Search — Theology Explorer

Christian apologetics Hemant Mehta atheist objections to Christianity

20-video collaborative series answering Hemant Mehta's atheist objections, one video per day

Mike describes the structure and goals of the joint project

John McCrae problem of evil John McCrae SIDS / sudden infant death

Personal account: two friends experienced SIDS (crib death/sudden infant death) and responded differently — one drew closer to God, one turned away

John shares a personal story illustrating different responses to suffering

Capturing Christianity Christian apologetics Cameron Bertuzzi

Cameron Bertuzzi's ministry goal: expose the intellectual depth of Christian belief; counter the cultural assumption that atheism has all the intellectual high ground

Cameron shares his goals for Capturing Christianity

atonement gospel apologetics

Closing message from Mike to skeptics: the evidence for Christianity is robust and surprising; Jesus really died for sins; God is personal and loves people; life is not purposeless

Mike's closing address to skeptic viewers

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-27

The SE tactic in practice: be friendly, don't disclose your agenda, and ask "how do you know that?" repeatedly

Mike describes the practical method of Street Epistemology

Peter Boghossian Street Epistemology Socratic method

crucifixion of Jesus Pontius Pilate early Christian persecution

Tacitus (Annals, 109 AD) as non-Christian confirmation of early Christian persecution, crucifixion of Christ under Pontius Pilate, and the movement's origin in Judea

Mike quotes Tacitus as an external, non-Christian source confirming early persecution

Matthew 23:34 early Christian persecution Matthew 23:34

Matthew 23:34 — Jesus sends prophets and scribes who will be killed, crucified, and flogged as evidence persecution was an expected norm

Additional scripture confirming persecution as the anticipated norm for followers

Philippians Paul the Apostle apostolic martyrdom apostle sincerity

Philippians — Paul's pastoral management of his congregation's grief over his suffering as evidence that his persecution was a given, publicly known reality

Paul's suffering was so consistent and well-known that he had to repeatedly address the pastoral fallout from it

2 Timothy 4:6-8 Paul the Apostle apostolic martyrdom 2 Timothy 4:6-8

2 Timothy 4:6-8 — Paul describes himself as being poured out as a drink offering, anticipating his imminent death

Pauline text indicating Paul's awareness of and preparation for his own martyrdom

James the brother of Jesus James the Just apostolic martyrdom Hegesippus legendary development

Hegesippus's account of James the Just's martyrdom — legendary elements identified and evaluated; the historical core extraction methodology applied

Primary patristic source for the martyrdom of James, with critical methodology

James the brother of Jesus apostolic martyrdom James the brother of Jesus Stephen the martyr

Additional sources confirming James's martyrdom: First Apocalypse of James, Second Apocalypse of James, Pseudo-Clementine Recognitions (c. 280 AD)

Multiple independent streams of tradition confirming James's martyrdom

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

Greg Mater (former Christian) incorrectly cited Hebrews 11:1 as a definition of faith rather than a description

Examining a former Christian's use of Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews 11:1 Hebrews 11:1 former Christian atheists faith as hope vs. evidence

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

Romans 1:18-32 describes two divine judgments on those who suppress the evidence for God: sin and a debased mind

Q&A: Monica Poole asks how Street Epistemology relates to Romans 1

Romans 1:18-32 Romans 1:20 atheism Romans 1:18-32 cosmological argument

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

Mike's personal conversion testimony: depression before faith, joy and relationship with God after — and subsequent evidential verification

Q&A: Benjamin Acompo (skeptic) asks what evidence a 12-year-old Mike had at conversion beyond feelings

personal testimony experiential evidence for faith conversion experience

Generation Z authenticity Barna Research

Tendency to view Gen Z through a negative lens — and why that must be corrected

McDowell describes an exercise he does with audiences

apologetics fact-checking trust

Gen Z fact-checks in real time — credibility and truth-telling are now more important than ever for teachers and pastors

McDowell describes speaking at Berkeley and observing real-time fact-checking

Mormonism youth ministry Trinity

Apologetic mission trips: exposing youth to real intellectual and religious conflict as a discipleship strategy

McDowell describes the mission trip model developed with Brett Kunkle and J. Warner Wallace

evangelism Jesus sexuality

Strategy for LGBTQ conversations with non-Christians: start with listening, ask about their story, do not lead with the biblical sexual ethic

McDowell describes how he approaches LGBTQ questions with non-Christians

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

Christopher Hitchens applied the slogan to God and the resurrection in debates with William Lane Craig

After explaining Sagan's origin, Mike describes how the slogan was weaponized in atheist apologetics.

William Lane Craig Resurrection of Jesus Christopher Hitchens

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

How the slogan functions in practice: a rhetorical device to dismiss evidence without engaging it

Mike describes the actual real-world usage pattern he has encountered when presenting evidence for Christianity.

Apologetics Resurrection of Jesus Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

Winger holds a dualist view of the soul: the soul is distinct from the brain and body, uses the body to interact with reality, and persists after bodily death

Response to question about the nature of the soul

soul dualism body-soul distinction

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

NT judgment is actually more extreme than OT judgment: Revelation's eternal punishment exceeds anything in the OT; love, mercy, and wrath are all escalated in the NT

Second counter-argument on whether God's judgment lessens over time

1 Peter Revelation 1 Thessalonians 1 Peter Revelation 1 Thessalonians

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-15

Hebrews 9:9-10 describes Mosaic regulations as a placeholder "until the time of reformation"

Further development of the Law's built-in temporality

Hebrews 9:9-10 dietary laws Hebrews 9:9-10 Levitical law

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 as messianic prophecy — full reading

McLatchie reads and introduces the Suffering Servant passage of Isaiah 53 as the premier example of messianic prophecy.

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Suffering Servant substitutionary atonement messianic prophecy

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

Argument for the deity of Christ from Isaiah 52:13 — "high and lifted up"

McLatchie presents one of four arguments for the deity of the Messiah embedded within Isaiah 52-53.

Isaiah 52:13 Isaiah 6:1 Isaiah 2 Suffering Servant deity of Christ Jonathan McLatchie

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Acts 2 Pentecost crowd is entirely Jewish or proselytes -- the question of Gentiles obeying the law never arises because all present already observed it

Survey of Acts chapter 2

Acts 2:5 Acts 2:9-10 Pentecost Jewish believers Acts 2:5

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-30

Q&A: Difference between backsliding and falling away (Hebrews 6:4) — backsliding is spiritual decline, falling away is apostasy

Viewer Q&A on the distinction between backsliding and falling away.

Hebrews 6:4 Hebrews 6:4 apostasy backsliding

James (brother of Jesus) Josephus James (brother of Jesus) Antiquities of the Jews

Josephus mentions Jesus twice: Antiquities 18.63 (disputed) and Antiquities 20.200 (virtually undisputed)

Explaining the two Josephus passages

Paul Richard Carrier Jesus mythicism

Richard Carrier's claim that Paul only describes a Jesus in outer space, never on earth

Presenting a key mythicist argument from Richard Carrier about Paul

Acts Hebrews Paul Peter Acts

Audience Q: Why doesn't anyone reference Tacitus on Christian persecution until the 4th century? — Multiple 1st-century sources confirm early persecution of Christians

Audience question from "Godless Engineer" about Christian persecution attestation

2 Corinthians 5:8 Philippians 1:20-22 Paul eschatology intermediate state

Paul's eschatology: 2 Corinthians 5:8 and Philippians 1:20-22 show an intermediate disembodied state after death, before the final bodily resurrection

Paul's two-stage eschatological framework

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-26

Verse-by-verse: v. 11 — the child/adult analogy illustrates that the gifts are a temporary measure, but the maturity in view is eschatological glorification (1 Cor 15), not canonical completion.

Winger grants that v. 11 sounds like it could support the church-maturity cessationist view, but locates its referent in resurrection/glorification.

1 Corinthians 15 1 Corinthians 13:11 cessationism 1 Corinthians 15 eschatology

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-26

Historical question: sign gifts did not begin at Azusa Street; early church fathers (Justin Martyr, later Augustine) attest to prophecy and miracles continuing post-apostolically.

Q&A — viewer claims modern tongues/gifts stem from the 1906 Azusa Street revival. Winger corrects the historical record.

cessationism continuationism church history

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-17

Introduction: Ministry update overview and video structure

Mike Winger opens a Tuesday livestream with an agenda covering ministry changes, church status, goals, and Q&A.

online ministry BibleThinker ministry transparency

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-17

Calling to online ministry: A strong sense of divine compulsion in 2012

Winger describes how in 2012 he experienced an unusual, intense sense that he had to do something in ministry beyond his local church.

calling youth ministry Hosanna Christian Fellowship

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-17

Early YouTube confirmation: Jehovah's Witnesses video blows up

After making several videos with minimal traction, Winger prayed for confirmation that YouTube was the right investment, and one video took off.

Jehovah's Witnesses YouTube ministry divine confirmation

crucifixion stauros Douglas's New Bible Dictionary

Full quote from Douglas's New Bible Dictionary supports a traditional cross, not a stake

When the full entry from Douglas's New Bible Dictionary is read, it describes three historical types of crosses and leans toward the traditional lowercase-T cross for Jesus's crucifixion.

Theological Dictionary of the New Testament lists three cross forms including traditional cross

The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (TDNT) is a third major scholarly source Winger cites. It describes stauros as used for three basic cross shapes.

TDNT crucifixion cross

apologetics crucifixion cross

Justin Martyr (2nd century) explicitly describes two beams on the cross

Justin Martyr, one of the earliest Christian apologists, writing in the second century, describes Christ's cross as having two beams — ruling out the single-stake theory.