DAY 177

CHALLENGE

“The Bible teaches sola scriptura. For example, it says: “All scripture (Greek, pasa graphē) is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17).”

DEFENSE

There are multiple problems with this challenge.

First, pasa graphē ordinarily would be translated “every scripture” (pasa generally means “every” rather than “all” before a singular noun like graphē). “Every scripture” would be a reference to each individual book of Sc…

DAY 176

CHALLENGE

“The Bible would be more credible if it contained scientific knowledge that wasn’t known when it was written (e.g., if it said, ‘There are no rivers longer than the Amazon,’ ‘The atomic theory of matter is

true,’ or ‘Epidemics are caused by germs’).”

DEFENSE

God could do this if he chose, but it doesn’t appear he has. Scripture is a religious rather than scientific text, and God has given us other evidence for our faith.

Some think Scripture contains scientific foreknowledge. For example, Isaiah 40:22 says God “sits above the circle of the earth,” which some think ref…

DAY 175

CHALLENGE

“The pope’s title “Vicar of the Son of God” in Latin is Vicarius Filii Dei. When you add up the Roman numerals in this title, you get 666. Therefore, the pope is the Antichrist mentioned in Revelation 13.”

DEFENSE

Vicarius Filii Dei is not one of the pope’s titles, and this method of calculation is unreliable.

Some have referred to the pope as “vicar of the Son of God,” but this is not one of his official titles. These are listed in the Annuario Pontifi- cio (“Pontifical Yearbook”), published annually by the Vatican press. They are:

Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Ch…

DAY 174

CHALLENGE

“In Scripture, God has a physical form, doesn’t know things, learns new things, changes his mind, and so on, but modern philosophers and theologians portray God as immaterial, changeless, and perfect.”

DEFENSE

The early portions of Scripture describe God using anthropomorphic language accommodated to the original audience.

Divine revelation was given to mankind over a period of more than a thousand years. When God began to guide the Israelites, he initiated a “divine pedagogy” in which he “communicates himself to man gradually. He prepares him to welcome by stages the sup…

DAY 173

CHALLENGE

“The word ‘purgatory’ doesn’t appear in Scripture, which tells of only two destinies for man—heaven and hell. It doesn’t say anything about a third destiny or a second chance after death.”

DEFENSE

Something can be biblical even if the word isn’t used. Purgatory is not a third destiny or a second chance.

Many terms—like Trinity, original sin, and even Bible—were coined after the Bible was written but still express biblical realities.

Purgatory is the final purification God performs for those who died in his friendship but who are still impure. Thus it is not a third …

DAY 172

CHALLENGE

“I would love to believe. I see the benefits religious faith brings people, and I wish I could embrace it. Yet I find myself unable to do so.”

DEFENSE

This problem is common because it’s based on our psychological makeup, but it is not insurmountable.

The possibility of overcoming it is indicated by the fact that the vast majority of people have some form of religious faith. It is not contrary to human nature. Indeed, religion is a human universal found in all cultures, both historical and present.

Similarly, choosing one religion over another is not impossible.…

DAY 171

CHALLENGE

“Easter is a pagan holiday. Its timing is based on the full moon and the spring equinox, and it’s named after the goddess Ishtar.”

DEFENSE

Easter’s origins are Jewish. It is the Christian equivalent of Passover.

The word “Easter” is of English origin. Ishtar was worshipped in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), not England, which is thousands of miles away. Despite sounding similar, the two words are unrelated.

The eighth-century British historian Bede claimed the word “Easter” came from the name of the month in which it occurred (basically, April). He said this month used t…

DAY 170

CHALLENGE

“Matthew and Luke contradict each other. Matthew says that Judas hanged himself (Matt. 27:5), but Luke says that “falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out” (Acts 1:18).”

DEFENSE

The accounts preserve different aspects of the event, but they do not contradict each other.

Both agree Judas died shortly after the Crucifixion. Matthew says Judas hanged himself after returning the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests, while Luke has Peter speaking of the event during the period between the Ascension and Pentecost (between forty and…

DAY 169

CHALLENGE

“The argument from contingency is flawed: (1) Everything could be fated, so nothing would be contingent; (2) we can explain how things are by their history, which could be infinite; (3) there could be multiple ultimate causes; (4) you could call the first, necessary cause something other than God; and (5) if everything needs a cause, then God also must have a cause.”

DEFENSE

None of these objections overturn the contingency argument.

First, the argument from fate simply proposes a single, ultimate cause—fate itself—for contingent things. It doesn’t show they aren’t …

DAY 168

CHALLENGE

“How would you argue for the existence of God?”

DEFENSE

One argument proceeds from the existence of contingent things (i.e., things that could be different than they are).

Some things are contingent.

All contingent things require a current cause for why they are the way they are.

There cannot be an infinite regress of current causes.

Therefore, there must be a first, necessary (non-contingent) cause.

The first, necessary cause is God.

Therefore, God exists.The premises of this argument are lines 1, 2, 3, and 5. The conclusions (lines 4 and 6) follow from them.

Line …