Search — Theology Explorer

abortion bodily autonomy pro-choice propaganda

The pro-choice movement systematically avoids mentioning the baby — the elephant in the room. "Bodily autonomy" framing ignores that there's another body involved. A firefighter has bodily autonomy but can't drop someone into a fire.

The elephant in the room — ignoring the baby

Bernard Nathanson NARAL when life begins

Scientific consensus: 95% of 5,502 biologists from 1,050 institutions affirm human life begins at fertilization, including pro-choice and atheist biologists. Bernard Nathanson (co-founder of NARAL) confirmed the early embryo is indisputably a human being.

When does human life begin — scientific consensus

Psalm 139 Psalm 139 when life begins IVF ethics

Q&A: The argument that life only begins "in the womb" (to justify destroying IVF embryos) fails — it's a location argument. If location determines life, a baby outside the womb would be less alive, which is absurd.

Q&A — IVF and location argument

Ezekiel (sins of the father) abortion rape and incest Ezekiel (sins of the father)

Q&A: Rape/incest don't justify abortion. Ezekiel teaches the child won't die for the father's sin. If a one-month-old baby were discovered to be a product of rape and incest, no one would say it's okay to kill it — so what's different about the same baby six months earlier?

Q&A — abortion in cases of rape and incest

abortion pro-choice to pro-life conversion

Mike gathered Twitter responses from people who switched from pro-choice to pro-life, asking what changed their minds. He presents 8 specific stories.

Introduction — 8 pro-choice to pro-life conversions

ultrasound pro-choice to pro-life conversion

Reason 1 (Sherry): Her 8-week ultrasound. She didn't see a clump of cells — she saw her child. "My choice was to keep her alive or kill her." Ultrasound compilation shows parents instinctively calling the image "he" or "she," never "the fetus."

Reason 1 — ultrasound revelation

imago Dei when life begins scientific consensus on life

Reason 2 (Teaser Money): Learning that scientific consensus (95% of biologists) affirms human life begins at conception. Since he already believed humans are made in God's image, the biological confirmation made the moral conclusion obvious.

Reason 2 — scientific consensus + imago Dei

Genesis 9:5-6 imago Dei abortion human rights

Reason 3 (Josh): He naturally leaned pro-choice but realized there's no good reason for it from a Christian moral standpoint if human life is sacred. Genesis 9:5-6 establishes that murder requires a reckoning because humans are made in God's image — a universal command to all mankind, not just Israel.

Reason 3 — human life is sacred (Genesis 9:5-6)

Genesis 9:5-6 abortion when life begins Genesis 9:5-6

Objection: Genesis 9 mentions "blood" — does that mean life only begins when blood forms? No — blood represents life (used in Levitical sacrifices, "cleansed by the blood of Christ"). But even if you took it literally, blood forms at day 21, making virtually all known-pregnancy abortions murder.

Objection — blood and the beginning of life

dehumanization abortion pro-choice propaganda

Reason 4 (Sirius Supernova): Realizing "all the choice is decided by one person when in reality there are two people involved." Pro-choice propaganda systematically hides the second individual through euphemisms: "terminate" instead of "kill," "remove a pregnancy" instead of acknowledging a living child.

Reason 4 — two people, not one

Anthony Levatino Live Action D&E procedure

Reason 5 (Dominic Kalana): Reading a description of partial-birth abortion. Mike shows three Live Action videos from Dr. Anthony Levatino (who performed 1,200+ abortions before becoming pro-life) describing third-trimester, second-trimester (D&E), and first-trimester medical abortion procedures in clinical detail.

Reason 5 — learning what abortion actually is

abortion Planned Parenthood Live Action

Reason 6 (The Seeker): Discovering there's a market for dead fetuses — people make millions from abortions. Live Action video debunks Planned Parenthood's "3% of services" claim: 1 in 8 patients gets an abortion, PP does 30.6% of the nation's abortions but only 1.8% of breast exams.

Reason 6 — the abortion industry and Planned Parenthood

abortion double homicide maternal instinct

Reason 7 (The Real Hope): Becoming pregnant and experiencing the maternal drive to keep the baby alive — it was intuitive, not theological. Mike shares a story of standing outside an abortion clinic when a car accident happened nearby involving a pregnant woman, and the irony of everyone caring about that baby while babies were being killed across the street.

Reason 7 — maternal instinct and the car accident irony

abortion human rights human rights

Reason 8 (Logos Apologetics): Realizing all pro-choice arguments apply equally to a one-year-old. The SLED test: Size, Level of development, Environment, Degree of dependency — none of these justify killing a baby in the womb without also justifying killing a one-year-old.

Reason 8 — SLED test destroys pro-choice arguments

John Walton Genesis interpretation Inspiring Philosophy John Walton Inspiring Philosophy

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

Hebrews 9:27 Hebrews 9:27 forgiveness after death

Q: Why can't we be forgiven after death? God's mercy is forever, but the question is whether you've received it through Christ. Hebrews: "it is appointed for man to die once, then judgment" — implies permanence of decisions upon death. No biblical reason to think post-mortem opportunities exist.

Q&A — forgiveness after death

Romans 5 (peace with God) faith alone works as evidence faith alone

Q: Does "saved by faith alone" mean you can sin and still be saved? In one sense yes — salvation is grounded on grace, not works (Romans 5: "having been justified by grace, we have peace with God"). But genuine salvation produces the Holy Spirit, which works out into good works. Works are evidence of salvation, not the means of maintaining it. A person living in reckless sin may never have been saved.

Q&A — faith alone and ongoing sin

Q: Why can an atheist be a "better person" than a Christian? Because humans have free will. But our standard for "good person" is skewed — we judge by how someone treats us, ignoring whether they love God. Rejecting the Creator is a massive moral failure regardless of philanthropy. We evaluate select pockets while ignoring what matters most to God.

Q&A — atheists being "better" than Christians

free will free will

1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 14 speaking in tongues 1 Corinthians 14

Q: Is speaking in tongues real today? Yes, probably, but it's easily faked. Churches practicing it should follow 1 Corinthians 14's restrictions. Three categories: (1) biblical understanding of tongues, (2) personal experience, (3) discerning others' practice — #3 isn't really your job unless it violates 1 Cor 14.

Q&A — speaking in tongues today

Lee Strobel William Lane Craig William Lane Craig

Q: Good apologetics books? On Guard by William Lane Craig (accessible) or Reasonable Faith (scholarly). The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel for overall Christianity evidence — the first apologetics book Mike ever read.

Q&A — apologetics book recommendations

apostolic martyrdom sincerity of testimony

Q: Could Christians have made up martyrdom claims? Unreasonable for Peter, James, and John — first-century evidence of their martyrdom is strong. Some later apostle martyrdom stories may have been embellished, but the core eyewitnesses clearly suffered for their resurrection claims. Martyrdom proves sincerity, not necessarily truth — but combined with ruling out hallucination, the case is strong.

Q&A — historicity of apostolic martyrdom

Q: New church member sharing New Age content. Options: approach the person gently, or approach leadership. Example: Doreen Virtue (former New Age guru) became Christian but retained New Age practices — no Christians helped correct her, they just condemned her. New believers need patient discipleship, not condemnation.

Q&A — New Age content in church

New Age Doreen Virtue

2 Corinthians 3:17 Trinity Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:17

Q: 2 Corinthians 3:17 ("the Lord is the Spirit") — does it teach Jesus is the Holy Spirit? It affirms oneness in God but not Oneness Pentecostal theology. The Spirit is sometimes called the Spirit of Jesus; the Holy Spirit is Christ's presence with us. But the full NT also affirms distinct persons of the Trinity.

Q&A — 2 Corinthians 3:17 and the Trinity

Genesis 6 sons of God Nephilim Nephilim Genesis 6 sons of God

Q: Who are the "sons of God" in Genesis 6? Mike leans toward angelic beings who possessed humans to fornicate with human women, producing the Nephilim. Alternative view: the "sons of God" are the godly line of Seth corrupted by marrying ungodly women. Mike has a detailed video in his 1 Peter series.

Q&A — sons of God in Genesis 6

Mike Winger idea 2020-03-16

The OT has precedent for quarantine: Levitical laws kept contagious people away from gatherings. James 5:14 assumes sick people DON'T come to church — elders go to THEM. There is no biblical command requiring church gatherings during plague conditions.

Biblical precedent for quarantine

James 5:14 James 5:14 Levitical purity laws quarantine

Mike Winger idea 2020-03-16

Selflessness should drive decisions — even if you're low-risk, older/vulnerable congregants face serious danger. Mike's personal practice: running errands for his elderly mother with COPD. Churches can close for a season without spiritual compromise — maintain community through calls, small groups, and online gatherings.

Selflessness and community during lockdown

Hebrews 10:25 Hebrews 10:25 COVID lockdown church closures

Mike Winger idea 2020-03-16

Q: Is this a case of obeying authorities when it doesn't conflict with God's law? Yes. If not going to church were sinful, defy the order. But missing a season of gathering isn't forsaking fellowship — people hospitalized for a month aren't forsaking fellowship either. The principle is proportionate and temporary.

Q&A — obeying authority and church attendance

Hebrews 10:25 Hebrews 10:25 government obedience forsaking assembly

Romans 3:23 Romans 3:10-12 Romans 3:23 Romans 3:23 holiness of God Romans 3:10-12

The bad news: all humans are sinners (Romans 3:10-12, 3:23). We underestimate our sin because we compare ourselves to other sinners instead of to God's holiness. The Freeze analogy: a guy celebrates while losing a race because he doesn't see who he's compared to. Isaiah 6: when Isaiah saw God's holiness, he cried "woe is me."

The problem of sin

John 3:16 Hebrews 4:16 John 3:16 Hebrews 4:16

John 3:16: "God so loved the world" means God loved the world IN THIS WAY — by giving his Son. Whoever believes should not perish but have eternal life. Hebrews 4:16: because of Jesus, we can now confidently approach God's throne to receive mercy and grace despite our sin.

God's love and access to grace

Romans 10:9 repentance repentance Romans 10:9

What to do to be saved (Romans 10:9): (1) "Believe in your heart" = intellectual belief PLUS reliance/trust (Greek pisteuo = entrust). Know the resurrection is true AND rely on Christ for salvation. (2) "Confess Jesus is Lord" = honest commitment to his authority, not just saying words. Lordship means he's your boss, king, authority. Repentance = turning from rebellion to yielding to God.

How to respond — belief and confession

Ephesians 2:8-10 Luke 18:9-14 Ephesians 2:8-10 grace through faith Luke 18:9-14

Works come AFTER salvation, not before. Ephesians 2:8-10: saved by grace through faith, not of works — but created in Christ Jesus FOR good works. You don't earn forgiveness; you receive it and then good works flow from the new life. The danger: thinking you need to be a better person first.

Works after salvation — Ephesians 2:8-10

repentance gospel presentation repentance

Mike leads a salvation prayer: admitting sin, believing in Jesus's death and resurrection, confessing him as Lord, thanking God for forgiveness, asking to be filled with the Spirit to walk in new life. He emphasizes the prayer is a step of faith — salvation comes from the heart posture, not the words themselves.

Salvation prayer