Shema Apologetics

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength"
Essays & Articles
All essays and articles are copyright of Patrick Lacaire. Click on the red highlighted text to open the document. All documents are in .pdf format which requires a .pdf reader. You can download adobe .pdf reader here. Or, use the right mouse button and select the "save as" feature to download to your computer. You are permittted to quote the essays or articles in part or in whole, only please footnote using standard literary conventions. Thank you.

Theology & Doctrine

The Fall, Sin, and its Effects
Musings about the human condition.

199 Word Defense of Scripture
[Can we really trust something copied so many times?]

Resurrection & Miracles
[Reflections on two books, "The Risen Jesus and Future Hope", and "In Defense of Miracles"]

"Six Propositions on the Preaching of the Cross"
[A précis (concise summary) of an essay by that name in "Nicene Christianity, The Future for a new Ecumenism". Discussion of Jesus vis Penal Substitution Theory]

Perseverance of the Saints
[Does the atonement accomplish the saving, reconciling work once for all - or may the redeemed fall away?]

Role of reason in Christian faith
[What does reason have to do with Christian faith?]


How do we "know"?
[In this paper, I defend the proposition, made by Jesus, that we may "know" God. But can we know anything not accessible to the five physical senses?]

Jesus the Only Way?
[Is it unreasonable to assert that Jesus is the unique solution for the human problem?]


Science & Culture
Intelligent Design and Education
[DarwinianTheory continues to be trump all other considerations. But the reasons for this are inadequate, and educators need to hear the arguments.]

Christianity & Slavery
[Does the bible condone slavery? Is slavery compatible with Christianity? Why didn't Paul condemn slavery when he had the chance? Understand the history and issues of this oft misunderstood counter-Christian polemic.]

Relationship of Science & Religion
[Summary of physicist Ian Barbour's view on the relationship of science and religion.]

Naturalism & Morals
[Do metaphysical naturalism, Darwinism, or postmodernism equip us to have moral knowledge? In those systems may we "know" right and wrong. This paper reviews the judicial process to highlight the failure of those thought systems to give us moral knowledge.]

Miracles
[Are miracles possible?]

The Closing of the American Mind                      Here are two articles reflecting on the writing of Alan Bloom in his excellent book The Closing of the American Mind.

On the American Male 
[Musings on Bloom's discussion of the American Male. What is the caricature of the average man in popular culture today? At what price?]

Philosophy of Higher Education                                                                                 [Thoughts on Bloom's concern over the compartmentalization that characterizes much of Acedemia. What happened to good philosophy anyway?]

Against Liberalism, Skepticism & Paganism

Christ Conspiracy
[Is Jesus just another manifestation of the "solar mythos"? This is a brief review of the book. For a thorough review of the book and methodology, save or read the following:]
"The Christ Conspiracy", complete review.

Amazon book review of "The Resurrection of Christ"
[Gerd Ludemann is a liberal theologian who rejects the physical resurrection, calling it a world wide hoax. This critique engages his "Historical Inquiry"]

Debate with a Skeptic
[The debate was done via email, a brief course of exchanges. The skeptic argued against the physical resurrection and, and doubted that history can be usefully employed to the finding out of religious truth. I am PL and he is Dey or Skeptic]

Two Burials for Jesus?
[Jeff Lowder of www.infidels.org argues against the resurrection by positing two burials of Jesus, the second being his permanent resting place. I disagree!]

Religious Seekers
[Religious seekers should begin by considering Christianity--read why!]
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