Author Archives: sheepdogapologetics

What Was the Council of Nicaea (And What Did They Decide)?

Critics claim the New Testament canon was decided by the Council of Nicaea (325 AD).  Another claim is that the Council of Nicaea invented the divinity of Jesus.  It is also sometimes argued that Emperor Constantine either decided on the canon or invented the divinity of Christ. Do any of these claims have any historical foundation?

“Beyond Beliefs” YouTube Appearance

I’m a little behind posting this. I appeared on Beyond Beliefs, an atheist YouTube channel on Monday. First time I’ve done something like this; way out of my comfort zone. How’d I do? What could I do better (other than never do that again 😉)? Leave me feedback. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PTn9C_5OD3k&feature=youtu.be

When Spiritual Leaders Fail

Recently there have been a series of high-profile Christian leaders who have walked away from the Church or were involved in scandals.  Understandably, this has shaken many Christians; especially those with a connection to these leaders.  It has also been used by atheist and critics in an attempt to attack the truth of Christianity.  BothContinue reading “When Spiritual Leaders Fail”

Early Dating of the Gospels – Part III

The questions for this post are; can these accounts be accepted as accurate eyewitness accounts of the life of Jesus, the growth of the early Church, and early Christology among believers?  Do these writings bear the hallmarks we expect from eyewitness accounts? Were there motivating factors that would have led the Gospel writers to lie about the story?

How Early Are the Remaining New Testament Books?

Previously we showed that the most reasonable dating of 21 of the 27 New Testament books were prior to 70 A.D (the destruction of the Temple). The remaining six we simply stated likely dates of writing.  This will be a shorter post to wrap up the likely dating of the remaining books. The first booksContinue reading “How Early Are the Remaining New Testament Books?”

Early Dating of the Gospels – Part II

In order to begin determining just how early the books of the New Testament were likely written, we need to establish some known dates.
Using generally accepted dates, we can begin to narrow down potential dates for New Testament writings.
Some of the most accepted dates related to the Bible center on the Apostle Paul, his missionary travels, and his epistles. Although there is disagreement on some of the exact years they are generally accepted within a small window of a few years. For the sake of simplicity, we will use either the accepted year or the later of the date ranges

Early Dating of the Gospels – Part I

In Part I, we will examine whether there is evidence to show that the Gospels, and other New Testament books, were written early enough to be considered historically accurate.  We will also compare the New Testament to other historical works to see how they compare to these accepted histories.

Dr. Voddie Baucham on CRT

I don’t typically post political topics, but this is not a political issue; it is a Gospel issue. Dr. Baucham is probably the most knowledgeable and eloquent person speaking out about this poison and it’s threat to the Church. Capstone Report@CapstoneReport · Southern Baptists are cowards on CRT, says @VoddieBaucham on the @toddstarnes show.

The Significance of a Sheepdog for Apologists

I’ve been asked what type of dog is in all the pictures on our Sheepdog Apologetics webpage and Facebook and Twitter pages.  I’ve also been asked if there is a significance to this dog.  This post will briefly look at why this particular breed exemplifies our spirit and goals as apologists. A Breed Straight OutContinue reading “The Significance of a Sheepdog for Apologists”

Why It’s Important For Every Christian To Be A Christian Case Maker (J Warner Wallace Video)

As Christians we owe it to our children, our community, and our Church to become Christians case makers (Sheepdogs). https://twitter.com/jwarnerwallace/status/1404597084330811409?s=21

“things that have been made” Point to God: The Teleological Argument

“things that have been made” Point to God: The Teleological Argument

“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” Romans 1:20

So far, we have discussed how objective truth points to God (the Moral Argument) and the creation of the universe points to God (the Cosmological Argument). This week we look at the Teleological Argument; the argument from design.

Cosmological Argument for God

The Bible and most scientists agree on one thing: “In the beginning” something happened.  Scientist believe that “something” was The Big Bang; although there are several new theories being offered.  The Bible says “God created the heavens and the earth.”  While scientist usually don’t like to admit the similarities, they are obvious to most people.

Objective Truth points to a monotheistic God

We all have a feeling that things aren’t right in this world. Artist struggle to create a perfect image, philosophers opine on the nature of right and wrong, and politicians pursue utopias within society. All these show a deep-seated understanding that this world should be better. The question is what is the standard we use to determine “better”. It requires objective standards of truth and morality.

Postmodernism, Pluralism, and the Church.

In a previous post we discussed truth and nature of truth.  This week we continue that discussion by looking at postmodernism and relativism.  We’ll also address what this means for the pluralism that seems to be creeping into the Church.  Are all Truths True? Try this experiment with a group of friends.  Have everyone inContinue reading “Postmodernism, Pluralism, and the Church.”

The Minimal Facts of the Resurrection

The foundation of Christianity hinges primarily on the truth of one event: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Paul told the Corinthians “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Cor 15:14)  How can we be sure this event that means so muchContinue reading “The Minimal Facts of the Resurrection”

The Truth about The Truth

“What is truth?” (John 18:38). With those three simple words Pontius Pilate asked perhaps the most profound and fundamental question in human history. Whether you are a Christian, an atheist, or somewhere in between, the answer to this seemingly simple question impacts every aspect of our lives. It affects how we view the world andContinue reading “The Truth about The Truth”

Why Apologetics is Important for Christians

“What are you reading?” “A book on Christian apologetics.” “Apologetics! I will never apologize for my faith in Christ.” “No, no. Apologetics. It’s the art and science of defending Christianity through arguments based on science, philosophy, and history.” “So you start fights about Christianity!?” “No, intellectual arguments based on information from science, philosophy, and historyContinue reading “Why Apologetics is Important for Christians”

Why Are We Here?

Society, basically, consists of three types of people. Sheep, those that are content living their life never worried about anything outside the immediacy of living. Wolves, people that seek to take advantage of the sheep, “seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The last group are sheepdogs, those who recognize the threat posed by wolvesContinue reading “Why Are We Here?”