backpackapologetics.com

Dawkins and Krauss Video on Something From Nothing

2012-02-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

I saw this live at ASU with Jeff Durbin - see for yourself:

I remind everyone to watch for the audience booing a Christian who asks a questions during the Q&A period.
I posted about that here. An atheist friend of mine also commented on the booing part and here is what he said:

"I heard about that. When we're young, non-believers we are very reactive to religious messages. Hopefully, we grow out of it over time. And hopefully the individuals who stood up to share their not-welcomed message don't take it too personally."

I also interviewed Dr. Hugh Ross about the new Krauss book (the topic of discussion) right here:
http://vocabmalone.blogspot.com/2012/02/hugh-ross-on-universe-from-nothing.html

Hugh Ross on a Universe from Nothing [BACKPACK RADIO]

2012-02-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hugh Ross on a Universe from Nothing [02/05/2012]

Hugh Ross of Reasons to Believe joins us to discuss the new Lawrence Krauss book A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather than Nothing. Dr. Krauss is a theoretical physicist at Arizona State. Dr. Ross helps us see the good, the bad, and the silly about Krauss, his book, and the theories he is promoting.

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How to Know the Will of God [Backpack Radio]

2012-02-11T19:55:00.001-07:00

How to Know the Will of God [01/29/2012]

BPR on the will of God. Here is a radio program where some we get together to talk about these important things. A very practical show.

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Islam and the Trinity

2012-02-10T18:03:00.002-07:00

Islam and the Trinity
Written by Sanjay Merchant (primary author) and Vocab Malone (editing)

When talking to Muslims it is good to explain a sort of dilemma for unitarian views of God - including Islam. It can be stated in a number of ways.

According to both Islam and Christianity, the creator of the world is both perfectly loving and perfectly free. In order to be perfectly loving, a being must have an object of love; otherwise, he is only potentially perfectly loving. He might express perfect love, if there were someone else to love; but, without another, he cannot actually love perfectly, since there would be no one to love. So, in order to be perfectly loving (which he is supposed to be by nature), Allah must create objects of love; namely, humans.

However, Allah is also supposed to be perfectly free. This is to say, a Muslim would regard the following statement as true: "Allah could have refrained from creating anything at all." Naturally, a Muslim would want to affirm this. Nothing could force Allah's hand. Except, that we've already pointed out that, in order to realize his nature as perfectly loving, he must create objects of love.

So, Allah is either perfectly loving or free, but he can't be both. Since, however, Islam emphatically affirms both, it contains a contradiction. But, no contradictory concept can be realized; so Allah cannot exist.

This dilemma does not apply to Christian theism since Christianity is trinitarian. God, as triune, is perfectly loving--sharing an eternal loving communion among divine persons--but also free. The Christian can affirm,"God could have refrained from creating anything at all" without fear of contradiction.

This point is dead on but whenever I have used it with Muslims - bright ones at that - they often hand-wave: "BLAH - we don't have time for philosophy - philosophers just babble nonsense. Allah is one and not three gods like you Christians have." One of these guys was darn near an Islamic holy man and the other a smart ASU student.

The dilemma can probably be stated in a way that doesn't come off like philosophy. It is very ironic for a Muslim to insist that they have no time for philosophy. It demonstrates a huge degree of historical ignorance and shows how far Islam thought has fallen. One time I even mentioned that to a guy. I spoke of the Islamic re-discovery of Greek writings and told him about Al-Kindi's Kalam Cosmological Argument. He could care less.

I have used with JW's as well and they were a bit more receptive. They said things like "let me think about that" or "that's an interesting point" or "I'm not sure i really understand".

With both groups, I re-explain it slower and w/more illustrations (hand motions, etc.). They often don't have ears to hear ... the argument is sublime yet obvious. Still, I will continue to use it because it is TRUE!

All of Vocab Malone's iTunes Links

2012-02-09T15:28:00.047-07:00

For your convenience, here are all the places you can find me on iTunes ...

CHRISTIAN HIP HOP ALBUMS
DJ Cre One Presents:
The Columbus Connection Mixtape
w/Vocab Malone & Smoove TRG (2010)

Vocab Malone & DJ Cre One
Active Listening (2008)

Vocab Malone
Happy Hardcore (2005)

Vocab Malone
Notepad Nomad version 2 (2004)

Vocab Malone
The Notepad Nomad version 1 (2003)

GUEST APPEARANCES
w/King MC on
"In the Air"
w/Tommyboy on
"You Don't Hear Me" and "Ridaz"

APOLOGETIC PODCASTS and AUDIO BOOKS

Backpack Radio street level apologetics
Is Christianity True? ("The Gospels Tell Me So")
How to Get Apologetics in Your Church ("Apologetic Preaching")
ApostAZ Podcast (Episode #09 on 09/23/08)
w/Omri Miles in a debate against the hosts, who are atheists.

SERMONS

Roosevelt Community Church (search John-Mark Rieser)
Mountain Vista Bible (one sermon titled "Go!" on Matthew 28:18-20)

Adoption Event this Saturday

2012-02-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

Wait No More
Finding Families for Arizona's Waiting Kids
Saturday February 11, 2012
1pm-5pm
Scottsdale Bible Church

Learn about our young neighbors in Arizona who are kids waiting. Plus, hear about the process of adoption from foster care and ways to support adoptive families. Agency and county representatives will be on site to answer questions and help you get started!

Arizona Wait No More Promo Video from Focus on the Family on Vimeo.

Promotional video for the Arizona Wait No More event in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 11, 2012 at Scottsdale Bible Church

Check out the site and register below:
http://www.icareaboutorphans.org/Arizona.aspx?gclid=COqL8K6qj64CFQ8yhwodP0Yagw

Dawkins, Krauss, and a Crowd Who Boos Christians

2012-02-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

Dawkins, Krauss, and a Crowd Who Boos Christians

Richard Dawkins visited Tempe last week and spoke with Lawrence Krauss at ASU. Jeff Durbin and I were in attendance. After the main discussion there was a Q&A. The first person was a Christian who quoted a Bible verse and was booed. Here is one of my atheist friends reaction:

After reading comments of friends that attended the conference, as well as talking to a few, my impression is that it was much about nothing. I particularly didn't like the instance where a theist made some comments and maybe asked a question, but ended by quoting a bible verse and got booed by the audience - very tolerant and free thinking of them.

But as the saying goes, there are two sides to every story. Below is a blog entry another local atheist (Dylan Walker aka Skeptimus Prime) who was in attendance. I encourage you to read his take on it and tell him what you think at his blog post titled "An evening with Dawkins, Krauss, and a Christian who thought he could convert us with a bible verse". His post was accompanied by an odd cartoon, which I have reproduced on the right side here ... here is most of the article below ...

"An evening with Dawkins, Krauss, and a Christian who thought he could convert us with a bible verse"
by Dylan Walker (Skeptimus Prime)
Posted on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2012 at 11:00 AM

The first person to ask a question turned out to be a Christian, I gather that he was a fundamentalist but that was not entirely made clear by what he said.

In any case, this Christian started out by giving us a litany of his degrees in religion, which well all patiently listened too and then he proceeded to speak for well over a minute without asking a question, then he ended with an attempt to evangelize in the form of a thinly veiled question about proving god's non existence.

Up to this point Dawkins and Krauss as well as the crowd had been polite, then the Christian decided to up the ante by reading a bible verse. I don't know which verse it was, beyond it coming from Hebrews because once he started he was quickly drowned out by the crowed booing him. He also tried to interrupt Krauss at one point in the exchange while Kraus was answering the question he tried to add an addendum on to it and Krauss shut him down by explaining that the great thing about being on stage was when he is talking the audience has to listen.

The interesting thing to me about this exchange is that afterwards I could distinctly imagine this Christian going back to his fellow believers and talking to them about how he stood up to the evil atheists in the face of our persecution of him for his religion. I can see him talking about how we wouldn't let him read a bible verse due to the fear of it touching our heart magically somehow. I can also see his Christian friends agreeing with him without the slightest sense that maybe our problem was not that he was a Christian but that he behaved badly.

Of course none of this may have happened afterwards, but I can see it happening precisely because I spent years as a fundamentalist Christian and saw this same scenario play out many times. Often it seems that the Christians need to decimate their view takes precedent over couth social behavior. In this particular instance this was meant to be a chance to ask Dawkins or Krauss questions, but the Christian used that opportunity to essentially preach a small sermon at us and only barely disguise it as a question. The booing started when we realized this was what he was doing.

I can't speak for every atheist there, of course, but I was not afraid of the bible or anything he might say. I've read Hebrews and indeed the entire bible, and found it insulting to suggest that a simple quotation from the bible would make me or anyone else there question our thoughts on the matter.

So, to the nameless Christian who stood up and asked that question, we weren't objecting to you being a Christian, we weren't objecting you asking a question, we were objecting to you being a jackass.

What is your reaction?

PS - Backpack Radio interviewed Hugh Ross on the premise of the new Krauss book. The program can be found right here

Reaching Muslims on the Radio [audio]

2012-02-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

Tom Brown interviewed me late last year on his Koinonia radio program. It was in regards to local outreaches involving Muslims here in Phoenix. Brief but good!Download it here ...

Redemption Radio: "The Issue of Life"

2012-02-05T16:29:00.000-07:00

This is the second show on what the Bible teaches about human beings in the womb and answering common pro-abortion arguments. Hosted by Jeff Durbin with Vocab Malone (me) and Luke Pierson (Apologia Church).

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Vocab Videos From the AZ Rage Fest (7/7)

2012-02-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Vocab Videos From the AZ Rage Fest (6/7)

2012-02-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

Abortion-What is True? [audio]

2012-02-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

Redemption Radio • January 27th, 2012

Listen as Luke Pierson, Jeff Durbin and I discuss abortion. This informative show answers some arguments from abortion advocates and gives Christians insight on popular attacks on the unborn.

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Vocab Videos From the AZ Rage Fest (5/7)

2012-02-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

THINKING BIBLICALLY ABOUT THE SANCTITY OF LIFE Sermon (Audio, Video, Notes)

2012-01-31T09:39:00.000-07:00

On Jan. 29, 2012 I preached a sermon at Apologia Church in Tempe, AZ.
I used Psalm 139:1-18 as the starting verse to speak on how to think THINKING BIBLICALLY ABOUT THE SANCTITY OF LIFE.

Listen to the audio of the sermon here or download it here

Watch the video of the sermon here or download it here

Here are the sermon notes ...
THINKING BIBLICALLY ABOUT THE SANCTITY OF LIFE: 10 POINTS

1. GOD MADE US
2. WE ARE MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE
3. GOD TAKES MURDER VERY SERIOUSLY
4. CHILDREN ARE A BLESSING FROM GOD
5. THE UNBORN ARE PERSONS
6. THE UNBORN ARE OUR NIEGHBORS
7. GOD’S PEOPLE ARE TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT
8. WE SHOULD BE INVOLVED
9. THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH!
10. JESUS CHRIST DIED TO SAVE SINNERS

1. GOD MADE US (Life is sacred to God)
Psalm 139:13–16 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

-David speaks as if God had some sort of personal relationship with him when he was still in his mother’s womb. the unborn are known intimately and called out by God.

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

Isaiah 44:2 Thus says the LORD who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen.

Job 10:8–12 Your hands fashioned and made me, and now you have destroyed me altogether. 9 Remember that you have made me like clay; and will you return me to the dust? 10 Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? 11 You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. 12 You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit.

2. WE ARE MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 9:6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”

Genesis 25:22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.

3. GOD TAKES MURDER VERY SERIOUSLY
Exodus 20:13 “You shall not murder.”
human life is holy, first because it is God’s gift

Proverbs 6:16–19 There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

Jeremiah 22:17 But you [Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah] have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.”

anyone who harms the unborn receives the same punishment for harm done to an adult. Elsewhere (see Ex. 21:22–23), equal punishment is given for harm done to a woman or to the child she carries. God looks upon the unborn as fully human. And the willful taking of an innocent human life is murder.

4. CHILDREN ARE A BLESSING FROM GOD
Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Hosea 9:14 Give them, O LORD— what will you give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

Exodus 23:26 None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.

5. THE UNBORN ARE PERSONS
Luke 1:41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit … 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

Matthew 1:20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

the unborn are said to possess personal characteristics—sin, as in Psalm 51:5; or joy.

Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
-David uses personal pronouns here

6. THE UNBORN ARE OUR NIEGHBORS
Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Matthew 22:37–40 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 19:19 “Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

7. GOD’S PEOPLE ARE TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT
Proverbs 24:11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

Psalm 82:3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

8. WE SHOULD BE INVOLVED
James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Ephesians 5:6–16 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

9. THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH!
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Philippians 2:5–11 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

10. JESUS CHRIST DIED TO SAVE SINNERS
1 Corinthians 6:9–11 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Vocab Videos From the AZ Rage Fest (4/7)

2012-01-30T14:02:00.000-07:00

Vocab Videos From the AZ Rage Fest (3/7)

2012-01-29T08:00:00.002-07:00

Vocab Videos From the AZ Rage Fest (2/7)

2012-01-28T02:00:00.001-07:00

Vocab Videos From the AZ Rage Fest (1/7)

2012-01-27T01:55:00.000-07:00

Intro to Gospel-Centered Counseling for Non-Christian Women Considering Abortion

2012-01-26T15:52:00.000-07:00

The problems in these cases are at least two-fold:

1. The mother is under the wrath of God
2. A person is about to be murdered

A gospel-centered approach to a non-Christian woman considering abortion tries to keep both problems in mind and deal with them both. The goals are therefore two-fold as well:

1. Present the gospel of Jesus Christ to the mother
2. Prevent the person from getting murdered

One way to begin is by making sure the mother is aware of her options. These include:

1. Parenting
2. Short-term foster care
3. Adoption
4. Abortion (included because she is considering this as an option not because it is a good option).

OPTIONS
1. Parenting

Here the Christian counselor focuses on the fact that children are a gift from God (Psalm 127:3) and that being a parent is a wonderful privilege and opportunity (Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 31:28). This is true even if the pregnancy is unexpected or is a result of sin. Here is a wonderful place for the Christian counselor to speak of God’s role as Creator, Father, and Protector. God created us all to give Him glory and have a relationship with Him. Just as He designed Adam and Eve for this purpose, God brings each life into this world for that purpose. A parent enables this purpose to become a possible reality, whereas an abortion cuts short God’s whole design in giving life.

Furthermore, God is our Heavenly Father who provides for us with all good things: life, breath, health, and food. A mother or father is supposed to imitate this role by giving their child life and then doing everything necessary to provide for them (this can include adoption). God is also our Protector – of the Christian especially so (Psalm 36:7-8). God is described in Scripture as our Shield, our Fortress, our Tower, our Refuge, our Strength, and as a Warrior on our behalf (Psalm 18:2). He is even described as a hen or as a nursing mother. In short, He protects. We are to imitate this role by protecting those God has entrusted to us. The womb is designed to provide and protect for a baby. It nourishes them and provides everything the young one needs. It is a perfect safe haven for those who are vulnerable and helpless – just as Jesus is to those who are His (Matthew 11:28-30). An abortion perverts the purpose of the womb by allowing a foreign invader inside; this invader seeks to bring death and destroy. Yet we know that Jesus has come to give life and life abundantly (John 10:10).

Bringing a baby to full term in the womb and allowing the baby to live is in harmony with God and God’s design for humanity. A completed pregnancy can end in the birth mother parenting or another party to become the parent(s); either way the mother’s womb is acting as a symbolic picture of God as Creator, Father, and Protector. This is fitting, for both man and woman are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27).

2. Short-term foster care

All of the same points apply from number one. The important thing is to help the mother determine if this is an option. For example, there may be a family member who is willing to parent the child until the mother finishes high school or gets a job. The mother may be able to connect with an agency that makes short-term foster care for the newborn baby an option. There are many ways to go about this but the important thing is to see if this is a possibility. Sometimes mothers never consider it but a wise Christian counselor can help them realize this may be a possibility.

It is also a good idea for the Christian counselor to make known to the mother any good foster parents they know. If the Christian counselor knows of a Christian foster parent (of any kind, as in do not exclude grandparents who have parented for their grandchildren, etc.), this is a wonderful time to use a testimony to share the gospel. If the foster parent has a strong Christian worldview which plays out in their day to day life, then those kinds of things are excellent to point out.

The gospel-centered Christian counselor will look for ways to do this that do not merely exalt the foster parent’s positive character but rather highlight the grace of God on display in the life of the foster parent. The counselor will work to bring forth concrete examples of events and decisions in the foster parent’s life in which the gospel can be spotlighted. This may take hard work to synthesize in a clear way but it is worth it because this method results in giving a clear witness to the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ in the lives of his followers.

3. Adoption

Many of the main points from numbers one and two still apply here. The difference, of course, is that even though the mother is still carrying the baby to term and therefore choosing life for the baby, the mother will not be engaging in the parenting process. The mother must know that this option is honorable. They must see that adoption, which allows for life to continue, is infinitely superior to an abortion, which prematurely cuts life off. If the Christian counselor knows either an adoptive parent or a child who was adopted, it can be a good idea to mention this to the mother considering abortion. The idea is to give a real face to adoption. The mother may have heard horror stories about adoption or may be misinformed about it. A real-life example can help the mother realize that adoption is a legitimate and beautiful option.

Adoption also has the advantage of being a perfect picture of salvation. Adoption is where God takes those who were formerly not His own and makes them His own. God brings sinners into His family through His Son – and through no other way. He takes people from a diverse range of groups – from every nation, tribe, and tongue and combines them into a new humanity – the people of God. This group of people are brought into God’s family through grace alone and faith alone but not because they deserved it or were anything special. When these people are made his children, all previous debts and identities are wiped away. Now they are a new creation in Christ – completely new, re-born (2 Corinthians 5:17). They have a new identity and new rights as sons and daughters of the Most High God. The mother must see that this is so radical because previously these folks were all sinners who were justly condemned for their rebellion against the King.

Here is where the gospel-centered counselor remains focused on the fact that the mother before them is a sinner in need of repentance. In fact, the unregenerate person is described in Scripture as a child of wrath, a son of disobedience, an enemy of God, a slave to sin, and even the offspring of the Devil (Ephesians 2:2-3; John 8:44). Adoption is the complete reversal – and then some – of that status. This may be difficult to properly get across (depending on the time frame or how many “sessions” you have with the mother) but the key is this: the mother must see that physical adoption is a fantastic picture of spiritual adoption.

It is good to point out that spiritual adoption is eternal and hence, even more grand than physical adoption. This is yet another place where the gospel-based counselor is looking for ways in this tough situation to explain the gospel. Even though everyone tends to think of the baby needs to be adopted (which may be true), the unsaved mother needs to be adopted as well.

Practical Applications

As you speak about the option of parenting, make sure the mother knows your church will help. Talk about the mentoring relationships with more experienced parents that the church can provide or the resources she can have access to through the church. These things work better if the mother becomes a Christian, of course, but since saving the baby’s life is so important, the local church should be willing to find ways to help a mother who does not abort once the baby is born. This may even be a good place to talk about your church’s children’s church program and how it seeks to explain life-changing gospel principles to children in a way they can understand.

As you speak about short-term fostering or adopting, make sure the mother knows your church will help. Talk about the church connecting the mother to good agencies and providing her with the appropriate information. Speak of agencies you know of and what they do – this will help the mother see how this plays out in real time.

As you speak about not aborting the child, talk about organizations such as the Crisis Pregnancy Centers who provide a wide variety of pre-natal care. Explain some of what they do (pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, etc.) and why it is important. Whether the mother will let the child be adopted or parent herself, it is also helpful to talk about other moms in the church community who can help the young mother go through pregnancy. Women who will attend appointments with her, watch her other children (if she has them) while she goes to appointments, or just give her important advice along the way. Hopefully, your church has a meals for new moms type of program in place, or other similar helps (baby shower planning help, clothes drives, etc.) – talk about those aspects as well.

4. Abortion

This section of the discussion, wherever it may fall, requires great discernment indeed. The discussion of abortion as an option must be explained carefully. Hopefully, by this time the mother sees herself as a sinner and her need of a Savior. By the end of this part of the discussion, she sees abortion as absolutely unthinkable. If the gospel-centered counselor senses that the mother does not yet see her gospel need, then this may be the time to really preach the holiness of God … albeit, in the context of a discussion on abortion. This is a tall order.

Hopefully, the gospel-centered has proceeded with a high degree of evident compassion thus far. This is still essential to maintain. However, depending on how the discussion has evolved thus far, the gospel-centered counselor may really need to speak the truth in a stronger manner than has been previously done in the conversation. It all depends on the progress made thus far and the Christian with the Holy Spirit as his or her Guide, Comforter, Counselor, and Helper can do what needs to be done in a Christ-centered and God-glorifying way.

First, the gospel-centered counselor must explain who man is
The creation of Adam and Eve was the pinnacle of God’s creative activity and only we humans can have a relationship with our Creator. God initiated this relationship in the Garden of Eden, man and woman broke that relationship through the sin of disobedience and now Christ – the Second Adam – has come to restore and repair this relationship.

An excellent way to stress the value of humankind is by showing how God loved us enough to send His own Son to die on our behalf. God’s love is what drove Him to provide a substitute on the Cross – Jesus Christ, the Son of God. God was willing to take on flesh to save us. God was willing to be a little unborn baby in Mary’s womb. God’s great love for mankind can be seen in the fact that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

It is clear from the incarnation that God values and loves us. We must not only see mankind as fallen and in need of a perfect Savior but we must also realize the worth placed upon man for the perfectly Holy God to seek us so that we can enjoy Him. We must see our worth in that He has made us to glorify Him and He is supremely worthy. A biblical view of man makes abortion unthinkable.

Secondly, the gospel-centered counselor must explain the Holiness of God
This has been done a bit before (the order is not super important) but now a different facet of God’s holiness must be seen by the woman considering abortion. This is the fact that God hates sin, His law forbids sin, God will punish sin, murder is a sin, abortion is murder, God hates murder – including abortion, and God will punish all sin – including abortion. The non-Christian must see that God is perfect and holy and therefore as the Supreme Judge must enact justice in His universe – this include punishing the wickedness of man – including abortion.

It is key for the gospel-centered counselor to have already explained the forgiveness and mercy found in Christ and if not, now is the time. However, it must be made known that only God has the authority to give and take away life in the ultimate sense. It must be made known that man is made in the image of God and God has a penalty for those who destroy the image-bearing man by murder.

An emphasis must be placed upon God’s love for the helpless especially and His wrath for those who oppress the weak – as in what happens in abortion. The mother must see that if she takes part in aborting her child, she is not a victim of sin but rather a perpetrator of sin. It is no insignificant thing to snuff out an innocent (in a relative sense of the term) life – no matter how small.

Thirdly, the gospel-centered counselor must explain abortion
This may seem like an odd one but if we value truth, then we will seek to combat the lies about abortion that the mother may have heard. She may have heard them from popular media, from her peers, from her own family, and everyone knows she will most certainly hear lies about abortion at a Planned Parenthood center or neighborhood abortion clinic.

So, what does this mean? It may mean that an incredible frankness and boldness will be required in saying, “well, if you are set on abortion, you should know what is available”. This means you will explain what abortion really is, without the use of code words and vagueries. This paper is not the place to describe each method of abortion and what it does to the baby because there are other resources dedicated to that but during the conversation it may be necessary to detail the types of abortions and what they do – not only to the child but the potential damage to the mother. Again, there are a number of resources dedicated to explaining the risks of abortion so this will not be done here but since she will not hear the whole truth from any given abortion provider, she must hear it somewhere.

In certain situations, the gospel-centered counselor may even ask the mother if she would like to see abortion-related photos or videos (these may include women having an abortion done on them, photos of dismembered or burnt babies, pictures of the tools of the abortion trade, etc.). This should only be done in certain circumstances but should never be seen as “off the table”. Defenses of the uses of these types of visuals can be found elsewhere, so I will not repeat that apologetic here but I do think images can be a valuable tool in the war for truth about abortion.

Another important fact to draw out is just what is in question. There are detailed defenses on the personhood of the fetus and those can be helpful but it need not be as philosophical and instead can be more basic. For example, giving the mother an idea of how the baby looks now (depending on the stage of pregnancy) and what the baby has already. Almost all the unborn in question will have developed nervous systems, fingernails, fingerprints, brain activity, facial expressions, stimulus responses, and of course, beating hearts. This kind of information helps give an understanding to the reality of the situation and can help ground the discussion in the real world. This is significant because in most cases, the unborn is covered in a shroud of mystery in the mind’s eye of the mother.

Final Thoughts

This paper is just an introduction to this field but I think it may be helpful to also point a few things gospel-centered counselors should not do as they counsel non-Christian women who are considering an abortion:

DO NOT overuse the phrase “your choice”
This plays into so-called pre-choice (read: pro-abortion) rhetoric and may help foster the illusion that we have a right to consent to murder. Terminating our young should not ever be considered an option and Christians should never help the unbeliever think they have a right to disobey God.

DO NOT overly focus on selfish reasons not to have an abortion
Reasons such as “a baby may help bring your family together” are selfish and possibly just so much empty promises. It is true we should talk about the health risks to women but even if abortion were completely safe for the mother, it would never be safe for the unborn. It is true we should talk about post-abortion related stress and guilt but even if the mother’s conscience becomes seared to the sin of abortion, abortion is still a horrible and immoral thing in God’s sight.

DO NOT make abortion sound too easy
Do not help the mom think that this really is a quick solution but it is just a bad choice, as if it is easy to do it this way but it is just not a good idea. Abortion is never easy or quick, as it is a traumatic experience for most women and the negative effects often last a lifetime.

DO NOT make parenting or adoption sound too easy
It is true these things both require sacrifice. The mother must be told the truth. Even as we speak the truth to her about the trials of pregnancy and parenting, we must focus on a gospel-centered hope in the midst of these things. We must encourage the mother to know she can do it as others before her have. If the mother is young, we must especially let her know that she can do the right thing but that it will require her to mature and think less selfishly. Explain how God can use this process to bring great growth in her life.

DO NOT offer her false hope if she goes through with the abortion
Explain to her that you are clearly laying out the facts and she is no longer naïve about the truth. She will be committing murder with full knowledge of what she is doing. Let her know this is a heavy thing and she cannot act casually towards God’s holiness and the moral law placed on her heart and think everything will be all right. This last one is tough because we cannot undercut the forgiveness of the gospel but at the same time we cannot let the mother leave with a cavalier attitude towards God’s grace.

DO NOT neglect to make sure she understands the gospel
Ask her about her walk with the Lord. Ask her about her sin. Ask her about Jesus. Ask her about repentance. Ask, listen, and explain.

DO NOT fail to read Scripture simply because she is not a Christian
Regardless of her opinion of God’s Word, it is still God’s Word and a powerful tool in evangelism. The Scripture is the sword of the Spirit and can affect the heart in ways we do not comprehend. We must use Scripture as we discuss these things because it is the believer’s ultimate authority and God’s Word is the only sure thing upon which we can stand.

DO NOT end without praying
This one is self-explanatory. Pray in the Spirit. Pray that God would perform a miracle on her heart. Pray that God will protect her unborn child. Pray.

Remember, this is just an introduction!

Using Images in the Abortion Debate [Backpack Radio]

2012-01-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

Using Images in the Abortion Debate [01/22/2012]

We are joined by Jason Walsh of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform. We give him a chance to lay out the reasons why he uses graphic images of aborted babies in public places as he seeks to make abortion unthinkable.

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Special Guest: Jason Walsh of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform

Did Early Christians & the Gospel Writers Care About Eyewitnesses Testimony?

2012-01-19T15:19:00.003-07:00

Did Early Christians & the Gospel Writers Care About Eyewitnesses Testimony?
A response to a portion of AiG BUSTED's response article "The Gospels Tell You ... So What?"

The author makes it sound as if Luke and the early Christians would just ask any ol’ Christian what Jesus said and did and take their word for it. This notion is easily countered. For example, Eusebius quotes a passage from Papias, opening up a window into the mind of at least one early Christian. I encourage folks to read the entire prologue but one sentence that sticks out is when Papias says, “For I did not think that information from books would profit me as much as information from a living and surviving voice.” Papias was writing towards the end of the first century and was clearly interested in information connected (whether directly or indirectly) to an eyewitness source - not just random Christian traditions or pious hearsay.

One more quote from Papias is helpful: “I did not enjoy those who have a great deal to say but those who teach the truth. Nor did I enjoy those who recall someone else's commandments, but those who remember the commandments given by the Lord…”. Remember, this is around the period when the final books of what would become the New Testament were being written. Richard Bauckham notes that “the most significant implication of what Papias says: that oral traditions of the words and deeds of Jesus were attached to specific named eyewitnesses”.

I bring this up because the author tells us that "for all we know, Luke got it from someone who heard from their neighbor who went to church with someone who was the nephew of the supposed eyewitnesses." If this was the case, Luke would not even be following his own criteria: “just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.” (Luke 1:2). What was handed down? According to Luke 1:1, it was “an account of the things accomplished among us.”

The idea of people who were eyewitnesses from day one also shows up in Luke’s sequel to his gospel account in the Book of Acts (1:21-22): “Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” The same idea is present in John’s corpus in John 15:27 and 1 John 1:1.

Back to the author; in one place he claims that "Luke is so vague on this point that it cannot be asserted that he went around interviewing eyewitnesses. At best, he got it from people who got it from eyewitnesses." When seeing claims like this, keep in mind these things:

early Christians (such as Papias and Quadratus, see quote in the notes section) showed an interest in accounts attached to eyewitnesses
the "from the beginning" criteria laid forth in Luke, Acts, and in John's works
the actual words of Luke's prologue, especially where he says "it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus" (Luke 1:3).

This does not really sound "vague" at all ... unless, of course, one wants it to be.

NOTES
*Quadratus, writing in the early second century but was probably referring to the late first century, wrote: “The works of our Savior were always present … those who were healed, those who rose from the dead … were also always present, not merely when the Savior was living on earth but also for a considerable time after his departure so that some of them survived down to our own times.” (Eusebius; Hist. Eccl. 4.3.21.)

**Papias quotes from Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 3.39.3-4.

***Richard Bauckham, "THE EYEWITNESSES AND THE GOSPEL TRADITIONS" in Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus 1.1 (2003) 28-60 (The Continuim Publishing Group LTD), 35.

I've Been BUSTED!

2012-01-18T15:13:00.003-07:00

I've Been BUSTED!

An atheist tells the world he put a "smackdown" to a chapter I wrote w/Paul Adams in an e-book called 'Why Christianity is True'

In April 2010, Apologetics 315 produced an essay series on the topic Is Christianity True? This was a series of 23 essays contributed by various apologetics bloggers from across the web. I wrote an article with my friend Paul D. Adams called "The Gospels Tell Me So" by Vocab Malone & Paul D. Adams.

Yesterday, atheist blogger Nicholas Covington who runs a blog called ANSWERS IN GENESIS BUSTED! posted a response to our piece. You can read it here THE GOSPELS TELL YOU ... SO WHAT? as well as some of Paul's responses in the comments section.

Download Is Christianity True? eBook
[ Kindle Version | Mobi | ePub | PDF ]

DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO OF THE CHAPTER I CO-WROTE
(MP3 Audio | RSS | iTunes)

Mormons and The Virgin(?) Conception [Backpack Radio]

2012-01-17T08:32:00.001-07:00

Mormons and The Virgin(?) Conception [01/15/2012]

Did Heavenly Father come down in his exalted human body and have sex with Mary - his own daughter - to impregnate her with Jesus? The question touches on a whole multitude of key issues such as the Mormon concept of God and man; Elohim's Heavenly wife (or even wives); incest; adultery, and the confusion about LDS doctrine among the rank and file Mormons regarding this issue.

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Special Guest: Jeff Durbin

DOWNLOAD IT HERE

MLK Day Links

2012-01-16T20:26:00.002-07:00

MLK Day Links

King’s God The Unknown Faith of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The author LIKES the fact that King was theologically liberal and finds it praise worthy. I find King's work praise worthy but some of his Christology anything but.

What did MLK think about gay people?

Ultimately, it is only relevant what The Creator thinks of this topic but nonetheless this is interesting.

Download John Piper's Bloodlines for Free!

On this great new book, Piper says, "God is calling his people to move from the alienation of many bloodlines to the reconciliation of the single bloodline that began on the cross of Christ."

And the global genocide of people of African descent is getting amped up...
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/international-planned-parenthoods-strategic-goal-increase-abortion-services-82-percent

The Personhood Discussion with Jim Lippard

2012-01-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

I just realized I never posted all the related links for The Personhood Discussion I had with Jim Lippard on abortion. Here they are ...

Part 1 | Humanity & Conception Considered

Jim Lippard's Response to Part 1

Part 2 | The Argument from Sentience Considered

Jim Lippard's Response to Part 2

Part 3 | The Argument from Size Considered

Jim Lippard's Response to Part 3

Part 4 | The Argument From Viability & Wantedness Considered

Jim Lippard's Response to Part 4

Part 5 | Of Violence & Violins

Jim Lippard's Response to Part 5

EPILOGUE | Some of Jim Lippard's Post Debate Comments in another forum

MY RESPONSE | Pro-Life Rappers and Atheists Against Abortion?

JIM'S RESPONSE | Does Vocab Malone understand the implications of his own position?

RELATED POSTS |
From my blog | TRUE of FALSE? "The Bible Doesn't Place Much of a Premium on the Value of Fetuses"

From the THINKING CHRISTIAN blog | Chocolate and Caring, Brussels Sprouts and Murder (our debate is mentioned in the comments section)

From the blog SEEK IT LIKE SILVER | Implications of Viability when Considering the Advancement/Accessibly of NeonatalTechnology

Backpack Radio Interviews Dan Barker of the FFRF

2012-01-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

Backpack Radio recently interviewed Dan Barker of the FREEDOM FROM RELIGION FOUNDATION. He is very well known and an ex-Charismatic preacher.

FFRF is based in WI but are responsible for the recent Atheist Billboard campaign in Arizona. To help you all out, here are the main articles on this:
http://ffrf.org/news/releases/phoenix-and-tucson-nontheists-come-out-of-the-closet
http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2011/12/01/20111201billboard-atheist-stereotypes.html
http://www.meetup.com/phoenix-atheists/boards/thread/17766062/0/

My main view on this is partially ambiguous. I do not really care - I am not offended and am glad they have the right to do this. Honestly, I like this better than the sexual billboards out there -sensual images for advertising- those are more offensive to me than these. I also am probably more bothered by the Christian ones which put words in God's mouth (Don't Make Me Come Down There!) - these are borderline blasphemy! Here is a link to that site if you care.

I am more interested in the 'psychology' behind it ... why do they feel the need? It does feel very similar to the I AM A MORMON campaign - and that seems like religious advertising, even borderline proselytizing, no? It is interesting but one local atheist I talked to is not sure if he really likes them, either, and for the reasons I just listed about the 'witnessing' vibe.

Jeff Durbin chimed in on this show as well. We wanted to really give these folks their purpose in all this and to be able to speak their piece. I told them we did not want to debate them at this point but rather find out their rationale and goals for all this. Pastor Bob crafted a few fact finding questions we asked Dan and here they are:

1. In one article we read the motivation for be a part of the billboard’s was to dispel some of the myths of being an atheist. What do you think are some of the myth’s you are faced with? Why do you think these myths are held?

2. “I don’t necessarily want to change minds” was another quote from one person. While this is obviously their goal (not to change minds), is this descriptive of the organization as a whole? In one of your debates, you mentioned that you used to sell Jesus, are you now selling atheism?

3. What are the differences between an atheist, agnostic, or a freethinker? Calling yourself freethinkers seems to imply that no one from a religious point of view could be a freethinker. Would you agree with that?

4. One of the billboards says: Love + critical thinking = open minds. Could you comment more on the meaning of that message?

5. Do you see similarities between this campaign and the “I’m a Mormon” campaign that is also on billboards?

The reason I am posting this background info is because the show has only been online for a few days and is fast becoming our number one downloaded show of all time. HERE IS THE LINK TO CHECK OUT THE INTERVIEW WITH DAN BARKER ABOUT THE AZ ATHEIST BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN

Conversations w/a Muslim

2012-01-10T09:52:00.006-07:00

BELOW is pasted in convo I had w/a Muslim man I met at the mosque one day while witnessing.

It's weird - he was very friendly in personal interaction but is much less so in our e-mails back and forth. Anyway, I thought it would be helpful so you can get a window into his mind, which may be representative of many other Muslims minds...

===========================

FROM Vocab Malone TO "Ozzmi":

I am not 100% sure if this is you.
Are you the one I met last Friday at the Phoenix masjid?
I was handing out Injils there ... I never did get your e-mail!

Please respond if this is you because I felt like we got cut off ...

Blessings,

Vocab

===============

FROM "Ozzmi" TO VOCAB MALONE:

Whatever happens, happens for the best. It is so because you are not sincere in your argument, but rather biased, prejudice and deep hatred, animosity, and hostility towards Islam and Muslims. What you intend to achieve through this request? I know water cannot fall and stay in already fill pot, similarly a student who is willing to learn cannot have mind make up about something he/she willing to learn and have no knowledge of the subject and whatever little is known to him is false. Mind has to be neutral and let the facts speak for itself.

===================

FROM Vocab Malone TO "Ozzmi":

Are you the same gentleman I spoke with last week then?
If so, I am glad to hear from you!

I am saddened to hear you say I have hatred, animosity, and hostility towards Muslims. I love Muslims - otherwise why would I spend the time to speak with them at the masjid? I desire to see my Muslim friends repent and turn to the True and Living God - that can only be motivated by love, not hate.

Also, I may not be an Islamic scholar but to say I have no knowledge of Islam except falsehoods is a bit of an overstatement. If you recall, I had some familiarity with relevant ahadith as well as certain surahs.

Lastly, how can you say that I must be be neutral when no Muslim I know is neutral? It seems like a double standard to tell the Christian they are not open to truth while acting as if the Muslim is unbiased.

I have already sanctified Jesus in my heart as Lord, per 1 Peter 3:15, and when I interact with my Muslim friends I do so under the Lordship of Jesus. No one else is Lord, so I can not act as if they are.

What I hope to achieve with this request is threefold:

A) learn more about Islam
B) gain a Muslim friend
C) share the gospel with said friend

Blessings,

Vocab

======================

FROM "Ozzmi" TO VOCAB MALONE:

When you hate Muhammed (SAW) You do not love Muslims, friend is one who love what he love who hate what he hate.

You only memorized Hadith to create confusion in the minds of Muslims.

We Muslims are not biased we know what is truth and what is falsehood, it is you who is biased. There are numerous evidences to prove our argument.

You have not sanctified Jesus, but you follow your whims and evil desires.

Only allah knows what is in your heart, all I see is you are hostile to Islam and Muhammed and hence to us Muslims, never the less I will approve your request.

=======================================

I posted this in another place and here were some of the comments:

"Wow it is interesting to see how we are viewed. I wonder why such a strong contrast from in person? To appear loving? I think his use of words were very extreme hence a reflection of what they are taught."

"Wow. Only a couple of inches apart physically, but a WORLD apart mentally. Great insight."

Atheist Billboards [Backpack Radio audio]

2012-01-09T08:56:00.001-07:00

Atheist Billboards [01/08/2012]

One atheist said the motivation for the spat of atheistic billboards was to dispel some of the myths of being an atheist - what are those myths? “I don’t necessarily want to change minds” was another quote from one person - but is this descriptive of the campaign as a whole? One of the billboards says: Love + critical thinking = open minds. What is the meaning of that message? These are some of the questions we ask Dan Barker of FFRF. Dan is partly responsible for the Arizona Atheist Billboard Campaign.

Special Guest: Dan Barker of the Freedom from Religion Foundation

to hear this BPR podcast, listen here -

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to download the show RIGHT CLICK THIS LINK AND 'SAVE AS'...

The Will of God: An Open Secret

2012-01-08T16:21:00.001-07:00

The Will of God: An Open Secret

The sermon preached last week at RCC - DOWNLOAD IT HERE

Date: Sunday, January 1, 2012
Speaker: Vocab Malone
Series: What Does God Want Me to Do? - a series on knowing the will of God

http://www.rooseveltchurch.org/sermons

Christian Ethics and End of Life Care [Backpack Radio audio]

2012-01-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

Christian Ethics and End of Life Care [01/01/2012]

Professor Patrick Smith joins Backpack Radio to discuss some important questions:

What are some of the ethical issues regarding end of life care?
What are the different opinions about these issues?
What are some things Christians should be thinking about when it comes to end of life care?
What are some basic principles Christians should have so they make biblical decisions when it comes to end of life care?

to hear this kick-off joint,

just look at the newest post at our website

http://backpackradio.com/

Christmas Myths EXPOSED [Backpack Radio audio]

2012-01-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

Christmas Myths EXPOSED [12/25/2011]

Check out this special Christmas episode of Backpack Radio, featuring Pastors Vermon, Bob, and Vocab. Here we tell you the Christmas story you never knew yet was right in front of you the whole time.

Examples: - The inn was not an inn. - Shepherds found Jesus not by following the star but probably by going house to house looking for a newborn baby boy - Wise men came later – when Jesus was around 2 and living in Nazareth - Nowhere does it say there were 3 kings!

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Download here - http://backpack.podbean.com/2011/12/26/christmas-myths-exposed-12252011/

Black Hebrew Israelites Vs. Christian Preacher [FULL AUDIO]

2012-01-05T16:22:00.000-07:00

Here is the complete audio all together

http://www.divshare.com/download/16474740-9d8

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 13: BOASTING IN LINEAGE

2012-01-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 13: BOASTING IN LINEAGE

This is the last clip in the series. I hope these were helpful for you to understand their mentality a bit
so you can better share the gospel with them.

audio link here -
http://www.divshare.com/download/16453968-397

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 12: APOCRYPHA NOT CANONICAL

2012-01-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 12: APOCRYPHA NOT CANONICAL

The BHI loves to utilize the Apocrypha for its proof texts - but should it be in the Bible?

audio link:
http://www.divshare.com/download/16453963-464

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 11: A BYSTANDER CHIMES IN

2012-01-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 11: A BYSTANDER CHIMES IN

This clip ...
- is mainly a bystander interacting w/the BHI
- does not include much of my dialogue
- is filled with all kinds of crazy profanity
- is absolutely hilarious in a tragic kinda way

I debated about including but in the end thought it could serve a purpose.
Be warned - it is not rated G or PG, to say the least!

audio link:
http://www.divshare.com/download/16453957-ebc

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 10: WE ARE SCHOLARS!

2012-01-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 10: WE ARE SCHOLARS!

The BHI - humble, they are not!

audio link -
http://www.divshare.com/download/16453948-390

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 09: GENTILE MEANS JEW?

2011-12-31T23:05:00.001-07:00

http://www.divshare.com/download/16440189-a35

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 8: WHAT IS LOVE?

2011-12-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 8: WHAT IS LOVE?

How does a hate-group like the BHI define love?

audio link here -
http://www.divshare.com/download/16440153-574

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 7: HOW DOES JESUS SAVE?

2011-12-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 7: HOW DOES JESUS SAVE?

Here I try to get into some salvation related issues w/the BHI.
Hear for yourself how it turned out ...

audio link here -
http://www.divshare.com/download/16440135-50d

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 6: WHAT COLOR ARE THE JEWS?

2011-12-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 6: WHAT COLOR ARE THE JEWS?

BHI is very concerned with ethnicity and skin tone.
In this clip from my talk with them, this concern comes out loud and clear.

Audio Here:
http://www.divshare.com/download/16440117-935

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 5: JEWS ARE ALL OVER

2011-12-27T08:51:00.004-07:00

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 5: JEWS ARE ALL OVER

In this part, the BHI talk about one of their favorite subjects.
By the way, I don't think I have mentioned it yet,
but all of the BHI audio has a lot of profanity in it.
These young men do not have clean mouths and it shows.
So be warned about that ... in fact, in some of the upcoming posts,
it is going to get much worse!

Download audio here: http://www.divshare.com/download/16440094-ac7

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 4: HOW IS SIN FORGIVEN?

2011-12-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 4: HOW IS SIN FORGIVEN?

Merry Christmas again! Here is part 4 of the recent BHI run-in I had by the light rail here in Phoenix.
In this section, I try to get to the heart of the matter by asking these young men, "how are your sins forgiven"?
The answers may surprise you!

Here is the download link for the audio ... http://www.divshare.com/download/16440103-996

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 3: WHO COMMANDED YOU?

2011-12-25T00:20:00.000-07:00

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 3: WHO COMMANDED YOU?

Enjoy this Christmas Day present ... the third part of a convo w/some local BHI guys.
Since they had a bunch of signs out and were yeling loudly at everyone within earshot and then some,
I asked what their biblical basis was; as in, who gave them the authority to preach their message?

audio here: http://www.divshare.com/download/16440038-af0

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 2: WHO IS A SAINT?

2011-12-24T09:18:00.003-07:00

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 2: WHO IS A SAINT?

According to BHI, only the BHI are saints ... MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!

Yesterday's post with part one is here: http://vocabmalone.blogspot.com/2011/12/black-hebrew-israelites-audio-part-1.html

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 1: ACTS 17 and ALL MEN

2011-12-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 1: ACTS 17 and ALL MEN

Last Saturday my wife and I saw some Black Hebrew Israelites yelling loudly at all the bypassers at Camelback and 19th Ave. We were on our way to the Toy Fair so I didn't want to really talk to them but my wife really thought that I neede to. So I said if they are still there when we roll back by, I'll try to witness to them a bit. 6 GI Joes, 2 Hulks and one hour later, they were still there. So I got out of the car and began what turned into a 13 part conversation (it lasted an hour and a half, I'm gonna post the audio up in 13 different parts). Here is the beginning of our "dialogue" ...

I will post more bit by bit over the next few weeks ... consider it my 13 days of Christmas gift to you ...

Apocrypha Lecture [audio]

2011-12-22T10:03:00.001-07:00

Apocrypha Lecture [audio]
by Vocab Malone

Here is the audio of a class on the Apocrypha and the Inter-testamental Period.

Download the file here

Ezra, Nehemiah, & Esther Lecture [audio]

2011-12-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

Here is audio of a 40-minute session I taught on the Old Testament book of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.

Download here

Is John's Gospel Reliable? [Backpack Radio audio]

2011-12-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

Is John's Gospel Reliable? [12/18/2011]
In a discussion Vocab had w/the host of an atheist podcast, he was told,

John ... is ... trippy I much prefer the Q source (since historians don't generally regard John as a very accurate portrayal of a historical Jesus).<div>

This edition of Backpack Radio is a response to the claim that the Gospel of John is unreliable as a historical document.

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Backpack Radio on an ANGLICAN Web Site!?

2011-12-19T16:33:00.001-07:00

Backpack Radio on an ANGLICAN Web Site!? (Well, Sort of ...)

Just found this lil' cool article on The Anglican Mission in the Americas website.
It is a piece by Cynthia P. Brust about Rev. Shane Copeland's interview on Backpack Radio.
Shane, who pastors St. George's Anglican church in downtwon Phoenix, joined us on BPR

and helped answer the question “What Is an Anglican?” on our October 9, 2011 program

View Full Article HERE
Here was my favorite quote from it: “It was crazy, chaotic, mostly ‘off the cuff’ and a whole lot of fun,” Shane says. “I did my best to try and articulate some of what it means to be an Anglican.”
Oh, here's the link to hear the broadcast in question ...

Between the Scenes w/Backpack Radio [video]

2011-12-18T10:25:00.008-07:00

Between the Scenes w/Backpack Radio

Between the Scenes w/Backpack Radio from Vocab Malone on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/33831754

God's Wisdom vs. Man's Foolishness (Or Vice Versa) [Sermon Audio]

2011-12-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

God's Wisdom vs. Man's Foolishness (Or Vice Versa)
Sermon Audio from a sermon I preached last Sunday on 1 Corinthians 2:6-3:4

My Favorite Atheist Died Today (Top 5 Things to Read on Hitchens' Death)

2011-12-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Atheist Died Today.

Christopher Hitchens was everything you'd want in an atheist.
What I liked most about him is that he was actually willing to talk to Christians -
he even tried to understand them in his own way.

Here are the Top 5 Things to Read on Hitchens' Death

1. In Memoriam, my courageous brother Christopher, 1949-2011

By his brother, PETER HITCHENS

Reflections on Christopher Hitchens
by his COLLISION debate opponent, Doug Wilson

3. Christopher Hitchens Has Died, Doug Wilson Reflects

more in-depth than the first one

4. Hitch is not in heaven

an atheist perspective by PZ Myers

5. Christopher Hitchens, Author and Television Personality, Dies at 62
an ABC News article, worth the read for this great paragraph:

‎...an evangelical Christian physician assumed a leading role in his care. Hitchens and Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health and the author of "The Language of God..." had become friends when the two debated each other in public about the existence of God. Collins used DNA mapping to find a drug that targeted the genetic mutation involved in Hitchens' cancer. "It is a rather wonderful relationship," Hitchens told The Telegraph of London. "I won't say he doesn't pray for me, because I think he probably does; but he doesn't discuss it with me."

BONUS LINK :

Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011)
by Justin Taylor

Lying in Islam: It's All Good

2011-12-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

Lying in Islam: It's All Good

Zechariah 8:16–17These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.

There is something in Islam called Taqiyya, which essentially means lying for the faith. A similar concept is called kitman and this basically means mental reservation. The sanctioning of religious deception is a stronger tradition in Shi’ite Islam than it is in Sunni Islam (about 85% of Muslims) but the idea is not a foreign concept in any kind of Islam because it stems from the Qur’an and Muhammad himself.

One may immediately interject and quote verses such as Surah 40:28, which says, “Truly God guides not
one who transgresses and lies!” The Qur’an does say this and has many other similar verses. The problem is at least threefold:

(1) many of the truth telling verses in the Qur’an may not necessarily apply when a Muslim is speaking to a non-Muslim
(2) the Qur’an is inherently contradictory and often teaches two polar opposite ideals
(3) many of the verses which commend honesty are contradicted in the Hadith literature and indeed in the life of Muhammad himself

Still, name number 51 of Allah is said to be AL-HAQQ (THE TRUTH). Yet Islam has a troubling theology when it comes to actually telling the truth. For example, in the Book of Ehyae Iloum Il Deen (vol. 3, p. 137), “Um Kalthum said, ‘I never heard the Prophet Muhammad allowing people to lie except in three cases.’ The first case is the relationship between husbands and wives. The second case is that Muslims can lie to their enemies in the midst of jihad. The third case is that a Muslim can lie to another Muslim for reconciliation” (Cf. Hadith 32:6303).

These are pretty big exceptions, no doubt! A Muslim can lie in marital relations, to infidels during jihad, and even to other Muslims for the pragmatic purpose of becoming friends again. The same sentiment pops up in Hadith 3:857, “He who makes peace between the people by inventing good information or saying good things, is not a liar”.

The second exception is especially troubling because there are quite a few Muslims – both now and then – that believe Muslims are in a constant state of jihad against infidels. This means it would always be acceptable to lie to them.

On a similar note, Muhammad gave Muslims the green light to nullify previous treaties at will when he said the following: “Allah willing, if ever I take an oath to do something, and later on find that it is more beneficial to do something different, I will do the thing which is better, and give expiation for my oath” (Bukhari, 4:361. Also see Bukhari 4:143; Surahs 47:35; 2:224-225; 66:1-2; 16:91, 94).

Surah 2:225 has the same notion when it says, “God will not call you to account for thoughtlessness in your oaths, but for the intention in your hearts; and He is Oft-forgiving, Most Forbearing.” Compare this to the biblical teaching found in Hosea 4:2-3.

This relates to another idea found in Islam: that one can act friendly towards outsiders, all the while waiting until the time is right to show their true colors.

Here is what Ibn Kathir said on this issue: “Allah prohibited His believing servants from becoming supporters of the disbelievers, or to take them as comrades with whom they develop friendships, rather than the believers.” Think about all the ways one could define just what it means to be a supporter of disbelievers … hmmm. Also note the prohibition to always make friends with believers over the disbelievers.

According to Ibn Kathir, though, there is an exemption for “those believers who in some areas or times fear for their safety from the disbelievers. In this case, such believers are allowed to show friendship to the disbelievers outwardly, but never inwardly” (Ibn Kathir 2:141-142). The same idea can be found in Fath Al Bari (10:544), quoted in Ibn Kathir (Tafsir, vol. 2, p. 141-143): “We smile in the face of some people although our hearts curse them”. This kind of (un)holy duplicity speaks for itself and it does not speak well of Islam or a god who is supposed to be AL-HAQQ.

In cases of persecution, the Muslim is also allowed to lie: “the scholars agreed that if a person is forced into disbelief, it is permissible for him to either go along with them in the interests of self-preservation, or to refuse” (Ibn Kathir 5:530; Surah 16:106). Compare this to the biblical teaching found in Matthew 10:33.

According to Ibn Kathir (in The Beginning of the End), this kind of Islamic situational ethic was sanctioned by Muhammad himself : “when Ammar bin Yaser was under persecution of the Qurash tribe he was asked to deny his faith in the Prophet. In order to release his suffering, Ammar denied his faith. When they released him, he ran t Prophet Muhammad and told him the story. The Prophet asked him if he denied him from his heart and Ammar said ‘no Prophet of God.’ Then the Prophet said, ‘even if they come back to you again deny again’” (cited by Mustafa, former lecturer of Islamic history at Al-Azhar University, Cairo in The Falling of Islam, p. 64).

In case someone is disturbed that only one of these references so far are from the Qur’an, check out Surah 3:28: “Let not the believers Take for friends or helpers Unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, in nothing will there be help from God: except by way of precaution, that ye may Guard yourselves from them. But God cautions you (To remember) Himself; for the final goal is to God.”

Ibn Abbas comment on Surah 3:28: “Avoidance is by the tongue. Whoever is forced to speak of that which is disobedience to Allah, and he says it for fear of the people, ‘heart is quiet in the faith,’ this harms him not” (also see Surahs 60:1; 4:1444; 8:73). Here we see Ibn Abbas understands this verse to contain within it the idea of avoiding persecution via falsehood.

Other commentators do indeed understand this verse somewhat differently, instead seeing it as abrogated by Surah 9:5, which reads, “But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them: for God is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.”

All of this is rather strange when Surah 6:152-153 seems to portray lying as a great sin (cf. Revelation. 21:8) and Surah 2:42 commands Muslims to “cover not Truth with falsehood, nor conceal the Truth when ye know (what it is).. I guess it all depends on just who you are lying to and just what (or who) you are lying about.” See Matthew 19:18 for biblical teaching on this.

Surah 6:93 teaches that it is really bad to lie about Allah and Hadith 2:378 teaches that it is also really bad to lie about Muhammad, “I heard the prophet saying, ‘Ascribing false things to me is not like ascribing false things to anyone else. Whoever tells a lie against me intentionally then surely let him occupy his seat in Hell-fire”.

All of this strikes me as a tad unfair, especially since in the Qur’an Allah claims about 30 times that he misleads! Check out Surah 3:54; 8:30; 4:88, 143; 6:39, 126; 7:178, 186; 9:51; 13:27, 31; 14:4; 16:93; 17:13, 97; 30:29; 35:8; 36:8-10; 39:23; 40:33-34, 74, 42:44, 46; 74:31. I guess this is why Allah is called Allaahu Khayrul-maakiriin aka The Greatest Deceiver (Surah 3:54).

Just how misleading and deceptive can Allah be? Well, the First Rightly Guided Caliph Khalid Muhammad Khalid in Successors of the Apostle (p.114) said: “I swear to Allah that I do not feel safe from Allah’s cunning even if one of my feet is already in paradise” (quoted in Anwar al-Jundi, Mizan al-Islam p. 170).

For more on truth telling and lying in the Bible:
Revelation 22:15
Joshua 9
Psalm 15:4
Numbers 23:19
John 14:6
1 John 5:6
James 1:17
2 Samuel 7:28
Psalm 31:5
Acts 5
Especially compare Bukhari 5:59:369 vs. Proverbs 12:20.

NOTE: Many of the references I gave for the Hadith are incomplete (for example Hadith 2:10 is not a very helpful citation), as I still am tracking down which collections some of the Hadith quotations came from. I realize this and want to fix it but do not have all the resources I need yet – please be patient and feel free to help with any citation errors. Even more helpful is if you know the correct source!

Is Jesus Talking to Himself (Backpack Radio video)

2011-12-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

Is Jesus Talking to Himself (Backpack Radio video)

Is Jesus Talking to Himself? from Backpack Radio on Vimeo.

The Message of Cross [Backpack Radio audio]

2011-12-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

The Message of Cross [12/11/2011]

Pastors Bob, Vermon, Vocab, and special guest Jeff Durbin break down Paul's emphasis on the cross in his letter to the church at Corinth and its implications for our lives today. Special attention is given to crucifixion in its first century context.

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Special Guest: Jeff Durbin of Apologia Church

Allah: The Greatest Deceiver (Per Islam)

2011-12-12T10:45:00.007-07:00

Allah: The Greatest Deceiver (Per Islam)

A few days ago I was speaking to a Muslim man who accussed me of being deceptive. Why? I was with a group of people handinmg out Arabic/English copies of the Gospel According to John outside a mosque. The deceptive part? They were green (apparently Isalm has a monopoly on the 'G' in Roy G. Biv).

I told him that it was OK anyway because Allah himself was the greatest of all deceivers. He said that was not true. He told me I was offending him and I had better not say that again. I hope I see him again. If I do, I can give him a link to this post, which documents that Islam itself teaches that Allah is Deceiver #1!

Allah – The Greatest Deceiver of them All by Sam Shamoun

Allah: Truthful Or Deceiver? by Cornelius

Allah as a Deceiver: Examining Satan’s Accusations Against the Integrity of Allah by Sam Shamoun

Deceptive God, Incompetent Messiah: What Islam Really Teaches About Allah and Jesus by David Wood

Does Yahweh Really Deceive? by Sam Shamoun

To deceive or not to deceive by Sam Shamoun

Arizona Republic Covers AZ Atheist Billboards

2011-12-11T10:38:00.002-07:00

See link below for full story about the AZ atheist billboards in the AZ Republic ...
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2011/12/01/20111201billboard-atheist-stereotypes.html

Feedback to my Steven Anderson Encounter and Article

2011-12-10T10:33:00.005-07:00

Feedback to my Steven Anderson Encounter and Article

My last post about my run-in with Pastor Steven Anderson of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe has received an usual amount of feedback in a brief period of time. I want to post it here because I found much of it insightful and some of it humorous. The first comments are from Facebook and then the next ones are from the blog post ... enjoy ...

Jonathan Scales
Funny ... last time I checked A"pastor" is suppose to encourage people NOT to go to hell...lol guess he's not a real pastor...

Bishop Ortega
I have a feeling Vocab, that your evangelism career is going to end much like the last Seinfeld episode. A court room full of a bunch of cult member, false teachers, quacks, Mormons, and atheist all complaining how you some how messed up their lives. Pastor Anderson will be your sup(KJV) Nazi!

Kris Sitton
You met that guy?? Haha have you seen the youtube video of him getting arrested and beat?

Gee Wil
‎"Get behind me Satan!" WOW!

Wesley Little
That was pretty Gangsta. I love your writing style. I read the whole thing.

Justin Bellars
Nice perseverance, Vocab! :D

Rikki Wil
He didn't defend that faith!

Vocab Malone
these comments are so funny and some are even awesome! I love you people

Tony M. Mcclinton
hey Vocab.. he also beleives in replacement theology.. I youtubed him.. lets pray for the guy

Lawrence Garcia
Very interesting personality.

Chris Davis
I find it to be the height of (tragic) irony that in his theological paradigm, true believers are narrowed down to those with an unbiblically wide definition of faith. It seems he holds to easy-believism only for those who don't reject easy-believism. Live a promiscuous, drunken, criminal life? Great, you're still a Christian. Become theologically reformed? Out of the kingdom.

theologygeek said...

I'm not surprised that Steven Anderson walked away from you. Anderson can memorize the bible, but he is clueless as what anything in the bible means. He's an extremist. Do any extremists have a grasp on what the words in their holy book of choice mean?

I found it funny that he said you pulled over and stopped him to argue. He does that all the time. Watch his Youtube videos where he starts fights with the Border Patrol.

I spent many years debating the bible. Those days are long gone. I have zero desire to do that any more. I'm at a point in my life where I would rather just sit back and watch the crazies. Anderson is nuts.

6:35 AM

Anonymous said...

Steven Anderson has a lot of knowledge but no wisdom. He cannot debate you because he cannot win. He has memorized scripture but he doesn't have the wisdom to apply it properly so he teaches the word of Steven Anderson instead of the Word of God and whenever someone confronts him or his wife about this they go on the defensive and become verbally abusive. He calls himself a man of God but I've never known a true man of God to use profanity to get his point across.

12:41 PM

This last one is from a private e-mail I received, so some of the details have been altered ...

Dear Vocab,

Please consider using extreme discretionary caution in your contacts with this Steve Anderson guy so as to avoid unnecessary sensationalism that could be detrimental to your ministry and the cause of Christ. This guy is dangerous!

The link you provided to the James White video says "...Steven Anderson should be avoided by any semi-rational, logical thinking individual".

After watching this video and seeing the anger and rage this man has is proof enough to me that he is capable of causing serious harm. Anyone under his influence that would carry an automatic weapon to a presidential rally is also enough proof to me that this guy should be avoided. Anyone who has this much anger and rage from a church pulpit ... to me, this is very scary.

Also, there is a link on his Facebook page to the Confederate States of America and many other strange links of which he is a contributor to ...

Please be careful ... Please use wisdom.

via e-mail

Pastor Steven Anderson Tells Me "Go to Hell" (Several Times)

2011-12-09T19:06:00.003-07:00

Pastor Steven Anderson Tells Me 'Go to Hell' - Several Times
final updated version of version 1 of this post,, now complete with links and related media

Two days ago, my wife and I went over to Vital Records to acquire updated birth certificates for our newly adopted sons. On the way, I saw two men in suit jackets out and about around Taylor and 15th Ave. It looked as if they were going door to door so I figured they were Jehovah’s Witnesses. I told my wife if I saw them on the way back home, I wanted to stop and speak with them.

On the way back, I drove around the block, looking for them for a few minutes. I did not see them but I did see a car with vanity plates reading KJVONLY. That immediately struck me as intriguing; it's not everyday one see license plates dedicated to the King James Version of the Bible. I remember saying to myself, “Something’s afoot” (a humorous phrase if there ever was one). I took a few pics of the plates. I also noticed some literature on the dashboard which mentioned Pastor Steven Anderson of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, AZ. I figured this car probably belonged to the dudes I saw earlier … and maybe they weren’t JWs after all but Indie-Fundy Baptists instead.

Eventually, I saw the pair emerge from a house again, so I pulled over by the curb beside them. When I got out of the car I told them, “When I first saw you guys I thought you were Jehovah’s Witnesses but it seems you’re not, is that right?” They laughed and said “No”. I told them that I am a Christian and I do some pastoral work at an area church. I told them I wanted to talk with them about a few things.

I soon discovered that this man was none other than Pastor Steven Anderson himself. Anderson has made local and national news several times for outrageous statements and actions, so I was aware of him and some of his beliefs (see the PS at the end of this entry for audio from an earlier encounter I had with one of his devotees).

Right away Pastor Anderson asked me how I knew I was saved. I told him it was all through God’s grace. I said a few other things about salvation and he seemed satisfied with my answer. Then he asked, “BUT (he really emphasized the BUT) does your church teach that you can lose your salvation”? I told him “No, because we believe in the perseverance of the saints”; I mentioned that this could also be called “preservation of the saints” (see the debate I did with a Roman Catholic blogger on this topic).

He seemed almost relieved by my answer but then he kept on pressing me, giving me examples of what he felt the practical implications of this doctrine would be. He gave an example of someone who says they came to faith “but then leaves the church and starts backsliding” (his word). “They start going to clubs and all that and never repent – are they saved?” I tried to talk about false converts and the importance of abiding and bearing fruit and he started accusing me of teaching a works based salvation.

I could see where this was going. He was on the "if-you've-ever-called-yourself-a- Christian-then-you-are-no-matter-how-you-live" tip. I asked him this: “Can someone be a Christian if they do not submit to the Lordship of Christ in their life”? He looked right at me and declared, “Yes”. I said, "No, they can’t" and brought up the Book of James' discussion on the relationship between faith and works. Pastor Anderson got out of this in a very creative manner: “James says faith without works is dead – but how can something be dead if it doesn’t exist? You’re saying their faith doesn’t exist but it does, it’s just dead.” I was bewildered someone could think this way and tried to show him James is saying a dead faith is no faith at all.

n response, he zoomed through a flurry of proof texts, such as verses in Romans 3 and Romans 4 and 1 Corinthians 3:10-16 - I do not recall all of the verses but I do remember he turned to I John 5:10-11: “Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”

Pastor Anderson told me that 1 John 5:10-11 means if someone does not believe his (unbiblical) view of sanctification (or lack thereof), then they are calling God a liar and must not be saved themselves! Then he ran through some scenarios from his interpretation of this verse and came to the conclusion that again, if you do not believe in 'once saved, always saved' in the exact same way that he believes it (which I would say is a non-Lordship view), then you yourself are not saved and going to hell. You may wonder how one can get that from that text - well, you are not alone in your wondering.

When I brought up 1 John 2:19 (as an example of false professors), he said “John is only talking about anti-Christs, and backslidden Christians are not anti-Christs”. He gave the examples of King David, King Solomon and even King Saul and told me they were all three in heaven. His point is this: if you teach that true repentance and genuine salvation will always be followed by fruit, then you are a heretic. Pastor Anderson and his flock believe that all it takes is for someone to say they “believe on Jesus” (whatever that means) and then it does not matter what they do or say after that – they are saved for the rest of their life and then go to heaven (admittedly, with very little reward).

Of course, I think the biblical view is that no true child of God will ever be lost (he brought up John 6 and John 10, which are good places to go to), and yet every true child of God will bear fruit. I do believe that no man can pluck a Christian out of the Master's hand (in fact, I defend the doctrine of the preservation of the saints on a Backpack Radio episode dedicated to this doctrine). This truth is all over Scripture - Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-10 that one reason we are saved is to do good works!

Pastor Steve, on the other hand, seems to teach that mere assent or verbal agreement to some basic Christian doctrine means one is truly saved. What is so odd about all this is that Pastor Anderson is an Arminian! He holds dogmatically to an unbiblical version of perseverance but then destroys its foundation by slamming the doctrines of grace. Here is how I know this: Pastor Anderson thinks Reformed theology is a false religion! Read on...

Pastor Anderson showed me several more passages and asked me several more (convoluted) questions. When I would try to clarify what he was asking me - I wanted him to define his terms - he became irritated. When I would answer with a qualification, he would say I was twisting the Scripture. As he did this (he did most of the talking), he told me he “didn’t like the term perseverance of the saints”. I asked him “why” and he said "people who usually use that term have a works-based salvation". He went on to say that usually people who use the phrase 'perseverance of the saints' mean that those who are truly saved will persevere to the end. He is right that that is part of the standard definition and I do think that that is correct, insofar as it goes.

Even though I had some idea about his church’s focus on non-Lordship salvation as a cardinal doctrine, I was still taken aback. I was confused how perseverance of the saints could ever equal a works-based righteousness. As we began discussing these issues (or should I say as he began talking at me), he said he didn’t believe in that phrase because usually people have a Reformed understanding when they use it. When I told him I was Reformed, he told me “Reformed theology is a load of junk and a bunch of garbage”.

I asked him if he was part of the Free Grace Movement (sometimes called ‘antinomianism’ or even ‘cheap grace’). He said he had never heard of it and he just “read the Bible”. I mentioned how there has been something called the Lordship Salvation Controversy and many of the same issues he was bringing up had been raised (and I would even say adequately dealt with). As I asked him about the Lordship Salvation Controversy he curtly interjected: “I don’t believe in Lordship salvation”. What a startling thing for a Christian to say, I thought. I responded to his statement: “That’s the only kind of salvation there is, my friend”. That was the turning point for Pastor Steven. Even though he had been dominating the conversation, he had been relatively cordial up to this point – that now began to change.

He turned to me and said: "Oh yeah? Well, I tell you what, you can take a shovel and go dig up the bones of John Calvin wherever he is and worship him”. When I told him I don’t look at Calvin like that or follow him in that way, he said: “Or whoever your favorite Reformed idol is”. I said, "You don’t have to be Reformed to appreciate the Reformation. I think the church we should have an appreciation for history and understand its importance”. He replied with, “I don’t care. That was 500 years ago and I am living right here now”. When I began to speak again he said, “What are you going to say? That we’d all be Catholic if there was no Reformation? Pfffsh God’s always had his faithful people but you are in a false and man-made religion”.

We had only been conversing for 6-8 minutes but then he said he was “gonna show me just one more passage”. He did and I commented on the passage and he said:

“You can go to hell”!

“What”?

“Yeah, you can literally go to hell.”

After he said this, he rebuked me in the name of Jesus as a false teacher and a heretic and then began walking away. I wanted to continue on with him, so I said, “I challenge you to a public debate in your church on these issues.”

He looked disgusted and said, “No, why should I? Because every Scripture I bring up you have twisted – so what would be the point? No, you obviously pulled over and stopped us just to argue with us but we have better things to do – like preach the gospel to these people.”

I quickly mentioned that I lived a few streets north of where he was; this was my neighborhood and I was concerned because he was teaching some false things in regards to salvation.

By now he was about ten feet away from me and walking briskly. I wanted him to come back so I said: “Now I can tell everyone that I met Pastor Steve Anderson, challenged him to a debate on his doctrine and he wouldn’t do it.”

He said, “Yeah, you go ahead and you can also tell all of your little Reformed friends that they are all going to hell”.

I told him I would still want to do the debate but at this point he was walking away to a new house. I called after him and asked, “Well, then what about coming on our radio show to do it instead”?

He responded with, “Look up debate in the dictionary. It’s just a bunch of people who sit around arguing with each other all day.”

I pointed out that he could also look it up in the Book of Acts where it says Paul went into the synagogues and debated the Jews there. He ignored me and began knocking on the door of the new house they were at. I was desperate to try to speak with this man and I felt this may be my one chance … so, for better or for worse, I goaded him (although what I said was truthful): “Pastor, it seems the Fruit of the Spirit is missing in your life. Especially patience but also gentleness, love, meekness, and self-control”.

He shot back: “Well the Bible says to rebuke false teachers harshly”.

At this point he was getting far away and I really wanted to talk to him to try to get some points across. I will admit I goaded him further in an attempt to get him to come back – to no avail. I said, “Man, you are just like I thought you would be – except worse.” He shouted back: “Oh yeah? Well, there’s something called the Great White Throne Judgment, buddy, and you’re gonna be there.” By this time they had moved onto a man painting a house and began speaking to him in Spanish. I sat in my car and listened for a while. They both were laughing with the man, being very friendly, and speaking Spanish to him (I noticed earlier one of them had a Santa Biblia.). The other man was not saying much, just painting and listening. Even though it seemed like he was sorta trapped listening to them because he was painting, they were being very friendly to him.

They left that man and went onto another block and passed by my parked car where I was sitting. Steve said into my rolled down passenger side window: “Why don’t you get out here and preach the gospel to all these people so we don’t have to come down here and do it for you.” He literally said “so we don’t have to do it for you” – I exaggerate not.

I waited in my car, reading over John MacArthur’s The Gospel According to Jesus and looking at some Scripture passages. When I could tell they were done, I drove over by their car and began making one last attempt to speak with them. By this time, I had out my wife’s digital recorder and recorded it. However, I was literally walking after them while speaking and for the most part, they were completely ignoring me. The audio from their end is a bit rough but for the most part you can make out what he is saying to me (especially awesome is the “we don’t have time for the paparazzi” comment).

Here is the rough version of the audio for you to download (it's only a minute and a half). You can hear me talking to Steven Anderson as he drives away. It is still a bit rough around the edges.

AUDIO LINK: Pastor Steven Anderson Run-In

It is possible I could hear from them again because before I actually spoke`with them, I wrote a note to them and placed it in their windshield (see pic on left). It included my name and contact info and I said I wanted to talk to them about the King James Version.

PS: I’ve had one other run in with a member (Christopher Broughton) of Faithful Word out on Mill Ave. I blogged about it and even included some small audio. "Chris B." is the gentleman who carried an AR-15 to an Obama rally here in the Valley. In our convo, his main point to me was that if a person did not believe in the doctrine of once saved always saved (defined by 'easy-believe-ism', not Reformed, terms) then they themselves could not be saved.

My Run-In With Pastor Steven Anderson (rough draft)

2011-12-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

My Run-In With Pastor Steven Anderson (rough draft)

Yesterday after work, my wife and I went over to Vital Records to acquire new birth certificates for our newly adopted sons (which is always a touching experience). On the way there, I saw two men in suits out and about around Taylor and 15th Ave. It looked as if they were going door to door so I figured they were Jehovah’s Witnesses. I told my wife if I saw them on the way back home, I wanted to stop and speak with them.

On the way back, I did drive around and look for them for a few minutes. I did not see them but I did see a car with vanity plates reading ‘KJVONLY’. That immediately struck me as intriguing. I remember saying to myself, “Something’s afoot” (a humorous phrase if there ever was one). I got out to take a few pics of the plates. I WILL POST THE PICS TOMORROW. I also noticed some literature in the dashboard which mentioned Pastor Steven Anderson of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, AZ. At this point, I figured this car may belong to the dudes I saw earlier … and maybe they weren’t JWs but instead Indie-Fundy Baptists.

Eventually, I saw the pair emerge from a house again, so I pulled over by the curb beside them. When I first stopped them I told them, “When I first saw you guys I thought you were Jehovah’s Witnesses but it seems you’re not, is that right?” They laughed and said “No”. I told them that I am a Christian and I do some pastoral work at an area church. I asked them if they would like to talk about a few things.

After introducing ourselves, I discovered that this man was none other than Pastor Steven Anderson. Anderson has made national news several times for outrageous statements and actions, so I was aware of him and some of his beliefs (see the PS at the end of this entry for audio from an earlier encounter I had with one of his devotees). First, Pastor Anderson asked me how I knew I was saved. I told him it was all through God’s grace and I said a few other things. He seemed satisfied with my answer. Then he said, “BUT (he really emphasized the BUT) does your church teach that you can lose your salvation”. I told him “No, because we believe in the perseverance of the saints”; I mentioned this could also be called “preservation of the saints” (see the debate I did with a Roman Catholic blogger on this topic).

He seemed relieved but then kept pressing me, giving me examples of what he felt the practical implications of this doctrine would be. He gave an example of someone who says they came to faith “but then leaves the church and starts backsliding” (his word). “They start going to clubs and all that and never repent – are they saved?” I tried to talk about false converts and the importance of abiding and bearing fruit and he started accusing me of teaching a works based salvation.

I could see where he was going. I asked him this: “Can someone be a Christian if they do not submit to the Lordship of Christ in their life”? He looked right at me and said, “yes”. I said no, they can’t and brought up James discussion on the relationship between faith and works. He got out of this in a very creative manner: “James says faith without works is dead – but how can something be dead if it doesn’t exist? You’re saying their faith doesn’t exist but it does, it’s just dead.”

Then he went through a flurry of proof texts, such as Romans 3-4 and 1 Corinthians 3:10 - I do not recall where all of them were from but then he turned to I John 5:10-11: “Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” He ran through some scenarios from his interpretation of this verse and came to the conclusion that if you do not believe in once saved, always saved in the exact same way that he believes it (which I would say is a non-Lordship view), then you yourself are not saved and going to hell. You may wonder how one can get that from this verse and you would not be alone in your wondering. When I brought up 1 John 2:19 (as an example of false professors), he said “John is only talking about anti-Christs and backslidden Christians are not anti-Christs”. He gave the examples of King David, King Solomon and even King Saul and told me they were all three in heaven. His point is this: if you teach that true repentance and genuine salvation will always be followed by fruit (works) then you are a heretic. Pastor Anderson and his flock believe that all it takes is for someone to “believe on Jesus” and then it does not matter what they do or say after that – they are saved for the rest of their life and then go to heaven; admittedly, with very little reward.

Of course, I think the biblical view is that no true child of God will ever be lost (he brought up John 6 and John 10, which are good places to go to), and yet every true child of God will bear fruit. This is all over Scripture - Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-10 that this is one reason why we were saved! Pastor Steve, on the other hand, seems to say that mere assent or verbal agreement to some basic Christian doctrine means one is truly saved. What is so odd about all this is that Pastor Anderson is an Arminian! He holds dogmatically to an unbiblical version of perseverance but then destroys its foundation by slamming the doctrines of grace. Here is how I know this …

Pastor Anderson showed me several more passages and asked me several more (convoluted) questions. When I would try to clarify what he was asking me (I wanted him to define his terms), he became irritated. When I would answer with a qualification, he would say I was twisting the Scripture. As he did this (he did most of the talking), he told me he “didn’t like the term perseverance of the saints”. I asked him “why” and he said people who usually use that term have a works-based salvation. Even though I had some idea about his church’s focus on non-Lordship salvation as a cardinal doctrine, I was still taken aback. I was confused how perseverance of the saints could ever equal a works-based talking righteousness. As we began discussing these issues (or should I say as he began talking at me), he said he didn’t believe in that phrase because usually people have a Reformed understanding when they use it. When I told him I was Reformed, he told me “Reformed theology is a load of junk and a bunch of garbage”.

I asked him if he was part of the Free Grace Movement (sometimes called ‘antinomianism’ or even ‘cheap grace’). He said he had never heard of it and he just “read the Bible”. I mentioned how there has been something called the Lordship Salvation Controversy and many of the same issues he was bringing up had been raised (and I would even say adequately dealt with). As I asked him about the Lordship Salvation Controversy he curtly interjected: “I don’t believe in Lordship salvation”. What a startling thing for a Christian to say, I thought. I responded to his statement: “That’s the only kind, my friend”. That was the turning point for Pastor Steven. Even though he had been dominating the conversation, he had been relatively cordial up to this point – that began to change.

He turned to me and said: Oh yeah? Well, I tell you what, you can take a shovel and go dig up the bones of John Calvin wherever he is and worship him”. When I told him I don’t look at Calvin like that or follow him in that way, he said: “Or whoever your favorite Reformed idol is”. I said you don’t have to be Reformed to appreciate the Reformation. I said, “I think the church we should have an appreciation for history and understand its importance”. He replied with, “I don’t care. That was 500 years ago and I am living right here now”. When I began to speak he said, “What are you going to say? That we’d all be Catholic if there was no Reformation? Pfffsh – God’s always had his faithful people but you are in a false and man-made religion”.
We had only been conversing for 6-8 minutes and he was mainly preaching to me but then he said he was “gonna show me just one more passage”. He did and I commented on the passage and he said:

“You can go to hell”!

“What”?

“Yeah, you can literally go to hell.”

After he said this and rebuked me in the name of Jesus as a false teacher and a heretic, he began walking away. I wanted to continue on, so I said, “I challenge you to a public debate in your church on these issues.”

He looked disgusted and said “No, why should I because every Scripture I bring up you have twisted – so what would be the point? No, you obviously pulled over and stopped us just to argue but we have better things to do – like preach the gospel to these people.”
I quickly mentioned that I lived a few streets north of where he was – this was my neighborhood and I was concerned because he was teaching some false things in regards to salvation.
By now he was about ten feet away from me and walking briskly. I wanted him to come back so I said: “Now I can tell everyone that I met Pastor Steve Anderson, challenged him to a debate on his doctrine and he wouldn’t do it.”

He said, “Yeah, go ahead and you can also tell all of your little Reformed friends that they are all going to hell”.

I told him I would still want to do the debate but at this point he was walking away to a new house. I called after him and asked, “Well, then what about coming on our radio show to do it instead”?

He responded with “Look up debate in the dictionary. It’s just a bunch of people who sit around arguing with each other all day.”

I pointed out that he could also look it up in the Book of Acts where it says Paul went into the synagogues and debated the Jews there. They ignored me and began knocking on the door of the new house they were at. I was desperate to try to speak with this man and I felt this may be my one chance … so, for better or for worse, I goaded him (although what I said was truthful): “Pastor, it seems the Fruit of the Spirit is missing in your life. Especially patience but also gentleness, love, meekness, and self-control”.

He shot back: “Well the Bible says to rebuke false teachers”.

At this point he was really far away and I really wanted to talk to him to try to get some points across and to try to record. So I will admit I goaded him further in an attempt to get him to come back – to no avail. I said, “Man, you are just like I thought you would be – except worse.” He shouted from the porch he was on: “Oh yeah? Well, there’s something called the Great White Throne Judgment, buddy, and you’re gonna be there.” By this time they had moved onto a man painting his house and began speaking to him in Spanish. I sat in my car and listened for a while. They both were laughing with the man, being very friendly, and speaking Spanish to him (I noticed earlier one of them had a Santa Biblia.). The other man was not saying much, just painting and listening. Even though it seemed like he was trapped listening to them because he was painting, they were very friendly to him.

They left that man and went onto another block, passing by my parked car where I was sitting. Steve said into my window (they were rolled down): “Why don’t you get out here and preach the gospel to all these people so we don’t have to come down here and do it for you.” He literally said “so we don’t have to do it for you” – I exaggerate not.

I waited in my car, reading over John MacArthur’s The Gospel According to Jesus and looking at some Scripture passages. When I could tell they were done, I drove over by their car and began making one last attempt to speak with them. By this time, I had out my wife’s digital recorder and recorded it. However, I was literally walking after them while speaking and for the most part, they were completely ignoring me. The audio from their end is a bit rough but for the most part you can make out what he is saying to me. Especially awesome is the “we don’t have time for the paparazzi” comment. I will put up the audio tomorrow. In fact, I will update this post tomorrow and re-post it in a more polished and edited version – it is still a bit rough around the edges. But I wanted to write it down before I forgot what was said and put it up as soon as possible.

It is possible I could hear from them again because earlier I wrote a note to them and placed it in their windshield. It included my name and contact info and I said I wanted to talk to them.

NOTE: Now I’ve had one other run in with a member (Chris) of Faithful Word out on Mill Ave. I blogged about it and even included some small audio. Chris is the gentleman who carried an AR-15 to an Obama rally here in the Valley. In our convo, his main point to me was that is a person did not believe in the doctrine of once saved always saved (defined in cheap grace, not Reforemd, terms) then they themselves could not be saved. I WILL POST THE LINK TOMORROW.

THE SONSHIP OF CHRIST [BACKPACK RADIO]

2011-12-05T18:42:00.001-07:00

“The Sonship of Christ" (and the Meaning of the Title the ‘Son of God’)
Backpack Radio recently recorded a program where we discuss the meaning of the title 'Son of God' in 1st Century Palestine. This was a point of contention between myself and Kiera Topping of the Desert Air Podcast (to read our dialogue, go to their FB page). We would love your feedback on this program. This is important program where the Backpack Radio squad discusses the sonship of Christ and the meaning of the title the ‘Son of God'.

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John 3:16 is such a common verse but do we know what the term 'Son of God' really meant and means – let’s learn! [12/04/2011]

Backpack Radio Archive News

2011-12-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

The site we used to use to host Backpack Radio - MyPodcast.com - has ceased all operations and is now permanently closed. This means all of the old pre-1360 KPXQ shows are no longer online. So I am trying to get some listener advice on what to do with the files ... what is the best way to make them available to folks now? Help/suggestions are appreciated.

Vocab

One Website You Need

2011-12-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

One Website You Need

The other day a fellow Seminary student asked me if there were any websites he should know about for biblical resources and research. I told him about http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk

This website is ran by Rob Bradshaw of the UK and is phenomenal. It has scores of journal articles in PDF format and links to key resources for scholarly biblical study. Plus, Rob runs a few sister sites that are excellent as well (check the links).

To get a taste of this amazing storehouse, here are the Top Fifteen Article Downloads in November on BiblicalStudies.org.uk

1) The Unity of the Bible (F.E. Gaebelein)
2) Applying the Old Testament Law Today (J. Daniel Hays)
3) Special Revelation as Historical and Personal (Paul K. Jewett)
4) The Purposes Behind Paul’s First Epistle to the Thessalonians (Rob Bradshaw)
5) From Babylon to Bethlehem. The Jewish People from the Exile to the Messiah (H.L. Ellison)
6) The Ancient Near Eastern Treaties and the Old Testament (J.A. Thompson)
7) Gog and Magog: The History of a Symbol (Nicholas Railton)
8) Elijah (Rob Bradshaw)
9) The Cross of Christ (Rob Bradshaw)
10) The Trinitarian Ontology of John Zizioulas (John G.F. Wilks)
11) Semantics and New Testament Interpretation (Anthony C. Thiselton)
12) Exegesis in Practice: Two Samples (R.T. France)
13) Pentateuchal Criticism and Interpretation (Kenneth A. Kitchen)
14) The Temptation Narrative of Genesis 3: 1-6 (Martin Emmrich)
15) The History of New Testament Study (F.F. Bruce)

FOR LIVE LINKS TO DOWNLOAD ALL OF THESE ARTICLES, VISIT THE SITE'S BLOG AT http://biblicalstudiesorguk.blogspot.com/

Views on Biblical Interpretation [Backpack Radio]

2011-11-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Views on Biblical Interpretation [11/27/2011]

Some of the highlights On this joint:

Defining inerrancy (what it means and doesn’t mean)
How does inerrancy interact with biblical interpretation?
How should we rightly interpret the bible?
Why good exegesis matters (right ways and wrongs ways to interpret the Bible)
Distinguishing between absolutes, convictions, opinions, and questions

Listen Now:

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Justification and Imputation w/Jeff Durbin

2011-11-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

Here Jeff Durbin and I discuss Justification on Redemption Radio.
You can listen below or download here ...

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PS - here is a link to last week's show I sat in on on a similar topic

Calling Out Atheists

2011-11-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

Back in July, Jim Lippard mentioned The Desert Air atheist Podcast on his blog: "A group of Tucson atheists and skeptics have started the Desert Air podcast, available via iTunes."
In the comments section, I posted this:

Jim, have you listened to these?

The first one has some absolutely bonkers interpretation of Christian scripture. Just listen to the section called 'Sunday School'.

It is easy to see that no one on that show knows what they are talking about in regards to Christian eschatology (or textual criticism, for that matter). I'm not saying they should all be "Bible experts" - I understand atheists feel they don't have the time to do serious exegesis - but this section alone demonstrates a surprising level of incompetence.

One guy says so heaven is 'packed with Hebrew virgins' and the other says 'Isn't sex a sin' ... and on and on ... Jesus practices (or commands) cannibalism ... only 144,000 people make it into heaven ... seriously?

They should have read just *one* commentary before they recorded this episode.

Vocab

Don Lacey, one of the podcast's hosts thanked Jim: "Listeners can give feedback to help us improve at feedback@desertairpodcast.com". The thing is, I've given them plenty of feedback on their many errors and they continue on with the same overconfidence in their biblical knowledge. Worse yet, they won't fully acknowledge their many errors or enter into public debate about it. I've invited them on my show and they declined; I invited them to a public or written debate, they declined; I told them I would go on their show; they declined. Backpack Radio did a whole show on their mistakes and I have interacted with them on their Facebbook wall. In fact, I told them I made a comment about them on Lippard's blog:

"I mentioned you guys in a comment on Jim Lippard's blog - I thought you should know.
And I am curious if you have taken a look at either of the articles I posted above (What Does the Title 'Son of God' Mean? and Does Jesus Refer to Himself as the Son of Man?). They are both in direct response to claims by Kiera during our conversation on here.

Of course, there is still no real response. The closet thing they offered was a brief mention on their podcast (see: Being an Atheist Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry) and some posts on Facebook. Oh and I can't forget the condescending e-mails.

But is that it? Probably.

Turn on 1360 KPXQ at 9AM on yo' radios in Phoenix!

2011-11-26T01:00:00.001-07:00

This Saturday morning at 9AM MST Jeff Durbin and I discuss Justification on Redemption Radio.
You can listen via live-stream at their website internationally ...

PS - here is a link to last week's show I sat in on on a similar topic

Pics of all the New AZ Atheist Billboards

2011-11-25T15:39:00.001-07:00

here ...

Phoenix and Tucson nontheists come ‘Out of the Closet’ in FFRF billboard blitz
The article begins with ...

Nine myth-dispelling billboards featuring Phoenix-area nonbelievers and families, plus two billboards in Tucson, are appearing this week for a month-long campaign, as part of the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s personalized “Out of the Closet” project.
Here is the map -

Confront the Complacent and Educate the Uninformed in AZ about Abortion

2011-11-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

Video and Pictures from the
Center for Bio-Ethical Reform Phoenix College outreach:

Link -Phoenix College Outreach- Video and Pictures

The Book of Mormon Geography [Backpack Radio]

2011-11-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

The Book of Mormon and Geography [11/20/2011]
Here are some of the areas we explore:

Why are there no maps in the back of the Book of Mormon?
What was Joseph Smith's view on boM geography?
What is the current day position of the LDS church's authorities on BoM geography?
What are some of the current LDS scholarly theories about BoM geography?
What about all the LDS-themed tours to the prospective locations?
What should be our response to these claims about BoM Geography



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Special Guest: Chip Thompson of Tri-Grace Ministries of Ephraim, UT

To those who live in Mesa/Tempe, have you see this in your travels?

2011-11-20T17:24:00.003-07:00

New atheist billboard in Mesa around Dobson and Main.

I like what my friend Bill Slease said about it: "It's ironic isn't it to use a nonsensical formula to promote critical thinking." True dat! And another one of my friends said, "That's my math professor!"

and one at 16th St. and Indian School as well. Apparently, these are all over Tucson as well.

Dr. Venema on the New Perspective on Paul

2011-11-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

BLURRING THE GOSPEL

Listen as Jeff Durbin of Redemption Radio interviews Dr. Cornelis Venema (I chip in a bit here and there as well). Dr. Venema is the President of Mid-America Reformed Seminary and the author of The Gospel of Free Acceptance in Christ. We discuss a serious theological issue called the New Perspective on Paul that represents a redefinition of the Gospel.

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Check-it out and share with your friends!

Spiritual People (a sermon on 1 Cor. 3:1-4) AUDIO

2011-11-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

SPIRITUAL PEOPLE

Date: Sunday, October 30, 2011
Speaker: Vocab Malone
Series: The Cross! The Cross!
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:1–3:4

http://s3.amazonaws.com/churchplantmedia-cms/rooseveltcc-az/10302011-spiritual-people.mp3

The Abolition of Adoption in Islam [Backpack Radio audio]

2011-11-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

The Abolition of Adoption in Islam [11/13/2011]

This shocking show about the abolition of adoption in Islam (by Muhammad!) is especially significant because two of the show's hosts have adopted. This intriguing episode also speaks volumes about the composition of Islam’s holy book (the Qur'an) and shines a light on the character of the prophet of Islam.

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Special Guest: Sam Shamoun of http://www.answering-islam.org/

The Theology of Adoption [BACK PACK RADIO AUDIO]

2011-11-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

The Theology of Adoption [10/16/11]

When Christians speak of the benefits of salvation, they speak of adoption. When Christians speak of God's heart for the orphan, they speak of adoption. This heart felt BPR show is on the biblical theology of adoption being the foundation for 'earthly' adoption.

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http://backpack.podbean.com/2011/10/25/the-theology-of-adoption-101611/

The Crucified Lord [sermon audio]

2011-11-10T09:14:00.001-07:00

http://www.rooseveltchurch.org/sermons/sermon/the-crucified-lord

by: Vocab Malone on Oct 23
Series: The Cross! The Cross!
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:6–2:16

http://s3.amazonaws.com/churchplantmedia-cms/rooseveltcc-az/10232011-the-crucified-lord.mp3

BPR’s One Year Anniversary [Backpack Radio audio]

2011-11-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

BPR's One Year Anniversary [10/23/11]

http://backpack.podbean.com/2011/10/25/bprs-one-year-anniversary-102311/

This show is a unique celebration, as we discuss a few past shows, catch up on some news and dream about the future of the program. We even talk to a few listener's and get their feedback about BPR.

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Special guests: Bryan P., Joel L. and Rikki W.

The Dearborn Incident [Backpack Radio audio]

2011-11-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

The Dearborn Incident [11/06/2011]

This show is vital, as it helps people see a glimpse of Islamic persecution in the US. We talk to one of the missionaries who was arrested for witnessing to Muslims at the Arabic Festival in Michigan. We also have a lot of fun as we talk (and rap with) to apologist David Wood of Acts17 Ministries about Sharia Law and what that means.

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Check out David's great blog at http://www.answeringmuslims.com

The Dearborn Incident Rap

2011-11-07T18:51:00.000-07:00

The Dearborn Incident Rap
Lyrics by Vocab Malone (from the perspective of David Wood)

THESE ARE THE LYRICS TO A VERSE THAT I RAPPED (WITH DAVID WOOD ON THE BEAT BOX) ON THE 11/06/11 EDITION OF BACKPACK RADIO. I WILL POST THE AUDIO TO THE SHOW TOMORROW ...

My name is David Wood

Man, I'm brave in the hood

Make my day, call me Dave Eastwood

Rollin’ through The Bronx like it's all good

17 Acts spittin’ heavenly facts

With my man Nabeel like chillin’ in the back

On the microphone with Qureshi raps

And Sam Shamoun, the man's a 'bafoon'

The Tours II Project comin’ out real soon

I love dialogue - check out my blog

Shinin’ light on the Quranic fog

Missin’ verses - people getting’ flogged

And that’s the truth to the youth we speak

Quoting Muhammad, al-Bukhari Hadith

I’ll speak to a Sikh a Sheik or Mufti

So they can see the true God of Beauty

Through the gospel even when it hurts

And yes I commit the sin of Shirk!

Some Reflections on the Theology of Urban Missions

2011-11-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

Here are my notes (heavily borrowed from several of John Piper's works, see list at bottom) from my talk at yesterday's Roots Urban Ministry Conference 2011

Some Reflections on the Theology of Urban Missions
by vocab malone

ISAIAH 25:3-9
God’s Ultimate Goal in Creation and Redemption

-To uphold and display his glory
-For the enjoyment of his redeemed people
-From every people, tribe, tongue, and nation

PSALM 96
God’s people should do 3 things for the nations:

-Declare God’s Glory
-Summon the Nations to Join In
-Warn Them of Judgment

As of 2008, The Joshua Project says there are:

- 1,569 unengaged people groups
(No missionaries or church)

- 6,747 least reached groups
(Fewer than 2% evangelical)

Tactics and Strategy
Is the unique biblical task of the church’s missionary enterprise …

-To win as many as individuals to Christ as possible before he returns OR

-To win some individuals among all the peoples of the earth before he returns?

See ...
Genesis 12:1-3
Psalm 67:1-3
Romans 15:18-21
Romans 15:23

The unique missionary task of the church is not:

-To win as many as individuals to Christ as possible before the end comes BUT

-To win some individuals among all the peoples of the earth before the end comes

THE REASON FOR URBAN MISSIONS IS THAT IN OUR CITIES:

The glory of God is not honored.
The holiness of God is not reverenced.
The greatness of God is not admired.
The power of God is not praised.
The truth of God is not sought.
The wisdom of God is not esteemed.
The beauty of God is not treasured.
The goodness of God is not savored.
The faithfulness of God is not trusted.
The commandments of God are not obeyed.
The justice of God is not respected.
The wrath of God is not feared.
The grace of God is not cherished.
The presence of God is not prized.
The person of God is not loved.

The opposite of this disrespect is worship:

A valuing of God above all else that is valuable.
A loving of God above all else that is lovely.
A savoring of God above all else that is sweet.
An admiring of God above all else that is admirable.
A fearing of God above all else that is fearful.
A respecting of God above above all else that is respectable.
A prizing of God above all else that is precious.

The essence of worship is a heart that is satisfied with God.

The Center of Our Singing

And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

(Revelation 5:9–10)

SOURCES:
The Living God Is a Missionary God (Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, #1) January 11, 1998 | by John Piper

Declare His Glory Among the Nations Psalms: Thinking and Feeling with God, Part 6
June 29, 2008 | by John Piper

The Tension Between Domestic Ministries and Frontier Missions
Western Seminary Missions Conference
February 11, 1988 | by John Piper

Let the Nations Be Glad! by John Piper
Baker Academic; 2nd edition (2003)
pages 206-207

soundandpound3 TODAY!!!

2011-11-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

November 4, 2011 06:00 PM
SoundandPound3
924 North 1st Street
Phoenix, Az 85004 US
Json concert

November 5, 2011 09:00 AM
The Roots urban ministry conference
924 North 1st Street
Phoenix, Az 85004 US
Guest speaker Reddit Andrews III

Sound and Pound3 Preview [Backpack Radio audio]

2011-11-03T15:28:00.001-07:00

Sound and Pound3 Preview [10/30/2011]

BACKPACK RADIO interviews Reddit Andrews III, a member of The Gospel Coalition, about TOMORROW NIGHT'S urban music/ministry concert called SOUND and POUND3. More information about Sound and Pound

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Special Guests: Reddit Andrews III and Bishop Ortega
Download here

Back Pack Radio (Live Event) - 09/14/2011 - Part 2

2011-11-02T16:18:00.003-07:00

Back Pack Radio (Live Event) - 09/14/2011 - Part 2 from Backpack Radio on Vimeo.
What the Bible does and doesn't say about homosexuality.
Special guest: Dr. Michael Brown

What Does the Title 'Son of God' Mean?

2011-11-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

What Does the Title 'Son of God' Mean?

Throughout October 2011, I had a few on-line back and forths with some of the hosts of an Arizona-based atheist podcast. At one point we discussed the meaning of the phrase 'Son of God'. Read it below - it is helpful, I think. Note how Kiera (one of the show's hosts) feels free to simply assert and re-assert her claims - she doesn't actually defends her ideas and does not respond to my rebuttals ...*

Kiera Topping of Desert AIR Podcast:
Jesus is often referred to the as "Son of God" in the Gospels. Although we take this title quite literally today, in the first century it was a term used for all sorts of ordinary, but religious people including healers, prophets, religious leaders, etc. Unfortunately, this was a distinction that did not make it into most translations because the modern meaning of this term rather than the one of antiquity worked better toward a theological goal. The term "Son of God" was not meant to imply that an individual was literally God-manifested-in-flesh straight from God's genitalia.

Instead, it just meant that Jesus was like many other people of the time: a devout prophet/demon-remover/healer (of which there were hundreds). If this was the case, Jesus being a Jew and well versed in the Hebrew Bible, he would naturally understand that his own worship would be considered an act of idolatry. Since this title appeared so often in the gospels (instead of something like the "Son of Man" (i.e. the Messiah, bringer of the end of times)), it's easy to assume that the historical Jesus would have been a respected religious authority, but certainly not God himself. A potential conclusion we can come to is that Jesus was human, but not necessarily divine, and if this is the case, would not desire to be worshiped like God. Examples like this are why the text and the mythical and historical Jesus all get so complicated.

Vocab Malone of Backpack Radio:
Kiera, in regards to the phrase 'Son of God', you said that "this was a distinction that did not make it into most translations because the modern meaning of this term rather than the one of antiquity worked better toward a theological goal."

Please tell us all just how huios ho theos should be translated?

You also said, "The term 'Son of God' was not meant to imply that an individual was literally God-manifested-in-flesh straight from God's genitalia."

Kiera, do you know any Christian theologians who think YHWH has genitalia? Do you know any places in the OT or NT where YHWH is said to have genitalia? If not, why did you bring this up? No one thinks this is what the phrase 'Son of God' means or meant so just whose misconceptions are you correcting?

Kiera, you also said that, "Jesus being a Jew and well versed in the Hebrew Bible, he would naturally understand that his own worship would be considered an act of idolatry."

*Matthew 14:33-“Then those who were in the boat worshiped him Jesus, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
*John 9:38-“Then the man said, ‘Lord Jesus, I believe,’ and he worshiped him.”
*Matthew 28:9-“they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him”
*and . . “they worshiped Him” in Matthew 28:17 and Luke 24:52.

It seems he did not consider it an act of idolatry and in fact accepted worship.

Furthermore, even if every Jew worth his salt was called the Son of God back then - as you seem to intimate - you still need to account for a word often found in the Gospels in connection with the phrase Son of God and that word is monogenes.

This means Jesus is called the monogenes (unique, only, one-of-a-kind) Son of God. Contrary to your post, it did not mean something like 'Son of God #298,419' and Christians just didn't get it that it meant the same thing as 'Holy Joe' to a Jewish person in the first century, as you seem to imply.

Monogenes means the only one of its kind!

Kiera Topping of Desert AIR Podcast:
I was being factitious when I used the term "God's genitalia." I never meant to imply that God actually has them. And Jesus often talks about the "Son of Man" when he is not referring to himself. More often than not, he doesn't refer to himself as the Son of Man directly. Just as he talks about God when he is not referring to himself.

And when you translate a document of antiquity, it's not best to necessarily use a LITERAL translation of all terms, but sometimes it's more important to translate the MEANING of the term at the time and unfortunately in the case of "son of god," this hasn't generally happened. For instance, when 2,000 years from now, someone looks at the phrase "time flies" in English, it would be a shame if they translate it as "time has wings" or "time hovers," instead of a more accurate "time passes quickly."

But again, my argument pushes for a historical Jesus and your argument is for a theological one. This is why such a conversation is nearly impossible. Additionally, Monogenes only appears in John, and let's face it, that gospel is f***ing trippy :) I much prefer the Q source (since historians don't generally regard John as a very accurate portrayal of a historical Jesus).

Vocab Malone of Backpack Radio:
On the Son of God in 1st century Judaism, here is an excerpt from an article on the topic, "What would the term "Son of God" have meant to a 1st Century, pious Jew?:

"In the Old Testament, the coming Messiah, the descendant of David, was to become God’s “son” (2 Samuel 7:12-14a; Psalm 2:7). To be God’s “son” was to be the ruler God had appointed, of the line of David. As Israel’s Messiah, Jesus was the “Son of God.” But Jesus further clarified the matter, demonstrating that He was indeed, God manifested in the flesh, something John is eager for His readers to grasp at the beginning of his Gospel (John 1:1-5, 9-14)." ... "Thus, the first century Jew understood the term “the Son of God” to mean “the Messiah.” And with our Lord’s further claims (John 5, 8), they understood this term to mean that Jesus, as the “Son of God” was not only the Messiah but God incarnate."

On history and the Gospel according to John, here is another solid article on the topic.As far as the Gospel according to John and the term monogenes, note the text in the first epistle of John:

"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son (ton huion autou ton monogenee) into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins... And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." (1 John 4:9-10, 14-15).

My question would be this: do you think the disciple names John really wrote the Gospel of John as well as First John? I do, but I doubt you do. If not, then you have another Christian in the first century also using this same language for Jesus. The real question is this - why were all these 1st century Jews thinking this way about a crucified prophet from Galilee? I think your presuppositions will inhibit you from examining all the historical data and this is unfortunate.

…

At this point one of the show's hosts got on the board and said I was personally attacking and quote "differences of opinion don't really help anyone". So the next part is not part of the original dialogue but I want to point out a few things...

Vocab Malone of Backpack Radio:

Kiera tells us that “in the first century [Son of God] was a term used for all sorts of ordinary, but religious people including healers, prophets, religious leaders.” Note that she provides no examples of this claim. If it really was such a common nickname for godly guys, then she should have no trouble providing some evidence for her claim.

If she brings us ANE or Greco-Roman examples, I predict they will indicate relationship only - pagan kings often used Son of God to indicate physical descent - something that Son of God never meant in the Gospels.

Further, they most likely will not be a title (especially a Messianic one) in the manner that Jesus used the phrase. Why can I say this with such certainty? Because if one is even relatively familiar with the literature on this subject (even reading a few articles or entries on the topic helps!), they would know that Son of God was only very rarely used as a title in Jewish contexts (and even Hellenistic circles as well). I have reviewed some of the claims about the use of Son of God in the first century and found them lacking merit (as have many others). This is why I challenge her to bring us evidence of this title being bandied about so carelessly in the first century.

Kiera goes on to say that son of God “meant that Jesus was like many other people of the time: a devout prophet/demon-remover/healer (of which there were hundreds)”. Again, I think she should give us an example; remember, she said there hundreds. Her whole framework here is misconstrued. For example, if one reads Josephus’ (a non-Christian Jew) writings about first century Palestine, you will note that he does not think there were lots of prophets at that time and even – along with much of the Intertestamental Literature – seems to think prophecy has ceased in Israel. This is why the arrival of John the Baptizer was such an event. In fact, Josephus has a much longer entry on John than he does on Jesus.

There are numerous over oversights in her comments. She makes statements about God’s genitalia and then basically tells us she was just joking. OK, but we could not have known that unless I said something and pointed out her oversight in this area. Then when I ask her to tell us a better translation for Son of God since she tells us our modern English bibles give us a false impression she responds with this:

“when you translate a document of antiquity, it's not best to necessarily use a LITERAL translation of all terms, but sometimes it's more important to translate the MEANING of the term at the time and unfortunately in the case of "son of god," this hasn't generally happened. For instance, when 2,000 years from now, someone looks at the phrase "time flies" in English, it would be a shame if they translate it as "time has wings" or "time hovers," instead of a more accurate "time passes quickly."

Unfortunately, her response never answers the question so we are left clueless as to how we should translate this important NT term. Plus, she makes a category error when she equates interpreting an idiom – time flies being misunderstood as time has wings – with translating words. A literal interpretation of time flies into another language would be easy; interpreting the original meaning of the English idiom (say, thousands of years from now when the idiom is no longer used) is another matter. It would require studying background sources (especially lexical sources) and the like to determine how the phrase was used. The point is her initial statement was that we should translate Son of God differently but then her actual example implies we should interpret Son of god differently – these are not necessarily the same thing.

Things get more detailed here … I basically made an argument that said even IF Son of God was common religious fare back then, Jesus is still marked out as the monogenes (unique, one-of-a-kind, etc.) Son of God in the Gospels (I should have said in John, as that is more precise). She discounted the use of monogenes by saying that John is “trippy”. Then I showed her in 1 John (not the Gospel of John) where the same word is used in relation to Jesus. Again, she never responded.

In the entry on monogenes, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of OT/NT Words says monogenes “indicates that as the Son of God [Jesus] was the sole representative of the Being and character of the One who sent Him.” To make matters worse for her claims, the concept of the uniqueness of Jesus is seen elsewhere, even if the phrase unique Son of God is not employed, such as in Colossians 1:15, Colossians 2:9, and Hebrews 1:3. Even though the atheist like Kiera does not view these texts as proof that the claim is true, they often realize these passages are found in ancient documents which represent the earliest Christian theology about Jesus. This early and yet high Christology does away with the claim about contrived theological developments embedded in her argument.

Lastly, on a related note, Kiera claimed Jesus did not accept worship. I demonstrated that he did. In her follow-up comments, she never dealt with my rebuttal. I hope she eventually does!

*This back and forth was spread out through many different posts. I have reproduced all the spots relevant to the Son of God question only. They are in order in the chronological sense but other topics were originally distributed all through so this exact convo was strung together. Still, it is accurate as to the flow of our dialogue.

Does Jesus Refer to Himself as the Son of Man?

2011-10-30T19:05:00.008-07:00

Does Jesus Refer to Himself as the Son of Man?

Throughout October 2011, I had a few on-line back and forths with some of the hosts of an Arizona-based atheist podcast. At one point we discussed the Son of Man sayings by Jesus. Read it below - it is brief and helpful, I think. Note how Kiera (one of the show's hosts) feels free to simply assert and re-assert the idea that Jesus never called himself the Son of Man - she never actually defends her idea ...*

Kiera Topping of Desert AIR Podcast:
Since this title [Son of God] appeared so often in the gospels (instead of something like the "Son of Man" (i.e. the Messiah, bringer of the end of times)), it's easy to assume that the historical Jesus would have been a respected religious authority, but certainly not God himself. A potential conclusion we can come to is that Jesus was human, but not necessarily divine, and if this is the case, would not desire to be worshiped like God. Examples like this are why the text and the mythical and historical Jesus all get so complicated.

Vocab Malone of Backpack Radio:
Kiera, you are flat wrong here. The title Son of Man is more prominent in the Gospels (85 times) than the title Son of God.

Kiera Topping of Desert AIR Podcast:
Jesus often talks about the "Son of Man" when he is not referring to himself. More often than not, he doesn't refer to himself as the Son of Man directly. Just as he talks about God when he is not referring to himself.

Vocab Malone of Backpack Radio:
Son of Man is Jesus' favorite appellation for himself.

One example: Matthew 9:5-6 - 'Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...' Then he said to the paralytic, 'Get up, take your mat and go home.'

There is no way you can read this and say Jesus is talking about someone else. Here is a helpful article which gives more examples. I doubt you will look at it but perhaps it will be helpful to others.

Kiera Topping of Desert AIR Podcast:
Again, Jesus uses the "Son of Man" title again and again while not directly applying it to himself in the first three gospels (i.e. He never directly states "I am the Son of Man.") If the "historical" sayings of Jesus regarding the apocalypse are left somewhat whole, but then inserted into a religious text that strives to make Jesus out to be a deity, this would be the result. It would imply that he was NOT necessarily speaking about himself, although Christians wrote the text to make it look that way and now interpret his sayings as if he is because it is theologically convenient.

At this point one of the show's hosts got on the board and said I was personally attacking and quote "differences of opinion don't really help anyone". So the next part is not part of the original dialogue but I want to point out a few things...

Notice that Kiera never responded to the example I gave in Mark 2:10 where Jesus referred himself as the Son of Man - and claimed to have the authority to forgive sins! However, I want to make sure it is clear she has no grounds for her claim that Jesus never referred to himself as the Son of Man (I hope she reads this someday =)

In Mark 2:28 (the grain-field episode), Jesus claims to have authority over the Sabbath when he says: “So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

In Mark 10:45 Jesus speaks of the redemptive nature of his ministry and death when he says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

During our discussion, Kiera said she preferred the Q sayings. Regardless of one’s take on this, I say we can oblige her by providing examples where Jesus uses Son of Man as a pronoun for himself within what are called the Q sayings. Examples are Matthew 8:20; Matthew 11:19 and Matthew 12:32:

Matthew 8:20 - And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Matthew 11:19 - The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

Matthew 12:32 - And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Furthermore, there are more two in what are called the M Source (Matthew 13:3 and Matthew 11:13) and two more in what is called the L Source (Luke 6:22 and Luke 10:10).

There are other Son of Man sayings as well, such as the ones related to the Passion. We could go through this list and we would be able to see that yet again, Jesus is speaking of himself. The last “group” of Son of Man passages are the four times other New Testament writers use this title for Jesus.

I think these examples suffice. Yet I do want to add that it is true that there are times when Jesus does refer to himself as the Son of Man in the third person as well. These are the apocalyptic sayings of Jesus. One of the most interesting things about these is that Jesus adopts the Son of Man language found in Daniel 7 and applies it to himself and if we had time, we could see how this has not only Messianic but divine overtones.

If someone wants to say that any of these are talking about someone other than Jesus, they would need to provide a good reason why they think that. Even if they were right, we still can see from the other passages that someone who says Jesus never called himself the Son of Man is plainly wrong.

*This back and forth was spread out through many different posts. I have reproduced all the spots relevant to the Son of Man question only. They are in order in the chronological sense but other topics were originally distributed all through so this exact convo was strung together. Still, it is accurate as to the flow of our dialogue.

Coptic Massacre in Egypt - Peaceful Protest in AZ Tomorrow!

2011-10-27T22:44:00.001-07:00

The Arabic Community in the state of Arizona announces its protest and peaceful demonstrations in support of the martyrs of Maspero in Cairo, Egypt. You are invited to come join us and show your support to our oppressed brothers and sisters in Egypt.

The Location: Phoenix Federal Court Building

401 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85003

4^th AVE & Washington

The Date: Friday 10/28/2011

The Time: 11:30 AM- 2:00PM

VIDEO: Egyptian Army Massacres Tens of Copts During Peaceful Protest Sunday 9 October, 2011.

تعلن الجالية العربية في ولاية اريزونا عن إحتجاجها و مظاهرتها السلمية تضامناً مع شهداء مسبيرو في القاهرة، مصر. انت مدعو للمشاركة لتعضيض إخوتنا المضطهدين في مصر.

FOR MORE VIDEOS GO HERE - https://www.youtube.com/user/thecopticmartyrs
WARNING - GRAPHIC IMAGE: http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/2944917981.html

TODAY'S Adoption Pics!

2011-10-26T17:17:00.001-07:00

David Wood of Acts17 Promises a New Video "just for" Osama Abdallah

2011-10-25T00:05:00.000-07:00

Osama Abdallah's lack of showing up for the Phoenix debate series last week has resulted in a flurry of Internet activity. Here is the most recent piece by David Wood:

Three Days Left for Osama's Prophet

The reason why I am covering this is because I had a hand in organizing it, some of the events took place at Roosevelt Community Church where I serve, and it was officially a Backpack Radio live event.

Osama's Phoenix Debate Cancellation Leads to Great Web Kerfuffle

2011-10-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

David Wood's post on this (non)event has lead to a rather lengthy string of combox chatter. Read it here:

Osama Abdallah Backs Out of Debates, Ends His Career

If you are a Christian, I do implore you, though, to not be nasty if you decide to comment. It is true Osama should be more apologetic and mature than he is being, however, it is also true that we should be Christ-like in our approach towards the issue.

I do not think this means not telling the truth about what he did but that personal attacks are not needed ... even is he does tell you to quit whining like a "female dog in heat" (fortunately, he did apologize later for that buts till failed to take real responsibility).

vocab

Phoenix Events - Outreach to Muslim

2011-10-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

Updated due to some slight changes in the topics

Friday, October 21st, 7:00-9:00 PM
Glorious One Christian Center - 775 E. Baseline Road, Phoenix, AZ
Panel Discussion - "Answering Muslim Objections"

Saturday, October 22nd, 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Glorious One Christian Center - 775 E. Baseline Road, Phoenix, AZ

Multiple Topics:
--"Has Muhammad Met the Biblical Requirements of a Prophet?"
--"Women in Islam,"
--"Has the Qur'an Been Perfectly Preserved?"
--"The Islamic Dilemma,"
--"Was Muhammad Assured of His Salvation?" "Who Corrupted the Gospel?"

Sunday, October 23rd, 8:00 AM
First Arabic Baptist Church - 2232 West Campbell Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85015
Osama Abdallah vs. Sam Shamoun: "Is Muhammad a True Prophet?"

Sunday, October 23rd, 1:00 PM
Roosevelt Community Church - 924 N 1st St., Phoenix, AZ
Sam Shamoun vs. Osama Abdallah: "Do the Gospels Teach That Jesus Is God?"

Sunday, October 23rd, 5:00 PM
First Arabic Baptist Church - 2232 West Campbell Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85015
Osama Abdallah vs. David Wood: "Did Muhammad Practice What He Preached?"

Sunday, October 23rd, 5:00 PM
Apologia Church – 1035 East Guadalupe Road, Tempe, AZ 85283
Sam Shamoun: "The Islamic Dilemma"

FLYERS FOR THIS WEEKEND'S PHOENIX MUSLIM OUTREACH

2011-10-21T07:59:00.001-07:00

"Facing the Islamic Challenge" a Backpack Radio Event

2011-10-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

The Center for Religious Debate Presents...
Facing the Islamic Challenge

Reaching Your Muslim Neighbors - a workshop
Friday 10/21 from 9 - 11am
Location: Phoenix Seminary - 4222 E. Thomas, Phoenix, AZ

“The Path of the Prophets” – Dr. Cynthia Pettross “Do and Don’t!” – Pastor George Saieg

________________________________________

Answering Muslim Objections
Friday and Saturday October 21st and 22nd
Location: Glorious One Christian Center - 775 E. Baseline Road, Phoenix, AZ

Friday 10/21 from 7 – 9pm
1. PANEL DISCUSSION: Answering Muslim
Objections - David Wood, Sam Shamoun, more
2. “Why the Muslims” – Pastor George Saieg

Saturday 10/22 from 9:00am – 2:30pm

9:00am - “Who Is Muhammad?”
1. "Was Muhammad's Relationship with Aisha Morally
Acceptable?" - David Wood
2. “Has Muhammad met the Biblical Requirement of
Prophet? - Sam Shamoun
3. "Did Muhammad Practice What He Preached?" -
David Wood

10:30am - Examining Islam:
1. “Women in Islam” - Dr. Cynthia Pettross
2. “Is the Quran Perfectly Preserved?” - David Wood
3. “The Islamic Dilemma” - Sam Shamoun

12:00pm - Lunch Break

1pm - Salvation in Islam & Christianity:
1. “Was Muhammad Assured of His Salvation? - Sam
Shamoun
2. “What is next?” - Pastor George Saieg & Dr. Cynthia
Pettross
___________________________________

The Great Debate Series

Sunday 10/23
Location: First Arabic Baptist Church - 2232 West Campbell Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85015

@ 8am
DEBATE: "Is Muhammad a True Prophet?" Sam Shamoun vs Osama Abdallah

@ 5pm
DEBATE: "Did Muhammad Practice What He Preached?" David Wood vs Osama Abdallah
____________________________________

Sunday 10/23 @ 1pm
Location: Roosevelt Community Church - 924 N 1st St., Phoenix, AZ

DEBATE: "Do the Gospels Teach That Jesus Is God?" Osama Abdallah vs Sam Shamoun
____________________________________

Sunday 10/23 @ 5pm
Location: Apologia Church – 1035 East Guadalupe Road, Tempe, AZ 85283

“The Islamic Dilemma” - Sam Shamoun

Info e-mail vocab@vocabmalone.com or director@ministrytomuslims.com

backpackapologetics.com

Dawkins and Krauss Video on Something From Nothing

Hugh Ross on a Universe from Nothing [BACKPACK RADIO]

How to Know the Will of God [Backpack Radio]

Islam and the Trinity

All of Vocab Malone's iTunes Links

Adoption Event this Saturday

Dawkins, Krauss, and a Crowd Who Boos Christians

Reaching Muslims on the Radio [audio]

Redemption Radio: "The Issue of Life"

Vocab Videos From the AZ Rage Fest (7/7)

Vocab Videos From the AZ Rage Fest (6/7)

Abortion-What is True? [audio]

Vocab Videos From the AZ Rage Fest (5/7)

THINKING BIBLICALLY ABOUT THE SANCTITY OF LIFE Sermon (Audio, Video, Notes)

Vocab Videos From the AZ Rage Fest (4/7)

Vocab Videos From the AZ Rage Fest (3/7)

Vocab Videos From the AZ Rage Fest (2/7)

Vocab Videos From the AZ Rage Fest (1/7)

Intro to Gospel-Centered Counseling for Non-Christian Women Considering Abortion

Using Images in the Abortion Debate [Backpack Radio]

Did Early Christians & the Gospel Writers Care About Eyewitnesses Testimony?

I've Been BUSTED!

Mormons and The Virgin(?) Conception [Backpack Radio]

MLK Day Links

The Personhood Discussion with Jim Lippard

Backpack Radio Interviews Dan Barker of the FFRF

Conversations w/a Muslim

Atheist Billboards [Backpack Radio audio]

The Will of God: An Open Secret

Christian Ethics and End of Life Care [Backpack Radio audio]

Christmas Myths EXPOSED [Backpack Radio audio]

Black Hebrew Israelites Vs. Christian Preacher [FULL AUDIO]

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 13: BOASTING IN LINEAGE

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 12: APOCRYPHA NOT CANONICAL

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 11: A BYSTANDER CHIMES IN

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 10: WE ARE SCHOLARS!

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 09: GENTILE MEANS JEW?

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 8: WHAT IS LOVE?

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 7: HOW DOES JESUS SAVE?

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 6: WHAT COLOR ARE THE JEWS?

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 5: JEWS ARE ALL OVER

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 4: HOW IS SIN FORGIVEN?

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 3: WHO COMMANDED YOU?

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 2: WHO IS A SAINT?

BLACK HEBREW ISRAELITES audio part 1: ACTS 17 and ALL MEN

Apocrypha Lecture [audio]

Ezra, Nehemiah, & Esther Lecture [audio]

Is John's Gospel Reliable? [Backpack Radio audio]

Backpack Radio on an ANGLICAN Web Site!?

Between the Scenes w/Backpack Radio [video]

God's Wisdom vs. Man's Foolishness (Or Vice Versa) [Sermon Audio]

My Favorite Atheist Died Today (Top 5 Things to Read on Hitchens' Death)

5. Christopher Hitchens, Author and Television Personality, Dies at 62an ABC News article, worth the read for this great paragraph:

Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011)by Justin Taylor

Lying in Islam: It's All Good

Is Jesus Talking to Himself (Backpack Radio video)

The Message of Cross [Backpack Radio audio]

Allah: The Greatest Deceiver (Per Islam)

Arizona Republic Covers AZ Atheist Billboards

Feedback to my Steven Anderson Encounter and Article

Pastor Steven Anderson Tells Me "Go to Hell" (Several Times)

My Run-In With Pastor Steven Anderson (rough draft)

THE SONSHIP OF CHRIST [BACKPACK RADIO]

Backpack Radio Archive News

One Website You Need

Views on Biblical Interpretation [Backpack Radio]

Justification and Imputation w/Jeff Durbin

Calling Out Atheists

Turn on 1360 KPXQ at 9AM on yo' radios in Phoenix!

Pics of all the New AZ Atheist Billboards

here ...Phoenix and Tucson nontheists come ‘Out of the Closet’ in FFRF billboard blitzThe article begins with ...

Nine myth-dispelling billboards featuring Phoenix-area nonbelievers and families, plus two billboards in Tucson, are appearing this week for a month-long campaign, as part of the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s personalized “Out of the Closet” project. Here is the map -

Confront the Complacent and Educate the Uninformed in AZ about Abortion

Video and Pictures from the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform Phoenix College outreach:

The Book of Mormon Geography [Backpack Radio]

To those who live in Mesa/Tempe, have you see this in your travels?

Dr. Venema on the New Perspective on Paul

Spiritual People (a sermon on 1 Cor. 3:1-4) AUDIO

The Abolition of Adoption in Islam [Backpack Radio audio]

5. Christopher Hitchens, Author and Television Personality, Dies at 62
an ABC News article, worth the read for this great paragraph:

Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011)
by Justin Taylor

here ...

Phoenix and Tucson nontheists come ‘Out of the Closet’ in FFRF billboard blitz
The article begins with ...

Nine myth-dispelling billboards featuring Phoenix-area nonbelievers and families, plus two billboards in Tucson, are appearing this week for a month-long campaign, as part of the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s personalized “Out of the Closet” project.
Here is the map -

Video and Pictures from the
Center for Bio-Ethical Reform Phoenix College outreach: