# True Horizon > Empowering Thinking Christians To Engage The World ## Posts - [An Embarrassing Week For The Priests of Darwinian Scientism](https://truehorizon.org/an-embarrassing-week-for-the-priests-of-darwinian-scientism/): It’s been a bad few days for the Priests of the Church of Darwin. First, consider the pivotal example of resistance to malaria that Michael Behe used in his book, The Edge of Evolution, to show that genetic cell mutations could not account for significant, species-protecting evolutionary improvements in a species and therefore undermined the... - [Faith of the "Faithless"](https://truehorizon.org/faith-of-the-faithless/): To see how this whole misapplication of what faith means plays out, I offer the assertions of the new atheist, Sam Harris, as an example. Sam Harris was compelled to pen The End of Faith on September 12, 2001 and wrote his Letter To A Christian Nation a few years later. He is adamant about... - [Ham Fisted Sophistry](https://truehorizon.org/ham-fisted-sophistry/): The other day I saw a Facebook post which had been “liked” by a friend of mine about how Ken Ham (of Answers in Genesis fame) was lamenting the fact that Bill Nye, the fraudulent “science guy,” has been smack talking him in the media since their infamous recent debate. At first I thought, “Well, there’s a... - [Is The Creation Model Viable? -- A Debate Between Ken Ham and Bill Nye](https://truehorizon.org/is-the-creation-model-viable-a-debate-between-ken-ham-and-bill-nye/): Tonight the Creation Museum and debatelive.org hosted a debate between Ken Ham, founder of Answers In Genesis, and  Bill Nye, The Science Guy. Those who know me also know that I don’t have much patience with either one of these men for reasons I have detailed in the past here (on Ken Ham) and here (on... - [Nothing To Believe In](https://truehorizon.org/nothing-to-believe-in/): When it comes to spiritual issues, I am always amazed that people will accept and defend things that they would never, ever accept when addressing any other subject. People will convince themselves (and try to convince you) that the most illogical, nonsensical claims make perfect sense as long as they are attached to religion, spirituality,... - [Buried Treasure](https://truehorizon.org/buried-treasure/): Yesterday I completed a project that I have been putting off for months when I finally brought in some topsoil to regrade a spot in our backyard, seeded it, covered it with straw, and set up a sprinkler to water the new grass to life. As you can see, the shape of the area in... - [Stop Staring, Please](https://truehorizon.org/stop-staring-please/): Two and a half weeks ago, my dermatologist performed a Moh’s surgery procedure on me to remove a patch of squamous cell skin cancer from the inside of the bridge of my nose. It really is more of a nuisance than a serious threat but the healing process has not been fun. It was painful... - [6 Reasons Why Jerry Coyne's Claims Are Not Persuasive](https://truehorizon.org/why-jerry-coynes-claims-are-not-persuasive/): Recently, I’ve been challenged by a new acquaintance to discuss some of the details and implications of Darwinian Evolution. This is a friendly discussion and I commend my skeptical, truth-seeking friend for his willingness to tackle these issues in a serious, respectful manner. We also agreed to read a couple of books that supported our... - [Don't Impose Your Views ... Only We Can Do That!](https://truehorizon.org/dont-impose-your-views-only-we-can-do-that/): Following the last post, I want to finish with the most important issue that I believe was exposed with Bill Nye’s ridiculous video by devoting a separate post to my interlocutor’s (tildeb) final comment, the gist of which is as follows: I suspect we would agree on almost everything – like family and friends and... - [None So Blind As Those Who Will Not See](https://truehorizon.org/none-so-blind-as-those-who-will-not-see/): Recently, I posted a rebuttal to a recent video by Bill Nye, “The Science Guy” that generated more hits on my blog than any other single post I’ve ever put up. What followed (at least with one respectful commenter, tildeb) was an ongoing conversation about the differing views that Christian and secular folks have with regard to the... - [The Chiffon Delusion](https://truehorizon.org/the-chiffon-delusion/): If you’re as old as me, you may remember the annoyingly catchy commercials for Chiffon Margarine that assured us that “If you think it’s butter, but it’s not … it’s Chiffon!” The gist of the ad was that the synthetic Chiffon margarine was even better than nature’s butter. In fact, Chiffon was so good that... - [How NOT To Have A Disagreement](https://truehorizon.org/how-not-to-have-a-disagreement/): This past March, I was involved in a debate with Tim Chaffey of Answers In Genesis about the age of the Earth. At one point in a discussion with my wife and I after the debate, Mr. Chaffey was making a point about the evidence for Christianity and ended a sentence with the phrase, “we... - [Thinking Allowed](https://truehorizon.org/thinking-allowed/): I have been challenged recently (on several fronts — some just internally) about the purpose and usefulness of Christian apologetics. I don’t take the challenge lightly. Some who have challenged me have given me some food for thought about how I approach my Christian convictions and I take their critiques seriously. I know for a... - [Clarifying Creationist Positions](https://truehorizon.org/clarifying-creationist-positions/): Recently, I accepted the challenge to debate a fellow Creationist about whether the Christian view of reality supports and Old Earth (OE) or Young Earth (YE) view. Part of what I promised my debate opponent (Tim Chaffey of Answers in Genesis) was that I would provide some level of information about the approach I would... - [Passing On Our Narcissism](https://truehorizon.org/passing-on-our-narcissism/): If you turn your TV on these days, you can’t avoid hearing about the Casey Anthony trial going on down in Florida — the details of which are horrifying and disgusting. The case reminds me of a study I read about and am re-posting here because Casey Anthony is a poster child for this topic... - [Nephesh](https://truehorizon.org/nephesh/): Moses, the writer of the Genesis creation account, used the word nephesh (Hebrew: soul, self, life, creature, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion) to describe the creation of the most advanced animal life next to man. These creatures are sometimes described as the “soulish” animals; those that display a mind, will, and emotion. They differ... - [New Atheists (6); Apples To Oranges](https://truehorizon.org/new-atheists-7/): Sam Harris despises religion — so much so that he has blinded himself to an intellectually honest assessment about the differences between them. To put that claim in context, Harris (as discussed earlier here), misunderstands the concept of condemnation to hell and, because of that misunderstanding, believes his in-your-face his chest beating has some force... - [New Atheist Rebuttals (5)](https://truehorizon.org/new-atheist-rebuttals-6/): Hitchens’ Childhood Epiphany Christopher Hitchens begins his screed against God and religion by recounting his awakening, as a 9-year old “insufferable little intellectual,” to the “overreaching” comment of his grade school teacher, Mrs. Watts. The statement that is burned into Hitchens’ memory from that day is this: In an attempt to … fuse her two... - [New Atheist Rebuttals (4)](https://truehorizon.org/new-atheist-rebuttals-4/): On My (Qualified) Agreement With Sam Harris To restate from the last post on this topic … Assertion: Sam Harris was compelled to pen The End of Faith on September 12, 2001 and wrote his Letter To A Christian Nation a few years later. He is one of a growing number who equate the travesties... - [New Atheist Rebuttals (3)](https://truehorizon.org/new-atheist-rebuttals-3/): On Sam Harris’ Understanding of Condemnation to Hell Assertion: In the introduction to his Letter To A Christian Nation, Harris is quick to differentiate between harmless, liberal/moderate Christians and “the religious right.” Harris scolds the former if they should cover for the latter because, by doing so, liberal/moderates “give shelter to extremists of all faiths.”... - [New Atheist Rebuttals (2)](https://truehorizon.org/new-atheist-rebuttals-2/): Assertion: Dawkins offers into evidence (The God Delusion, pp.16-17) further proof of his assertion that the faithful are unthinking by quoting a letter written to Albert Einstein by the president of a historical society in New Jersey that “so damningly exposes the weakness of the religious mind, it is worth reading twice:” Response: I fully... - [New Atheist Rebuttals (1)](https://truehorizon.org/new-atheist-rebuttals-1/): As promised earlier, this is the first in a series of rebuttals to the so-called “New Atheists.” I will try to keep them short and sweet, citing a quote or argument from their book(s), complete with a page number for reference. I will then attempt a response. Your comments are welcome … Assertion: (The God... - [The Ironic Tyranny of Academic Intolerance](https://truehorizon.org/the-ironic-tyranny-of-academic-intolerance/): Today, the Ames (Iowa) Tribune reports that eminent astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez has been denied tenure at Iowa State University. This may seem unworthy of a news report … unless you understand who Gonzalez is and why this is happening to him. Guillermo Gonzalez’s simple shortcoming is that he has the audacity to not tote the... - [Is There A Human In The House?!](https://truehorizon.org/is-there-a-human-in-the-house/): Season 3, Episode 17 of the popular TV show, “House”  ignited quite a discussion among those with wildly differing views on the subject of abortion. As is usually the case, the conversation gets heated, tempers flare, and not much useful comes of it all. I have no desire to enter that debate today. But I... - [Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Bang?! (Part II)](https://truehorizon.org/whos-afraid-of-the-big-bad-bang-part-ii/): It would take a larger space than I have (or could fill for that matter) to chronicle the many views of the universe’s origins that have existed through history. Suffice it to say that, because there was no scientific way to analyze or verify any of them, they stood as philosophical speculations. Plato thought that... - [Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Bang?!](https://truehorizon.org/whos-afraid-of-the-big-bad-bang-part-i/): It is interesting to me how negatively many folks view the Big Bang theory for the origin of the universe. There are two groups of people in particular who fiercely resist accepting it – but for completely different reasons. Today I will address the first group – Young Earth Creationists. Many Christians are violently opposed... - [Larry Bird, R.I.P.](https://truehorizon.org/larry-bird-r-i-p/): We just buried our family’s pet cockatiel, Larry. He was not an extraordinarily bright or talented bird – he thought he had a twin brother who matched his every dance move when he stood in front of a mirror or even in front of the shiny faucet of our kitchen sink. But he could whistle... - [Why Get On The Bike?](https://truehorizon.org/it-is-about-the-bike/): What is it that motivates you? What is it that gives your life meaning and purpose? Is it simply the chemicals and biological material that make up your body, or is it more than that? Is it something that makes no sense in a purely physical world? My friend Tim’s story not only defies the... - [Is Christmas A Pagan Holiday?](https://truehorizon.org/is-christmas-a-pagan-holiday/): There is a growing trend among some fundamentalist Christians to boycott Christmas. These folks contend that Christmas symbols like trees, mistletoe, Santa Claus, gift-giving and, most notably, the date we use for Christmas, are nothing but pagan practices. They believe that no real Christian should have anything to do with these things. I’m not going to get into the details of each of these. But I do want to comment on the broad notion that those of us who celebrate Christmas are capitulating to some kind of paganism. I also want to offer some food for thought about why we […] - [Remembering Jack](https://truehorizon.org/remembering-jack/): Anyone who was alive 60 years ago this past week probably remembers where they were and what they were doing on the morning of November 22, 1963. It’s a day that is emblazoned in our minds because it was the day that one of the greatest and most influential men in modern history died. Sadly, I didn’t learn the significance of that day until nearly 30 years later. I’m still learning how much that man influenced my life and how indebted I am to his life’s work. His friends called him Jack, but the man I’m talking about is not the man […] - [Can Scientists Create Life in a Lab?](https://truehorizon.org/can-scientists-create-life-in-a-lab/): Craig Venter led the first privately funded effort to sequence the human genome. Some might think that would be enough to keep a guy busy for a while. Not so. Venter was also trying to be the first researcher to create life in a lab. If you’re interested, here is his own short description of the method he used to do so way back in 2010. [Warning: scientific jargon included] … This may sound a little scary and bizarre. That’s understandable. And that’s why we should be thankful for people like Fazale “Fuz” Rana of Reasons To Believe (RTB). Fuz […] - [Relativism: Living in Candyland](https://truehorizon.org/relativism-living-in-candyland/): I’m going to admit something that you may find shocking. I hate Candyland. When my kids were little, I cheated at the game. I hated it because it requires no skill, no memorization, no strategy. The path to victory depends only on the random drawing of the right-colored card. That’s why I would pre-stack the cards. I had the power to do so. And that allowed my happily oblivious kids to randomly draw the exact cards they needed at exactly the right time. They would triumph at reaching the coveted Candy Castle before me. And I would get to stop playing […] - [The Problem of Good](https://truehorizon.org/the-problem-of-good/): Why would an all-powerful, all-good God allow all the evil things we see going on in the world? If he was so good, he would never permit the travesties of injustice and suffering we see all around us. If he was so powerful, he could stop it. The only possible explanations for the situation we find ourselves in is that God is either evil, or powerless, or that he doesn’t exist at all. This is called “The Problem of Evil” and it is the number one argument you will ever hear against the existence of a loving God. But there […] - [Our Descent into the Cult of Self](https://truehorizon.org/descent-into-the-cult-of-self/): I don’t do book reviews very often. But in our current culture, I believe that Carl R. Trueman’s, Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution is a must-read for anyone who’s interested in truth, reality, and critical thinking. That is especially true if you claim to take your Christian convictions seriously. This book is a simpler-to-read, more concise summary of Trueman’s larger work, The Rise & Triumph of the Modern Self. Both are meant to help us understand the astounding transformation that has taken place in our culture over the last thirty years. Trueman […] - [Exposing "Pro-Choice" Sophistry](https://truehorizon.org/exposing-pro-choice-sophistry/): When the Roe-v-Wade decision descended onto the American landscape in January, 1973, Frederica Mathewes-Green, was a self-described “anti-war, mother-earth, feminist, hippie college student” whose car sported a bumper sticker that read, “Don’t Labor Under Misconception; Legalize Abortion.” [i] Three years later, she had done an about-face and has since become one of the pro-life movement’s most eloquent defenders. In 2016 she looked forward with hope and trepidation to the day in which we now live: One day, the tide is going to turn. With that Supreme Court decision 43 years ago, one of the sides in the abortion debate won the day. But […] - [A Wolf in the Sheep Pen](https://truehorizon.org/a-wolf-in-the-sheep-pen/): The church service at our suburban Cincinnati non-denominational church had barely ended when I started receiving text messages from friends. All of them shared some version of the same question my wife and I were asking each other about the sermon we had just heard from a visiting preacher: “What in the world was that?!” The simple answer was that we had unknowingly let a wolf in the sheep pen. The sermon was delivered by a man who on the surface was someone we could trust. He was a professor from a reputable Christian university, with master’s degrees in both […] - [Fiery Old Saint Nicholas](https://truehorizon.org/fiery-old-saint-nicholas/): Whenever I write about Christmas, I always do my best to keep the main thing the main thing. Christmas is about Jesus’ Incarnation, nothing else. Santa Claus and all the modern, materialistic reasons for the season are distractions. Talking about them just gives them more life. But then I learned about the actual man who we now know as Jolly Old Saint Nick. It turns out we should be calling him Fiery Old Saint Nicholas. The original “Santa” took Jesus’ identity more seriously than most any of us ever will. In fact, he was so focused on it, he quite […] - [The Rotten Core of Jane's Revenge](https://truehorizon.org/the-rotten-core-of-janes-revenge/): The trouble began before the Supreme Court of the United States’ (SCOTUS) decision on the now-famous Dobbs-v-Jackson case was even officially released. There were protests across the nation, including picketing and death threats aimed at six SCOTUS judges. Police arrested a would-be assassin at the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. There were similar threats made to Justice Amy Coney Barrett, her church, and her children. Abortion supporters used vandalism and violence to make their point. They attacked dozens of locations in more than 30 different U. S. states. One group promised to burn down the Supreme Court and kill the […] - [When Science Becomes a Religion](https://truehorizon.org/when-science-becomes-a-religion/): Science, and the technology it breeds, is a dominating force in our culture. Understandably so. Science has extended our lives and made them more comfortable. It promises to do more of the same in the future. But the successes of science also tempt us to place more value in it than it deserves. As a society, we do more than accept the idea that science provides a way to know how to improve the human condition. We’ve actually been led to believe that science gives us the only way to know anything. This way of thinking about science is called scientism. And scientism is […] - [An Atheist's Call To Make Our Case](https://truehorizon.org/an-atheists-call-to-make-our-case/): St. Francis of Assisi may have died 800 years ago, but his influence still looms. He was a man who venerated nature and lived a life of great sacrifice in service to God and his church. But within the Christian ecosystem, he has become most famous for an adage that strikes a chord with anyone who is serious about sharing their faith: Preach the Gospel always. If necessary, use words. The modern interpretation of Francis’s exhortation is clear. Our charge is to love people into the kingdom, not argue them there. If you’ve bought into that mindset it may surprise […] - [Reality Rules: The Transgender War on Women](https://truehorizon.org/reality-rules-the-transgender-war-on-women/): Back in the good ‘ole days of 2015, the fight over allowing transgender women to use the women’s bathroom in Charlotte, North Carolina, took center stage in the national political debate. At the time, only a Chicken Little would suggest that mixing gender preference and sexual identity could lead to harmful outcomes. In an article titled, “‘Transgender’ Needs A Legal Definition Right Now or Women Will Get Hurt,” David Marcus pointed out that trans advocates: … insisted that the idea anyone would use the law to dress as a woman and invade women’s private spaces [was] a myth. [But that November] […] - [Fertility Matters](https://truehorizon.org/fertility-matters/): Nicholas Eberstadt, the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute, is a demographic expert. He has identified some sobering trends that are cause for concern for the future of America. In his article, “Can America Cope with Demographic Decline?”, Eberstadt points out that the traditional attempts to address those worries through government policy and financial incentives “vastly underestimate the challenge they wish to address.” They have never had a lasting impact. Real solutions will need to be centered “more on mindset than on money.” And traditional views of morality and family will be key factors in stemming […] - [Yes, We Do Need To Put God In A Box](https://truehorizon.org/we-need-to-put-god-in-a-box/): “You can’t put God in a box!” It’s a popular saying within the Christian community. And it seems reasonable to say. After all, God can do anything He wants to do. Who would question that? I submit that every thinking Christian should question that … because it’s not true. God’s character does put him in a box. And our failure to recognize that creates a false — and therefore dangerous — picture of God. There is a box God needs to be in. And his character defines it. God Cannot Do Whatever He Wants God cannot do whatever he wants […] - [A Way To Simplify The Big Picture](https://truehorizon.org/a-way-to-simplify-the-big-picture/): Being able to make the case for the truth of Christianity means you have to understand it yourself. There are plenty of resources out there that can help you do that. I always try to share the best ones I know about. But right now, I want to offer you a visual tool as a way to simplify the “big picture.” This diagram helps categorize the facts supporting Christian Theism. It’s a way to organize the evidence for Christianity in your mind’s eye. Confident Christianity Last year, I developed this model into a book-length summary of the evidence for Christian […] - [The Dangers of a Digital Bible](https://truehorizon.org/the-dangers-of-a-digital-bible/): When I refer to the dangers of a digital Bible, I mean “digital” in two different ways. First, it is about the practice of interpreting the Bible as a collection of discrete packets of information instead of a continuously flowing narrative. Second, it is about the way the Bible, like every other kind of written communication, has been digitized so that we can read it on our electronic devices. There are dangerous aspects to both of these forms of digitization. And every Christian needs to be aware of them. Discrete Thoughts vs. Flowing Narrative It’s hard for us to imagine […] - [Fasting and the Spiritual Disciplines](https://truehorizon.org/fasting-and-the-spiritual-disciplines/): A few years ago, a friend of mine told me about his own personal tradition of fasting during Lent — the season leading up to the celebration of Easter. He said that the impact the experience had on him the first year he attempted it was powerful. It led him to continue the practice every year since. He didn’t tell me what he meant by “powerful” but he challenged me to give it a try. Coincidentally, I had been considering doing exactly that, though on a much smaller scale than he suggested. My friend had researched the issue and found […] - [Was God's Original Creation Perfect?](https://truehorizon.org/was-gods-original-creation-perfect/): There is, and probably always will be, a debate going on between sincere Christians about the age of the Universe. I think I’ve made my position on that issue very clear. But at the core of the disagreement between the so-called “Old Earth” (OE) and “Young Earth” (YE) Creationists is their respective views of “Death before the Fall” of Adam and Eve. I fully understand the stridency on the side of my YE friends in this regard. After all, this topic is vitally important to our understanding of the entire plan of salvation. But the YE paradigm insists that the […] - [A Myth Come True](https://truehorizon.org/a-myth-come-true/): If you’re anything like me, you probably associate the word “myth” with an ancient fairy tale. The Greek and Roman pantheon of gods comes to mind — magical spells, curses, and multi-headed monsters. But myths are more than just old-fashioned fantasies. They serve a purpose. They appeal to our collective imaginations. Myths may be fantastical but, as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary puts it, they “serve to unfold part of the worldview of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon.” They are archetypal stories that help us make sense of the world in which we find ourselves. In other […] - [Revisiting Francis Collins - Bioethics](https://truehorizon.org/revisiting-francis-collins-bioethics/): As I mentioned in my last post, Francis Collins has announced that he will resign as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by the end of 2021. The reverberations of COVID-19 that have led him to that decision contain political elements that I will refrain from addressing. But on a blog that exists to discuss Christianity’s engagement with the culture, ethics are foundational to the discussion. And for that reason, the ethical issues included in Francis Collins’ actions as NIH Director are fair game. In my opinion, Dr. Collins’ stance on these critical issues are far more troubling […] - [Revisiting Francis Collins - Theistic Evolution](https://truehorizon.org/revisiting-francis-collins-part-i/): The Language of God is a thoughtful biography of Francis Collins‘ journey from hard-core atheist to devout Christian. It’s also a well-written analysis of the relationship between science and faith. So, in the wake of recent news reports about Collins’ impending resignation as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), I dusted off an old copy of his book to re-read it. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. But the book was written in 2006. A lot has changed since then. Namely, one of Collins’ most compelling arguments for Darwinian Evolution has been undermined by new discoveries. […] - [On Apologetics and Spiritual Warfare](https://truehorizon.org/on-apologetics-and-spiritual-warfare/): In my experience, the typical discussion of “spiritual warfare” centers on the stuff of the old Frank Peretti novels like This Present Darkness or Piercing the Darkness. It’s all about gargoyle-looking demons snarling on our shoulders, power plays, and satanic influences. But the whole “devil made me do it” thing has always seemed a little over-the-top to me. For that reason, it’s a subject I have mostly ignored. It certainly never seemed to have much to do with the things I like to talk about here — arguments and evidence. But it turns out there is a direct connection between […] - [The Key To Less Stressful Decision Making](https://truehorizon.org/the-key-to-less-stressful-decision-making/): “What is God’s will for my life?” This is a common question to hear from someone who is pondering a difficult life decision. Making big decisions can be confusing. But using “God’s will” as the benchmark for success adds a whole new element of agony to it all. The key to less stressful decision making is to be clear about what that actually means. What if we make the wrong choice by picking the wrong place to live? The wrong job? Or, most dauntingly, the wrong spouse? Think about it. If we marry the wrong person that means our spouse […] - [Can Jesus' Story Still Surprise You?](https://truehorizon.org/can-jesus-story-still-surprise-you/): History shows that prudence and wisdom are rarely on the side of new ways of looking at Scripture. This is especially true of the “progressive” bent toward remaking Jesus in a postmodern image. So, when I first heard about Tom Gilson’s new book, Too Good To Be False, I have to admit I was confused. Gilson is a solid Christian thinker. But the back cover of his book told me that “Christians reading [it] will encounter Jesus in fresh, worshipful new ways.” Had he gone to the dark side? Ten pages in my fears were allayed. It turns out Jesus’ […] - [The Resurrection Is A Historical Fact](https://truehorizon.org/the-resurrection-is-a-historical-fact/): Jesus of Nazareth died on a Roman cross, then resurrected from the dead three days later. It’s not just a fairy tale. Christians believe that the Resurrection is a historical fact. It’s what sets Christianity apart from every other world religion. It is the foundation of the Christian faith. If it’s not true the New Testament is fiction, Jesus is a fraud, and Christianity is a false religion. Anyone would be a fool to believe in it. This isn’t just my opinion. It’s the Apostle Paul’s: 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 — “… if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is […] - [The Christian Celebrity And The Psychopath](https://truehorizon.org/the-christian-celebrity-and-the-psychopath/): If you were looking for a completely trustworthy Christian apologist to follow, would you pick someone who had risen to the status of global celebrity because of his unparalleled ability to articulate the Gospel? Or would you gravitate toward someone who is a well-documented and self-confessed psychopath? The best choice is not as obvious as it might at first seem. In this case, I’d pick the psychopath. And I say that based on the advice of … the psychopath. But if that sounds strange to you, keep reading. The Christian Celebrity This past month we learned that the world-famous Christian […] - [On The Origin Of Darwinism](https://truehorizon.org/on-the-origin-of-darwinism/): February 12th is Charles Darwin’s birthday. There aren’t many individuals who have had as much influence on the world as this one man. He is the godfather of Theory of Evolution and the Materialistic worldview that embraces it. And, for that reason, he is the target of a lot of ire from religious believers. I disagree with almost everything Darwin represents. But I am also a proponent of attacking ideas, not persons. We shouldn’t blame Darwin for what contemporary science has done with his Theory. I am no scientist but I greatly appreciate the scientific enterprise and the experts who […] - [Killing Homicide: On Missing Fathers & Redemption In Prison](https://truehorizon.org/killing-homicide/): The senses recoil when you walk into a high-security prison. A pungent mix of mildew, old food, and rancid mop water buries itself in your nostrils. Drab cinderblock walls and cracked linoleum floors stretch to infinity, screaming of dehumanization. But the faces and body language of those who watch you walk by are the most painful part of the experience. A mix of contempt and bewilderment accompanies their silent stares. “What are you doing here?” Responding with a smile and a nod seems out of place when you know that the only reason you don’t share their despair is that […] - [Christmas: The Cure For Our Two-Storied World](https://truehorizon.org/christmas-the-cure-for-our-two-storied-world/): Even people who don't celebrate Christmas seem to know what it's about -- the birth of a Savior who comes to rescue us from the consequences of our rebellion against Him. Ultimately, that means it's part of God's rescue plan and where we go when we die. But there's another aspect to Christmas that I think is important too. It's also about showing us how to live. And right-living depends on how we think. Unfortunately, our thinking is infused with lies that we've accepted as being part of "the human condition." And believing those lies results in dissension, oppression, racism, political wrangling, class struggle, economic strife, and war. Sadly, it's all part of the gravest story ever told. Christmas offers an antidote to the effects of that story too. The story started in The Garden. And we've been repeating it to each other ever since. It thrives on divided minds. But we are designed to be united. God and man. Husband and wife. Body and soul. Physical and spiritual. The division we experience is a symptom of wrong thinking about the nature of reality. But there is a way to fix it. Christmas shows us how. It's the cure for our two-storied world. - [Four Ways We Can Revolt Against Big Tech](https://truehorizon.org/four-ways-we-can-revolt-against-big-tech/): Big Tech is hostile to the Judeo-Christian worldview. As such, it is a threat to the free exchange of ideas, religious liberty, and our ability to practice and talk about our faith publicly. For those reasons, I’ve made the case that Christians should lead the revolt against Big Tech. But how can we do that? Politics is important but it is not the final answer. I’ll explain why. And then I’ll offer you four ways to help start a revolt against Big Tech. A Word on Politics Before I go further with this, I want to address the idea of […] - [The Case For A Revolt Against Big Tech](https://truehorizon.org/the-case-for-a-revolt-against-big-tech/): Technology is not an enemy of Christianity. It never has been. But the so-called “Big Tech” stranglehold on our culture is another matter. When I say, “Big-Tech” I mean something very specific. I’m talking about the power of three technology giants — Facebook, Twitter, and Google — which dominate our culture today. These companies regulate what we see and believe to be important. Sometimes that means they do so by not showing us things. Either way, they control our collective mindset. And for reasons explained below, that is a dangerous truth that needs to be addressed. People of faith need […] - [God Is Greater Than Us. Always.](https://truehorizon.org/god-is-greater-than-us-always/): Every year at Thanksgiving, we can count on seeing lists of things people are thankful for. I understand the desire to be grateful for all our blessings. There is no doubt about the fact that too many of us take those kinds of things for granted. It is also understandable that the religious origins of Thanksgiving compel us to tie our thankfulness to God. But being grateful seems to come with a parallel assumption that being “blessed” means being healthy, wealthy, and happy. God wants us to have our “best life now.” When Culture Invades The Church Being one that […] - [The Politics of Limiting Evil](https://truehorizon.org/the-politics-of-limiting-evil/): The political silly season is upon us. And that means it’s time to vote. But don’t buy into the mindset that voting just means choosing between “the lesser of two evils.” Of course, it does. As long as you are voting for fallible human beings, that will always be the case. (I mean, have you seen the candidates?) But politics is about more than voting for individuals. It’s about advocating for competing worldviews. And that means it’s about promoting good and limiting evil. When you see it that way, it’s much easier to decide how to cast your ballot. As […] - [The Cure For Progressive Christianity](https://truehorizon.org/the-cure-for-progressive-christianity/): Progressive Christianity is a cancer that is metastasizing inside the contemporary American church. Alisa Childers‘ new book, Another Gospel?, is smart chemotherapy. It identifies the symptoms of the disease. And it targets the tumors. Be warned though. If you or your church are suffering from this cancer, the cure might make you feel sick. Read it anyway. In the long run, it will save your life. That’s because “Progressive Christianity offers nothing of value … no hope … no joy … and nothing concrete to affirm” (238). It’s not the real Gospel. And Alisa Childers will tell you exactly why. […] - [The Importance Of A Balanced Faith](https://truehorizon.org/the-importance-of-a-balanced-faith/): It is very easy to get engrossed in all the arguments for God. People like me love to demonstrate the scientific and philosophical evidence for God. And there are good reasons for us to expose the ethical vacuum we create when we remove God from the culture. These are the kinds of things on which I focus a lot of time, energy, reading, and teaching. It’s good to know things about God. But people like me must also realize that knowing about God can become a distracting detour from the primary purpose of our lives — the pursuit of God. […] - [There's More Than One Way To "Trust The Science"](https://truehorizon.org/trust-the-science/): I have made the case before that scientism is a dangerous belief system. And the COVID-19 Pandemic has done nothing but prove the point. In their response to the virus, many in power exhort us to “trust the science.” Listen to the doctors. Their wisdom should guide the trajectory of our collective futures. But accepting that view greatly depends on your understanding of what science is … and whose science you’re trusting. The truth is that science never provides answers to anything. Scientists do. And that means we not only have to know what branch of science they’re representing, we […] - [The Covenant Connection Between Abraham and Easter](https://truehorizon.org/the-covenant-connection-between-abraham-and-easter/): God made his original covenant to save “all the peoples on the Earth” with Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. Then, after a few intermediate versions, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus of Nazareth replaced the Old Covenants with a New Covenant. Because the old covenants were replaced, many Christians also believe the Old Testament was rendered obsolete on Easter Sunday. Beyond citing the creation story or the Ten Commandments once in a while, we seem to have disconnected the Old Testament from the New. But doing so strips the overarching story of the relationship between God and man of much of its […] - [The World On The Other Side of This Pandemic](https://truehorizon.org/the-world-on-the-other-side-of-this-pandemic/): The world is an unpredictable place. But we pretend it isn’t. We like to envision our future and plan our steps, pretending we know how we’ll get there. But the stories we write for ourselves rest on assumptions about how the world works and our place in it. And those assumptions tend to be cheery ones. Most of us never include suffering or vulnerability in our forecasts, especially if we believe that “God is in control.” But when it all goes to hell, our illusions fade to black. The smiling facade vanishes quickly when life unveils our real gods. Our […] - [Dealing With Doubt and Deconstruction](https://truehorizon.org/dealing-with-doubt-and-deconstruction/): Deconstruction is all the rage. If you’re not familiar with that term, “deconstruction” is the process of disassembling your faith bit-by-bit. The most serious cases result in the deconstructors rejecting their faith altogether. Famous (former) Christians are all over the news because they have made their deconstruction stories public. In fact, if you want to be taken seriously by the culture these days, the best way to ensure you are is to make a public production of your deconstructed and discarded faith. But while it may be trending on Twitter, deconstruction is nothing new. In fact, I would argue that […] - [Seeking Shalom: A Case For The Way Things Ought To Be](https://truehorizon.org/seeking-shalom-a-case-for-the-way-things-ought-to-be/): Sometimes defending God’s existence is easy. You don’t have to try to articulate some fancy philosophical or theological idea. And you don’t have to understand the intricacies of science. All you have to do is be a human being who observes the world in which we live. When you do that, there is no denying that something is drastically wrong. What we see around us is not the way things ought to be. Everybody from the most devoted religious believer to the most ardent atheist knows this. Our common human longing is for a world full of truth, justice, goodness, […] - [The Impact of a Reasonable Pro-Life View](https://truehorizon.org/the-impact-of-a-reasonable-pro-life-view/): As we approach Sanctity Of Life Sunday, I want to encourage you to embrace a reasonable pro-life view. And by “reasonable,” I do not mean “compromising.” I mean that pro-lifers need to use sound reasoning to make their case. That means using science, philosophy, and clear thinking to convince others of the wrongness of abortion. Approaching it that way can be wildly effective. It may even convince a raving atheist to take God seriously. Don’t Lead With The Bible One way to promote a reasonable pro-life view may sound shocking to my Christian readers, but here it is — Don’t lead […] - [Christmas: Turning Bedlam Back To Bethlehem](https://truehorizon.org/christmas-turning-bedlam-back-to-bethlehem/): If Christmas is supposed to be about “Peace on Earth,” why all the chaos and stress at this time of year? It started when we, through an ironic accident of language, warped Bethlehem into bedlam. But the history of that change is incidental to what we’ve done since then. It starts every “Black Friday.” The truth is that God never promised us peace on Earth. But he did send a Savior to Bethlehem to offer peace between God and man. We can begin to reclaim the meaning of Christmas by first learning to turn bedlam back to Bethlehem. Bethlehem Becomes […] - [The Relationship Between Christianity And War](https://truehorizon.org/the-relationship-between-christianity-and-war/): This is the time of year we honor our military veterans. I have a lot of veterans in my family and five sons who currently serve. I celebrate Veteran’s Day proudly on November 11th. But as a defender of the Christian worldview, doing so also brings up a difficult tension in my thinking. Jesus taught us to love our neighbors. But supporting war and those who fight it presumes a national right to kill our neighbors. That seems like a horrendous contradiction. Shouldn’t I be a Christian pacifist? And how should a thoughtful believer understand the relationship between Christianity and war? Just […] - [The Significance Of Our Place In the Universe](https://truehorizon.org/the-significance-of-our-place-in-the-universe/): On February 14, 1990, the Voyager I spacecraft took the picture you see above from the fringes of our Solar System. The unremarkable little dot inside the circle is the Earth. It would be easy to miss. But don’t let the size of that dot trick you into misinterpreting its significance. Secular scientists demand that size and location confer value on things. But the value of life on Earth depends on its meaning and purpose, not its location. And when you look at it from that point-of-view, the significance of our place in the universe is nothing less than astounding. […] - [Materialism Cannot Explain the Origin of Life on Earth](https://truehorizon.org/materialism-cannot-explain-the-origin-of-life-on-earth/): As I’ve discussed elsewhere, Darwinian Evolution tells a great story. But that story is wholly disconnected from the actual evidence of life on Earth. That’s especially true when it comes to the origin of life. To be fair, Darwinian Evolution insists it has nothing to do with the question of the origin of life. But that doesn’t let materialism off the hook. If there is no God, there must be a materialist explanation for the origin and diversity of the life we see around us. But there isn’t one. Darwinian Evolution fails to explain the diversity of life on Earth. […] - [Why Evolution Is A Myth](https://truehorizon.org/why-evolution-is-a-myth/): Materialism is a philosophy that says matter, energy, space, and time can explain everything about the world we live in. Everything. So, it follows that if materialism is true, the only way to explain the existence of life is by rearranging the stuff we find in the physical world. That’s exactly what Darwinian Evolution purports to do. It’s a pseudo-scientific support system for materialist philosophy. And since science is the method we use to understand the physical world, materialists insist that Evolution is a scientific fact. For them, it has to be. But when you look closely, you find that Darwinian Evolution is […] - [Twelve Reasons You Can Trust The New Testament](https://truehorizon.org/twelve-reasons-you-can-trust-the-new-testament/): If you claim to believe the Bible, you better be able to trust that what it says is true. Trusting the Bible means knowing two things. First, that the original authors recorded historically accurate information. And, second, knowing that the Bible we have today contains what the original authors wrote down. “Textual criticism” is the science that analyzes these kinds of issues. It’s a complicated discipline. But the conclusions we can draw from it are simple to understand. Here are 12 reasons we can trust the New Testament manuscripts. Multiple, Independent Sources Contributed To It We tend to think of […] - [Apollo 11 and The Human Spirit](https://truehorizon.org/apollo-11-and-the-human-spirit/): Fifty years ago, at 10:56 PM Eastern time, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first human beings to set foot on another heavenly body. I was a nine-year-old little boy playing Monopoly with my parents. They let me stay up that night. And together we watched what to this day I consider to be the greatest achievement in human history — the journey of Apollo 11. But that accomplishment was about more than the triumph of human ingenuity, technology, and bravery. It was about the uniqueness of the human spirit. “One small step for [a] man; one giant leap […] - [Living In A Post-Truth Culture](https://truehorizon.org/living-in-a-post-truth-culture/): I’ve made the case that truth, goodness, and beauty are objective features of the world we live in. Hopefully, you’ve found that to be interesting. But please don’t think this is just an esoteric triviality. It’s not. We are living in a post-truth culture. But it’s a place where the objective nature of truth, goodness, and beauty are deeply relevant. Our view of objective truth affects everything about how we live our lives. It’s the antidote to moral relativism. Truth matters. And understanding the profundity of that simple fact will revolutionize the way you interact with our world. Here’s why. […] - [We Live In A Beautiful World](https://truehorizon.org/a-beautiful-world/): In classical thinking, saying that something is beautiful is not a matter of subjective opinion. It’s a way to identify an objective feature of the world. We don’t construct beauty; we discover it. And we try to mimic it. A lot of ink has gone to paper discussing this view when it comes to truth and goodness. In fact, Christians make the case that truth and goodness are grounded in the character of God. But there’s more to the story. The ancient philosophers who talked about those also included a third feature with them. They called it beauty. For some […] - [The Reality of Objective Good](https://truehorizon.org/the-reality-of-objective-good/): Moral principles are foundational to reality. They also include topics that will be the most likely sources of skepticism, disillusionment, debate, and objection you will ever encounter. In order to understand, articulate, and defend the truth of Christianity, you have to be able to explain the foundation for moral values. Why is there evil in the world if God is so good? How could a good God allow all this pain and suffering? Who are you to say what’s right and wrong? You will confront these issues in various forms. But, no matter how you do, there are two main […] - [How Do We Know The Truth Is Out There?](https://truehorizon.org/how-do-we-know-the-truth-is-out-there/): There are two kinds of truth. One depends on our opinion of things. This is called subjective truth. The other depends on the way the world actually is. This is called objective truth. Most people never think about the difference between the two. And that makes any discussion of the concept of truth a difficult one to tackle. But we must tackle it. The way we understand truth impacts every aspect of our lives. And the way we answer life’s biggest questions depends on it implicitly. Truth is an objective feature of the world we live in. It’s foundational to […] - [Progressive Christianity: On Fire For God, or Just On Fire?](https://truehorizon.org/progressive-christianity-on-fire-for-god-or-just-on-fire/): Recently, the world watched as the Cathedral of Notre Dame burned in downtown Paris. The images were horrifying. But as I watched the story unfold on the news, I couldn’t help but think it was symbolic of a greater trend. Christianity is burning in Europe. And the United States seems hell-bent on following suit. Unfortunately, one of the biggest threats to Christianity’s future has already started smoldering in our church’s pulpits and pews. It’s called Progressive Christianity. Thoughtful Christians need to recognize and address it or it will burn our churches down. Checking Out There is plenty of evidence that […] - [Is Atheism Just A "Lack Of Belief"?](https://truehorizon.org/is-atheism-just-a-lack-of-belief/): You probably think atheism is a belief that God does not exist. This, in fact, is the primary definition of atheism we find in the dictionary. It is based on the simple fact that a (Greek: not), attached to theos (Greek: God) forms a compound word meaning “not God.” The new atheists, however, beg to differ. They insist that their stance regarding deities is that they “really just believe in one less God than you do.” Another way of putting it is that atheism is not really a belief at all; it’s just a “lack of belief in any god.” This […] - [Faith Doesn't Save You](https://truehorizon.org/faith-doesnt-save-you/): People misunderstand the concept of faith these days. Atheists mock it as a blind leap. To them, faith is nothing more than belief without evidence. Maybe even belief in spite of the evidence. Unfortunately, too many Christians play right into the atheist caricature. They say they don’t need evidence for their faith. They “just believe.” In fact, I have had some fellow Christians tell me that giving reasons for our beliefs demonstrates a lack of faith. Both groups have it wrong. Faith is not just mindless hoping. And it’s not an end unto itself. Faith is having the courage of […] - [Defrocking The Priests Of Scientism](https://truehorizon.org/defrocking-the-priests-of-scientism-2/): The way large church authorities deal with heretics hasn’t changed much over the centuries. They demand adherence to dogma. They threaten or silence those who defy the hierarchy. Finally, they excommunicate those who refuse to submit to their demands. The religion of scientism is no different. Denying its dogma will have consequences. Heresy will be punished. No matter which denomination they represent, scientism’s priests are ruthless enforcers of the church’s rules. We’re All “Religious” The “skeptical” materialist, Michael Shermer has offered the following as a description of his atheism: “There’s no, like, central set of tenets that we adhere to or believe […] - [Don't Buy "The Science Guy"](https://truehorizon.org/dont-buy-the-science-guy/): Bill Nye, “The Science Guy” used to host an enjoyable and informative TV program for kids. In the last few years, however, Bill Nye has entered into a different realm. Apparently, he fancies himself an arbiter of all truth; the man who can quite literally save the world. But if you have any interest whatsoever in seeking that truth in a coherent, consistent, intelligent way, please watch this two and a half minute video. As you do, think about what he is saying. And don’t just focus on his defense of Evolution. Listen to his method of reasoning. It really is beyond […] - [The Power Of Pro-Life Images](https://truehorizon.org/the-power-of-pro-life-images/): In January 1973, the landmark court case we now know as Roe-v-Wade legalized abortion in America. Some think the case is “settled law.” But those of us who value every human life don’t see it that way. Roe-v-Wade no more settles the moral question of abortion than the infamous Dred Scott decision “settled” the idea that slaves had no right to U. S. citizenship. But what is the most effective way to convince people of that truth? How do we make the case for life in a way that cannot be dismissed as a simple “religious opinion”? We have an obligation to make a reasoned case for life. […] - [On Congress, The Oath Of Office, And The Bible](https://truehorizon.org/on-congress-the-oath-of-office-and-the-bible/): Last week, 535 members of the 116th U. S. Congress were sworn into office. But only two seemed to make the news. That’s because they chose not to honor the tradition of placing their left hands on the Bible when they took the oath of office. If you’re a committed Christian, you probably wish they hadn’t made that decision. If so, I’m with you. However, if you’re an American who values the principle of religious liberty, you ought to be applauding the news. Both reactions are appropriate. But there is more to it than that. Our nation’s most imposing problems […] - [Millennial Snowflakes? Not So Fast.](https://truehorizon.org/millennial-snowflakes-not-so-fast/): We like to make fun of millennials in the "snowflake generation." I must admit that I have been guilty of joining the mockery. But it was my generation who created the snowflakes. And there aren't as many as you think. - [When Civility Overcomes Politics](https://truehorizon.org/when-civility-overcomes-politics/): Politics is tearing us apart. But this past week a strange thing happened. We saw that humility, decency, and forgiveness can overcome political differences. The cure to our cultural incivility is recognizing that we all share being made in the image of God. - [Thoughts On Veteran's Day: Where Love And War Meet](https://truehorizon.org/thoughts-on-veterans-day-where-love-and-war-meet/): Our military exists to “provide for the common defense … and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” It’s a pretty straightforward mission. Unfortunately, that means military personnel must always be ready to fight wars. We all know this, but very few of us have to deal with its implications. This Veteran’s Day, I want to honor the veterans very close to me by offering a little insight into the reality of military service. No politics. No false humility. No veiled attempt to have someone “thank them for their service.” I simply want to challenge others to […] - [Have You Thought About Marriage Lately?](https://truehorizon.org/have-you-thought-about-marriage-lately/): Have you spent much time thinking about marriage lately? You should. It doesn’t matter if a wedding is something in your future or in your past. It doesn’t even matter if you have no intention of ever getting married. The fact is that the institution of marriage is important to us all. Our culture has devalued it in many ways, but marriage is the foundation of a healthy society. For that reason, we all ought to contemplate the true meaning and value of marriage. An Honor And A Privilege My wife and I have been happily married for 33 years. […] - [Resources To Help You Prepare Your Kids](https://truehorizon.org/resources-to-help-you-prepare-your-kids/): When it comes to matters of faith, morality, and values, the culture is a dangerous place for our kids. We have a duty to protect them. But too many Christian parents interpret that duty as a mandate to isolate them and shield them from the world. That isn’t biblical and it doesn’t work. Statistics prove it. Instead, we need to inoculate our youth. We have to expose them to the threats in small doses and train them to respond. We should start doing that while they are young but it’s never too late to begin. And there are resources out there to […] - [Three Steps To Spiritual "Expertise"](https://truehorizon.org/three-steps-to-spiritual-expertise/): Anybody can become an expert at anything. There is no secret path to expertise. It doesn’t come by chance. The path to becoming an expert is a path of unrelenting dedication and sacrifice. That is why experts are rare. Very few of us are willing to do what it takes to become one. Spirituality is no exception. Science, Sports, and Spirituality Several years ago, Scientific American magazine published a story titled, “The Expert Mind.” The story stuck with me because it was so shockingly practical. It was a report by psychologists who had analyzed what goes into making someone the […] - [An Accurate Picture Of The World](https://truehorizon.org/an-accurate-picture-of-the-world/): Jesus is the Logos. The Logos is a combination of truth, goodness, and beauty. Truth, goodness, and beauty are the references that give us a grounded Christian spirituality. That’s the True Horizon model — spirituality based on an accurate picture of the world. But what does a spirituality grounded in the real world look like? More Than An Analogy I have used an aviation analogy as a model for visualizing what it means to be spiritual. But an analogy is just a way to represent something real. And analogies can only go so far. Please don’t miss the purpose behind […] - [The Cure For Spiritual Disorientation](https://truehorizon.org/the-cure-for-spiritual-disorientation/): I have made the case that the church is suffering from spiritual disorientation. There are many Christians who are flying through this life in much the same way as a pilot who is spatially disoriented. Like that pilot, they’ve lost all reference to the ground. And that’s a dangerous position to be in. The first thing a pilot must do to correct his situation is to find the true horizon. Grounding our faith is no different. And the horizon line of faith is truth itself. Truth in all its forms is the reference for a grounded spirituality. It aligns us […] - [Three Signs Of The Church's Spiritual Disorientation](https://truehorizon.org/three-signs-of-the-churchs-spiritual-disorientation/): It is a scary thing to be disoriented. At best, it means you’re headed in the wrong direction. But if you’re flying airplanes, it means you have no reference to the ground. You can’t navigate. You may not even know which way is up. In other words, being disoriented is not just an annoyance. It’s dangerous. But there is something even more dangerous than being disoriented — and that is not knowing you’re disoriented. I hate to say this, but I believe many people in the church are becoming spiritually disoriented. And many of them don’t even have a clue. […] - [Would Jesus Bake The Cake?](https://truehorizon.org/would-jesus-bake-the-cake/): In June of 2018, a Colorado baker named Jack Phillips won his case in the U. S. Supreme Court. The case stemmed from his refusal to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding ceremony. But it’s not over. Immediately thereafter, a transgender woman targeted Phillips again. She wanted him to bake a cake for the anniversary celebration of her “transition.” Phillips refused again and a new lawsuit is underway. I’m not going to weigh in on issues of religious liberty and same-sex marriage here. Instead, I want to focus on a related point that I find fascinating — that Progressives believe Jesus […] - [The Gospel Requires Us To Give Answers](https://truehorizon.org/the-gospel-requires-us-to-give-answers/): Many contemporary Christians are reluctant to speak the truth. They have accepted the notion that truth is divisive and that claiming to know the truth is arrogant. They want to be inclusive and show love and be compassionate. That’s all great. But, in the meantime, the truth of the Gospel is dying in the streets. If you’re a Christian concerned about marginalizing those who don’t accept the truth through your words, you won’t be left with much to say. And some Christian “leaders” think that’s a good thing. Meet Richard Rohr Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest — a modern day Christian […] - [Reasonable Doubt Puts You In The Company Of Faithful Giants](https://truehorizon.org/reasonable-doubt-puts-you-in-the-company-of-faithful-giants/): Too many Christians are reluctant to admit they have doubts about what they claim to believe. Too many non-believers think doubt disqualifies a life of faith altogether. Both are wrong. Having doubts is part of the human condition. In fact, reasonable doubt puts you in the company of faithful giants. A case study may show you why. A Tale of Two Women On August 31, 1997 Princess Diana died in a tragic car crash in Paris. Five days later, Mother Teresa of Calcutta died due to complications of a long battle with heart disease combined with malaria. The world grieved […] - [Why Am I A "Sinner" And Why Do I Need To Be Forgiven?](https://truehorizon.org/why-am-i-a-sinner-and-why-do-i-need-to-be-forgiven/): Here’s a question I got recently: “It has always bothered me that I am a sinful human. None of my good efforts, leading a good life can deter sin. I was born with sin and I have to be forgiven? I don’t get that. Why am I a ‘sinner’ and why do I need to be forgiven?” This is a difficult question to answer, especially when it comes from a genuine, good-hearted person. Nobody wants to think of themselves as a “sinner.” For the most part, all of us try to be kind, nice, and loving. We’re not serial killers, […] - [When C.S. Lewis Warned Us About Alfie Evans and Charlie Gard](https://truehorizon.org/cs-lewis-alfie-evans-charlie-gard/): Unfortunately, everybody has heard about Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans. They were both born with eerily similar and rare genetic disorders. They both died before they reached age two. Sadly, those kinds of things happen too often. But neither of them are the reason you’ve heard of Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans. You’ve heard of them because they became icons for the inherent dangers of a state-controlled health care system. C. S. Lewis warned us about this more than 70 years ago. Charlie Gard Charlie Gard was born in England on August 4, 2016 with an exceptionally rare genetic disorder. […] - [Mt. Kilauea Volcano Eruption: Evidence Of Divine Design](https://truehorizon.org/volcano-eruptions-evidence-of-design/): Lava pouring through residential neighborhoods. Buildings swallowed up by flaming rock. Houses on fire. The scene looks apocalyptic, more proof that our world is plagued by pointless evil. While natural disasters like this seem gratuitous, Hawaii’s Mt. Kilauea volcano eruption is actually evidence of divine design. At last count, more than 2000 people have had to evacuate their homes or businesses and at least 37 structures on The Big Island have been destroyed. Unfortunately, the eruption shows no sign of letting up. In fact, there are indications that things could get worse. New fissures continue to open up around the […] - [The Case For The Existence Of God](https://truehorizon.org/the-case-for-theism/): This talk is a summary of the cumulative case for the existence of God. It includes the Cosmological Argument, the Design Argument, and the Moral Argument for God's existence. - [The Origin of Life and Intelligent Design](https://truehorizon.org/origin-of-life-intelligent-design/): The Anthropic Principle is astounding enough all on its own. But the evidence for theism gets even stronger when we consider the origin of life. This is evidence that has only appeared in the last 60 years. That’s when we discovered that there is a digital code that defines life itself. There is the signature of an intelligent agent inside the nucleus of every cell, in every organism that has ever lived. Making Distinctions To understand this means we have to make distinctions between terms like complexity, specificity, order, and information. There are technical definitions of each of these terms. […] - [We Live In A Designer Universe](https://truehorizon.org/we-live-in-a-designer-universe/): We live in a designer universe. As discussed elsewhere, the origin of life is just the local manifestation of a bigger picture. A divine hand operates our universe and has been at work in it since its origin. The evidence for intelligent design begins at the macro-level. There are hundreds of factors that have to be fine-tuned for life to exist anywhere within it. Overwhelming Evidence The evidence here is staggering. It includes factors from the mass of a proton, to the strength of the force of gravity, to the characteristics of plate tectonics. Scientists call this phenomenon the Anthropic Principle […] - [Origins: A Philosophical Argument](https://truehorizon.org/origins-a-philosophical-argument/): There is no getting around the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. It points to a beginning of the universe. Likewise, Big Bang Cosmology is one of the most rigorously tested and accurately confirmed theories in history. Opponents of theism may dislike the implications of these scientific pieces of evidence but there is no denying that they offer support for theism. That said, there is always a liability that comes with using scientific arguments like these to ground our case. Scientific conclusions can change. Fortunately, science isn’t all we have. There are also philosophical arguments for theism. I am no philosopher but let me […] - [What Does Thermodynamics Have To Do With The Origin Of The Universe?](https://truehorizon.org/origins-entropy-and-the-second-law/): Big Bang cosmology isn’t the only scientific evidence that the universe had a beginning. There are parallel laws of nature that point us to the same conclusion. We get one of them from the study of thermodynamics. This is not something that is hard to comprehend. You already understand it because you have to charge your cell phone every night. A battery contains a fixed amount of energy. You can use that energy but you won’t get any more. If you don’t plug it in to recharge it, the battery will eventually go dead. As far as we know, the […] - [What You Need To Know About The Cosmological Argument](https://truehorizon.org/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-cosmological-argument/): The fact that the universe had a beginning is one of several arguments for God’s existence. I would like to offer a brief overview of the three most powerful ones. I will include links to video and other resources that have helped me understand this point. Readers can pursue whichever ones they would like to know more about. I’ll be succinct. Beginnings need beginners. Effects require causes. Events don’t just occur on their own. Something makes them happen. The universe is not exempt from this facts. If the universe had a beginning, something outside the universe must have caused it. […] - [A Reasonable Explanation For Reason Itself](https://truehorizon.org/a-reasonable-explanation-for-reason-itself/): Where do reason and logic come from? Can your brain explain everything about how you think? Is it just a moist computer or are there differences between the physical brain and the mind? Do we have evidence for the existence of a non-physical soul? Think about it (pun intended). The fact that we can have a discussion about morality — or about anything at all — means we have the capacity to consider alternative ideas. Ideas are not physical things. So, how can we do that? Physical Brain, Non-Physical Self The neurons that make up our brains are physical things. They […] - [The Case For A Good God](https://truehorizon.org/the-case-for-a-good-god/): There's a reason this whole topic is usually referred to as "the problem of evil." It's a problem for sure. But remember, it's a problem for everyone. Everyone wants an explanation. And every view of the world needs to give one. - [Our Picture of Reality](https://truehorizon.org/our-picture-of-reality/): Greg Koukl is famous for comparing a worldview to a giant jigsaw puzzle. The top of the box is our picture of reality. The puzzle only makes sense if all its pieces are in the right place. Some people are trying to fit pieces in places where they don’t belong. Some people have the wrong box top. They don’t understand what the puzzle is supposed to look like. Others have pieces from a different puzzle altogether. A puzzle only makes sense if you can see the end product. A worldview works the same way. Greg’s new book gives us the […] - [There Goes The Sun](https://truehorizon.org/there-goes-the-sun/): Way back in 2004, Jay Richards and Guillermo Gonzalez published The Privileged Planet: How Our Place In The Cosmos Is Designed For Discovery, a captivating book not only about the incredible design that is required in our universe to allow for the existence life itself, but also about how some of the same factors that allow for life are required for us to discover how unique our existence is. The book and accompanying DVD (linked below) are still among the best resources available about the anthropic principle — the idea that the more we learn about the universe, the more it seems […] - [Thinking About The "New Atheists"](https://truehorizon.org/how-to-respond-to-the-new-atheists/): [This is a re-post from several years ago that I think is still completely relevant today] Two books on the NY Times Best Seller list share a common thesis — that religion in general, and Christianity specifically, is not just wrong, or off-base, or a subject worth debating — but that it is evil, deluded, dangerous, and the righteous target of the thinking man’s scorn. Sam Harris’, “Letter To A Christian Nation,” (# 31 on the list) and Richard Dawkins, “The God Delusion,” (# 14 and on the list for 24 weeks) don’t just want to appeal to their atheistic […] - [The Tyranny of Scientific Consensus](https://truehorizon.org/the-tyranny-of-scientific-consensus/): The week of April 22 – April 29, 2017 was a “week of action” that started with The March For Science. It was brought to us by the steely-eyed, unbiased defenders of reason and “settled science” at 600 locations worldwide. The March was a worship service for the cult of “scientific consensus.” According to The March organizers, their mission was all about: “A call for science that upholds the common good and for political leaders and policy makers to enact evidence based policies in the public interest.” Which makes it a little confusing. How did the references to “political leaders,” and […] - [Mind Boggling Silence](https://truehorizon.org/mind-boggling-silence/): There are two basic views (and some sub-categories of each) about how to understand the relationship between the brain and the mind. The first, physicalism, says that the mind is nothing more than an extension of the brain. The second, dualism, says that the mind and brain are different things altogether. Physicalism insists that there is no difference between the mind and the brain — that the “mind” is simply a way to refer to the results of chemical processes that go on in the neural network controlled by the gray matter between your ears. “According to strict physicalism, a human being is merely a […] - [Finding Her Mind](https://truehorizon.org/finding-her-mind/): My mom has Alzheimer’s Disease. Most of us have read about it or seen movies about it, but until you experience what it does to a loved one, those are nothing but detached observations that can’t possibly describe the evil tyrant that Alzheimer’s is. Yes, its attack is relentless and debilitating. But the person who has the disease is not its only victim. In fact, the sad reality is that the victim seems blissfully unaware that anything is wrong with them — at least I pray that is the case — while those who love them must stand helplessly by […] - [Trump as Yogi Berra: The Danger of Pro-Life Consequentialism](https://truehorizon.org/trump-as-yogi-berra-the-danger-of-pro-life-consequentialism/): After the 2009 presidential election, the Catholic Church spent a ton of money promoting its pro-life stance by running the following ad nationwide. It was a heart-tugging appeal to “imagine the potential” that would have been squandered if our newly-elected president’s mother had decided to to have him aborted in light of the difficulties she faced in bringing him into this world: Though many praised the ad for the power of its message, thinking pro-lifers criticized it for good reason — it is based on a consequentialist ethic that is vulnerable to a thoughtful pro-abortion argument to the opposite effect. […] - [An Extra Chromosome And A Cause For Hope](https://truehorizon.org/an-extra-chromosome-and-a-cause-for-hope/): Modern medicine has found many ways to test for problems with unborn children. This is a good thing. It allows for prenatal diagnosis, treatment, and even surgery to address medical issues for babies in the womb. But it also has some diabolical consequences — like the fact that about 90% of unborn children who are diagnosed with Down Syndrome are aborted. 90% If you happen to be among those who don’t think that’s a problem — who don’t think that’s a sad and horrendous injustice — I give you Karen Gaffney. Karen can speak for herself but, before you listen […] - [On Pointy Hats And Politics](https://truehorizon.org/on-pointy-hats-and-politics/): Last month the head of the worldwide Catholic Church visited America riding on a very public image as a champion of the poor and downtrodden whose calls for various forms of “social justice” have put him at odds with the conservative wing of his church, even as his refusal to capitulate on abortion has angered his more liberal members. That’s all fine and dandy. But one would hope that the man whose office and reputation very much make him the face of Christianity worldwide would also be willing to take a stand for the seemingly uncontroversial idea that members of […] - [Abortion By The Numbers](https://truehorizon.org/abortion-by-the-numbers/): As a follow-up to my last post, and thanks to an article that my fellow CIA agent (and classmate), John Ferrer, contributed in the latest issue of  Salvo Magazine (“The Big Kill,” Salvo Issue 34, p. 10), I’ve found a new resource for showing people the impact of abortion. In a format similar to the mind-boggling real-time numbers of the U.S. National Debt Clock, but with infinitely more moral impact, the website NumberOfAbortions.com gives a continuously updated count of the number of abortions in the U.S. and worldwide. The numbers are staggering. Just a few examples (as of September 25, […] - [Black And White Rainbows](https://truehorizon.org/black-and-white-rainbows/): Almost forty years ago I joined a youth group Bible study with a band of high school acquaintances who shared two things in common: life as military brats who all lived on the same base in Michigan, and a serious pursuit of the truth of our faith. We studied the Bible, went on retreats and, as a result, that group formed the core of our social life in high school. Many of us became close and lifelong friends. In fact, I met the girl who would later become my wife in that group in 1976. Another girl in that group […] - [Empty Nest, Full Hearts](https://truehorizon.org/empty-nest-full-hearts/): Our youngest son, Jon, starts college today. His brothers will say he has gotten away with gross transgressions of The Rules they all had to follow. Sorry guys, but it just ain’t true. Actually, he has probably been more scrutinized — and many times, rightfully so — because he has been tail-end Charlie, the unfortunate victim of us knowing all the ways the other four found to get in trouble. But, whatever the case, the nest gets emptied today. This is supposed to be a time to do one of two things: Rejoice at our new found “freedom,” or slide […] - [Filling God-Shaped Holes](https://truehorizon.org/filling-god-shaped-holes/): On December 2, 2014 at the Lake Worth, Florida City Commission Meeting, self-proclaimed “activist,” Preston Smith, offered the following invocation: Mother Earth, we gather today in your redeeming and glorious presence, to invoke your eternal guidance in the universe, the original Creator of all things. May the efforts of this council blend the righteousness of Allah with the all-knowing wisdom of Satan. May Zeus, the great God of justice, grant us strength tonight. Jesus might forgive our shortcomings while Buddha enlightens us through His divine affection. We praise you, Krishna, for the sanguine sacrifice that freed us all. After all, […] - [Naturalism's Pre-Scientific Mindset](https://truehorizon.org/naturalisms-pre-scientific-mindset/): Back Before Modern Science Weighed In Wintery Knight — the ghost name for the writer of a fantastic blog on defending Christianity and engaging that defense in the public square — has written a succinct, useable outline for how to organize a devastating critique of atheistic naturalism. Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with it. It is very accessible … The Importance of Having A Narrative When Confronting The Assumption of Naturalism - ["Time To Move Along"](https://truehorizon.org/time-to-move-along/): The first concrete memory I have of Joseph Fraser Vincent, Sr. was on the day after the night I brought his daughter home from a date an hour and a half after her curfew. In my “defense,” both he and his wife, Fran, were out of town until Sunday night — this was on Friday. Who comes home from an out-of-town trip three days early, anyway? Besides that, Mary assured me that if we had called and asked permission to stay for the second movie of the double feature, her parents would have been fine with it. I mean, it […] - [Throwing Cold Water On The ALS "Ice Bucket Challenge"](https://truehorizon.org/throwing-cold-water-on-the-als-ice-bucket-challenge/): I really don’t mean to be a killjoy. I love the fact that millions of people are engaging in the latest “Ice Bucket Challenge” to elicit donations for finding a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS – Lou Gehrig’s Disease). I’ve seen the moving story on ESPN about the gutsy baseball star (Pete Frates) from Boston College who initiated the whole movement. I pray that the almost 1000% increase in donations to the ALS Association as a result of this “Ice Bucket Challenge” phenomenon will accelerate the finding of a cure that cannot come too soon. ALS is a heartbreaking, debilitating, […] - [The Fantasy of Ungrounded Physics](https://truehorizon.org/the-fantasy-of-ungrounded-physics/): As a follow-up to my last post about Darwinism’s bad week, I also ran across this story … an interview with South African Physicist George Ellis about the philosophical inanity that is regularly spouted by the New Atheist priesthood. Keep in mind that Ellis is not some easily dismissed Christian minister or Intelligent Design proponent (though I obviously have no problem with either of those). The article is from Scientific American and Ellis has co-authored books with the likes of Stephen Hawking. From the piece: Horgan (SA Interviewer): Lawrence Krauss, in A Universe from Nothing, claims that physics has basically solved the […] ## Pages - [About](https://truehorizon.org/about/): Hi, I’m Bob Perry … I’ve made my living as a tactical jet pilot in the military and commercial airline Captain. But my passion is to understand, articulate, and defend my Christian convictions. I want to help you do the same. I combine my vocation and my passion to look at the world from 35,000 feet. Here’s what I mean … I don’t get down in the weeds. I don’t think you want to do that either. Many Christian people who do this kind of thing pride themselves in being able to argue the tiny details of topics that seekers […] - [Home](https://truehorizon.org/): Be Confident in Your Christian Convictions Know what they are. Live them out. Pass them on. Resources Complimentary downloadable PDF discussion starters, study guides, and class resources. Newsletter Register to receive a monthly Substack newsletter and join the conversation. Books Check out a description and table of contents of Bob’s books and place an order. Bob Perry We live in a culture that is becoming increasingly more antagonistic to what Christians believe. I want to help you navigate that culture with truth and grace. My mission is to empower regular folks like me to defend their Christian convictions. As a […] - [Resources](https://truehorizon.org/resources/): Resources Each of these is available for complimentary download. I only ask that you cite me as the source when you use them. ## Optional - [Agent (MCP protocol)](websites-agents.hostinger.com/truehorizon.org/mcp) [comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)