Cave To The Cross Apologetics

Free Will, Gratuitous Evil, & Natural Law Free Will, Gratuitous Evil, & Natural Law are all topics that are related in the free-will theodicy. Free will must deal with the same implications that compatibilists deal with and that’s the appearance of evil without purpose. We look at the different theories free will theists put out to explain those evils and also the troubles those explanations run into. A close relationship between the free will defense and the natural law defense helps with the other side of evil – evils that occur in nature apart from moral actors (people). This idea that the world must be the way it is in order for humans to be humans seems to run into not just one big, real-world example – but two! For your sci-fi reference this week we turn to Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. Don’t worry, there’s no Vogon poetry. No promises on bad (good) dad jokes. Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 01:43 – A Review Of Molinism 04:17 – Free Will Allows Gratuitous Evil 11:47 – Theory 1 – God Cannot Prevent Evil 12:23 – Theory 2 – Free Will Over Stopping Evil 14:36 – Theory 3 – God Sometimes Intervenes But Every Time 19:39 – Issues Of Prophecy And Free Will 21:03 – Theodicy Can’t Compromise The Theology Of God 24:24 – Natural Law Defense Works With The Free Will Defense 29:04 – Problems With The Natural Law Defense 33:46 – Natural Law Defense Compromises The Theology Of God 38:08 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep149/ Books mentioned in this episode: What about Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/2UeV3tt Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xGsxP6 Logos Link ChristianBook Link         What About Free Will? Reconciling Our Choices with God’s Sovereignty by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/37SNE6i Paperback – https://amzn.to/37ZLyl7             God, Freedom, And Evil by Alvin Plantinga Kindle – https://amzn.to/3o0cxo1 Paperback – https://amzn.to/3wgHJmQ             The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis Kindle – https://amzn.to/3mKFaGB Paperback – https://amzn.to/3k6G4eV Audible – https://amzn.to/3k7y5y2 Try Audible For Free – https://amzn.to/3cN0giE         Excusing Sinners and Blaming God: A Calvinist Assessment of Determinism, Moral Responsibility, and Divine Involvement in Evil by Guillaume Bignon Kindle – https://amzn.to/3vYQjqe Paperback – https://amzn.to/3muT1Rj Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3nENffb “As an Amazon Associate, we earn income to support us from qualifying purchases.”

Free Will & God’s Foreknowledge The concept of free will & God’s foreknowledge can be a heady concept. We attempt to accurately cover three different answers free will advocates attempt to allow God to have foreknowledge (or not have it). We do our best to break it down while attempting to be accurate to supporters and the issues seen with the concepts. Covering concepts of Arminian simple foreknowledge, open theism, and Molinism & middle knowledge as some of the big attempts to save human freedom; there are still issues with allowing God to be the God revealed in Scripture. The sci-fi reference this week is Quantum Leap! Oh, boy. Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 04:08 – Free Will Doesn’t Account For Divine Foreknowledge 08:34 – Responses From Free Will Advocates About DF 08:43 – Simple Foreknowledge Of Arminianism 10:12 – Issues With Simple Foreknowledge Internally 13:12 – Issues With God’s Decrees With Simple Foreknowledge 14:27 – God & Humans Can’t Be Free To Change Within Simple Foreknowledge 15:27 – Open Theism As Another Response To DF 19:49 – Molinism As Another Response To DF 22:37 – The Importance Of Middle Knowledge In Molinism 24:15 – The Key Of Molinism 27:04 – Problems With Molinism 37:39 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep148/ Books mentioned in this episode: What about Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/2UeV3tt Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xGsxP6 Logos Link ChristianBook Link         What About Free Will? Reconciling Our Choices with God’s Sovereignty by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/37SNE6i Paperback – https://amzn.to/37ZLyl7           Excusing Sinners and Blaming God: A Calvinist Assessment of Determinism, Moral Responsibility, and Divine Involvement in Evil by Guillaume Bignon Kindle – https://amzn.to/3vYQjqe Paperback – https://amzn.to/3muT1Rj Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3nENffb “As an Amazon Associate, we earn income to support us from qualifying purchases.”

Problems With Free Will We continue to look at problems with free will in light of the explanation it supposedly gives Christians when it comes to answering the problem of evil. We see why the Reformed position rejects parts of libertarian free will in exchange for soft determinism. Libertarian free will undermines the doctrine of depravity, who God is, what Heaven is, who Satan is, and actually seems to undermine the Trinity. On top of that, the presentation of free will in that form seems to make all decisions arbitrary – which seems like a problem. And of course, there’s a Star Trek V reference. But we don’t answer why God would need a spaceship. Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 01:21 – Free Will Undermines The Doctrine Of Depravity 03:46 – Does Prevenient Grace Save Free Will? 07:35 – Free Will Renders Decision Making Arbitrary 10:23 – Our Decisions Are Not Arbitrary 11:57 – If Free Will Is So Important, Why Doesn’t God Have It? 13:16 – Is God Not Able To Hate Within The Trinity? 16:03 – Satan Can Do Good? 17:19 – Free Will Can’t Say Why Humans Can’t Have Only Good Choices? 18:32 – Free Will Doesn’t Exist In Heaven 24:00 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep147/ Books mentioned in this episode: What about Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/2UeV3tt Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xGsxP6 Logos Link ChristianBook Link         What About Free Will? Reconciling Our Choices with God’s Sovereignty by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/37SNE6i Paperback – https://amzn.to/37ZLyl7       “As an Amazon Associate, we earn income to support us from qualifying purchases.”

Do We Have Free Will? The free will defense has done a lot in answering the logical problems of evil. While determinism has become more popular in the past decade among academics; the culture at large still has the embracement of free will. But do we have free will? We want to ask, “By what standard can we say that we have a will and it is free to do what we wish without interference?” And since we are Christian we want to ultimately appeal to our standard, God’s Word. Do we have the ability to have made alternative choices given the same circumstances? Is man autonomous in his choosing and in his actions? We want to look at some of the issues of free will and why appealing to an idea that appears to have biblical and logical issues is not the best explanation for why evil exists. We want to be consistent and grounded in an objective truth and reason down from our ultimate standard. Is there a better answer to evil than man just chooses and God has to live with those choices? Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 00:53 – What Is Our Grounding For Belief In Anything? 05:30 – All Hail, Free Will! 09:16 – The Natural Law Defense Support With Free Will 10:44 – Libertarian Free Will & Alternative Possible Choices 15:26 – 3 Positives Of Free Will Defense 18:06 – God & Free Will Beings 19:55 – Problems With The Free Will Defense 21:56 – Free Will Is Not Biblical 27:53 – Free Will Denies Providence 33:23 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep146/ Links: 04:06 – Ep.17 What About Free Will? Interview   Books mentioned in this episode: What about Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/2UeV3tt Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xGsxP6 Logos Link ChristianBook Link         What About Free Will? Reconciling Our Choices with God’s Sovereignty by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/37SNE6i Paperback – https://amzn.to/37ZLyl7       “As an Amazon Associate, we earn income to support us from qualifying purchases.”

Can God Answer Evil? Can God answer evil and the problems caused by suffering? That is what a theodicy attempts to do. It provides a justification for why suffering and evil exist and that God exists as presented. This is a reason why one has to stake a claim in a specific God like the biblical, Christian God rather than some generic deity. The consistent worldview that comes from the God of the Bible has a larger set of implications and is more than just a thought experiment dreamed up by a philosopher. There isn’t just one problem of evil but many including the logical problem, the evidential problem, and the emotional problem. And like we mentioned last episode, it’s not that these problems mean that it defeats the idea of God but that they are issues in need of a solution. Here we look at how some in the past have found solutions to a problem. We also look at what an answer to the problem of evil, a theodicy, must have in order for the answer to satisfy the questions. And like all good math questions, we must stay in the confines of a specific nature such as the character and revealed nature of who God is. Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 03:26 – The Logical Problem Of Evil Presented 08:47 – Maybe God Just Isn’t Powerful Enough To Overcome Evil 10:00 – Maybe God Just Isn’t Good Enough To Overcome Evil 11:06 – Maybe God Has Good Reasons To Not Prevent All Evil 13:17 – Alvin Plantinga Destroys The Logical Problem Of Evil 15:11 – The Evidential Problem Of Evil Presented 16:30 – Is There So Much Big Evil That Shows There Is No God? 18:02 – The Emotional Problem Of Evil Presented 20:44 – Is A Theodicy Still Possible? 23:08 – Two Criteria A Theodicy Must Have 24:31 – All Evil Must Have A Good Reason To Exist 28:16 – All The Good Accomplished Must Be Worth It 29:51 – Theodicy Vs. A Defense 36:12 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep145/ Links: 20:00 – Dr. James Anderson On The Metaphysical Proof Of God From Morality       36:34 – Ep.17 What About Free Will? Interview   Books mentioned in this episode: What about Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/2UeV3tt Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xGsxP6 Logos Link ChristianBook Link         God and Other Minds: A Study of the Rational Justification of Belief in God by Alvin Plantinga Paperback – https://amzn.to/2ZZNt8l Hardcover – https://amzn.to/2ZZNCbT “As an Amazon Associate, we earn income to support us from qualifying purchases.”

The Battle Of Two Moral Standards After finishing with defining our terms we look at ways in which those definitions play out in our worldviews. Here’s where the battle of two moral standards starts to interact and separate. Each side has a burden of proof since each side has a problem of evil. Where the secular side wants to tout a focus on human flourishing, we look at a standard which isn’t grounded and a hard target to hit. We also look at the two strings of conclusions that stem from the secular worldview when it comes to morality. Either, morals are an illusion (moral nihilism) or there are objective moral standards in the world (moral realism). Which version has the better accounting of reality? And which side has the ability to ground their ideas in an objective way – if that is even possible? We didn’t cover everything in this chapter and it’s why you should pick up the book and check out the ideas presented. Links below. Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 01:41 – Evil Is What Doesn’t Aid Human Flourishing 03:47 – Evil Is The Privation Of Good 06:14 – The Burden Of Proof For The Answer To Evil 07:32 – Secular Answer – Moral Nihilism Or Moral Realism 13:34 – Moral Realism Because The Other One Is Icky 21:13 – Moral Realism From The Christian Worldview 28:49 – Other Ideas From The Chapter 30:28 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep144/ Books mentioned in this episode: What about Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/2UeV3tt Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xGsxP6 Logos Link ChristianBook Link “As an Amazon Associate, we earn income to support us from qualifying purchases.”

Defining Evil Definitions are one of the most important parts of having any conversation. A lot of times people use different definitions as a result of their worldview. So when it comes to the topic of evil, defining evil is vital. In this chapter, we look at a secular version as well as the Christian definition of evil. This highlights the divide between the different worldviews and shows the need for proper grounding in an objective, transcendent standard. We also take a look at the importance of God as that standard and why things could be designated as one of two types of evil we see in the world – and seen by both the secularist and the Christian alike. Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 00:53 – Why The Outrage At Evil In A Secular World? 08:09 – It’s Only Evil If It Brings Pain 13:26 – Christianity Allows A Proper Definition Of Evil 15:23 – We Don’t Have A Problem Identifying Evil 16:47 – Two Types Of Evil – Moral Evil & Natural Evil 26:05 – Act To Fail Or Fail To Act Is Evil 29:02 – The Image Of God Recognizes Evil 31:17 – How God Factors Into Understanding Evil 34:45 – Evil Comes Down To Different Grounding Reference Points The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep143/ Books mentioned in this episode: What about Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/2UeV3tt Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xGsxP6 Logos Link ChristianBook Link “As an Amazon Associate, we earn income to support us from qualifying purchases.”

Crisis Of Secularism Picking up where we left off last time; now that the world has shirked off God because of the evil all we are left now with is us and evil. Ut oh. We are in a crisis of secularism. The second part of the modern worldview is the advancing of secularism leading to the unavoidable cliff of Niechzte’s nihilism. Since we have not advanced in a further explanation of life’s meaning other than personal desires we are now running up against the borrowed benefits of the Christian worldview results. Today, we have it much easier than people did in 1755 and yet we find ourselves some of the most volatile, self-medicated, and unbalanced people. When it comes to things like death, violence, and suffering our self-actualized reality and saving devices don’t seem to be doing us any good. However, there is still a source for an explanation of a theodicy – for the problem of evil. Timeline: 00:00 – Crisis Of Secularism 01:50 – The Awful Responsibility Of The Will Of Power 05:39 – The Present Crisis For Meaning 10:50 – The Weakness Of Those That Struggle Today 14:44 – The Secular Solution To Finding Meaning 17:42 – The Need For A Theodicy In This Secular Age 22:19 – The Only Source For A Theodicy 27:39 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep142/ Books mentioned in this episode: What about Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/2UeV3tt Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xGsxP6 Logos Link ChristianBook Link         The Problem Of Pain by C.S. Lewis Kindle – https://amzn.to/3zZfOZB Paperback – https://amzn.to/38QgUev Audible – https://amzn.to/3ng1Yyx Try Audible For Free – https://amzn.to/3cN0giE “As an Amazon Associate, we earn income to support us from qualifying purchases.”

The Enlightenment And Evil We ended up going long on this chapter and so we split it up into two episodes so there is a hard cut and no outro at the end of this episode. There’s a lot to cover with the Enlightenment and evil. Where did the problem of evil really become a problem? Scott Christensen does a marvelous job in this chapter (one of my favorites) in presenting the Enlightenment era kickoff of questioning evil’s place in God’s world and traces it forward to the modern worldview. Evil just didn’t spring into existence in 1755, but the events of the day and the psyche of the Western world presented the best melting pot to not just ask the questions but throw off the conventions of dealing with evil in theory and in practice. The next episode will show the ramifications of such decisions. We don’t cover everything in this chapter but it is a great read. We do get some alternative history and space talk in here so the nerdy streak is kept alive. Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 03:44 – How The Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 Began Questioning The Problem Of Evil 07:05 – The Enlightenment’s Role In The Problem Of Evil 13:27 – The Blow To Divine Revelation 14:25 – Voltaire Vs. The Best All Possible Worlds LINKS: 02:37 – John Gill Sermon – Christ The Savior From The Storm 05:20 – Good Article On The Enlightenment Era The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep141/ Books mentioned in this episode: What about Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/2UeV3tt Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xGsxP6 Logos Link ChristianBook Link         The Man Who Knew the Way to the Moon by Todd Zwillich Audible – https://amzn.to/3hftvwq Try Audible For Free – https://amzn.to/3cN0giE “As an Amazon Associate, we earn income to support us from qualifying purchases.”

What About Evil Summary Along with the answer to the question, “What about evil?”, at the beginning of the book; Scott Christensen also gives us a What About Evil summary of the book too. Here is the chapter-by-chapter breakdown of the book with just a small take on what’s included. Within the book, we get a history lesson is why and when humanity really started to ask the question, “What about evil?”. From there we will be drilling into defining our terms and establishing the parameters for an answer. We’ll take a look at the six common solutions Christians give to explain evil as well as Christensen’s answer. We of course will be delving into Scripture to see who is God, who is Jesus is, why redemption and meta-narratives are important in the discussion, and the implications of everything. And now you see the reason for the length of the book! Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 00:55 – Review Of Possible Answers For Theodicy 02:33 – The Whole Book – At The Beginning Summary 03:00 – Chapter 2 – The History Of Why Evil Is A Problem 03:29 – Chapter 3 – What Is Evil & Who Is God 05:28 – Chapter 4 – The Parameters For Theodicy 05:44 – Chapters 5 & 6 – Common Solutions From Christians 06:36 – Chapter 7 – Understanding Who God Is Is Key 06:53 – Chapter 8 – More Exploration On God As Key 07:24 – Chapter 9 – Where Does Moral Responsibly Lie? 08:26 – Chapter 10 – The History Of Redemption 09:02 – Chapter 11 – The True Storyline 09:46 – Chapter 12 – The Greater-Glory Theodicy 10:21 – Chapter 13 – Showing The Answer In Scripture – Exodus & Romans 9 12:36 – Chapter 14 & 15 – Jesus & The Incarnation As Key 13:55 – Chapter 16 – Great-Glory Theodicy & Redemption 14:30 – Chapter 17 – Surprising Results Of Theodicy 17:21 – Is A Good Explanation For Evil Possible? 20:57 – Light Out Of Darkness 22:22 – We Find Redemption 23:37 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep140/ Books mentioned in this episode: What about Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/2UeV3tt Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xGsxP6 Logos Link ChristianBook Link   “As an Amazon Associate, we earn income to support us from qualifying purchases.”

The Answer To Evil…Already? Scott Christensen takes the first part of the introduction to his book “What About Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory” and does something interesting – he gives you the answer to evil at the start! First, he presents the idea that there does, in fact, exist evil and suffering in the world and that it is one of the biggest arguments people cite against Christianity. The Christian worldview is not devoid of an answer to this and so the theodicy is laid out in response to people like Epicurus and David Hume. We are presented with six main answers to the problem of evil from the Christian point of view: 1) The Free-Will Defense 2) Natural-Law Defense 3) Greater-Good Theodicy 4) Soul-Making Theodicy 5) Best-of-All-Possible-Worlds Defense 6) Divine-Judgment Defense Christensen introduces these answers but also provides us his answer to the problem of evil. It is one that he believes is the most biblical, Reformed, and God-centered which should be the Christian’s focus. He gives a logical breakdown of his answer and sets up the rest of the book to follow. Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 01:46 – Do I Have To Read “What About Free Will” First? 02:11 – There Is Evil & Darkness In The World 03:50 – What Is Theodicy? 05:57 – Epicurus’& David Hume’s Argument 08:05 – The Faulty Christian’s Answer To Evil 11:53 – The Good Parts About The Problem Of Evil 12:43 – Mapping Out The Problem Of Evil Responses 13:45 – 1) The Free-Will Defense 15:38 – 2) Natural-Law Defense 16:48 – 3) Greater-Good Theodicy 20:39 – 4) Soul-Making Theodicy 23:01 – 5) Best-of-All-Possible-Worlds Defense 25:18 – 6) Divine-Judgment Defense 27:07 – The Answer To The Problem Of Evil 29:29 – The Greater-Glory Theodicy 31:20 – How The Fall Of Man Brings Greater Glory To God 33:15 – The Answer To The Problem Of Evil Must Be God-Centered 34:14 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep139 Video Links 01:20 – Scott Christensen Interview       Books mentioned in this episode: What about Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/2UeV3tt Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xGsxP6 Logos Link ChristianBook Link         What About Free Will? Reconciling Our Choices with God’s Sovereignty by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/37SNE6i Paperback – https://amzn.to/37ZLyl7         “As an Amazon Associate, we earn income to support us from qualifying purchases.”

TAG! Christianity Is It! We have the absolute pleasure of welcoming Dr. James Anderson to the show. We recently went through his book “Why Should I Believe Christianity” which was a presuppositional take on taking seriously the claims of the worldview of Christianity. We also said it was a good give-away book in that it was one you could give to someone asking questions about Christianity or someone who recently became a Christian. You can find all the episodes of that book on our website. TAG Christian Is It! In the interview, we talk about Dr. Anderson’s background in computer programming and how that benefited his coming into the Christian apologetic field. We get a quick overview of the transcendental argument (TAG) and see two versions of it. We discuss the importance of transcendental arguments and how it is not a circular fallacy. We talk about his book and why Christianity being a coherent worldview is important when addressing the claims of The Bible. We also find out what he thinks of the current state of the Christian Church and what to look out for and how we are feast set on apologetics but famine set on utilizing what God has provided. We thank Dr. Anderson for his ministry and his work as well as coming on the show and making a couple of theology book nerds’ day. Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 02:12 – What Does James Anderson Do For Fun? 03:03 – From Computer Programming To Christian Apologist 09:43 – From Scotland To America 12:56 – The Transcendental Argument (TAG) 21:15 – Which Transcendental Argument Is Best? 21:45 – Transcendental Argument For Logic 25:18 – Transcendental Argument For Morality 30:21 – Is Presuppositionalism & TAG A Circular Fallacy? 35:17 – Further Reading On TAG 38:17 – The Inspiration For “Why Should I Believe Christianity?” & The Rest Of The Big 10 Series 48:24 – Christianity As A Complete Worldview 55:44 – Christianity As A Coherent Worldview 01:01:43 – How Beauty & Order Point To The Truth Of The Christian Worldview 01:05:39 – The Future Of Apologetics & The Church 01:14:18 – Where To Find More From Dr. James Anderson 01:14:46 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep138 Dr. James Anderson Links Dr. Anderson’s Website – Analogical Thoughts Dr. Anderson Twitter Dr. Anderson’s Reformed Theological Seminary Page Video Links 12:37 – I Like Michael J. Kruger       22:45 – The Lord of Non-Contradiction: An Argument for God from Logic by James N. Anderson and Greg Welty paper 30:15 – Revealed Apologetics Interviews: 1) James Anderson On TAG 2) James Anderson On Presupp Vs. Classical Apologetics Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3           How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe’s Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It: The True Story of … Created Our World and Everything in It by Arthur Herman Kindle – https://amzn.to/3mmnZeO Paperback – https://amzn.to/3B2Ihhw Audible – https://amzn.to/3y6NaUw Try Audible For Free – https://amzn.to/3cN0giE       Truth in a Culture of Doubt: Engaging Skeptical Challenges to the Bible by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw. Kindle – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL Paperback – https://amzn.to/3mkz3c9           Van TIl’s Apologetics by Greg Bahnsen Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3AUEDpy             Apologetics – A Justification Of Christian Belief by John Frame Kindle – https://amzn.to/3gnGADo Paperback – https://amzn.to/3sBAlka       “As an Amazon Associate, we earn income to support us from qualifying purchases.”

Prelude To Evil We introduce the next book we’re going over. The book is What About Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory by Scott Christensen. In this episode, we just go over the prelude to evil. From the Amazon description: “Reconciling the existence of God and evil has been a long-standing conundrum in Christian theology, yet a philosophical approach–rather than a theological one–dominates the discussion. Turning to the Bible’s grand storyline, Scott Christensen examines how sin, evil, corruption, and death fit into the broad outlines of redemptive history. He argues that God’s ultimate end in creation is to magnify his glory to his image-bearers, most notably by defeating evil through the atoning work of Christ.” We hope you’ll pick up the book and join us on one of the most cited issues people have with the Christian worldview. There are answers and like with all things it points us to the glory and majesty of the Triune God. Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 00:24 – Upcoming Interview 00:29 – Book Intro 01:46 – Book Layout 03:09 – Why Pick Up The Book? 06:59 – Who’s This Book For? 10:03 – Key Features Of The Book 11:52 – Suggested Help With Reading 12:27 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep137 Video Links 01:20 – Scott Christensen Interview     Other Links Scott Christensen Website Scott Christensen Facebook Scott Christensen Twitter Books mentioned in this episode: What about Evil? A Defense of God’s Sovereign Glory by Scott Christensen Kindle – https://amzn.to/2UeV3tt Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xGsxP6 Logos Link ChristianBook Link “As an Amazon Associate, we earn income to support us from qualifying purchases.”    

Prayer Help This week we welcome Pastor Jim Li onto the show for some prayer help. Pastor Li pastors in California but is very active in teaching in the Asian churches. As a result, his identity will be hidden today. And with Tony on vacation, you’re stuck looking at Patrick. Good thing we make an audio-only version of the show. Patrick invited Pastor Jim on to discuss prayer. As Patrick struggles with prayer, Pastor Jim was gracious enough to sit down and have a conversation about how to have a conversation with God. What is prayer? What are the elements of a good prayer? And of course, some good book recommendations on the subject. We hope you are edified by this discussion. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 04:03 – The Topic Of Prayer 05:36 – What Is Prayer? 08:18 – What Should I Experience In Prayer? 12:18 – The A.C.T.S. Model Of Prayer 14:54 – Prayers That Ask God To Do Things (Supplication) 21:16 – Things That Get In The Way Of Our Prayers 22:35 – When Pride Gets In The Way Of Prayer (Jeremiah 9:23) 28:07 – When General Sinfulness Gets In The Way Of Prayer (John 9:31) 32:02 – Praying With Family Corporately 39:25 – When Complaining Gets In The Way Of Prayer (Philippians 2:14) 41:21 – The Importance Of Going To Your Local Church For Prayer 45:00 – Some Practical Points For Prayer 45:10 – Heading Towards Sanctification 51:24 – Read Some Good Books 53:00 – Go To Church Prayer Meetings 55:22 – Ask Other People To Prayer For Your & Vice Versa 55:29 – Realize Prayer’s Benefits 01:00:20 – Pray For Your Enemies 01:04:43 – Pray For The Salvation Of People In Your Life 01:09:29 – Final Book Recommendations & Comments 01:12:36 – Conclusion 01:13:35 – Closing Prayer The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep136 LINKS Veritas Domain Website Veritas Domain Facebook Veritas Domain Twitter Books mentioned in this episode: Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation by D.A. Carson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3fFJjrf Paperback – https://amzn.to/3jBkder Audible – https://amzn.to/2VBtI5b Try Audible For Free – https://amzn.to/3cN0giE   Chapel Library – https://www.chapellibrary.org/ Effective Prayer by Charles Spurgeon Kindle – https://amzn.to/3s0Lxq1 Free Will – A Slave by Charles Spurgeon Kindle – https://amzn.to/3itNng9 Paperback – https://amzn.to/3jzYhjB Does Prayer Change Things by R.C. Sproul (FREE!) Kindle – https://amzn.to/3jtPmjJ (FREE!) Audible – https://amzn.to/3jAg8aa Try Audible For Free – https://amzn.to/3cN0giE Check out the review of the book – here.

If Christianity’s True We conclude Dr. James Anderson’s book by looking at what if Christianity’s true. We discuss alternative explanations to the Resurrection and see that they don’t rise to the occasion. Did Jesus swoon? Have His body stolen? By the disciples? By the Romans/Jewish leaders? Was it all an illusion? There are good reasons to believe Jesus was raised from the dead. In the conclusion, we look at what to do now. We summarize what we looked at in the book and what we didn’t see in the book. Finally, if Christianity is true then we know that God still speaks but if salvation is a supernatural act why even write a book or tell others about Jesus? If Christianity is true then this is the most important message that answers the biggest worldview questions we have to answer. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:46 – Doubt Is Not Unexpected 03:06 – What Happened If Jesus Didn’t Rise From The Dead? 04:24 – Natural Explanations To The Resurrection 05:31 – Jesus Didn’t Die – He Swooned 08:14 – The Disciples Stole Jesus’ Body 11:11 – The Romans/Jews Removed Jesus’ Body 12:29 – It Was All An Illusion 15:05 – Why You Should Believe Jesus Was Raised From The Dead 17:19 – What Now? 18:00 – Summary Of The Book “Why Should I Believe Christianity?” 23:00 – What About Everything Else? 26:32 – Two Basic Objection Categories Of Christianity 31:28 – What’s The Alternative? 33:21 – God Still Speaks 34:10 – Getting Outside Your Worldview (Star Trek Reference) 35:09 – Christianity Is Reasonable But Not Natural To Believe 38:01 – If It’s All Supernatural, Why Write A Book/Talk About It? 44:45 – Who Should Read This Book? 47:30 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep135 Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3     C.T. Studd – Cricketer & Pioneer by Norman Grubb Kindle – https://amzn.to/3yfNBgn Paperback – https://amzn.to/3xiPDuR Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xkpEmK       For the Glory: The Untold and Inspiring Story of Eric Liddell, Hero of Chariots of Fire by Duncan Hamilton Kindle – https://amzn.to/3ygFmka Paperback – https://amzn.to/3BZQvbo Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3j1cwxO Audible – https://amzn.to/2V0mIyN

Resurrection Proofs The ultimate moment in history for Christians is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Christianity is true, this event is the most important event for every person who lived, living, or will ever live. Where do Resurrection proofs fit in the Christian worldview then? Through the anticipation of Old Testament prophecy, the testimony of friends and foes that would become followers, and the actions of Jesus Himself we have a great confidence that the Resurrection took place just as The Bible describes it. While not an exhaustive list of reasons, this does highlight some of the areas we can look at to show that Jesus was God and that when He died He rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures for the payment of the sins of those who believe in Him. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 02:07 – The Afterlife In The Christian Worldview 04:35 – Why Christians Believe Jesus Rose From The Dead 06:26 – The Impossibilities Of Miracles 08:27 – Why Miracles Are Not Impossible 11:03 – Miracles Do Not Conflict With Science 15:24 – Probability Of Miracles 18:47 – Confidence Of Testimony 19:42 – An Event Not Plucked Out Of Nowhere 22:27 – Prophecies As Evidence 22:34 – Psalm 16:10 23:17 – Jesus’ Reputation & Prophecies 25:32 – Events Post-Jesus’ Death 26:31 – James, Jesus’ Half Brother 27:08 – Paul, The Persecutor 28:15 – The Multitude Of Witnesses 29:57 – Jesus’ Actions Point To His Foreknowledge Of His Upcoming Resurrection 33:53 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep134 LINK: 14:51 – J. Warner Wallace On The Supernatural Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3     Miracles by C.S. Lewis Kindle – https://amzn.to/2UIczXc Paperback – https://amzn.to/3iLbsOr Audible – https://amzn.to/3BztUSV     Collision – Christopher Hitchens vs. Douglas Wilson Movie – https://amzn.to/3BL5Bl5 Subscribe on the following:

Jesus Is God After looking at the claims made by others about who Jesus is, we turn to Jesus and see what He says about Himself. We can conclude that Jesus is God by His own testimony and the events surrounding His life. We look at Jesus accepting worship, approving the use of the title “Messiah”, calling Himself the Son of God, forgiving sins, associating Himself with the Father as one, living a perfect life, fulfilling prophecies, and culminating in rising from the dead. While it may be difficult to conceive of Jesus being God it is not contradictory and, in fact, it is something we would want to see for the type of work by God that comes out of the Christian worldview and message. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:32 – We Should Care Who Jesus Is 07:11 – The Apostle’s Creed 08:36 – Jesus Is Like His Father 10:59 – Why God Became Man 18:41 – Who Do People Say That Jesus Is? 19:24 – Jesus Is The Messiah, The Son Of The Living God 22:11 – Jesus Is The Word (The Logos) 25:11 – Jesus Is The Very Nature Of God & Nature Of Man 27:01 – Why The Claims Are Important 28:29 – Who Did Jesus Say That He Was? Stay Tuned! 29:43 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep133 LINK: 12:03 – Anarchist Bible Study – The Trial Of Jesus Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3 Subscribe on the following:

Who Is Jesus? “Who is Jesus?” is a question that has not only been asked of by Christians and skeptics. That question is an important one to many other world religions, people seeking understanding, people of today and yesterday. A big part of the Christian worldview revolves around the centrality of – Christ, Jesus. We cover what’s been said about Jesus according to the main sources and what that means that informs the Christian understanding of the world and the lens through which Christians should see through. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:32 – We Should Care Who Jesus Is 07:11 – The Apostle’s Creed 08:36 – Jesus Is Like His Father 10:59 – Why God Became Man 18:41 – Who Do People Say That Jesus Is? 19:24 – Jesus Is The Messiah, The Son Of The Living God 22:11 – Jesus Is The Word (The Logos) 25:11 – Jesus Is The Very Nature Of God & Nature Of Man 27:01 – Why The Claims Are Important 28:29 – Who Did Jesus Say That He Was? Stay Tuned! 29:43 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep132 LINK: 17:19 – Why Christianity Is The Full Answer To Judaism 17:48 – The BIGGEST Internal Inconsistency Of The Qur’an 21:32 – Christ In The Storm Sermon For Revived Thoughts Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3 Anthem by Ayn Rand Kindle – https://amzn.to/3hMRcvm Paperback – https://amzn.to/3k3Tn0s Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3r2dwFG Audible – https://amzn.to/3yGkVg9 The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand Kindle – https://amzn.to/3xx7HCf Paperback – https://amzn.to/2UvUCKZ Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3wuQmZz Audible – https://amzn.to/3xzuYDC Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Kindle – https://amzn.to/3hUaMpx Paperback – https://amzn.to/3iaJqMb Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3hTIuvj Audible – https://amzn.to/3wtUadt Subscribe on the following:

Old Testament Christianity Is Old Testament Christianity an oxymoron or do we Christians still have a lot to learn from the Tanakh? Dr. Tiberius Rata is Associate Dean of the School of Ministry Studies and Professor of Old Testament Studies at Grace Theological Seminary. He is the author of several Old Testament commentaries as well. Dr. Rata joins us to talk about what it was like growing up in communist Romania before coming to America and taking to the pulpit. Then we discuss the importance of the Old Testament and how should we as 21st century, Western Christians read and study it. Finally, we discuss the importance of apologetics he sees in seminary and what the future of apologetics looks like. Plus, lots of book recommendations. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:32 – Growing Up As A Christian In Communist Romania 13:05 – From Urban Planner To Pastor 19:28 – What Is The Role Of The Old Testament For Christians Today? 31:22 – Do Modern Western Concepts Get In The Way Of Understanding The Old Testament? 35:58 – The Importance Of Understanding The Ancient Near East To Understand The Old Testament 40:03 – Learning From Jeremiah, Nehemiah, Ezra, & Ecclesiastes 45:57 – Is there still Old Testament scholarship work left to do? 49:34 – Apologetics Role In A Seminary Setting 54:18 – The Future Of Apologetics 58:11 – Find Dr. Tiberius Rata & Grace Theological Seminary The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep131 LINK: 01:22 – Dr. Tiberius Rata’s Exodus Series 01-41 – Bret Laird Interview Books mentioned in this episode:   **Click here to go to the list of books recommended by Dr. Tiberius Rata for each book of the Old Testament (and a few others) – we’ve created this page.   Fear God and Keep His Commandments: A Practical Exposition of Ecclesiastes by Tiberius Rata & Kevin Roberts Kindle – https://amzn.to/3An4R4I Paperback – https://amzn.to/3wosk2t           Ezra & Nehemiah: A Mentor Commentary by Tiberius Rata Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3dFIhdN             Walking the Ancient Paths: A Commentary on Jeremiah by Tiberius Rata & Walter Kaiser Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xgHMP5           The Covenant Motif in Jeremiah’s Book of Comfort: Textual and Intertextual Studies of Jeremiah 30-33 by Tiberius Rata Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3xgPB7F         God Dwells Among Us – Expanding Eden to the Ends of the Earth by G.K. Beale Kindle – https://amzn.to/3sNIy34 Paperback – https://amzn.to/3dOT6Ln Audible – https://amzn.to/3vrDxPJ Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible by John Walton Kindle – https://amzn.to/3hfWvUQ Paperback – https://amzn.to/3dHbhBU Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis by Allen Ross Kindle – https://amzn.to/3ygZzG6 Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3hpxtBK Subscribe on the following:

Way, Truth, & Life Christianity declares that it is the sole way, truth, & life. But it is not the only origin truth claim in town. Eastern religions, Islam, and Judaism are competing truth claims. They are all mutually exclusive – contradict each other and can’t all be true. So examining what we’ve covered so far, we see if Christianity or the other systems offered a better explanatory position that still coheres with itself. And of course, we cover everything in this 36-minute video fully and completely and answer all objections so that no one has anything left to say. I’d say that’s enough to share, like, subscribe, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform! Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 00:40 – One Truth Among Many? 02:34 – Why Eastern Religions Do Not Fit The Profile 04:24 – Judaism, Islam, Or Christianity? 06:21 – Judaism Vs. Christianity 09:55 – The Answer To Judaism Is Jesus The Christ 16:19 – Islam Vs. Christianity 17:53 – The Author Of The Qur’an Doesn’t Know What The Trinity Is 22:38 – The Qur’an Vs. The Bible 30:56 – The Best Person To Ask About Where God Has Spoken – Jesus! 34:02 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep130 Qur’an Getting The Trinity Wrong                     LINK: 06:15 – Testing A Religion 12:41 – The Christian Response To Government In The Trial Of Jesus – Anarchy Bible Study – Part 1. Here’s Part 2.   Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3 Evidence That Demands A Verdict – Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World by Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell Kindle – https://amzn.to/3hqqZ77 Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3fjeCat Audible – https://amzn.to/2RlxyNO God Dwells Among Us – Expanding Eden to the Ends of the Earth by G.K. Beale Kindle – https://amzn.to/3sNIy34 Paperback – https://amzn.to/3dOT6Ln Audible – https://amzn.to/3vrDxPJ Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus (5 book series) by Michael L. Brown Kindle – https://amzn.to/3jkW5OP What Every Christian Needs To Know About The Qur’an by James White Kindle – https://amzn.to/35LXw0n Paperback – https://amzn.to/3dOT6Ln Audible – https://amzn.to/3vrDxPJ Subscribe on the following:

Written Bible A written Bible is expected and should be wanted. Following the logic that just as we are created beings who communicate in a personal way with language to convey information; we would expect the Creator God to also communicate in a personal way. So not only should we understand that something like the Bible is expected to come from this personal God but it’s also something we should desire out of all the different ways God can communicate to us. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:02 – Christian’s Directly Perceive God Speaking In The Bible 03:06 – Suggested Bible Reading Strategy 06:32 – Reasons To Believe The Bible 10:00 – Humanity Reflects Personal Aspects Of God 13:32 – Language Is A Personal Interaction Relationship 17:03 – How God Speaks To Us 19:30 – An Object Way For God To Speak 21:17 – The Superiority Of The Written Format 21:59 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep129 LINK: 15:25 – The Importance Of Mission Trips With Christian Youths Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3 Commentary On The New Testament Use Of The Old Testament by G.K. Beale & D.A. Carson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3xAJb31 Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3cRsaJH       Handbook On The New Testament Use Of The Old Testament by G.K. Beale Kindle – https://amzn.to/3cTTyHg Paperback – https://amzn.to/3xBSHD3 *Note – This is the condensed version of Commentary On The New Testament Use Of The Old Testament Subscribe on the following:

Youth And Apologetics Are today’s youth and apologetics connecting each other to answers and growth in their Christian faith? We welcome Youth Pastor Justin McCoy from Calvary Bible Church in Kalamazoo, MI. Pastor McCoy works with kids and students from birth through college. He gives his take on the role of seminary today and the preparation he had to lead the Christian youth today. He also discusses the role apologetics plays in his ministry. He also provides a message to parents, would-be parents, mentors, and those in the church without children. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:28 – The Cool Thing To Call Kids 02:20 – Why Justin McCoy Became A Pastor 04:21 – What Is The Role Of A Youth Pastor 06:13 – What Youth Ministry Success Look Like 08:07 – The Role Of Seminary For Today’s Youth Pastors 12:33 – What Are Seminaries Teaching These Days? 13:30 – What Are The Issues Youth Today Are Experiencing? 15:07 – How Has Seminary Helped & Where Is More Attention Needed? 19:02 – The Need For Apologetics In Helping Students Today 22:40 – Avenues Available For Youth To Find Answers 25:34 – Best Way In Addressing Issues With Students 27:53 – The Role Of Short Term Mission Trips With Students 25:14 – A Message To People In The Church 35:54 – A Youth Pastor’s Message To Parents Or Soon-To-Be Parents 37:54 – First Steps Parents Can Take To Help Their Kids 40:06 – A Youth Pastor’s Message To Want-To-Be Mentors 43:33 – A Youth Pastor’s Message To People Of The Church Without Kids 46:17 – Where Does A Youth Pastor Think Apologetics Is Heading? 48:09 – Is There Still Room For Traditional Apologetics? The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep128 LINK: 00:28 – Interview With Pastor Bret Laird 24:14 – Koukl On Putting Pebble In Unbeliever’s Shoe 25:25 – Greg Koukl Interview 38:32 – Kalamazoo Area Tutoring Associantion, Inc. 38:40 – Summit Ministries 47:54 – Andreas Köstenberger Interview Books mentioned in this episode: Lectures To My Students by Charles Haddon Spurgeon Kindle – https://amzn.to/3xdI4pK Paperback – https://amzn.to/3iyLyiy Hardcover – https://amzn.to/35aJ55M Audible – https://amzn.to/3zfrwzj Patrick’s GoodReads Review   The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-Shift That Changes Everything by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne Kindle – https://amzn.to/3zh5NqG   Paperback – https://amzn.to/3pE4EFt Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3iy3ABe       The Vine Project: Shaping your ministry culture around disciple-making by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne Kindle – https://amzn.to/2SoO5kC Paperback – https://amzn.to/358J2HG Zondervan Counterpoint Series             Five Views Of Christian Apologetics Kindle – https://amzn.to/3x72qAI Paperback – https://amzn.to/2TYRdEf One-Shot Review Episode Patrick’s GoodReads Review Four Views On Christian And Philosophy Kindle – https://amzn.to/35lz0mV Paperback – https://amzn.to/3gb51Er Patrick’s GoodReads Review       Four Views On Hell Kindle – https://amzn.to/3cwz86V Paperback – https://amzn.to/3vdr2GT     Two Views On Women In Ministry Kindle – https://amzn.to/3pGS9sP Paperback – https://amzn.to/3wbuova         Four Views On The Ending Of Mark Kindle – https://amzn.to/3w8fYMm Paperback – https://amzn.to/3wevtlU         IVP Spectrum Multiview Series           As Iron Sharpens Iron: Building Character in a Mentoring Relationship By Howard Hendricks Paperback – https://amzn.to/2RJCT1G Hardcover – https://amzn.to/355KhaL           Bandersnatch: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings By Diana Pavlac Glyer Kindle – https://amzn.to/3zfAUTJ Paperback – https://amzn.to/3vct8qj Audible – https://amzn.to/2Sja4cO Patrick’s Book Review Subscribe on the following:

God Is There God is there and there are things in the world that point to him. We finish the chapter covering how reason, the mind, and science all point to God’s existence. While atheists try and make themselves solely about science, we see their lack of grounding a bigger deal than they seem. As Dr. Mitch Stokes has said, “Many skeptics aren’t skeptical enough.” The skeptics that decry the trust Christians have display the blind faith in Nothing, the creator of everything, or some future explanation not yet seen. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 00:40 – God & Reason 04:47 – Atheism Can’t Account For Reason 08:16 – The Problems With Reason Within Atheistic Framework 08:43 – No Good Evolutionary Reasons To Reason 10:42 – Reason IS Directed Towards Truth 14:06 – Christianity Gives The Best Reason For Reason 14:48 – God & Mind 15:05 – Reason Must Come From A Mind – God’s 20:05 – Atheism Can’t Account For Minds 21:41 – Christianity Gives The Best Reason For The Mind 23:51 – God & Science 25:42 – Moral Values Are Required To Do Science 28:24 – Atheism Can’t Account For Moral Judgments Or Science 33:52 – Christianity Gives The Best Reason For Science 36:36 – The Problem For Atheists With The Universe Having A Beginning 37:01 – The Problem For Atheists With The Universe Being Fined Tuned 38:01 – Never Tell The Atheists The Odds! 40:27 – Worldview Discussion Is Important To Talk About 42:47 – Do We Have To Care About God Being Proven? 45:18 – If God Exists, Why Are There Atheists? 49:09 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep127 LINK: 03:08 – Evolutionary Survival Doesn’t Necessarily Need True Beliefs 08:30 – How To Be An Atheist By Mitch Stokes Playlist 15:50 – Eric Hernandez Discussion On The Soul As Evidence For God Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3 How To Be An Atheist – Why Many Skeptics Aren’t Skeptical Enough by Mitch Stokes Kindle – https://amzn.to/2Qgv0zW Paperback – https://amzn.to/3huJebU Patrick’s Review On GoodReads The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels by Alex Epstein Kindle – https://amzn.to/2S0GVTA Hardcover – https://amzn.to/2SULajm Audible – https://amzn.to/3vJV2Ls Patrick’s Review On GoodReads     Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray by Sabine Hossenfelder Kindle – https://amzn.to/2RojjIc Paperback – https://amzn.to/3fN4Kah Audible – https://amzn.to/3z1uF5G Patrick’s Review On The Blog Subscribe on the following:

Moral Meaning Moral meaning values come up when we talk about politics, society, business practices, and other interactions between people and the world. However, when we say that the world isn’t as it should be or that we should do something or we ought not to do something, we are declaring that we believe there’s an idea of perfection to strive towards, the existence of objective value & standards, and objective morality. Where does that ideal and idea come from and which worldview actually accounts for it? Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:42 – God & Values 02:39 – Objective Values 06:03 – Any Objective Value Presupposes Some Objective Standard 08:05 – Objective Standard Must Be Pure Goodness 09:22 – Which Worldview Accounts For Objective Standards? 10:31 – The Problem For Naturalists 12:59 – The Christian Worldview Accounts For Objective Standards 15:57 – Where Does Our Idea That The World Isn’t As It Should Be Come From? 19:26 – God & Morality 21:52 – The Problem For Naturalists 22:52 – The Christian Worldview Accounts For Objective Morality 27:19 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep126 LINK: 11:52 – The Feelings Based Logical Positivists Fell When They Applied Their Worldview To Themselves Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3 How To Be An Atheist – Why Many Skeptics Aren’t Skeptical Enough by Mitch Stokes Kindle – https://amzn.to/2Qgv0zW Paperback – https://amzn.to/3huJebU Finding Truth – 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes by Nancy Pearcey Kindle – https://amzn.to/3ohuxKj Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3eQ1RFh Audible – https://amzn.to/33N0yka Subscribe on the following:

God Is There God is real and there are real implications from that truth. When critics attempt to end the discussion of asking for proof that God is real they look for only one type of proof. What they look for is evidential, physical proof. But because of the nature of God, that’s the wrong evidence to ask for. Instead, one could look at one of the six reasons the biblical, Christian God must exist. In this episode, we cover the existence of existence for proof of God’s existence to exist. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:46 – The God Of The Bible Must Exist 03:05 – Can God Be Proven? 04:58 – God Is A Unique Being 07:13 – A Need To Detect God In A Different Way 11:37 – Why It’s Important For God To Exist 14:59 – What If Naturalistic Atheism Is True? 20:54 – Six Internal Reasons Christianity Makes More Sense 22:18 – Existence Is A Proof That God Exists 26:48 – Nothing Needed To Exist; But Why Does It? 30:12 – Something Exists Hurts The Idea Of Naturalism 32:20 – Three Tenants Of Existence For God’s Existence 34:31 – The Problem Of The One & The Many Solved By God Existing 37:36 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep125 LINK: 04:32 – Greg Bahnsen vs Gordon Stein – The Great Debate: Does God Exist? 10:16 – Be Careful Of Scientism 18:50 – Be Careful Of Nihilism 37:25 – Trinity & Solving The One & The Many Problem (Eli Ayala & Vern Poythress) 38:10 – Dr. Andreas Köstenberger Interview Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3 How To Be An Atheist – Why Many Skeptics Aren’t Skeptical Enough by Mitch Stokes Kindle – https://amzn.to/2Qgv0zW Paperback – https://amzn.to/3huJebU Finding Truth – 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes by Nancy Pearcey Kindle – https://amzn.to/3ohuxKj Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3eQ1RFh Audible – https://amzn.to/33N0yka The One and the Many – Studies in the Philosophy of Order and Ultimacy by Rousas Rushdoony Kindle – https://amzn.to/3fDGYwf Paperback – https://amzn.to/3wwnBMx Subscribe on the following:

He’s Written On Everything! We are beyond delighted and honored to sit down and interview Andreas Köstenberger. Dr. Köstenberger was a co-author in one of our recent chosen books, “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” which was a response to many of Bart Ehrman’s writings and showing that Christianity provides answers to the critical historians’ claims. Dr. Köstenberger is also a prolific author of over 50 books. We talk about his work ethic, his life, and where he sees the direction of Christian scholarship going. I don’t know how we sat still for this interview! Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:44 – How Does He Write So Much?! 04:41 – The Importance Of Writing With Others 06:31 – On The Importance Of John & “Signs Of The Messiah” 08:23 – From Atheist Economist To Christian Theologian 14:09 – Setting His Target On Bart Ehrman 17:36 – The Inspiration For “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” 19:00 – The Skeptic’s Problem Of The Problem Of Evil 23:15 – Bart Ehrman – The Poor Man’s Theologian 26:15 – Bart Ehrman’s Two Audiences 29:02 – The Layout Of “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” 36:46 – Bart & Bauer Still Going – Why? 43:00 – Christianity Has A Reliance On Written Texts At The Beginning 47:23 – The Future & Needs Of New Testament Scholarship 49:25 – The Desire For Academics To Throw Out Truths Of Christianity 54:15 – Where Andreas Köstenberger Thinks The Future Of Apologetics Is Going 58:30 – Biblical Foundations Organization & Its Impact The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep124 Andreas Köstenberger Links: Biblical Foundations Facebook Twitter LINKS: 09:50 – Finding Truth Playlist 14:17 – Ehrman Vs. Wallace Debate 25:36 – Ehrman Vs. White Debate 32:48 – Atheists Should Be Consistently Skeptical 37:09 – Michael J. Kruger Mashup Books mentioned in this episode: Truth In A Culture Of Doubt – Engaging Skeptical Challenges to the Bibleby Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw Kindle – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL Paperback – https://amzn.to/3hoREkW         Signs Of The Messiah – An Introduction to John’s Gospel by Andreas Köstenberger Kindle – https://amzn.to/3eM4W9r Hardcover – https://amzn.to/33PBGrU           Finding Truth – 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes by Nancy Pearcey Kindle – https://amzn.to/3ohuxKj Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3eQ1RFh Audible – https://amzn.to/33N0yka       Truth Matters – Confident Faith in a Confusing World by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw Kindle – https://amzn.to/3fcwVhu Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3fjcQWR Paperback – https://amzn.to/33JGU8N             Jesus And The Eyewitnesses – The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony by Richard Bauckham Kindle – https://amzn.to/3uI6Ltv Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3bsseik Paperback – https://amzn.to/3tQlx03 How To Be An Atheist – Why Many Skeptics Aren’t Skeptical Enough by Mitch Stokes     Kindle – https://amzn.to/2Qgv0zW Paperback – https://amzn.to/3huJebU       The Heresy Of Orthodoxy – How Contemporary Culture’s Fascination with Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity by Michael J. Kruger & Andreas Köstenberger Kindle – https://amzn.to/2QjvxRR Paperback – https://amzn.to/3v4hpuZ           Christianity At The Crossroads – How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church by Michael J. Kruger Kindle – https://amzn.to/3hn95SU Paperback – https://amzn.to/33JYCJ8           The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament by Andreas Köstenberger, L. Scott Kellum, Charles L Quarles Kindle – https://amzn.to/3tMb45U Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3hqkeCx         Women in the Church – An Interpretation and Application of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 by Andreas Köstenberger & Thomas R. Schreiner Kindle – https://amzn.to/3w2d1fZ Paperback – https://amzn.to/2QlaQ7Y           God’s Design for Man and Woman – A Biblical-Theological Survey by Andreas Köstenberger & Margaret Elizabeth Köstenberger Kindle – https://amzn.to/33McqTz Paperback – https://amzn.to/2RUNXZE           Apologetics At The Cross – An Introduction for Christian Witness by Josh Chatraw Kindle – https://amzn.to/3fh9pjx Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3uWI5O0 Audible – https://amzn.to/3uT8koD       Telling A Better Story – How to Talk Abo

Salvation – The Relationship Of God & Man Salvation is the third and final aspect of the Christian worldview to cover to set the stage for why one should believe Christianity. We see that God is able to speak and does speak to His creation. And what He says echoes in eternity. Even while being the author of our salvation in His incarnation, atonement, and resurrection; God still works in relationship to us so that we might respond in faith and with repentance. He does so that all who will come to believe are drawn to Him. We are to respond to His calling before the end of our world. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 03:10 – God Speaks The Good News Of The Gospel 06:39 – God’s Means Of Communication 10:29 – The Three Things God Speaks About 11:36 – Salvation – How God Fixes Us 14:40 – The 3 Aspects Of The Means Of Salvation 15:07 – Incarnate – God Became Man 16:10 – Atonement – God Pays For Man 23:29 – Resurrection – God Shows Man 24:17 – 2 Things Needed For Salvation From Us 25:44 – Faith – A Confident Leap 28:12 – Repentance – An Anguish Over Sin 31:19 – What Our Salvation Means 41:03 – The Final Set Up For Why We Should Believe Christianity 43:03 – An Important Message & Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep123 LINK: Find a biblical, local church – https://www.9marks.org/church-search/ Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3 He Is There And He Is Not Silent by Francis Schaeffer Kindle – https://amzn.to/3toLfIQ Hardcover – https://amzn.to/2R4JtiL Audible – https://amzn.to/3uujtMg The Question of Canon: Challenging the Status Quo in the New Testament Debate by Michael J. Kruger Kindle – https://amzn.to/2RCi87u Paperback – https://amzn.to/2PYpu4Q

The Origin Of Original Sin We go from perfect sinlessness to the original sin. But hey, at least we enter the picture finally! One of the things that all worldviews attempt to answer is, “Why are we here?” and “How are things the way they are?” The Christian worldview speaks to both of those things as well. There’s more to the story of course. However, you need to be able to know where you stand before you know which way to go. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:25 – Who Is Man? Made In The Image Of God 07:49 – The Different Sameness Of Men & Women 09:31 – The Ultimate Answer To Why We Are Here 11:18 – Houston, We’ve Had A Problem 15:09 – Adam, You’ve Got Some ‘splainin’ To Do! 18:17 – Condemnation, Corruption, & Curse 18:27 – Condemnation & The Christian Message Of Hope 19:52 – Corruption Of Every Thing 23:45 – Curse Us 27:09 – We Are Lost – But…Next Time 28:17 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep122 Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3  

Who Is God? Who is God? Since Christianity is a worldview, we have to understand what that worldview says and where it comes from. Both questions’ answers are found in the revealed nature of who is God. God has the ability and right to be the source of the revelation of Himself. It is found in the nature of Scripture we call The Bible. And we fly through all of Genesis 1:1 in this episode (and just a tad bit of the end of Genesis 1) to present qualities of the Christian worldview as grounded in the person, nature, and revelation of the God of the Bible. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 03:00 – Christianity As A Worldview 04:43 – Who Gets To Say What’s Part Of The Christian Worldview? 08:11 – In The Beginning God… 14:48 – God Is A Necessary Being 15:29 – God Is The Ultimate Source & Standard 17:00 – God Is Personal 20:26 – Shared & Unshared Characteristics 21:20 – God Is A Perfect Being 23:53 – The Need For God To Be Trinity 30:31 – God Is In The Beginning 38:00 – God’s Relationship To His Creation The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep121 Video Links 07:03 – Truth In A Culture Of Doubt Playlist 07:27 – Discussion with Stephen Boyce and Nazam Guffoor: Is the New Testament Reliable? EP 173 08:37 – Stories Are Soul Food 14:09 – Mitch Stokes Answers The Euthyphro Dilemma 35:59 – Scientists Are Indoctrinated (Ep.26) Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3 Truth In A Culture Of Doubt by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatra Kindle – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL Paperback – https://amzn.to/3nr2kk4 How to Be an Atheist – Why Many Skeptics Aren’t Skeptical Enough by Mitch Stokes Kindle – https://amzn.to/3cu8SdR Paperback – https://amzn.to/39DGdBl The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox: An Interpretation and Refinement of the Theological Apologetic of Cornelius Van Til by Brant Bosserman Kindle – https://amzn.to/3sMU2nG Paperback – https://amzn.to/2PiZhh0   The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God by Lee Strobel Kindle – https://amzn.to/3aAJNMO Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3dKZdjE Audible – https://amzn.to/2PlFOMT

A Faith Test Is it possible to put truth claims of a faith to a test? Dr. James Anderson showcases a four-fold test for seeing if the whole worldview system of a religion or belief system can be shown to be believable. Not only can this be done in isolation of another belief system but can be done with competing belief systems. A faith test is possible. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:01 – How To Evaluate Worldviews 03:33 – Four Tests To Evaluate Worldview Truth Claims 03:56 – Test 1 – The Consistency Test 07:01 – Test 2 – The Coherence Test 07:44 – Test 3 – The Explanation Test 09:57 – Test 4 – The Evidence Test 17:41 – Comparing Worldviews Against Major Alternatives 19:31 – The Importance Of The Internal Critique 21:17 – Judging Christianity (Or Any Worldview) On Its Own Basis Is Key 22:01 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep120 Video Links 14:37 – Scientists Do Whatever They Can To Not Kill Their Theories Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3 How to Be an Atheist – Why Many Skeptics Aren’t Skeptical Enough by Mitch Stokes Kindle – https://amzn.to/3cu8SdR Paperback – https://amzn.to/39DGdBl

Christianity As A Worldview Everyone has a worldview but not everyone realizes it. When considering Christianity, breaking it up into its components allows critics to misconstrue the whole system of Christianity. Since Christianity is an entire worldview outlook, we must look at the belief system as the entire system in total lest we create straw men. But first, we must figure out what a worldview is and what it does for people. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 00:29 – You Can’t Break Up Christianity; Take It For Its Whole Worldview 05:25 – What Is A Worldview? 11:42 – Three Reasons Why Worldviews Are Important 11:55 – Reason 1 – They’re Necessary On How We Look At The World 13:09 – Reason 2 – They Shape The Way We Think About The World 14:03 – Reason 3 – They Give Us A Way To Evaluate Things In The World 15:00 – The Nature Of Evidence & The Internal Critique Of A Worldview 16:24 – Multiple Worldviews Imply Multiple Wrong Worldviews 20:05 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep119 Video Links 08:33 – Christians Must Realize Where People Get Their Worldviews 10:55 – Taking The Roof Off Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3 Finding Truth by Nancy Pearcey (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2RhsvtM) (Audible – https://amzn.to/2Re4N2C)     Tactics by Greg Koukl (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2CZRs9s) (Audible – https://amzn.to/2ZGspjI)All our episodes on this book HERE

Skepticism As Default Approach? Should we approach all claims with skepticism? While it seems like this is the smartest approach it’s not how we approach most truth claims. So when it comes to Christianity we should have an understanding of our beliefs and our ability to know true things. Finally, it’s important to understand that Christianity is more than just a series of events but that it entails a complete worldview and it should be approached as such. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 02:35 – Skepticism – Who Can Really Know Truth? 05:24 – Knowing Beyond – Beyond A Reasonable Doubt 11:28 – Aim Should Be True Beliefs 14:36 – Christianity Is More Than Just Events But An Entire Worldview 18:27 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep118 Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3 How to Be an Atheist – Why Many Skeptics Aren’t Skeptical Enough by Mitch Stokes Kindle – https://amzn.to/3cu8SdR Paperback – https://amzn.to/39DGdBl

How Can I Prove Christianity? If one were to go about trying to prove Christianity, how would one do that? The first question to ask is really, “Why should anyone believe anything at all?”. In the introduction to James Anderson‘s book, we look at that and why believe Christianity in particular. Is all truth relative? How about religious claims? Those seem to be particularly relative – or does our society try and dismiss them as such so we can get along? Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 03:21 – Donald Doesn’t Want To Believe 04:42 – It’s About Truth (And Reasons) 09:06 – Why Should I Believe Christianity? 11:12 – It’s All Relative! 20:44 – Are Religious Claims The Relative Ones? 23:13 – Christianity Is Grounded In Objectivity & History 26:58 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep117 RELATED VIDEO: 05:14 – Evolutionary Survival Doesn’t Necessarily Need True Beliefs Books mentioned in this episode: Why Should I Believe Christianity? by James Anderson Kindle – https://amzn.to/3frtJAt Paperback – https://amzn.to/3davBL3 Finding Truth by Nancy Pearcey (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2RhsvtM) (Audible – https://amzn.to/2Re4N2C) How to Be an Atheist – Why Many Skeptics Aren’t Skeptical Enough by Mitch Stokes Kindle – https://amzn.to/3cu8SdR Paperback – https://amzn.to/39DGdBl

Transcend- Whatsit?! Transcendental Argument. Starting March 29, we’ll be starting this book – https://amzn.to/2PzTp2U This book simply lays out the arguments backing up the beliefs of Christianity and explores what Christianity really claims, and shows the underlying reason and consistency behind these claims. If you’ve looked into getting into presuppositionalism or try to understand the transcendental argument, this will be one to pick up. Grab the book and join us in our book club as we see if we can believe anything at all even Christianity. Click On Any Book For Other Episodes                

Rose From The Dead? Rose From The Dead! Jesus rose from the dead. That’s the claim of The New Testament. We close our book with a look at the response to this claim from Bart Ehrman’s challenges to it. Was Jesus even buried? Did the disciples hallucinate the resurrected Jesus? Did the disciples just make it up? The historic and archaeological evidence seems to better support Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection than any alternative claim. Then we end with a great challenge from Bart Ehrman himself! Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:56 – Can We Trust The Bible? 12:52 – What Does “Proof” In The Bible Mean? 17:07 – If Ehrman Is Right, How Did Christianity Become So Big? 19:13 – Was Jesus Buried In A Tomb? 22:05 – The Special Relationship Between Rome & The Jews 26:19 – Archaeological Evidence For Crucifixion In Palestine 27:26 – The Disciples Thought Jesus Rose From The Dead – Says Bart Ehrman 28:24 – The Best Historical Reason For The Belief Of An Empty Tomb 30:27 – Was It All A Hallucination? 30:57 – All The Disciples Would Have Had To Share The Hallucination 32:06 – Paul, Paul Why Are You Hallucinating Me? 32:47 – The Tomb Was Still Empty 33:18 – The Disciples Just Made It All Up 33:52 – No One Was Expecting A Crucified Messiah 35:59 – Would The Disciples Die For A Lie? 37:12 – The First Eye Witnesses – Women 39:08 – The Appearance Of Jesus Was Widespread 41:07 – Taking Up The Challenge 44:50 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep116 LINKS: 02:46 – Timing Contradictions In The Bible? – Part 1 & Timing Contradictions In The Bible? – Part 2 Books mentioned in this episode: (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL) “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2ZDKVtj) Canon Revisited (Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books) by Michael J. Kruger Subscribe on the following:

Apocryphal Books Of The Bible? Are there lost, Apocryphal books that should have been included in The Bible? Finishing the chapter on how the New Testament should include the authentic books that are there, we look at why not other books. Why do we include only the 27 books and not 12 others or Gnostic ones? Why four Gospels and not six? Why not include every book written? If not everything, then clearly the Canon arises just from that fact alone. The Canon is not a stick used to beat other equal books away. It is a ruler used to show authentic teaching from those that weren’t. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:28 – Claim #4 – Other Books Not Included In The Canon Were Equally Valid 01:54 – There Is A Way To Distinguish 03:54 – Looking At The Competing Apocryphal Books 04:52 – Case #1 – Ptolemy’s Epistle To Flora 06:10 – Case #2 – Letter Of Barnabas 06:53 – Case #3 – Gospel Of Thomas 08:40 – Case #4 – Gospel Of Philip 09:11 – Case #5 – Gospel Of Mary 09:52 – Case #6 – Gospel Of Nicodemus 10:45 – The Lack Of Authority Of The Apocryphal Books 13:15 – Claim #5 – The Weapon Of The Canon 14:24 – The Canon Is Not A Political Tool 15:37 – The Old Testament In The New Testament 16:49 – The Muratorian Fragment Showing A Set NT Canon 18:53 – When The Canon Was Closed 20:53 – Most NT Books Were Widely Recognized By 1st Century End 23:21 – The Difference Between The NT & The Apocryphal Ones Are Vast 26:28 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep115 LINKS: 27:00 – Church History Trivia With Revived Studios Books mentioned in this episode: (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL) “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2ZDKVtj) Canon Revisited (Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books) by Michael J. Kruger Subscribe on the following:

Who Wrote The Bible? Who wrote The Bible? The next two claims of forgery against the New Testament are the allegations of illiterate authors & false attribution to authors. Were the NT writers too illiterate to write their documents & couldn’t find another way to get their ideas down to be disseminated to others? Is there proof that the names of the authors were put onto the NT documents just to add some credibility to the forgeries? Once the evidence is evaluated, the claims of illiteracy & forgery crumble. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:25 – Claim 2 – Illiterate Authors 01:52 – Education Of Jews In A Roman World 04:27 – Who You Calling Poor & Illiterate? 05:36 – With Friends Who Read… 06:11 – Peter – Smarter Than Your Average Reader 09:18 – Peter & John – Unlearned Men Teaching The Pharisees 11:01 – A Little Thing Called Scribes 13:07 – Claim 3 – NT Was Forged & Attributed To Authors 15:09 – Test Case 1 – 1 Peter Was Forged 16:00 – Peter Saw Jesus Suffer 16:55 – Babylon Was Code Name For More Than Rome 19:51 – Test Case 2 – 2 Peter Was Forged 20:30 – Jesus’ Immediate Return Was An Early Concern In The Church 21:39 – Peter’s Use Of The Book Of Jude 22:27 – Paul Did Claim To Write Scripture As An Apostle 25:54 – Why Forge 2 Peter At All? 27:30 – Test Case 3 – 2 Thessalonians Was Forged 28:06 – Jesus’ Return Is A Both/And In Both Thessalonians 31:37 – Test Case 4 – Ephesians Was Forged 33:05 – Different Words Are Used – Shocking! 35:52 – Contradictory Theology Found? 36:16 – Works Of Flesh Vs. Blameless Before The Law 37:30 – Now Saved Vs. Being Saved 39:07 – Raised Now Vs. Raised Later 41:39 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep114 Books mentioned in this episode: (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL) “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw. Subscribe on the following:

Fraud In The Bible? Fraud in The Bible by the New Testament authors? Say it isn’t so! Not really. The claim that anonymous authors, centuries after the life of Christ and the apostles were the real authors of the Christian Scriptures is false. In fact, without a full-on skeptical presuppositional worldview, one could see just how amazing the New Testament manuscripts really are. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:39 – 5 Claims Of Proof Of NT Forgery 03:55 – Treating Ehrman’s Writings Like Ehrman Treats The NT 11:14 – Ehrman On Weaponizing The Canon 14:20 – Ehrman Thinks The Disciples Couldn’t Or Shouldn’t Write The NT 15:10 – A Short Overview Of The Response 18:20 – Claim #1 – NT Weren’t Written By Jesus’ Companions 20:19 – NT Writers Were Too Biased 21:32 – If True, Why Were Those Who Were Picked Chosen? 24:00 – Why Are NT Witnesses Too Biased To Be True? 29:22 – Jesus & The Eyewitnesses Can Be Trusted 30:07 – Ancient Historians Relied On Eyewitness Testimony 30:28 – The Importance Of Papias 32:41 – The Accuracy From The Names Used In The Documents 36:55 – Myth Vs. History In Oral Traditions From Other Societies 37:44 – Internal Support For Good Eyewitness Testimony In The NT 38:42 – The Silent Witness Of Bart Ehrman 40:43 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep113 Books mentioned in this episode: (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL) Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw. (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/37UY71s) Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony by Richard Bauckham (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3aYNwUX) Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts by Lydia McGrew Subscribe on the following: Transcription Introduction Patrick: Hello, I’m Patrick. Tony: I’m Tony. Patrick: Welcome back to the Cave To The Cross Apologetics, where we’re figuring out if we can find truth in this culture of doubt and we’re going over chapter five now of answering the question are many New Testament documents forged. And so, Bart Ehrman has a number of things critiques here of pretty much how the Bible can’t be what we think it is because certain characteristics of the authors, of the alleged authors, of the time of place of which everything took place. And then, still looking through the lens of Walter Bauer and his hypothesis that we started a little, or that we really looked at last chapter in chapter four. So yeah, I haven’t been there yet that was a good and fun chapter and something that needs to be responded to, because that tends to be because of the fame of Bart Ehrman he’s popularized the Bauer hypothesis. And so, you kind of see a lot of that stuff out there and in the ether, if you will. And a lot of people like Ehrman, so he’ll be getting a lot of those talking points. 5 Claims Of Proof Of NT Forgery And so, we’re addressing five claims. In this chapter, we’re probably only going to get to two of them today and then I’ll force you to come back. That’s your teaser to get the other one. So you’re like, “Oh, I really want to get to four.” So unfortunately next one. So, so here are the claims addressed. The first one is that the New Testament Gospels are not historically reliable and are comparable to the various other heretical gospels because they were not actually written by Jesus’ companions. Okay? The second that the first disciples were illiterate and therefore could not have written the parts of the New Testament attribute to them. That would make it hard – you can’t write. Tony: Or read Patrick: Right. The third one is that many of the New Testament books were not really written by the authors to whom they are ever ascribed. And despite the internal claims of the books themselves, instead, they were forged. Yes. The fourth one is other forms of Christianity are represented in various other writings, which have it as equally valid claim to Christianity as the 27 canonical New Testament books. So we talked about the Gnostics out there and different groups and subgroups vying for kind of supremacy of the Christian name the ability to call themselves fully Christian. And just the ones that we have won the day. Tony: Right. The most powerful ones took the cake. Patrick: Even though we don’t quite see that in history, but okay. And our final one is that the proto-Orthodox, so before Orthodox version, used the Canon as a weapon to impose their own branch of theology on all forms of Christianity and eventually succeeded in about the fourth century by way of the powerful church of this period. So kind of getting into where were we, us Protestants, kind of point to the Roman Catholic church, not the full-on ver

The Bible Canon As A Weapon? Finishing up the chapter on responding to Walter Bauer via Bart Ehrman. We look at the final two claims that later church councils formed Christian orthodoxy and that the Bible Canon of the New Testament was a weapon used to keep out competing Christian communities. We then finish up with a sermon – by Bart Ehrman. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:27 – Claim #4 – Orthodox Winners Are Too Biased & Chose What Got In 03:45 – Unbiased Observers Aren’t Possible 09:23 – Claim #5 – Today’s Established Orthodox Teachings Came Later By The Victors 11:24 – Jesus Commanded His Followers To Teach Others 12:35 – The Early Church Devoted Themselves To The Apostles Teaching 13:11 – Apostles Were Concerned With Correct Teaching In The Church 15:35 – Not Even The Apostles Were Authorized To Change Christ’s Message 20:44 – The Old Testament Also Authoritative By The Early Church 21:41 – The Early Use Of Songs & Sacraments To Affirm Core Doctrines 23:23 – Claim #6 – 2nd & 3rd Century Church Leaders Made Up Orthodox Teachings. 24:14 – The Follow Of Rule Of Faith Shows How Cemented Orthodoxy Was. 29:11 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep112 Books mentioned in this episode: (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL) “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw. (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3iuMqCP) The Question of Canon: Challenging the Status Quo in the New Testament Debate by Michael J. Kruger (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2ZDKVtj) Canon Revisited (Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books) by Michael J. Kruger (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3odgzYw) The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture’s Fascination with Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity by Andreas Köstenberger & Michael J. Kruger (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3oeLR0Y) Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church by Michael J. Kruger Subscribe on the following:

Continuing our look at the Walter Bauer hypothesis, we look at 3 more claims about early Christian orthodoxy. Were the leaders too biased to be good witnesses and chose what teachings made it in? Then the claim that central church leaders won by force of will what beliefs came out on top. Finally, moving into the 2nd/3rd century shows challenges & invasions of the church, but do we see those in the church just making up teachings? The claims are many but the proof is lacking. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:27 – Claim #4 – Orthodox Winners Are Too Biased & Chose What Got In 03:45 – Unbiased Observers Aren’t Possible 09:23 – Claim #5 – Today’s Established Orthodox Teachings Came Later By The Victors 11:24 – Jesus Commanded His Followers To Teach Others 12:35 – The Early Church Devoted Themselves To The Apostles Teaching 13:11 – Apostles Were Concerned With Correct Teaching In The Church 15:35 – Not Even The Apostles Were Authorized To Change Christ’s Message 20:44 – The Old Testament Also Authoritative By The Early Church 21:41 – The Early Use Of Songs & Sacraments To Affirm Core Doctrines 23:23 – Claim #6 – 2nd & 3rd Century Church Leaders Made Up Orthodox Teachings. 24:14 – The Follow Of Rule Of Faith Shows How Cemented Orthodoxy Was. 29:11 – Conclusion Video Link 16:48 – Justified By Faith Or Works The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep111 Books mentioned in this episode: (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL) “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw.             (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2MMBPrs) Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament by G. K. Beale             (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3jEEAHm) Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Exegesis and Interpretation by G. K. Beale             (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3odgzYw) The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture’s Fascination with Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity by Andreas Köstenberger & Michael J. Kruger           (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3oeLR0Y) Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church by Michael J. Kruger   Subscribe on the following:        

We begin by looking at the theory of Walter Bauer. Bauer theorized that there were many early Christianities that existed at the start and each one had their own set of orthodoxy. The only real orthodoxy that rose to the surface was by those who used their collective might to assert their will and dominate the theological debate until only they were left standing. An interesting theory – if it wasn’t all completely wrong. And yet it is one Bart Ehrman holds to and popularizes. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 02:11 – 8 Claims Of There Being Many Early Christianities 06:48 – The Power Of Cherished Beliefs 07:49 – There Were Many Christianities According To Bart Ehrman 11:30 – Claim #1 – Walter Bauer’s Book Was The Most Important Book On The Subject 12:42 – What Walter Bauer Claims In His Book 16:51 – Bauer Neglects Looking At The 1st Century New Testament Literature 20:05 – Early Heretical Christianities Were Completely Destroyed So No Evidence Exists 20:41 – No Evidence For This 22:00 – Competing Views Were Not Widespread Or Happened Much Later 22:35 – Claim #3 — Early Christianity Was Diverse & There Was No “True” Form Of It 23:33 – Wrong Century, Bauer! 30:47 – More Evidence For A Stable 1st Century Orthodox Christianity 33:11 – Gnosticism & Orthodoxy 35:17 – The Importance Of The Early “Rule Of Faith” 40:32 – Recommended Reading Video Link – 04:13 – Was Jesus God Or Did Others Only Later Claim Jesus As Divine? – 12:09 – Robert Murphy Interview Part 1 The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep110 Books mentioned in this episode: (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL) “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw.           (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3odgzYw) The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture’s Fascination with Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity by Andreas Köstenberger & Michael J. Kruger         (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3oeLR0Y) Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church by Michael J. Kruger   Subscribe on the following:          

Finishing up the chapter on having confidence that we have The Bible as originally written, we cover the last three claims from Bart Ehrman. We show the complexity of early Christian scribes and the systems they developed. We see how hard it is to get in the mind of an actual scribe but see that claiming that they changed the text is very hard to have done let alone prove. Finally, we look at the claim that we only have the copies and not the original manuscripts so we can’t claim to have the Word of God. We also see that Bart Ehrman is just as happy to pick up his Bible and point at it when people are claiming that Jesus never existed but puts it down just as quickly when he wants to claim we can’t have a clue what’s written in it is what actually happened in history. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 00:54 – Claim #4 – Early Christians Didn’t Have The Means To Copy Texts Accurately 01:22 – Early Christian Scribes Were More Than Capable 03:07 – The Importance Of The Nomina Sacra 06:40 – The Importance Of The Codex 11:31 – Claim #5 – Scribes Intentionally Changed Scripture So We Don’t Know If Corruption Has Happened 13:06 – How Do We Know It Was Corrupt & What The Scribe Was Thinking 16:26 – Claim #6 – We Can’t Call The Bible The Inspired Word Of God Without The Original Words 16:56 – The Original Words Are Preserved In The Copies Of The Originals 19:33 – Bart Ehrman’s Theological Claim That We Know We Don’t Have The Original Words Of God 24:39 – Absolute Certainty Or Absolute Despair Of Knowing What People Said In History 26:03 – Best Proof Showing Jesus Actually Existed – Bart Ehrman Pulls Out His Bible 30:35 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep109 Books mentioned in this episode: (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL) “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw.           (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3odgzYw) The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture’s Fascination with Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity by Andreas Köstenberger & Michael J. Kruger         (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3oeLR0Y) Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church by Michael J. Kruger Subscribe on the following:          

Covering the first three claims Bart Ehrman makes about the corruption & untrustworthiness of the New Testament, we see that nuance is needed. Not having the original manuscripts, loss of original readings, and textual variants are claims that play well to a particular audience. Yet, when we look at the details we actually see a benefit to many of the alleged “issues”. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:33 – Claim #1 – We Don’t Have The Original NT – Only Copies 02:36 – Number Of Manuscripts Of Antiquity Compared To The Bible 11:08 – NT Would Be Difficult To Change Because Of How It Went Out 12:37 – Ehrman Claims The Changes Were Complete & Without Trace 14:28 – We Do Have The Original Text Of The NT Preserved In The Copies 14:47 – Textual Variants (Criticism) Helps Establish NT Confidence 17:23 – Calim #2 – Many Original Readings Are Lost Due To Too Many Textual Variants That Affect Core Theological Beliefs. 19:33 – How Can One Know A Reading Wasn’t In The Original Without Knowing What The Original Read? 20:07 – There Are Some Disputed Verses – That Christians Have Known & Pointed Out For A While 22:14 – Some Just Aren’t Theologically Important 22:50 – The Transmission Process Of The Bible Is One Of The Best Ways It Could Happen To Be Confident 24:36 – Bart Ehrman Exaggerats The Significance Of NT Textual Variants 30:02 – Claim #3 – There Are More Variants In The New Testament Manuscripts Than Words In The New Testament 31:49 – Thre Are A Lot Of Manuscripts So The Numbers Don’t Mean Much 33:15 – The Copying Of The New Testament By Scribes 37:10 – Conclusion The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep108 Books mentioned in this episode: (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL) “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw.           (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3iuMqCP) The Question of Canon: Challenging the Status Quo in the New Testament Debate by Michael J. Kruger           Subscribe on the following:          

The Bible was not beamed into the minds of robot authors and the copying of the original texts were not divinely protected so that no error could be made in the copy. Doesn’t seem like that startling of a message. However, Bart Ehrman became popular on the message – which is quite odd. So we cover the topic of how the New Testament came to be and how scribes, manuscripts, and textual variants help us to have confidence that we have the Word of God preserved in the text of The Bible. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:25 – Why We Should Care If The Bible Is Corrupt 04:10 – 6 Claims Addressed 08:20 – How Did We Get The Bible Is An Important Question To Answer 10:39 – Lack Of Understanding Of The Transmission Of The Bible 12:10 – The Scribes Of The New Testament 13:16 – NT Manuscripts & Textual Variants 17:51 – Recommended Resources 18:40 – What Is Textual Criticism 19:45 – External Evidence Textual Scholars Looks At 20:51 – Internal Evidence Textual Scholars Looks At 26:08 – The Reason For The Popular Reception Of Bart Ehrman 27:20 – Bart Ehrman’s Theological Theory Of The Bible? 31:30 – The Openness Of New Testament Scholarship 33:38 – The Bible Vs. The Quran 34:36 – Conclusion Links: 18:21 – Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (CSNTM) The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep107 Books mentioned in this episode: (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL) “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw.             How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus’ Divine Nature – A Response to Bart Ehrman by Michael F. Bird, Craig A. Evans, Simon Gathercole, Charles E. Hill, & Chris Tilling (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2KlbEGJ)     The King James Only Controversy: Can You Trust Modern Translations? by James White (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3q6Gwdo)             Subscribe on the following:          

This week we’re going to take a short break from our book to do a One Shot episode. Ever since the inception of Christianity, Jesus & the Apostles warned against false teachers and the need to identify them. It is important to see what that looks and compare what’s said to what God says. So Lauren from Tulips & Honey Podcast and Patrick from Cave To The Cross Apologetics slog through the entirety of Joyce Meyer’s book “Battlefield Of The Mind”. This…this was something. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00:00 – Introduction 00:00:35 – Battlefield Of The Mind Introduction 00:04:43 – Who Is Joyce Meyer 00:09:57 – How Joyce Meyer Views Scripture 00:21:00 – Naming It And Claiming It 00:26:15 – Expecting God To Give You What You Want 00:33:31 – Mind Binding Spirits & Personal Revelation 00:39:29 – Literally Says Not To Think Or Reason 00:52:48 – How Weak People Can Thwart A Genie God 00:57:27 – The Weird Wide World Of Joyce Meyer 01:05:24 – What Did We Learn? Guest Links: Tulips & Honey Page YouTube Facebook Twitter Instagram The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep106 Subscribe on the following:        

Looking at the final three claims of Bart Ehrman when it comes to the Bible having contradictions that make it a non-trustworthy historical story. We look at the difference in chronology and details and see that Ehrman’s claims don’t really add up to contradictions. We also look at Ehrman’s biggest claim in that Jesus was never thought of as being God or claimed to be God. It was only later, that His followers made those claims. We look at the internal critique which shows just the opposite. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:02 – Claim #3 – Gospel Chronological Differences Are Historical Contradictions 01:57 – Skeptical Scholarship Make The Gospels Something They Weren’t Trying To Be 02:25 – Some Authors Organized Events For Different Purposes 03:19 – Example – Temple Curtain Tearing Differences 04:54 – Claim #4 – Detail Differences Show The Bible Is Not Divinely Inspired 06:05 – Difference Do Not Equal Contradictions 08:00 – The Use Of Similar Languages At Different Times 10:22 – Claim #5 – Jesus Only “Became God” Later 11:33 – The Evolution Of Bart Ehrman On Jesus’ Divine Evolution 12:58 – Ehrman Claims That Most Scholarship Believes This 15:26 – Ehrman’s Presuppositions Predetermins His Outcome On Jesus’ Divinity 19:12 – Early Christianity Were Not Influenced By Pagan Influences To Make Jesus God 22:06 – Jesus Identifies Himself As God & Takes On Divine Properties For Himself 24:10 – There’s No Reason For The NT Authors To Provide Conflicting Identities To Jesus 24:31 – John 1 Affirms Jesus As Both Fully God & Fully Man 25:29 – Colossians 1:19 & 2:12 Affirm Jesus As Both Fully God & Fully Man 26:29 – Ehrman’s Theory Is Undercut When Seen In The Same Books 27:25 – Mark’s Account Of Jesus’ Baptism & Transfiguration Shows Who Jesus Is 28:51 – Matthew & Mark’s Accounts Show That The Jews Thought Jesus Claimed To Be God 30:32 – Being Cautious In Believing Everything – Or Nothing 33:52 – Conclusion Video Links: 01:37 – Keeping Faith In An Age Of Reason Playlist 02:41 – Lydia McGrew Interview – Part 2 3:19 – When Did The Temple Curtain Tear 33:18 – Bart Ehrman Vs. James White Debate 33:32 – Bart Ehrman Vs. Tim McGrew Debate – Part 1 33:40 – Bart Ehrman Vs. Tim McGrew Debate – Part 2 The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep105 Books mentioned in this episode: (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL) “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw.           How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus’ Divine Nature – A Response to Bart Ehrman by Michael F. Bird, Craig A. Evans, Simon Gathercole, Charles E. Hill, & Chris Tilling (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2KlbEGJ) Subscribe on the following:        

Finishing the chapter dealing with alleged contradictions, we look at a few allegations Bart Ehrman makes. We look at the claim that Matthew & Paul contradict each other when it comes to salvation & The Law. We also look at the somewhat odd claim that there are some harmonizations that can’t be made with certain events of the New Testament, one of them being the trial of Jesus. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 03:07 – Review Of First 3 Test Cases 06:08 – Test Case #4 – Matthew & Paul Contradict On Salvation & the Law 10:19 – Rebuttal From Paul 12:48 – Rebuttal From Matthew 17:34 – The True Different Perspectives Of The Law & Grace 20:05 – Conclusion Of The Alleged Doctrinal Contradictions 21:11 – Claim #2 – Events In The NT Can’t Be Harmonized 21:45 – The Limitations Of Authors 22:40 – The Opposite Critique Would Also Be Unfairly Used By The Skeptic 25:20 – There Are Answers & Have Been There For Awhile 26:33 – The Trail Of Jesus As Described Couldn’t Have Happened According To Ehrman 27:16 – Difference Don’t Always Mean Contradictions 31:06 – Encourage To Look Into Further Resources 32:15 – Conclusion Video Links: 2:42 – Keeping Faith In The Age Of Reason – Jason Lisle 3:26 – Do The Crucifixion Accounts In Luke & Mark Contradict Each Other? 3:30 – Do The Virgin Birth Accounts In Matthew, Luke, & Mark Contradict Each Other? 4:39 – Do The Differences Between Miracles & Signs In Matthew & John Contradict Each Other? The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep104 Books mentioned in this episode: (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL) “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw.           Subscribe on the following:      

We look at Bart Ehrman’s claim that the authors of the NT have contradictory points of view on major issues. We cover three test cases of the Gospel writers and show that the alleged contradictions have logical explanations when viewed historically and fairly. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 01:06 – Claim 1 – The NT Authors Have Contradictory POVs On Major Issues 04:46 – Difference Between Christian & Skeptic Scholars Are Their Presuppositions 05:09 – Let The Authors Speak! 06:42 – Looking At Test Cases 08:04 – Test Case #1 – Mark & Luke Crucifixion 12:08 – Rebuttal From Mark 13:30 – Rebuttal From Luke 16:18 – Test Case #2 – Matthew & Luke Virgin Birth; No Mark Mention 18:27 – Argument From Silence 21:22 – Mark’s Non-Inclusion Of Many Events 22:33 – John Writes From The Beginning Of Time 24:25 – Test Case #3 – Matthew & John Miracle Claims 25:45 – Rebuttal From John 29:47 – Bart Ehrman Not Responding To The Answers Out There 31:18 – Encouragement Into Further Reading 32:35 – Conclusion Video Links: 23:41 – Lydia McGrew Undesigned Coincidences Interview – https://youtu.be/uMIa_94gIGQ The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep103 Books mentioned in this episode: (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL) “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw.           Hidden In Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts by Lydia McGrew (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/313IhPl)           Subscribe on the following:      

Introducing the chapter on the subject Bart Ehrman is known for, we look at the presuppositions Ehrman has that comes at a price of exclusion of other Bible scholars. The circle Ehrman draws around the “correct understanding of the Bible” seems to come from a place of his own choosing. He also establishes his own criteria for infallibility and speaks out against The Bible when it fails to meet his standard. We cover just the introduction to the chapter before getting into the five claims addressed in the rest of it. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 02:16 – The Five Claims Addressed In The Chapter 03:58 – Bart Ehrman – A Fundamentalist? 06:27 – Not All The Seminaries Or Even A Majority 10:42 – Bible Inerrancy According To Bart Ehrman 12:56 – What If The Gospels Said The Exact Same Thing? 14:54 – The Central Themes All The Gospels Share 15:50 – 3 Main Motifs In The NT 18:02 – The NT Picks Up From The OT 19:11 – Strength Through Diversity & Numbers 23:54 – The NT Calls For Harmonization – Just Like Any Other Historical Writings 27:23 – Further Reading 28:16 – Conclusion Video Links: 23:36 – Keeping Faith in an Age of Reason: Refuting Alleged Bible Contradictions by Jason Lisle Playlist The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep102 Books mentioned in this episode: (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL) “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw.             The Question of Canon: Challenging The Status Quo In The New Testament Debate by Michael J. Kruger (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2W6wfRI)             The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture’s Fascination with Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity by Andreas Köstenberger, & Michael J. Kruger (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/37eXQWY)             Textual Criticism and Qur’an Manuscripts by Keith E. Small (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/37dGutJ)             Keeping Faith in an Age of Reason: Refuting Alleged Bible Contradictions by Jason Lisle (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3qRqw0d)             How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus’ Divine Nature – A Response to Bart Ehrman by Michael F. Bird, Craig A. Evans, Simon Gathercole, Charles E. Hill, & Chris Tilling (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2KlbEGJ)             Subscribe on the following:      

Covering the second part of Bart Ehrman’s critique of the Bible’s explanation for the existence of evil and suffering, we cover a few critiques of the critiques. Ehrman doesn’t seem to like the reasons the Bible gives and doesn’t find them satisfying. He also finds them contradictory. There are answers there and hopefully, this gives Christians better motivation to understand the doctrines they hold to in order to be able to give answers to someone even if they are as prolific and impressive as Ehrman is. Timeline Breakdown: 00:00 – Introduction 00:48 – Critique 1 – There Are Contradictory Explanations Of Evil In The Bible 03:38 – No Reason Why They’re Contradictory 06:08 – Critique 2 – He Doesn’t Like The Reasons 07:23 – Critique 3 – The Reasons Are Not Satisfying 08:18 – Response – Just Because You Don’t Like It Doesn’t Mean It’s Wrong 09:33 – Response – Not Every Answer Is The Exhaustive One 10:50 – Response – Erhman Has His Own Mystery 14:52 – Response – The Importance Of The Incarnation 19:20 – By What Standard Is Evil Actually Evil? 21:58 – God Has Divine Right Over Creation 25:09 – The Biblical Doctrine Of Sin Plays An Important Part In The Answer To Evil 26:36 – The Doctrine Of Sin Is Not Only Horizontal But Vertical As Well 28:51 – The Problem Of Good 29:50 – Bart Ehrman – A Believer? 31:35 – Ehrman, Against His Wishes, Believes The Bible For The Standard Of Morality 34:49 – Conclusion Video Links: 32:33 – Mitch Stokes Interview Where He Covers The Problem Of Evil 32:43 – Short Clips From Interviews Including Mitch Stokes On The Problem Of Evil 33:32 – Nancy Pearcey Interview The episode link is cavetothecross.com/ep101 Books mentioned in this episode: (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL) “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw.           (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3o6Iw4t)               (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/3qn2VnU)               (Amazon Link – https://amzn.to/39DQPAO)               Subscribe on the following: