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mid-week apologetics booster (8-27-2026)

Good morning friends,

Quote of the week:

O Terrible Meek, Do not let pride swell my heart. My nature is the mire beneath my feet, the dust to which I will return. In body I am no better than the lowliest reptile. Whatever difference there is in my form and intellect is a free gift of Your goodness; every ability of mind and body is Your undeserved gift. As lowly as I am as a creature, I am even lower as a sinner. I have trampled Your law countless times. Sin’s ugliness is stamped upon me; it darkens my face and corrupts me. How can I proudly show myself off? The lowest place of humility is where I belong, because I am less than nothing before You. Help me to see myself as You see me. Then pride must wither, decay, die, and perish. Humble my heart before You. – Valley of Vision

Now, here are your weekly links:

A Wallet, A Dollar, the Existence of God (Part 1 – Theism / Deism) – YouTube – An argument for theism based on the existence of our caused, limited universe. We take the first step toward Christian Theism by using a wallet and a dollar to illustrate the point. Can naturalism account for the sudden appearance of space, time and matter? Why must we stay inside the natural environment when the evidence here does not provide us with any answers?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vi-FsaEb3Q
Is atheism a religion? – YouTube – Andy Bannister: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tzxQSFq1iE
Jesus vs. Horus – YouTube – Was Jesus based on the Egyptian god Horus? Many on the internet seem to think so, and this video addresses this claim.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FR08QtvapM
An Overview of Freemasonry – Greg talks to his brother about Freemasonry (this is an audio only interview/discussion), note, the topic starts at about 4:30 into the audio recording: https://www.str.org/w/an-overview-of-freemasonry
Freemasonry – Dr. Walter Martin – YouTube – Who are the Freemasons and what is Freemasonry? What do they believe and what do they practice? Is it right for Christians to be members? Dr. Walter Martin, author of “Kingdom of the Cults” teaches us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl6BY2hVdds
I Tried Every Atheist Theory for the Resurrection. Here’s Why They Failed – YouTube: https://youtu.be/FUVV5uj_XG0
Dominion “Christian AI” Website FAQ (note, this costs $14/mo) – AI won’t wait. It’s already shaping how we think, learn, and live. Most AI today is built on secular assumptions about truth, identity, and purpose. These tools don’t just deliver information; they form beliefs. When Christians rely on them, they’re being quietly discipled by worldviews that reject God’s design and deny Christ’s Lordship. Dominion is here to guide minds to the truth. One conversation at a time. AI alignment means teaching intelligence to serve truth, not power. Every system learns from something, and without alignment it repeats human confusion. Philosophical alignment grounds AI in reality. Christian alignment grounds it in purpose. Truth is not an idea but a person. Christ defines reality, not human opinion. AI will shape how we think and live. It must be formed by what is eternally right. Aligning it with Christian truth keeps intelligence in service to its Creator.: https://dominion.chat/faq
17-Yr-Old Tech Prodigy Explains What Every Christian Needs to Know About AI w/Nathan‪@Natasha_Crain – YouTube – AI can write your emails, summarize a book, help with homework, and apparently become your girlfriend. Should Christians be excited, concerned, or maybe a little bit of both? Frank sits down with 17-year-old tech prodigy Nathan, his mom ‪@Natasha_Crain, and ‪@phoenix_hayes to discuss what AI can do, what it can’t do, and the worldview assumptions hiding beneath the technology that has taken over our lives seemingly overnight. Together, they tackle questions like: — What sparked Nathan’s interest in technology in third grade, and what has he learned along the way? — What are some of the worldview and moral assumptions behind many of the different AI platforms? — Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Dominion…what’s the difference, and what exactly is an LLM? — How should Christians use AI–if at all? — What are some crazy examples of AI not telling the truth but what the user wants to hear? — What are AI “hallucinations” and what problems are they causing out in the real-world? — What was GPT-4o, how did it affect people’s perception of reality, and why was it ultimately shut down? — How has AI negatively affected the world of education, creativity, and critical thinking for both children and adults? — How do we become better disciples in an AI world, especially when some young men are forming romantic “relationships” with AI? — How can Christians ultimately use AI for good? If you’ve been struggling with the moral implications of AI and are looking for a rational and down-to-earth explanation of its strengths and weaknesses, this is the episode for you!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu1rUBGsIkg
Mike Licona answers 10 questions – YouTube – In this 28-minute video, Dr. Licona answers 10 questions: 1. Have you ever questioned your Christian faith? 2. What evidence did you find that affirmed your Christian faith? 3. Why do Christians need to be knowledgeable today when they share their faith? 4. What is your advice to Christians on how to share the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection? 5. Is there sufficient evidence to conclude that Jesus truly rose from the dead? 6. What is the “Minimal Facts Approach”? 7. What are today’s most popular alternate theories to Jesus’ resurrection? 8. Does the resurrection of Jesus prove the Bible is correct in everything? 9. Briefly describe your book “The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach.” 10. What is your advice to Christian leaders who desire to become effective apologists?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FfU9fCwVxY
The War on Reality – This is a new book coming out in September 2026 by Frank Turek and Phoenix Hayes. How do we help our culture, our churches, and the next generation regain their footing on the timeless truths about reality? By reconnecting them to the One who created it. For decades, society has grown increasingly untethered from objective truth. But now it has raised the stakes by attempting to rewrite reality itself. Identity is declared, biology is negotiable, feelings outrank facts, and silence is violence…but speaking is also violence, depending on the day. In The War on Reality, authors Frank Turek and Phoenix Hayes peel back the layers of confusion, deception, and misinformation with clear thinking, sharp humor, and unapologetic truth. Drawing from Scripture, logic, philosophy, science, and history, Frank and Phoenix tackle life’s biggest questions about God, human nature, morality, identity, and destiny. Along the way, they expose the destructive ideas pulling Western civilization off course and show how to get back to solid ground. Let this guide sharpen your vision in this war, deepen your trust in the One who created reality, and equip you to witness boldly in a culture that desperately needs truth.: https://thewaronreality.com/
What Is an Ambassador for Christ? – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi817IwU3DI
You Don’t Need to Be the Next Ray Comfort to Share the Gospel – YouTube – A young person (18 year old) posted a question to #STRask, “I feel convicted that I’m not sharing the gospel enough. Is it sinful that I can’t be like Ray Comfort when I’m talking to people I might not see again?” Greg and Amy encourage Christians who find evangelism difficult to use questions to test the waters and begin spiritual conversations. Christians should not compare themselves to more aggressive evangelists or feel guilty for having a different style. However, personality should never become an excuse to avoid sharing the gospel. Being nice is not enough because effective evangelism must communicate the truth that distinguishes Christianity from other beliefs.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfQOpk-16Kk
8 Tough Questions Kids Ask About Evil and Suffering…and the Answers You Wish You Had When They Asked – Natasha Crain – In my own experience and in talking with other parents, questions from kids about the evil and suffering in our world are often the most difficult to answer. Some of these questions can leave us squirming to find the right words…and wondering if we just said something that is biblical at all! If you relate to that, you’re going to love this post.: https://natashacrain.com/8-tough-questions-kids-ask-about-evil-and-suffering-and-the-answers-you-wish-you-had-when-they-asked/
St. Patrick’s Bad Analogies for the Trinity – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw
Why the Case for Christianity Is More Important Than Ever | Cold Case Christianity: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/why-the-case-for-christianity-is-more-important-than-ever/
Quote: Lenny Esposito on Apologetics and the Christian Life: https://truthbomb.blogspot.com/2015/08/quote-lenny-esposito-on-apologetics-and.html
The Best Reason for Apologetics – Rational Faith: https://rationalfaith.com/2014/03/the-best-reason-for-apologetics/
J. Warner Wallace – A 2018 Pew Research Center Report polled a growing group in America: “religious nones.” This group describes themselves as “nothing in particular” when asked if they identify with a specific religious group. The vast majority are ex-Christians, and most are under the age of thirty-five. Pew asked a representative sample of these “religious nones” why they now reject any religious affiliation and provided respondents with six possible responses. According to the Pew report, most “religious nones” left because they “question a lot of religious teaching” (51% agreed with this statement), or because they “don’t like the positions churches take on social/political issues” (46% agreed with this statement). To a lesser extent, “nones” agreed with the statements, “I don’t like religious organizations” (34%), “I don’t like religious leaders” (31%), or “Religion is irrelevant to me” (26%). From this data, one might infer that Christians leave the faith because they no longer agree with the teaching of the Church or that they don’t like religious organizations or leaders. But this is not why young Christians are leaving the Church. One glaring statistic was largely overlooked in the latest data collected by the Pew Research Center. When religious “nones” were asked to identify the most important reason for not affiliating with a religion, the largest response was that none of the six responses provided by Pew were actually very important. In this poll, Pew did not allow respondents to answer in their own words. So, even though respondents searched for an answer that approximated their experience, most didn’t believe that any of the reasons offered by Pew were very important to them when deciding to abandon their religious identity. What, then, is the real reason young Christians (and other religious believers) leave the faith?: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/why-young-ex-christians-are-ex-christians-according-to-the-latest-research/
Finding Truth: How Critical Thinking Saves Faith (Amy Hall, regarding Nancy Pearcey’s book) – In this last chapter of Finding Truth, Nancy Pearcey stresses the necessity of learning how to examine worldviews: Some Christians seem to think the way to avoid being “conformed to this world” (Rom. 12:2) is by avoiding “worldly” ideas. A better strategy is to learn the skills to critically evaluate them. (p. 254) Why is evaluating them a better strategy than avoiding them? Partly because we can’t avoid them. We’re all exposed to popular culture all the time, and without the ability to recognize the source of the ideas we’re surrounded by, it’s easy to unthinkingly absorb bits of other worldviews: https://www.str.org/w/finding-truth-how-critical-thinking-saves-faith
Reaching Those Who Are Disinterested | Cold Case Christianity: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/reaching-those-who-are-disinterested/
Interview: Apologist (Mark Mittelberg) on Mov’t to Bring Apologetics Back to Church | Church & Ministries: https://www.christianpost.com/news/interview-apologist-on-movt-to-bring-apologetics-back-to-church.html
Atheist Thought She Had the Perfect Argument – YouTube – An atheist challenges Dr. Frank Turek on the reliability of the Gospels, the New Testament, and Christianity. What begins as a discussion about evidence ends up becoming deeply personal.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy9rShQp2AY
Watch The Green Prince | Prime Video (included with prime if you have it) – The Green Prince exposes a world of betrayals, impossible choices, and deadly secrets amidst the chaos in the Middle East, detailing the extraordinary true story of a Palestinian born Israeli informant and his Israeli Shin Bet handler. The informant converts to Christianity, but that is not a big part of the story: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/0LXZOP0DDNIJAVX73QNBYKXDVM
The Testimony of Mosab Yousef – this person is the “Green Prince” that is the subject of the movie above: https://jewishroots.net/library/testimonials/mosab_hassan_yousef_testimony.html
Evangelizing in a World Drowning in Sexual Problems – Topical Studies | Bible Study Tools: https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/evangelizing-in-a-world-drowning-in-sexual-problems.html
Is the Ark Encounter Headed for Financial Failure? – YouTube – A newspaper claims Ark Encounter is in decline, but is that actually true? Today I examine the claims and provide a closer look at what’s really going on with our ticket sales and reach online.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9WPEFfKNPM
Jesus: Person of Interest by J. Warner Wallace – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmhPsqjDuQg
She Left Christianity Because of “Gospel Contradictions”… Frank Turek Responds – YouTube – In this video, a former Christian raises alleged contradictions in the Gospels, and Frank Turek explains how historians approach these claims.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DB_FnbeVm0
I Thought Planned Parenthood Protected Family Values, by Rosaria Butterfield: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/i-thought-planned-parenthood-protected-family-values/
Rosaria Butterfield FULL Testimony | From LGBTQ Activist to Christian – YouTube: https://youtu.be/qiiduN-SRcY

“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. Matthew 12:30

Blessings to you all