Search — Theology Explorer

Mark 2 William Lane Craig Stand to Reason Tim Barnett

Tim Barnett (Stand to Reason): faith is not an epistemology but a way of trusting; knowledge and trust are distinct categories

Video clip from Tim Barnett responding to Boghossian

Apologetics A Manual for Creating Atheists Peter Boghossian

The book assumes religious people have not thought through their beliefs — which Mike says is demonstrably false

Mike identifies a core assumption embedded in the book

Greg Koukl Stand to Reason A Manual for Creating Atheists

Greg Koukl contrasts his book "Tactics" with Boghossian's book: both use questions, but Koukl cares about truth and intellectual virtue while Boghossian cares only about instilling doubt

Video clip from Greg Koukl (Stand to Reason)

Salvation Age of accountability Children and salvation

Q&A: What to tell a toddler who asks if they are a child of God — children below the age of accountability are covered by Christ

Question from "wholesome home" about young children and salvation

Faith Faith and knowledge Faith as trust

Q&A: Does faith by nature seek understanding? Mike says faith is simply trust and the seeking of understanding is optional

Question from JMD Apologetics about faith and knowledge

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 James son of Zebedee Clement of Alexandria apostolic martyrdom Eusebius

Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-250 AD, preserved in Eusebius) on two men named James: one thrown from the Temple pinnacle and beaten to death with a fuller's club, one beheaded

Additional patristic attestation of James's death, clarifying the two men named James

eyewitness testimony apostle sincerity sincerity objection

Q&A: How to respond to the argument that members of non-Christian religions also die for their beliefs — eyewitness distinction restated

Viewer question on comparative religious martyrdom

Revelation 6:11 eschatology martyrdom Revelation 6:11

Revelation 6:11 — question about whether the passage refers to martyrs specifically or all believers; Mike declines to give a definitive answer

Viewer Q&A on an eschatological passage

faith belief without evidence double standard in faith definitions

Non-believer "Snoopit" acknowledges double standard: uses "trust" for human faith but "belief without evidence" for Christian faith

Examining skeptic responses to the poll

faith and knowledge epistemology of faith trust and allegiance

Shannon's question: if faith is trust with evidence, isn't it knowledge? Mike argues knowledge and faith can coexist

Q&A on the epistemology of faith

Romans 4 Genesis 15:6 justification by faith Abraham salvation by faith

How Old Testament believers were saved by faith before Christ — Romans 4 and Genesis 15:6

Q&A: JoseCJ asks how OT believers were saved before Christ's work on the cross

Romans 4 Genesis 15:6 David Abraham Romans 4

Abraham and David in Romans 4 as Old Testament examples of justification apart from works

Exegesis of Romans 4 on OT salvation

mustard seed faith disciples casting out demons little faith (oligopistia)

Disciples' failure to cast out demons vs. faith as a mustard seed — two distinct teachings not to conflate

Q&A: Haggar Vid asks about the disciples having little faith and the mustard-seed faith saying

personal testimony experiential evidence for faith conversion experience

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

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-24

The habit of assuming you know the question and answering it before truly listening — a common apologetics failure

McDowell reflects honestly on his own failures in apologetic conversations

evangelism Jesus apologetics methodology

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-24

Q&A: Handling unreliable sources and fact-checking in a Wikipedia age — do your diligence, own mistakes, and nuance statements to match the strength of evidence

Final audience question about fact-checking and epistemic responsibility

Romans 7 biblical interpretation apologetics methodology fact-checking

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence Gullibility vs. denial Epistemology

Personal sympathy for the slogan: the desire not to be gullible

Mike acknowledges the psychological appeal of the slogan before dismantling it.

Bart Ehrman Resurrection of Jesus Biblical manuscripts

Twitter response 3: Want documented accounts with originals protected — which is what we have

Third respondent's example of extraordinary evidence.

Resurrection of Jesus Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence Epistemology

Mike's positive replacement for the slogan: evidence makes a claim believable when data is better explained by the hypothesis being true

Mike offers a rigorous epistemological alternative to the slogan.

Christian living Church accountability Pastoral correction

Q&A: Is it wrong to approach a pastor who taught something theologically unsound?

Viewer question about church accountability.

Bart Ehrman Biblical manuscripts Textual criticism

Bart Ehrman acknowledges we probably have what the originals said, despite popularizing text-critical skepticism

Mike's nuanced engagement with a prominent skeptical scholar on textual transmission.

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

Near-death experience books should be tested against Scripture and not used to supplement or replace it; the danger is NDE narrators becoming gurus with insider knowledge

Response to a question about the theological accuracy of books like 23 Minutes in Hell and 90 Minutes in Heaven

Scripture authority spiritual discernment near-death experiences

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

Hebrews 6 is best read as a corporate statement about Israel rather than individuals losing their salvation; Hebrews 10 is easier to reconcile with eternal security

Brief response to question about eternal security and Hebrews 6 and 10

Hebrews 6 Hebrews 10 eternal security Hebrews 6 Hebrews 10

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

Matthew 6:14-15 has a direct and uncomfortable application; persistent unwillingness to forgive may be evidence of not being in Christ, not a cause of losing salvation

Response to question about applying Matthew 6:14-15 to life situations

Matthew 6:14-15 Philippians 2:13 assurance of salvation forgiveness Matthew 6:14-15

Hebrew Roots movement sola fide grace alone

119 Ministries praised for affirming grace-alone salvation while still holding Torah-observant views

Winger acknowledges 119 Ministries responded to his previous video

Matthew 28:18-20 Matthew 5:17 Great Commission Matthew 28:18-20 119 Ministries

The Hebrew Roots argument: Matthew 5 + Matthew 28 = all nations must obey the Law of Moses

Winger presents the 119 Ministries interpretive framework before critiquing it

Jeremiah 31:31-34 Hebrews 8:13 New Covenant Jeremiah 31:31-34 Hebrews 8:13

Big picture point 3: The Law was always heading toward replacement—Jeremiah 31 predicts a New Covenant unlike the old

Third foundational contextual claim: the Law had a built-in expiration point

Luke 2:49 incarnation hypostatic union Luke 2:49

Q&A: Jesus likely knew his messianic identity by age 12 (Luke 2 temple incident), but what he knew before that is uncertain

Theological question about the development of Jesus's self-awareness

Acts 15:21 119 Ministries Gentiles and the Law Jerusalem Council

Q&A: Acts 15:21 is used by Hebrew Roots to justify Gentile Torah observance — Winger defers to full treatment next week

Preview of upcoming Acts 15 analysis

undesigned coincidences eyewitness testimony Jonathan McLatchie

Undesigned coincidences — definition and how they demonstrate historicity

Winger asks McLatchie to explain undesigned coincidences as a distinct argument for the historicity of the New Testament.

John 6:5 John 12:21 Luke 9:10 undesigned coincidences Jonathan McLatchie John 6:5

Undesigned coincidence: why Jesus addressed Philip at the feeding of the 5,000

McLatchie's first example of an undesigned coincidence involving John 6, John 12, and Luke 9.

God of the gaps inference to the best explanation Jonathan McLatchie

Objection: God of the gaps — and the response from information theory

McLatchie addresses the most popular objection to intelligent design: the God of the gaps fallacy.

1 Corinthians 15 James the brother of Jesus Luke 24:34 Peter 1 Corinthians 15 resurrection of Jesus

Criterion of restraint — no narratives of private resurrection appearances to Peter and James

McLatchie introduces the "criterion of restraint" as further corroboration of the resurrection's historicity.

dietary laws Jewish believers Peter (Apostle)

Peter did not violate food laws even years after the resurrection -- an important concession: there was no requirement for Jewish believers to stop Torah observance after coming to Jesus

Analysis of Peter's behavior regarding food laws

resurrection Gentile evangelism Messiah (title)

Q&A: difference between preaching Jesus as Christ to Jews vs. as Lord to Gentiles -- connects to what the audience already knows from Scripture

Q&A on Jewish vs. Gentile evangelism vocabulary

Revelation 20-21 eschatology Law of Moses new heavens and new earth

Q&A: Revelation 20-21 as the end of the Mosaic law -- Winger is uncertain; notes a real transition happens in new heavens/new earth but declines to definitively call it the end of the law

Q&A on eschatology and the law

Hebrew Roots movement Messianic Judaism Jewish believers

Q&A: difference between Hebrew Roots movement (HRM) and Messianic Judaism -- HRM is predominantly Gentiles taking on Torah; Messianic Judaism is Jews who believe Jesus is Messiah

Q&A distinguishing HRM from Messianic Judaism

hermeneutics Hebrew Roots Movement 119 Ministries

Being lost in details vs. identifying a central/pivotal issue in the Hebrew Roots debate

Methodological framing for the episode

Romans 3:20 knowledge of sin Law of Moses law and sin connection

Romans 3:20 establishes a connection between the law and the knowledge of sin

Scriptural support for the law-sin connection

false teaching 119 Ministries charitable interpretation

Are Hebrew Roots teachers false teachers? Winger extends charity, attributing error to wrong assumptions not bad faith

Q&A: question about false teaching