John Christy RSS Feed

The Freedom From Religion Foundation Is Wrong. Very Wrong.

John Christy — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 09:02:00 GMT

The irony in this whole situation is that while the FFRF claims its purpose is to protect the Constitution, they trample on the rights of the individual whom the Constitution exists to protect.

I have often been sympathetic to opposing beliefs in ... [read more]

The Christian Worldview

John Christy — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 09:22:02 GMT

Our understanding of justice and our demand for such a metaphysical law to be upheld with certainty and devotion is absurd in a universe where God does not exist. The condition of human nature is that we recognize this reality and ... [read more]

After Watching Your Movie, I Realized I’m an Atheist

John Christy — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 12:02:43 GMT

Our attempt to be popular in attracting people to our sanctuaries has left our message empty and uninteresting. We are guilty of allowing people to believe they are Christians without ever confronting the Cross.

Since the release of My Week ... [read more]

Does God Exist? - Three Positions Based on Theism, Atheism, and Agnosticism

John Christy — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 10:03:44 GMT

If God “exists even in the mind alone, cannot [God] be thought to exist also in reality?” - Anselm of Canterbury
Position 1: Theism
Theism is the belief in the existence of God ... [read more]

Is God in Control or Is There Free Will?

John Christy — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 10:25:21 GMT

God’s control over human free will is not in the forcing of willpower as much as it is in the allowance of limited human determination.
According to orthodox Christian doctrine, God is omniscient and omnipotent in equal portions. God’s omniscience is not ... [read more]

My Week in Atheism: New Must-See Film for Christians (Interview with John Christy)

John Christy — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 10:32:12 GMT
I recently was interviewed by Natasha Crain about the film My Week in Atheism.
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A new movie titled “My Week in Atheism” came out today – it’s a MUST SEE for Christians, and especially for Christian parents. I had the opportunity ... [read more]

Is Jesus Christ God?

John Christy — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 21:40:24 GMT
Hi John,
My friend told me that Jesus is not God but the firstborn child of God and that he is like our older brother. He used Colossians 1:15 to explain this. Can you help clarify why Jesus is called the "firstborn" ... [read more]

The Decline of European Christianity

John Christy — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 15:45:48 GMT

The experiment to create a harmonious secular society where God is not necessary and peace is dependent on human nature seems to be more of an ideal than a reality. If this experiment is to be tested it must prove that, ... [read more]

Thoughts on Skepticon: Why We Need To Define Terms

John Christy — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 10:35:51 GMT

Skepticon is the nation's largest FREE skeptic convention held annually in Springfield, MO (www.facebook.com/Skepticon). This year I was invited to be a part of the convention as a guest on Dogma Debate (www.dogmadebate.com) and was allowed to complete filming ... [read more]

Why Women Should Be Qualified As Pastors

John Christy — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 11:34:46 GMT

In the beginning God created man and woman in a partnership to work and rule over creation together as one unit (Gen. 1:27–29). As a result of their rebellion, sin caused a distortion in their relationship where women are treated as subservient creatures. God ... [read more]

Did Man Create God In His Image?

John Christy — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 20:35:36 GMT

“Man makes the forces of nature not simply in the image of men with whom he can associate as his equals…but he gives them the characteristics of the father, makes them into gods” - Sigmund Freud
In the beginning God created man. Which God ... [read more]

The Development of the New Testament Canon

John Christy — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 10:41:32 GMT

“The New Testament books did not become authoritative for the Church because they were formally included in a canonical list...the Church included them in her canon because she already regarded them as divinely inspired. ” - F.F. Bruce
The New Testament Canon is the ... [read more]

William Foxwell Albright: The Dean of Biblical Archaeology

John Christy — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 09:28:30 GMT

“It is hard to think about the early years of American biblical archaeology without coming up with the name William Foxwell Albright”
William Foxwell Albright has been credited as the founder of biblical archaeology. Among peers he is known as “the Dean of Palestinian ... [read more]

Have Archaeologists Found The Palace of David?

John Christy — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 09:45:10 GMT

King David is known as one of the most famous rulers ever to live. Under his monarchy, he unified Israel into a dominant nation and established its capital, known as the City of David, in Jerusalem. Or at least this is the story as ... [read more]

Is There Right and Wrong? How Do You Know God Exists?

John Christy — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:39:54 GMT
Hi John,
Is there a definitive right/wrong? I'm not so sure. You might say to me, "Murder is wrong." People who commit murder in the name of their God would disagree. You might say, "Rape is wrong." But was it considered so ... [read more]

Are We Really Sinners?

John Christy — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:34:24 GMT

Hi John,
Regarding the forgiveness of our sins, which is only through the blood of Jesus, as the way to heaven - this assumes that one acknowledges that one has to have their sins forgiven if one desires to go to heaven. What would you ... [read more]

How Can God Create Evil?

John Christy — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:48:38 GMT

“To men, some things are good and some are bad. But to God, all things are good and beautiful and just.”
– Heraclitus (c. 500 BC)
This is such a difficult concept to grasp. Many protest that an all-loving God would not allow ... [read more]

Garbage In, Garbage Out

John Christy — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 18:49:11 GMT
A common objection to belief in God will often reference the level of transgression in the world. In other words, if God really does exist why is there so much wrong in the world? The failure in this logic is that ... [read more]

My Week in Atheism

John Christy — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:28:57 GMT

Over the next several months I will be directing, producing, and editing a documentary movie title My Week in Atheism. This film will have some of the well-known names in atheism, who are my friends, as well as myself spending a week together in ... [read more]

Should the Bible Be Amended?

John Christy — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 12:01:02 GMT

“Both the Bible and the Constitution were well intentioned but they are basically inherently flawed…it’s time for an amendment to the Bible.” – Piers Morgan
This past Christmas Eve, in an interview with Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church (www.saddleback.com), Piers ... [read more]

You Must Give Now…or Now…or Now...

John Christy — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:43:30 GMT
I have a confession to make. I have an addiction to watching bad late night preaching, in fact the worse the better. If I see Charles Stanley or John MacArthur I’m changing the channel quick and running straight toward the Hour ... [read more]

Articles and Thoughts

John Christy — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 04:39:55 GMT

When I first began this site I really wasn’t sure where I would go with it. My idea was to write research articles on topics relating to my study and growth in Christianity but this is time consuming and time is something I struggle ... [read more]

Dear Believer…A Response

John Christy — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 14:16:33 GMT
If you haven’t seen the YouTube video Dear Believer Why Do You Believe, then you may want to watch it before reading this article. There have been well written responses to this video in blogs by Greg Reeves (Professor of Chemical Engineering at NC ... [read more]

The Problem of Evil

John Christy — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 08:39:01 GMT
One of the most common objections to the existence of God is the existence of evil. To put a finer point on the theme, the argument of evil is usually not just directed toward a supernatural deity but to the personal loving God of ... [read more]

Do Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence?

John Christy — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:45:15 GMT

“The weight of evidence for an extraordinary claim must be proportioned to its strangeness.” – Pierre-Simon Laplace (1749 – 1827)
Carl Sagan, the late astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, and author, popularized a version of Laplace’s quote during his 1980 Cosmos television program when ... [read more]

The Inspiration and Inerrancy of the Bible

John Christy — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:00:33 GMT
The belief that the Bible is the authoritative word of God is the substance of the Christian worldview. In declaring the authority of the Bible, the pronouncement is that all doctrinal, philosophical, and moral determinations are objectively developed, applied, and enforced by the true words ... [read more]

A Sin by Any Other Name

John Christy — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:05:11 GMT

“What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”
– William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

For the purposes of this article, allow me to appropriate this quote by Shakespeare in my own words; ... [read more]

Dogma Debate Radio: Love Your Neighbor

John Christy — Mon, 28 May 2012 09:30:06 GMT
Yesterday I was on the atheist talk show Dogma Debate Radio with David Smalley (www.dogmadebate.com). First, I’d like to thank David, Shayrah and Daniel for giving me the opportunity to be on the show as well as being great hosts. This ... [read more]

Why Does God Allow Good People to Suffer?

John Christy — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:56:30 GMT
This is a conundrum that has plagued many people for thousands of years. In short the answer is ‘balance’ but at the same time there really is no short answer to this. Unfortunately, there are many popular teachers and authors who ... [read more]

Burden of Proof: Does God Exist?

John Christy — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:21:27 GMT

Often the debate between the Theist and the Atheist revolves around proving whether or not God exists. The fact is that there is no irrefutable evidence to support either claim. In fact, Bertrand Russell the famed Philosopher, Mathematician and Atheist stated ... [read more]

Methods of Evangelism

John Christy — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:16:48 GMT

Part ONE - Evangelistic Method #1

The Romans Road is an intellectual evangelistic method of sharing the Gospel which uses a systematic approach in laying out the plan of salvation through Bible verses in the book of Romans. In this approach the ... [read more]

The Truth about Christmas and Easter

John Christy — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:52:53 GMT

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the ... [read more]

Love Wins [Part 4] – A Play with Two Parts

John Christy — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 15:57:06 GMT

In Professor John Goldingay’s class on Biblical Hermeneutics at Fuller Theological Seminary he introduces the Bible as a play with two parts. The first part of the play is the Old Testament and the second part is the New Testament. Between ... [read more]

That’s Just Your Interpretation

John Christy — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:46:26 GMT

“It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is”
– President Bill Clinton

The art of interpretation is an amazing thing. This ... [read more]

Love Wins [Part 3] – My Own Personal Hell

John Christy — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:39:52 GMT

This article deals with the parable known as ‘The Rich Man and Lazarus’ or ‘Abraham’s Bosom’. In the book Love Wins Rob Bell uses this parable to teach that hell is more a state of mind than an actual place and ... [read more]

The Heart of an Apologist

John Christy — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:48:23 GMT

I have an inquiring mind. I always have questions which when answered lead to more questions and I never accept things at face value. I often find myself as the “devil’s advocate” in discussions when I see a group in agreement. ... [read more]

Love Wins [Part 2] - Is Forever, Forever?

John Christy — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:49:48 GMT

Aion and Olam

aion – noun [age, aeon]
aionios – adjective [eternal]

'Aion' is a Greek noun translated as 'age'. It's adjective counterpart, 'aionios', is translated as 'eternal'. Aionios is commonly used to describe the age referred to as everlasting. Love Wins uses many passages, both in ... [read more]

Can The Gospels Be Trusted?

John Christy — Thu, 05 May 2011 16:54:59 GMT

Have you ever noticed how much the Gospels contradict each other?

How can you believe the Bible when the Gospels don't even agree?

Aren't the Gospels full of errors?

Some would argue that all four of the Gospels tell the same story but just ... [read more]

Love Wins...Really? [Part 1]

John Christy — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:57:08 GMT

I just finished reading the new book ‘Love Wins’ by Rob Bell. The book is subtitled ‘A book about heaven, hell and the fate of every person who ever lived’. With a subtitle like that it sounds like it will have ... [read more]

The Sign of Jonah

John Christy — Sun, 01 May 2011 16:58:16 GMT

Matthew chapter 12 begins with Jesus and his disciples walking through a field when the disciples picked some grains in the field and ate. The observing Pharisees challenged their obedience to the Sabbath law claiming they should not be working. Jesus' ... [read more]