My ApologiesWith all the back and forth on the subject, I decided to read Origen On Prayer for myself. I have a ton of respect for both Gavin Ortlund and Joe Heschmeyer. I really enjoy listening to their content and I hope that this can be a helpful contribution to this discussion!
This video essentially makes the following two arguments in regards to On Prayer:
1) Origen does not primarily use the word "Saint" to mean either Saints in Heaven or both Saints on Earth and in Heaven. When he intends Saints in Heaven he is specific with his language.
2) When Origen has the clear opportunity to clarify that Saints in Heaven can be prayed to - that is, when the context is such that Saints in Heaven are clearly being discussed - he communicates that they may pray on our behalf but not that we should contact them directly.
Of course, just because Origen does not teach prayer to the Saints does not mean that it did not exist in the early Church. That question is outside the scope of this video. But for my part, at least I do not think that Origen can be rightly used to prove that they did.
Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:21 - 0verview 03:32 - "Saint" Debate 05:55 - Mama Mary? 08:00 - Example 1 | Saints In Heaven 11:15 - Example 2 | Guardian Angels 14:51 - Example 3 | The Overlooked "Dead Saints" Church Demographic 20:38 - The Four Moods 25:57 - The Natural Sense 28:06 - Argument from Silence 28:50 - Guidance for Self-Study
Prayer to the Saints - Is it in Origen? | Response to Shameless Popery and Truth UnitesMy Apologies2023-09-21 | With all the back and forth on the subject, I decided to read Origen On Prayer for myself. I have a ton of respect for both Gavin Ortlund and Joe Heschmeyer. I really enjoy listening to their content and I hope that this can be a helpful contribution to this discussion!
This video essentially makes the following two arguments in regards to On Prayer:
1) Origen does not primarily use the word "Saint" to mean either Saints in Heaven or both Saints on Earth and in Heaven. When he intends Saints in Heaven he is specific with his language.
2) When Origen has the clear opportunity to clarify that Saints in Heaven can be prayed to - that is, when the context is such that Saints in Heaven are clearly being discussed - he communicates that they may pray on our behalf but not that we should contact them directly.
Of course, just because Origen does not teach prayer to the Saints does not mean that it did not exist in the early Church. That question is outside the scope of this video. But for my part, at least I do not think that Origen can be rightly used to prove that they did.
Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:21 - 0verview 03:32 - "Saint" Debate 05:55 - Mama Mary? 08:00 - Example 1 | Saints In Heaven 11:15 - Example 2 | Guardian Angels 14:51 - Example 3 | The Overlooked "Dead Saints" Church Demographic 20:38 - The Four Moods 25:57 - The Natural Sense 28:06 - Argument from Silence 28:50 - Guidance for Self-StudyThe Strategy That Disarms ANY ApologistMy Apologies2024-02-07 | As a Christian, YOU need to be prepared with an answer to people who question your faith! In this video, we dive into an argument made famous by the Muslim Apologist Ahmed Deedat to reveal a POWERFUL strategy to defend Christianity from disingenuous accusations.
It's not only Deedat who uses this sort of 'inappropriate presumption' argument though. You can find arguments like it from members of all kinds of faiths - including within Christendom!
By the end of this video, you’ll be able to recognize when someone is using this particular argument, you’ll know how to respond with maximum effectiveness, and as a result, you will feel much more confident in having productive conversations about your faith.
Chapters: 00:00 - Devastating Argument 00:51 - Did Jesus really say...? 01:42 - The Snarky Rebuttal 03:19 - Trinity and Tawheed 05:52 - YOUR problem 07:08 - You know what they say about Assuming... 10:22 - Say These Words EXACTLY! 11:59 - Staples vs Ultimate Strategy 14:23 - REMEMBERChurch History DECEPTION!My Apologies2024-01-24 | On the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary I was SHOCKED to see an utter deception on the Divine Office app. I usually have a lot of respect for the prayers contained within, but this time I was disappointed in how misleading the information was.
In this video I discuss the deception, show receipts from early church history to prove my point, and finally discuss why it's a significant issue. __________________________________________________________________________________
Chapters: 00:00 - Mining Gold 00:34 - What is the Divine Office? 01:18 - The Deception 02:29 - Track Example 03:28 - Justin and Irenaeus 04:58 - Argument from Silence 05:38 - Am I Overly Critical? 06:30 - The Implications“The Canon DESTROYS Sola Scriptura!”My Apologies2024-01-10 | The canon of Scripture is the death of Protestantism!! This is what you’d see if you read through some of my comments on this channel. A shocking number of people seem CONVINCED that this particular argument is check-mate when it comes to my faith.
But how legit is this argument? Is it all it's cracked up to be? In this video I’ll explain the argument, address each point of the argument to see if it is as catastrophic as suggested, and finally I’ll give a protestant view of how we get the canon.
Chapters: 00:00 - Cannon Destruction! 00:49 - Summary 01:08 - What is a Canon? 02:02 - The Anti-Protestant Argument 03:33 - Do Protestants Hate Tradition? 05:00 - Canon of the Jews 08:27 - The Protestant ViewThis System Will REVOLUTIONIZE How You Understand Tradition and ScriptureMy Apologies2023-12-27 | I’m going to reveal the paradigm that was revolutionary to my understanding of the roadmap. Once I comprehended this, I actually changed my personal view of Sola Scriptura! We'll examine the BEST system for explaining how people view Scripture vs Tradition. Where does Sola Scriptura fit in? And what do the Catholics believe? All this and more in this episode!
Chapters: 00:00 - Getting Lost 01:05 - Why is this a Problem? 02:12 - My Experience with LDS 03:28 - Tradition 1 06:06 - Tradition 2 07:15 - Tradition 0 08:27 - Tradition 3 11:24 - So Who's RIGHT?Bring out the Candles!My Apologies2023-12-13 | Why don't Baptists use Advent Candles?
... I realize now that sounds like the lead in to an edgy joke.Sola Scriptura Still Stands Strong | Response to Reformed to RomeMy Apologies2023-12-11 | In this video we’re going to examine this shocking new argument made on Reformed To Rome's Youtube channel against Sola Scriptura. We'll explain why it falls short and then before the end we’ll even build up a positive argument FOR Sola Scriptura from the content we are discussing today.
Ultimately, Acts 15 does NOT prove Sola Scriptura wrong. Far from it! And the whole argument hinges around a misunderstanding of infallibility vs inerrancy.
Chapters 00:00 - Reformed To Rome 01:32 - Sola Scriptura 02:34 - Summary of Argument 03:42 - Infallible or Inerrant? 05:25 - St. Augustine Agrees 06:56 - Complete FailureThe Forgotten Adventure of St. John that Youve NEVER Heard BeforeMy Apologies2023-11-29 | Have you ever wondered what happened to the apostles after Jesus’ death? So in this video, I’m going to share that story with you from the life of Saint John the Apostle. It's been really edifying and challenging for me, and I hope you enjoy it as well!
Connect with me on Twitter: twitter.com/MyApologiesPodAre We Saved By Works? | Mere Christianity Ep. 17My Apologies2023-11-15 | Are we saved by faith alone? Or do we need good works too? In this video we discuss the age-old faith vs works controversy and take a look at what C.S. Lewis has to say on the matter in his book Mere Christianity!
Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:50 - What are "Works?" 04:20 - Good Works For Salvation 05:04 - Justification 05:50 - Sanctification 07:15 - Glorification 08:52 - "Conductors" Overview 11:22 - What Lewis Says 16:51 - James 2 & Dead Faith 20:21 - Reformation AffirmationWhen Catholic Answers gets it WRONGMy Apologies2023-11-08 | The SUFFICIENCY of Scripture has been questioned many times in my comments lately. So I did a little digging into what’s available on the internet and found a fun Catholic Answers article! It’s called Is Scripture Alone Sufficient? and it’s framed as a conversation between a Catholic and a Protestant.
In this episode, I’ll go through this article, act out both parts (with some fun costumes), and add in some additional argumentation and context where it’s needed. I hope you have fun and learn something along the way! __________________________________________________________________________
Chapters: 00:00 - Sufficiency 01:00 - Catholic Answers 03:06 - Introducing Our Characters 03:30 - Conversation Beginning 09:52 - Get to the Greek 12:03 - The Old Testament Argument Strikes Again 18:23 - Protestant's Consistent Worldview 20:21 - Sufficiency Defined & Proven 22:03 - What about Tradition?C.S. Lewis Sacraments | Mere Christianity Ep. 16My Apologies2023-11-01 | There are lots of questions around the 'sacraments' in the Christian world. C.S. Lewis has an explanation of them in Mere Christianity (Book 2, Chapter 5) that we want to take a look at.
We'll talk about what these sacraments are, what they do for us, and why we should believe in them in the first place!
Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:11 - New Life 02:21 - Evolved Man 03:42 - How Do We Get New Life 05:34 - What Are The Conductors? 08:02 - Why These?Sola Scriptura and the Early ChurchMy Apologies2023-10-25 | Sola Scriptura is one of the most important ideas to come out of the Protestant Reformation. But is it a completely new idea created in the minds of men living 1500 years after the Apostles?
This video defines the Reformation view of Sola Scriptura and then examines whether or not it can be found in the writings of the earliest church fathers.
Today we'll look at five theories of the "Atonement" meaning the reconciliation of God and Man through Jesus Christ. These theories are attempts to explain how Christ's death and resurrection is related to our salvation.
After these five theories, we'll read Lewis' own explanation in Mere Christianity Book 2 Chapter 4.
Articles on Various Atonement Theories: - https://www3.nd.edu/~jspeaks/courses/2017-18/24810/handouts/atonement.pdf - sdmorrison.org/7-theories-of-the-atonement-summarized - credomag.com/2012/02/irenaeus-and-recapitulationShould Protestants PRAY To The Saints?My Apologies2023-10-11 | Protestants and Roman Catholics have strong disagreements about how we should be relating to the Saints in Heaven. As a Protestant, I don't pretend to speak for everyone, but I think there are a few really helpful ways we can all relate to the Saints in a healthy and God-honoring way.
In this video we first look at the Roman argument that praying to the Saints is the same as asking a living brother or sister in Christ to pray for you. Is that really a true comparison? After that, we look at three different ways we, as Protestants, can honor the Saints in Heaven.
Reformed View of Saints: youtube.com/watch?v=TQRQ-bbmVvIIs Jesus God? | Mere Christianity Ep. 14My Apologies2023-10-04 | Plenty of people are willing to say that Jesus seemed to be a good moral teacher. That view of the Historical Jesus tends to fit into anyone's worldview without disturbing them too much. But is that an option that Jesus left for us?
In this episode we examine the Trilemma - C.S. Lewis' description of what we can reasonably believe about Jesus. Was he a Liar? A Lunatic? Or Lord?
Bart Ehrman's Article: ehrmanblog.org/the-problem-with-liar-lunatic-or-lord-for-membersHow Can A Good God Allow Evil? | Mere Christianity Ep. 13My Apologies2023-09-27 | One of the biggest questions aimed at Christians is the problem of evil. How can God allow evil to exist if he is perfectly good, perfectly knowledgeable, and perfectly powerful?
In this episode we answer this question along with the questions: - What is evil? - Where did it come from? - What does it have to do with God?
Along the way you'll get some movie recommendations, some southern slang, and even some bloopers!
Connect with us on Twitter: twitter.com/MyApologiesPodIs There An Evil Power? | Mere Christianity Ep. 12My Apologies2023-09-20 | What can the foreign concept of Dualism teach Christians about the Gospel? In today's episode of the Mere Christianity series, we look at Book 2 Chapter 2 and discuss the religion of Zoroastrianism. This all leads into a conversation around Satan and the Dark Power at work in our world. You won't want to miss it!
Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:28 - What is Dualism? 03:24 - Zoroastrianism 05:53 - What's the Catch? 08:14 - What Our Gospel is MISSING 09:39 - The Battle in Scripture 11:57 - The Gospel + DualismPantheism is SNEAKY | Mere Christianity Ep. 11My Apologies2023-09-13 | Is it possible that you are a pantheist without knowing it? There are many people who don't realize the fact that pantheistic thinking has snuck into their worldview. We'll explain what pantheism is, cover three ways you can KNOW if you've become a pantheist, and finally discuss whether it's right or wrong.
Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:16 - What is Pantheism? 02:52 - Are YOU a Pantheist? 03:39 - Way #1 05:52 - Way #2 07:05 - Parable of the Chinese Farmer 12:28 - Way #3 14:44 - Problem of EvilTop Ten C.S. Lewis Quotes | Mere Christianity Ep. 10My Apologies2023-09-06 | Today we've got a special guest on the show to talk about the top 10 C.S. Lewis quotes of all time (in my personal opinion). What better way to celebrate 10 episodes of our Mere Christianity series than to do a top 10 list! It's going to be a fun one so stick around!
Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:35 - Friendship says "What! You too?" 05:03 - Feeling without Acting 07:17 - Liar, lunatic, or lord 10:52 - Originality in Literature and Art 13:58 - Forgiveness 17:22 - "...made for another world." 19:20 - "Friendship is unnecessary..." 21:56 - "...immortal horrors or everlasting splendors." 24:10 - a housewife’s work 27:28 - "...soft soap and wishful thinking..."Do Protestants Worship God? | Response to Shameless PoperyMy Apologies2023-09-01 | Shameless Popery released a video claiming that protestants do not worship God during their Sunday services. In this video I explain why this argument shouldn't concern protestants in the slightest.
We listen to clips from two different Roman Catholic channels and then compare this accusation with how early Christians were accused of being atheists by Rome.What Christians Do NOT Need To Believe | Mere Christianity Ep. 9My Apologies2023-08-30 | Christians talk about (and argue about) what we NEED to believe all the time. You have to believe in the trinity; you have to believe in Jesus' death and resurrection; you need to believe/not believe in salvation by faith alone; etc. But we almost never bother to discuss what we do NOT need to believe.
Why would we? Well, for one, there may be things that Christians feel compelled to believe despite the protestations of their conscience. What a relief it would be if we could assuage some of those compulsions and allow them some additional Christian freedom.
Today, we'll talk about one of these things that Christians need not believe. In the process, C.S. Lewis will also refute a common Atheist argument still being hoisted on Youtube and internet blogs today.
RTS Post: “Aren’t All Religions The Same?” - https://rts.edu/resources/arent-all-religions-the-same/Why Fear God? | Mere Christianity Ep. 8My Apologies2023-08-23 | Have you ever heard the phrase "Fear of God?" Is that supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing? To answer this question, we'll look at the fifth chapter of Mere Christianity which is entitled: "We Have Cause to be Uneasy."
Lewis examines nature and morality in order to determine what we can learn about God from these sources alone - no divine revelation necessary. You may think at first that it's all sunshine and daisies when it comes to our divine creator in the clouds... but what Lewis has to say might make you think twice about this!
Melito of Sardis: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/melito.htmlShould Society Be Progressive? | Mere Christianity Ep. 7My Apologies2023-08-16 | Most of western society has progressed beyond religion entirely. Religious worldviews are a thing of the past, they didn't really work out for us right? We certainly shouldn't turn the clock back to such barbaric times!
Lewis will address this assertion and reveal what the true meaning of "progress" is. And how can we know if we're progressing? We'll discuss this as well and finally, we wrap up with some quotes from Church History that will hopefully be an encouragement to you! ___________________________________________________________________________
Connect with me on Twitter: twitter.com/MyApologiesPodMaterialism and the Matrix | Mere Christianity Ep. 6My Apologies2023-08-09 | I'm sure you're wondering what this could possibly have to do with the Matrix. After all, the movie came out 36 years after Lewis' death! I promise, we'l get there.
Everyone in the history of the world falls into two categories - either you are a materialist or you are religious - according to C.S. Lewis. Materialism is the belief that all that exists is matter; what we can see, touch, taste and hear to put it bluntly. Religion, on the other hand, posits that there is something transcendent that exits beyond the material world - this is what we call a "god."
These two views have always existed as long as humans have roamed the Earth, so how can we tell which view is correct? Will science help us? What about math or history? Is there any way we can tell which view we should subscribe to aside from just whichever one we were born with?
To help us on our journey of discovery, we'll use a thought experiment revolving around the recently popularized "Simulation Theory" for our existence. This theory suggests that our entire universe is really just a high-tech simulation that was created by another extremely advanced civilization. In this worldview, we are all just like Neo in the Matrix before his eyes were opened.
Could this Simulation Theory be true? And what could it possibly tell us about materialism? Today we'll talk about all this and more! Welcome to My Apologies!
Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:39 - Materialism & Religion 06:55 - Thoughtful & Thoughtless 08:25 - Ancient Materialism 11:43 - How Do We Decide? 13:54 - Drawing in Physics Class 15:10 - The Matrix & Mario 21:54 - God the Cosmic Mailman 24:20 - Thoughts on Simulation TheoryCan a tree be “Good” or “Evil”? | Mere Christianity Ep.5My Apologies2023-08-02 | We all know that a human can be good or evil but what about a tree or a stone? I might say that you have a 'good' car, but does that mean the same thing as saying you're a 'good' man?
Today we'll find out all this and more in our Mere Christianity series!
Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:06 - The Good Tree 05:47 - Are People Any Different? 09:11 - How Evil Can a Cow Be? 11:14 - "No One Does Good" - is this true? 13:59 - SILLY WARNING 15:35 - Common Grace 17:18 - Why SHOULD We Be Good? 17:53 - St. Paul's Response 18:55 - St. Clement's Response 21:37 - Encouragement to MeditateShould We Hunt Witches? | BONUS EPISODE!My Apologies2023-07-31 | Magic has always been part of the world around us. As humans, there are so many phenomenon that we have trouble explaining - even today! Often times the "unexplainable" gets chalked up to someone or something using magic. For the average person who can't use magic, this is obviously a terrifying & threatening thing!
Today we'll look a little bit at the history of magic - not the Hogwarts class, the real thing. Why have witches been so feared? And were they always hunted down so savagely?
We'll cover everything from the most famous witch hunt at Salem to the Lion, the WITCH, and the Wardrobe!
Chapters: 00:00 - Which Witch? 01:24 - What Are Witches? 03:25 - Witch Hunts Through the Ages 08:23 - Spooky Stories & Folk Tales 13:55 - Why Don't We Still Hunt Witches? 16:07 - Are We Virtuous or Just Blessed?Is Morality Just Herd Instinct? | Mere Christianity Ep. 4My Apologies2023-07-26 | Everybody knows that morality is just herd instinct. Just like birds flying south for the winter, humans learned over time to be kind to other humans and not to steal from them. Right?
In this episode we'll discuss the second chapter of Mere Christianity Book 1 and see what Lewis haas to say about the second point on the argument for God from morality - that God is our best or only explanation for morality. We'll examine the other possible explanations and decide whether or not they are convincing alternatives to God as the ultimate Moral Law giver.
Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 03:12 - Herd Instincts 09:35 - Happy Hippos & Han Solo 12:23 - Good and Bad Instincts 15:51 - Piano Keys Analogy 17:02 - Social Convention & Education 21:48 - Progress as Proof 23:28 - The "Real" Salt Lake City 26:27 - The World Without MoralsAre YOU a Christian? | Mere Christianity Ep. 2My Apologies2023-07-19 | What do YOU think it means to be a Christian? Leave a comment below and tell me your thoughts. Do you agree with Lewis or do you land on a different definition?
No matter your opinions, I hope you enjoy today's episode!
Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:37 - What IS a Christian? 02:42 - Lewis' Goal 04:35 - Definition and Objections 07:22 - A Liar and a Gentleman 12:18 - The 'Refined" definition 15:49 - A 'Bad' Christian 17:59 - The Common Doctrines 20:18 - RecapWho is C.S. Lewis? | Mere Christianity Ep. 1My Apologies2023-07-18 | Hello and welcome to My Apologies!
Today we are going to introduce one of my favorite Christian writers: C.S. Lewis. We’ll talk about his life, his journey to faith, and finally we’ll discuss his book Mere Christianity. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 02:20 - Lewis' Early Life 04:45 - WWI and Oxford 06:08 - Lewis' Literature 07:57 - Ecumenism 12:19 - Final WordsDoes Morality Prove Gods Existence? | Mere Christianity Ep. 3My Apologies2023-07-16 | Today we are going to hear from the first chapter of C.S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity and what he has to say about the argument for God from Morality.
It would be simple to argue that humans all experience a single morality if everyone believed and acted the same way. But as we all know, this isn’t the case. Since it seems like not every person is on the exact same page morally, how can we determine whether or not this Morality really exists? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:29 - Argument from Morality 01:37 - Quarrels 05:14 - Mean Girls 07:17 - Different Cultures 10:47 - Breaking the Law 13:26 - RecapStuck with spiritual growth? Maybe knowledge is actually your problem!My Apologies2023-05-13 | Are you stuck in a rut spiritually? Or are you new to faith and don't know how to get started? In this video we take inspiration from a book about money to learn about our faith!
Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:24 - I Will Teach You To Be Rich 2:25 - The Knowledge/Action Gap 3:27 - James 4:17 5:10 - For Those New To Faith 6:33 - For Those Stuck In Their Faith 7:29 - Don't Just Be A Consumer
The book: I WIll Teach You To Be Rich - amazon.com/Will-Teach-You-Be-Rich/dp/0761147489Are Christians good people? Spiritual gurus? How can we know?My Apologies2023-05-05 | Have you ever wondered, "Am I a Christian?" How can you tell? In this video we talk about the brilliant C.S. Lewis and discover how he defined the word "Christian."
Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 1:49 - What are the Common Doctrines? 4:13 - Objections 5:43 - Lewis' answer to the objections 12:11 - How to use the word "Christian" 14:46 - Takeaways