Search — Theology Explorer

apologetics spiritual maturity witness of the Holy Spirit

Mature Christians who feel no need for apologetics are spiritually healthy, not deficient

Reframing common apologetics-community frustration with Christians who seem uninterested in evidence

presuppositionalism apologetic methodology classical apologetics

Presuppositionalism is not simply the transcendental argument; it assumes God without argument from the outset

Q&A: clarifying a common misunderstanding of presuppositionalism

evangelism apologetics atheism

When an atheist asks context-free gotcha questions and refuses to engage answers, move on

Q&A: strategy for handling an atheist who uses OT verses as traps without wanting real dialogue

evangelism apologetics knowing vs. showing

Closing exhortation: trust the Spirit's witness for your own confidence; use evidence to invite others to seek the Lord

Summary and call to application, including a direct appeal to non-believing viewers

Mike Winger idea 2020-08-28

When at a liberal university with false Bible teaching, prepare to refute — don't fight every battle prematurely

Question from Nathaniel at a liberal Christian university where Scripture and the gospel are consistently undermined.

discernment wisdom Christian education

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-04

Evidence for the Exodus exists and is growing; Inspiring Philosophy preparing a detailed video on the topic

Continued response on OT historical reliability, specifically the Exodus.

Exodus biblical inerrancy Exodus archaeology

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-04

College professors often repeat thin secondhand claims about the Bible; a little research can expose the shallowness

Aside to Folky about the professor making claims about the Bible being borrowed from surrounding cultures.

apologetics Martin Luther Reformation

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-11

Strategy for confronting prosperity gospel error in friends and family: affirm first, then use bridge-building resources they cannot interrupt

Response to Robert Butcher asking how to lovingly reveal errors of the prosperity gospel to friends and family.

discernment prosperity gospel false teaching

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-11

Christians may read and study the Quran for education and evangelistic purposes; avoid it only if it causes personal spiritual instability

Response to Sarah Nordberg (Denmark) who feels convicted reading the Quran for a required university religion class.

evangelism Islam Christian liberty

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-18

Apparitions of Mary at Fatima — three interpretive options; not sufficient to validate Catholic Marian dogmas

Question from Cody Skinner about Catholic apparitions at Fatima and messages to the shepherd children.

2 Thessalonians 2:9 apologetics miracles Catholicism

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-18

Catholicism as doctrinal development — novel doctrines added over centuries, not apostolic teaching

Continuation of Fatima discussion; Mike's broader critique of Catholicism.

church fathers apologetics Catholicism

Genesis flood apologetics Inspiring Philosophy Genesis flood

Global flood traditions across disconnected cultures support the historicity of a major flood event

Q&A question from Lindsay Pinkert about helping a friend who doubts biblical historical accuracy (flood and Exodus)

Exodus historicity apologetics archaeology Exodus historicity

Dr. Titus Kennedy's archaeological research supports the historicity of the Exodus

Recommended resource for the Exodus historicity discussion

apologetics presuppositional apologetics evidential apologetics

Presuppositional apologetics debate: Mike rejects the claim that evidential apologists need shared worldview common ground

Q&A from Daniel C about whether neutral or common ground exists in apologetics

apologetics presuppositional apologetics epistemology

Presuppositional apologetics requires assuming Christianity true rather than proving it — Mike disagrees

Specific critique of presuppositionalism

church history apologetics Jesus

Response to the charge that the church is a bloody, evil institution: distinguish Christ from institutional church history

Q&A from Connor Robinson about the church's violent history as an apologetic challenge

church history apologetics Christianity and violence

The Crusades: more defensible than popular narrative but also included real atrocities including use of child soldiers

Specific application of the church-history response to the Crusades

apologetics methodology biblical thinking

Introduction: 20 Questions format — answering live chat questions to teach biblical thinking

Opening of the livestream. Mike explains the goal of the show.

relativism apologetics methodology Socratic method

Relativism about truth is a self-refuting claim — the claim that there is no objective truth is itself an objective truth claim

Mike's primary philosophical rebuttal to relativism.

evangelism eternal destiny objective truth

Parachute/airplane illustration: beliefs do not determine outcomes — reality is independent of belief

Mike uses a vivid analogy to show relativism fails when applied to real-world consequences.

Romans 14:4 Islam apologetics methodology David Wood

David Wood's apologetics style: Mike declines blanket condemnation, invokes 'who are you to judge another man's servant'

Question from Dimitar Bratov about David Wood's confrontational approach to Islamic apologetics.

Mike Winger idea 2020-11-06

Subjective truth is self-refuting -- every claim for it is itself an objective truth claim

Responding to Arno's question about how to respond to claims that all truth is subjective

apologetics epistemology self-refuting argument

Mike Winger idea 2020-11-06

Socratic approach for witnessing to Mormons about pre-mortal existence: let them make their case first

Responding to Alexander Duncan's question about addressing Mormon belief in pre-mortal existence

Mormonism apologetics pre-mortal existence

Mike Winger idea 2018-09-26

How Mike prepares his messages — text-first exegetical process

A viewer asks how Mike prepares for teaching.

hermeneutics commentaries sermon preparation

Mike Winger idea 2018-09-26

William Lane Craig as a model for popularizing philosophical apologetics

Mike references William Lane Craig while discussing vocational gaps in the church.

apologetics William Lane Craig philosophical arguments for God

Mike Winger idea 2018-09-26

Gaps in vocational ministry — expository preaching, apologetics, archaeology, worship leading

A viewer asks what the church is most lacking in vocational ministry.

calling worship leading apologetics

apologetics aliens and Christianity

Would aliens disprove Christianity? The real question is not whether aliens exist but what Christian belief would be lost if they did.

Opening topic of the 20 Questions livestream

Trinity justification by faith apologetics

Aliens would not disprove any core Christian doctrine: God's existence, the Trinity, Christ's death and resurrection, justification by grace through faith, or the future resurrection.

Working through whether alien discovery threatens Christian beliefs

Ezekiel Ezekiel demonology apologetics

UFO sightings: the Christian worldview has a third explanatory option beyond aliens or government - angelic/demonic activity.

UFO sightings and Christian worldview

spiritual warfare apologetics UFOs

Some people abandon faith over UFO sightings because they do not consider alternative explanations like demonic activity; alien existence is not a defeater for Christianity.

Spiritual danger of UFO-driven deconversion

Genesis Genesis Elohim Evidence That Demands a Verdict

The Documentary Hypothesis (JEDP theory) has largely died out in scholarship; the old version attacked in apologetics works like Evidence That Demands a Verdict is mostly obsolete.

Question about the Documentary Hypothesis

Many Christian doubts about heaven and death are psychological rather than intellectual; manufactured skepticism exploits unthought-through questions to create irrational doubt.

Question: can someone know for sure that heaven is real?

faith apologetics doubt

Abraham faith fulfilled prophecy

Biblical faith is not groundless belief but trust based on revelation and evidence; the response to psychological doubt is to exercise trust grounded in good reasons.

How to respond to psychological doubt

Lee Strobel evangelism J. Warner Wallace

Discipling a believing-but-disengaged parent: focus on the will problem; build bridges through his interests rather than direct confrontation.

Question about discipling an unengaged believing father

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Diagnosing the root belief driving a gay-identifying Christian friend — four possible positions

Continuing Q8 — strategy for engaging friend

Matthew Vines biblical authority apologetics homosexuality

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Bonus Q: Children's books on evolution — recommendations for teaching children multiple worldviews

Response to parent who received evolution children's books as Christmas gifts

Natasha Crain apologetics worldview

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

Christian community love is an apologetic — Trinitarian unity manifested in the church is evidence that God sent Christ

Continuation of John 17:21 discussion.

John 17:21 John 13:35 Apologetics John 17:21 Christian unity as apologetic

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

Paul's conversion is credible because it was Apostolically ratified and his gospel was identical to the Twelve's — Joseph Smith fails both tests

Question from Summer Monsoon about apologetics for Paul's conversion vs. Joseph Smith's claimed vision.

Galatians 2 2 Peter 3:16 Galatians 2 Mormonism Joseph Smith

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-29

Advice for online youth pastor: engage real youth in person; use apologetics and comparative theology to reach skeptical students

Final question from Dragon Fist 900, a biblical studies major pursuing online youth ministry.

youth ministry evangelism apologetics

apologetics atheism moral argument

Mike rebuts a viewer's accusation that Christians believe only because of family pressure or weakness, sharing his own testimony of coming to faith alone in a non-Christian home and listing multiple philosophical reasons he holds for God's existence.

Response to skeptical viewer claiming Christians believe due to social conditioning

apologetics resurrection of Jesus hell

Mike argues that the best approach to the question of hell is not direct empirical evidence but rather a two-step argument: establish the trustworthiness of Jesus through the resurrection and fulfilled prophecy, then accept his teaching on hell as credible.

Response to viewer demanding evidence for hell

apologetics resurrection of Jesus debate

Mike wraps up after about an hour, promoting his upcoming Thursday debate on the resurrection against an atheist named Paul from Paulogia on the Non-Sequitur Show, and instructs viewers to enable YouTube notifications.

Closing remarks and debate promotion

Holy Spirit apologetics gospel

Mike shares his personal testimony: he came to faith at age 12 through the 10 Commandments convicting him of sin, then heard the gospel at a youth group he attended to get out of the house, believed immediately, and later pursued apologetics to verify his faith.

Response to viewer asking about Mike’s testimony

apologetics atheism moral argument

Mike argues it is philosophically irrational to charge God with immorality because God’s character is the very grounding of moral goodness, making the question of whether God could do something immoral logically incoherent, analogous to asking if a circle could be a square.

Response to non-believer asking whether there is anything God could do that would lead Mike to consider him immoral