God’s Presence in Times of Trouble

Quadriplegic at Age 17 — Joni Eareckson Tada here >>
“[L]ooking at everything that accident has led to? I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Nazi Death Camp Survivor – Corrie ten Boom here >>
“There is no pit so deep that the love of God is not deeper still.“

Terminal Cancer Diagnosis – Dick Hanson here >>
When the doctor asked what he would say if the news wasn’t good, Dick responded, “I would say, ‘I have peace with my Lord. I know where I’m going and I am ready to go.”

Challenges to Faith on the College Campus

Faith “Rocked” by Atheist College Professor – James Merritt >>
“The first time you come face to face with a real doubt about your faith, it really rocks us, especially if you are raised in a Christian home where you aren’t taught to question anything.”

START HERE ➤ INTRODUCTORY SUMMARY: The Self-Existent,  Transcendent and Eternally Existing God Described in the Bible is the Best Explanation for the Existence of the Universe (here >>)

Because the attributes of the God of the Bible are strikingly consistent with what logic and science teach to be true about the cause of the universe (more>>), Christian apologists maintain that belief in the God of the Bible is not only a rational belief, but may be the most rational belief possible especially since it is supported by multiple independent lines of argument, including the following:

1.  God’s Existence Best Explains Why Anything Exists

Why Does Anything Exist Rather than Nothing? (An Argument for the Necessity of a First Uncaused Cause) (here>>)

Since nothing has ever been scientifically demonstrated to come into existence from true nothing (no time, no space, no matter, no energy), the best explanation of why anything exists is the existence of a first uncaused cause (like the self-existent, eternal, transcendent Creator) described in the Bible.

2.  God’s Existence Best Explains Why the Universe Began to Exist

God’s Existence Best Explains the Universe Coming into Existence (The Kalam Cosmological Argument) (here>>)

The Kalam Cosmological Argument is a deductive argument which is stated by Christian philosopher William Lane Craig as follows:

Premise No. 1:  Everything that begins to exist has a cause

Premise No. 2:  The universe began to exist

Conclusion:  Therefore, the universe had a cause for its coming into existence

The universe coming into existence is also consistent with the creation of the universe by a self-existent, eternal, transcendent Creator like the God described in the Bible.  Moreover, belief that a self-existent, transcendent, eternal Creator brought the universe into existence is more intellectually satisfying than the belief of atheists that the universe came into existence without a cause — from nothing, by nothing and, ultimately, for nothing.

3.  God’s Existence Best Explains the Design Scientists Observe in the Universe

God’s Existence Best Explains all the Mind-boggling, Just-right Design Features Scientists have Discovered throughout the Universe which Make Life Possible on Earth (the Intelligent Design aka Teleological Argument) (here>>)

“A commonsense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super intellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature. The numbers one calculates from the facts seem to me so overwhelming as to put this conclusion almost beyond question.”  — Fred Hoyle, Cosmologist

Because of all the just-right qualities which operate perfectly together and, thereby, permit life to exist on Planet Earth, even secular scientists refer to Earth as the Goldie Locks Planet:

■  The Forces of Physics are Just-Right (here >>)
■  Development of the Universe was Just-Right (here >>)
■  The Milky Way galaxy is Just-Right (here >>)
■  Earth’s Solar System is Just-Right (here >>)
■  Planet Earth is Just-Right (here >>)

4.  God’s Existence Best Explains Why Objective Morality Exists

5.  God’s Existence Best Explains Why Our Lives Really Matter

Responses to Arguments Raised by Skeptics

If God Created the Universe, Who Created God? (here >>)
“Since the God of the Bible is an eternal being who never came into existence, God is not an effect that requires a cause to explain His coming into existence.”

Does the Big Bang Eliminate the Need for a Creator? (here >>)
Instead of disproving God created the universe, the Big Bang provides scientific evidence for an ultimate beginning of the universe that points to a transcendent creative source.

Does Our Vast Universe Display such “An Awful Waste of Space” that it Discredits a Rational Belief in the God of the Bible? (here >>)
The universe must not only be as vast as it is to support life, but the creation of such a vast universe which houses the speck of dust we live on makes a point about our Creator, not us.

Is Belief in God an Emotional Crutch for Emotionally and Psychologically Weak People? (here >>)
Arguing that subjective weakness is the only reason people believe in God is self-defeating. It can likewise be argued that atheists only refuse to believe in God due to their subjective desire not to be accountable to an all-knowing, righteous God.

What’s the Chance the Universe Came into Existence “by Chance”? (here >>)
Whatever mathematical probabilities are described by chance, “chance” is not a causal force; therefore, “chance” cannot do anything or cause anything.

Challenges Multi-Universe Theorists Face in Relying on Other Universes to Explain Design (here >>)
“Multi-universe theorists are forced to make a blind bet that an infinite number or other universes actually exist, a bet that requires the laws of physics to be violated….” — Hugh Ross, Astrophysicist

Why Aren’t Multi-Universes the Most Rational Explanation for the Design Observed in the Universe? After all, if the universe wasn’t life-permitting, we wouldn’t be here to observe it. (here >>)
The fact that we would only be alive to observe the universe if it was a life permitting universe only demonstrates that a perfectly designed, life-permitting universe exists; but, it says nothing about why a life-permitting universe exists.

Does Stephen Hawking’s Proposed “Imaginary Time” Eliminate the Need for a Creator? (here >>)
Models which rely on imaginary time to eliminate the need for a beginning to the universe (thereby eliminating the need for a Beginner) are not realistic descriptions of the universe.  All models which realistically describe the universe require a beginning.

Is Man’s Self-Centeredness the Reason Men Assume the Universe Was Designed? A Response to the Fleas on a Dog Analogy (here >>)
Man’s self-centeredness is irrelevant.  While a self-centered flea may assume the dog it lives on was designed for that purpose, that assumption doesn’t prove one way or the other whether the dog was designed for that purpose or some other  purpose.

“The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him.”
— Proverbs 18:17 

START HERE ➤ INTRODUCTORY SUMMARY: Young Earth or Old Earth? — An Impartial Overview of the Creation “Days” Debate (here >>)

Differing Views of the Genesis Creation Account

While all Christians agree God created the universe, there is disagreement about when God’s creative works took place, how long God took to complete creation, the extent of God’s role in creation and whether the creation account in Genesis was intended to be interpreted literally or in some other fashion.

In objective fashion, the articles in this section explore the strengths and weaknesses of the different views of the Genesis creation account.

➤  Young Earth Views (i.e., Earth is about 6,000 – 10,000 years old)

1.   24-Hour Day View — Arguments for and Against (here >>)

➤  Old Earth Views (i.e., Earth is about 4.5 billion years old)

1.  Day-Age View — Arguments for and Against (here >>)

2.  Intermittent-Day View (summary)

3.  Literary Framework View (summary)

4.  Gap View (summary)

5.  Analogical Day View (summary)

Related Articles

Do Old Earth Creation Views Compromise Scripture and Destroy the Gospel Message? (article)

Does the Hebrew Word “Yom (Translated “Day”) in Genesis 1 Mean a 24-Hour Day or Something Else? (article)

Do the “…And Was Evening and Was Morning – X Day” Phrases in Genesis 1 Compel a Young Earth View? (article)

How Can Creation Days 1 – 3 be Literal 24-Hour Days if the Sun Wasn’t Created Until Day 4? (article)

➤  God is Knowable

➤  God is Eternal

What Does it Mean for God to be Eternal? (article)

“… God’s being eternal means that God exists without beginning or end.  He never comes into or goes out of existence; rather His existence is permanent.“  — William Lane Craig

➤  God is Self-Existent (Transcendent)

In contrast to everything and everyone within the created order which exist “ab alio” (i.e., through another), God is self-existent and does not depend on anything outside of himself for his existence.

➤  God is Triune (One in Essence but Three in Person; One What but Three Whos)

Is the Doctrine of the Trinity Irrational? How Can God be Both Three and One? (article)

The Trinity is Not Three Parts Which Together Equal One God (article)

If God is a Trinity, Why Isn’t the Word “Trinity” in the Bible?” (article)

Related Articles

Do the Different Religions of the World Just Describe God from Different Points of View? (article)

START HERE ➤ INTRODUCTORY SUMMARY: The Christmas “Star” – Fact, Fiction or Miracle?

Proposed Explanations for the Christmas “Star”

Jupiter (as Part of a Series of Extraordinary Astronomical Events Occurring in 3 B.C. – 2 B.C.) was the Christmas “Star? (article)

The Christmas “Star” was a Comet? (article)

The Christmas “Star” was a Recurring Nova? (article)

The Christmas “Star” was a Meteor (Fireball)? (article)

The Christmas Star – Fact, Fiction or Miracle? Summary and Introduction (article)

Related Articles

➤  The Wise Men (Magi)

Who Were the Wise Men (Magi)?  Why Would they Travel to Bethlehem to Worship a Jewish King?” (article)

How Many Wise Men Traveled to Bethlehem?  What Were Their Names? (article)

➤  King Herod

Did Herod Really Order the Execution of All Male Babies in Bethlehem as Reported in Matthew 2? (article)

Why was Herod and All Jerusalem Disturbed when the Wise Men Arrived looking for One Born King of the Jews? (article)

The Resurrection Best Explains Jesus’ After-Death Appearances to Multiple Eye-Witnesses

 A List of the Eyewitnesses Who Saw Jesus Alive after His Crucifixion? (article)

➤  Inadequacies of Other Explanations for the Eyewitness Testimony

Were the Eyewitnesses Part of a Later Developed Myth? (article)

Did Jesus Survive the Crucifixion, Get Out of the Tomb Alive and Subsequently Appear in a Non-Resurrected Body? (article)

Was a Substitute Crucified in Jesus’ Place?  Did Jesus’ Ascend to Heaven as Stated in the Qur’an? (article)

Were the Eyewitnesses Hallucinating? (article)

 Were the Eyewitnesses Lying? (article)

Were the Witnesses Mistaken? (article)

Were the Eyewitnesses of Jesus’ Post-Death Appearances Victims of Groupthinking or Wishful Thinking? (article)

Did the Eyewitnesses See Jesus in the Form of a Spirit? (article)

Did the Eyewitnesses See Visions of Jesus? (article)

Did the Eyewitnesses See Transmitted Images of Jesus? (article)

The Resurrection Best Explains Jesus’ Empty Tomb

 Multiple witnesses found the tomb Jesus had been buried in empty.

➤ Inadequacies of Other Explanations for the Empty Tomb

Did Jesus get out of the Tomb Alive? (article)

Did Jesus’ Disciples Steal his Body? (article)

Did Someone Other than Jesus’ Disciples Steal Jesus’ Body? (article)

Did Joseph of Arimathea Move the Body? (article)

Did the Romans or Jewish Leaders Move the Body? (article)

Was Jesus’ Tomb Found Empty Because Jesus’ Body Was Never Buried and was Devoured by Scavengers? (article)

Did the Witnesses Go to the Wrong Tomb? (article)

Did Anyone Even Go to the Tomb to Find it Empty? (article)

Jesus’ Resurrection Best Explains Why Jesus’ Disciples were Transformed from Fearful Fleers to Faithful Followers (article)

“The change in [the disciples’] lives from fear to faith, despair to confidence, confusion to certitude, runaway cowardice to steadfast boldness under threat and persecution, not only proves their sincerity but testifies to some powerful cause of it.”

Why Apologetics is Crucial for Christians Living in Today’s Pluralistic and Increasingly Godless Society? (article)
Christians now have the benefit of over 2,000 years of intellectual investigation and reflection by very well-respected scientists, philosophers and theologians. It is simply unwise for Christians to fail to educate themselves and their children about the rational foundations of the Christian faith.

Engaging in the Intellectual War being Waged Against Christianity on College Campuses (article)