Thinking to Believe

I continue my examination of non-miraculous explanations for the historical facts including the spiritual resurrection theory, deification theory, wish fulfillment theory, and more. Then, I argue that the resurrection hypothesis is the best explanation for the historical data. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

Now that we've established the historical facts, all that remains is to determine what best explains them. The explanation offered by Jesus' disciples was that Jesus was raised from the dead. Non-Christians, atheists, and anti-supernaturalists do not want to accept that explanation, so they have proposed a great number of alternative, non-miraculous explanations. I'll examine those alternative theories over the next two episodes. In this episode I examine the theft hypothesis, the switcheroo hypothesis, the apparent death theory, the hallucination theory, the wrong tomb theory, and the copycat of pagan mythology theory. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

I cover the four remaining historical facts that I'll argue are best explained by Jesus' resurrection from the dead:5. The conversion of James6. The conversion of Paul7. The changed behavior of the disciples8. The origin of the disciples' belief in the resurrectionWeb: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

Not only did the disciples discover Jesus' tomb to be empty, but Jesus also appeared in the flesh to various individuals and groups at different times and in different locations. I explore the reasons historians are convinced that the disciples had some sort of experience of Jesus after His death. I also harmonize all of the various resurrection appearances recorded in the gospels and 1 Corinthians, ordering them chronologically. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

I present six lines of evidence in favor of the historicity of the empty tomb, and explain why this historical fact is significant in the case for the resurrection of Jesus. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

I present the reasons that have convinced the vast majority of historians that Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea and why this historical fact is significant. I also address other matters related to Jesus' burial, including the location of Jesus' tomb, the rolling stone that covered the tomb, how long Jesus was in the tomb, and whether the guard at the tomb was Roman or Jewish. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

The first line of historical evidence for Jesus' resurrection is Jesus' death by crucifixion. In addition to providing the evidence that has convinced virtually all historians of this fact, I also explore the nature of crucifixion, how it killed its victims, the shape of the cross, the date of Jesus' crucifixion, and more. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

Some claim that there's no evidence that Jesus even existed, or that the evidence we have is less than compelling. Nothing could be further from the truth. I provide a number of reasons to think Jesus was a real historical person, including what is recorded about Him in early, non-Christian sources. Not only do non-Christians take it for granted that Jesus existed, but also provide information about Jesus and His followers that is corroborated in the New Testament. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

Even if it's true that Jesus rose from the dead, so what? It may be odd. It may be amazing. But why should it matter to me? What's the significance of Jesus' resurrection from the dead? I lay out nine reasons that Jesus' resurrection changed the world, and ought to change your life. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

I've started a new series on the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. In this first episode, I rehearse the various topics I'll cover in the series and talk about a historical approach to the resurrection of Jesus. Christianity is based on certain historical events, and and to the degree that those events can be verified or falsified, Christianity can be verified or falsified. NT historians examine the purported events of the NT using the same criteria historians of secular history do. This yields a number of historical facts about the life of Jesus that are best explained by His resurrection from the dead. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

In this final episode in my Political Theology series, I argue that our approach to voting ought to be to make a moral difference, not just a moral statement. As such, we should not vote for third parties or stay home on Election Day. I also make the case that Christians should still vote for Trump and the Republican Party despite the steps both have taken recently away from moral conservatism. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

God takes positions on moral issues. Political parties also take positions on moral issues. As such, God takes sides when it comes to politics. All political parties fail to represent God’s point of view on certain issues, but they don’t all fail equally. God is on the side of the party that will best fulfill His purpose for government: justice. That’s why our vote is morally significant. We must vote for the party that will best fulfill God’s purpose for government and avoid voting for those who will promote more evil. Right now, in the United States, the party that promotes the most amount of evil is the Democrat Party. If we care about what God cares about, we cannot vote for candidates from the Democrat Party. They are disqualified from holding office for many reasons, but the most important issue is their stance on abortion. Anyone who would use their political power to allow mothers to murder their own children should never be allowed to yield political power. If we wouldn’t vote for a party that promoted the legalization of slavery, we should not vote for a party that promotes the legalization of baby murder. God cares how we vote. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

It's common knowledge that "you can't (or shouldn't) legislate morality," but in reality, this is a common misunderstanding. Morality is all that you should legislate. The only question is whose morality will be legislated. It would be religious discrimination and anti-democratic to exclude the voices of Christians simply because they are religious. When we vote, our vote should be based on policy rather than personality, race, sex, etc. And since law is a moral enterprise on its face, who and what we vote for is morally significant. We should be voting in ways that best fulfill God's purpose for government (justice), and that means moral issues ought to take precedent over all other political issues. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

Does the First Amendment require a strict wall of separation between the government and the people? No. It was intended to prevent the federal government from establishing a national religion or disestablishing any state religion, and to prevent the federal government from interfering in the religious beliefs and expressions of individual citizens. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

Many have claimed that America was founded as a secular nation. Nothing could be further from the truth. Not only were our Founding Fathers deeply religious, but they expressed their religion publicly and their Christian religion deeply informed the principles on which this nation was built. Contrary to the claims of those who wish to rewrite American history, most Founding Fathers were orthodox or semi-orthodox Christians, not Deists, and certainly not secular atheists. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

Government was God's idea. It's an institution He created to promote justice in human societies. As such, good government requires the participation of the just. Even God is involved in government. He sets up kings and kingdoms, and brings them down. There is no wall between politics and religion. There is a relationship between the two, but we must understand what that relationship is if we hope to properly relate to our government. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

In this final episode of the series, I answer objections to the wisdom model of decision making and respond to verses that are commonly used in support of the Spirit-led model. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

In this episode, I apply the wisdom model of decision making to ministry and marriage, showing how Biblical principles and wisdom should guide us in our ministry and choosing a spouse. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

I provide a number of Biblical examples demonstrating that most decisions are to be made in light of wisdom, not divine revelation. Then, I provide some principles for decision making, talk about how to obtain wisdom, and offer some clarifications regarding the wisdom model. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

When God speaks, how does He speak? There are five Biblical characteristics of divine revelation: (1) It was rare; (2) It came to those who were not seeking it; (3) It was clear; (4) It was supernatural in nature; (5) It often went against the dictates of wisdom. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve