Alpha & Omega Ministries Apologetics Blog
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Today on the AussieBrit Dividing Line!
01/31/2013 - James White
Was joined by our good friend and brother David Ould in studio today as he and his family drive across the good ol' USofA. Started off with some discussion of the Anglican Communion, the Church of England, and the Episcopalian Church. Then we turned to the MSNBC commentary thanking God for abortion, and this astonishing article, both of which illustrate the "I am the most important thing in the universe" mindset of modern Western people. A sobering discussion to be sure, and one that I hope you find useful. Here's the program.And don't forget the WayBack Machine, streaming Dividing Lines from 1998 onward 24/7! You can listen on the Flash Player found here.
18:20:16 - Category: The Dividing Line - Link to this article -
Today on "Radio Free Salt Lake City"
01/29/2013 - James White
OK, we don't have a Radio Free Salt Lake City theme, or even a graphic...but if we did, this would have been the program to use them for! I had the misfortune of listening to the "dialogue" between Dr. Richard Mouw, long time president of Fuller Theological Seminary, and Dr. Robert Millet, BYU professor and author of the Eerdman's published book, A Different Jesus?, which took place recently at the Eerdman's bookstore. I was again amazed at the "massaging" of the message of Mormonism, and the either rank dishonesty, or possibly outlandish naïveté, of Richard Mouw in his defense of Mormonism and his redefinition of historical beliefs propounded by the General Authorities of the LDS Church. We have here the quintessential example of "ivory tower" academics completely missing the forest for the trees. I had to often comment that clearly Dr. Mouw has not spent time with LDS missionaries or plain old Mormons on the streets. He has, instead, spent way too much time with a narrow spectrum of BYU professors, to be sure. In any case, we spent about 100 minutes today on the topic, and we are only halfway through the material, so we will have to pick it up again on Tuesday. This Thursday we will be joined by David Ould and I intend to carve out enough time to respond to this particular commentary from an MSNBC anchor. Here's the program.For those interested in the Dividing Line reviews from the original speeches given at the evangelical visit to the Mormon Tabernacle back in 2004 you can find them here and here.
I also noted that I put a few items on the Ministry Resource List this morning as I look toward the upcoming book projects and debates during Spring, 2013. Here's the MRL.
12:43:06 - Category: The Dividing Line - Link to this article -
Last Thursday on the Dividing Line -- and Other Stuff
01/29/2013 - James White
Sorry to have neglected to blog last Thursday's DL. At the start we mentioned the prayer offered at the Inauguration and its seeking God's blessing on homosexuality; then I updated folks on the fact that, so far, John Ankerberg has followed the Norman Geisler line: ignore the actual facts of the Caner scandal, in this case, by the ignoring of my open letter, posted last week. Then we started taking calls on such subjects as how to handle an opportunity to bear witness in conversation at a mosque; a call on the Caner debacle, and a few others. Here's the program.Today on the DL I will be analyzing and responding to the recent discussion of Mormonism held at the Eerdman's book store between Richard Mouw and Robert Millett. Hearing a noted "evangelical" leader functioning as a full-blown apologist for Mormonism is tremendously troubling. On Thursday David Ould will join us, Lord willing. After our conversation we will be responding to an MSNBC anchor's comments on the propriety of abortion.
Finally, I've added a few items to the Ministry Resource List, here. Your assistance is always appreciated!
05:14:44 - Category: The Dividing Line - Link to this article -
We Need Your Help in the Store
01/28/2013 - Rich Pierce
While we continue the massive effort to update our website there are some new web practices that didn't exist, (well, if they did we didn't have them), when we setup the original blog and store. Now search engines look for things like 'tags' and 'metadata' in order to identify things in a search. So, I am asking for some volunteer help with the store. If you have read, viewed or listened to any of the products in our store I am asking you to take a few moments and come back and 'tag' and maybe even 'review' those items on our behalf. You can do that by going back to the store and find the item that you have in mind. Under the title you will find a place to 'Add Your Review' and at the bottom of that page you will find a place to 'tag' that item. The review of an item seems pretty easy to figure out but the 'tag' tends to confuse people as to what is being asked for. A tag should be one or two words that topically describes things that are addressed in that item. For instance, the book Scripture Alone has the tag 'sola scriptura' on it. When someone new comes to the website and searches "Sola Scriptura" the search engine finds that tag and retrieves that item to a prominent place in the search. By 'tagging' items for us you are, in a way, training our search engine to give better results. At the same time by providing your review of the item you will help the person who does that search better understand if that item is what they are looking for and how valuable it is for their need. So if you would, take a few moments and give us some feedback that will immediately help our new visitors get more value out of the resources that we provide.Blessings
P.S. Just in case we have a 'few' troublemakers out there who might think that this is the time to take advantage and work their mischief. They should keep in mind that reviews and tags have to be approved by me. If, as one KJV Only fellow did this last weekend, they think that this is their opportunity to 'poison the well' they should think again. I am looking for thoughtful and accurate information from people who are actually familiar with the work. :-)
09:14:47 - Category: Misc - Link to this article -
The Will of God: Sovereign Decree, Prescriptive Will
01/27/2013 - James White
20:13:43 - Category: Pastoral Theology - Link to this article -
Shea's Tangled Web in Defense of Tobit
01/25/2013 - Tur8infan
Over at the "National Catholic Register," Mark Shea provided a piece responding to a reader's concerns about the apocryphal book of Tobit, which is included within the canon of Scripture by the Council of Trent. I'm afraid the reader of Shea's response has been seriously disserviced by Shea's misleading answer. ...[Click Here to Continue Reading]
09:00:00 - Category: Roman Catholicism - Link to this article -
Trembling Before the Word of God
01/23/2013 - James White
20:58:00 - Category: Pastoral Theology - Link to this article -
Twenty-Four Elders - Twenty-Four Books
01/23/2013 - Tur8infan
People sometimes see what they want in allegory. If the chapter divisions in Isaiah were original, we would be tempted to place significance on the fact that the number of chapters in Isaiah is equal to the number of books in the canon. If we see the number 27 or 39 in an allegory, we might (less obviously) see the number of books in the New and Old Testaments respectively.The book of Revelation has a reference to "twenty-four elders" as well as "four beasts" or "four living creatures." A very ancient tradition (dating back at least to Irenaeus) links those four beasts to the four gospels. What is interesting to discover is that there is a very old Western tradition (dating back to the 3rd century) associating the twenty-four elders with the twenty-four books of the Old Testament.
Why 24 instead of 39? There were different ways of numbering the books then. For example, the 12 minor prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) were counted as a single book. (In a more full version of this post, I get into more detail.)
The earliest Greek commentators on Revelation that I read did not make any mention of this twenty-four elders to twenty-four Old Testament books correspondence, possibly because in the East, the way of counting the Old Testament books was twenty-two, not twenty-four (due to making a couple fewer combinations).
The earliest Latin commentators, however, provide the correspondence. The Western fathers or writers who mention this include Victorinus of Petovium (died c. A.D. 303); Apringius of Beja (6th Century); Caesarius of Arles (c. A.D. 470 – 542); Bede the Venerable (c. A.D. 673 – 735); Primasius (died. c. 560); and Ambrose Autpert (c. A.D. 730 – 784)
This Western patristic view continued in the West throughout the middle ages: Haymo of Halberstadt (died c. 853); Rupert, Abbot of Deutz (c. 1075–1129); Peter Cellensis (c. 1115-1183); Peter Blensensis (c. 1130 - 1203); and Glossa Ordinaria published 1498 based on earlier writings.
William Webster (see the fuller discussion here) also identified Richard of St. Victor, John of Salisbury, and Alphonsi Tostati, who identified the number of books of the Old Testament as twenty-four, apparently apart from a discussion of Revelation.
But of course, the key witness in the Western tradition is the great patristic advocate for excluding the apocrypha, Jerome (c. 347 - 420), who not only made the twenty-four elders to twenty-four books association, but also identified the relationship between the twenty-two book canon and the twenty-four book canon (based on counting Ruth and Lamentations separately rather than with other books).
How comprehensive is the survey above? As I detail in the more complete version of this post (see this link), the view represents a major portion of the identifiable Western commentators on Revelation (at least in the patristic period), with the Eastern commentators being entirely silent on this point.
These observations lead me to a few points of interest:
1. Obviously, this is one of many strands of Western tradition that Trent broke in treating the Apocrypha as part of the canon of the Old Testament. I'm not aware of any evidence that Trent considered this issue or addressed it. Certainly, Trent's canons and decrees do not explain the appropriate interpretation(s) of the twenty-four elders.
2. I'm not adopting this western tradition regarding the twenty-four elders. While it is an interesting view, and one of several meanings assigned to the text in the West, I doubt that the 24-book enumeration goes all the way back to the 1st century (the 22-book enumeration does, as evidenced by Josephus). Therefore, I doubt that the 24-book association was one that was originally intended by Jesus when he revealed this to John.
3. Nevertheless, if one trusts in the reliability of tradition when it comes to interpretation of Scripture, one cannot really accept Trent. Or, alternatively, if one can cast off a venerable and widespread Western tradition dating to the 3rd century simply because Trent says something that conflicts with it (without any explanation or discussion of the matter), what's the point of calling tradition an authority?
4. Furthermore, compare this tradition in terms of weight and popularity with the novel interpretations of the woman of Revelation 11 as some kind of evidence for a bodily assumption. The tradition of the twenty-four book canon as one of the meanings of the twenty-four elders is widespread amongst early Western commentators on Revelation, whereas the interpretation of the woman of Revelation 11 as evidence of a bodily assumption is something Mr. Albrecht couldn't identify even one instance of in the history of the church up to the Reformation.
5. And please note that the tradition of a short canon goes beyond those who viewed it as a twenty-four book canon. I have not included above the various other authors who taught that the canon is twenty-two books in length - a view that is represented not only in Josephus but in a variety of early Christian authors.
- TurretinFan
07:27:34 - Category: Roman Catholicism - Link to this article -
The Stonewall Riots and President Obama on the Dividing Line
01/22/2013 - James White
I started off playing a portion of President Obama's inaugural comments, focusing upon his promotion of homosexuality and the profaning of the divine institution of marriage. We when took a call from Jane up in the northwest asking how we can "respect authority" when that authority stands inalterably opposed to God's ways. We took two other calls, one on an amazingly facile argument for abortion (I didn't show it a whole lot of kindness!) and then we pushed the clutch in as far as we could go, produced a fair amount of mental smoke, and shifted gears to the subject of Amyraldianism and the atonement for the last call! Here's the program.11:24:18 - Category: The Dividing Line - Link to this article -
An Open Letter to Dr. John Ankerberg
01/21/2013 - James White
An Open Letter to Dr. John AnkerbergDear Dr. Ankerberg:
Back in 2010 an entire spectrum of information came to light demonstrating that the self-promoting claims of Dr. Ergun Caner, then of Liberty Seminary, now of Arlington Baptist College, were in large measure fraudulent. The list of errors and falsehoods promoted by Caner was amazingly long. Sadly, Dr. Caner and his representatives then began a wide ranging effort to have all of the sermons, in audio and video format, that documented his lies, deleted from the web, an amazing undertaking for someone who refuses to confess and repent of his misdeeds. In any case, the evidence was, and remains, overwhelming, and Caner, and his supporters, have continuously refused to answer the most important questions, instead offering absolutely ridiculous, refuted, incoherent excuses for Caner's behavior. The following video has been posted on YouTube and viewed, as of this writing, 19,713 times over the past 2 and a half years:
And this video documents some of the sadly obvious errors of Caner in regards to his false claim to be able to speak the Arabic language---it has been viewed 14,543 times:
Of course, Dr. Caner and his surrogates have consistently ignored these materials, let alone the many articles posted at www.aomin.org between February and August of 2010 documenting the many, many falsehoods promoted by Ergun Caner. Let's review just a brief list of some of these errors:
1) It is a falsehood that Ergun Caner was born in Istanbul, Turkey, as he claimed.
2) It is a falsehood that Ergun Caner always lived in "majority Muslim countries" as he repeatedly told audiences during sermons.
3) It is a falsehood that Ergun Caner studied jihad in a madrassa in Istanbul.
4) It is a falsehood that Ergun Caner studied jihad in a madrassa in Beirut.
5) It is a falsehood that Ergun Caner studied jihad in a madrassa in Cairo.
6) It is a falsehood that Ergun Caner is able to speak Arabic.
7) It is a falsehood that Ergun Caner has debated imams in mosques in Arabic (as his own website advertised).
8) It is a falsehood that Ergun Caner has engaged in more than sixty debates (he claimed in 2006 75 such debates) with Muslim leaders.
9) It is a falsehood that Ergun Caner's father was surrounded by "caliphs" when he died (there are no caliphs today).
10) It is a falsehood that Ergun Caner's father brought multiple wives with him to America.
11) It is a falsehood that Ergun Caner came to the United States in 1978 or 1979 (as his biography on the Liberty website claimed until 2010).
12) It is a falsehood that Ergun Caner learned English by watching US television programs in Turkey.
And so on and so forth. The entirety of his persona was a made up fiction without a solid foundation. The fact is he was born in Sweden, came to the US before his third birthday, and grew up as a regular kid in the Ohio school system. Until 9/11 he was known as "Butch" Caner---but then transformed himself into an "expert" on Islam. In the process he produced audio and video materials that Muslims have been able to collate into a collection of embarrassing errors and misstatements, such as his claim that Ramadan is 40 days long (any Muslim who ever celebrated it knows it is a lunar month, and lunar months are never 40 days long). He presented himself as a faithful Muslim, even wearing Muslim garb in high school, and praying in the bathrooms of the high school. The fact is he was just a regular kid, not an Islamic zealot, let alone a jihadi. It's all a myth, a fiction. ...
[Click Here to Continue Reading]
15:14:36 - Category: Misc - Link to this article -
Two Sermons from PRBC
01/20/2013 - James White
My study on John 14:6 turned into a bit of a sermon today, and since some commented that it helped them, I decided to share it with our blog readers:Then, before the Lord's Supper, my fellow elder Don Fry spoke on Isaiah 66:2, a tremendous text!
20:37:49 - Category: Pastoral Theology - Link to this article -
Absolutely...
01/20/2013 - James White
...disgusting (and blasphemous as well). Can you IMAGINE what would happen if they used an Islamic concept, say, such as the Mir'aj (Muhammad's visit to heaven), in such a context? The Middle East would erupt in violence and mayhem. But, since it is a Christian concept, well---who cares? Newsweek, dead as a print title, proves it is as bigoted against the Christian faith as we have known for a very long time. They just chose to wait till they were a web publication only to throw off all pretense of journalism. Simply amazing---and utterly disgusting.
15:26:32 - Category: Misc - Link to this article -
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (Homeschool Curriculum)
01/19/2013 - Jeff Downs
I mentioned in a previous post that I've been on a quest to find homeschooling resources that fit my specific wants and needs. I have in my possession, and I know of other materials that come close to what I'm looking for; but so are, I've been a bit disappointed. There maybe a number of reasons for this: 1) I've been looking in the wrong places. 2) The material is simply not available (yet). 3) What I'm looking for can not be done. So, let me briefly state my ideas, and perhaps someone can point me in the right direction (you can post responses on FB).Two things I'm looking for:
1) I would like to see something that integrates all subjects. So, as you study science (as a separate subject), the curriculum is designed in such a way that it incorporates what one is learning in Math, Literature, Bible etc. I do understand that is next to impossible incorporate every subject in each lesson.
2) More importantly, I would like to see material (for example, science), that would begin with some basic definitions in the first lesson. The first lesson would also be an overview of the subject, and a description of its important (perhaps theological or apologetic reasons), and how this subject relates to the Christian life (with the goal of doing all things for God's glory). The material in this lesson must be mastered, so it would be presented in a way to help parents ingrain the material in the minds of their children. So, one might spend a few days, perhaps even the week, on this one lesson. The most important thing at this point, would be memorizing key items, such as definitions.
The second lesson would build on the first lesson. This would include a review of the terms and definitions learned in the first lesson, an introduction to more terms, and, obviously some content. Again, it maybe designed so that you spend a week, mastering this material. This structure, would continue through the entire book. After a few chapters, one might not need to continue reviewing terms from the first lesson, but at some point, the child would be tested on the old material (perhaps after ever three chapters).
It is no secret that mothers normally homeschool children (simply do a search on home school bloggers). The idea behind the above is for the father also, to easily come home, pick up some cards, and help out. This would require, that the material to be memorized, be easily transferable to note cards.
I believe it is imperative that our children learn in a systematic fashion. If they study in such a way, the material will stick. The Classical Conversations curriculum comes as close to what I'm looking for, and would, with a few tweeks, be what I'm looking for.
More could be said, but that is enough for now. Any thoughts?
12:42:31 - Category: Christian Worldview - Link to this article -
God Saves His Own
01/18/2013 - Jeff Downs
If you have not watched/heard the interview with Rosaria Butterfield, you must!. The next hour of free time that you have, watch this interview. It will not be an hour wasted.Rosaria is the author of The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor's Journey into Christian Faith
"Rosaria, by the standards of many, was living a very good life. She had a tenured position at a large university in a field for which she cared deeply. She owned two homes with her partner, in which they provided hospitality to students and activists that were looking to make a difference in the world. There, her partner rehabilitated abandoned and abused dogs. In the community, Rosaria was involved in volunteer work. At the university, she was a respected advisor of students and her department’s curriculum.
And then, in her late 30s, Rosaria encountered something that turned her world upside down—the idea that Christianity, a religion that she had regarded as problematic and sometimes downright damaging, might be right about who God was, an idea that flew in the face of the people and causes that she most loved. What follows is a story of what she describes as a “train wreck†at the hand of the supernatural. These are her secret thoughts about those events, written as only a reflective English professor could."
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11:10:21 - Category: Testimonies - Link to this article -
Theology: The Foundation of Philosophy (Updated)
01/18/2013 - Jeff Downs
For the Christian, the mind of God (found in His Word) should ground and permeate our philosophy, and any other discipline we may engage in. Herein lies the differences in apologetic methodologies. So...An interview with Dr. Scott Oliphint was released today from Christ the Center, on the topic and titled of his book Reasons for Faith: Philosophy in the Service of Theology.
Click here to listen to the interview, and don't miss the articles linked on this page.
One more thing...
Last night, I noticed that J. Warner Wallace of STR and Please Convince Me, commented on some reaction to his new book by a "presuppositionalist." What stood out what this comment, by Wallace "If the missionaries had taken the approach offered by some of my presuppositional brothers, I might have trusted the Book of Mormon without testing." I am glad that Mr. Wallace qualifies his statement with "some...presuppositional brothers".
The point of Mr. Wallace's post, is that evidential apologetics is what convinced him. Again, he does qualify this by stating that "...I have repeatedly affirmed the role that God plays in first removing the enmity that all of us have in our natural, fallen condition. I’ve never argued that humans begin from a position of neutrality. I think we are, instead, aligned against God until he does something to remove our hostility." Amen, brother! He then states "But once that has occurred, I do believe the role of evidence is critical." Me too, and no Van Tillian, presuppositionalist, Covenantal apologetist should have any trouble with this. As a matter of fact, as I recently stated, that since this is God's world, everything in it (every bit of evidence, fact, etc.) must point to His existence and the truthfulness of the scriptures. Now, to qualify that statement; it is with a mind being sanctified to think God's thoughts after Him, that we see God's work in the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that in them is. Which is why, we as Christians, should be some of the best scientists, etc.
Mr. Wallace ends his piece by stating, "I’m grateful for my evidential detective inclinations because they guided me to the truth. God moved first, I responded with the evidence God provided. I’m at home with evidentialism because the evidence brought me home."
Mr. Wallace seems to acknowledge that God "moved first", but then ends up with the idea that the (plain) evidence is what finally convinced him, or in his own words, "brought me home." Now, I'm not exactly sure what he means by "brought me home," but I'm convinced, that what Mr. Wallace meant to say, is that it was God, working through the evidence, that brought him home. God uses means (such as the preaching of the word) to bring us to faith, but it is always, the Spirit working through these means.
I would recommend our readers (and J. Warner Wallace) to check out the recent article by Nathan Shannon titled Christainity and Evidentialism: Van Til and Locke on Facts and Evidence. If presuppositionalists are against evidence, then I'm no presuppositionalist, but the fact of the matter is, this is God's world, and he has made himself known (Roman 1:18-26).
With that said, although not having read it, I would encourage you to check out J. Warner Wallace's new book Cold Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels. Congratulations Mr. Wallace on this publication, please continue to show us, how all the facts of the universe, point to the true and living God.
Update: Joshua Whipps comments on Wallace's post here.
06:08:54 - Category: Resources - Link to this article -
Today on the DL: TurretinFan Joins us to Respond to Scott Alt
01/17/2013 - James White
Today TurretinFan joined me as we spent the entire hour reviewing, and responding to, this article by Scott Alt on the topic of sola scriptura. Those who are particularly involved in defending the sufficiency of Scripture against Rome's constant attacks upon it may find the exchange useful. Here's the program.And don't forget the WayBack Machine, streaming Dividing Lines from 1998 onward 24/7! You can listen on the Flash Player found here.
20:33:32 - Category: The Dividing Line - Link to this article -
Responding to Scott Alt Regarding Sola Scriptura
01/17/2013 - Tur8infan
Scott Alt recently posted "Questions for a Reformed Apologist." Dr. White and I (TurretinFan) responded on the Dividing Line, but the following provide some additional notes. ...[Click Here to Continue Reading]
16:25:38 - Category: Roman Catholicism - Link to this article -
Today on the Dividing Line
01/15/2013 - James White
Spent the first 3/4 of the program on current developments primarily related to the use of homosexuality as a cultural bludgeon to silence Christians---focusing on the Giglio debacle from last week, and the Steve Chalke abandonment of biblical morality and ethics as well. Then we spent the last 15 minutes on some comments made by Ergun and Emir Caner in 2003 on the John Ankerberg Show, wondering if the same kinds of comments will appear in the 2013 edition. Still wondering about that Hadith 2425, too....Here's the program.
And don't forget the WayBack Machine, streaming Dividing Lines from 1998 onward 24/7! You can listen on the Flash Player found here.
12:03:13 - Category: The Dividing Line - Link to this article -
Today on a MEGA 2 Hour Edition of the Dividing Line
01/10/2013 - James White
When you've been away for a while, topics add up! So, we went for a full two hours today. Started off with some shorter discussions of a recent Bart Ehrman insult tossed my direction (based upon lies by someone named M.L.), then visited the newly revived Caner Scandal as Ergun and Emir teamed up to appear on the John Ankerberg Show. Can't wait to watch these new episodes to compare them with the ones from 2003 and see how Ergun's story will have changed, despite, of course, his not having lied about anything at all! I did briefly note the withdrawal of Pastor Giglio from the Inauguration festivities as well. Then we spent the rest of the program reviewing William Lane Craig's comments relating to Islam and evangelism (taking one call on the meaning of "God is love" at the end). Here's the program.11:50:07 - Category: The Dividing Line - Link to this article -
On Monday's Radio Free Damascus
01/02/2013 - James White
Monday we snuck one last Dividing Line in, an episode of Radio Free Damascus, responding to the statements of Khalil Meek in his debate with Jay Smith. We will return to a fairly regular schedule for the DL next week. Here's the program.And don't forget the WayBack Machine, streaming Dividing Lines from 1998 onward 24/7! You can listen on the Flash Player found here.
06:09:59 - Category: The Dividing Line - Link to this article -
The Store Has Re-Opened
01/01/2013 - Rich Pierce
Well after six weeks of downtime we have finally opened the new version of our bookstore. It even has its own website now at store.aomin.org. Many thanks to all who have helped us to keep going during this time.For those of you who had accounts set up in the old cart, I was unable to transfer accounts from the old to the new so you will have to set your account back up in the new cart. Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience. Also, I have some tweaking to do today but soon I hope to post a series of blogs covering some features that the new cart software offers. I will be sure to include some screen shots in the process. In the meantime, log in and enjoy.
Blessings
10:52:47 - Category: Misc - Link to this article -
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