Page 57 – CrossExamined

A Trendy New Breathing and Meditation Technique… and it’s Odd.

Culture CrossExamined, Theology and Christian Apologetics

I was scrolling through the Gram one day, and since I look up a lot of New Age things, the almighty algorithm put in front of my face something it thought I would enjoy. My eyes fell upon people rolling around, screaming, laughing hysterically, crying, convulsing, and rocking back and forth. I, no kidding, thought I was watching something from a Holy Spirit night at Bethel Church or something. It took me a hot second to realize that I was looking at a growing trend called Witality Breathwork.

Growing Trend

As time went on, I saw this strange practice pop up all over America, including in my own hometown. Immediately, I wanted to investigate, so I looked into actually going to the conference to observe, so I emailed them asking if this was possible, even saying I’d buy a ticket. They emailed me back and said that they would prefer that I participate instead of observe. And I was like…

Nah. That’s a dealbreaker. I have asked if they will make an exception for me to observe for research reasons, but I doubt they’ll allow it at this point. The apologist/journalist in me is pining to see this in person, but here’s what I do know at this point.

Witality Breathwork revolves around a man named Witalij Martynow, the Witality Breathwork website states:

Witality™ is an ever evolving complex of breathing, meditative, movement techniques, and philosophies that Witalij Martynow discovered on his healing journey that worked for him and that brought back the vitality to his own life. Witalij combines latest scientific research, eastern philosophies, indigenous teachings and his own ancestral ways of healing and maintaining wellbeing… Witalij believes that the majority of sickness both mental, physical and spiritual comes from the stuck and unprocessed energy that didn’t find an outlet out of our system. Whether it is unprocessed emotion, chronic pain, or childhood trauma, Witalij sees it all as energy. As he discovered on his journey, breathing in specific rhythms and intensities combined with a crafted guidance, allows that energy to move and to be released. During his process we alter our state of consciousness while gaining a different perspective on our life and connecting to our body’s own intellect that jumpstarts the healing process.

Basically, you’re performing intense breathing exercises that alter your consciousness. The goal is to suspend the mind to reach the spirit, where healing can take place. This, they say, is the reason why some people can act out like they do. The website is very straightforward that this is an intense practice, and isn’t shy about showing some extreme aspects of what goes on during these sessions. They reason that in order to die to your ego, your false self, and awaken your true self takes time and work.

First Reactions

Besides the startling images I saw of people manically laughing, rolling, and screaming, among other things, I couldn’t help noticing my first reaction. I thought this was in a church. I’ve seen this behavior more in hyper charismatic settings than I have anywhere else. I know many of the Christians involved in something like that would argue that what goes on in their churches is the authentic version of what Witality participants are experiencing, and I simply have to cry foul at this point. You can’t throw down the “this is actually Christian!” card and think that solves the problem and shuts down the conversation. This stuff is sus.

What’s more, is that these people that have experienced Witality breath work have claimed to have spiritual encounters with spiritual beings. I also wouldn’t be surprised a bit if people were speaking in tongues in these sessions especially considering this type of breathwork came out of ancient India in the form of energy-moving exercises called Pranayamas, which are known for speaking in “tongues.” The common denominator between the two is the emotional workup to have an experience that manifests in the videos and images we see on their website. And then just slap the label “spiritual healing” on it, and voila… the proof is the experience. That’s the standard for if it’s true or not.

Similar to Some Church Services

Many Christians who have attended a Holy Spirit crusade or something similar claim they have had spiritual breakthroughs by having their “spiritual blocks” removed. People go to Witality Breathwork to have their “spiritual blocks” removed. It’s uncanny how the results are indistinguishable from each other. What I’m seeing at a Witality Breathwork conference is no different than what I see at a hyper-charismatic Holy Spirit Healing conference. What concerns me is not only the damage this does theologically to people within the church, but that it always comes back to the Gospel that truly spiritually heals us.

The Witality site is clear that though this is a healing tool to work out energetic blockages, it’s not a quick fix: “Even though the work of release itself is a powerful healing tool, it is important to treat it as a catalyst for change, not a quick fix. Maintaining the vitality requires a lot of discipline on a daily basis, as the next stages of the work become daily practices of increasing our capacity and sensitivity to energy and building up our energetic structures.”

But wanna know the real kicker? It works.

People attending these conferences have had strong testimonies of this Witality Breathwork resulting in extraordinary results. And that’s the point! People do not keep investing in occultic practices if they do not produce results. So why would they be open to hearing anything about the Gospel of Jesus? Perhaps their rationale is that if they can achieve “spiritual healing” through breathwork, they may not feel the need for the Gospel. But breathwork, or anything like it, isn’t true healing. Like all New Age and Occultic practices, this will inevitably result in short-lived relief, and they will need something else to help ease them from what’s truly the issue: their need for a Savior. And it’s not them.

Why Are You Afraid to Speak Against Immorality? Love Requires It!

Podcast

Are you afraid to call out immoral behavior in the public square? If your values don’t align with what mainstream society deems “appropriate”, you risk being labeled as intolerant. But is it truly intolerant to warn people if they are putting themselves, other people, or even society at risk?

In this week’s podcast, Frank will expose some of the hypocritical and contradictory ideas that have been popularized in modern culture and how choosing to remain silent on these issues actually causes more harm than good. He will also share his own personal experience of being terminated on two separate occasions because of his controversial book Correct, Not Politically Correct: About Same-Sex Marriage and Transgenderism.

Listen as Frank tackles questions like:

What is the distinction between legislating religion and legislating morality?
Why is public rebuke sometimes a necessity?
What is the mark of a dying society?
Are disparities and discrimination the same?
How did the Founding Fathers address immorality in the Declaration of Independence?

Ultimately, it is impossible to achieve total moral neutrality. The true question is, are you on the right side of morality? By appealing to the Scriptures, our nation’s history, and true brotherly love, Frank will encourage you to not only do what is right, but also to say what is right while leaving the results to God.

To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into great discussions with like-minded Christians while providing financial support for our ministry.

June 30, 2023/by Frank Turek

5 Fatal Flaws in Transgender Ideology

Culture CrossExamined, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics

Many people who support transgender surgery and cross-sex hormones may be well-intentioned, but the transgender ideology behind those intentions is fraught with fatal flaws. Here are just five of many. Contrary to transgender ideology:

1. The Design of the Body Proves There are Only Two Genders

Transgender advocates insist there are multiple genders. However, the design of the human body shows there are only two genders. Humans can either produce sperm or eggs. There is no third reproductive output in humans or mammals. Of course, there are humans who cannot produce either due to biological deficiencies, but that is an incapacity, not a thirdcapacity to produce something else. Thus, the claim that there are more than two genders can only be entertained if one detaches the concept of gender from biological sex.

However, insisting that gender is completely different from someone’s biological sex doesn’t work either. If gender and biology were completely different things — if there’s no relationship between the two — then why would anyone advocate for cross-sex hormones or sex change operations? Which leads us to flaw two.

2. Transgenderism Must Presuppose Fixed Genders

While transgender advocates deny that there are only two genders, they must unwittingly presuppose two genders for transgenderism to be possible. Why? Because if I’m a biological man but think I’m a woman, I must have some idea of what a man and woman are to recognize my problem. I must also know what a man and woman are to make the so-called “transition.” If genders are completely fluid with no fixed reference points, there would be no way to recognize the mismatch between my biology and psychology and no destination for my transition. In other words, “gender dysphoria” could not exist without two known, fixed genders.

The denial of fixed genders has sparked a bit of a civil war among some identifying as LGBTQ, because if the T’s get their way, the L’s, G’s, and B’s don’t exist (search for #LGBminustheT). How can one be lesbian, gay, or bisexual if there are no fixed genders? Each of those identities rely on fixed genders. Likewise, some feminists are unhappy because, without fixed genders, there are no women and therefore no women’s rights.

This is one reason why Matt Walsh’s documentary, “What is a Woman?,” has so many transgender advocates and Leftwing academics stumped by the question, “What is a woman?” They are caught in a dilemma. If they say a woman is a biological female, then transgender ideology is false. If they refuse to define a woman, transgenderism is not possible. Who is transitioning to what? And what happened to women’s rights?

3. You Can Change Your Mind But Not Your Biology

When biology and psychology are mismatched, why do we think changing the body instead of changing the mind is the way to fix the problem? We don’t do this for other conditions.

When anorexics falsely think they are overweight, we don’t say, “You’re right. Let me get you some liposuction.” For people who honestly believe they should have healthy limbs cut off (a condition known as “trans-abled”), we don’t say, “You’re right. If you think you should not have a right arm, we will cut if off for you.” When your daughter insists she’s a mermaid, you don’t take her off the coast and drop her in the ocean. So, why do we think we should cut off healthy sex organs instead of helping people change their minds?

While you can change your mind, it is literally impossible to change your biology. You can mutilate your body, but you cannot change the DNA of your 100 trillion cells or the many thousands of biological differences between men and women.

Any attempt to “transition” between the sexes implicitly admits these differences and affirms the binary nature of gender. Otherwise, there would be no use for hormones or puberty blockers. In fact, if there were no differences in the physical and biological designs of men and women, transgenderism would not only be impossible but unnecessary. If men and women were the same, there would be no need or desire to transition. So instead of me thinking I’m a woman trapped in a man’s body, why not think I’m a man with a woman’s mind? That way I can actually fix my problem with good mental health care.

4. Sex Is Not Assigned At Birth

For transgender ideology to succeed, people must come to believe that gender is arbitrary and is “assigned” at birth. But everyone knows that gender is not “assigned” at birth — it is discovered at birth (or sometimes before). It’s not like people vote at gender-reveal parties, or that doctors arbitrarily decide the sex of a newborn. No, they discover and state the baby’s sex because there is no ambiguity.

In the extremely rare cases where genitals are ambiguous (intersex), tests are done and choices are made to correct the problem. Most patients end up male or female rather than assuming a non-binary status. This is not the same as transgenderism where people with fully formed and healthy sexual organs attempt to transition to the opposite sex. Intersex is a biological condition; gender dysphoria is a psychological condition. The existence of intersex conditions does nothing to support the claim that sex is “assigned” at birth. Birth defects do not disprove the norm. In fact, they would be impossible to identify without the norm.

We live in a fallen world. All of us are born with deficiencies and defects. That doesn’t mean we are less human or less worthy of respect. But that also doesn’t mean we should mandate that everyone else live according to such deficiencies or defects. When someone is born deaf, we don’t tell the rest of the world they can never speak or listen to music because it might offend the deaf. Yet that is precisely what transgender activists and the rest of the woke world are trying to impose on our entire society.

5. There is No Basis for Transgender Rights

We seem to be inventing new “rights” in America every 10 minutes. But where do rights come from? They can’t come from the government because a right is something you have regardless of what anyone else says about it (including your government). Rights can only come from God (“our Creator” as the Declaration of Independence puts it). Without God, every moral issue is reduced to a matter of opinion.

What evidence do we have that God wants anyone to amputate perfectly healthy sex organs? There is none from natural law, the Bible, or any other supposed revelation that claims to come from God.

People can demand that their government legislate or declare certain behaviors as “rights,” but that doesn’t make them rights any more than a government can legislate that a biological man is a woman. That doesn’t make him a woman. Instead of trying to change reality to fit our thoughts, we should be trying to change our thoughts to fit reality. As I document in the new third edition of Correct Not Politically Correct (from which this column is adapted), there are several more fatal flaws in transgender ideology, including the evidence showing that transitioning doesn’t fix the underlying problem. But that’s for the next column.

The Toxic War on Masculinity with Nancy Pearcey – Part 2

Podcast

Is Christianity a misogynistic religion that beats down on women? Does the Bible advocate for “toxic masculinity”? Modern culture would like you to believe that. But is that truly the case?

In this midweek episode, Christian apologist, scholar, and author, Nancy Pearcey, returns to continue the discussion about her new book, ‘The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes’, and takes a deeper look at some of the questions addressed in Part 1 of the podcast. Frank and Nancy discuss the strengths of both men and women as image bearers of God, and also tackle questions such as:

What is the cultural mandate?
Does Christian marriage oppress women?
Why do so many men dislike church?
Why has the Church become so emotion oriented?
Why are women becoming more academically and professionally successful than men?

As Nancy explains, solid empirical research is showing that Christianity has an answer to misogyny. Christianity has proven itself to be the best thing that can happen to women and their families and for this reason, Christians should be bold in confronting the false accusations that our faith produces “toxic masculinity”.

Nancy Pearcey is the author of The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, as well as Love Thy Body, The Soul of Science, Saving Leonardo, Finding Truth, and Total Truth. She is a professor and scholar in residence at Houston Christian University. She has been quoted in The New Yorker and Newsweek, highlighted as one of the five top women apologists by Christianity Today, and hailed in The Economist as “America’s pre-eminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual.”

To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into great discussions with like-minded Christians while providing financial support for our ministry.

Nancy’s book: https://a.co/d/5YaIN1X

Nancy’s website: https://www.nancypearcey.com/

June 27, 2023/by Frank Turek

As Long as It Doesn’t Hurt Anyone Or does it?

Culture CrossExamined, Theology and Christian Apologetics

Watching classic TV recently I ran across one of my favorite episodes of the Twilight Zone series. Fans of that show will probably remember the classic episode “To Serve Man.” In the story, aliens from a distant world come to Earth with they offer “to help.” Initially reluctant, the inhabitants of Earth are quickly convinced that the aliens mean them no harm; quite the contrary, alien technology helps to eliminate many of Earth’s struggles and problems, and the inhabitants of Earth are quickly seduced by the aliens’ promises.

As the story progresses, the aliens offer to take people to their home world, which they promise is a veritable paradise. Many sign up and soon embark on the alien ships to begin their adventure. And why shouldn’t they? After all, everything the aliens did was pleasing and helpful; there was no immediate evidence that they would, or could, hurt anyone

Instant Gratification Culture

The episode got me thinking about modern times. Many people today have adopted a worldview that looks only at the short-term pleasure, and not the long-term harm, of their desires and pursuits. They believe that they can – and perhaps even should – do whatever they like, as long as what they pursue doesn’t “hurt anyone.” They of course retain the perquisite of determining what “hurt” entails, and for the most part that seems to be to obtain the “consent” of whomever might be involved. Where Christians once derived their morality from the teachings of Scripture, many – some would say most – have also adopted this humanist worldview, confident that their notions of what “not hurting” someone means are similar to those of God.

…Versus Heavenly Minded

This willful blindness to God’s law is not new to our culture; it has been the constant throughout history. That is, of course, why adhering to Scripture is such an important and salutary practice; while times and fashions and moods change over time, the word of God is constant, having been reliably passed down for thousands of years at this point. It is suitable for instruction and reproof, as it claims, and should remain our guideposts as we move down this highway of our lives. But sadly, where once Christians sought to be “salt and light” in their culture, today’s increasingly intolerant public square is making such efforts increasingly difficult, and many Christians have been influenced and indeed silenced by the press of that culture.

Which brings me back to the Twilight Zone. Not everyone was convinced that the aliens were benevolent. Several sought to crack the code of their alien language, so they could translate a book which was left behind. The book’s title, To Serve Man, seemed consistent with the aliens’ actions in providing near-miraculous service to mankind, such as restoring the fertility of the soil and rendering nuclear weapons harmless. The story ends with a shocking, albeit too late, discovery: “to serve man” is actually the title of a cookbook. The aliens had come to turn people into food.

And so the parallel continues. While not seeking to literally eat us, our adversary the devil “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:7) He does this by lies and deceptions, for he is the father of deceit. And the oldest lie of all? The same one told in the Garden: you don’t need to follow God’s rules, for you too can be like God, having the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3:1-4). What that means in practice is not knowledge, that is, the acquisition of information about good and evil. Instead, it is the god-like power to define good and evil, to do as one pleases without the need to concern oneself with God’s holy will.

And so we Christians must remain cautious and on our guard. A philosophy that tells us to do whatever we want as long as it doesn’t “hurt anyone” is a highly seductive philosophy, one that “tickles the ears” of listeners. (2 Tim. 4:3) But how can we truly foresee the long-term effects of our choices? How can we know, when we give in to our temptations and embrace them as good, what ultimate harm will come to us, and to those we say we love? When we look for a shortcut, or take the easy way out when we know that we should do otherwise, how can we really foresee what the long-term consequence of those actions will be? As Jesus taught, “what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but to forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36)

Seduction comes camouflaged, and it comes in many forms. Behind it is always a lie, a promise of short-term pleasure that seeks to conceal the long-term harm. Staying true to God’s will requires us to know and follow his law. Trying to substitute a “do no harm” philosophy may seem enlightened, but in the end, it will not serve – neither man nor mankind.

The Toxic War on Masculinity | with Nancy Pearcey – Part 1

Podcast

Is masculinity a bad thing? In popular culture, it seems that it has become socially acceptable to attack men simply for being men! The media has even gone as far as categorizing all forms of male headship and authority in the home as oppressive, tyrannical, and patriarchal. Has the Church contributed to the demonization of all things masculine? And if so, what can we do to stop it?

In this week’s podcast, Christian apologist, scholar, and author, Nancy Pearcey joins Frank to discuss her upcoming and unexpectedly controversial book, The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, which focuses largely on the origin of “toxic masculinity” as a concept.

Frank and Nancy discuss questions like:

What historical events led to the rise of “toxic masculinity”?
What are the two competing scripts that men struggle with internally?
How has Darwinism contributed to “toxic masculinity”?
How do Christian men shatter negative stereotypes?
What example of masculinity do we find in Jesus?

Throughout this episode, Nancy will burst some common myths, encourage men to embrace their masculinity, and also expose the radical ways in which evangelicalism continues to better societies worldwide. The current research shows that Christian men are doing very well in our culture, and it’s time that we applaud them for it!

Nancy Pearcey is the author of The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, as well as Love Thy Body, The Soul of Science, Saving Leonardo, Finding Truth, and Total Truth. She is a professor and scholar in residence at Houston Christian University. She has been quoted in The New Yorker and Newsweek, highlighted as one of the five top women apologists by Christianity Today, and hailed in The Economist as “America’s pre-eminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual.”

To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into great discussions with like-minded Christians while providing financial support for our ministry.

Nancy’s book: https://a.co/d/5YaIN1X

Nancy’s website: https://www.nancypearcey.com/

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June 23, 2023/by Frank Turek

What Does It Really Mean to Be WOKE? | with Seth Dillon of The Babylon Bee

Podcast

What does it mean to be “woke”? This word is being used almost everywhere in our culture today by every side of the political and cultural debate. But have you ever stopped to define what it really means?

In this midweek podcast episode, Seth Dillon, CEO of The Babylon Bee, returns to discuss this sinister and destructive ideology and how the movement has personally impacted the popular Christian satirical platform. Seth also shares how Elon Musk is trying to turn the tide with Twitter when it comes to the current trend of heightened censorship on social media, and explains that when it comes to making jokes, sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction!

For example, could it be possible that atheists like Richard Dawkins and Bill Maher are showing more courage these days than some pastors? Sadly, that seems to be the case! However, we can continue do our part by exercising our right to speak the truth (with or without humor) regardless of the consequences.

To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into great discussions with like-minded Christians while providing financial support for our ministry.

Pre-Order the NEW Book ‘The Babylon Bee Guide to Gender’: https://a.co/d/3Z69ASx

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June 20, 2023/by Frank Turek

Ever Heard of the Kezazah Ceremony?

4. Is the NT True?, Apologetics for Parents

We’ve all heard the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. The boy cashes in early on his inheritance only to squander it all away. Eventually he comes to his senses and returns home. And yet, what we read is the shocking celebration of grace personified through the father’s response. In the distance, this long awaiting father, captures a glimpse of his broken son. The son left in a rich man’s clothes. Now he returns in rags. He left with his chin in the air, prideful and arrogant. Now his head is hanging down in sorrow and shame. He left rejecting his father. Basically, wishing him dead, for the sake of receiving an early inheritance. And now, when he sees his son returning, what does the father feel? Compassion.

The root of this word compassion literally means “innards.” What the father felt, he felt so deeply that even his innards, his intestines, registered it. He agonizes on the inside at what has become of his son. He’s viscerally moved not with anger, but shockingly, compassion. We’d understand if the father stuck his head out the door and yelled to shame him, “You sure you want to come back here, boy?” But no. The father is stirred in his innards with compassion.

The Kezazah Ceremony

According to Kenneth E. Bailey, author of The Cross & The Prodigal, explains how on returning home, the prodigal son likely faced the prospect of something called the Kezazah ceremony. The Kezazah was a ceremony that a Jewish village would have in exactly this situation: someone had left home, rejected the community’s principles, lost all his or her possessions to the gentiles, and then returned. The villagers would break pottery at the feet of the individual, symbolizing that they were no longer in community with the returning person. They were breaking relations with him. It was a way of shaming the individual, of making him feel completely empty. Importantly, the ceremony would take place on the outskirts of the village before the individual could make his way back home.

A Running Embrace?

With this picture in mind, look what happens when the father sees his son. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20, NIV.) He doesn’t just run. He races. That’s what the word means there. Why is this significant? Because an older man in this Middle Eastern culture, especially the head of a wealthy household, would never run. To do so would be shockingly undignified. To run, a man would have to take the long robe that he was wearing and tie it up above the knees. His legs would be exposed, making him look utterly shameful. Even today in the Middle East men will not expose their legs this way. But here is this father figure, this royal figure, who takes his robe and ties it up, and he runs through the village to the outskirts, exposing the nakedness of his legs and shames himself for the sake of gracing his son.

Editor’s Note: From an apologetics standpoint, this Kezazah ceremony is remarkable. It’s a known feature of ancient Judaism, tracing back to the Talmud (Ketubot 28b). In the story of the Prodigal Son, this insight gives one more line of historical evidence testifying to the historicity of the Gospels, the teaching value of this story, and the Jewish cultural context for interpreting the Bible. – John Ferrer

Why Did His Father Run?

And why would the father risk his reputation by running to his son? To protect him from the Kezazah Ceremony! He runs to get to the son before the rest of the community gets to him. He wants to protect him from the broken pottery, the rejection, and the statement by the community that it has broken relations with the son. He wants to show his son that he is not rejected, that the father will heal the son’s shame, and that he can return home. On reaching his son, the father “embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20b). In unimaginable grace he embraces and kisses his son. He doesn’t care that the son smells like pig manure. He throws his arms around him and welcomes him home.

Perhaps like this runaway, you’ve been a bit of a prodigal yourself lately. If so, don’t you think it’s time to come to your senses? Return home, my friend, because a compassionate Father awaits you. While many churches are happy to further shame the sinner through their own version of the Kezazah ceremony, we can rejoice knowing the heartbeat of God is for His church to be a healing center, not a shaming center.

Other Recommended Resources On This Topic

How Can Jesus Be the Only Way? (mp4 Download) by Frank Turek
I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (Paperback), and (Sermon) by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek
Was Jesus Intolerant? (DVD) and (Mp4 Download) by Dr. Frank Turek
Jesus vs. The Culture by Dr. Frank Turek DVD, Mp4 Download, and Mp3
Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible by J. Warner Wallace (Paperback), (Investigator’s Guide).

Bobby serves as lead pastor of Image Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is well known for his YouTube ministry called, One Minute Apologist, which now goes by the name Christianity Still Makes Sense. He also serves as the Co-Host of Pastors’ Perspective, a nationally syndicated call-in radio show on KWVE in Southern California. Bobby earned his Master of Theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary, his Doctor of Ministry in Apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary, and his Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religion from the University of Birmingham (England) where he was supervised under David Cheetham and Yujin Nagasawa. Bobby’s also written several books including: The Fifth Gospel, Doubting Toward Faith, Does God Exist, and Fifty-One other Questions About God and the Bible and the forthcoming Christianity Still Makes Sense to be published by Tyndale in April 2024. He’s married to his lovely wife Heather and together they have two grown kids: Haley and Dawson.

June 19, 2023/by Guest

Is It Ever OK for Christians to Mock Others? | with Seth Dillon of The Babylon Bee

Podcast

Should Christians incorporate humor or even mockery into their apologetics? The idea of poking fun at another person’s worldview may seem offensive to some. But would you believe that the prophet Elijah and even Jesus Himself used mockery on certain occasions? With so much absurdity running rampant in our society, could humor be a part of the solution?

This week, CEO of The Babylon Bee, Seth Dillon, joins the podcast to talk about faith, politics, and the importance of free speech. As Frank interviews Seth, you’ll hear about Seth’s personal journey to faith, and how he came to be the CEO of the popular Christian news satire website lovingly dubbed “the definitive source of fake news you can trust”.

In this episode, Frank and Seth answer questions like:

Should satire be used as a means to purposely offend people?
How has The Babylon Bee managed to draw a non-Christian audience?
Why is humor such an effective tool in evangelism?
How did The Babylon Bee become friends with Elon Musk?
What are the dangers of censorship and why should Christians combat it?

Between Twitter jail and a recent dust up between DeSantis and Trump, The Babylon Bee has ruffled quite a few feathers along the way. Yet they are unrelenting in challenging their audience to reflect on the flaws within our modern culture. This unofficial ministry of mockery has managed to break down barriers through its comedic flare, winning the laughs of Christians and planting seeds of truth in people who would never step foot inside a church!

To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into great discussions with like-minded Christians while providing financial support for our ministry.

Pre-Order the NEW Book ‘The Babylon Bee Guide to Gender’: https://a.co/d/3Z69ASx

June 16, 2023/by Frank Turek

7 Reasons Why Baptism Is NOT Required for Salvation

Podcast

Did Peter declare that water baptism is a requirement for salvation? In the book of Acts, Peter seems to indicate that all believers must be baptized in order to be saved and yet, the writings of Paul and the teachings of Jesus seem to suggest otherwise. How do we resolve this apparent contradiction?

In this midweek podcast episode, Frank responds to one of several hostile emails we received after releasing a 60-second video on the topic of baptism. Using the S.T.O.P. method, Frank walks us through the correct interpretation of Acts 2:38 and provides seven reasons why Christians should NOT regard water baptism as a requirement for salvation. Frank also answers questions like:

What is the significance of water baptism?
Is the Book of Acts prescriptive or descriptive?
Did Peter and Paul have opposing views on baptism?
What did Jesus say about baptism?
How can Christians have fruitful discussions when we disagree on theological points?

By the end of this episode, you will walk away with a better understanding of the expectations and purpose of water baptism as well as the basics of biblical interpretation. Understanding the Bible can be challenging for all Christians at times but taking a moment to S.T.O.P. and ponder the context will make all the difference!

To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into great discussions with like-minded Christians while providing financial support for our ministry.

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June 13, 2023/by Frank Turek

A Trendy New Breathing and Meditation Technique… and it’s Odd.

Growing Trend

First Reactions

Similar to Some Church Services

Recommended Resources Related to this Topic

Why Are You Afraid to Speak Against Immorality? Love Requires It!

5 Fatal Flaws in Transgender Ideology

1. The Design of the Body Proves There are Only Two Genders

2. Transgenderism Must Presuppose Fixed Genders

3. You Can Change Your Mind But Not Your Biology

4. Sex Is Not Assigned At Birth

5. There is No Basis for Transgender Rights

Recommended resources related to the topic:

The Toxic War on Masculinity with Nancy Pearcey – Part 2

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Recommended Resources Related to this Topic

The Toxic War on Masculinity | with Nancy Pearcey – Part 1

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Ever Heard of the Kezazah Ceremony?

Is It Ever OK for Christians to Mock Others? | with Seth Dillon of The Babylon Bee

7 Reasons Why Baptism Is NOT Required for Salvation

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