Dumb Idols - Spiritual Thoughts of Daniel J. Clausen

Symbolic Convergence: Christianity’s Fine-Tuned Architecture A Grand Unification Theory of Apologetics *This is a Chapter included in my new book "Pilgrimage to Shiloh," available soon. Introduction: A New Class of Evidence In previous chapters, we examined numerous logical, historically grounded, time-bound arguments for Christianity. I find that each of these on their own are quite compelling. However, there exists a profound apologetic argument that is rarely articulated but is felt intuitively by many. It is an argument that transcends the typical forensic “proofs” of Christianity. This one is not isolated evidence such as the empty tomb, manuscript reliability, or philosophical arguments for God’s existence. Instead, it is about the very architecture of Christian reality itself: the recognition that Christianity forms a symbolic ecosystem in which prophecy, typology, liturgy, history, ritual, cosmology, and theology converge on a single Person in time. The coherence ...

  Alma vs. Pantera:   Jewish Responses to the Virgin Birth *This is a Chapter in my new book "Pilgrimage to Shiloh," available soon. "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." — Isaiah 7:14 The virgin birth is a central article of faith in Christianity. It serves as a key feature of introduction to Jesus Christ in the gospels, both as supernatural endorsement of His life and ministry, and was also perceived universally as a fulfillment of prophecy in the early Christian community. Given its central place in the Christian story, it has been attacked frequently, and therefore, for a believer, it must be defended. Two significant Jewish polemics have been raised against the Christian claim of Jesus’ virgin birth. The first argues that the Hebrew word Alma in Isaiah 7:14, often translated as "virgin," actually means "young woman," undermining the Christi...