Category Archives: Apologetics

October 22, 2016

Jonah’s Nineveh and Modern-Day Mosul

By Clarke Morledge
In July, 2014, militants of the Islamic state blew up the Tomb of Jonah, a memorial site with significance for both Muslims and Christians, as it honored the famous Old Testament prophet, called to preach in the city of Nineveh, now part of modern-day Mosul, in northern Iraq.

In July, 2014, militants of the Islamic State blew up the Tomb of Jonah, a memorial site with significance for both Muslims and Christians, as it honored the famous Old Testament prophet, called to preach in the city of Nineveh, now part of modern-day Mosul, in northern Iraq.

Much of the attention surrounding the Book of Jonah focuses on the story of Jonah being swallowed for three days and three nights by a “whale.” There is a lot of confusion about this. For one thing, the actual Bible text calls it a “great fish,” and not a “whale” (Jonah 1:17). But in this post, I want to focus briefly on the city where Jonah was called to preach: Nineveh.

Nineveh was the capital of the ancient Assyrian empire. The Bible talks quite a bit about the threat that the dreaded Assyrians posed for the Israelites, a threat that was eventually realized by the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, in the 8th century before the birth of Christ. So, you only imagine the horror experienced by the prophet Jonah, first mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25, when he was called by God to urge the citizens of Nineveh to repent, and come to know the God of Israel.

Nineveh was the last place Jonah wanted to be.

The city of Nineveh is in the news quite a bit these days. Nineveh is part of the greater city of Mosul, in Iraq, where a coalition of military forces have been trying to force the Islamic State out of the city. Many skeptics may dismiss the story of Jonah as a “fairy tale,” but the story of what has happened in today’s Mosul is tragically real. For example, thousands of Christians have had to flee the city from the Islamic State, and surely, some remain, fearful for their lives. We should pray for them. Given what we know about Nineveh/Mosul today, I can relate a bit to Jonah’s desire not to go the Nineveh. I would not want to be there either! Continue reading

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October 15, 2016

Did An Army of 600,000 Israelites Conquer the Land of Canaan?

By Clarke Morledge
The traditional Sunday School image shows Joshua leading about 600,000 armed Israelites into the land of Canaan, across the river Jordan. But was that really the size of Joshua's army?

The traditional Sunday School image shows Joshua leading about 600,000 armed Israelites into the land of Canaan, across the river Jordan. But was that really the size of Joshua’s army?

When we read about the nation of Israel crossing the river Jordan to enter the Promised Land, in Joshua 4, something stands out, if you read very carefully. Joshua 4:13 tells us this:

About 40,000 ready for war passed over before the Lord for battle, to the plains of Jericho (ESV).

From this verse alone, you might think that there were a total of 40,000 soldiers in the army of Israel, set to conquer the land. The problem is that according to a census taken prior to the crossing of the river Jordan, of all of the Hebrew men of fighting age (Numbers 26:1-4), the census gave a total number of 601,730 (Numbers 26:51). A previous census taken near the beginning of the wilderness journey, just after the Exodus from Egypt, reveals about the same number, 603,550 (Numbers 1:45-46). The second census is different in that the first generation in the wilderness had perished, replaced by a new generation, leaving only Joshua and Caleb from the first generation still among them, but the numbers are in the same ballpark. Clearly there is a problem lining up the 40,000 armed men that crossed the Jordan with the some 600,000+ recorded in each census.

Nevertheless, the problem is more difficult than this: Assuming a 600,000+ army, this would give you a much larger population total, if you include women and children, at least around 2 million.

That is a lot of people.

In Deuteronomy 7:1-7, we read that God was sending the Israelites into a land to clear away seven different nations of people, each nation being larger than Israel herself. That means at least 14 million people were living in the Promised Land that Israel was to possess, in Canaan, which would be greater than the current population of the corresponding land in the Middle East now. Considering that Gaza alone is one of most densely populated places on earth, it is difficult to comprehend such large numbers of people in the ancient near east, particularly when the current archaeological data shows that the land of Canaan was far less populated then than it is now.

How do we try to resolve this difficulty?1
Continue reading

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October 7, 2016

Why American Evangelicals Are Confused About What the Bible Teaches

By Clarke Morledge

Plumb LineDespite having access to more and more knowledge, it is well-known that the average American’s knowledge of the Bible, and having confidence in that Bible, is at an all-time low. But did you know that American evangelicals are becoming more confused about what the Bible teaches?

A recent survey conducted by LifeWay Research and Ligonier Ministries identified a sample group of American evangelicals; that is,  those who believe the Bible to be their highest authority, that sharing one’s faith is very important, and that trusting in Jesus’ finished work on the cross is the only way to salvation. In asking a series of questions about what the Bible teaches, the survey revealed some rather disturbing results about what self-proclaimed evangelicals really believe. Here are some of the most alarming:

  • “People have the ability to turn to God on their own initiative” (82% of evangelicals surveyed agreed with this statement).
  • “Individuals must contribute to their own salvation” (74% of evangelicals agreed).
  • “Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God” (71% of evangelicals agreed).
  • “The Holy Spirit is a force, not a personal being” (57% of evangelicals agreed).

So, if this survey is to be accepted as accurate, it means that most “Bible-believing” Christians do not think salvation is something initiated and achieved solely by the grace of God. It also means that while “Bible-believing” Christians may profess to believe in the Trinity, they actually think about the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit pretty much the same way Jehovah’s Witnesses think.

The survey does attempt to tease out why American evangelicals are so poorly informed about basic Bible doctrine. A few statements/questions posed in the survey went like this:

  • “Worshiping alone or with one’s family is a way to replace church” (42% of evangelicals agree).
  • “There is little value in studying or reciting historical Christian creeds and confessions” (21% of evangelicals agree).
  • “The Bible was written for each person to interpret as he or she chooses” (36% of evangelicals agree).

This would indicate that about 4 out of 10 “Bible-believers” do not think that regular, weekly worship with a corporate body of believers is a priority, that 1 out of 5 “Bible-believers” do not think that the study of church history and doctrine is that important, and that 1 out of 3 “Bible-believers” think that the interpretation of the Bible is merely up their own choice.

This is not very good, folks.

It could be that the statements/questions were not well understood by the survey participants. But that could be part of the problem.

I know friends of mine who think that a good portion of American evangelicals know a lot about the Bible, but that they fail to apply it. I do not agree. If this survey serves as any indication, the reason why American evangelicals do not apply the Bible is because so many of them do not know what the Bible teaches. Furthermore, they do not know what the Bible teaches because participating in the life of a church where they are being taught these things is not a priority.

The Lifeway/Ligonier survey was also intended to survey American religious beliefs in general, and the results can be studied here.

 

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October 2, 2016

Andy Stanley Responds to His Critics

By Clarke Morledge
Megachurch pastor Andy Stanley. Promoter of Biblical truth... or compromiser?

Megachurch pastor Andy Stanley. Promoter of Biblical truth… or compromiser?

A few weeks ago, I highlighted a controversy involving Atlanta megachurch pastor Andy Stanley, over a sermon entitled “The Bible Told Me So.” The topic generated a lot of discussion among Veracity readers, in particular after a blog post by Southern Baptist leader Al Mohler, who severely criticizes Stanley’s method.

Pastor Stanley has responded to his critics, seeking to explain the method in his madness, with an essay entitled, “Why ‘The Bible Says So’ Is Not Enough Anymore.” I encourage you to read it, but here is the gist:

Andy Stanley ultimately lands, in making his appeal for his approach to preaching, on Acts 17. There, the Apostle Paul preaches to the citizens of Athens, but Paul does not bring up the Bible.

Stanley’s point? We live in a culture that no longer acknowledges the Bible as being authoritative. To reach a new generation, he has chosen a different method to try to reach the disaffected in our culture. Do not assume everyone you engage accepts the Bible as being without error, because in general, most people are suspicious of the Bible. But in doing what he is doing, Stanley himself still believes the Bible to be God’s Word.

Acts 17 is a very interesting passage to ultimately make a case on. Some celebrate this passage as an example “par excellence” of Paul contextualizing the message of the Gospel to an audience at his best, which is surely Stanley’s view. Others contend that Paul’s preaching in Acts 17 in Athens was a failed strategy, that resulted in very little substantial fruit, a mistaken strategy that Paul soon abandoned.

What do you think?

UPDATE 10/3/2016: Blogger Scot McKnight, of Jesus Creed, pens his response, affirming Andy Stanley contra Al Mohler.

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September 30, 2016

Why Many Americans Are Leaving Faith Behind

By Clarke Morledge
One out of four Americans now describe their religious affiliation as being "None." What is behind this shift in American spiritual demographics? (credit: PRRI, at http://prri.og)

One out of four Americans now describe their religious affiliation as being “None.” What is behind this shift in American spiritual demographics? (credit: PRRI, at http://prri.og)

I do not know about you, but most of the people I interact with on a day-to-day basis, live their lives as though faith in God does not matter. Sure, a number of them go to church, but what happens on Sunday makes little to no difference with what goes on the other six days a week. Now, a growing number of people I know have given up on the pretense about faith: they simply describe their faith, or “religious affiliation” as being “none.”

A recent survey conducted by PRRI.org, a Washington-based research group, observes that the number of those who consider themselves as being “religiously unaffiliated” has grown to its highest level in American history. Young people below the age of 18 are more likely to abandon their faith than others. But even more startling is the conclusion proposed by PRRI: most of these unaffiliated persons will probably never return back to their childhood faith.

Here are the primary reasons listed as to why these Americans are leaving their faith (some leave for multiple reasons):

  • Stopped believing in the religion’s teachings (60%)
  • Family was never that religious growing up (32%)
  • Negative religious teachings about or treatment of gay and lesbian people (29%)
  • The clergy sexual-abuse scandal (in the Catholic church) (19%)
  • Traumatic personal event in life (18%)
  • Church became too focused on politics (16%)

In particular, the survey notes that those who come from families that experience divorce are more likely to become disaffiliated from their faith than those from traditional family structures.

Read the survey here.

An earlier survey, published in August, 2016, by the Pew Research Center, makes similar observations.

Have you noticed this growing trend among your coworkers, neighbors, and family members?

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