Convincing Proof

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."

#shorts #convincingproof #adamlloydjohnson #god #theism #morality #morals #ethics #philosophy #obligations #atheism #love #lovers #obedience #trinity

#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

#shorts #evidence #God #convincingproof #science #theism #atheism #science #supremebeing #argument

The film "Everything Everywhere All at Once" won several academy awards earlier this year, including one for Best Picture. Like many films and other works of art, this film communicates philosophical and cultural ideas. Namely, postmodern existentialism is front and center. The daughter in this movie has an existential crisis where she fears that there is no meaning and purpose in life and wants to end it all. Following from this, the message of the film is that you should find what gives you meaning and makes life subjectively meaningful to you, because that's seen as the only alternative to concluding that life has no meaning. 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!

In this sermon from the Fall of 2015, Adam Lloyd Johnson uses primarily two texts, Matthew 22:15-22 and Romans 13:1-7, to explore how Christians should relate to the government. What is the purpose of government? What is the church's role in influencing those in government? 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 Jesus and His disciples (Luke 8:3), my missionary work with 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 to invest in my work, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Your support is greatly appreciated!

#shorts See the full video: https://rumble.com/v2dffmu-the-first-cause-argument-for-gods-existence-apologetics-part-2.html

#shorts See the full video: https://rumble.com/v2dffmu-the-first-cause-argument-for-gods-existence-apologetics-part-2.html

On September 5, 2023, Adam Lloyd Johnson appeared on Point of View, hosted by Kerby Anderson, to talk about the apologetic significance of his book "Divine Love Theory" and also about an article he wrote for the Worldview Bulletin Newsletter called "The Best Explanation for Moral Truth." The Best Explanation for Moral Truth Article: https://worldviewbulletin.substack.com/p/the-best-explanation-for-moral-truth Original interview: https://pointofview.net/shows/tuesday-september-5-2023/ 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 Jesus and His disciples (Luke 8:3), my missionary work with 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 to invest in my work, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Your support is greatly appreciated!

In the final part of this series examining Bart Ehrman's book "Did Jesus Exist?", Adam discusses how claims of miraculous events can be considered by historians. History is a measure of how certain we are about events in the past; having absolute certainty about historical claims is impossible. However, historians have developed many criteria for evaluating how certain we can be that something actually happened, and these criteria are how facts about Jesus are evaluated. Using Ehrman's writings, Adam argues that Jesus' miracles claims, including His resurrection, meet the criteria that Ehrman lays out for something to be considered historically reliable, although Ehrman himself does not accept this conclusion. While Ehrman would say that it is outside the historian's purview to evaluate miracle claims, Adam thinks that miracles can be evaluated in the same way as any other historical claims—by looking at the evidence. At the very least, we can conclude, along with Ehrman, that reports of Jesus' miracles are not simply legends that developed many years later. Rather, they were proclaimed by Jesus' earliest followers. 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 Jesus and His disciples (Luke 8:3), my missionary work with 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 to invest in my work, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Your support is greatly appreciated! Contents 0:00 Introduction: The Miracle Test 2:25 Bart Ehrman's Book "Did Jesus Exist?" 3:58 The CSI Effect: Is Absolute Certainty Possible? 9:18 Criteria that Increase Certainty 11:37 All the Sources About Jesus 17:32 What Facts Do All Scholars Affirm About Jesus? 20:28 What Does It Mean That "All Scholars" Agree? 23:55 Do Jesus' Miracles Meet Ehrman's Criteria? 26:16 Speeches in the Book of Acts Mention Miracles 30:10 Material in Paul's Letters Talks About Miracles 33:28 So, Why Doesn't Ehrman Believe in Jesus? 39:55 Ehrman Doesn't Believe God Exists 41:58 Can Historians Evaluate Miracle Claims? 47:24 Should We Ever Believe in Miracles? 51:00 Conclusion: Jesus' Miracles Aren't Simply Legends

As we keep going in this series using Bart Ehrman's book "Did Jesus Exist?" to examine the historical evidence for Jesus, Adam takes a look at the evidence contained in the letters written by the Apostle Paul. The historical evidence for Jesus in these letters is some of the earliest that we have for Jesus, particularly the evidence from early creeds contained in Paul's letters. These creeds are dated by scholars to have been written within 2-3 years of Jesus' death, and they contain statements relating to Jesus' miracles, death, and resurrection. Some skeptics might object to using Paul's letters for this type of historical analysis. They might say that Paul's letters can't be trusted because they have been corrupted with errors or that you can't use the Bible to prove the Bible. But these objections are misguided. Also, some Christians might say that critically evaluating the Bible is wrong because it is tantamount to doubting God. However, this type of objection is also misguided. 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 Jesus and His disciples (Luke 8:3), my missionary work with 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 to invest in my work, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Your support is greatly appreciated! Contents 0:00 Main Argument Jesus Is God 2:19 Why Use Bart Ehrman's Book? 5:04 What Books Did the Apostle Paul Write? 8:59 What Does Paul Say about Jesus? 11:49 Creeds Written Before Paul's Letters 17:11 Paul Talked with Eyewitnesses of Jesus 22:31 The Last Supper Creed in 1 Corinthians 11 27:12 The Death & Resurrection Creed in 1 Corinthians 15 31:59 Objection #1: Paul's Letters Have Been Corrupted with Errors 38:54 Objection #2: You Can't Use the Bible to Prove the Bible 43:15 Objection #3: Christians Shouldn't Critically Evaluate the Bible Because That's Doubting God

In this series exploring the evidence presented in the book "Did Jesus Exist?" by Bart Ehrman, Adam discusses the historical usefulness of New Testament books besides the Gospels that were not written by Paul. This would include books such as the book of Acts, Hebrews, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude, Revelation, and 1-3 John. As Ehrman demonstrates, these books can be treated as early, independent sources that contain many corroborating details about the life of Jesus and how He was viewed by His followers. Some of these books even contain material that predates the books themselves, going back much earlier to a time closer to Jesus' death. Many of these books contain attestation that Jesus was a miracle worker and that He rose from the dead, but can historians believe that? Are miracle claims even open to historical investigation? 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 Jesus and His disciples (Luke 8:3), my missionary work with 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 to invest in my work, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Your support is greatly appreciated! Contents 0:00 Review of Previous Material 5:03 What about the Gospel of John? 9:52 Can We Use New Testament Books NOT Written by Paul? 12:04 Does the Book of Acts Discuss Jesus? 19:19 Speeches in Acts Are Earlier than Acts Itself 28:09 Can Hebrews Be Used as a Historical Source? 31:42 The Writings Attributed to Peter Are Independent 35:52 Even the Short Book of Jude? 36:32 Surely Revelation Isn't Historical, Is It? 38:58 Are 1, 2, and 3 John Independent Sources? 41:36 Are Miracles Within the Scope of Historical Inquiry?