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naturalism naturalism arguments for God

The Free Thinking Argument: if naturalism is true, humans cannot freely think; but humans can freely think; therefore naturalism is false — and the best explanation is the biblical God.

Introduction to interview with Dr. Tim Stratton on the argument from free will for God's existence

libertarian free will free thinking argument

The Free Thinking Argument formal syllogism: (1) no libertarian freedom → no rational inference; (2) humans DO rationally infer; (3) therefore humans have libertarian freedom. Stratton calls it deductive and potentially debate-ending.

Presentation of the core Free Thinking Argument

determinism determinism consciousness

Premise 3 defense: if external forces determine your beliefs, you lose justification for knowledge. You become a "bag of beliefs, none of which are up to the bag." The mad scientist thought experiment illustrates this.

Detailed defense of the most attacked premise

Alvin Plantinga self-refuting argument properly basic beliefs

Premise 4 is self-evident: to argue that humans CANNOT rationally infer knowledge claims is itself a rational inference — it's self-defeating. Some things are properly basic beliefs that don't require proof.

Defense of premise 4 and discussion of properly basic beliefs

Mark 11:22-25 Mark series prayer Kenneth Copeland Word of Faith

Overview: Mark 11:22-25 is the #1 Word of Faith verse. Winger approaches it by sidebaring the Kenneth Copeland debate to first understand the passage in its original context, then apply it.

Introduction to Mark Series pt 43 on prayer, faith, and Mark 11:22-25

1 Corinthians 13:2 Mark 11:24 Mark 13:2 cessationism 1 Corinthians 13:2 cessationism

Six reasons why "this mountain" is NOT limited to the temple (contra cessationist interpretation), but is a general truth about prayer: Paul's usage, Matthew/Luke parallels, OT mountain-moving language.

Refuting Jeff Durbin's cessationist interpretation that limits Mark 11 to imprecatory prayer against the temple

Mark 10:25-27 Galatians 3:5 Mark 10:25-27 Galatians 3:5 faith and prayer

Mountain-moving is a euphemism for what is humanly impossible but possible for God. Faith is weak (mustard seed), not strong — the emphasis is that you don't earn miracles; God does everything, you just believe.

Correct interpretation of the mountain-moving promise in Mark 11

1 Peter 2:5 Ephesians 2:19-22 2 Chronicles 6:24-40 1 Peter 2:5 Ephesians 2:19-22 2 Chronicles 6:24-40

The prayer promise is couched in the destruction-of-temple context because Jesus is inaugurating NEW COVENANT prayer — from temple-mediated access to direct access through Christ. Christians ARE the new temple.

The temple context explains WHY this prayer teaching appears here in Mark

1 Peter 3:7 Mark 11:25 Matthew 5:23-24 1 Peter 3:7 Mark 11:25 Matthew 5:23-24

Your part in prayer is faith, but GOD does the miracles — the power is not in your words or your belief, but in God's response. Forgiveness of others and repentance of sin are prerequisites for effective prayer.

Analysis of active/passive language in Mark 11 and the forgiveness requirement

Mark 14:35-36 Word of Faith Gethsemane prayer Word of Faith

Mark 14 (Gethsemane) is the intentional counterpoint to Mark 11 — Jesus with perfect faith, no sin, no unforgiveness prays and God says NO. Faith means trusting God both when he says yes AND when he says no.

The missing piece: Jesus' Gethsemane prayer as counterpoint to the prayer promise

Word of Faith Word of Faith magic vs prayer

First-century magic (witchcraft) forced the gods' will to obey the practitioner. A distorted Mark 11 teaching that sources miracles in MY will rather than God's will moves into the realm of magic, not prayer.

Historical context: prayer vs. magic in the first century

1 Corinthians 12:8-11 John 5:19 1 John 5:14 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 John 5:19 1 John 5:14

Faith for miracles is different from saving faith — it's initiated by God (a spiritual gift), not fabricated by the believer. Jesus had a responsive ministry to the Father, not initiatory. You respond to what the Spirit reveals.

Theological framework: miracle-faith as God-initiated response, not self-generated belief

Mark 11:22-25 Mark 14:35-36 Kenneth Copeland Word of Faith Kenneth Copeland

Conclusion: Mark 11 teaches new-covenant prayer through Christ, accessed by faith (not works). Real faith believes both for miracles AND in suffering when God says no. The harder path of faith is trusting God's "no."

Summary of the full teaching on prayer from Mark 11 and 14

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-05

The Sanhedrin's "we don't know" answer is pretend agnosticism — they knew what they believed but wouldn't say it. This is a modern plague: people claim not to know as a cover for not wanting to submit to the evidence.

Analysis of the Sanhedrin's non-answer and modern pretend agnosticism

Mark 11:27-33 Sanhedrin Sanhedrin Mark 11:27-33

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-12

A consistent OT pattern: it's the LEADERS of Israel who persecute God's messengers (Jezebel vs. Elijah, Saul vs. David, people of Ephraim vs. Gideon, King Jehoiakim vs. Jeremiah). The motive: wanting power, credit, and avoidance of suffering.

OT examples of leadership rejecting prophets and application to modern rejection of the gospel

Jeremiah 7:25-26 leadership accountability Jeremiah 7:25-26 leadership accountability

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-19

Be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). Paul before the Sanhedrin (Acts 23) is a model — he cleverly divided the room on the resurrection issue rather than just proclaiming Jesus is Lord.

Example of Christian cleverness from Paul in Acts 23

Acts 23 Matthew 10:16 Acts 23 Matthew 10:16 shrewd as serpents

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-19

Jesus redirects from taxes to the image of God — you bear God's image, so you belong to God. For the Christian, there is no separation between religion and politics; being a Christian IS the lens through which you engage all of life.

The image of God as the foundational political principle

image of God image of God render to Caesar

Mike Licona Mike Licona Lydia McGrew

A controversy exists in NT scholarship over whether gospel authors used "literary devices" from Greco-Roman biography that allowed them to change facts. Dr. Lydia McGrew argues against this; Mike Licona argues for it.

Introduction to the literary devices controversy with Dr. Lydia McGrew

Matthew 27 Matthew 27 literary devices in Gospels fictionalizing literary devices

Key examples of alleged literary devices: (1) John moved the temple cleansing from Passion Week to early ministry; (2) John invented "I thirst" on the cross as a theological symbol; (3) Matthew's raised saints as "special effects." McGrew argues all are unnecessary — simpler historical explanations exist.

Examples of literary devices McGrew disputes

harmonization literary devices in Gospels achronological vs dischronological narration

Critical distinction: achronological narration (not specifying order) vs. dischronological narration (deliberately changing order). The former is uncontroversial; the latter requires heavy burden of proof. "Mere difference hunting" is not sufficient evidence for fact-changing.

McGrew's key methodological distinctions

Plutarch Mike Licona Mike Licona

The external evidence (compositional textbooks, Plutarch) is far weaker than claimed. The textbooks never explicitly say "it's acceptable to change historical facts." Plutarch's differences may just be mistakes, not intentional literary devices. Licona admits attributing devices to the Gospels that aren't even found in the textbooks or Plutarch.

Critique of the external evidence for literary devices

John 7 undesigned coincidences Lydia McGrew John 7

Positive evidence FOR gospel reliability: consistent personality of Jesus across Gospels, unexplained allusions (John 7 — Jesus quotes a scripture nobody can identify), unnecessary realistic details, and the absence of realistic fiction as a genre in the first century.

McGrew's positive case for the reportage model

deity of Christ resurrection appearances resurrection appearances

The literary devices view has serious apologetic consequences: it eliminates resurrection appearances, undermines doubting Thomas, weakens the case for Jesus's deity from John's "I AM" sayings, and gives ammunition to cults and skeptics.

Apologetic implications of accepting literary devices in the Gospels

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-26

The Mirror Bible by François Du Toit is the worst Bible translation Winger has ever seen — not just inaccurate but anti-gospel, inverting Scripture to teach that humans are already divine and don't need to be born again.

Introduction to review of the Mirror Bible translation

Bible translations Mirror Bible Mirror Bible

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-26

Du Toit systematically changes key gospel texts: John 1:12 ("become children of God" → you're already God's offspring), John 3:3 (born again → you were already born from above), John 3:18 (condemned already → under your own self-judgment).

Specific examples of the Mirror Bible inverting gospel texts

John 1:12 John 3:3 John 3:7 born again John 1:12 John 3:3

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-26

Du Toit changes "forgiveness" to "I am-ness" and teaches that the Trinity has four circles (Father, Son, you/me, Holy Spirit). Jesus didn't die to save us from sin but from a wrong mindset. Hell is "just a pathway to heaven."

The Mirror Bible's broader theological distortions

John 17:7 Mirror Bible Mirror Bible François Du Toit

Mike Winger idea 2020-11-02

God's justice is BOTH restorative AND retributive — using restoration to eliminate punishment is itself unjust. The solution to wrongful convictions is to reform the death penalty, not abolish it.

Restorative vs. retributive justice, and the wrongful conviction problem

Revelation 6:10 Roman Catholicism death penalty Revelation 6:10

Mike Winger idea 2019-11-06

Isaiah 52:15 — "he shall sprinkle many nations" — uses sacrificial terminology (sprinkling blood on the altar). Multiple ancient translations confirm "sprinkle" over "startle." The Septuagint of Isaiah 53 is unreliable in several key places.

Debate over "sprinkle" vs. "startle" in Isaiah 52:15 and the Septuagint problem

Isaiah 52:13-15 Isaiah 52:13-15 Septuagint reliability sacrificial terminology

Mike Winger idea 2019-11-06

Conclusion: Isaiah 53 clearly teaches that Christ suffered in our place as a sacrifice bearing our sin, bringing atonement so we receive his righteousness. Those who call PSA wicked are confused by caricatures — if the doctrine is so bad, why must they misstate it to argue against it?

Summary and Q&A on penal substitutionary atonement

Isaiah 53 Isaiah 53 Isaiah 53 Isaiah 53 penal substitutionary atonement

Mark 12:18-27 Mark series Rob Bell Brian Zahnd progressive Christianity

Progressive Christians are the modern counterpart of the Sadducees — not atheists, but religious liberals who call themselves Christians while rejecting resurrection, judgment, hell, the supernatural, and biblical authority.

Introduction to Mark Series pt 48 on the Sadducees and progressive Christianity

John Dominic Crossan Alisa Childers Josephus Josephus

The Sadducees: no resurrection, no judgment, no afterlife, no angels/spirits; aristocratic minority of educated elites; publicly pretended to be faithful Jews while privately rejecting core beliefs. Modern progressives follow the exact same pattern.

Detailed profile of the Sadducees and their modern parallels

Rob Bell Barack Obama progressive Christianity

Using Scripture against Scripture is the Sadducee/progressive playbook: Obama used the Sermon on the Mount to dismiss Romans on same-sex marriage; Rob Bell used "God is love" to dismiss hell. The only safe position is believing ALL of Scripture.

The progressive pattern of pitting Scripture against Scripture

Roman Catholicism sola scriptura resurrection

Jesus agreed with the Pharisees on 4 points (supernatural worldview, resurrection, Scripture authority, messianic focus of OT) but disagreed on 3 (traditions as doctrine, authority claims, works-righteousness). Jesus agreed with the Sadducees on NOTHING.

Summary: Jesus vs. Pharisees vs. Sadducees mapped to modern groups

Mike Winger idea 2020-11-23

Four common confusions about love that corrupt Christian morality: (1) "love is love" — but loving God comes first; (2) love is not approval of life choices; (3) love is not about sex/romance; (4) love never justifies sin or competes with holiness.

Correcting modern misunderstandings of love

love God first love is not approval

Matthew Philo salvation Thomas

The Gospel of Thomas is a mid-2nd century Gnostic forgery, not a legitimate alternate gospel. It's a sayings collection borrowing from Matthew/Luke with added Greek philosophical content inconsistent with a 1st-century Jewish teacher.

Q1: Thoughts on the Gospel of Thomas?

Psalm 51 David repentance Brian Zahnd

Psalm 51:16-17 ("God does not delight in sacrifice") is situational to David after murdering Uriah — he can't just offer a bull and fix things. The only thing he can offer is a broken spirit. It's not a blanket rejection of the sacrificial system.

Q6: Does Psalm 51 mean God doesn't want sacrifices?

Where was Daniel when the three were thrown into the fire? Unknown — possibly on a trip, ill, or exempt from the order for some reason. The text simply doesn't say.

Q11: Where was Daniel during the fiery furnace?

Daniel Daniel NAR

1 Corinthians 12 Persis spiritual gifts prayer

Intercessory prayer may be connected to the spiritual gift of faith (1 Corinthians 12:9) — a Spirit-given burden to pray persistently for specific people or situations beyond normal prayer discipline.

Q14: Is intercessory prayer a spiritual gift?

Offering Counsel in Difficult Situations: I’m in a master's program with Liberty University for clinical mental health counseling. During our training, we were asked how we would handle certain difficult situations, such as if a LGBTQ couple would request help strengthening their relationship, or request help advocating for adoption rights, or advocating for trans. people. Can you please give me some biblical principles to follow, to help me counsel these people in a caring way without condoning unbiblical behavior?

Q&A question: Offering Counsel in Difficult Situations

homosexuality

Romans 1 Romans 1 Jehovah's Witnesses

Refuting JW Theology: A Jehovah’s Witness said that all the letters in the NT addressed to saints are for the 144,000 (example: Romans 1:7). How do I show that a saint is a believer, and that the NT should be applied to everyone?

Q&A question: Refuting JW Theology

Does Modalism Jeopardize Salvation?: Does modalism lead to other fallacies? If someone believes in Christ except they don’t believe that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each distinct, could their salvation be in jeopardy?

Q&A question: Does Modalism Jeopardize Salvation?

salvation

Witnessing to Abuse Victims: A friend was sexually abused by her family including her mother, foster family, the school priests, and her first husband. Understandably, she refuses to believe in any God. How can I witness to her?

Q&A question: Witnessing to Abuse Victims

marriage

Should Believers Expect to Hear/Feel God?: I have never "felt"/"heard" from the Holy Spirit/God. I believe in and follow Jesus, but I feel like I am missing something. Should a Christian be literally hearing/feeling something from God?

Q&A question: Should Believers Expect to Hear/Feel God?

Jesus

Revelation 3 revelation Jesus Revelation 3 revelation

About the Overcomers in Rev.: What are your thoughts on the overcomers mentioned by Jesus in Revelation 3:5-12? Would you consider these to be believers in general, a specific group of believers, or some other group?

Q&A question: About the Overcomers in Rev.

suffering biblical reliability

Bible Contradiction?: Can you explain the what appears to be contradiction in 1 Kings 7: 26 and 2 Chronicles 4:5, due to the different numbers?

Q&A question: Bible Contradiction?

About Same-Sex Attraction: As a Side B/Celibate same-sex attracted Christian, do you believe God can change my attraction to eventually desire to marry a woman?

Q&A question: About Same-Sex Attraction

Who was Lilith?: Do you know anything about Lilith? I heard some rumors that she was Adam’s first wife. I don’t believe this, but I wanted to hear if you have any thoughts on it.

Q&A question: Who was Lilith?

marriage