Search — Theology Explorer

Isaiah Isaiah purgatory God's goodness

How to biblically grieve the death of an unsaved loved one: grief is good, blame is bad

Q1 from Megan Chan: How do we biblically grieve the death of a loved one who was not saved, and how do we respond to those who offer to pray for the dead?

John 1 Plato Philo of Alexandria John 1

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?

creation faith and reason natural law

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?

Psalm Matthew 7 God's character asceticism humor

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?

1 Corinthians 10:19-20 Numbers 33:3-4 Exodus plagues Michael Heiser elohim 1 Corinthians 10:19-20

Are the gods of other religions real? Three views: false polytheism, Heiserian divine council, and Pauline demonic identification

Q6 from Loretta Taylor: Numbers 33:3-4 says Yahweh executed judgments on Egypt's gods — does this mean gods like Allah and Zeus are real?

1 John 1 sin divine omniscience forgiveness

God's forgetting of sins means he will not bring them up again, not literal amnesia — Christians cannot claim sinlessness post-forgiveness

Q7 from Earl Grey: After forgiveness, sin is wiped clean — can a person claim to have never taken part in certain sins since the Lord remembers them no more?

apologetics atheism debate strategy

Responding to online skeptics who call God evil and Christianity irrational: focus on one argument, watch for dumping tactics

Q9 from Dora Ashby: Skeptics say belief in God is irrational, that Christians must approve of rape and torture, and that God is evil. How to respond?

James 4 Revelation 2:20 personal responsibility Jezebel James 4

Praying against "spirits of laziness, offense, depression" — most are human failures not demonic spirits; Jezebel spirit is not a biblical category

Q10 from Arfish: Is it biblical to pray against spirits of offense, laziness, depression, confusion? What is the Jezebel spirit and is it real?

James (brother of Jesus) John the Apostle John 19:26-27 James (brother of Jesus) John the Apostle brothers of Jesus

Mary did not remain a perpetual virgin — Scripture clearly indicates she had other children with Joseph after Jesus

Q11 from Lovisa Bengtsen: Did Mary remain a virgin? Were the brothers of Jesus actually cousins? If she had other sons, why did John need to care for her?

conscience persecution COVID-19

Church COVID restrictions and pastoral imprisonment: uncertain whether it qualifies as persecution, but it feels like it

Q12 from Crystalline Sloan: Can you define persecution and speak to whether pastors imprisoned for defying public health orders are being persecuted?

1 John 2:1 1 John 3:4-10 habitual sin limited atonement propitiation

1 John 3:4-10 does not teach sinless perfectionism — the Greek present tense indicates habitual lifestyle of sin, not single acts

Q14 from Shauna Whitting: Does 1 John 3:4-10 mean you are not a real Christian if you still struggle with sin?

Jeremiah 1:5 Jeremiah 1:5 foreknowledge divine providence

Are individuals made by God? Yes — through both direct soul creation and divine foreknowledge/providential design

Q16 from Mary Strickland: How do I know I personally was made by God if I was conceived out of sin through ordinary biology?

John 14:26 eyewitness testimony Holy Spirit inspiration temptation of Jesus

The NT reliably narrates events where Jesus was alone — he could have told disciples, and Holy Spirit aided gospel authors

Q19 from Stephen Richeson: How do we know the NT is reliable for events where Jesus was alone, such as the temptation in the wilderness or Gethsemane?

Leviticus Leviticus Levitical purity laws ritual uncleanness

Levitical purity laws: ritual uncleanness restricted temple access and contact — many laws have pragmatic sanitary value

Q20 from Bluegreen: What happens to people who become ritually unclean in Leviticus — is the whole day negative or just can't enter the temple?

Mark 13 Daniel 11:36-45 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Abomination of desolation Antichrist Mark 13

Daniel 11 points to the future Antichrist: Second Thessalonians 2 and the Olivet Discourse confirm it

Continuation: reasons for reading Daniel 11 as ultimately about a future Antichrist figure.

Genesis 6:3 Genesis 5 Literal interpretation Genesis 6:3 Genesis 5

Long ages in Genesis 5 — multiple interpretive views

Listener Ben Johnson asks about the extreme longevity in Genesis 5; his wife takes them literally while he leans symbolic.

Revelation 6:12-17 Mark 13:24-27 Cosmic signs Revelation 6:12-17 Mark 13:24-27

Mark 13:24-27 and Revelation 6:12-17 describe the same end-times event

Listener Tony Grabowski asks whether Mark 13 and Revelation 6 describe the same event.

Apologetics Atheism Graham Oppy

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.

Evangelism Repentance Sinner's Prayer

Alternative to the Sinner's Prayer for leading someone to salvation

Listener Marie asks for a good alternative to the sinner's prayer.

Molinism Free will Avengers: Infinity War

Molinism explained and distinguished from determinism

Listener Solomon Dahlberg asks whether on Molinism people's choices depend only on circumstances God places them in, and if so why doesn't God make everyone believe.

Esther Ecclesiastes 3:3 Old Testament canon Typology Pacifism

Why is Esther in the Bible? Self-defense in Esther 8-9 is not problematic

Listener The Christian Metalhead questions the moral purpose of Esther and finds the final chapters' battle "dangerous."

Acts 2:38 Acts 8:36-38 Hebrews 5 Philip the Evangelist Ethiopian eunuch Acts 2:38

Baptism: biblical basis and urgency; no reason to delay

Listener Kenneth asks how to explain the importance of baptism to a new Christian who has not yet been baptized.

Psalm 37 Kingdom of God Seek first the kingdom Psalm 37

Waiting on the Lord is active, not passive — Psalm 37

Listener Derek Beeler asks what it means to wait on the Lord and how to counsel someone in that season.

Titus 2 Discerning the Holy Spirit Obsession vs divine prompting Good works

Distinguishing the Holy Spirit's burden from personal obsession

Listener Keys of the Kingdom wonders whether concern about a friend who broke contact is the Spirit's prompting or personal obsession.

Pastoral care Discipleship in marriage Nominal Christianity

Helping a nominal Christian spouse grow in biblical knowledge

Listener Tasteful Chicken has a wife who believes in Jesus and prays but does not read the Bible; her lifestyle does not align with Scripture.

Jude 3 1 Timothy 6:21 word study Jude 3 the faith

The faith (with definite article) refers to the body of Christian doctrine, not personal belief.

Question 1 from Tanya; Mike explains the phrase the faith in Ephesians 4.

Ephesians 4 church unity Christian maturity Ephesians 4

Unity of the faith in Ephesians 4 involves shared core doctrine, knowledge of Christ, and Christlike character.

Continuation of Question 1; applying the meaning of the faith to Ephesians 4 unity.

Matthew 7 Ephesians 4:1-3 church unity self-examination worldliness

Caution against broadly judging the church as disunified; American church worldliness is the real local issue.

Continuation of Question 1; addressing Tanya's concern that the church lacks unity.

Judges 6 Gideon signs Judges 6

Putting out a fleece (asking God for a sign) is not inherently wrong but carries dangers of presumption and heart projection.

Question 5 from AZF Stories about whether Christians should ask for signs like Gideon's fleece.

Genesis 1 Genesis 1 creation ex nihilo Big Bang

Christians can hold various views on Genesis 1 and the Big Bang; the Big Bang is actually strong evidence for God.

Question 11 from J James about whether the Big Bang is biblical.

Mark 14:36 Trinity apologetics deity of Christ

Mark 14:36 refutes Oneness Pentecostal modalism by demonstrating distinct wills between Father and Son.

Question 12 from Our Fish about witnessing to a husband raised in Oneness Pentecostalism regarding the Trinity.

Acts 17 Paul Acts 17 evangelism

The gospel presentation should be adapted to the individual; the content stays constant but the approach changes.

Question 13 from Steph T about how to summarize the gospel with strangers or those from different religions.

Ezekiel 13 Holy Spirit discernment wisdom

The Holy Spirit speaks through fruit, track record, and confirmation from other believers; not every decision requires supernatural direction.

Question 14 from Gel Stapper (Netherlands) about how the Holy Spirit speaks personally, after leaving a hyper-charismatic church.

John 3:16 atonement Incarnation righteousness of God

God chose to redeem through the cross to display his love, patience, righteousness, and desire for relationship simultaneously.

Question 15 from Daniel James about why God chose death and resurrection as the method of redemption.

1 Peter Genesis 50 priesthood of all believers Mormonism 1 Peter

Joseph Smith was a demonstrably false prophet; modern Mormonism is a victim of his fraud.

Question 19 from Evelyn Ellsworth (a Latter-day Saint) about the priesthood of all believers and Mike's denial of fellowship to Mormons.

Kalam cosmological argument Braxton Hunter Kalam cosmological argument

Guest Braxton Hunter (president of Trinity Seminary, PhD) introduces the Kalam cosmological argument and explains its ultimate payoff: reasoning toward what the cause of the universe must be like.

Introduction to the Kalam — what it gets you

conceptual analysis causation timelessness

The cause of the universe must be timeless, spaceless, and non-material, because the universe itself consists of time, space, and matter — the cause cannot be made of the things it created.

Conceptual analysis of the cause of the universe

Kalam cosmological argument Kalam cosmological argument conceptual analysis

The Kalam conclusion (the universe has a cause) doesn't mention God explicitly, but the conceptual analysis that always follows leads to theistic conclusions about the nature of that cause.

Relationship between the formal argument and conceptual analysis

Kalam cosmological argument Cosmic Skeptic Kalam cosmological argument

Objection to Premise 1: the composition fallacy — just because every part of the universe has a cause doesn't mean the whole does. Response: this misunderstands the argument; it's about a CLASS of things (things that begin to exist), not parts composing a whole.

Objection — composition fallacy (Cosmic Skeptic)

Lawrence Krauss Lawrence Krauss nothing vs not anything

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"

evidence for God evidence for God God of the gaps

Objection: this is just a God-of-the-gaps argument. Response: the Kalam provides POSITIVE evidence for what the cause is, not merely an appeal to ignorance.

Objection — God of the gaps

determinism determinism causal powers

Why the cause must be PERSONAL: (1) a mind uniquely fits spaceless/timeless/immaterial yet has causal powers, (2) state-event causation from timelessness requires a decision to act, (3) absence of determinism in nothingness requires libertarian free will.

Why the cause is a personal agent

design argument fine-tuning argument

A fourth reason the cause is personal: the universe began in a way that permits life, suggesting planning and intent — connecting the Kalam to the fine-tuning argument.

Design argument supplement

moral argument design argument Kalam cosmological argument

Classical apologetics typically combines the Kalam with design arguments and a moral argument (showing God has moral principles and loves people), building a cumulative case before presenting Christ.

Cumulative case approach

Revelation 21:1-2 Revelation 22:1-2 new heaven and new earth William Lane Craig physical resurrection

Q&A: Revelation 21:1-2 and time in heaven. Heaven will involve time — months, sequential experiences — in physical resurrected bodies in the new creation. "Time will be no more" is poetic for everlasting, not literal timelessness.

Q&A — time in heaven (Revelation 21-22)

John McCrae apologetics apologetics Cameron Bertuzzi

Mike Winger introduces a panel response to Genetically Modified Skeptic's video "4 Questions That Could Make You an Atheist," joined by Braxton Hunter, Cameron Bertuzzi, and John McCrae.

Introduction — response to Genetically Modified Skeptic

Pascals wager decision theory Michael Rota

Mike responds with three problems: (1) Drew misrepresents Pascal's wager as "believe whatever promises the most" — Pascal actually included evidential evaluation; (2) modern proponents like Michael Rota and Liz Jackson pair evidence with the wager; (3) Pascal's wager is decision theory, not blind gambling.

Response to Q2 — Pascal's wager is misrepresented

false dichotomy Pascals wager

Drew's false dichotomy objection fails because Pascal's wager can be constructed to meet people where they are. If someone is between Christianity and atheism specifically, it's not a false dichotomy — it's their actual situation. Drew also inadvertently grants theism when proposing alternative gods.

Response to Q2 — false dichotomy and evidential grounding