Search — Theology Explorer

Islam Christology monotheism

Mike's disagreement with Vatican II's claim that Muslims worship the one true God

Responding to Lumen Gentium's statement about Muslims

biblical authority Ben Shapiro Robert Barron

Mike's verdict: Vatican II is not actually clear on Ben Shapiro's specific case

Summing up the Vatican II analysis

Galatians 2:15-16 Paul justification works of the law

Galatians 2:15-16 — even Jewish believers know that justification is by faith in Christ, not works of the law

Mike adds Galatians to the scriptural case

Romans 11 Torah Tanakh Nevi'im

The New Testament is a Jewish book written by Jews about the Jewish Messiah

Mike contextualizes the gospel for Ben as a Jewish person

John 5:45-47 revelation Moses parables Torah

John 5:45-47 — if you believed Moses you would believe me: encountering Jesus reveals whether one truly believed Moses

Mike addresses the logical question: what about Ben, who has heard of Jesus but rejected him?

Romans 3:23-24 false gospel sola gratia justification

Summary verdict: the 'good person gospel' is a false gospel that does not save

Mike concludes his main argument

Ephesians 2:8-9 Ephesians 2:8-9 sola gratia sola fide

Ephesians 2:8-9 — saved by grace through faith, not of works; personal story of Catholic friend Tony

Mike illustrates grace alone with a personal anecdote

Romans 1 Romans 1:18-32 atheism conscience Romans 1

Q&A: Can atheists be saved? — Romans 1 and the hardening process of rejecting God

Answering viewer Sarah Beauchamp's question about Barron's statement that even atheists can be saved

faith belief without evidence Christian apologetics

Opening thesis: defining faith as 'belief without evidence' is a disastrous mistake for Christianity

Mike opens the livestream by stating his core argument for the session.

faith Christian apologetics reasonable faith

The 'faith = belief without evidence' definition makes Christians appear foolish and concedes the epistemic ground

Mike explains the rhetorical and theological consequences of accepting this definition.

Acts 18:27-28 Apollos typology evidence-based faith

Acts 18:27-28 — Apollos vigorously refutes Jewish opponents using Scripture to show Jesus is the Christ

New Testament example of evidence-based persuasion in the early church.

Matthew 9:5-7 miracles as evidence Matthew 9:5-7 paralytic healing

Matthew 9:5-7 — Jesus heals the paralytic as evidence of authority to forgive sins

Mike uses Jesus's healing of the paralytic as another instance of miracles functioning as proof.

Hebrews 11:1 faith Hebrews 11:1 Amy Hall

Hebrews 11:1 — introduction and reference to Amy Hall's article at STR.org

Mike begins addressing the most commonly cited 'faith without evidence' passage.

Hebrews 11:8 Hebrews 11:11 Sarah Abraham faith

Abraham and Sarah in Hebrews 11: faith as trust in specific divine promises, not evidence-free belief

Further examples from Hebrews 11 illustrating that the characters had specific reasons to believe.

Hebrews 11 Moses Sarah evidence-based faith

The Hebrews 11 heroes had concrete reasons for their faith: direct speech from God, angelic visitations, inherited testimony

Mike argues that the faith-figures in Hebrews 11 are not examples of 'faith without evidence.'

evidence-based faith skepticism Christian apologetics

Skeptical objections to Christianity are often based on misunderstanding, misrepresentation, and bad scholarship rather than genuinely superior evidence

Mike's meta-level assessment of the state of skeptical arguments against Christianity.

personal testimony faith spiritual apprehension

Dictionary definition of faith: Google's two definitions — 'complete trust or confidence' vs. 'strong belief based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof'

Mike moves from Scripture to the dictionary to examine the secular definition of faith.

faith Christian apologetics definition of faith

Webster's dictionary definitions of faith: 'allegiance,' 'loyalty,' 'belief and trust in God' — the 'firm belief in something for which there is no proof' definition exists but does not represent biblical Christianity

Mike examines Webster's multiple definitions of faith.

Greg Koukl William Lane Craig apologetics resources

Recommended apologetics ministries and resources for Christians who want a robust, evidence-based faith

Mike provides a resource list for viewers who want to deepen their apologetics.

personal testimony evidence-based faith comparative religion

Evidence for Christianity spans multiple disciplines: Scripture, philosophy, history, science, and personal experience

Mike summarizes the scope of Christian evidential resources before moving to Q&A.

Holy Spirit personal testimony apologetics methodology

Q&A: How to explain to non-believers that the Holy Spirit's presence is a reason for faith

Viewer question from Cam 94.

John 13:2 omnipotence Satan spiritual warfare

Q&A: Can Satan, as a non-omnipotent being, put thoughts into people's minds?

Viewer question from Joy Chintons.

John 3:36 obedience hermeneutics faith and works

Q&A: Connection between belief and obedience in John 3:36 — belief leads to obedience; lack of obedience implies lack of faith

Viewer question from Jacob Englet about John 3:36 and James 2:14-26.

hermeneutics biblical interpretation contextual reading

Q&A: How to know you have the proper interpretation of Scripture — hermeneutics and contextual reading

Viewer question from Eric Seagardia.

epistemology evidence apologetics methodology

Q&A: Distinction between 'evidence' and 'proof' — Mike is skeptical that they must be rigorously distinguished

Viewer question from Martin Gradwell.

Romans 1:19-20 personal testimony Romans 1:19-20 natural theology

Q&A: Personal testimony — Bradley Wilcox found God through science and history; Mike shares friend Travis's conversion testimony

Viewer comment on creation as evidence; Mike illustrates with a personal conversion story.

evidence-based faith faith trust

Closing summary: faith is simply trust; the reasons for faith are a separate discussion from the nature of faith itself

Mike's concluding definition and summary of the session.

internal contradiction abortion safe legal rare

Critique of 'keep abortion safe, legal, and rare' — internal contradiction if the unborn is not a person

Mike uses Hillary Clinton's famous phrase to expose inconsistency in the pro-choice position

human development embryo Scott Klusendorf

Scott Klusendorf's argument: 'You didn't come from an embryo — you once were an embryo'

Philosophical distinction between origin and identity as applied to embryology

abortion human rights embryo

The unborn has three qualities shared with all humans: Living, Human, and Whole

Mike's three-part framework for establishing the moral status of the unborn

human development embryo Bernard Nathanson

The 'Whole' quality of the unborn — Bernard Nathanson (NARAL co-founder) confirms the embryo is a unified whole, self-directed, and distinct from the mother

Mike's explanation of the third quality of the unborn, backed by a prominent pro-choice source

abortion SLED acronym human value

SLED — E: Environment does not determine human value

Third SLED argument addressing the claim that location (inside vs. outside the womb) determines moral status

abortion Roe v. Wade Scott Klusendorf

Pre-Roe abortion death statistics were radically overstated — Scott Klusendorf cites approximately 70 deaths in the year before Roe

Q&A — claim that Roe v. Wade stopped women from dying from botched abortions

Planned Parenthood rape exception abortion statistics

Rape and incest exceptions fail logically — Guttmacher Institute data: less than 1% of abortions involve rape or incest

Mike revisits rape and introduces incest as claimed exceptions to the pro-life position

consistency argument abortion SLED acronym

Overpopulation argument fails — if it justifies killing the unborn, it justifies killing anyone

Q&A — claim that overpopulation justifies abortion

abortion human rights right to life

The right to life supersedes bodily autonomy — the most fundamental human right

Closing argument summarizing the rights-based case against abortion

John 1 Malachi Moses Torah Logos

Mike gives five arguments for why Jesus is not the Bible

Systematic refutation of the 119 Ministries claim that Jesus = the written Word.

Hebrew Roots Movement World Mission Society Church of God God the Mother heresy

Comparison of Hebrew Roots reasoning to Mother of God cult — both use oversimplified philosophical principles to override Scripture

Mike broadens his critique to identify a general pattern: movements that start with a simplistic principle and then force-fit Scripture to it.

Torah Paul rejection 119 Ministries

119 Ministries: "you cannot choose which parts of the Messiah you like" — Mike critiques this as circular reasoning that makes Torah-rejection equivalent to rejecting Jesus

Mike plays a clip where 119 Ministries equates partial Torah-rejection with rejecting part of the Messiah himself.

1 John 2:3-10 1 John 3:23-24 John 15 Law of Moses 1 John 2:3-10 1 John 3:23-24

Reading 1 John in context: the commandment John has in view is love and faith in Jesus Christ, not the Mosaic law

Mike does a sustained contextual reading of 1 John 2 and 3 to determine what John meant by "commandments."

John 15:10-12 Love command Commandments of Jesus Walking as Jesus walked

John 15: the commandment of Jesus is to love one another as he loved us — Mike applies this to the "walk as he walked" question

Mike reads John 15:12 as further confirmation that the commandment Jesus gives is love, not Torah-keeping.

Torah observance Gentile believers Sola fide

Torah-observant Christians who hold sola fide — Mike's gracious but firm assessment

Q&A question: what about Torah-observant believers who genuinely hold that salvation is by grace through faith alone?

Hebrew Roots Movement Paul rejection Dietary laws

Pastoral counsel for those with family members in the Hebrew Roots Movement — distinguish unnecessary restrictions from the deeper spiritual danger

Q&A: a viewer's mother is deeply in the Hebrew Roots movement; asking if the movement is the way to be close to Jesus.

Romans 8 Revelation 2 Peter Romans 8 sons of God eschatology

Book of Revelation and the new heavens and new earth

Q&A question about what Revelation says about the new heaven and earth.

evangelism apologetics Josh McDowell

Recommended apologetics resources: websites and books

Q&A asking for top suggested books and sources for apologetics and evangelism.

1 Corinthians 7 calling 1 Corinthians 7 marriage

1 Corinthians 7: Singleness is better than marriage for kingdom service

Q&A on Christian celibacy and the Catholic Church sex scandal involving nuns.

worship vain worship non-believers in ministry

Non-believers in a worship band constitute vain worship

Q&A on whether it is okay for a non-believer to sing or play in a worship band.

Revelation eschatology Revelation once saved always saved

Open theological questions Mike personally still has

Q&A asking what theological questions Mike still has unanswered.

New Testament generational curses deliverance ministry

Generational curses: Mike does not believe in them as commonly taught

Q&A on whether generational curses are biblical.