CrossExamined Blog
Tackling today’s toughest questions, these posts explore topics on God, morality, science, and culture.
Whether you’re a skeptic or believer, each article challenges your worldview and sharpens your thinking. Engaging, thought-provoking, and unapologetic, this is a place to dig deeper and follow the truth wherever it leads.
Do you Dare to Really Know Jesus?
4. Is the NT True?If you would consider to dare to know Jesus, I invite you to give Him some serious thought today. Whether you’re a Christian or not, you probably claim to know Jesus, at least in broad strokes. In fact, worldwide, no one person has influenced history more than Jesus. The way we even measure history has […]
Biblical Archaeology: Bethsaida, Birthplace of Jesus’ Apostles
4. Is the NT True?The possible birthplace of three of Jesus’s disciples has been discovered. Or, at least, revised. The city is Bethsaida. Besides being another place-name mentioned in the Bible, this town was also the home to three of the apostles, Peter, Andrew and Philip. “Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida” (John 1:44). […]
The Widening of God’s Mercy – Book Review
4. Is the NT True?, Culture and Politics, Legislating Morality, Culture & PoliticsIn the mid-1990’s a Theology professor at Duke Divinity School, named Richard Hayes, wrote a book called The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation, A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics. It made waves in the Evangelical world because it was the first time a relatively liberal theological scholar took a definitive […]
Did the Idols of the Old Testament Actually Have Power?
3. Are Miracles Possible?, Theology and Christian ApologeticsOne of the questions that people ask when they read through the Old Testament is “did those little statues that people worshipped actually have any power behind them?” Many scholars agree that people believed that the idols themselves did not hold power but instead represented the pagan gods. The Old Testament itself has two major […]
Dear Christian: Please Don’t Unhitch Your Faith From the Old Testament
Theology and Christian ApologeticsHow should Christians understand the Old Testament? Since the birth of Christianity, this has been a topic of hot debate, and to this day many Christians don’t really understand how their faith in Jesus interacts with what they read in the Old Testament. It can be tempting to ignore it—or throw it out altogether. Many […]
Made into Christ’s Image or Do You Make Christ into Your Image?
Jesus Christ, Theology and Christian ApologeticsBy Brian Chilton In a Patristic Exegesis class at Liberty University, Dr. Ken Cleaver was discussing the average-sized heights of individuals in first-century Israel. For the most part, the average height of most individuals was around 5’ 2”. It is quite likely that Jesus would have been much shorter than what most Americans would have […]
Is Deconstruction the Same Thing as Doubt?
Legislating Morality, Culture & PoliticsA clip from Skillet frontman John Cooper has recently been making the rounds on social media. In it, Cooper is heard saying that “it is time to declare war on this idolatrous deconstruction Christian movement.” And just like that, the Christian community split. One set of people claims that Cooper is causing further harm to […]
Top Apologetics Books for Beginners
Theology and Christian ApologeticsSean McDowell, professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University, on his blog, lists the top ten apologetic books for beginners with short descriptions of each. He includes: Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis More Than a Carpenter, by Sean and Josh McDowell The Reason for God, by Tim Keller The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel Cold-Case Christianity, […]
The DNA Replisome: A Paradigm of Design
2. Does God Exist?The DNA replisome is one of the most remarkable molecular machines, involving a complex of different proteins, each of which is very specifically crafted to fulfill its role in the process of replicating the genome in preparation for cell division. The rate of DNA replication has been measured at a whopping 749 nucleotides per second[1] […]
Scientism -The idea that science is the only path to knowledge
1. Does Truth Exist?You have probably heard it said, “You have to prove that scientifically.” Or even in news reports that “studies have shown . . . ” Or maybe you have heard that science is the final or ultimate source of knowledge. Behind these sentiments may lie a belief called “scientism.” This mentality has even been put simply: […]
Why I am Pro-Life
Legislating Morality, Culture & PoliticsBefore I go any further, I must state that this is not an attempt to apply guilt or condemnation to any woman who has had an abortion, or any man who has encouraged it. The Good News is that grace is extended to all willing to accept it by grace, through faith in Christ. With […]
Dear Friend: To Those Choosing to Abstain or Vote 3rd Party in 2024
Legislating Morality, Culture & PoliticsEditor’s Note: This post from Dr. Robert A.J. Gagnon was originally posted on October 14, 2024 at FreeThinking Ministries, in the form of an open letter to everyone who is tempted to abstain from voting in the 2024 election. We’ve tried to preserve that format here at CrossExamined. Dear friend who is inclined not to […]
Personally Prolife, Politically Prochoice: A Response
Legislating Morality, Culture & PoliticsCan we be pro-life personally but pro-choice politically? The quick answer to this loaded question is: No, we can’t really be pro-life personally if we are pro-choice politically. That’s because pro-lifers recognize that the child-in-utero is a human being, so the decision to abort isn’t a strictly personal decision at all, it’s an interpersonal decision. […]
What the Heck is Artificial Intelligence and Why Does it Matter?
Legislating Morality, Culture & PoliticsA TikToker programs himself a virtual AI girlfriend and decides to “euthanize” her when she becomes less responsive, and he falls into depression. Entire porn sites are dedicated to stealing the images of female online influencers (specifically Twitch streamers) using AI to create “deepfake” pornography. And creative things that we typically perceive as uniquely human, […]
Do Oral Cultures Operate the Same as the Telephone Game?
4. Is the NT True?Secular scholars, especially those who attack the historicity of the New Testament, claim it is difficult to establish historical knowledge that is valid and reliable because of the infallibility of the human memory. People do not recall information accurately, especially if the account is written years after the event. However, historians and archaeologists have been […]
Prioritizing FAT Christians: A Practical Theology for Pastors
Theology and Christian ApologeticsSeveral weeks ago, I was listening to the podcast “Wise Disciple” with Nate Salah ( “Is Voddie Wrong about Churches?”). He was discussing the need for pastors to focus on finding FAT Christians in their congregations. (Don’t worry. FAT is an acrostic.) This is to say, pastors need to prioritize their time and efforts upon Christians […]
Were the Gospel Accounts Reliably Recorded?
4. Is the NT True?, CrossExaminedA common challenge to believers is the contention that the gospel accounts we read today are not particularly reliable. Referring to the “telephone game,” the skeptic will claim that since the gospel accounts were penned three to five decades after the life of Christ, the accounts they portray are probably much different than the original […]
Navigating the American Political Landscape
Culture and Politics, Theology and Christian ApologeticsSurviving political landscapes as a Christian has always been challenging (ancient Rome was harsh, y’all!). However, this U.S. presidential election cycle feels like the most difficult in recent history, and the American political landscape seems to grow more contentious every year. So, how do we navigate this minefield with truth, love, and joy? It’s not […]
Ten Philosophical Challenges Christian Students Face at Secular University
Legislating Morality, Culture & PoliticsThe Christian student who attends a secular university will encounter very recognizable challenges to his/her Christian faith. As a professor who has taught in a secular university for 24 years, attended faculty meetings where professors discuss how to deconstruct the faith of Christian students, and seen firsthand the animosity administrators have toward Christianity, I am […]
How The After Party Curriculum Is Sowing Political Confusion in the Church
Legislating Morality, Culture & PoliticsFor those who haven’t heard of it, The After Party (TAP) is a small group curriculum and corresponding book that is being heavily promoted this election year to individuals, churches, and Christian institutions (such as colleges) to counter the “dangerous trend” of evangelicals having their political identity formed by “partisan forces, not by true Biblical faith.” What […]
Three Bad Arguments for Euthanasia
Legislating Morality, Culture & PoliticsPolling sometimes suggests that the UK public is in favor of ‘assisted dying.’ This is an illusion, caused in many cases by people not knowing what ‘assisted dying is.’ A recent poll showed that only 42% of the public understood what ‘assisted dying’ refers to, with 10% thinking it meant hospice-type care and 42% believing […]