Filter results by source database — Scripture Commentary, Theology, Mike Winger, or Pulpit. Click a tab to narrow to one database.

...more
All (214) Scripture Commentary (46) Theology (20) Mike Winger (148)
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

Unlikely origin of the disciples' belief in the deity of Jesus — fifth argument

McLatchie introduces the argument that the disciples' belief in Jesus's deity is historically inexplicable without the resurrection, given the Jewish context.

Numbers 23:19 Deuteronomy 21:23 resurrection deity of Christ Justin Martyr
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

Antony Flew's conversion from atheism due to biological complexity

Winger cites Antony Flew as a historical example of someone persuaded by biological complexity to abandon atheism.

biological fine-tuning intelligent design Antony Flew
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

Why natural theology arguments point to the God of Christianity, not Hinduism

McLatchie explains why the cosmological and design arguments favor the Abrahamic God over polytheistic conceptions.

Mormonism polytheism monotheism
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

Philosophical argument for the Trinity from God's essential love

McLatchie presents a philosophical argument that the triune nature of God is required by God's essential attribute of selfless love.

1 John 4:8 Trinity Islam Richard Swinburne
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

The cumulative case — power and robustness of multiple converging arguments

McLatchie explains the logic and strength of the cumulative case approach as the seventh and final major point.

apologetics cumulative case apologetics Jonathan McLatchie
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Acts 10: Cornelius is introduced -- the first non-proselyte Gentile to receive the gospel. He is a God-fearer but not circumcised and not under the law.

Survey of Acts chapter 10, Cornelius

Acts 10:1-2 Craig Keener Cornelius Josephus
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-30

Critique: limited atonement is mostly supported by philosophical reasoning, not direct scriptural teaching

Winger argues that most support for limited atonement comes from logical inference from other doctrines, not clear biblical texts.

theological method Scripture authority limited atonement
Mike Winger idea 2019-06-19

Apollonius of Tyana, the closest post-Jesus parallel, did not believe in resurrection and has only one account of an after-death appearance — in a dream to one disciple

Examining the post-Jesus pagan parallel most cited by mythicists

resurrection Apollonius of Tyana historicity of Jesus
Mike Winger idea 2019-06-19

Roman historians didn't mention Jesus more because he wasn't significant to Roman history — they didn't even mention Pontius Pilate, known only from Philo, Josephus, and NT sources

Explaining the relative silence of Roman sources about Jesus

argument from silence Josephus Philo
Mike Winger idea 2019-06-19

Methodological principle: dismissing miracle claims in historical sources reflects worldview bias, not following the evidence

Responding to the claim that miracle claims in historical sources can be safely dismissed

miracles epistemology naturalism
Mike Winger idea 2019-07-03

Evil is not a created substance — analogy of donut hole and shadow

Mike transitions to the broader philosophical question: where did evil come from?

Greg Koukl moral evil evil as privation
Mike Winger idea 2019-07-03

Euthyphro dilemma introduced: is something good because God wills it, or does God will it because it's good?

Mike introduces a classical philosophical challenge to theistic ethics

Euthyphro dilemma Socrates Euthyphro
Mike Winger idea 2019-07-03

Euthyphro dilemma fails for the Christian God but was valid against finite pagan gods

Historical-philosophical context explaining why the dilemma persisted

Plato polytheism nature of God
Mike Winger idea 2019-07-24

Scripture should trump philosophical reasoning; most limited atonement arguments are not exegetical

Mike's meta-level argument about the structure of Calvinist argumentation for limited atonement.

Calvinism theological method Scripture authority
Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Buddhism's fundamental claims contradict Christianity: impersonal reality, illusion, no enduring self, cessation as goal

Detailed comparative religion analysis of Buddhism vs. Christianity

imago Dei comparative religion suffering
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 2020-09-25

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)

Genesis flood apologetics Inspiring Philosophy Genesis flood
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-17

Immortal soul — JW/annihilationist claim that it is a Greek import, not Jewish or biblical

Q from Grace Lou 22 about a JW friend who says the Greek word for soul just means any living being and that the immortal soul concept is Greek philosophy smuggled into Christianity.

1 Samuel 28 Samuel Saul Jehovah's Witnesses
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-30

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.

relativism apologetics methodology Socratic method
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 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
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-20

Christian liberty includes disobeying government when God's commands conflict with the state

Continued discussion of biblical liberty.

Acts 5:29 Acts 5:29 conscience civil disobedience
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Goal: teach people to think biblically, not just memorize answers

Ministry philosophy discussion

discipleship biblical thinking
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-29

Was Solomon saved? Ecclesiastes may imply a late-life repentance and return to God despite idolatrous period

Question from Darcy 777 about whether Solomon died worshiping false gods and whether he was saved.

Ecclesiastes 1 Kings 11 repentance salvation apostasy
Mike Winger idea 2018-10-31

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 atheism moral argument
Mike Winger idea 2018-10-31

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

apologetics atheism moral argument
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-05

Psychological profile of apostles: they were not prone to hallucinations or delusion; even Anthony Flew called Paul a first-rate philosopher.

Fourth distinction: the mental/psychological credibility of the witnesses.

Acts 12 Paul the Apostle Hallucination theory Peter the Apostle
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-12

Q2: Do we have free will? Mike asserts strong yes — biblically, intuitively, and philosophically supported

Viewer Lace Buck Corny asks about free will, sovereignty, and whether punishment is just if we lack free will.

James 1 Genesis 4 James 1 Calvinism free will
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-12

Free will is biblically assumed throughout Scripture — humans are treated as responsible agents making real choices

Continuing the free will answer, Mike argues that the assumption of free choice and moral responsibility permeates the entire biblical narrative.

atheism free will moral responsibility
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-19

Survey of interpretive views on Genesis 1-2: gap theory, day-age, young earth, progressive creation, Walton, Heiser, William Lane Craig

Mike surveys the major interpretive frameworks for Genesis 1-2 without committing to one.

Genesis 1-2 John Walton Genesis 1-2 Michael Heiser hermeneutics
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-05

Calvinism functionally treats faith as a work, which drives its theological conclusions toward unconditional election and regeneration preceding faith

Explaining Mike's specific critique of Calvinism in the context of why schools of thought differ

Calvinism total depravity faith as a work
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-26

Satan in the Garden: God did not place Satan there; Satan's presence does not negate human free will responsibility for the Fall.

Brian Harper asks why a God who hates evil would place evil incarnate (Satan) in the Garden knowing it would lead to human corruption.

Genesis 3 Genesis 3 Satan free will
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-26

Progressive Christianity misrepresents Jesus by reshaping him into the image of current culture; Winger previews a critique of Brandon Robertson's "Jesus was a racist" video.

Closing remarks previewing upcoming content.

Exodus historical evidence discernment Inspiring Philosophy progressive Christianity
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-12

Plato's influence on Christianity: limited and often overstated due to caricatures of ancient thought

Q2 from Tony Oshikonlu: What does Plato have to do with Christianity? Was Plato as influential on Christianity as the Bible?

John 1 Plato Philo of Alexandria John 1
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-12

Was Christianity guilty of impeding science and critical thinking? No — authentic Christianity supports scientific inquiry

Q3 from Adidam Ayaji: Was Christianity guilty of impeding critical thinking and exploring the cosmos and natural world?

creation faith and reason natural law
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-12

Does God have a sense of humor? Yes — Scripture confirms it, and pleasure/humor are good gifts not inherently sinful

Q4 from Silas Abrahamson: Does God have a sense of humor?

Psalm Matthew 7 God's character asceticism humor
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Kalam as a bridge to Christianity; deism rebutted; Mormonism incompatible

Wrapping up the Kalam answer, addressing deism and Mormonism.

Mormonism Joseph Smith Kalam Cosmological Argument
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Should Christians be shaken by brilliant atheist philosophers like Graham Oppy?

Listener Silas Abrahamson says he is sometimes shaken that brilliant philosophers like Graham Oppy are atheists.

Apologetics Atheism Graham Oppy
Mike Winger idea 2020-02-12

Objection to Premise 1: "Who made God?" (Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion). Response: the premise says whatever BEGINS to exist needs a cause, not whatever EXISTS needs a cause.

Objection — who made God? (Dawkins)

Richard Dawkins who made God infinite regress
Mike Winger idea 2020-02-12

Isaac Asimov memorial panel discussion: Lawrence Krauss and Neil deGrasse Tyson debated "what is nothing" for two hours. The philosopher on the panel was visibly frustrated, saying nothing means NOT ANYTHING.

Anecdote — philosophers vs. physicists on "nothing"

Lawrence Krauss Lawrence Krauss nothing vs not anything
Mike Winger idea 2020-02-12

Objection to Premise 2: maybe the universe is infinite in the past. Response: an actually infinite past is impossible — you could never traverse infinite moments to arrive at the present.

Objection — infinite past

infinite past traversal of infinity JP Moreland
Mike Winger idea 2020-02-12

Q&A: The Kalam's premises can be confirmed — an infinite past is philosophically untenable, and universal human experience confirms that things beginning to exist have causes with zero counterexamples.

Q&A — can the Kalam premises be confirmed?

Matt Dillahunty Kalam cosmological argument Cosmic Skeptic
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-08

Cameron and Mike discuss animal suffering as a serious philosophical problem, but note: (1) atheism offers no solution to suffering at all, (2) Christianity promises resolution (Isaiah 11 — wolf lies down with lamb), (3) Stephen Wykstra's no-see-um principle: we wouldn't expect to perceive overarching goods from specific instances of suffering.

Animal suffering — atheism vs Christianity

Isaiah 11 problem of evil problem of evil skeptical theism
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-08

Drew repeatedly says "there's another option: God isn't real" — but easy explanations aren't necessarily good explanations. The tri-omni concept doesn't "fall apart under momentary consideration" — the problem requires more than momentary consideration.

Response to Q4 — easy vs good explanations

theodicy theodicy Genetically Modified Skeptic
Mike Winger idea 2020-02-26

Q&A: On theistic evolution and Inspiring Philosophy (Michael Jones) — he's a brother in Christ doing his best to interpret Genesis. Mike is personally on the fence about Genesis interpretation, distinguishing the text question (what does Genesis say?) from the science question. John Walton's functional creation view isn't convincing to Mike but it's an in-house Christian debate.

Q&A — Genesis interpretation and theistic evolution

John Walton Genesis interpretation Inspiring Philosophy John Walton Inspiring Philosophy
Mike Winger idea 2020-08-14

Hyperdispensationalism claims OT saints were saved by faith plus works. Refuted by Romans 4: Abraham was justified by faith alone, not works. Romans 11:6: grace and works are philosophically unmixable — if by grace, then not works; if by works, then not grace. These categories can't be blended. This applies to every era, not just the NT.

OT salvation by faith alone — Romans 4 and 11:6

Romans 11:6 Romans 4 Romans 11:6 Romans 4 faith alone
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-15

Overview: Responding to an article presenting the "best arguments" of top atheists against God. The first four are circular and self-refuting; the fifth (problem of evil) is genuinely difficult but well-answered.

Introduction to video analyzing Sam Wickstrom article on atheist arguments from Dawkins, Nietzsche, and Epicurus

circular reasoning atheism circular reasoning
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-15

Richard Dawkins is not respected even by fellow atheists as a philosopher of religion. Atheist philosopher Michael Ruse says The God Delusion "makes me ashamed to be an atheist."

Setting up Dawkins' credibility before addressing his arguments

Richard Dawkins Michael Ruse The God Delusion
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-15

Argument 5 — The Problem of Evil (Epicurus) — is genuinely difficult but the logical version has been abandoned by academic atheist philosophers. The dilemma offers a false set of options.

Fifth argument: the problem of evil from Epicurus

Romans 8:28 problem of evil logical problem of evil problem of evil
← Prev Page 4 of 5 Next →