THEOLOGICAL DICTIONARY ARTICLES

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May, 2006
Nag Hammadi Gospels(Dr. Norman Geisler)
Some radical critics of the New Testament claim that the Gnostic gospels are equal to those in the New Testament, and that they do not support the resurrection of Christ. The Jesus Seminar places The Gospel of Thomas in their otherwise severely truncated Bible. Both of these conclusions are a serious challenge to the historic Christian Faith. But are they right?

May, 2006
Gnosticism (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Dr. Geisler explains the background and teachings of Gnosticism in the encore presentation.

May, 2006
The Dead Sea Scrolls (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran had significant apologetic implications. Dr. Geisler explains how these scrolls actually confirm the accuracy of the texts that we have.

December, 2005
The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures – Part 6 (Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon)
This final article address the mistranslations in Philippians 1:23, Matthew 24:3, the translation of the YHWH as Jehovah, as well as other translation errors. (NWT).

November, 2005
The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures – Part 5 (Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon)
We continue our examination of Jehovah’s Witness mistranslations by looking at how the New World Translation treats these verses: Colossians 2:9, Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 1:1, and John 1:1. (NWT).

October, 2005
The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures – Part 4 (Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon)
How has the Watchtower Society's New World Translation changed Acts 20:28, Hebrews 1:8, and Colossians 1:15-20 in order to avoid the conclusion Jesus is God? (NWT).

August, 2005
The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures – Part 3 (Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon)
How and why do the Jehovah’s Witnesses mistranslate John 8:58, Hebrews 9:27, Luke 23:43, and Matthew 27:50 (cf. Luke 23:46)? (NWT).

July, 2005
The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures – Part 2 (Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon)
The scholarly Christian community has rendered its verdict on the New World Translation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses: such a translation must not be trusted to accurately convey God’s Word because of its unrelenting biases in translation. The first of several examples of mistranslation and bias are given in this article (NWT).

June, 2005
The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures – Part 1 (Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon)
The Jehovah’s Witnesses constitute a large and aggressive sect which has opposed the doctrines of biblical Christianity from its inception. It is our goal in this series of articles to briefly critique the English translation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Watchtower Bible and Tract Society’s The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT).

May, 2005
Life After Death—Part 8 (Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon)
What is the biblical view of death? What is the biblical view of the afterlife—that is, life after death?

April, 2005
Life After Death—Part 7 (Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon)
What is the cultic view of death? We use the term “cultic” descriptively rather than pejoratively here to refer to those groups that claim a large degree of allegiance to the Bible and yet simultaneously deny its basic teachings. Is there considerable overlap between the cults’ teachings on death and the occult philosophy of death? Is the Christian Church increasingly abandoning the teaching of Jesus and adopting a cultic view of death?

February, 2005
Life After Death—Part 6 (Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon)
What are some additional implications of the Near-Death Experiences? What about children who have Near-Death Experiences?

December, 2004
Life After Death—Part 4 (Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon)
Can Near-Death Experiences precipitate the onset of psychic powers and contact with spirit guides? Do NDEs frequently represent an initiation into the world of the occult?

January, 2005
Life After Death—Part 5 (Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon)
What about reincarnation experiences and the Near-Death Experience? What is the NDE view of God? Are all NDEs positive experiences—or are many hellish?

December, 2004
Life After Death—Part 4 (Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon)
Can Near-Death Experiences precipitate the onset of psychic powers and contact with spirit guides? Do NDEs frequently represent an initiation into the world of the occult?

December, 2004
Poltergeists—An Evaluation of a Demonic Phenomenon, Part 2 (Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon)
Researchers have connected the poltergeist to mediumism, witchcraft, spiritism and other forms of the occult throughout history, right up to the present. Of scores of incidents recorded or investigated by the late Dr. Kurt Koch, a leading Christian authority on the occult, in every case “occult practices lay at the root of the [poltergeist] phenomena.”

November, 2004
Life After Death, Part 3 (Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon)
What messages do people receive during Near-Death Experiences? Do these messages undermine the biblical view of salvation? Can such peaceful, loving experiences be spiritually deceptive?

November, 2004
Poltergeists—An Evaluation of a Demonic Phenomenon, Part 1 (Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon)
Halloween is over, but the interest in poltergeists and other supernatural phenomena lingers. How should we understand poltergeist experiences?

October, 2004
Life After Death—Part 2 (Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon)
Are the “beings of light” encountered during the NDE who they claim to be? What message do they give? What do they teach about death and the afterlife?

August, 2004
Life After Death—Part 1 (Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon)
We all face death one day, so it’s an important topic to discuss. What effect have “near-death experiences” had on people’s ideas about dying?

August, 2004
Angels, Angels, Everywhere—Part 3 (Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon)
Are all angels good? Do all angels give messages that are in line with what God tells us in the Bible? The authors note several instances of angelic messages which are contradictory to the Bible!

July, 2004
Angels, Angels, Everywhere—Part 2 (Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon)
What is the meaning of the biblical words for “angel”? What are angels? How powerful are angels? What are some popular but false ideas about good angels?

July, 2004
Pantheism—Part 2: An Evaluation (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Pantheism has had a broad and persistent influence in the world. Dr. Geisler talks about some of the positive and negative results of that influence.

June, 2004
Pantheism—Part 1: An Exposition (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Pantheism is the basic “theology” upon which Buddhism is based. Dr. Geisler presents a scholarly exposition of the pantheism in this lengthy two-part article.

June, 2004
Angels, Angels Everywhere—Part 1 (Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon)
Why is it important that we know about angels? Just how popular are angels today? Why?

May, 2004
What’s Behind the Sudden Craze Over Angels? (Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon)
Angels are EVERYWHERE these days. Angels are good, aren’t they? Isn’t it safe to accept anything an angels tells you? Drs. Ankerberg and Weldon explore the common current myths about angels.

May, 2004
The Alleged Divine Origin of the Qur’an—Part 2 (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Dr. Geisler presents and critiques a number of arguments often given in defense of the Qur’an, explaining that none of these arguments hold up to close scrutiny.

April, 2004
The Alleged Divine Origin of the Qur’an—Part 1 (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Orthodox Islam and historic Christianity both claim their scriptures alone are the inspired word of God—yet they contain mutually exclusive claims. Thus, Dr. Geisler says, it is necessary for the Christian apologist to challenge the divine authority claims of the Qur’an.

April, 2004
The Arguments For and Against Reincarnation (Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon)
The belief in reincarnation is attracting a growing following in the Western culture. Drs. Ankerberg and Weldon critique and answer the major arguments usually used in support of reincarnation.

March, 2004
Christianity, the Resurrection of Christ, and the Mystery Religions (Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon)
Is Christianity merely a variation of more ancient religions themes? Is the “resurrection” story based on similar stories about gods rising from the dead? Drs. Ankerberg and Weldon explore the facts in order to settle this argument.

March, 2004
True vs. False Vision and How to Tell Them Apart (Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon)
Did the disciples and others really see a risen Jesus, or was it only a vision? Do people really have visions? How can you tell the difference between “godly” visions and false vision? What are some examples of “visions” from the Bible, and from contemporary society?

March, 2004
Christ’s Death—Substitution Legend (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Did Jesus really die on the cross, or was it Judas, Simon the Cyrene, or perhaps just a human figure (but not an actual person)? These are among the substitutes suggested by those who want to deny Christ’s death on behalf of sinners.

February, 2004
Moral Objections to Christ’s Death (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Many critics of Christianity reject the doctrine of salvation through the cross on moral grounds. Dr. Norman Geisler cuts through the arguments to get to the Gospel message.

October, 2003
The Uniqueness of Christ (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Dr. Geisler points out a number of ways in which Christ is unique. Not only that, He is proven to be superior to all other religious leaders!
[Editor’s note: Look for special issues of the ATRI Journal in November and December 2003 pointing out more ways in which Jesus Christ is uniquely superior!]

October, 2003
Evidence for the Bible—Part 3 (Dr. Norman Geisler)
The final evidences Dr. Geisler provides for the Bible include it’s astonishing unity, archaeological confirmation, and the testimony of those who have been transformed by its message.

September, 2003
Evidence for the Bible—Part 2 (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Dr. Geisler suggests that, taken as a whole, evidences for the Bible’s claim to be the Word of God are overwhelming.

September, 2003
Evidence for the Bible—Part 1 (Dr. Norman Geisler)
The Bible claims to be and proves to be the Word of God. Dr. Geisler explains how the Bible was written. (NOTE: If you would like to do a fuller study of the Bible check out the ATRI Fall Bible School 2003 on this website.)

August, 2003
The Bible and the Homosexual Lifestyle (Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon)
Is it really true that “loving, committed” partnerships should be accepted, whether it’s two men, two women, or a man and a woman? Doesn’t the Bible only condemn homosexual promiscuity as practiced by ancient cults? Ankerberg and Weldon explain why all the major Bible passages related to homosexuality do condemn homosexual relationships, no matter how “loving” they may be.

August, 2003
The Omnipotence of God: Could He Make A Stone So Heavy He Couldn’t Move It? (Dr. Norman Geisler)
I’m sure you’ve heard someone ask the question, but were you stumped for an answer? Dr. Geisler explains why you don’t need to be “moved” by this argument.

July, 2003
The Nature of God—Part 3 (Dr. Norman Geisler)
The final installment of this series of articles deals with God’s will—what it is, and what it accomplishes.

July, 2003
The Nature of God—Part 2 (Dr. Norman Geisler)
What does God know? Or perhaps it would be easier to list what God doesn’t or cannot know! Here, Dr. Geisler explains some of the things God’s knows, how He knows them, and what He does with that knowledge.

June, 2003
The Nature of God—Part 1 (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Natural theology deals with what can be known about the existence and nature of God by natural reason, apart from any supernatural revelation. According to classical Christian theists, all of the essential metaphysical attributes of God can be known by natural reason. Dr. Geisler explains some of those attributes in this article.

June, 2003
Atheism—Part Two (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Dr. Geisler explains some of the basic tenets held by most atheists. While atheists do provide many insights into the nature of reality, some of their tenets do not hold up under serious scrutiny.

May, 2003
Is It Right to Fight? (Dr. Steve Sullivan)
On the heels of the war in Iraq, Dr. Sullivan explains the different positions that have been held by Christians concerning war. Is it always right to fight? Never? Sometimes? How is “just war” determined?

May, 2003
Atheism—Part One (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Atheism is not a “one size fits all” category. Dr. Geisler explains the varieties of atheism, and the arguments usually made for holding an atheistic point of view.

April, 2003
The Passover Plot (Dr. Norman Geisler)
First published in the 1960’s, Hugh Schonfield’s The Passover Plot was yet another attempt to explain the Resurrection accounts without accepting the Biblical truth. Dr. Geisler critiques the thesis.

April, 2003
Resurrection Claims in Non-Christian Religions (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Some critics of Christ’s resurrection point to claims that many non-Christian leaders also rose from the dead. If true, the resurrection of Jesus would not be a unique confirmation of his claim to deity. Dr. Geisler explores four of those non-Christian resurrection accounts, and explains why they cannot be compared to the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ resurrection.

March, 2003
Faith and Reason—Part Two (Dr. Norman Geisler)
What is the relationship between faith and reason? Are there limits to Reason? Are there things that simply go beyond the power of Reason? Dr. Geisler explores these questions.

March, 2003
Faith and Reason—Part One (Dr. Norman Geisler)
The relation of faith to reason is of utmost importance for the thinking believer. Dr. Geisler helps us sort through the arguments involved.

February, 2003
Miracles: Providing Validation for the Christian Faith—Part Four (Dr. Norman Geisler)
If a theistic God exists, then miracles are possible. A miracle is a special act of God. Dr. Geisler explains the criteria for allowing miracles as a confirmation of a truth claim.

February, 2003
Miracles: Providing Validation for the Christian Faith—Part Three (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Unless miracles are possible and actual, there is no way to verify the truth claims of Christianity. This raises the question of the relationship between a miracle and a truth claim. Are miracles an appropriate and valuable confirmation of Christianity’s truth claims?

January, 2003
Miracles: Providing Validation for the Christian Faith—Part Two (Dr. Norman Geisler)
How can you identify what is a miracle? Why is it important to know whether an event is an actual miracle? Do miracles provide evidence for God’s existence?

January, 2003
Miracles: Providing Validation for the Christian Faith—Part One (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Dr. Geisler says that the central claims of Christianity are dependent on the apologetic value of miracles. If miracles have no evidential value, then there is no objective, historical evidence to support he claims of historic, orthodox Christianity.

December, 2002
False Miracles—Part Three (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Dr. Geisler continues and concludes his explanation of the difference between true miracles and those produced by other means.

December, 2002
False Miracles—Part Two (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Dr. Geisler presents several different types of false miracles, or things that are called miracles, but are, in reality, something quite different.

November, 2002
False Miracles—Part One (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Distinguishing a true from a false miracle is important to the defense of the Christian faith. For miracles are the unique way God confirms a truth claim to be from Him. But the counterfeit cannot be detected unless one knows the characteristics of a genuine. Dr. Geisler gives us a description and the distinguishing marks of genuine miracles.

November, 2002
Magic and Miracles (Dr. Norman Geisler)
What is the difference between miracles and magic?  Dr. Geisler gives several telling points of differentiation.

October, 2002
Miracle (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Dr. Geisler defines a miracle as “a special act of God that interrupts the natural course of events.” Can God perform miracles? Does He perform them? How can we know that miracles are “probable”?

October, 2002
Neopaganism—Part 2 (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Neopaganism (e.g., witchcraft, new age groups) claims that it is inclusive. Dr. Geisler disagrees. They claim they are anticreedal. But Margot Adler has written a creed—a set of “basic beliefs”. They claim they do not seek converts—but they cannot resist the urge to propagate their “faith”. These are just a few of the contradictions pointed out in this article.

September, 2002
Neopaganism—Part 1 (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Neopaganism is a revival of ancient paganism (see Mithraism). It is a form of polytheism which is manifest in witchcraft, Wicca, occultism and other religions that fit under the New Age umbrella.

September, 2002
Was Christianity Borrowed from Mithraism? (Dr. Norman Geisler)
Some contemporary critics of Christianity argue that this religion is not based in divine revelation but was borrowed from mystery religions, such as Mithraism. But an honest reading of the New Testament data shows that Paul did not teach a new religion or draw on existing mythology. Dr. Geisler lays out the argumen