Convincing Proof

On July 13, 2024, there was an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump while he was speaking at a political rally. In this podcast, Adam talks about how our frequently heated political rhetoric can lead to situations like this and discusses various ways that we, as Christians, can avoid being taken in by this rhetoric and becoming fearful, frustrated, angry, and hateful. We can disagree with someone’s political positions without using exaggerated statements or being a jerk, and we can refuse to engage in spreading this type of rhetoric. You can read a transcript of this podcast here: https://convincingproof.org/the-attempt-to-assassinate-trump-and-the-rise-of-political-rhetoric/. You can watch the sermon Adam mentioned about a biblical view of government here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfnWBC-fUyY Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you!

When examining the historical sources contained in the New Testament to determine if they accurately portray Jesus' life and message, we can look to the fact that these sources are dated very early to right after the time that Jesus lived. In other words, the New Testament authors gave their testimony soon after the events took place. Some of the New Testament books even contain creeds that go back even earlier, to around the AD 30s, within two to five years of Jesus' death. Additionally, the fact that the New Testament authors were wiling to suffer and die for their testimonies indicates that they believed they were telling the truth. Since many of them were eyewitnesses, they were also in the best position to know whether or not what they were saying was really true. The New Testament authors also included embarrassing details in their accounts that made them look bad, something that a person making up a story isn't likely to do. Finally, Jesus’ resurrection is the best explanation of the well-attested historical facts about Jesus that we learn from these historical sources. The "minimal facts argument" shows that alternate explanations that deny Jesus' resurrection simply don't fit the historical data we have as well as simply believing that Jesus actually rose from the dead. To watch Adam explain more about Reason #7, that the disciples included details that made them look bad, see here: https://youtu.be/PhnSAAOCjhU?si=KxbzPa65RCKNyrXu&t=2977 To watch a more in-depth explanation of the minimal facts argument how it responds to alternate explanations of Jesus' resurrection, see here: https://youtu.be/9_LH73HYm4A?si=5AsQvuo4_MDdCN-W&t=2376 Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you! 0:00 How Have We Been Examining the Evidence? 6:58 Why Does Bart Ehrman Reject Christianity? 9:41 Reason #5: These Sources Are from Soon After the Events Occurred 19:50 The Book of Acts Contains Early Material in Its Speeches 31:03 Paul's Letters Contain Early Material 37:25 Paul's Letters Also Contain Extremely Early Creeds from the AD 30s 44:03 1 Corinthians 15 Contains a Famous Creed 49:29 Reason #6: The Lives of Jesus' Disciples Were Transformed 56:29 Reason #7: The Disciples Included Details that Made Them Look Bad 57:15 Reason #8: Alternative Explanations Don't Fit with the Historical Evidence

If Jesus’ miracles are good evidence to believe His message was from God, how do we know that Jesus performed miracles in the first place? The New Testament contains evidence of Jesus’ miracles, but can we trust the New Testament? Does the text we have today accurately represent the original New Testament? Are the accounts historically reliable? Bart Ehrman, a non-Christian scholar, has laid out the criteria that both Christians and non-Christians affirm by which historical sources are evaluated. These include having multiple, independent, corroborating sources which are early, extensive, and non-biased. Historical sources that meet each of these criteria can be considered reliable and increase our certainty that the events they record actually happened. Additionally, when looking at the accuracy of the text of ancient documents, the number of copies we have and the length of time between the original and the copies that survived are considered. When we look at the sources that mention Jesus and His message, we find that they meet these historical criteria, and, when compared with other ancient sources, the New Testament exceeds all others in number of copies and closeness to the events it records. To go into much more detail about all the historical sources pertaining to Jesus, see here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTEkXbr4qlVPGF3Qa2td7jZtRQhhIkcha Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you! 0:00 Are Miracles Possible? 3:13 Most Miracle Claims Are Fakes or Mistakes 5:00 How Do We Know if a Miracle Happened? 7:51 Using Christian Scholars vs. Non-Christian Scholars 12:33 Bart Ehrman's Book "Did Jesus Exist?" 14:47 Absolute Certainty Can't Be Achieved 19:13 How Do Historians Evaluate Evidence? 21:20 Criterion #1: Multiple Sources 23:54 Criterion #2: Independent Sources 24:40 Criterion #3: Corroborating Sources 26:25 Criterion #4: Early Sources 27:21 Criterion #5: Extensive Sources 28:09 Criterion #6: Non-biased Sources 29:42 Ancient Sources About Jesus 33:28 What Are the Basic Facts about Jesus? 36:29 Objection #1: You Can't Use the Bible to Prove the Bible 41:25 Objection #2: The Bible Was Written by Christians, so It's Biased 44:30 Objection #3: The Bible Has Been Corrupted by Errors 49:40 Length of Time Between Originals and Copies 53:21 Number of Copies We Still Have 59:33 We Can Have Confidence in the Text of the Bible 1:05:24 The Bible Is Not Like Telephone

When the multiple ancient sources that mention Jesus, including the books of the New Testament, are examined, we find that they provide good reasons to trust their historical accounts. First, we have more than 20 sources that record Jesus' life and words. These sources are independent and thus record the testimonies of multiple individuals about Jesus' life. The sources written by Christians are consistent with one another and corroborate the facts contained in each account. For example, an early Christian named Papias provides an early, first-century account of Jesus that confirms what it written in the New Testament. Some skeptics point to differences between the gospel accounts found in the New Testament as evidence that they aren't reliable, but many of these criticisms are the result of an overstated "hyper-skepticism." Most gospel differences are small and reconcilable when various reasonable explanations are considered. Finally, the sources written by non-Christians also corroborate the facts contained in the Christian sources. For example, the Roman author Tacitus and the Jewish author Josephus both give us early corroborating information about Jesus. In fact, we could know many of the basic facts about Jesus' life and ministry just from reading extrabiblical, non-Christian sources. To watch the six-part series Adam mentioned around 11:30 where he goes through the evidence provided in Bart Ehrman's book in much more detail, see here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTEkXbr4qlVPGF3Qa2td7jZtRQhhIkcha Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you! 0:00 We Only Have Testimony About Miracles 6:28 Criteria for Ancient Historical Sources 9:23 Reason #1: We Have Multiple Sources for Jesus 13:40 Reason #2: These Sources Are Independent 17:24 One Early Christian Source: Papias 24:11 Reason #3: The Christian Sources Corroborate Each Other 28:15 Differences Between the Gospels: Hyper-Skepticism 34:50 Hyper-Skepticism Applied to Modern News Stories 39:59 Gospel Differences Are Small and Reconcilable 45:59 Reason #4: The Non-Christian Sources Corroborate Christian Sources 49:49 Non-Christian Source: Tacitus Mentions Jesus 51:58 Non-Christian Source: Josephus Mentions Jesus 54:48 What Would We Know About Jesus if We Didn't Have the Bible?

How do we know Jesus' message really was from God? There are various pieces of evidence that can support this conclusion. Jesus is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, moral teachers. According to the historical sources we have about Him, Jesus seems to have lived up to the moral standards He taught. Jesus is one of the most, if not the most, influential persons in all of world history, and He accomplished this by merely being a poor, itinerant teacher for three years. Jesus also fulfilled many prophecies about a coming Messiah which we can confirm were written hundreds of years before He lived. Two of the most notable of these are the Messianic prophecies from Daniel 9 and Isaiah 53. Finally, Jesus did miracles, including being resurrected from the dead. That is probably the strongest piece of evidence for thinking Jesus' message came from God, since He could do miracles to validate His claim to have a message from God. To read more about the Messianic prophecies pointing to Jesus, see here: https://convincingproof.org/was-the-messiah-predicted-in-the-old-testament/. For a more detailed explanation of Daniel 9, see here: https://convincingproof.org/seventy-weeks-of-years/ To watch the debate Adam mentioned around 55:30, see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H32WynQMke0 Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you! 0:00 Whose Description of God Is Correct? 5:51 Basic Reasons to Believe Jesus' Message Is from God 12:48 Jesus Was the Most Influential Person in History 18:50 Jesus Fulfilled Many Prophecies About Himself 22:57 Daniel 9: Seventy Weeks of Years 35:10 Isaiah 53: The Suffering Servant 40:13 Miracles Are the Strongest Evidence that Jesus Is from God. 51:44 The Miracle Test: The Main Argument that Jesus' Message Is from God 1:02:00 Objections to the Miracle Test

The first-cause, design, and moral arguments for God demonstrate that a supreme being exists. Many cultures around the world have recognized this reality because of these types of arguments. The Greeks recognized the existence of a supreme being behind the world, like Aristotle’s “Unmoved Mover.” The Persians held to a monotheistic religion called Zoroastrianism which affirmed a supreme being. Ancient Indian cultures, such as the Nyaya tradition, also posited the existence of a supreme being. Arabic thinkers, such as al-Ghazali, used philosophy to argue for the existence of a supreme being. However, whose description of this supreme being is correct? To determine this, we have to examine the evidence. Christians think that the strongest evidence seems to be that Jesus of Nazareth is this supreme bring; in other words, He was God. By studying history, we see that Jesus actually existed, He claimed to be God, and He did miracles to authenticate His claim to be God. The Apostle Paul in Acts 17 tried to convince Greek philosophers in Athens with a similar type of argument. For the video Adam mentioned around 59:44 containing a more detailed explanation about why Satan cannot do miracles, see here: https://youtu.be/5sW9juIwhjg?t=3333 For the more detailed class on Apologetics that Adam mentioned at the beginning, you can find that here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTEkXbr4qlVODNtPENS_k21c3hzwERBfh Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you! 0:00 Steps of the Apologetic Approach 6:12 Using Step One: Is There a God? 12:58 Many Western/Greek Thinkers Argued for God 20:27 Many Thinkers Around the World Have Also Argued for God 31:21 What Does the Word "God" Mean? 39:04 Shifting to Step Two: Whose Message Is from God? 47:11 Paul Arguing for God in Athens in Acts 17 54:53 Q&A: Did Ancient Aliens "Seed" Our Human Culture? 57:51 Q&A: Why Do Movies Just Mention "the Universe" and Not God? 59:44 Q&A: What About Miracles that Satan Can Do? 1:02:23 Q&A: Are Arguments for God Useful in Evangelism?

On May 11, 2024, Adam Lloyd Johnson was interviewed on the show "Friendly Fire" hosted by Stu Kerns on 1400 KLIN. They discussed how Adam came to work in apologetics, the time that Adam spent working for Ratio Christi at the University of Nebraska, what Convincing Proof Ministries is doing now, and some of the most common apologetics questions that people are asking today. Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you!

The problem of evil is something we probably all struggle with at one time in our lives. If there really is a good God out there, then why is there so much pain and suffering in this world? There are two ways to look at the problem of evil: the logical version and the probability version. The logical version argues that if evil exists, then an all-powerful and all-good God can’t exist. In response, the free-will defense says that God allows human beings to have free will, which means we are free to choose evil. But since all this evil exists anyway, isn’t it the case that God probably doesn’t exist? This is called the probability version of the problem of evil. Christians have offered various explanations, called “theodicies,” of why God would allow evil. Examples of these include the Greater Good Theodicy or Adam’s own Divine Love Theodicy, which says that God allowed evil because he wanted to create beings who could love like He does, but love requires free will or else it’s not truly love. The video about Alvin Plantinga that Adam mentioned around 17:40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZsHRb13-Yc The video about the Logical Problem of Evil that Adam mentioned around 26:05: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k64YJYBUFLM The video about the Probability Problem of Evil that Adam mentioned around 52:48: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxj8ag8Ntd4 Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you! 0:00 We Need to Wrestle With Hard Issues 6:10 Right and Wrong Times to Talk About the Problem of Evil 7:48 Two Versions of the Problem of Evil 13:10 The Logical Problem of Evil 17:55 The Free Will Defense 26:16 The Probability Problem of Evil 31:13 Responses to the Probability Version: Theodicies 40:42 Other Explanations Besides the Greater Good Theodicy 44:47 Divine Love Theodicy

On April 17, 2024, Dr. Adam Lloyd Johnson debated Dr. Ben Bayer on the question of the roots of morality: where does it come from? Dr. Johnson argued that morality has its roots in God, while Dr. Bayer argued that it has a biological origin. The debate took place at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Bayer is fellow and director of content at the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI). He teaches at the Ayn Rand University, lectures, and gives interviews for ARI. He writes for and is a managing editor of ARI’s online publication, New Ideal. Dr. Bayer holds a Ph.D. in philosophy and his writing focuses primarily on the application of philosophy to contemporary cultural and political controversies. Adam's article on free will and emergence can be found here: https://convincingproof.org/emergence-of-consciousness-friend-or-foe/ The series of videos Adam mentioned about Bart Ehrman's work can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTEkXbr4qlVPGF3Qa2td7jZtRQhhIkcha Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of Adam's book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you! 0:00 Ben Bayer Opening Statement 21:39 Adam Johnson Opening Statement 44:11 Ben Bayer Response #1 57:40 Adam Johnson Response #1 1:09:41 Ben Bayer Response #2 1:20:43 Adam Johnson Response #2 1:28:54 Ben Bayer Closing Statement 1:34:03 Adam Johnson Closing Statement 1:39:25 To Bayer: Virtuous Reason to Sacrifice Your Life to Something Greater? 1:41:34 To Johnson: Was Abraham Moral to Kill His Son Isaac? 1:45:40 To Bayer: How to We Know the Woman is Courageous and Not the Elders? 1:49:25 To Johnson: How Is Your Standard of Divine Love Not Just Assumed Good? 1:52:44 To Bayer: How Do Atheists Like Dawkins Differ from Ayn Rand? 1:55:36 To Bayer: How To You Explain Free Will from an Atheist Perspective? 1:58:59 To Johnson: What About the Christian God vs. Allah? 2:04:13 To Bayer: Can You Define Faith? What Is the Role of Faith? 2:06:36 To Both: What's Good about Relationships with either Divine Love or Human Survival? 2:11:04 To Bayer: What Is Missing in Nietzsche's Philosophy of Nihilism? 2:13:10 To Johnson: Is Abraham's Being Willing to Kill His Son Moral? 2:17:21 To Johnson: Why Is Loving God a Useful Purpose Since It Seems Meaningless?

Greg Welty recently wrote a book on Alvin Plantinga in the "Great Thinkers" series. Alvin Plantinga is a renowned Christian philosopher whom you should be familiar with. He was at the forefront of a Christian renaissance in academic philosophy in the latter half of the 20th century. Welty's book is a great short introduction to Plantinga's work. One place where Adam disagrees with Plantinga is on the idea of "Reformed Epistemology." Some descriptions of Reformed Epistemology seem to look down too much on human reason. While we certainly don't want to downplay or dismiss the vital work of the Holy Spirit, we don't want to settle for basing everything on feelings or intuitions either. In his book Warranted Christian Belief, Plantinga seems to dismiss the idea that philosophy can be useful in determining if Christianity is true, and Adam thinks he is incorrect to do that.

The moral argument for God’s existence says God is the best explanation for the fact that there are objective moral truths. Objective morality means that there are moral truths that exist beyond anybody’s own individual preferences, beliefs, or opinions. Objective morality seems self-evident; we intuitively know that some things are right and others are wrong. So, what’s the best explanation for morality? Where does it come from? Some atheist philosophers like Erik Wielenberg argue that even though morality is objective, it doesn’t need a personal source like God. However, morality is very personal, and so it would make sense that morality comes from a personal source; thus, it is proposed that God, existing as a trinity in loving relationships, provides the best explanation for the existence of objective morality. To go deeper with the subject of morality and where it comes from, check out Adam's five-part course on that here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTEkXbr4qlVNf0CV9uraiQuhhW1zmI8lM To watch Adam's debate with Erik Wielenberg, you can find that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg2WK-IIrd8 Links to Adam's other debates about morality will be posted here when they become available in mid-2024. Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you! 0:00 Basic Form of the Moral Argument 4:16 Subjective vs. Objective Truths 14:08 Responding to Arguments for Subjective Morality 26:00 What We Are and Aren't Saying 32:34 What Attributes Would the Source of Morality Have? 38:29 Does Morality Have a Transcendent Source? 44:00 Atheists Who Believe in Objective Morality 50:05 Divine Love Theory of Morality

Some people might say that evolution is proof that God doesn't exist and that Christianity isn't true. Evolution is the idea that natural selection acting on random genetic mutations can explain all the diversity of life. We know that natural selection does happen since it has been observed taking place, but how powerful is this process? Can natural selection produce new types of organisms? One scientist, Michael Behe, argues that natural selection is not powerful enough to produce new species. Based on studying things like fruit flies and malaria interacting with sickle-cell anemia, Behe says that there seems to be a limit to what natural selection can produce. If this is true, then it indicates that evolution, on a large scale, is false. If evolution is false, then certainly it can’t prove that there is no God. However, even if evolution is true, it still doesn’t prove that there is no God or that Christianity isn't true. Large-scale evolution still can’t explain the origin of life in the first place, and in addition, there are many other good arguments for God’s existence that aren’t related to evolution at all. Adam's two-part article on the question of evolution and Christianity can be found here: Part 1: What if Evolution Is False? - https://convincingproof.org/does-evolution-prove-that-christianity-is-false-part-1/ Part 2: What if Evolution Is True? - https://convincingproof.org/does-evolution-prove-that-christianity-is-false-part-2/ Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you! 0:00 Does Evolution Prove There Is No God? 3:24 Do We Actually Understand Evolution? 16:15 Is Evolution Powerful Enough to Create New Organisms? 23:32 Genetic Mutations Are Essential for Evolution 27:17 Behe's Irreducible Complexity Argument 36:20 Behe's Edge of Evolution Argument 46:28 Does Imagination Count as Science? 51:52 What if Evolution Is True? 56:17 Would That Make Christianity False?

The first-cause argument for God’s existence, often called the “cosmological argument,” says that God exists because the universe had a beginning. If the universe had a beginning, then the universe needs a first cause. In fact, there have been many first-cause arguments made by philosophers in different cultures, such as Aristotle’s unmoved mover. Based on the evidence from modern scientific discoveries, such as Einstein's general theory of relativity and Hubble's red-shift observation, scientists agree that the universe did have a beginning. Since the universe began to exist, then the universe must have a cause. But what is this cause? From the first-cause argument, we can infer that this cause is God. To watch the talk about the relationship between faith and reason mentioned around 1:55, click here: https://rumble.com/v4d1qy8-are-faith-and-reason-enemies.html To learn more about the lawsuit Adam mentioned around 32:00, you can watch this press conference: https://rumble.com/v2867vk-adam-lloyd-johnson-speaks-at-religious-freedom-press-conference-with-govern.html Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you! 0:00 Why Even Study Reasons and Evidence for Faith? 6:41 What is Apologetics? 14:55 Three Steps in My Apologetic Method 18:26 History of the First-Cause Argument for God 26:50 Modern Scholars Who Defend the First-Cause Argument 34:51 Defending the Premises of the First-Cause Argument 42:58 Evidence that the Universe Had a Beginning 49:19 The Big Bang Theory 54:12 How Does This Point to God?

The design argument for God’s existence argues that God exists because things like the universe, earth, and life look like they have been designed. Through observation, we can see that every design has a designer, but how do we detect design? When something is both complex (it has multiple parts) and specified (the parts are not randomly arranged), it can be said to be designed. One way we notice design in the universe is by the fine tuning of its physical constants. We also notice design in the way that the earth is very specifically situated in our galaxy and solar system to allow life to exist. Finally, we notice design in the way life contains information in DNA. All of this evidence of design points to the existence of a designer, an intelligent supreme being like God.

In November 2022, Adam interviewed Dr. Micah Green when he came to speak at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Green is a Christian who works as a professor of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University. In this interview, Adam and Dr. Green discuss various things such as Dr. Green's testimony, the shortcomings of materialism, how materialism undermines rationality, how science and faith are related, and how a Christian should operate in the world of academia. Link to Dr. Green's TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc1KsAbNxo8 Find Dr. Green on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MicahJGreen Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you!

It may be surprising to hear that postmodernism and presuppositionalism could be similar. Postmodernism is a philosophy that, among other things, is very committed to the idea that truth is relative in some sense. Presuppositionalism is the idea that we should start doing apologetics by assuming (or presupposing) that God exists and the Bible is His Word. So, how could these two ideas be related? Both postmodernism and presuppositionalism were overreactions to philosophical modernism. Both movements tended to downplay the importance of using reason in forming our beliefs and instead focused on other means, such as our inner feelings (postmodernism) or blind faith (presuppositionalism). James K. A. Smith is an example of a presuppositionalist who has recognized and even promoted this connection. Resources mentioned: Adam's Philosophy Class, explaining the roots of modernism and postmodernism: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTEkXbr4qlVMKIVGtsvM1ODMffPh8Hgfr Paper "Created to Know" about the epistemologies of Francis Schaeffer and Michael Polanyi: https://convincingproof.org/created-to-know/ Video explaining how God used reason in the Bible: https://youtu.be/8EUzE15gQ6c James K. A. Smith, "Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?" Book https://www.amazon.com/Afraid-Postmodernism-Church-Postmodern-Culture-ebook/dp/B00B8540TI/ Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you! 0:00 The Term "Christian Worldview" 4:24 Christians Influenced by Wrong Thinking 7:55 What Is Presuppositionalism? 12:59 Who's Afraid of Postmodernism? 16:29 Both Movements Overreacted to Modernism 20:34 How Modernism Crashed and Burned 29:02 Both Movements Look Down on Reason 37:14 Mistakes of Presuppositionalism 44:38 We Have No Choice But to Begin with Reason 50:54 Is the Bible Presuppositional? 54:31 Francis Schaeffer Would Not Agree with James K. A. Smith

Often times today, people talk about faith and reason as if they're in conflict. They'll say things like "Having faith is just choosing to believe something without any evidence!" Others might say something like "Reason has failed to give us certainty, so we have to just take a leap of faith!" These sentiments, and others like them, have a long history within Western culture, arising from the philosophies of modernism and postmodernism. Modern thinkers esteemed reason and denigrated faith, while postmodern thinkers elevated faith and questioned reason. But are faith and reason really opposed to each other? Here is the article about Francis Schaeffer mentioned at 45:06: https://convincingproof.org/created-to-know/ The Apologetics and Philosophy classes can be found here: https://convincingproof.org/category/classes/ Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you! 0:00 Introduction 6:05 Three Eras of Western Culture 15:23 One Incorrect View: Prideful Reason 19:58 Another Incorrect View: Blind Faith 25:56 The Biblical Balance: Faith and Reason 33:13 Jesus and the Apostles Pointed to Evidence to Establish Faith 39:36 It's Good and Healthy to Ask Questions about Our Beliefs 44:25 About Convincing Proof Ministries

In the final segment of this interview, Adam Lloyd Johnson continues to talk with Dr. Tim Stratton from Free Thinking Ministries about free will and determinism. Now, however, the focus shifts to Christians who believe in some form of theological determinism or "exhaustive divine determinism," such as some who affirm Calvinism. Does God really cause us to think everything that we think? Does God's sovereignty require Him to determine all human thoughts and actions? Is this what Romans chapter 9 is talking about? Tim Stratton has an argument he calls the "Deity of Deception" argument, which argues that God does not determine all of our thoughts and actions because, if He did, then God would be causing Christians to affirm false beliefs about the Bible. FreeThinking Ministries Website: https://freethinkingministries.com FreeThinking Ministries YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/FreethinkingMinistries Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you!

Adam Lloyd Johnson continues his interview with Dr. Tim Stratton of Free Thinking Ministries. In this part, Adam and Tim discuss the FreeThinking Argument, which argues that human beings have what is called "libertarian free will." Tim uses this argument to respond to two types of people who claim human beings don't have free will: 1) atheists who are naturalists and thus believe nature determines our thoughts and actions and 2) Christians who affirm a form of divine determinism, meaning that God determines our thoughts and actions. It all boils down to epistemic responsibility: are we the cause of (and thus responsible for) the thoughts that we think? In other words, are we doing our own thinking or is something or someone else determining our thoughts for us? The paper that Tim published with noted philosopher J. P. Moreland: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/10/988 FreeThinking Ministries Website: https://freethinkingministries.com FreeThinking Ministries YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/FreethinkingMinistries Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you!

Adam Lloyd Johnson interviews Dr. Tim Stratton, a former pastor and former MMA fighter who is now a professional apologist and philosopher with Free Thinking Ministries. Adam and Tim discuss how they got to know each other, how Tim first got into apologetics and philosophy, how that changed the course of his life, and why his ministry is called "Free Thinking Ministries." Website: https://freethinkingministries.com YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/FreethinkingMinistries Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you!

Many Christians these days use the term "Christian worldview" to describe their beliefs. Having a "Christian worldview" is usually deemed very important in many Christian circles. But is the term "worldview" a word that Christians should use to describe their beliefs? This term actually came out of postmodern philosophy and has a history of framing all truth claims as merely subjective statements rather than objective facts about the world. In this context, someone's "worldview" was just the way that he or she preferred to view the world rather than a term describing beliefs that apply objectively to everybody, regardless of their subjective "view" or "worldview."

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#shorts #evidence #questions #dialogue #respect #convincingproof #philosophy #God #adamlloydjohnson #theism #morality #ethics Full video: https://rumble.com/v2kb54g-debate-what-is-the-best-account-of-objective-morality-erik-wielenberg-vs.-a.html

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