Tc Apologetics

The stories we think of when reflecting on Christmas are inspired more by folklore than they are history. According to Ben Witherington, "The Christmas portions of the gospel are, perhaps, the most beloved, and the most belabored, texts in the New Testament. Like works of art that have been lacquered with coat after coat of varnish, the original stories are hardly visible anymore." In our meeting (divided here into 5 parts), we explored which are true, which are false, and what we really know about the time around Jesus' birth.

The stories we think of when reflecting on Christmas are inspired more by folklore than they are history. According to Ben Witherington, "The Christmas portions of the gospel are, perhaps, the most beloved, and the most belabored, texts in the New Testament. Like works of art that have been lacquered with coat after coat of varnish, the original stories are hardly visible anymore." In our meeting (divided here into 5 parts), we explored which are true, which are false, and what we really know about the time around Jesus' birth.

The stories we think of when reflecting on Christmas are inspired more by folklore than they are history. According to Ben Witherington, "The Christmas portions of the gospel are, perhaps, the most beloved, and the most belabored, texts in the New Testament. Like works of art that have been lacquered with coat after coat of varnish, the original stories are hardly visible anymore." In our meeting (divided here into 5 parts), we explored which are true, which are false, and what we really know about the time around Jesus' birth.

The stories we think of when reflecting on Christmas are inspired more by folklore than they are history. According to Ben Witherington, "The Christmas portions of the gospel are, perhaps, the most beloved, and the most belabored, texts in the New Testament. Like works of art that have been lacquered with coat after coat of varnish, the original stories are hardly visible anymore." In our meeting (divided here into 5 parts), we explored which are true, which are false, and what we really know about the time around Jesus' birth.

This is part 9 in my current Sunday School class called “What is God Like?” (If you’d like to learn more about the series, check this post on our website.) This week we continue our discussion of God's immutability. What about the verses that say God repents or has regrets? How do we resolve seemingly contrary texts? Does God change, or is there another explanation? The handout for this class is available here.

This is part 8 in my current Sunday School class called “What is God Like?” (If you’d like to learn more about the series, check this post on our website.) This week we began a discussion of God's immutability. I also included an interesting discussion after class about the theological influences we all have, and that we're probably unaware of, that affect our understanding of who God is. The handout for this class is available here.

Just a quick update. Sorry I got behind in posting! Also, if you are interested in helping support the costs of this podcast, drop a note to scott@tcapologetics.org. Thanks!

This is the audio from the November 4, 2014 meeting of TC Apologetics. In the opening, I explained my reasons for believing in theism - the idea that there is a God. After that, we discussed whether the sentiment "I follow science, not God" makes any sense. (To respect confidentiality and the wishes of some members, portions of the audio have been removed.) TC Apologetics meets in Traverse City, Michigan on the first and third Tuesday of every month. If you like what you hear, why not join us!

On October 27, 2014, I was invited to speak to the leaders of the local Community Bible Study on the topic of apologetics. I was given a handful of topics that the group had expressed interest in, so rather than go into any great depth on an individual topic I chose to do a very fast overview. We covered a lot of ground! It ended up being a great opportunity to explain the current need for apologetics, what apologetics is, and a few tips on how to go about getting your feet wet. I also gave the shortest presentations I've ever given on the reliability of the Bible and the evidence for the resurrection! If you want a fast overview, give a listen and see what you think. Hopefully this piqued some interest that will result in more people digging in to apologetics than would have otherwise. Click here for the handout.

This is part 7 in my current Sunday School class called “What is God Like?” (If you’d like to learn more about the series, check this post on our website.) This week we wrapped up the topic of God's omnipresence with a definition, observation of relationship to some other attributes, and some discussion to see how omnipresence works out in practice. The handout for this class is available here.

This is part 6 in my current Sunday School class called “What is God Like?” (If you’d like to learn more about the series, check this post on our website.) This week we wrapped up the topic of God's eternity, and finished with a discussion of popular approaches to reconciling the views. After some brief review, we began to look at God's omnipresence, including some popular misunderstandings of that doctrine. The handout for this class is available here. I've also included a brief discussion at the end of class on the question of whether our deceased loved ones can visit us in our dreams. This was an impromptu conversation that was completely off-topic. but thought it was interesting enough to include here.  

This is part 5 in my current Sunday School class called “What is God Like?” (If you’d like to learn more about the series, check this post on our website.) This week we continued to look at God’s relationship to time and what it means to say that God is eternal. We covered the basic differences between the two theories of time and explored how God's eternality might operate under those views. The handout for this class is available here.

This is part 4 in my current Sunday School class called “What is God Like?” (If you’d like to learn more about the series, check this post on our website.) This week we looked briefly at God’s infinity, then began our journey exploring God’s relationship to time. The handout for this class is available here.

This is part 3 in my current Sunday School class called “What is God Like?” (If you’d like to learn more about the series, check this post on our website.) This week we finished introducing some terms and concepts and began looking at our first attribute: aseity. Aseity simply means that God is self-existent and independent. God exists simply by virtue of his own nature. The handout for this class is available here.

This is part 3 in my current Sunday School class called “What is God Like?” (If you’d like to learn more about the series, check this post on our website.) This week’s we ended up spending most of our time on the topic of God’s transcendence and immanence. Both concepts are taught in scripture, and both are true observations about God. Since they sometimes seem to conflict in a way, we spent some time looking at that tension. Specifically, we looked at various areas of church life where one has received more focus than the other. In the end, the takeaway is that God is both transcendent and immanent, and we ought to strive to balance our view of God to include both aspects. After that, we continued with a couple other concepts that will help us to understand God’s attributes as we discuss them in coming weeks. The handout for this class is available here.

This is part 1 in my current Sunday School class called “What is God Like?” (If you’d like to learn more about the series, check this post on our website.) This week we covered the class description and started laying some groundwork in preparation for words and principles that will come in future weeks. The handout for this class is available here.