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TITLE: Christianity: Confronting the Trojan Horse in the Church
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CHAPTERS: 93
PAGES: 358
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Christianity
Confronting the Trojan Horse in the Church
An Easy Reader for busy People on
the Run
© Copyright 2022 P.J. Stassen
All Rights Reserved
P.J.
Stassen
Centurion
SOUTH
AFRICA
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Grateful for/to:
1. Bible translations interchangeably consulted:
King James Version
(KJV/KJV+) & Modern King James Version (MKJV) unless otherwise
indicated e.g., Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) & Hebraic Roots
Bible (HRB). The reader may find that, occasionally, I have inserted
capitals (in brackets) into Scripture references for the purpose of clarity.
2. E-Sword.net: The Sword of the Lord with an
Electronic Edge (Free Bible Study for the PC). Online 2021.
3. All the
sources, scholars, historical figures and authors I have been allowed to
mention, quote or use as examples in the course of writing.
4. Cecilia Stassen,
for her ongoing assistance, encouragement and invaluable help.
Foreword
An
informative book, I believe, should be like a sumptuous dinner … lavish,
interesting, easily digestible and to be remembered for years afterwards, and
with this book I have aimed to accomplish exactly that, for what could be more
interesting and memorable than the persona, life and ministry of a man who has
changed the history of the world to the matchless extent that Jesus of Nazareth
(the Christ) had done?
Unlike many postmodernists, who have so
superficially dismissed the historical Jesus (for all intents and purposes) as
nothing more than a deluded first-century religious fanatic and rabble rouser
of a charlatan who was arrested by the authorities, not as political zealot or
aspiring messiah, but as a common, albeit charismatic public nuisance who
disingenuously passed off cheap street magicians’ illusions as Biblical quality
miracles, i.e., postmodernists who today, like
pagan sorcerers and derelict, toothless oriental mystics, dare to
determine the measure of a man and his words by (of all things!) the
application of coloured beads.
I, instead, insist that only a
carpenter-rabbi of His divine origin, moral stature and matchless wisdom could
have transformed this 1970s runaway freight-train and weirds-mobile of a
cynical, suburban hedonist and amoral agnostic into a person so enamoured with
this Messiah that I, in the sunset season of my life, have aspired to write not
only one book about His sacred cause and merciful gospel, but several.
Today, when I read the popular atheists of
our times, or debate a seasoned agnostic about the existence of God, I can only
heartily agree with the wise theologians who, upon hearing people say that the
character of the first-century Jesus of history was so remarkable that He must
have been ‘forged’ (and should be considered a ‘fake’) instead have so aptly
retorted (among others) as follows (my paraphrasing):
“The man Jesus of Nazareth was so
unique, gifted, remarkable and special that only a real Jesus Christ
could have forged a Jesus Christ; furthermore, if the Bible really were only a
collection of fairy tales, then why is it either banned or severely persecuted
in at least 52 countries?”
PJ
Stassen
Centurion,
South Africa.
December
2021.
Introduction
I
wrote this book, not as a theologian (which I am not), but as a sinner saved by
grace and a social commentator concerned with the cause and future of
Christianity in the world. This book comprises the following themes:
Part
1. Christianity vs. Atheism: Illustrating the absurdity of the religious cult of
‘Atheism’ as a ‘replacement-theology’ for Christianity today.
Part
2. Speaking Truth to Power: Emphasizing Christians’ moral obligation as a
spiritual force to function as society’s moral conscience in the highest
echelons of power, including government and big business.
Part
3. Who Created the Creator? Dismissing Atheism’s bizarre and erroneous concept
of ‘created gods’ and a ‘created Creator’.
Part
4: The Rickety Legs of Postmodernism in Religion Today: Exposing
postmodernist brands of religion in society at large and specifically in Christianity
for the farcical delusion they represent.
Part
5. Will God Survive Science? Rebutting the secular humanists’ pathological
pre-occupation with and insistence on dismissing of the Bible, God and the
Gospel of Jesus Christ as obsolete and inconsequential in favour of ‘Science’
as the ultimate solution to all of humanity’s challenges and problems today.
The
story of the Bible and God’s designs for man; the Commandments of Moses and the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, can, for all intents and purposes, miraculously
integrated to be summarised by a single Scripture reference:
“For as by one man's
disobedience [THE FIRST ADAM] many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One
[THE LAST ADAM, JESUS CHRIST] shall many be made righteous.”
[Romans5:19MKJV].
I am reminded of what C.S. Lewis has said
(my paraphrasing):
“There are only two kinds of people, i.e.,
those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done!’ and those to whom God must say, “Okay
then … have it your way!”
The lot and final destiny of
every (fully informed & evangelised) person that ever lived will, in other
words, be decided on this, i.e., a choice between Good and Evil, Light and
Darkness, Jesus and Barabbas, Christ and Satan.
With those who object that anyone could
exercise such a critical choice still wrongly from pure ignorance, or from
cultural and/or religious biases, I can only in sympathy say that I fully
concur, and although I insist that there is no other name but the Name of Jesus
Christ by which we are saved, we probably should leave such metaphysical
judgments (i.e., in respect of the ‘inadequately informed and poorly
evangelised’) for God to decide and deal with.
There is a huge difference between being a
‘sinner’ and being ‘ungodly’/’wicked’. All the ‘ungodly’ and ‘wicked’ are
sinners, but not all ‘sinners’ are necessarily ‘ungodly or ‘wicked’ … they are
simply lost and must be found. God has said:
“And He [GOD] said, I will make all My
goodness pass before you [MOSES], and I will proclaim the name of Jehovah
before you. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will have
mercy on whom I will have mercy.”
[Exodus33:10MKJV].
Bon
voyage!
PART ONE: CHRISTIANITY vs.
ATHEISM
1.
Introduction to Christian Apologetics
2. Atheism's Elephant in the Room
3. Pallbearers of Death
4. Atheism: Confusion on Steroids
5. Atheism: Justice and Injustice
6. Atheism: Misery Loves Company
7. Atheism: River of No Return
8. Atheism: The Dawkins Delusion
9. Atheism: The Epitome of Pitiless Indifference
10. Atheism: Where Pride (Haughtiness) Comes Before
the Fall
11. Atheism: Where Richard Dawkins Has Lost His Way
12. Atheism's ‘Catch-22’
13. Atheism's Frustrating Dead End
14. Even A Stopped Clock Can Still Be 100% Right At
Least Twice a Day
15. Gifts the Atheists Have Declined
16. Hope for Atheists
17. Never Join a Cult That Believes in Death After
Death
18. Reasons Why Atheists Will Not See God
19. Reasons Why the Religious Cult of Atheism Will
Fail
20. The Reason That Atheists Say God Is Evil
21. The Religious Cult of Atheism Exposed
22. The Religious Paradox Called ‘Atheism’
23. The Resolute Atheist's Gilt-Edged (Conditional) Guarantee of
Salvation
24. The Atheism Delusion
25. The Atheist's 95% Problem
26. Intelligent Design: The Atheist-Evolutionist's
Special Expertise?
27. The Futility of Atheism
28. When God Speaks to Atheists
29. Where Atheists Are Losing Their Way
30. Where Stephen Hawking Went Wrong: 'The Theory
of Nothing'
31. Why I Reject the Religion of Atheism
32. Why the Ungodly Blasphemes God
33. Why Atheists Do Not Like God
34. Why Atheists Do Not Read the Bible
35. Why God Tolerates the Atheist
36. Cause and
Effect: The Disingenuous Atheist
37. This Is Where Leftists Could Be Taking You
38. Last Words of Charles Templeton (Atheist)
39. Decrees of Nazi Brutality: Dresden - WWII 1942-1945
PART TWO: SPEAKING
TRUTH TO POWER
40. Democracy: Should the Majority Always Be Followed?
41. How the Nazi Bigwigs Switched from Right to
Left at the Nuremberg Trials
42. Kiss of the Serpent
43. Nazis Barking Up the Wrong Tree
44. No Regret Vote in Eternity
45. Optical Delusions
46. Penny Wise Pound Foolish
47. Phototaxis: Like A Moth to A Flame
48. Seduced by the Voice of the Serpent
49. Speaking Truth to Power
50. The Great ‘Blue Watermelon’ Hoax
51. The Infinite Monkey Theorem
52. The Myth of the 'Self-made' Man
53. The Smiler with the Knife Under the Cloak
54. The Urban Pagan's Fatal Impudence
55. ‘Tombstone’ or ‘Dodge’: Pick Your Poison
56. Violence in Schools: Why Are We Not Surprised?
PART THREE:
WHO CREATED THE CREATOR?
57 Who Created the Creator?
58.Who
Owns the Universe?
59. Dangers of Scientific Pantheism (Atheism-Evolutionism)
60. Drosophila Fruit-Fly and Evolution
61. Evolution: How Does a Fairy Tale Usually Begin?
62. Evolution: Meet the Apex Species
63. Evolutionism: The New ‘Dead Poets Society’
64. Evolution's Infamous Hall of Shame
65.
Darwinism: Survival of The Fittest?
66. The Darwinists' Pathological Deification of
Darwin
67. International Darwin Day: Why?
68. Are Demons Smarter Than People?
PART FOUR: THE
RICKETY LEGS OF POSTMODERNISM IN RELIGION TODAY
69. Still Behind Bars?
70. Beware of Buyer's Remorse!
71. Beware of Sticky Traps!
72. Cleopatra: Queen of Denial
73 The Virgin Birth of The Cosmos
74. The Three Deadly Pillars of Atheism-Evolutionism
75.
The ‘Primordial Earth’ & ‘Pre-Adamite Race’ Myths
76. Why
Atheism-Evolutionism Does Not Convince
77. Jesus Christ Did Not Believe in Evolution
78. Did Evolution Really Cause the Fossil Record?
79. Maropeng South Africa: ‘Cradle of Humankind’
(Really?)
80. Evolution: The Mystery of Homologous Structures
Explained
81. Facts About Evolutionists You Ought to Know
82. Why I Am a Young Earth Creationist
83. Christian Atheism: Cult of Unreason
84. From the Bible to Darwinism: From Hero to Zero
85. Heresy in The Church?
86. Postmodernism: The Future of Truth Meaning
& Certainty
87. The Descent of the Modernists
88. How the Postmodernists Are Trying to Sell Us a
Fake Jesus
89. Is Your Pastor Preaching ‘Another Jesus’?
90. Woe to the Shepherds Scattering the Sheep!
PART FIVE: WILL GOD
SURVIVE SCIENCE?
91. Who Is Your Father?
92. Whose Report Will You Believe?
93. Will God Survive
Science?
Recommended Sources
Invitation
Author Profile
Chapter
1
Introduction
to Christian Apologetics
1.
Introduction. The term ‘Christen Apologetics’ refers to that branch of
Biblical studies involved in the defence of the Christian Faith against
objections and critique against the significance, value and validity of the
Faith in Christianity, while the Encyclopaedia Britannica defines the word,
‘Apologist’, as follows:
“Apologist, any of the
Christian writers, primarily in the 2nd century, who attempted to provide a
defense of Christianity and criticisms of paganism and
other aspects of Greco-Roman culture. Many of their writings were
addressed to Roman emperors, and it is probable that the writings
were actually sent to government secretaries who were empowered to accept or
reject them. Under these circumstances, some of the apologies assumed the form
of briefs written to defend Christians against the accusations current in the 2nd
century, especially the charges that their religion was novel or
godless or that they engaged in immoral cultic practices.”
[Encyclopaedia
Britannica, online].
Doug Potter PhD, from the Southern
Evangelical Seminary & Bible College, suggests the follow strategies for
teaching Christian Apologetics:
1.1 Apologetics Education must
be geared toward the believer.
1.2 Apologetics Education must
be age appropriate.
1.3 Apologetics must follow a
systematic plan.
1.4 Apologetics education must
be activity based.
1.5 Apologetics education must
know its limitations.
2.
Approaches to Christian Apologetics. Wikipedia summarises the various approaches
to Christian Apologetics by such topics as:
2.1 Scripture driven. Defence
of the historicity and validity of the Bible as God’s (inerrant,
written) Word gifted to humanity in general and believers especially.
2.2 Creation driven. Defence
of the Genesis Creation Account against deceptive, delusional and/or
dysfunctional worldviews that may, among others, comprise such fields of study
as follows:
(i) Atheism
(ii) Agnosticism
(iii) Neo-paganism
(iv) Secular Humanism
(v) Classical (Atheistic)
Darwinism
(vi) Biblical Creationism
(Young Earth Creationism)
(vii) Darwinian Creationism
(Old Earth Creationism/Creative Evolutionism).
P.S. Other apologists may
prefer to name and list these themes differently, depending on such factors as theological
tradition, training, individual temperament, or emphases of study.
2.3 Experience driven.
Defence of the Christian Faith and the Gospel founded on the individual
as well as collective Christians’ experience, e.g., experience of
spiritual regeneration, repentance and the testimony of the Holy Spirit. The idea
of ‘experience driven’ apologetics is supported by the etymology of the word
‘experiment’ as follows:
mid-14c.,
"action of observing or testing; an observation, test, or trial;"
also "piece of evidence or empirical proof; feat of magic or
sorcery," from Old French experment "practical
knowledge, cunning; enchantment, magic spell; trial, proof, example; lesson,
sign, indication," from Latin experimentum "a
trial, test, proof, experiment," noun of action from experiri "to try, test," from ex "out of" (see ex-) + peritus "experienced, tested," from
PIE *per-yo-, suffixed form of root *per- (3)
"to try, risk."
[Etymonline.com].
2.4 Historical & Jurisprudence
(Evidentialist) driven. Defence of the Christian Faith founded on
theologians’ application of those protocols and procedures, e.g., forensic
studies involving the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
2.5 Supernatural driven.
Defence of Biblical miracles (from the Bible), as well as all true and
valid (Biblical type) miracles from any era, as genuine and valid phenomena
produced by God as the omnipotent Creator and Ruler of the Universe.
Evangelical Christians consider the atheist’s monotonous mantra that ‘miracles
are impossible’ and (theoretically) ‘in breach of the Laws of Nature’ thus as
philosophically absurd as well as mathematically illogical.
Miracles are (by default) supposed to be
impossible and supposed to (apparently) be in breach of the Laws of
Nature … that is why we call such events ‘miracles’ in the first place
(hence the adjective, ‘miraculous’). Had miracles been ‘possible’, they
wouldn’t have qualified as ‘miracles’ and wouldn’t have been ‘miraculous’, only
ordinary, mundane events of no consequence at all of which nobody would have
taken any notice.
In fact, the existence of the Laws of
Nature is an indispensable minimum requirement for miracles to happen
otherwise, in the absence of such restraining Laws of Nature, there
would be no Natural Laws available for the event to be in breach of for
it to qualify as a ‘miracle.’
In a topsy turvy world and scenario where
anything could willy-nilly happen left, right and centre, all events would have
been (chaotically, destructively, unreservedly) ‘possible’ without any scientific
or divine limitations or constraints at all, while the Christian’s
point-of-departure is that Biblical miracles are strictly sanctioned, ordered,
allowed and supervised by God to work for the ‘good’ for those ‘called to His
purposes’.
The atheists’ position that ‘miracles are
impossible’ however, has some partial merit; what he/she really wants to say is
that ‘miracles are impossible for atheists’, which is completely true. Why?
Well, it stands to reason that the atheist will usually auto-destruct by never
asking or trusting God for a miracle anyway because he/she does not believe in
God in the first place, and, secondly, God will anyway not cast His pearls
before those that are ‘cynical and unappreciative’ (for lack of a harsher term);
without faith it is impossible to please God.
2.6 Prophecy driven. Defence
of the Christian Faith founded on the remarkable fulfilling of Biblical
prophecies, especially those messianic prophecies pertaining to the
arrival and life of Jesus Christ.
2.7 Science driven. Defence
of the Christian Faith founded on empirical evidence from modern science
as presented by secular as well as Godfearing scientists. The website ‘Dissent
from Darwin’ (https://dissentfromdarwin.org) is specifically dedicated to the
cause of publishing the testimonies of thousands of scientists worldwide who
either seriously doubt or reject the atheistic (Darwinian) Evolutionary Theory.
2.8 Philosophy-driven. Defence
of the Christian Faith that may include such philosophical themes such
as:
2.8.1 The Moral Argument.
Defence of the Faith founded on the morality of Creation and the moral
demands of the Bible (e.g., the ‘Ten Commandments’) that demonstrate a
clear tension between the ultimate GOOD (emanating from God, the Creator) and
the ultimate EVIL (emanating from Satan, a creature).
2.8.2 The Presuppositional
Argument. Defence
of the Faith founded on the presupposition that the basic ‘belief-systems’
or ‘convictions’ of both believers and unbelievers demand the existence of
God.
2.8.3 The Cosmological
Argument. Defence of the Faith founded on the principle that the very
existence of the Cosmos already proves the existence of God.
2.8.4 The Teleological
Argument. Defence of the Faith founded on the point-of-departure that the
very presence of intelligent design in nature already proves the existence
of an Intelligent Designer (Creator).
2.8.5 The Ontological
& Transcendental Arguments. Defence of the Faith founded on the
point-of-departure that the very idea or thought of the existence or
non-existence of God already proves the existence of God, otherwise the
mind of humanity would not have been capable of such intellectual acrobatics as
to think about and contemplate such abstract things (for instance, do animals
ever contemplate such things?).
2.8.6 The ‘Blaise Pascal
Wager’ Argument. Defence of the Faith founded on this brilliant French
scientist’s point-of-departure that it would be wiser, safer and more
logical and sensible for mankind (especially for the vacillating individual) to
believe and live as if God exists instead of vice versa.
3.
Characteristics of Atheism. Atheism, per se, denies the existence
of God and rejects the Bible as God’s authoritative Word for mankind. As a
species, atheists have no interest in the Bible, the Gospel or in the forgiveness
of sin, salvation, and everlasting life and is just about one the most morbid,
nihilistic* and depressing of all worldviews and religious cults in captivity.
It may, among other things, also manifest as Agnosticism, Cybernetics, Dianetics
& Scientology, Nazism, Fascism, Communism, Secular Humanism, Transhumanism,
Posthumanism, Satanism etc.
What baffles me most is not the fact that
atheists do not believe in God rather than the fact that they are under the
impression that they have no sin and have no need for a ‘forgiving’ Saviour and
God.
*
‘Nihilistic’: Faith in Death-after-death, not Life-after-death.
4.
Classical (Atheistic) Darwinism. From the preponderance of literature on
Charles Darwin and Darwinism in general it has become pointedly clear that
‘Classical Darwinism’ is atheistic by default and founded on two non-negotiable
points-of-departure, i.e.:
(i) the rejection of the
existence of an Intelligent Designer (Creator) as the Divine Agent responsible
for the original conception, creation and ongoing maintenance and control of
the Cosmos (as per Genesis 1:1)
(ii) faith in the ‘arrival’
(for lack of a better word) of the Cosmos from out of the ‘blue-of-nothing’
through the magical, unplanned, accidental and random alchemy of brainless and
lifeless ‘Evolution’, a mysterious, unplanned and unpremeditated process
affectionately referred to among atheists, evolutionists and agnostics as the
‘Big Bang’.
5.
Postmodernism & Christian Atheism. Ever since the advent of popular
movements like the ‘Jesus Seminar’ (USA) and ‘Die Nuwe Hervormers’ (RSA),
Evangelical Christianity has been combating the scourge of Christian
Atheism, an approach to the Bible that denies the miraculous element in
Scripture (and especially in the New Testament), the rejection of the virgin
birth and divinity of Christ and the idea that, although the Bible may (or
should) be accepted as a commendable and helpful book on ‘social ethics’, the
historical narrative regarding the miracles of Christ and claims about His
divine status as the Son of God (God incarnate) should be considered as no more
than ancient and obsolete Jewish folklore, myth and legend not to be taken seriously
by the modern sophisticated, educated (‘enlightened’) mind.
Evangelical Christians, of course, reject
this worldview (the very false cult of ‘another Jesus’, ‘another ‘gospel’ and
‘another spirit’ among postmodernist theologians as warned against by the
Apostle Paul) as heresy with the contempt it deserves. It is simply amazing how
this magical word, i.e., ‘enlightened’ or ‘enlightenment’, is bandied about as
the key to spiritual emancipation, discovery and freedom by all and sundry all
over the world, e.g., from the ultra-sophisticated, educated heathens in ‘ivy
league’ universities in the West (who trample the Gospel of Jesus Christ as mythical
bunkum) to illiterate mystics in Asia spending hours, if not days, in stupefying
transcendent meditation.
6.
Three main themes defended by Evangelical Christians. Christians from
the perspective of Evangelical Christianity are (in my view)
predominantly engaged in and concerned with the promotion of three critical
themes:
6.1 Intelligent Design.
This refers to the argument that intelligent design (in nature) as well
as an Intelligent (Designer Creator) exist and that the Cosmos was
premeditatedly conceived, planned, and created by the Intelligent Designer
exactly as the Bible teaches.
By the way, not all those who believe in the
existence of intelligent design and an Intelligent Designer are necessarily
Christians; the subject is often pursued and studied across a wide spectrum of faiths
and creeds of diverse kinds.
6.2 Biblical Creationism.
This refers to the historicity of the Bible as a valid and reliable steward
and repository of the Genesis Creation Account of which God, i.e.,
Creator and Intelligent Designer, is the Author.
6.3 Evangelical
Christianity. This refers to the doctrine that the Son of God, Jesus
Christ, has died at Golgotha (Calvary) for the sins of the world and that,
through His ministry, life, suffering, sacrifice, death, resurrection and
consequently His righteousness, forgiveness of sin and Eternal Life is
promised to all those who will repent, believe the Gospel and accept Him as
Saviour and LORD.
7.
Tips on how to stand for the Kingdom of God. Sean McDowell PhD,
professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University, has given a plethora of
tips for the aspiring Christian apologist to consider:
7.1 “Before speaking on an issue, ask
yourself: Do I have all of the facts? Or at least a sufficient amount to make a
reasonable judgment?
7.2 “Don’t base your beliefs in what
you like, as tempting and natural as that may be. Seek truth, even if you don’t
like it.
7.3 “There is some truth in every
false belief system. Otherwise, no one would be tempted to believe it.
7.4 “When reading the Bible, it is
not a live option to accept teaching you like and disregard teachings you
don’t. Either it is inspired, and authoritative, or not.
7.5 “The core question many people
are asking today is whether Christianity is good. If we can’t show that it is
good, many will not even consider if it is true.
7.6 “Simply outwork people. Read
more. Study more. Ask better questions. Think more deeply. There’s no shortcut.
7.7 “Genuine tolerance means
respecting people who view the world differently. Tolerating only those who
hold your views is no tolerance at all.
7.8 “Whether in person or online,
regularly ask yourself, ‘If that person were sitting across from me, would I be
speaking with the same tone and attitude?’
7.9 “Be Patient! Got an email from a
friend who researched the historical Jesus for 7-8 years and just decided to
become a Christian.
7.10 “Even though He doesn't need us, God still loves us. Why? Love is
not just what God does. It's who He is.
7.11 “Have the courage to stand by your convictions, whether they are
popular or not.
7.12 “Don't pray for God to bless you today. Pray that God will make you
a blessing to others.
7.13 “If a seeker is open to considering the claims of Christ, don’t
give him/her an apologetics book first. Offer the Gospel of John...and then an
apologetics book.
7.14 “There is no single apologetics or evangelism method that works for
everyone. People are different.
7.15 “If your views never run up against the wider culture, then ask
yourself how biblically faithful you’re being.
7.16 Freedom is not doing whatever you want, but having the capacity to
do what you ought.
7.17 “Remember, even people who reject, scorn, or hate God are (a) made
in His image and (b) live in His world.
7.18 “Snarky condescension will change no one’s mind. If you want to
influence, lead with kindness and charity.
7.19 “Remember, the Bible doesn’t approve of everything it records.
7.20 “Speak truth with gentleness. Avoid the temptation to compromise
truth or speak harshly (Colossians4:6).
7.21 “You don’t have to have all the answers. Admit if you don’t know an
answer, but then go find it.
7.22 “Don’t merely make the case that Christianity is true. Make the
case that it is good and beautiful.
7.23 “We are called to make good arguments, but not be argumentative (1
Peter 3:15).
7.24 “You may disagree with others, but remember, people hold views for
reasons they perceive as good.
7.25 “Approach others with the idea that you may have something to learn
from them.
7.26 “Interpret
your experience in light of Scripture, rather than Scripture in light of your
experience.
7.27
“Make good arguments and defend truth, but remember, the deepest need of the
human heart is for love.”
8. Ten empirical proofs
that God exists (Bonus article: Reprint from ‘Christianity: Saviour on a
Mission’).
8.1 The Reality of the
BIBLE. The psalmist writes:
“The Lord gave the word: great was the
company of those that published it.”
[Psalm68:11KJV].
“The Words of Jehovah are pure
Words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”
[Psalm12:6MKJV].
“The heaven and the earth shall pass
away, but My Words shall not pass away."
[Matthew24:35MKJV].
As I write the
Bible is still considered the world’s bestseller.
“With estimated total sales of over five
billion copies, it is widely considered to be the best-selling book of all
time.[4][6][7] As of the 2000s, it sells approximately 100 million copies annually.”
[Wikipedia].
8.2
The Cosmos. To this day I am waiting for the atheist, secular
humanist, evolutionist and/or philosopher that will coherently (i.e., outside
the ambit of Bible history and revelation) explain to us:
8.2.1
Why is there something (e.g., a Universe, galaxies, solar systems, space,
planets, people, animals, plants etc,) instead of nothing?
8.2.2
Where did the Cosmos come from?
8.2.3
Where did we come from?
8.2.4
Why are were here?
8.2.5
Where are we going?
8.2.6
Is there hope for planet Earth?
8.2.7
Is there life after death?
8.2.8
Why can't so-called ‘Evolution’ (sic) get it right, i.e., why
is there, after so-called ‘millions of years of progressive Evolution’, still
a 100% mortality rate for every generation in every nation?
Pitted against the futility of the
atheist-evolutionist’s pathetic response (If any at all) to such questions, the
Christian offers the most coherent response to date. For instance, it is clear
that:
-
According to scientists themselves, science only knows about 5% of what is
going on in the Universe with the rest (95%) ‘undetectable by
scientific instruments dark matter & dark energy’. Furthermore, scientists
(e.g., marine biologists etc.) concede that they only know about 10%-20% of
what is going on in the oceans of the Earth.
-
God may thus just be obscured from their view and/or scientific observations
from the 80% to 90% of the oceans and 95% of the Cosmos the scientists still
know little (or not enough) about. Even had they 100% knowledge about the
oceans and the Cosmos (best-case scenario) they still might not observe or see
God ... to use an allegory, who in his right mind would look and search for
Henry Ford in the engine of a Ford automobile?
The Bible teaches:
“In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth.”
[Genesis1:1MKJV].
“Who has measured the waters
in the hollow of his hand, and measured out the heavens with a span? And who
has shut up the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in
scales, and the hills in a balance?”
[Isaiah40:12MKJV].
“So says Jehovah God, He who
created the heavens and stretched them out, spreading out the earth and its
offspring; He who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk
in it.”
[Isaiah42:5MKJV].
“I have made the earth, and
created man on it; I with My hands have stretched out the heavens; and all
their host have I commanded.”
[Isaiah45:12MKJV].
“ ... seek Him who created the
Pleiades and Orion, and who turned the deep darkness into the morning and He
darkened the day into night. Seek Him who calls for the waters of the sea, and
pours them out on the face of the earth; Jehovah is His name.”
[Amos5:8MKJV].
“O Lord, You are worthy to
receive glory and honor and power, because You created all things, and for Your
will they are and were created ... and swore by Him who lives forever and
ever, who created the heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things
in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there should no longer be time.”
[Revelation4:11; 10:6MKJV].
8.3 The
Reality of PLANET EARTH. The Bible says:
“He stretches out the north
over the empty place, and He hung the earth on nothing.”
[Job26:7MKJV].
Check out any image of the earth in books or
on the Internet ... is it suspended in deep space or not? In other words, it
was 'hung on nothing', exactly as the Bible predicted centuries before modern
(optical and radio) telescopes and the science of modern astronomy were
founded.
8.4 The
Reality of the SEVEN DAY WEEK. God made the heavens and the earth in
six days and on the seventh day He 'rested' (stopped creating); the seven-day
week has been in full force ever since ... why won’t or can't anyone change it?
[Genesis1:1-31; 2:1-3].
8.5
The Reality of ZIONISM. God promised Abraham (Abram > Abraham
> Isaac >Jacob > Israel):
“And
Jehovah said to Abram, Go out of your country, and from your kindred, and from
your father's house into a land that I will show you. And I will make you
a great nation. And I will bless you and make your name great. And you shall be
a blessing. And I will bless those that bless you and curse the one who
curses you. And in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
[Genesis12:1-3MKJV].
The Prophet Isaiah warns:
“This burden was in the year
that King Ahaz died: Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod of your
striking is broken. For a viper comes forth from the root of a snake, and his
fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. And the first-born of the poor shall
feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety; and I will kill your root with
famine, and he shall slay your remnant. Howl, O gate! Cry, O city! O Philistia,
all of you, are melted away; for from the north a smoke comes, and no straggler
in his ranks. What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That
Jehovah has founded Zion, and the poor of His people shall trust in it.”
[Isaiah14:28-32MKJV].
8.6 The Miracle of
BIRTH. Within an hour after the birth of my son in 1979 (and the same
with the birth of my daughter in 1981) I would have given my life for a little
person whom I, at that moment, didn’t know from Adam, an experience and an
emotion neither secular psychology, science, scientism, evolutionism or secular
philosophy can ever hope to explain.
This phenomenon,
i.e., the miracle of birth, vividly demonstrates the miracle of birth and
wonder of divine Creation and illustrates the futility of the religious cult of
atheism-evolutionism that doggedly believes in ‘death-after-death’ and
impotency of Darwinism that, after, ‘millions of years of progressive Evolution’,
still cannot get it right as it struggles with a 100% mortality rate for
mankind in every generation in every nation.
The miracle of
birth almost daily shows that life is more than a collection of cells, bones,
nerves, skin, hair, blood, water and a brain housing a motley collection of ‘thinking
atoms’; it affirms the Biblical fact that the physical body of man houses an
immortal spirit created by God and cherished by our Heavenly Father.
8.7 The Reality of the
Genesis FLOOD & ARK of NOAH. Skeptics, atheist-evolutionists (and
even Christian atheists or postmodernists!) are doing their very best to deny
and dismiss the existence of Noah, the Flood of Noah and the Ark of the
Flood as described in the Bible and will invariably in debates and
arguments (about the topic) write that kind of history off as (unreliable &
useless) ancient ‘Jewish myths’, ‘legends’ and ‘old wives tales’.
However, the
historicity of the Biblical account of Noah, the Flood and the Ark is
affirmed repeatedly in the Bible:
8.7.1 GENESIS:
The Genesis Account of Noah
and Noah's Ark & Flood: Genesis5:29-10:32.
8.7.2 1CHRONICLES:
“Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel,
Jered, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”
[1 Chronicles
1:1-4MKJV].
8.7.3 ISAIAH: God
speaks through the prophet:
“For this is as the waters
of Noah to Me; for as I swore that the waters of Noah should
no more go over the earth, so I have sworn from being angry with you and from
rebuking you.”
[Isaiah 54:9MKJV].
8.7.4 EZEKIEL: God
speaks through the prophet:
“And though these three men, Noah,
Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver only their own souls by their
righteousness, says the Lord Jehovah ... though Noah, Daniel, and
Job were in it, as I live, says the Lord Jehovah, they shall deliver neither
son nor daughter. They shall only deliver their own souls by their
righteousness.”
[Ezekiel14:14,20MKJV].
8.7.5 HEBREWS (EPISTLE):
“By faith Noah, having been
warned by God of things not yet seen, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the
saving of his house, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the
righteousness which is according to faith.”
[Hebrews11:7MKJV].
8.7.6 PETER (EPISTLE):
“For Christ also once suffered for sins, the
just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, indeed being put to death
in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit; in which also He went and preached
to the spirits in prison, to disobeying ones, when once the long-suffering of
God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was
being prepared (in which a few, that is, eight souls were saved through
water); which figure now also saves us, baptism; not a putting
away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ; who is at the right hand of God, having
gone into Heaven, where the angels and authorities and powers are being
subjected to Him.”
[1Peter3:18-22MKJV].
“For if God
did not spare sinning angels, but thrust them down into Tartarus, and delivered
them into chains of darkness, being reserved to judgment. And He did not spare
the old world, but saved Noah the eighth one, a preacher of
righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.”
[2Peter2:4-5MKJV].
8.7.7 JESUS CHRIST:
(a) As to the Second
Coming #1:
“But of that day and hour no one knows, no,
not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father. But as the days of Noah were,
so shall be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in the days before the
flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
until the day Noah entered into the ark. And they did not
know until the flood came and took them all away. So also will be
the coming of the Son of Man.”
[Matthew24:36-39MKJV].
(b) As to the
bloodline (genealogy):
“ ... the son of Cainan, the son of
Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech.”
[Luke3:36MKJV].
(c) As to the Second
Coming #2:
“And as it was in the days of
Noah, so it also shall be in the days of the Son of Man. They ate, they
drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day
that Noah entered into the ark; and the flood came and
destroyed them all. So also as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they
drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but the day Lot went
out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from the heaven and destroyed them
all. Even so it shall be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”
[Luke17:26-30MKJV].
8.8 The Reality of SIN. As
regards the reality of evil and sin, the Bible teaches:
“Remember now your Creator in the days of
your youth, while the evil days do not come, nor the years draw near, when you
shall say, I have no pleasure in them. For God shall bring every work into
judgment, with every secret thing, whether it is good, or whether evil.”
[Ecclesiastes12:1,
14MKJV].
“But if your eye is evil, your whole body
shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness,
how great is that darkness!”
[Matthew6:23MKJV].
“Even so every good tree brings forth
good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot
bring forth evil fruits, nor can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit ... And
Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil in your hearts? ...
Offspring of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of
the heart brings out good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasure
brings out evil things.”
[Matthew7:17-18;
9:4; 12:34-35MKJV].
“And this is the message which we have
heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness
at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie
and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His
Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If
we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.”
[1John1:5-10MKJV].
“Come now, and let us reason together,
says Jehovah; though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing
and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Jehovah has spoken.”
[Isaiah1:18-20MKJV].
8.9 The Reality of
SPIRITUAL REGENERA-TION. 'Spiritual Regeneration' is one of the
miracles of a relationship with Jesus Christ and it is wrought by the
mysterious Holy Spirit of God ... many may refer to it as the ‘born again
experience’. The Bible teaches:
“But as many as received Him, He gave to
them authority to become the children of God, to those who believe on His
name, who were born, not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of
the will of man, but were born of God.”
[John1:12-13MKJV].
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
has any strength, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.”
[Galatians6:15MKJV].
“So that if any one is in Christ, that
one is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have
become new.”
[2Corinthians5:17MKJV].
“But death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the transgression of
Adam, who is the type of Him who was to come ... For as in Adam all die, even
so in Christ all will be made alive ... And so it is written, "The first
man, Adam, became a living soul," the last Adam was a life-giving Spirit.’”
[Romans5:14;
1Corinthians15:22,45MKJV].
8.10 The
Reality of DEATH. Death is a fact of life that cannot be changed. Even
the after ‘millions of years’ of so-called ‘progressive Evolution’ (yeah
right!) the mortality rate for every generation and in every nation is still a
solid 100% ... clearly ‘progressive Evolution’ did not progress even over all
the millennia at all. The reason for it is plain to see, as the Bible
teaches:
“And
as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
[Hebrews9:27MKJV].
8.11 Conclusion &
Admonition. Jesus Christ will be the presiding Chief Justice at the Great
White Throne Judgment.
In the light of these empirical proofs for
the existence of God (by no means an exhaustive list) does the
atheist-evolutionist have a legitimate excuse for not believing in God, and will
the atheist-evolutionist be able to stand successfully before Jesus Christ at
the Great White Throne Judgment ‘justified’ and declared ‘not
guilty’ on the grounds of ‘ignorance’ or ‘innocent’ wilful unbelief alone? What
does the Bible teach?
8.11.1 No
other Name by which we may be saved.
“This [JESUS
CHRIST] is the Stone which you builders have counted worthless, and He has
become the Head of the Corner. And there is salvation in no other One; for
there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved
... Therefore I [JESUS CHRIST] said to you that you shall die in
your sins, for if you do not believe that I AM, you shall die in your sins.”
[Acts4:11-12; John8:24MKJV].
8.11.2 Jesus
Christ the presiding Chief Justice.
“For
as [GOD] the Father raises the dead and makes alive, even so the Son
of Man [JESUS CHRIST] makes alive whomever He
wills. For [GOD] the Father judges no man, but has committed all
judgment to the Son [JESUS], so that all should honor the
Son [JESUS], even as they honor [GOD] the Father. He who does
not honor the Son [JESUS] does not honor [GOD] the Father
who sent Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, He who hears My Word and
believes on Him [GOD THE FATHER] who sent Me [JESUS CHRIST] has
everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from
death to life.”
[John5:21-24MKJV].
8.11.3 Those
ashamed of Christ will stand ashamed on Judgment Day.
“For
whoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My Words, the Son of Man shall be ashamed
of him when He shall come in His own and in His Father's glory, and that of the
holy angels.”
[Luke9:26MKJV].
8.11.4 There
can be no excuse. The Bible warns:
“For
the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because
the thing which may be known of God is clearly revealed within them, for God
revealed it to them. For the unseen things of Him from the creation of the
world are clearly seen, being realized by the things that are made, even His
eternal power and Godhead, for them to be without excuse. Because, knowing
God, they did not glorify Him as God, neither were thankful. But they became
vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was
darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.”
[Romans 1:18-22MKJV].
9.
The ‘Wisdom’ Test. Please try to answer the undermentioned question as
honestly as possible: ‘How ALMIGHTY (OMNIPOTENT) is God really?
- Absolutely & Infinitely
omnipotent?
- Very omnipotent?
- Almost omnipotent?
- Just a little bit
omnipotent?
- Not omnipotent at all?
The answer is simple: God is absolutely and
infinitely omnipotent!
[Génesis1:1-3; Job42:2;
Psalm147:5; Mark10:27; Romans4:17; Ephesians3:20].
References/Recommended Sources
1. Britannica.com. Apologist.
Online 2022.
2. Dissent from Darwin. DissentfromDarwin.org.
Online 2022.
3. Geisler, Norman L. Baker
Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Amazon.com. Online 2022.
4. McDowell, Sean PhD (2016) A New
Kind of Apologist. Harvest House Publishers. Eugene, Oregon.
5. McDowell, Sean PhD (2016) Tips
for Christian Apologists. Biola University, Good Book Blog. Online
2022.
6. Potter, Doug PhD Five
Strategies for Teaching Christian Apologetics. Southern Evangelical
Seminary & Bible College. Online 2022.
7. Tacelli, Keith R. & Kreeft, P.
(1994) Handbook of Christian Apologetics. Amazon. Online 2022.
8. Wikipedia. Bible. Online
2022.
9. Wikipedia. Christian
Apologetics. Online 2022.
Chapter 2
Atheism’s Elephant in the Room
1. The Elephant in the Room. I apologise
for this ‘misnomer’; it actually should read a ‘herd of elephants’, i.e., those
red-herring issues that the atheists conveniently choose to ignore as too
perplexingly embarrassing to acknowledge in public. Examples:
1.1 The
Bible. After literally millenniums of attacks, abuse and efforts to
destroy it, the Bible, the Church (‘Ecclesia’) and God’s Moral
Compass for mankind, stubbornly refuses to go away and leave them
alone.
1.2 The
Jew & Israel. The most obvious ‘empirical evidence’ in support of
the historicity and authenticity of the Bible, especially the Old Testament, is
the very phenomenon of the Jew, especially after the independence
of the fledgling nation of Israel (1948), exactly as
prophets from Biblical times and in the Bible had prophesied.
1.3 The
Gospel and Prophecies of Jesus Christ. No informed person today
will deny the success of the Gospel; in communism-driven China alone
Christianity is growing at 7% p.a. and, according to a recent BBC report, by
2030 more than 50% of Chinese citizens are expected to be Christians. The very
escalation of the persecution of Christians and presence of wars, rumours of
wars, earthquakes etc. serve to affirm the veracity of Christ’s prophecies
i.r.o. the ‘end times’ (‘Eschatology’).
1.4 Darwinism. One
‘elephant’ in the room that many an exasperating atheist would have gotten rid
of years ago had the darn animal not ingratiated itself into their lives as
this macabre Dead Poets Society of a hopeless ideology, i.e.,
no Hereafter (‘death after death’) and no prospects for the
future but to be recycled back into nature at death as compost for the next
generation of cynical ‘evolutionists’.
1.5 Mankind's
Persistent 100% Mortality Rate. After ‘billions of years’ of ‘Cosmic
& Stellar Evolution’ (sic) and ‘millions of years’ of ‘Human
Evolution’ (sic) the evolutionists still can promise us, at
best, the same old 100% mortality rate for every generation on
every continent of planet earth ... ‘Evolution’ just can't seem to get it
right, does it?
2. The Ultimate Irony. When the
atheist is challenged over the merit of his ‘belief system’, he is quick to
retort that he is perfectly content (if not deliriously happy) in the twilight
of his cheerless worldview.
The point
is that, if this were true, why would he reject the only person in the Universe
(Jesus Christ) who has the stature to make his (true, authentic) happiness a
glorious, Eternal affair? Why do they insist on rejecting the only Person
with the key to Eternal and the ultimate form of Happiness?
AUTHOR PROFILE
P.
J. Stassen, born in 1947 in Randgate, South Africa, holds a B.A. degree in
Industrial Psychology & Sociology (Industrial) from the University of South
Africa. A former businessman who, after mandatory military conscription, spent
the first 12 years of his life in 1966 in the field of retail (Textiles &
General Dealer) in a family business begun by his father in 1964, thereafter
worked at various other jobs eventually arriving in the fulfilling position of
a corporate trainer with Kumba Resources (formerly Iscor Iron Ore
Mine) in the Bushveldt region of South Africa during the years 1986 and
1997. At the time of his retirement in 2013 he was engaged in Occupational
Health & Safety Training in the corporate environment on a contract
basis for a Johannesburg company.
P.J. Stassen and his wife are both retired
and live in Centurion, South Africa after having also served in their
capacities as gospel musicians (pianist & organist respectively) in
churches in some of South Africa’s nine provinces, e.g., in places like
Vanderbijlpark, Bloemfontein, Thabazimbi, Sinoville and Centurion.
PUBLISHING DETAILS
TITLE: Christianity: Confronting the Trojan Horse in the Church
FORMAT: Paperback
CHAPTERS: 93
PAGES: 358
WORD COUNT: 77 374
PUBLISHER: Amazon. PJ Stassen Author Page
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