Part I: Mormonism’s Appeal, Growth and Challenges Introductory Essay Christians often make the mistake of viewing Mormons as unintelligent, uninformed, or dishonest.[1] 1. The Apologetic Impulse in Early Mormonism: The Historical Roots of the New Mormon Challenge, by Craig Hazen Mormonism arose in 19th century America at the end of the Enlightenment[2] and in a…
As a father of 2 teenagers, a daughter age 19 and a son age 14, this book was both encouraging and frightening. Perhaps the most striking discovery of the survey work done for the book is the depth of penetration into the American society of moral relativism. Of the emerging adults interviewed, nearly all expressed…
Lewis attacks the false philosophy of the British high school English textbook, The Control of Language: A Critical Approach to Reading and Writing, by Alex King and Martin Ketley. Lewis refers to King and Ketley as “Gaius and Titius,” and to their book as “The Green Book.” Lewis is chiefly concerned that King and Ketley…
The purpose of this research article is to apply the techniques of cold case homicide investigation to the Eckankar Worldview and the claims of its founder, Jacob Paul Twitchell. The selection of Eckankar as the research subject of this article was due to the fact that the writer’s younger brother is a devoted follower (Eckist)…
This article will survey three ancient extra-biblical sources which acknowledge the historical existence of Jesus of Nazareth, lend credence to the veracity of certain claims of the Bible, provide corroborating testimony to the origins of Christianity as a religion, and in some ways support several of its historical claims. This article will not explore other…
Defining Decadence Decadence is a “falling away” from an idea or substantive notion. The grip of society is loosened on an idea or principle until it no longer holds the power to influence. The root word is decay, but it goes beyond merely decay, to decline in society and civilization. Decadence in art, for example,…
There are 3 responses to this question: First, we are not more merciful than God, are we? When we ask this question, we are really questioning God’s mercy. We are suggesting that we are more merciful than God. We indict God and place ourselves in the judgment seat against him. But, the Bible presents this…
Limbo is a now defunct doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. It was abandoned by the current Pope, Benedict 16th on April 20, 2007 (Catholic News Service). The false belief, which was held by Catholics since the middle ages, was the basic concept that just or innocent people who died prior to baptism (infants, for…
In ancient Israel, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest made a sin offering of a bull and a goat. God instructed the priests that the carcasses of the bull and the goat were to be burned outside the camp of Israel. The reason for this was that spiritually speaking, the sins of the…
One must be careful not to readily accept the premises and hypothesis of a given argument without first carefully scrutinizing each component of the argument for form and validity. Consider the following apparent conundrum: Three travelers go into a hotel together and ask to rent a single room for the night for the three of…