Apologetics, not Apologies

Is Baptism Required for Salvation? Many, perhaps most, Protestant denominations in the western church consider the moment of salvation to be the moment of a decision to follow Jesus Christ, often accompanied by a prayer of repentance and commitment, after which baptism is a first act of obedience for a new believer while not required for salvation.  The Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches as well as a minority of Protestant denominations consider baptism to be necessary for salvation (with rare exceptions).  How can we know who is right? The Early Church One of the most important things to remember when reading the Bible is that it is a collection of books, all inspired by the Holy Spirit, each telling their own story but together presenting the overarching story of God's creation and redemptive plan for humanity. It was written at a time different from ours by many different authors using many different literary styles, some of which may seem fami...

  Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the pivotal factual question in the Christian faith.  In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul underscored this point quite clearly: 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 The Resurrection of Christ Now I would remind you, brothers, of  the gospel  I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and  by which you are being saved , if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain ."  Here he makes it very clear that the heart of the gospel message is the resurrection, even going so far as to say that if the resurrection were not true, we have all believed in vain. However, Paul didn't stop there.  He went on to provide compelling, testable evidence. Scriptural Evidence Lets look at the entire passage cited only in part in the introduction: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 The Resurrection of Christ Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I p...

Introduction In this article I will look at several topics about which Christian theologians disagree, which are not essentials of the Christian faith but important, nonetheless. The Bible - Which books should be included?  Baptism - Infant baptism; Sprinkling vs. Immersion, Symbolic or Salvific?  Communion/Eucharist - Symbolic or the real presence of Christ? Prayer and Fasting - Is fasting still expected of Christians? Creation - Old Earth or New Earth? Eschatology - When was Revelation written?  Which parts are literal and which are symbolic? This is not an exhaustive list of such topics, but it includes a number that perplexed me over the years and which I have researched extensively as well as topics that come up frequently in apologetic discussions. "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity” is a famous quote that sums up the spirit in which I address the questions addressed in this article. What are the essentials? I would sugges...