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I recent came across a claim by Prof. Bart Ehrman that struck me as sufficiently weak that one didn’t need to be a scholar to refute it, just be ;a careful reader of the New Testament. As part of a recent argument against the Historicity of the Book of Acts on the popular channel Paulogia,…
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The Bible speaks piercing clarity about our human capacity to generate idols to worship other than the true and living God. Paul talks about this process in Romans 1 where human beings exchange “the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.”…
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The original language of a text will often preserve evidence of puns, word play, homonyms, alliteration, or other literary devices that do not translate easily into other languages. In the case of the Book of Mormon, one of those noteworthy word plays is the fact that the Book of Mormon relies on the similar sound/spelling…
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One of the challenging issues that believers in the Book of Mormon as an authentic historical text face is the existence of extensive quotations, allusions, and references to New Testament texts throughout the book. The existence of these references is problematic because the New Testament was either not yet written or was not accessible to…
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The hymn “Come Thou Font of Every Blessing” holds deep significance for a former Latter-day Saint turned Evangelical. It delves into the composer’s life and the theological differences between the two beliefs. The heartfelt analysis showcases the hymn’s profound impact and reflects a journey of spiritual transformation and understanding.
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At the throne of GodI am undoneAll my pretensionsAnd self-religiousnessMelt awayWoe is meA man of unclean lipsFilled with prideAnd all manner of wickedness Woe is me For I thought that I was something But now I seeI am but dust and vapor Vanity of vanities For I was not there When the angelic hosts shouted for joyAnd I cannot comprehend The laws…
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One verse that I frequently am asked about by my LDS friend is Matthew 5:48 and Jesus’s admonition to “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” The argument goes, if Jesus commands us to achieve sinless perfection, then surely he expects us to keep that commandment — at…
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When I was a Latter-day Saint I was very proud to carry my temple recommend with me at all times. My recommend signaled that I had been interviewed by a priesthood holders and been found worthy to enter the house of the Lord. It therefore signaled assurance that my course of life was pleasing to…
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The Bible taken as a whole shows that God is the ultimate source of all goodness and truth and indeed that he is the epitome of those things. It therefore can be said that not only does God love, but “God is love” (1 John 4:8,16), not only does God speak only the truth, but…
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I used to love the story of the City of Enoch found in Joseph Smith’s Book of Moses. It was a city so righteous that the whole city was translated into heaven. Another favorite story of mine was the society depicted in the Book of Mormon book of 4 Nephi which enjoyed generations of peace…