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All (1426) Mike Winger (1426)

Mike Winger idea 2019-08-07

Q&A: Believers not appointed to wrath — pre-trib rapture argument from 1 Thessalonians

Viewer raises the classic pre-trib rapture argument from 1 Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians eschatology rapture tribulation

Mike Winger idea 2019-08-07

Q&A: Acts 13:48 — 'appointed to eternal life' and the election/free will question

Viewer asks about the Calvinist proof text in Acts 13:48.

Acts 13:48 election Calvinism Molinism

Mike Winger idea 2019-08-07

Q&A: Does God's love have a time limit — does it turn to hatred at death for the damned?

Viewer asks whether God's love for the unrepentant ceases at death and becomes everlasting hatred.

eschatology God's love divine judgment

Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

Atheists (Dan Barker) also use the cross-vs-stake argument to discredit Christianity

Beyond JWs, some atheists promote the idea that Jesus did not die on a cross. Winger specifically names Dan Barker, known in online atheist circles as an authority on New Testament Greek, who argues Christians are wrong about even the basic shape of the cross.

apologetics Dan Barker atheism

Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

Alexamenos Graffito: earliest known artwork depicting Christ on a cross shows a T-shaped cross

The Alexamenos Graffito is a piece of graffiti mocking a Christian named Alexamenos, dated between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD (possibly as early as 80 AD). It shows a person with a donkey's head on a T-shaped cross, and a man worshiping below.

crucifixion cross early church history

Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

Q&A: Seventh-day Adventism — Winger defers, recommends GotQuestions.org

A viewer asks for Winger's take on Seventh-day Adventism. He declines to answer without fresh study, acknowledging he taught on it years ago but would need to revisit.

GotQuestions.org Seventh-day Adventism cult studies

Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

Q&A: Did Judas Iscariot commit the unforgivable sin?

A viewer asks whether Judas committed the unforgivable sin, prompted by a recent Winger video on the topic.

Luke 22:3 Matthew 26:24 repentance Judas Iscariot unforgivable sin

Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

Q&A: What did Constantine see — an X or a cross?

A viewer asks about Constantine's famous vision before the Battle of Milvian Bridge. Winger acknowledges the ambiguity without offering a firm answer.

early church history crux decussata Constantine

Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

Q&A: Can a Christian be demon-possessed? Winger argues no, based on Jesus's parable of the unoccupied house

A viewer asks whether Christians can have an unclean spirit/demon, and whether Winger's view implies deliverance ministry is only for unbelievers.

Matthew 12:43-45 Todd White exorcism Holy Spirit indwelling

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Six pluralist slogans to be addressed: the primary claim and five derivative phrases

Winger outlines the structure of the talk

apologetics universalism exclusivity of Christ

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

The emotional appeal of pluralist slogans: kindness, avoiding anger, hope, tolerance

Winger demonstrates empathy with why people hold pluralist views before critiquing them

religious pluralism tolerance cultural Christianity

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Slogan 2: "Jesus is the only way — how arrogant" — two analogies: wrong road and cancer doctor

Third slogan addressed (Winger addresses it second in ordering)

John 14:6 apologetics John 14:6 exclusivity of Christ

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Slogan 6: "God knows our hearts and good people will be okay" — people are not actually good

Final and most substantial of the six slogans

original sin human nature total depravity

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Gandhi as a test case for "good people" — his nightly nude sleeping with other women, including nieces

Response to the common invocation of Gandhi as the exemplar of a good non-Christian

apologetics grace human nature

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Q&A: Relativism — "there is no truth" is self-refuting; "no one can know truth" is also self-refuting

Viewer question from Isabell Chris

apologetics epistemology relativism

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Q&A: Is it wise to tell someone their deceased Catholic loved one is in heaven?

Viewer question from Hannah Elizabeth

salvation gospel Catholicism

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Q&A: Does Matthew 11:21-22 (Tyre and Sidon) challenge Calvinism?

Viewer question from James Giorgio

Matthew 11:21-22 repentance Calvinism soteriology

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

1 Corinthians 7:13-16 — children are "holy" through a believing parent but this has nothing to do with baptism

Winger examines another verse used by some to support infant baptism.

1 Corinthians 7:13-16 sanctification infant baptism 1 Corinthians 7:13-16

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

Q&A: Age of accountability is not a fixed age but individualized — God knows each person's capacity

Winger briefly addresses the age of accountability question from the live chat.

Q&A: Believers not appointed to wrath — pre-trib rapture argument from 1 Thessalonians

Q&A: Acts 13:48 — 'appointed to eternal life' and the election/free will question

Q&A: Does God's love have a time limit — does it turn to hatred at death for the damned?

Atheists (Dan Barker) also use the cross-vs-stake argument to discredit Christianity

Alexamenos Graffito: earliest known artwork depicting Christ on a cross shows a T-shaped cross

Q&A: Seventh-day Adventism — Winger defers, recommends GotQuestions.org

Q&A: Did Judas Iscariot commit the unforgivable sin?

Q&A: What did Constantine see — an X or a cross?

Q&A: Can a Christian be demon-possessed? Winger argues no, based on Jesus's parable of the unoccupied house

Six pluralist slogans to be addressed: the primary claim and five derivative phrases

The emotional appeal of pluralist slogans: kindness, avoiding anger, hope, tolerance

Slogan 2: "Jesus is the only way — how arrogant" — two analogies: wrong road and cancer doctor

Slogan 6: "God knows our hearts and good people will be okay" — people are not actually good

Gandhi as a test case for "good people" — his nightly nude sleeping with other women, including nieces

Q&A: Relativism — "there is no truth" is self-refuting; "no one can know truth" is also self-refuting

Q&A: Is it wise to tell someone their deceased Catholic loved one is in heaven?

Q&A: Does Matthew 11:21-22 (Tyre and Sidon) challenge Calvinism?

1 Corinthians 7:13-16 — children are "holy" through a believing parent but this has nothing to do with baptism

Q&A: Age of accountability is not a fixed age but individualized — God knows each person's capacity

Introduction to apologetic methodology and its complexity

Overview of major schools of apologetic thought: presuppositionalism, evidentialism, fideism, classical

Background: Winger recently debated Pastor Emilio Ramos on apologetic methodology at Living Waters

Christians have confident, warranted belief in Christianity apart from evidence through the Holy Spirit

Knowing vs. showing: two distinct epistemic tasks

The witness of the Holy Spirit is the primary means by which Christians know Christianity is true

The inner witness of the Holy Spirit gives Christians warrant regardless of external evidence

When the Holy Spirit's witness conflicts with external evidence, Christians are warranted in trusting God over evidence

Credit to William Lane Craig's article in Five Views on Apologetics for the knowing/showing framework

When showing Christianity to others, only external evidence and arguments are available, not the Spirit's witness

1 John 5:9-10: the witness of God is greater than the witness of men; believers have it in themselves

Nearly all human knowledge rests on testimony from credible witnesses, not direct personal observation

God's witness is categorically greater than human testimony because God has all knowledge and cannot lie

The German student scenario: a Christian surrounded by hostile scholarship still has warrant through the Spirit

It is epistemically wrong to require Christians to answer every argument or question before their faith is valid

Internet atheism often operates by demanding unanswerable questions rather than engaging arguments honestly

The Mormon burning-in-the-bosom claim does not undermine the Christian's witness of the Spirit

Elijah on Mount Carmel: biblical example of knowing vs. showing — he knew God was real, he showed others through evidence

Moses and the plague of frogs: God let Pharaoh choose the time so Pharaoh could know no one is like the Lord

Classical, evidential, and cumulative case apologetics are all valid; tailor them to the individual

Jeremiah 28:9: the test of a true prophet is whether his words come to pass — an evidential approach to prophetic verification

1 Corinthians 15:3-8: the apostles argued historically for the resurrection by listing eyewitnesses

Christians who struggle to sense the Spirit's witness still have access to evidence as a support, and doubt often traces to sin

John the Baptist's doubt from prison: Jesus responded with fresh evidence rather than rebuke

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

This view is not fideism; the Spirit's internal witness is genuine evidence, and the Spirit converts — not arguments

Ray Comfort's law-first gospel presentation is thoroughly biblical, though not required to be mechanical

Messianic believers who add Torah observance as a requirement for salvation are condemned by Galatians 1

Assurance of salvation can fluctuate but does not determine a Christian's actual standing before God

Gospel-level error requires breaking fellowship; lesser errors require wisdom and church leadership

When a family member refuses to discuss God, build relational bridges rather than forcing spiritual conversations

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