Ask
Big Questions
and follow the TRUTH where it leads…
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Research from an atheist’s journey to becoming a Christian
Part One: What/Who Is God?
Author’s Note: You will see some resources in the following slides from Ravi Zacharias. I was heavily influenced by Ravi before his scandal, and still think he’s a great apologist despite his grave moral failures. I have chosen not to remove his videos that influenced me in my faith journey. Learn more about how scandal here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCka2ANeWAU
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Why does evil and suffering exist?
“The problem of evil is the question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God. There are currently differing definitions of these concepts. The best known presentation of the problem is attributed to the Greek philosopher Epicurus.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_of_evil
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Can God be good with the reality of evil?
Philosopher Epicuro wrestled with the potential coexistence of evil and suffering and one all-powerful, all-knowing, all good/loving God:
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Who is responsible for evil?
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Who is responsible for evil?
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Who is responsible for evil?
Human Pride?
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Who is responsible for evil?
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Why is it so hard to be good?
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Does our view on God matter?
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How do different religions & worldviews view God?
(Summary on next slide)
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Can all religions be right?
How can…
Short answer: If we believe in consistent, knowable truth that is above and beyond mankind then it’s illogical for the higher power to be contradictory. If we don’t believe in truth, then everything is random chance and it doesn’t matter anyways.
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What is a worldview? (Still true despite Ravi’s moral failures)
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Can we agree on anything about God?
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Extremism
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Atheism
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Christianity
Christian view of Evil: http://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/satan
The question that stops Christians in their tracks: https://youtu.be/DOoUDpqtq-k
Why is Christianity the one true worldview? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAfAP0lP-ws
Is God’s character consistent through the Old Testament and New Testament? https://youtu.be/1gonCEGKK-s
What does Christianity teach about government? https://biblereasons.com/government/
Religion vs. the Gospel: https://youtu.be/hAmxx5f00Xw
Lectures on the history Christianity in the west. http://www.bobthune.com/teaching-audio/church-history-lectures/
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Christianity
4 Biblical characteristics of God that CANNOT be contradicted by anything else in the Bible if Christianity is true:
Liberal churches avoid the Biblical topic of God’s anger and wrath, so we never got a full picture of the gospel growing up, which is why people walk away from the church. This episode illustrates the importance of understanding this concept and why Christ offers us so much hope: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morning-mindset-daily-christian-devotional/id1322666339#episodeGuid=5b2962dc-10d9-4ef0-b643-c8da70f8620
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Hinduism
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Islam
What does Islam teach about God?:
Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?
What does the Qur’an say about Jesus?
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Islam
Islam was spread by the sword and forcing people to convert. “Witnesses are said to have heard the attacker shout "Allahu Akbar", or "God is Greatest"” while beheading the teacher. The Muslim view of God is NOT compatible with the Christian view of God. Read more about the theological differences in Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus.
Islamic “Extremist” or “Fundamentalist” Groups:
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Materialism
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Moralistic Deism
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Mormonism
Are Mormons Christians?
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Selfism
Hitler viewed himself as God. Reinhard Heydrich, a German false prophet said in the 1930’s “Just you wait. You’ll see the day, 10 years from now, when Adolf Hitler will occupy precisely the same position in Germany that Jesus Christ has now.” It is dangerous to place too much hope and trust in mankind.
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How does God interact with mankind?
General and special revelation: https://www.fbcva.org/general-vs-special-revelation
Personal experiences/direct interaction/relationships with others: Dave Wood and French Atheist Testimonies
Prayer: https://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/february2012p3.htm
Prophets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTv5KEcyGQw
Nabeel Qureshi, former Muslim, Christian apologist. Author of Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7LXcYzF12Q
Dreams/Visions: Reference Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, Daniel, Joseph, among others.
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Who has claimed to be God?
Many individuals and groups throughout history have claimed divinity, or were elevated to divine status by others. The list includes: Alexander the Great, Aldolf Hitler, Jim Jones, Mother Theresa, Joseph Kony, George Washington, Buddah, Homer, Pharoahs, Mother Mary, Jesus, etc. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_have_been_considered_deities
Jesus is the only human who claimed to be God who maintains legitimacy. So who is Jesus?
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Part Two: Who Is Jesus?
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Can we know who Jesus really is? If so how?
Jesus was a real historical figure as much as was Genghis Khan, Abe Lincoln, Adolf Hitler, or Alexander the Great.
Jesus made some bold claims that have been recorded in various texts, secular and religious, and was executed for those claims at the hands of Pontius Pilate of Rome by demand of the Jewish religious leaders.
Credible secular, Christian, Muslim, and Jewish scholars all conclude that Jesus’ crucifixion under Pontious Pilate was one of the most certain events in world history.
So who really was the historical and literal Jesus who walked this earth? Was he a legend, coerced, mistaken, poet, joker, mentally ill, or Lord?
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Is the Bible the only historical source about Jesus?
There are many historical sources that corroborate the Bible’s basic storyline about Jesus’s life, death, and the explosion/persecution of early Christians that followed.
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What does Archeology say about the Bible?
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What does Archeology say about the Bible?
https://biblearchaeologyreport.com/2019/02/15/the-earliest-new-testament-manuscripts/
Again from a secular source “This manuscript (P52) has generally been dated to ca. A.D. 125. This fact alone proved that the original Gospel of John was written earlier, viz. in the first century A.D., as had always been upheld by conservative scholars.” https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/scriptorium/papyrus/texts/manuscripts.html
Ancient manuscript of the Gospel of Luke and John, already compiled together, since this is a page showing the last verses and the first verses of John. AD 200!
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What do we know about the Bible?
Based off historical accounts and confirmed by archeology, the New Testament gospels were written by eyewitnesses during the first century AD. Date proximity to Christ is critical for trustworthiness because proximity does not allow legends to develop or accounts to be altered, as actual witnesses were still alive to refute false/altered accounts.
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Why should we believe anything in the Bible?
What do we know about the Bible?
What is defined as Scripture? How did the Biblical Canon come into existence?
Gary Habermas is the renowned expert on all things bible-related. If in doubt, look up his work:
Are the Old and New Testament consistent? Parallels between Old and New Testament:
Why are there more Old Testament books in the Catholic Bible?
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How should we read and interpret the Bible?
The Bible is a collaboration of hundreds of authors over thousands of years, all proclaiming one central, unified message about God’s character.
The danger of viewing the Bible as errant or simply a book of guidelines/principals is that we become tempted to pick and choose from it what we believe therefore playing god ourselves.
Page from Bonhoeffer about how the Nazis basically weaponized the Bible to fit their political agenda:
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Can we know who Jesus really is? If so how?
Read more:
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi
The Case for Christ (book and movie)
Letters to a Skeptic by Edward and Greg Boyd
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Can we know who Jesus really is? If so how?
Read more:
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi
The Case for Christ (book and movie)
Letters to a Skeptic by Edward and Greg Boyd
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Was Jesus Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?
A) Did Jesus really claim to be God?
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Was Jesus Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?
B) Did Jesus speak freely?
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Was Jesus Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?
C) Was Jesus fully informed?
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Was Jesus Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?
D) Did Jesus really believe what he was saying?
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Was Jesus Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?
E) Was Jesus using humor?
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Was Jesus Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?
F) Was Jesus using a metaphor?
Jesus often did speak in parables to make a point to His followers, but does that mean his life was a metaphor? Does one die for a metaphor?
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Was Jesus Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?
G) Was Jesus mentally sound?
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Was Jesus Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?
H) Did Jesus suffer from occasional delusions?
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Was Jesus Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?
I) Is who Jesus claimed to be the most likely interpretation of the facts?
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What can we conclude about Jesus’ life?
If we can conclude that we have an ability to accurately understand Jesus’s life from our modern perspective, we can address some big questions about Him. Our beliefs must come from historical accounts of those who witnessed Jesus’ life.
We must pick Liar, Lunaric, or Lord. Notice that “good teacher” is not an option for Jesus because if He really claims to be God then he is elevated to a whole nother category - Liar, Lunaric, or Lord.
How do we interpret the Bible in light of everything we’ve explored? Every individual must decide for themselves (Joshua 24:15). Choose wisely!
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How do you ask Jesus into your heart?
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What is lukewarm Christianity?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjmTm_2ItcE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_GDUZKuSOw
Revelation 3:16
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How would we know if someone claiming to be the Messiah in modern times is in the line of David?
Some Jews reject Jesus as Messiah and are still waiting for a Messiah. So how would they know if someone claiming to be Messiah is in the line of David? Short answer from a Jewish Rabbi: we have no idea: https://aish.com/davidic-line-today/
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Part Three: Other Faith-Related Questions
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What does the Bible say about judgment?
https://www.orthodoxytoday.org/blog/2017/12/thou-shall-not-judge-the-misunderstood-11th-commandment/
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What is a healthy Fear of God?
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Is Paul a trusted source on Jesus?
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What does BC and AD mean and why do we live in AD times on our calendar?
Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/BC-AD.html
“It is commonly thought that B.C. stands for “before Christ” and A.D. stands for “after death.” This is only half correct. How could the year 1 B.C. have been “before Christ” and A.D. 1 been “after death”? B.C. does stand for “before Christ.” A.D. actually stands for the Latin phrase anno domini, which means “in the year of our Lord.” The B.C./A.D. dating system is not taught in the Bible. It actually was not fully implemented and accepted until several centuries after Jesus’ death. It is interesting to note that the purpose of the B.C./A.D. dating system was to make the birth of Jesus Christ the dividing point of world history. However, when the B.C./A.D. system was being calculated, they actually made a mistake in pinpointing the year of Jesus’ birth. Scholars later discovered that Jesus was actually born around 6—4 B.C., not A.D. 1. That is not the crucial issue. The birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ are the “turning points” in world history. It is fitting, therefore, that Jesus Christ is the separation of “old” and “new.” B.C. was “before Christ,” and since His birth, we have been living “in the year of our Lord.” Viewing our era as “the year of our Lord” is appropriate. Philippians 2:10–11 says, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” In recent times, there has been a push to replace the B.C. and A.D. labels with B.C.E and C.E., meaning “before common era” and “common era,” respectively. The change is simply one of semantics—that is, AD 100 is the same as 100 CE; all that changes is the label. The advocates of the switch from BC/AD to BCE/CE say that the newer designations are better in that they are devoid of religious connotation and thus prevent offending other cultures and religions who may not see Jesus as “Lord.” The irony, of course, is that what distinguishes B.C.E from C.E. is still the life and times of Jesus Christ.”
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How have denominations within the Christian church developed?
Is Catholicism derivative of true Christianity? https://youtu.be/CisY1QTgEis
Subsidiaryity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NiRA6DL_CM
Background on Luther’s 95 theses: https://youtu.be/1o8oIELbNxE
Lurher’s 95 Theses. The Split between the Catholic and Protestant Church: https://www.luther.de/en/95thesen.html
John Piper on the 5 Solas: https://youtu.be/TBe1x7z7EvA
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How have Christian denominations developed?
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How to choose a church?
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What does the Bible say about mental health, anxiety, and depression?
Read Job 1 then reference the picture below. How did Job respond? How would you respond? What can we learn?
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How do we remain obedient in suffering?
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How does the Bible view corruption?
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How does the Bible view gender?
https://www.desiringgod.org/topics/manhood-and-womanhood#
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/the-world-needs-women-ministers
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What does the Bible say about abortion?
Focus on Family interview with doc that performed over 1000 abortions: https://www.focusonthefamily.com/episodes/broadcast/a-former-abortionists-journey-to-becoming-pro-life-part-1-of-2/
Non-Christian views on abortion: View One Child Nation documentary: https://youtu.be/gMcJVoLwyD0
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What are the impacts of birth control?
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Christian view of homosexuality?
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What does the Bible say about fasting?
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How does Christianity view generational sin?
Eastern cultures have historically and currently teach a doctrine that sin is passed down generationally. This belief manifests in widespread guilt, shame, and fear. Read Ezekiel 18 to see how Christianity views this topic differently https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_views_on_sin
Deuteronomy 5:9-10 “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
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Are there questions Christianity can’t answer?
“Unanswered Christian Questions” by David G Mcaffee, author of Mom Dad I’m an Atheist, “Hi I’m an Atheist” “Atheist Answers” “Disproving Christianity”
(My best answers below)
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Are there questions Christianity can’t answer?
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What evidence exists for your deity that doesn’t exist for any others?
Why would a perfect diety’s divinely inspired work not be perfect and transcendent?
What separates your faith from the faith of those who follow another religion
Are there questions Christianity can’t answer?
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Religion is largely determined by culture and geography. Why would your God choose only to save those who live in certain areas?
Can you accurately and completely define the following? God, Soul, Faith, Spirit.
Who or what created God?
Would you kill your only son if God asked you?
What does the Ravi Zacharias scandal, or other church scandals reveal about Christianity?
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Why is identity so important?
“Identity Behavior Theory (IBT) is a strengths-based action model of behavior concerned with the role that identity plays in the prediction of behavioral enaction, the process whereby individuals shape their experiences through planning and successful action.” https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.679490/full
https://jamesclear.com/identity-based-habits
https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/how-to-find-your-true-identity-in-christ.html?amp=1
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What is Critical Race Theory?
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What is Critical Race Theory?
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Socialism vs. communism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUGkKKAogDs
Cancel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_A4sSCopgE
https://gentlereformation.com/2020/06/18/marxism-postmodernism-and-critical-race-theory/
Critical Theory and Critical Race Theory from a biblical perspective “[Critical Theory] makes an intentional effort to confuse people in order to confuse our social concepts.” https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-minute-bible-talks-devotional-bible-study/id1477778533?i=1000498320011
Robin Diangelo, Critical Race Theory proponent and author of White Fragility https://youtu.be/wjHg65JORi8 https://youtu.be/6O27_yBQ8Qc
Is censorship a threat to free speech?
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Is Jordan Peterson a Christian? How should Christians view his work?
“12 Rules for Life” Peterson takes bits and pieces of Christianity and secularizes them. He ends up promoting a system of self-glorification and self-sanctification. As noted in the conclusion of his paragraph “Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.”
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Is Jordan Peterson a Christian? How should Christians view his work?
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What’s the difference between Character and Personality?
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