Apologetics Archives - CultureWatch

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Difficult Bible Passages: 2 Peter 1:4

Oct 11, 2019

Is Peter offering us a type of pantheism, or New Age teaching in this passage?

Peter uses a phrase in this passage that is not found elsewhere in the New Testament. While similar sorts of thoughts are found elsewhere, the

Scripture sees divine sovereignty and human responsibility as being fully compatible – so should we.

When we see a young married couple who seem so close to each other and so perfectly matched, we will speak of how very “compatible”

Difficult Bible Passages: Jude 14-15

Aug 23, 2019

How are we to understand NT writers quoting from non-inspired books?

The reason for the difficulty of this passage centres on the issue of the divine inspiration of non-biblical books. Jude quotes from the apocryphal book of Enoch. So the

Why do some Bibles differ in terms of the number of books they include?

Just today I had this comment sent in to my website (obviously by a Catholic): “According to the Bible I read, it has 46 books in

Giving Christianity a Bad Name

Aug 14, 2019

Sadly there are many nutters amongst us, giving the faith a bad rap.

When you have an interactive website, you never know what sort of comments will come your way. While many folks send in sensible, rational, and well-informed comments,

Rejoicing in Calamities and Disasters

Aug 7, 2019

Christians of all people should not be celebrating each new tragedy and disaster.

‘What? Rejoice when a tragedy happens? Who would do such a thing?’ Sadly there are various folks around who DO get rather excited when some disaster or

10 New Books That Make You Think

Aug 2, 2019

These ten new Christian books will certainly make you think – and that’s a good thing!

It is always good to think. If you are a Christian you should know that Jesus commanded us to think. He told us that

There are various systems or methods in Christian apologetics. Here are some of the main ones.

I realise that I may be writing for a rather limited audience here, but some folks might find this article helpful. It has to

It is not just kids who can ask some really tough questions – even really hairy theological questions. Adults of course can also ask plenty of meaty questions about God, the Bible, and Christian beliefs. Assuming the ones asking these

Sin, Adam, Christ, and a Little Latin

Jul 22, 2019

An odd title, but some might find theology to be a little odd. But theological investigations can be of real use in helping us better understand Scripture. And sometimes knowing a bit of Latin can be rather useful as well.

Worldviews: Ultimately a Theological War

Jun 23, 2019

Everywhere we look we find conflict. There are political wars, there are ideological wars, there are culture wars, and there are religious wars. Overwhelmingly, behind all this is a much larger war – a war of worldviews. To understand the

The Conquest of Canaan – Part One

Apr 23, 2019

Whenever another horrible Islamic terrorist attack takes place – and these are now daily occurrences sadly – you will get various Christophobes and/or Islamophiles trying to argue that Christians are just as bad: they too support violence and bloodshed. And

The Conquest of Canaan – Part Two

Apr 23, 2019

This is the conclusion to an article which looks at the issue of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites and various moral and religious problems that can arise as a result. It offers seven considerations in total, the last

Easter and the Nations: ‘He Shall Put Everything Under His Feet’

Apr 21, 2019

We rightly celebrate Easter this time of year as we think of the wonderful exchange that took place at Calvary: our sins and impurity for his forgiveness and righteousness. New life in Christ is at the heart of the Easter

On Being a Cultural Missionary

Apr 20, 2019

After the Apostle Paul had a radical conversion, he began to fearlessly proclaim the gospel, first to his fellow Jews. He then of course made a move into a rather different culture: that of the Greek-speaking Gentile world. Although his

Difficult Bible Passages: 2 Kings 2:23-25

Apr 2, 2019

This is a passage that bothers many people. Some find it to be quite appalling in fact. As Peter Leithart remarks, it is “one of the most controversial passages in Scripture.” The problem is this: it seems that a prophet

Divine Hiddenness: On God’s Silence

Mar 28, 2019

Many believers throughout the ages have experienced what appears to be the silence, absence, distance, hiddenness, or unresponsiveness of God. Prayers seem to be unanswered, God seems to be nowhere near, and we can have a sense of divine abandonment,

Faith, Rationality, and the Limits of Science

Feb 21, 2019

While I am not a scientist, I have long been a keen student of philosophy, including the philosophy of science. And like all other types of philosophy – political philosophy, moral philosophy, etc – there are various worldview commitments that

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Jan 28, 2019

What exactly did Paul mean when he said, “I have become all things to all people”? As with so many passages I examine in the series, this particular one can be subject to some real misunderstanding, misuse and abuse. So

A Review of The Saints of Zion. By Travis Kerns.

Jan 7, 2019

B&H, 2018.

Theology matters, and it matters greatly. In the past many believers were willing to even give their own lives in the defence of biblical orthodoxy. Today few believers would be willing to do so. Indeed, few would know

About CultureWatch

We live in an age where we see evidence of cultural decline, the erosion of values, the decline of civility, the denial of truth and the elevation of unreason. Many people are asking, “Where is our culture heading?” This website is devoted to exploring the major cultural, social and political issues of the day. It offers reflection and commentary drawing upon the wealth of wisdom found in the Judeo-Christian tradition. It offers reflective and incisive commentary on a wide range of issues, helping to sort through the maze of competing opinions, worldviews, ideologies and value systems. It will discuss critically and soberly where our culture is heading. Happy reading!

Bill Muehlenberg

CultureWatch

Bill Muehlenberg's commentary on issues of the day...

Difficult Bible Passages: 2 Peter 1:4

Is Peter offering us a type of pantheism, or New Age teaching in this passage?

On Compatibilism

Scripture sees divine sovereignty and human responsibility as being fully compatible – so should we.

Difficult Bible Passages: Jude 14-15

How are we to understand NT writers quoting from non-inspired books?

On the Apocryphal Books

Why do some Bibles differ in terms of the number of books they include?

Giving Christianity a Bad Name

Sadly there are many nutters amongst us, giving the faith a bad rap.

Rejoicing in Calamities and Disasters

Christians of all people should not be celebrating each new tragedy and disaster.

10 New Books That Make You Think

These ten new Christian books will certainly make you think – and that’s a good thing!

On Apologetics Systems

There are various systems or methods in Christian apologetics. Here are some of the main ones.

Can God Sin?

Sin, Adam, Christ, and a Little Latin

Worldviews: Ultimately a Theological War

The Conquest of Canaan – Part One

The Conquest of Canaan – Part Two

Easter and the Nations: ‘He Shall Put Everything Under His Feet’

On Being a Cultural Missionary

Difficult Bible Passages: 2 Kings 2:23-25

Divine Hiddenness: On God’s Silence

Faith, Rationality, and the Limits of Science

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

A Review of The Saints of Zion. By Travis Kerns.

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