Back to list

mid-week apologetics booster (7-2-2026)

Good morning friends,

Quote of the week:

The gospel is never heard in isolation. It is always heard against the background of the cultural milieu in which one lives. A person raised in a cultural milieu in which Christianity is still seen as an intellectually viable option will display an openness to the gospel which a person who is secularized will not. For the secular person you may as well tell him to believe in fairies or leprechauns as in Jesus Christ! – William Lane Craig

Now, here are your weekly links:

The Design of Feet on Display at the World Cup – Some have said the foot is poorly designed, but does a design cease to be a design simply because it has limitations? Despite completely tearing my own ATFL ligament-which I was told would likely never fully reconnect-an ultrasound shows it has reattached, and I have recovered almost all of my range of motion. I’m fascinated by the mystery of its repair. How did the torn ends find each other? The human foot is far from indestructible, yet it enables feats of agility, endurance, and power that no prosthetic system can match. Perhaps limitations are not evidence against design, but an inevitable consequence of balancing competing demands. Stuart Burgess, a top British engineer and advocate of intelligent design, has argued that claims of poor foot design often stem less from biomechanical analysis and more from the expectation that evolutionary processes should produce imperfect structures. He should know. Burgess has himself developed a prosthetic foot! As you watch matches over the coming weeks, consider a few questions. In the context of an elite football sporting competition, does the foot appear poorly designed? If the human foot is well designed, what would that imply about its origin? Can highly optimized systems arise through unguided evolution, or is intelligent design a better explanation? Be curious. Ask hard questions. And marvel at the ingenious design of the human foot.: https://townhall.com/columnists/emily-reeves/2026/06/19/the-design-of-feet-on-display-at-the-world-cup-n2677937
Michael Egnor (video): Three Atheist Scientists Walk into a Book | Science and Culture Today – Regarding Harris, Coyne, Sapolsky and the books they’ve authored, Dr. Egnor says, “The people who deny free will, the authors of these books, if you want to find out out if they believe in morality, and therefore if they believe in free will, all you have to do is tear up their royalty checks from their books. And tell them, ‘Hey, I didn’t have any choice, it’s just an act of nature.’” That’s funny.: https://scienceandculture.com/2026/06/michael-egnor-three-atheist-scientists-walk-into-a-book/
So Many Religions–What Do We Do? – Tim Barnett – YouTube – In this short TED-style talk, Tim Barnett tackles the question, “So Many Religions-What Do We Do?” This talk took place at the youth event, Big Deal Questions.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSb2ae_mPaE
Does Christianity Really Need a Defense? | Why Apologetics? – YouTube – Tim Barnett explains the importance of Christian apologetics, addressing common objections to it-even from within the church. He discusses positive apologetics (making a case for Christianity) and negative apologetics (defending against objections) and responds to critics who claim apologetics is harmful to faith. Ultimately, he argues that apologetics is biblically commanded, culturally necessary, vital for the church, and proven effective.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-7A0kq9mtA
New Data Converges on Creation | Another Habitability Constraint | Hugh Ross and Fazale “Fuz” Rana – YouTube – Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astrophysicist Hugh Ross as they discuss discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence. According to the evolutionary paradigm, there have been eleven times in Earth’s history when animals transitioned from water to land. Recent work by researchers in the UK and Spain indicates that these transitions involved similar genomic changes, providing another remarkable example of convergence. In this episode, Fuz describes this work and its implications for the RTB creation model. Astronomers have identified many different “habitable zones” in space-places where conditions might allow life to exist. Now, they’ve found a new one: a chemical habitable zone. For life to exist, both nitrogen and phosphorus must be present in just-right amounts and forms. The availability of these elements depends on how much oxygen is involved during a rocky planet’s core formation. Earth falls within this zone. If a rocky planet is formed with less oxygen, it will lack the needed phosphorus for life. If it forms with too much oxygen, it will lack the needed nitrogen. Either way, life as we know it wouldn’t survive. : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGrxTU0XBRE
Science Confirms Biblical Creation – Dr. Jason Lisle – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qjrTSra0pQ
Is the Jesus Story Stupid and the Resurrection Totally Mythical? – YouTube – Skeptics like Bill Maher brush off the stories of Jesus and his resurrection as if they were completely unbelievable and silly. Frank Turek responds.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h58RvduPnac
Can living cells arise randomly from non-living chemicals? – In 1953, scientists Miller and Urey sent sparks through a mixture of gases to produce amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. This seemed to support the theory that life arose on Earth when non-living chemicals randomly combined to form organic compounds, which then spontaneously developed the ability to replicate. However, this process of abiogenesis has been difficult to confirm and model for the following reasons.: https://crossexamined.org/can-living-cells-arise-randomly-from-non-living-chemicals/
Apologetics Removes Obstacles to the Gospel | Why Apologetics? – YouTube – Why apologetics? The culture demands it. In Part 4 of his “Why Apologetics?” series, Tim Barnett of Stand to Reason explains how apologetics does the work of pre-evangelism by removing obstacles to the gospel. : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O2ivq-jVRY
Anti-Intellectualism in the Church | Why Apologetics? – YouTube – Unfortunately, many Christians don’t think very deeply anymore. Tim Barnett of Stand to Reason talks about the value of developing the mind through apologetics as a way of pushing back against anti-intellectualism in the church. : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfmZlWsLZfI
How Were the Books of the Bible Compiled? – YouTube – How did the early church decide which books to include in the New Testament?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOIHRjXD95c
How Can You Believe In A God Who’s Jealous? – YouTube – Isn’t jealousy a petty, human emotion? Does it make sense that Christians would worship a God who is characterized by fits of temper tantrums? At Fresno State University, a student asks and Frank Turek responds. : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnck-lmA2pM
Why I Am a Cessationist – I am not writing on this topic because I have the final answer on spiritual gifts, for the matter is difficult and Christians who love God and the Bible disagree.: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/cessationist/
What does it mean that whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery (Matthew 5:32)? | GotQuestions.org: https://www.gotquestions.org/whoever-marries-a-divorced-woman-commits-adultery.html
What are biblical grounds for divorce? | GotQuestions.org: https://www.gotquestions.org/grounds-for-divorce.html
DNA’s Partner in the Dance of Life | ID the Future – Many of us have heard about one of the biggest discoveries in modern biology: the discovery of the information code embedded in DNA. But perhaps an even bigger discovery than that would be that DNA isn’t running the show by itself. A second revolution is underway centered around a hidden layer of information beyond DNA that helps direct the development of every living thing. On this episode of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes Dr. Tom Woodward to the show to discuss his new book, co-authored with Dr. James Gills: Epigenetics and the Architect: Evidence of Design at the Frontier of Biology.: https://idthefuture.com/2229/
Jumping Over the Evangelism Wall | Cold Case Christianity – I occasionally have the opportunity to equip and prepare groups to share the Gospel. Training of this nature is most effective when it is connected to a real life application. When we teach toward a tangible, upcoming challenge, the teaching becomes training. For this reason, the best evangelism training is connected to immediate opportunities to put the training into practice. We spend time in the classroom and then we get out on the streets and apply what we’ve learned. My approach in this context is really quite simple; I prepare Christians to take three simple steps to share the Good News…: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/jumping-over-the-evangelism-wall/
Science Doesn’t Say Anything- Scientists Do – CrossExamined – Scientists look for causes, and logically, there are only two possible types of causes-intelligent causes or non-intelligent causes (i.e. natural causes). A natural cause can explain a geologic wonder like the Grand Canyon, but only an intelligent cause can explain a geologic wonder like the faces of the presidents on Mount Rushmore. : https://crossexamined.org/science-doesnt-say-anything-scientists-do/
How Did the Early Christians Influence Their Culture? | Come Reason’s Apologetics Notes – The early church was also an outsider faith, viewed with suspicion and denounced in its first two hundred years, too. But even with life-threatening persecution, the early church not only grew, but changed minds and hearts. Christianity’s critics originally condemned the faith as a dangerous superstition causing sedition. Pliny wrote to Emperor Trajan in AD 112 discussing the Christian problem, reporting “whatever the nature of their creed, stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy surely deserve to be punished.”…When we read Galen’s account of Christians, we see that it is the impact of Christianity on the changed lives of the Christians. They no longer would cohabit, they would exercise self-discipline and self-control, and they sought justice for the wrongdoings they saw in their day. Wilken himself identifies this as the significant factor in seeing Christianity more positively. “What led him to call it a philosophy was the success Christians had in leading men and women to a life of virtue.”…Christians today need to follow the model of these early believers. We need to begin by exercising our self-discipline and self-control in our own lives. That’s a difficult task. We must make hard judgments in our entertainment choices. We must respect marriage and hold those in our churches to the high standard that the Bible lays out for it. As Christians we should be different from the society and it should show.: https://apologetics-notes.comereason.org/2015/07/how-did-early-christians-influence.html
What caused spacetime and matter? Frank Turek answers questions during a Q&A – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFzokmX6who
Ambassador at Work – Faith, Vocation, and Apologetics – Dr. Mikel Del Rosario | Apologetics Guy – How do people see you at work? I’ve been thinking about the relationship of your vocational work to spiritual conversations, especially as I reflect on collaborative events I’ve participated in over years, like the National Faith and Work Association Meeting. And here’s the thing: Our apologetic arguments aren’t heard in a vacuum. They’re wrapped in a special packaging called “your life.” In other words, our spiritual conversations are heard in the context of our who we are at work. Think about it: We spend most of our time at work. And that’s where most of us interact with people who see Christianity differently. Each week, you have the opportunity to break down emotional barriers to the Gospel by the way you work and the way you treat people at work. In this post, I’ll share two ways your time at work can begin to break down barriers to spiritual conversations with people you see the most. First, your work provides opportunities for building relationships. Second, your job provides opportunities to love your neighbors.: https://apologeticsguy.com/2018/10/vocation/
What is the Bible, who wrote it and how do we know it’s true? CQ kids – YouTube – The Bible is the most important book ever written. It’s a record of how God created the earth, animals and humans. It tells the stories of the earliest people and their lives. It details the life of the most important man to ever walk the earth: Jesus, God’s only son. It gives us practical examples and information about how God wants us to live our lives today. It reveals a future plan for every person who has ever lived by describing God’s kingdom both in heaven and on earth. The Bible is actually made up of 66 smaller books. The first 39 books are called the Old Testament and the remaining 27 books are called the New Testament. You can read stories, letters, songs, poetry, and prayers in this amazing book! 40 different people wrote the Bible over a period of about 1500 years. 2 Timothy tells us all scripture is inspired by God. This means that God spoke to the authors through their hearts and minds, telling them to write down exactly what He wanted to say. Some of the writers were personal friends of Jesus, and they recorded events about him many years later. Through the Holy Spirit, God miraculously helped them to clearly remember details about Jesus that had happened many years before. We know the Bible is true for many reasons. First, many locations described in the Bible – counties, cities, seas, and mountains, for example – are real places you can visit today. Second, other authors who lived at the same time wrote about the same historical events and people of the Bible. These other writings confirm and support the details the Bible tells us about. Third, the Bible has told us about future events that have come true – these are called “prophecies.” And there are even more exciting prophecies yet to come! Without the Bible, we would not know about God, Jesus, or the wonderful plans our Heavenly Father has in store for all of us. We are very thankful for this inspiring book that we can read and study anytime!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z77qnHLSZhE
What Muslims Say vs. What Islam Teaches | Alan Shlemon – There is a distinction between what Muslims say and what Islam teaches. Muslims say all kinds of things about Jesus, Mohammed, the Bible, and a host of other topics. Not everything they say, however, is consistent with authoritative sources in Islam.: https://www.str.org/w/what-muslims-say-vs-what-islam-teaches
Challenge Response (Brett Kunkle): The Bible Says Men Are Superior to Women – What does the Bible say about men and women and husbands and wives and their value and their roles? This challenge sites Corinthians as an example of a passage where you have men superior to women. I want to say a couple of things.: https://www.str.org/w/challenge-response-the-bible-says-men-are-superior-to-women
It’s About the Difference between Men and Women – Amy Hall. : https://www.str.org/w/it-s-about-the-difference-between-men-and-women
How the Cosmological Evidence Points to the Existence of God – YouTube (J. Warner Wallace) – In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast, J. Warner Wallace continues his six part mini-series summarizing material from his latest book, God’s Crime Scene: A Cold-Case Detective Investigates the Evidence For A Divinely Created Universe. J. Warner describes two pieces of cosmological evidence: the origin of the universe and the appearance of fine-tuning in the cosmos. Can these two pieces of evidence “inside the room” of the universe be explained by staying “inside the room”? This simple question helps homicide detectives determine if a death scene is a crime scene. Could the same question be applied to the evidence in the universe to determine if a cosmic “intruder” is the most reasonable inference?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3HITeIBgCg
Video illustration: What is FAITH? – YouTube – What is faith? What faith the Bible talks about? This video illustrates the Biblical view of Faith; how much faith you have? LETS DISCUSS.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfpOaNDNow0
Atheism Is Inconsistent with the Scientific Method, Prizewinning Physicist Says | Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/atheism-is-inconsistent-with-the-scientific-method-prizewinning-physicist-says/
The Florissant redwood trees deposited from a Flood log mat Â· Creation.com – There are numerous vertical, petriﬁed trees found in sedimentary rocks around the world. The vertical, petriﬁed redwood stumps at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument are a famous example. They have several unusual features that are problematic for an in situ interpretation. In the Florissant Formation, 1,500 insect and spider species fossils and about 260 plant species and pollen have been found. They come from widely diverse environments, yet they are buried together. There is no modern analogue. Some of the fossil species are found alive in subtropical and tropical environments. Some are not native to North America but from distant parts of the globe. The hypothesis that well-preserved fossils are from preservation by bioﬁlms has contradictions. The paleoaltitude is thought to be near the same as it is today, about 2,490 m, but with an anomalous mean annual temperature that was much warmer with very little frost. There are numerous contradictions to the uniformitarian hypothesis. The evidence supports deposition of the organisms, including the vertical redwood stumps, from ﬂoating log mats during the Genesis Flood.: https://creation.com/en/articles/florissant-redwood-trees
Has the Bible been corrupted, altered, edited, revised, or tampered with? | GotQuestions.org: https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-corrupted.html
Unbiblical stuff the Catholic Church teaches: Mary, Indulgences, Eucharist, Priests, 7 Sacraments – YouTube (Mike Winger) – Evaluating the unbiblical traditions of Catholicism. Having rejected the gospel of grace they have added a bunch of works and a bunch of mediators between you and God. We will deal with several specific teachings that have developed over time in Catholicism. Teachings about Mary, indulgences, the seven sacraments, the Eucharist and more.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1xZTPY98Oc
Am I Going to Hell? Greg Koukl – Most people believe in justice. It is built in. It is part of their moral intuition, the image of God in man that is being expressed. They clamor for justice. There is a place for mercy, and pardon. We both agree. From God’s perspective, if you have committed any moral crimes, then you are going to be punished for them. You’ll only receive God’s punishment if you are guilty of something. Are you guilty of anything? What is so controversial about that? Don’t want to be punished? God has a means for a pardon. That is the whole point of our conversation. I don’t want to be punished either. I want to experience a pardon.: https://www.str.org/w/am-i-going-to-hell-
8 Ways to Spot False Prophets in Today’s Churches | Crosswalk.com: https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/ways-to-spot-false-prophets-in-todays-churches.html
Were the gospel writers present during the time of Jesus? – YouTube – J. Warner Wallace, author of Cold Case Christianity, discusses the reliability of the gospel eyewitness accounts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUpXpwoGlfI
Ben Shapiro Destroys The Abortion Argument – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDmwPGrZkYs

For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Deut 7:6-8

Blessings to you all