Friday Fun: An Evening with C.S. Lewis

While today’s Friday Fun isn’t funny, it’s still some good entertainment for you to enjoy over the weekend. It’s a video of a one-man show by David Payne called An Evening with C.S. Lewis, where Payne, as Lewis, invites you into his home for a chat about his life. If you don’t have time to sit in front of your computer for the whole show, turn the video into an MP3 and listen anywhere.

And if you’re interested in hearing more, you can find links to recordings of the real C.S. Lewis here.

[HT: Justin Taylor]

Challenge Response: Mormons Believe in Salvation by Grace

Here’s the answer to this week’s challenge:

Turning Up the Heat on Dawkins

In October, William Lane Craig will be on a speaking tour of the UK, and as Richard Dawkins keeps refusing any invitation to debate, the plan is to leave an empty chair for Dawkins at Craig’s event at Oxford on October 25. If Dawkins shows up, Craig will debate him; if he doesn’t show, Craig will give a lecture refuting the arguments given in Dawkins’s book, The God Delusion.

There’s not much hope Dawkins will change his mind about attending this debate, but the fan who created this video isn’t giving up easily…

[HT: Apologetics315]

Challenge: Mormons Are Saved by Grace

Do Mormons agree with us that we’re saved by grace? Here’s a quote from a Mormon website:

Contrary to what many people think, The LDS do believe in salvation by grace. No man is capable of saving himself. If it wasn’t for the saving atonement of Jesus Christ all mankind would be lost. No matter how hard we work, no matter how much we obey, no matter how many good things we do in this life, it would not be enough were it not for Jesus Christ and His loving grace. On our own we cannot earn the kingdom of God no matter what we do.

You may have heard something similar before in a conversation with an LDS friend, and you might have left the discussion either confused or convinced you both have the same gospel.

Sometimes when challenges in real life come up, you have to do a little digging before you can give an answer. So for this challenge, in addition to your response, we’d like to hear what questions you’d ask to clarify whether or not you agree about the nature of salvation. How would you graciously handle a situation where this came up in conversation? And if you’ve had this conversation before, we’d love to hear how it went.

On Brett’s last mission trip to Utah, he interviewed apologist Sandra Tanner of Utah Lighthouse Ministry on this subject, so we’ll be posting that interview as a response on Thursday.

It’s a Matter of Science, Not Religion

Radio host Thom Hartmann would not be swayed from his agenda: paint all opposition to evolution—including scientific opposition—as religion. Strategy: get Casey Luskin of the Discovery Institute to admit he believes God created the world and then triumphantly sneer away all his arguments as invalid. Great plan, except it didn’t quite work.

Even if the objections to evolution turn out to be completely wrong, that wouldn’t change the fact that they’re scientific objections, not religious ones. There may be religious implications, but so are there religious/worldview implications if evolution is affirmed and not objected to. This misunderstanding of the issue is frustratingly widespread.

You can read a detailed review of this radio interaction at Evolution News and Views. And consider subscribing to the Discovery Institute’s podcast.

But They’re Sincere!

Is sincerity what really counts when it comes to religion? Brett says there’s something more we need—truth:

First, notice that no one accepts sincerity alone in any other area of life besides religion.  Why?  Because sincerity may be necessary, but it is not sufficient.  For example, if you decide to go skydiving, are you more concerned about having sincere beliefs or true beliefs?  When you are coasting in a plane at 10,000 feet in the air, preparing to jump into the wild blue yonder and then plummet towards the earth at mind-numbing speeds, do you merely want a sincere belief there is actually a working parachute in your backpack?  Of course not.  You want a true belief that your parachute is in full working order.  If you sincerely believe that your parachute works but you are sincerely wrong, you’ll look quite different once you land.

Read the rest of the article at STR Place.

FRIDAY FUN: The Exorcism

HT:  Lenny Esposito

Challenge Response: You’re Not Really Pro-Life

Here’s my response to this week’s challenge:

Thankfully, This Isn’t True

…but it’s what many people think. What will you do today to change that?

From Funny Pictures

Challenge: You’re Not Really Pro-Life

This week’s challenge is one that comes up when talking about abortion:

You people keep telling us that killing fetuses is wrong—that you’re “pro-life,” but then you turn around and say you’re for the death penalty! That’s completely inconsistent, so how can I take you seriously?

Whether you’re for or against the death penalty, we’d love to hear how you would respond. Then stick around until Thursday to hear Alan’s thoughts on the challenge and your comments.