Defending and Commending the Faith With Dr. Joe L. Mott, inviting the atheist, agnostic and skeptic to examine for themselves the evidence for the Christian faith

References: (1) Jesus is unique because of His resurrection. Jesus did not decay in some grave in Jerusalem. He rose from the dead and is alive today and we can know Him in an experiential way. He can give us peace, joy, hope, and comfort. (2) Only Jesus, the founder of Christianity, is alive now because of His resurrection. All Christians are able to say with the apostle Paul, “I know whom I have...

References: (1) Christianity teaches He is unique in every way. From His complete deity to His perfect humanity; from His miraculous conception to His ascension; from His sinless character to His incomparable teaching; from His death to His resurrection — Jesus stands above all other religious or moral teachers. (2) Mormons (or Latter-day Saints) profess that Jesus progressed by obedience and devo...

References: (1) Today I include that Christ’s death gives to believers Victory over Evil, the fifth in my list of benefits. (2) Jesus’ death is a fulfillment of Genesis 3:15 where God spoke to the serpent: “And I will put ENMITY between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (3) Jesus’ death is a fulfillment of Genesis 3:15...

References: (1) Jesus Christ was UNIQUE in that He ALONE, of all who ever lived, was both GOD and MAN. The Nicene Creed (325 AD) states the uniform belief of all orthodox Christianity was that Christ was FULLY GOD and FULLY MAN in one person. (2) The central message of the Bible is that God Himself has provided a PERFECT MEDIATOR, Jesus Christ. But in order to be a mediator between us and God, Jes...

References: (1) I had begun answering the question: Who is this Christ, named Jesus, born in Bethlehem, with no room in the inn and no midwife or physician to aid in the delivery? By revelation in the word of God that Jesus is 100% divine and 100% human. (2) John the Baptist asserted, “I have seen, and testified that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34). The Gospel of Mark said Jesus is the Son of...

References: (1) Baker’s Dictionary of Theology an article by George W. Bromiley. (2) “Essential Truths of the Christian Faith” by R. C. Sproul. (3) Who is this Christ? Many answers have been given. Others at that time called Him a “deceiver” (Matt. 27:63). Still others thought Him to be a prophet (John 6:14). This is Episode 228.

References: (1) “God’s Words: Studies of Key Bible Themes” by J. I. Packer. (2) The idea that God is love is almost an axiom of modern spirituality. (3) God‘s nature cannot be relational or loving therefore, eternity past God was alone love requires a personal connection between a subject, a lover, and an object the beloved. So the notion of God, as a Trinity opens up the possibility for love to f...

References: (1) We could spend the rest of our lives and never know all of God’s attributes. But similarly we could never know all about our parents, our spouses, or our children EITHER. But we can know enough about them to trust them, be comfortable and secure with them, and love them. The same is true regarding the God of the Bible. (2) When Mortimer J. Adler, editor of the “Great Books of the W...

References: (1) New MAHA report claims ‘alarming increases’ in child chronic conditions. (2) The report states there has been a RISE in childhood chronic disease. It IDENTIFIES poor diet, chemical exposure, lack of physical activity, and medical over prescription of drugs — what the report calls “overmedicalization” — as key drivers of deteriorating child health. (3) Children absorb thousands of S...

References: (1) In my lifetime evangelicalism has faced several crucial battles: first, there is the battle for the Bible. (2) No topic is more important than the battle that now must be squarely faced, namely, the battle for God. What is that battle? It is the theological DEBATE now being waged in the halls of academia and in the pulpits of America over the NATURE of God. (3) For EVERY MAJOR DOCT...

References: (1) The answers to the first 6 questions of the Westminster Shorter Catechism we discover: Man’s CHIEF END is to glorify God. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments is the ONLY RULE to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him. The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to BELIEVE concerning God, and what DUTY God requires of man. God is...

References: (1) First, what is the ultimate reality — the really real? What is the basis for the way things are? What is the final reality that EXPLAINS how things came into being and how things hold together? What EXPLAINS the ORDER in the universe? (2) Different people would give various explanations. Carl Sagan, the astrophysicist, scientific popularizer, and host of his TV series “Cosmos,” wou...

References: (1) Religious pluralism poses profound questions especially for Christians. Very often the people that propose these questions are children of MODERNISM and their whole approach is DICTATED by highly questionable PRESUPPOSITIONS which includes naturalism which I have shown that it is self-defeating. (2) The Elephant and the Blind Men Parable. (3) In the same way, people claim that diff...

References: (1) Pluralism claims there are many PATHS to heaven. (2) Just as PHYSICAL BIRTH comes through the birth canal of a mother is the only way into earth so the SPIRITUAL BIRTH coming through the door into heaven through Jesus Christ is the only way into heaven. (3) Studies by the Barna Survey Group and other surveys have noted the growth of ideas related to religious pluralism in American...

References: (1) Christianity is exclusivistic; it claims to be the one and only true religion. (2) The greatest stumbling block for nonbelievers coming to faith in Jesus Christ is the issue of EXCLUSIVITY. You may be reasonable in your explanation of Christianity to your acquaintances, but trust me, you will lose all credibility when you insist that faith in Christ is the ONLY PATH to heaven. But...

References: (1) 2017 Gallup Survey. (2) 1937 Gallup Poll. (3) “Christian Apologetics” by Douglas Groothuis. (4) 2008 Religious Landscape Report by the Pew Reform. (5) Note that pluralism is ENTIRELY CONTRARY to what Jesus says in John 14:6 that “I am the way, the truth, and the life; NO ONE comes to the Father but through Me.” (6) “Oxford American Dictionary of Current English.” (7) Groothuis quot...

References: (1) Marx’s 2 main publications are the books “Das Kapital”and “Communist Manifesto.” (2) The bedrock of understanding Marx is that he proposed an “economic interpretation of history” totally setting aside religious history, scientific history, etc. (3) To this time in history, Marxism has NEVER WORKED in real life — and, without exception, in the places where Marxism has been the gover...

References: (1) “Scripture Twisting” by James W. Sire. (2) Sire defines a cult. He says a cult is simply “any religious movement that is organizationally DISTINCT and has doctrines and/or practices that CONTRADICT those of the Scriptures as interpreted by traditional Christianity as REPRESENTED by the major Catholic and Protestant denominations, and is EXPRESSED in such statements as the Apostles’...

References: (1) To demonstrate how far the Church in America has FALLEN, a national 2017 Gallup Survey has found that ONLY 24% of Americans now believe that the Holy Scripture is “the ACTUAL word of God.” (2) Even MORE CONCERNING, according to the same poll, many Christians believe the Bible “SHOULDN’T be taken LITERALLY.” If these people say the Word of God can’t be taken literally, then they are...

References: (1) “Woke” often means a variety of IDEAS one of which is being “conscious of INJUSTICE in society.” Of course, a Christian should be concerned about real injustice but what the liberal media suggests as injustice could be a MANUFACTURED CONCEPT that FOMENTS UNREST in society. A “woke” person is supposedly attentive to RACIAL DISCRIMINATION and the issues surrounding it. (2) Also the w...

References: (1) In my time, The Great Soviet Encyclopedia [Moscow, 1952] stated that Jesus is “the name of the MYTHOLOGICAL FOUNDER of Christianity.” (2) “The New Testament — Its Background, Growth, and Content,” by Bruce Metzger. (3) “Losing Faith in Faith” by Dan Barker. (4) In the New Testament period a heresy known as GNOSTICISM began to develop. This term covered a varety of sects that advoca...

References: (1) The Son of God must be of the same ESSENCE as the Father; since the Father is divine, therefore, the Son of God must be divine. (2) So just 17-20 years after the resurrection, Jesus was described as DIVINE. (3) We cannot talk about the SON of God, the Bible as the WORD of God, and miracles as the ACTS of God, unless it can be demonstrated that God EXISTS. (4) I have given an extens...

References: (1) “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist” by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek. (2) The 10th of Geisler and Turek’s list is the Jewish Talmud. (3) Wikipedia says that in the modern era, there has been a variance of views among Talmudic scholars of the possible references to Jesus. (4) In 1978 Johann Maier wrote "Jesus of Nazareth in the Talmudic Tradition" where he concludes that t...

References: (1) “Mere Christianity” by C. S. Lewis. (2) In 2 occasions in the Gospel of John, Jesus said something that caused the Jews to try to stone Him. In 8:58 Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am!,” and in 10:30, He said, “I and the Father are one.” Jesus was truly claiming equality with God the Father. (3) If you read Hebrews 1:8-13 you will see that God the Father bears witness to Jesus’...

References: (1) “The Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel. (2) “A History of God” by Karen Armstrong. (3) “The Son Rises” by William Lane Craig. (4) Jesus is called the Christ, Christos in Greek, masiah in Hebrew transliterated as Messiah meaning anointed one. (5) “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist” by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek. This is Episode 209.