A fairly recent article written by a well-known apologist claims that young age creationism destroys the faith of young people, but I think his claim is misguided and wrongheaded.

What does the Bible say about the nature of faith? When we examine closely, it appears faith is never actually an intellectual problem—rather, it’s a moral/spiritual problem.

A person may choose to blame intellectual difficulty and ideas like young age creationism for their unbelief, but I believe the Bible grounds unbelief in something much more foundational than that.

In this episode, I’ll discuss why I think young age creationism is not what causes folks to leave/reject Christianity and attempt to offer a more biblical answer.

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The post 101: Does Young Age Creationism Destroy the Faith of Young Christians? appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries.

What is the chief end of man? According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy him forever.” But what does that mean for us?

The Bible is clear (see Revelation 4:11) that we are created for God and his glory. Thus, we can only be truly human by coming into a personal relationship with the One who created us.

In this 100th episode of the show, we reflect a bit on the goodness of God and what it means to be created in his image, for his glory, and to our everlasting enjoyment and satisfaction.

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The post 100: The Glory and Enjoyment of God appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries.

When evaluating the evidence for Christian truth claims, many skeptics assert there simply is no evidence. What can we make of such an assessment?

When folks talk about evidence (whether atheist, Christian, or otherwise), they often make the mistake of relegating the objective to the subjective.

By understanding what evidence actually is, one can avoid the error of reducing reality to mere psychological misunderstanding.

Listen in to this podcast as we discuss both the nature of evidence and why it would be inappropriate to say there is no evidence for something you are merely not convinced is true.

(Make sure to click here or enter your info below to get today’s free lesson handout!)

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The post 099: Not Convinced ≠ No Evidence appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries.

What’s the best way to know exactly what truths God meant to convey in his Word? Read the text!

It’s easy in a world full of scholarly opinion to rest on the laurels of those you trust as faithful interpreters, but scholars have competing opinions, and you should be ready and able to adjudicate between them.

By having thought through the context, historical setting, and genre of a given passage, you are much more likely to gain an accurate understanding of what a text meant to its original readers, and, therefore, its objective meaning.

Here’s a suggested way of remembering this truth: The Text is where the Truth is found.

Listen in to this week’s episode as I develop that thought and give some practical application on understanding truths from the Bible.

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The post 098: Read the Text for Yourself! appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries.

The Christian faith is robust and able to withstand even the most challenging of attacks. But some attacks are really only challenging prima facie (at face value).

A deeper dive reveals that many challenges are so superficial they hardly require a defense. In this week’s episode, we spend some time making the case for Christians to hold a more studied and rational faith.

Then, we examine a recent atheist tirade I encountered and show how his questions—while seemingly difficult for the average Christian—fall down flat after a moment’s reflection.

Enjoy the show!

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The post 097: Responding to an Internet Atheist Tirade appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries.

It’s the 4th of July here in America—a day we celebrate our independence as a nation. And, for Christians, a day to remember how good God is to us to live in the country we do.

In my Bible reading I recently came across Exodus 13:8–9 which reads:

And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD’S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt.

In this episode—which breaks a bit from the norm—I give consideration to the concept of “remembrance” both in Hebrew life and in the Christian’s life and finish out with some practical admonition for my fellow brothers and sisters here in the USA.1

Enjoy the show!

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The post 096: Remembrance appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries.

When discussing origins, the claim is often made that God made a “perfect” creation in the beginning. It’s easy to see why many think this, but is it correct?

I think the answer is a resounding “no!”

Now, if that sounds troublesome to you, then let me invite you to listen in to the episode before casting judgment. In the final analysis, I think you’ll agree with me! But we need to do some careful reflection in order to get there.

Thanks for joining us this week! I hope you enjoy the show.

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The post 095: Was God’s Original Creation Perfect? appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries.

Are moral facts obvious, and if so, can they be accounted for objectively? That’s the question before us in this week’s episode of the Steve Schramm Show.

We’ll take a look at what philosophers mean by the notion of “intuition” and make the case that objective moral values and duties do, in fact, exist, and require a metaphysical grounding in order to be meaningful.

Then, we answer questions about scientific evidence for God and how Satan was “allowed” to tempt Jesus.

This week’s questions:

Q: This is a genuine question for Christians: if there is no scientific evidence for a Christian God (or any God for that matter), then what makes you continue to be faithful?

Q: How was Satan allowed to tempt Christ when he was in the desert for 40 days? Didn’t Christ, being the son of God, have power over evil?

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Also, please consider donating to become a financial Partner of the ministry. God Bless!

The post 094: Moral Facts Must Be Grounded appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries.

Recently, noted Christian philosopher William Lane Craig announced his next area of study to be the Historical Adam.

Dr. Craig is a researcher who is both highly respected and misunderstood by many, so I thought it might be useful and edifying to provide a commentary on his research as he provides updates on it.

Our goal is to remain thoughtful and charitable, while taking the time to point out the strengths and weaknesses of his position.

Enjoy the show!

Mentioned in this lesson:

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The post 093: (Update 1) William Lane Craig and the Historical Adam appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries.

A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed Marc Lambert of the Hey, Pastor! Podcast on how to argue for young age creationism without an appeal to Genesis 1.

This was an eye-opening discussion for many, but the question was left open as to what Genesis 1 can actually tell us.

So I open this episode with some thoughts about what Genesis tells us given different understandings of its genre, and aim to show that our contention that Genesis 1 by itself does not answer the age of the earth question still stands.

This week’s questions::

What is the genetic evidence for Adam and Eve?

“The Bible doesn’t tell us the age of the universe!”

Mentioned in this lesson:

On the Origin of Eukaryotic Species’ Genotypic and Phenotypic Diversity

089: From Jesus to Genesis w/ Marc Lambert

TCA Lesson 026: Genetic Evidence for a Recent Creation (BOH Series)

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Also, please consider donating to become a financial Partner of the ministry. God Bless!

The post 092: No, Genesis 1 Does Not Answer the Age of the Earth Question appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries.