Category Archives: Apologetics

Why I Look Forward to Eternity

Posted on January 30, 2012 by clayjones

Some of the devil’s dirtiest deeds regard his doctrinal distortion of Heaven. He’s made it sound like a place no one would want to go. After all, who wants to sport flightless wings, sit on a cloud, strum a harp, … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Eternal Life, Evangelism, Why God Allows Evil | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Ehrman’s Problem: He’s Confused About the Free Will Defense

Posted on January 24, 2012 by clayjones

Ehrman says free will defenders often tell him humans would be like robots without free will (11, 12, 197, 229). Well, of course they tell him that. Rightly! And on this point Ehrman never disagrees because free will is essential … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Ehrman, Why God Allows Evil | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Ehrman’s Problem 5: God Should Intervene More to Prevent Free Will’s Evil Use

Posted on January 23, 2012 by clayjones

Finally we come to what seems to be Ehrman’s major objection to the free will defense. He asks, “If he [God] intervenes sometimes to counteract free will, why does he not do so more of the time? Or indeed, all … Continue reading →

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Ehrman’s Problem 4: Why Won’t We Abuse Free Will in Heaven?

Posted on January 20, 2012 by clayjones

Bart Ehrman’s fourth objection to the free will defense is this: “Most people who believe in God-given free will also believe in an afterlife. Presumably people in the afterlife will still have free will (they won’t be robots then either, … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Ehrman, Why God Allows Evil | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Ehrman’s Problem 3: God Could Have Made Us So We’d Always Do Right

Posted on January 19, 2012 by clayjones

Bart Ehrman asks why God didn’t give humans “the intelligence they need to exercise it [free will] so that we can all live happily and peaceably together? You can’t argue that he wasn’t able to do so, if you want … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Ehrman, Why God Allows Evil | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Ehrman’s Problem 2: Free Will and Natural Evil

Posted on January 18, 2012 by clayjones

As I mentioned yesterday, Ehrman admits that free will can explain much human evil, but he asks how it can explain malaria, dysentery, drought, hurricanes, mudslides, or a “tsunami that kills hundreds of thousands overnight.” (12) In other words, how … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Ehrman, Why God Allows Evil | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Ehrman’s Problem: He Misreads the Bible and Impugns God’s Fairness

Posted on January 17, 2012 by clayjones

In his book, God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question—Why We Suffer, Bart Ehrman makes the case that neither Christians nor the Bible can answer why God, if He were to exist, would allow “the … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Ehrman, Why God Allows Evil | Tagged , , , , , | 61 Comments

How to Start an Apologetics Ministry in Your Church

Posted on January 4, 2012 by clayjones

Over the years I’ve talked with many people who have successfully started apologetics ministries in their churches and others who tried but failed. What follows are some suggestions on how to do it (these suggestions apply to other types of … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Ministry | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Let’s Not Run From “Apologetics”

Posted on November 29, 2011 by clayjones

Someone suggested recently that perhaps our apologetics program should change its name to something less confrontational—like “religious studies”—so that it would be more palatable to non-Christians. Upon hearing that, Craig and I rent our garments, threw dust on our heads, … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Evangelism | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Disaster Is Always a Call to Repentance!

Posted on November 10, 2011 by clayjones

I need to begin with a qualification: I’ve been embarrassed when some famous evangelical leaders (no, I’m not going to name names) have blamed people for the disaster they’ve suffered through. For example, I didn’t agree with blaming 9/11 on … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Uncategorized, Why God Allows Evil | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments