and injustice, it will only be to surrender the foundation for true justice as well as the one who brings true and abiding comfort in the midst of evil and injustice. 3. Sikivu suggests God "justifies" the ritualistic killing of unarmed people, etc. This is false...

Words like "wise" and "magisterial" appear of the front covers of his books, so don't even think about whispering: "Are you sure the emperor's wearing clothes?" There are, after all, so many other great intellectual disciplines: literature, music, art, philosophy and even – dare I say it – theology. But you often get the feeling scientists secretly put themselves at the top. The point is not whether he's right or not. The point is he assumed he was right. It's exactly the kind of reasoning he criticises in religious people. The evidence doesn't square with his theory that nothing is beyond the rational – so he discards the evidence and jumps to conclusions. A belief in a supernatural being that he has no specific evidence for and no absolute proof of? If you didn't know better, you might almost accuse him of a leap of faith Quotes are from Catherine Deveney in an article in Scotland Sunday about an interview with Richard Dawkins. ...

The Wall Street Journal may be an unusual venue for theological debate, but this past weekend's edition featured just that -- a theological debate of sorts. The "of sorts" is a necessary qualifier in this instance, because The Wall Street Journal' s debate was not, as advertised, a debate between an atheist and a believer. Instead, it was a debate between two different species of atheists. The paper's "Weekend Journal" section front page for the September 12-13, 2009 edition featured articles by Richard Dawkins and Karen Armstrong set in opposing columns. The paper headlined the feature as " Man vs. God: Two Prominent Thinkers Debate Evolution, Science, and the Role of Religion ." Well, the feature at least looked interesting. full article here

Christian Press files this report from the MTV music awards, which describes how Jack Black leads the audience in a prayer to Satan. "I was mortified when Jack Black lead everyone in a prayer to Satan. It was no joke." said Samantha Taylor of California. "The audience held hands and did it." Jack Black is definitely no friend of Christians, as has been seen from his previous antics. In fact, he is one of the many Hollywood stars who think it fit to insult and belittle Christians. So what can be said about this "prayer"? ...... There are several answers to as to what his motive was. He could have meant it as a joke. He could have been semi-serious, meaning to offend Christians while not really believing in Satan, of course. Or he could have been 100% serious calling on the devil for help, and getting the audience to join in. Regardless of his motive, his behavior is typical of what we see from Hollywood. It is no longer "edgy" to propagate casual ...

Here is a preview of an upcoming series from American Vision.

Can you imagine an industry that blames it's customers for not buying it's product? Imagine an ad saying "My product is great, and if you don't buy it, I'm not going to change it because there is something wrong with you for not buying it. Now get with it." As the arts and entertainment industry degenerates into social and political debris at the expense of quality writing and acting, it becomes apparent that writers and singers feel like they have a right to our money. When the Dixie Chicks got "political" in their stage shows, former VP Al Gore complained that they were being denied a right to make a living when people stopped buying their music (Maybe they could get real jobs). Now, the producer of the Darwin biography film "Creation" is complaining that American "religion" has caused his film to flop in the US. See 'Creation' Producer Blames American Evolution Flap for Film's U.S. Flop "People have been saying...

The Making of an Atheist by James Speigel This quote was part of a blurb sent to me on this book: Could it be that their opposition to religious faith has more to do with passion than reason? What if, in the end, evidence has little to do with how atheists arrive at their anti-faith? That is precisely the claim in this book. Atheism is not at all a consequence of intellectual doubts. These are mere symptoms of the root cause- moral rebellion. For the atheist, the missing ingredient is not evidence but obedience.