A Shot of Faith to the Head

A SHOT OF FAITH TO THE HEAD 
BE A CONFIDENT BELIEVER IN AN AGE OF CRANKY ATHEISTS

MITCH STOKES

THOMAS NELSON, 2012

Mitch Stokes has studied under some of the greatest Christian thinkers and philosophers alive today. His mentors are some of the most influential philosophers in the world, religious or secular. This book is self-defense training to build confidence for believers in the midst of a world that constantly attacks their faith.

Mitch Stokes has authored a fascinating book on apologetics. A Shot of Faith to the Head makes a wonderful addition to any library. I believe this book will be most suitable for younger generations who are facing the problem of New Atheism and a rise of agnostic friends more so than their parents. But, this is a great book for training up any person in apologetics.

Dad, It's Been a Month Since You've Been Gone

Dad, It's Been a Month Since You've Been Gone: And that puts me on a morning train

Today makes it one month since my dad died. He died. He did not pass on, pass away, or move on to the other side. He died and that is the reality of it all. He did profess faith in Jesus in the weeks leading up to his death, but there is no way around the ugly fact that it was death. Too often we skirt around that language to make things more bearable, but I am afraid that when we do so we are trying to cover up reality. Reality tells us that death is real and it is real because of sin.

My dad would not have denied being a sinner. Matter of fact that was the biggest obstacle for him to profess faith in Christ (from his perspective). He feared that he sinned too much, that his offenses were too great to be forgiven. And that very view point is sin as well. Paul says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth (Romans 1:18 ESV).”

Book Review: 40 Questions About the End Times

40 Questions About the End Times
By: Echard Schnabel
Series Editor: Benjamin L. Merkle
Kregel Academic and Professional, 2011

Thanks to Benjamin Merkle, the Series Editor for Kregel’s “40 Questions” books, evangelicals now have a quick and concise tool for understanding end times. The book’s author, Echard Schnabel, is an evangelical and takes a very conservative look at all end times scripture throughout the Bible.

Perhaps the most helpful thing he has done is not begin with Revelation. I believe folks are guilty of going straight to the end of the Bible to understand what will happen in the end times which is not beneficial unless you have a good idea of the rest of the Bible’s metanarrative. To understand apocalyptic writing in scripture, one must understand the genre in general, but also understand the book of Daniel.

Trusting in the Sovereignty of God

Dear Readers,

This post is not primarily about me, nor is it primarily about my doubts, fears, frustrations, or complaints. This post is about thankfulness and joy. The thankfulness and joy we have in Christ who has redeemed us. Coming out of Easter Sunday, my awareness has been heightened as it has been with most. My thankfulness and gratitude for my salvation and the multiple blessings God has given me is great. At that same time, I am fighting doubt.

Book Review: Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris

BOOK REVIEW

DUG DOWN DEEP
Building Your Life on Truths that Last
By Joshua Harris
Published by Multnomah Books

What do you think you know about God? Is it true? Are you a Christian who doesn't really care about who God is? What about theology? Is it a foreign word that causes you to cringe when you read or hear about it?

Truth is, we are all theologians. We all have some kind of idea of who God is, even if that idea is that "he isn't." You see, what you believe about God, whether he exists or doesn't exist, whether he is good or evil, all powerful or completely weak, it is still theology. You have developed a doctrine about God that you think is right, or at least you may think it is most plausible.

Why Do Protestants and Catholics Have a Different Bible?

Reasons for Rejecting the Apocrypha or Deutero-Canonical Texts

Prior to reading further on in this post it is important that you first read this. Protestants and Catholics disagree on a number of doctrines, most of which are secondary in nature. While these issues are strong enough to cause a number of denominations to develop out of the Reformation, it should only be for the purpose of kindling better relationships with the one true catholic church which is all Christians united under Christ. Doctrines such as the canon of Scripture which I am about to discuss are of major importance, but they should not take priority over our fellowship and unity with brothers and sisters in Christ. “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread,” (1 Corinthians 10:16-17, ESV). We are all united under Christ into the body of believers which make up the one true church. 

The True Meaning of Sola Scriptura

I have recently been involved in discussions with Catholics about the Protestant belief in Sola Scriptura. In case you are not familiar with the phrase, it translates from Latin as “scripture alone.” There is a misconception held by Catholics of what this means for Protestants.

First, it does not mean that the only truth is Scripture. What do I mean by this? There are plenty of truths found outside of Scripture. The Bible is concerned about revealing God (Jesus) and who he is. Scripture’s primary concern is not science, math, psychology or any other field though it touches on every subject one could imagine.

What issues are Christians facing?

This is the first time I have tried this and possibly the last depending on your response. Instead of answering questions I think you may have, I want to know what issues you think Christians today are struggling with.

This might be your way of asking me about something you, a friend, or loved one is facing, or it could simply be your way of saying, "this is important and the church is struggling in this area." You can ask any question or give any statement to this.

I am merely asking for ideas on future posts. I am not out of ideas, I just want to help you and your walk with Christ if at all possible.

If you are not a Christian, feel free to respond as well. Maybe you have a perspective as an outsider looking in, a challenge to the Christian faith, or unanswered questions in your own soul search.

Book Review: Torn by Jud Wilhite

BOOK REVIEW

Torn
Trusting God When Life Leaves You in Pieces
By Jud Wilhite
Published by Multnomah Books

Pastor Jude Wilhite of Central Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada has written his book, “Torn” from the perspective of how to respond to evil. In the beginning of the book, he makes a claim I am not comfortable agreeing with, but beyond that, the book is a great edition to the many books covering the problem of evil and suffering.

Has God Spoken? by Hank Hanegraaff

BOOK REVIEW

Has God Spoken?
Proof of the Bible’'s Divine Inspiration
By Hank Hanegraaff
Published by Thomas Nelson

Has God been disproven? Is the Bible really true and if so what proof is there that it has not been changed over the course of time? Hank Hanegraff has written "Has God Spoken?" to prove Scripture's divine inspiration. 

Christianity and Illegal Immigration

I am a student at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where I am pursuing a Master of Divinity in Christian Worldview and Apologetics. Part of my general studies requisites includes "Survey of Christian Ethics" with Dr. Russell Moore. It has been a wonderful class; convicting and challenging. For our final, he posted an ethical dilemma on his website. You must read it to make sense of my post.

The Danger of Christianity

There are a great number of Americans who now, in retrospect, believe our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan to be a failure. Many want our troops back home. I can certainly understand where these people are coming from and I sympathize with them. To date we have lost more than 6,000 lives when you tally both so called "wars." Military involvement is dangerous and it not only affects the soldiers, but their families, friends, and neighbors as well.

Bioethics: A Primer for Christians by Gilbert Meilaender

Book Analysis

Bioethics: A Primary for Christians

by Gilbert Meilaender

Published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Introduction

Few Christians, if any, have thought long and hard about abortion and its effects on the mothers, families, and communities. As Christians, we are staunch opponents of abortion, fighting for the sanctity of life. Another ethics issue we think a lot about include the sanctity of marriage, but beyond that, our scope of concern for ethics is typically narrow. We can give some kind of answer after thinking about an issue for a period of time, but we are not prepared to face these kinds of situations.