jmclatchie, Author at Jonathan McLatchie | Writer, Speaker, Scholar

Are There Colossal Contradictions in the Gospels? A Reply to Rabbi Tovia Singer

1 Comment / Bible Contradictions, Biblical Reliability, Critics of Christianity, Tovia Singer, Undesigned Coincidences / jmclatchie

Though the alleged discrepancies offered by Rabbi Singer require some investigation to untangle, closer inspection — and more careful reading of the relevant texts — reveals the arguments to be unfounded. The solutions that I have offered to these challenges are not strained or forced harmonizations, but rather are suggested from within the texts themselves.

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Book Review: The Anatomy of Deconversion, by John Marriott

1 Comment / Apologetic Method, Book Reviews, Dealing with Doubts / jmclatchie

For many years, I have had a fascination for the reasons why people deconvert from the Christian faith. I was therefore interested to pick up The Anatomy of Deconversion: Keys to a Lifelong Faith in a Culture Abandoning Christianity, by John Marriott, a professor of philosophy at Biola University.

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Does Isaiah 9:6 Affirm the Deity of Israel’s Messiah?

2 Comments / Deity of Christ, Messianic Prophecy, Predictive Prophecy, Theology, Tovia Singer, Trinity / jmclatchie

In this essay, I intend to flesh out the case that Isaiah 9:6 indeed affirms the divine status of Israel’s Messiah. I will be defending two basic contentions: (1) Isaiah 9:6 is best understood as a text concerning the Messiah, and (2) Isaiah 9:6 identifies the Messiah as a divine person.

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Bayesian Probability and the Resurrection: A Reply to Brian Blais

9 Comments / Evidence for the Resurrection, Messianic Prophecy, Miracles and Epistemology, Modern Miracles, Philosophy, Predictive Prophecy, Probability Theory / jmclatchie

This week, a two part series of essays was published by atheist physicist Dr. Brian Blais. These essays challenged some of my key contentions from the debate, particularly my employment of Bayesian epistemology. In this essay, I reply to Dr. Blais’ remarks.

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Extraordinary Claims and Evidence: A Review of Jonathan Pearce’s Book on the Resurrection (Part 1)

43 Comments / Book Reviews, Evidence for the Resurrection, Messianic Prophecy, Miracles and Epistemology, Modern Miracles, Philosophy, Predictive Prophecy, Probability Theory / jmclatchie

Since the resurrection is intended, in Christian theology, to function as an authenticating sign, it is highly predicted that Jesus’ resurrection will deviate from the normal course of nature. That the resurrection does, in fact, deviate from the normal course of nature should not be taken as a cause for concern.

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Does the Bible Support Sexual Slavery? An Analysis of Numbers 31:15-18

13 Comments / Moral Objections to the Bible / jmclatchie

Though Numbers 31:13-18 is undoubtedly a difficult text, especially from the vantage point of our twenty-first century western culture, the text becomes, upon closer inspection, significantly less problematic than it appears at first impression.

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Doubting Your Faith? Look No Further Than This New Free Resource

2 Comments / Dealing with Doubts / jmclatchie

There is absolutely nothing for you to lose: Even if you still remain unpersuaded, at least you will be able to say that you gave the best arguments for Christianity a fair shake.

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A Commentary on Romans — The Righteous Shall Live By Faith (1:16-17)

Biblical Commentary / jmclatchie

Romans 1:16-17 encapsulate the thesis of Paul’s entire treatise – the gospel of Jesus Christ – which will be further expounded and elaborated upon in the chapters that follow. Paul is never put to shame by the gospel, since when it is preached, people are saved. This is why he has been so eager to preach the gospel in Rome.

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Book Review: Person of Interest by J. Warner Wallace

4 Comments / Book Reviews / jmclatchie

Wallace compares his examination of the historical Jesus to investigating an explosion caused by a bomb — just as every explosion has a fuse and a fallout, every important event has events that lead up to it (the fuse) and an aftermath resulting from it (the fallout).

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