A Former Atheist Professor Now Believes Faith is For Smart People

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well. October has been a busy month for me. I really haven’t had much time to post or think about anything I wanted to share. I did, however, just read an article in the Christian Science Monitor that is relevant to apologetics, and thought I would share with you the readers. The article is titled: Why a former atheist professor now believes faith is for smart people. The article is about Holly Ordway. Her new book is: Not God's Type: An Atheist Academic Lays Down Her Arms. In the book she explains why she believes that atheists are not smarter than Christians, but this is simply what the article says, and I have yet to read the book. However, since I know the Christian Science Monitor has some of the highest standards in journalism, I trust what they say with the utmost credibility. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the article, and I think that perhaps we should all get a copy of Holly’s book. Blessings and I hope you enjoy reading! The link to the article is below.

Why a former atheist professor now believes faith is for smart people

Mario Joseph, a Former Muslim Imam that Converted to Christianity by Studying the Quran

I hope everyone is enjoying the last days of summer for us all here in the northern hemisphere of the planet. I wanted to share this video I ran into because someone shared it on facebook. The video appears on a video program that is called Changing Tracks which seems to be from Toledo, Spain and is hosted by Cristina Casado, although I am not sure it is an actual broadcast. In the video, a man named Mario Joseph is interviewed. Supposedly his Muslim name was Imam Sulaiman ibn Ahmad. During the interview, Mario explains how he became a Christian while studying the Quran. Moreover, he even makes the claim that Jesus is God due to his discovery of the historical Jesus via the Quran. I am personally not an expert on the Quran, although I have owned an English translation copy for many years now, and have briefly read it every now and then. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the video which is the first I have ever shared in almost six years of Arango's Apologetics Page. Blessings!

Reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjUXd4qW9mg#t=172

Pope Francis' Message “You cannot hate in the name of God”

In light of all the horrific and terrible things happening in our world, I wanted to close out the month of August with a video message from Pope Francis. Pope Francis is not the leader of all Christians around the world. He is the leader of Roman Catholics (Western Church) which is the largest denomination in Christianity, but regardless I believe that this message should be the focus of all Christians around the world at this moment in time with any and all support possible, especially our prayers. Consequently, I am sharing this post on both Arango’s Apologetics Page and on Unifying the Faith.

ROMEREPORTS.COM wrote as follows:

"Pope Francis expressed his concern for the situation in Iraq during the Angelus prayer. He firmly assured that these crimes gravely offend God (http://en.romereports.com)."

Pope Francis said the following in his message:

"Children dead from thirst and hunger during the escape; women who are abducted; people slaughtered; violence of every kind; destruction everywhere, destruction of homes, destruction of religious, historical and cultural patrimonies. All this greatly offends God and greatly offends humanity. You cannot bring hatred in the name of God! You cannot make war in the name of God (http://en.romereports.com)!"

The link to the video is below.

Pope Francis: “You cannot hate in the name of God”

Demand Religious Freedom

Christians and Jews are indeed being persecuted around the world. It is time to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves as Proverbs 31:8 states. The religious right is starting to raise awareness which is strange since they are usually busy politicizing issues that normally should not be politicized.
My problem with people like Ralph Reed is that they will most likely make millions in income politicizing things like this issue of persecution as a "God business." Credits to Frank Schaffer on the "God business" phrase I just used. I am just surprised that they are showing concern for Assyrian Christians in Iraq, and Coptic Christians in Egypt, and such because honestly many on the religious right did not consider that these brothers and sisters where actually Christian based on the limited worldview on that same religious right. Unless this is just some new scheme to help the Republican party. I personally do not think that our Faith needs to be supporting any one political party, but instead leave that up to the individual as a choice. Our job is to follow Christ. But, I do think the religious right is right on this one or at least on the right track for now. So, the link below is one way of communicating the injustices and human rights abuses being experienced by our brothers and sisters around the world. If anyone comes up with a better idea, please share, and I will try to promote it.


Demand Religious Freedom

Why Many Believed Jesus was the Messiah since the Very Beginning

I must warn everyone that perhaps it is possible that I am writing this post from my previously evangelical “sola scriptura” side of the brain, so please be patient if you disagree with what I say...lol. Moreover, I think that part of the brain if it really exists hinders and limits understanding what Jesus is and was really about, but that is just my opinion. Oh well, it is what it is...I just felt like posting this…feel free to comment after reading! I just wanted to share some thoughts on why Christianity has always believed that Jesus was The Messiah, and why that is what the very first Christians (a branch of Judaism) believed based on some of the Old Testament (Tanakh) Scriptures or verses which I will provide on here. One of the earliest documented cases of what I am saying is found in the Book of Acts in which Peter (Cephas) the disciple of Jesus explains. However, if you have read my post titled: The Road to Emmaus from December 30, 2010, you would find that Jesus himself also explained, "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself (Luke 24:27)."

The passage I was previously referencing in the Book of Acts in which Peter was using the Old Testament as apologetics for Jesus being The Messiah is found in Acts 3, and it reads as follows:

"Act 3:12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: "Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?

Act 3:13  The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.

Act 3:14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,

Act 3:15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

Act 3:16  And his name--by faith in his name--has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Act 3:17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.

Act 3:18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.

Act 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,

Act 3:20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,

Act 3:21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

Act 3:22 Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.

Act 3:23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.'

Act 3:24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.

Act 3:25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.'

Act 3:26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness (ESV Bible)."

Well, Peter was definitely referencing the Old Testament. So, did Moses really say: "The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you?" Yes, Moses did say this, and the quote is found in Deuteronomy 18:15. Did Samuel and other prophets say what Peter said he said? Well, yes you can look up II Samuel 7:11-16 and it does seem to make a Messianic reference. But, what is “the restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago?”  I would imagine that maybe it is what Daniel said in Ch 12:9, but others make similar comments as well. I really do not do too much of this Messianic type of apologetics, but when one reads many of the verses they do seem to direct one in that destination. Below is a list of some of the Old Testament verses that are considered Messianic by many, although to me when they are read out of context they do not seem as such, but that is just me.

Genesis 3:15

Genesis 9:26

Genesis 12:2

Genesis 22:18

Deuteronomy 18:15

II Samuel 7: 11-16

Psalms 22

Psalms 110:1

Isaiah 9: 6-7

Isaiah 53

Micah 5:2

Well, I am sure that there are plenty of more verses that are seemingly Messianic, but I will leave that up to you for personal research. I hope everyone has enjoyed reading this post, and I hope you spend some time going over some of the verses and decide for yourself what you believe. Blessings!

Reference:

ESV Bible

Craig Evans interviewed by Apologetics 315 - YouTube

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. I haven't posted much lately, but I do always try to have something at least once a month. In this post I wanted to share a recent interview with Craig Evans on Apologetics 315 that is very much related to the purpose of this blog. I hope you enjoy this thorough interview and find it fascinating. The link to the interview is just below. Blessings!


Craig Evans interviewed by Apologetics 315 - YouTube

It is Known as The Gospel of John, but Did John Write it?

The first four books of the New Testament are known as the Gospels (Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John). All four tell us the story of Jesus Christ; however, the only one that is supposedly an eyewitness account is John's Gospel. Many theologians throughout history have believed that this Gospel was without a doubt written by John, Jesus' disciple, although this is not proven.

In this post, I simply wanted to share an article from the Biblical Archaeology Society that is titled: "Gospel of John Commentary: Who Wrote the Gospel of John and How Historical Is It?" The article was published by the Biblical Archaeology Society Staff on September 26th, 2013. The link to the article is found below, and I very much hope you enjoy reading as I enjoyed sharing it, thank you and blessings! 


Gospel of John Commentary: Who Wrote the Gospel of John and How Historical is It? – Biblical Archaeology Society