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.
8 Ways that Anti-Intellectualism is Harming the Church
Theology and Christian ApologeticsBy Brian Chilton When asked to identify the greatest commandment in all of the Law, Jesus answered the inquiry by saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command” (Matthew 22:37-38).[1] It seems that one aspect of […]
Euthyphro Is Dead!
Theology and Christian ApologeticsBy Timothy Fox It’s the zombie argument. The objection that won’t stay down: the Euthyphro dilemma. Skeptics just can’t accept the fact that Euthyphro has been dead for centuries and keep dragging him out of his grave. In case you don’t know who Euthyphro is, let me introduce you to him. Euthyphro is a character […]
Logic Is Bedrock
1. Does Truth Exist?By Tim Stratton All philosophical conversation, scientific hypotheses, mathematics, and conclusions based on the historical method entail the reality of logical laws. It would be impossible to engage in any of these disciplines if there were not logical absolutes providing parameters to help us reach conclusions that follow from given premises. Here are three fundamental […]
65 Apologetics Questions Every Christian Parent Needs to Learn to Answer
Apologetics for ParentsBy Natasha Crain In prior posts, I’ve talked about why parents have to care about apologetics (the reasoned defense of Christianity), and I’ve shared resources for getting started with apologetics. I realize, however, that it can seem pretty ambiguous to have a goal of “learning apologetics.” We need to know the specific questions we most […]
Examining Jesus by the Historical Method (Part 4–Early Testimony: Pre-NT Traditions)
4. Is the NT True?, Jesus ChristBy Brian Chilton In our first three articles which have examined Jesus by the historical method, we have seen that, thus far, Jesus of Nazareth stands up to historical scrutiny. However, this fourth article confronts an issue that many skeptics present concerning one’s knowledge of the historical Jesus: early testimony. Early testimony is important because […]
The Wisdom Chronicle
Wisdom ChronicleThe Wisdom Chronicle is designed to bring nuggets of wisdom from the dozens of books I read every year. I endeavor to share the best of what I have gleaned. The determination of relevance lies with you. Blessings, J. Whiddon LIFE’S SPAN “The [young person] hopes to live a long time, the [older person] has […]
How The Discovery Of The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation Falsified Atheism
CrossExaminedBy Wintery Knight Prior to certain scientific discoveries, most people thought that the universe had always been here, and no need to ask who or what may have caused it. But today, that’s all changed. Today, the standard model of the origin of the universe is that all the matter and energy in the universe […]
The Self-Refuting Nature of Naturalism
AtheismBy Tim Stratton J.P. Moreland, in his book, “Scaling the Secular City: A Defense of Christianity,” claims that physicalism (often referred to as “naturalism”) is self-refuting for many reasons, but mainly because physicalism seems to deny the possibility of rationality. In making his rational case for rationality, he demonstrates that at least five factors must be […]
Examining Jesus by the Historical Method (Part 3–Embarrassing Admonitions)
Jesus Christ, Theology and Christian ApologeticsBy Brian Chilton Last week, I discussed the second way that historians examine the legitimacy of a historical event by researching enemy attestation. The article demonstrated that Jesus of Nazareth passes such a test. This week, we discuss a third historical method that helps historians determine the historicity of an event… embarrassing admonitions. Gary Habermas […]
You Don’t Understand the Old Testament
4. Is the NT True?By Timothy Fox Unbelievers rip its verses out of textual and historical context. Christians use expired laws as bludgeons and others’ promises as life-verses. Just admit it: You don’t understand the Old Testament. And that’s okay. The OT writings are thousands of years old. They consist of various literary genres like history, poetry, and prophecy. […]
Is Belief In God A Rational Position?
2. Does God Exist?, Theology and Christian ApologeticsBy Ryan Pauly Is it a rational position to believe that there is an all-powerful God who created the world and gives us purpose? This question has become the topic of many debates over the years. One of the reasons is because its answer has eternal significance. “The existence of a personal, moral God is […]
Examining Jesus by the Historical Method (Part 2–Enemy Attestation)
4. Is the NT True?, Jesus Christ, Theology and Christian ApologeticsBy Brian Chilton In our last installment of “Examining Jesus by the Historical Method,” we discussed the first aspect of the historical method. We examined how Jesus of Nazareth enjoys documentation by a variety of independent sources, something that is important for both the historian and the detective. This article will discuss the second method […]
The Wisdom Chronicle
Wisdom ChronicleThe Wisdom Chronicle is designed to bring nuggets of wisdom from the dozens of books I read every year. I endeavor to share the best of what I have gleaned. The determination of relevance lies with you. Blessings, J. Whiddon TRUST & MONEY “While trust permits many mutually beneficial forms of cooperation, trust without trustworthiness […]
Examining Jesus by the Historical Method (Part 1-Multiple Sources)
4. Is the NT True?, Jesus ChristBy Brian Chilton In a previous post “What Can We Historically Know about Jesus,” I discussed various ways historians identify an event or person as historically credible. I also discussed Gary Habermas’ 12 Minimal Facts Approach, which validate key events of the life of Jesus. Those 12 facts are: “1) Jesus died by Roman crucifixion. 2) He […]
The Universal Problem We Don’t Want to Admit
Jesus Christ, Legislating Morality, Culture & PoliticsHow do we fix a world filled with murder, rape, betrayal, adultery, fraud, theft, sexual exploitation, pornography, bullying, abortion, terrorism, cheating, lying, child abuse, racism, assault, drugs, robbery, and countless other evils? There will be no solutions unless we are honest about their underlying causes. Although we don’t want to admit it, the truth is […]
The Wisdom Chronicle
Wisdom ChronicleThe Wisdom Chronicle is designed to bring nuggets of wisdom from the dozens of books I read every year. I endeavor to share the best of what I have gleaned. The determination of relevance lies with you. Blessings, J. Whiddon SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECT “Psychologists found that groups who communicate electronically deal with dissenting opinions very […]
What Can We Historically Know about Jesus of Nazareth?
4. Is the NT True?, Theology and Christian ApologeticsBy Brian Chilton As we come close to a Christian holiday, people often begin to ask, “Can we know that these events actually took place?” When it comes to Christmas, greater ambiguity exists as to particular elements pertaining to the life of Jesus (e.g. the date of Jesus’ birth) than it does for Easter. Part […]
The Wisdom Chronicle
Wisdom ChronicleThe Wisdom Chronicle is designed to bring nuggets of wisdom from the dozens of books I read every year. I endeavor to share the best of what I have gleaned. The determination of relevance lies with you. Blessings, J. Whiddon A CALLING “There’s a difference in being asked to do something and a calling.” –Unknown […]
Was Belief in God a Science-Stopper? Not for Newton
2. Does God Exist?, Philosophy of ScienceI’d like to call attention to a couple of excellent blogs by Luke Barnes correcting some historical blunders that Neil deGrasse Tyson made. Tyson argued that Newton failed to discover the stability of the solar system due to blinders that resulted from his belief in God. Here are links to Part 1 and Part 2 […]
The Wisdom Chronicle
Wisdom ChronicleThe Wisdom Chronicle is designed to bring nuggets of wisdom from the dozens of books I read every year. I endeavor to share the best of what I have gleaned. The determination of relevance lies with you. Blessings, J. Whiddon CLOSE FRIENDS? “If you belong to a group of five people, you have to keep […]
Do Objective Moral Truths Exist in Reality?
2. Does God Exist?, Theology and Christian ApologeticsThe moral argument for God’s existence is often presented as follows: Premise 1: If God does not exist, objective moral values and duties do not exist. Premise 2: Objective moral values and duties do exist. Conclusion: Therefore, God exists. As with any valid syllogism, the moral argument can be defeated by proving one of the […]