Ai’s Apologetics Roundup: Art and the Church, Evaluating Different Religions, Ravi Zacharias, and more

Hi! This is David Anderson for Apologetics Index, with a new issue of Ai’s Apologetics Roundup — a compendium of blurbs and links to, for the most part, apologetics- and countercult related articles, news items and other research resources.

We hope that you can use this information and these resources in your personal ministry.

As noted at the bottom of this page the publishers of Apologetics Index do not necessarily agree with each and every source quoted or linked to. Use discernment.

Apologetics and the Church

Considering the Biblical command to engage in apologetics, isn’t it amazing — and sad — to see how few church actually teach and practice apologetics?

Want to change that? Here’s how:

How to get Apologetics In Your Church

Art and The Church

As an art lover I truly appreciated reading “Art For, From, and Facing the Church:”

“For Christians thinking and talking about the arts, there are three broad categories for conversation,” Mike Cosper — pastor of worship and arts at Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, Kentucky — writes:

• Art for the church
• Art from the church
• Art facing the church

Art for the church needs to be seen as first and foremost as the work of a servant. Creativity is never supposed to be the centerpiece of the gathered church. Instead, it’s a servant of the liturgy, a servant of the ministries of word and prayer.
[…]

Art from the church is the work of the artist in the surrounding world. Here, artists pursue their calling and maximize their gifting.
[…]

Art facing the church is the creative work that surrounds us, the cultural sea in which we all swim.
[…]

As I’ve grown up, I’ve come to see that there isn’t a speck of creation that escapes God’s fingerprint. Even in the dark corners of our culture, you can see that it all groans as in the pains of childbirth hungering for redemption. This is as evident in Mad Men as it is in conversation at the coffee shops I frequent. As Bob Dylan put it:

In the fury of the moment I can see the master’s hand
In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand.

When we know that this is our Father’s world, even the parts of it that rage against him do so as image bearers. A discerning eye can see anger boiling up from the God-shaped hole in their hearts. His handiwork shows up in the most unexpected places. When we learn how to look for it, the stories our culture tell through all kinds of media will unfold like a pop-up book, revealing more behind the façade.
[…more… ]
>cite>- Source: Mike Cosper, Art For, From, and Facing the Church

It looks like it the first of an upcoming series of posts on the topic.

Evaluating Different Religions

5 reasons to start your spiritual search with Christianity:

1. Christianity is testable
2. Salvation is free
3. The Christian worldview offers a perspective that fits the way the world really is
4. In Christianity you get to live a non-compartmentalized / holistic life
5. Christianity has Jesus at the center

Is a Glenn Beck a Christian?

Many Christians in America are enamored with Glenn Beck — and many of those Christians do not care that he is a Mormon, as long as his conservatism matches theirs and their agenda.

In fact, some Christians even believe the LDS Church when it says that Mormons are Christians, too. Matt Slick, of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, writes:

Glenn Beck is a very popular conservative who comments on political issues. He has a radio and television show that is heard and seen by millions. Lately, Glenn Beck has been talking about his faith, his Mormon faith. The question is whether or not as a Mormon, is he a Christian?

It would not be possible to ascertain if he is really a Christian outside of a direct interview with Glenn Beck where I asked him specific questions about his understanding of Christianity and Mormonism. However, we can look at what Mormonism teaches and compare it to the Bible. By so doing, we can conclude that if Glenn Beck affirms the official teaching of Mormonism, then he is not a Christian. This is because Mormonism not only denies essential doctrines of the Christian faith, it reinterprets the Christian faith into something entirely new and foreign to Scripture.

It may be a shock to many people, but just saying you “believe in Jesus” doesn’t make a person Christian.
[…more…]
– Source: Matt Slick, Is Glenn Beck a Christian?

Qur’an and the Bible

Muslims say the Bible has been corrupted. But I’ve argued in my book that although Muslims make this claim, the Qur’an does not. This turns out to be a handy fact when sharing your faith with Muslims.– Source: Alan Shlemon, Qur’an’s View of the Bible Can Support Your Efforts to Share Your Faith with Muslims

Dictionary of J.W.ese

If you are witnessing to Jehovah’s Witnesses, this online dictionary of JW words and expressions will come in handy.

The author, former JW elder David Reed, has posted additional resources at the AnswerJW.com website.

Atheists launch holiday ad campaign

Several non-theist organizations are launching holiday-themed advertising campaigns aimed at winning followers to their movements or at least blunting criticisms that nonbelievers can’t be good without God. ReligionLink has an extensive new source guide to help reporters cover this novel take on the traditional holiday story.

Prayer

Join Apologetics.com with special Guests; Doug TenNapel of www.TenNapel.com; Pastor Philip George of Calvary Presbyterian Church of Glendale California; and Pastor Kent Moorlach of Communion Presbyterian Church of Irvine California with Host Christopher Neiswonger, as we consider the power, the path, the meaning and the purpose of prayer. Some might say that talking about prayer is like talking about music; it’s better to simply hear the song, but the Bible and the Christian tradition have a lot to say about what we say to God and how we say it. We speak to each other; why not to God? Considering the most influential and enduring prayers from the Bible and history with an emphasis on the Bible’s own internal critique of ways and means.

Listen to the audio file:
The Power of Prayer: A User’s Guide

Apologetics Today

William Lane Craig, T.M. Moore and Ray Bohlin share their insights on the state of apologetics today, its continued usefullness and how Christians can be helping today.

Those who say that apologetics is not effective with unbelievers must be speaking out of their limited experience. When apologetics in persuasively presented and sensitively combined with a Gospel presentation and a personal testimony, the Spirit of God is pleased to use it to bring people to himself.
– William Lane Craig

Ravi Zacharias answers questions from a Muslim Student

See Ravi Zacharias International Ministries

About Ai’s Apologetics Roundup

Ai’s Apologetics Roundup is a compendium of blurbs and links to, for the most part, apologetics– and countercult related articles, news items and other research resources.

• Material posted above is excerpted. Read the full items at the links provided.
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– Collected and posted by David Anderson, Apologetics Index