Doug Groothuis on Spiritual Warfare at Denver Seminary

Women's Forum - November 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Location: Denver Seminary, 6399 S Santa Fe Dr, Littleton, CO US 80120

Join us for stimulating lectures and discussions designed for women in our community to wrestle with relevant issues of today, cultivate their own worldview and pursue a deeper relationship with Christ.

The November Women's Forum features Dr. Doug Groothuis who will share on the topic of "Everyday Spiritual Warfare: Finding Your Way." The Bible speaks much of world of angels and demons, yet most American Christians read past these references without taking them seriously. Others develop unbiblical views of the spiritual realm based on fantastic testimonies or other unreliable sources. But the Christian needs a proper understanding of their relation to the world of angels and demons in order to faithfully serve God. To that end, we will discuss the basics of spiritual warfare for the Christian today.

The Posters are Going up at Metro State

Master Plan Ministries at the Auraria Campus is getting the word out about my November 16 talk at 11:45 called, "The Deniable Darwin."

Groothuis Apologetics Articles

Nine out of ten of my TrueU apologetics articles are back on line at Denver Seminary.

Truth Obama and the Military Needs to Hear

Call this Islamic Terrorism--the Fort Hood assassin for who he is. Sadly, we now know too late. But it should have been known sooner...before his killing spree (done in the name of Allah, Most Merciful).

Abortion and Obama

See Obama promise to include abortions in a health care package (although he says otherwise now).

Once Again: Wake Up!

Fort Hood gunman showed his cards before he showed his gun. PC is killing us (literally).

Darwin's Children: Run for Cover

This is a profound piece, despite pot shots at scientific criticis of Darwinism, on the social and moral implications of Darwinism. It is heartening to find it published in a respected British paper. See also John West, Darwin Day in America (2007).

Classic Ad hominem Fallacy

This was posted at Amazon about my review of Living Buddha, Living Christ.

PHD, YOU? Who cares? You're nothing but a stupid Christian moron! JESUS CHRIST IS A FRAUD!!! The Judeo Christian bible is a medieval tale about talking donkeys and snakes,man who supposedly lived inside a whale,men who supposedly lived more than 900 years and a lot of nonsense! One need to be VERY mentally retarded to believe in such things! BLIND FAITH IS IGNORANCE!!!

This just in from National Right to Life

The House adopted the NRLC-backed Stupak-Pitts Amendment, 240-194. The Stupak-Pitts Amendment removed two major pro-abortion components from H.R. 3962. Specifically: (1) the amendment would permanently prohibit the new federal government insurance program, the "public option," from paying for abortion, except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest; and (2) the amendment would permanently prohibit the use of the new federal premium subsidies ("affordability credits") to purchase private insurance plans that cover abortion (except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest). The amendment was sponsored by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mi.) and Joe Pitts (R-Pa.). It was supported by 176 Republicans and 64 Democrats. It was opposed by 194 Democrats. One Republican withheld his support by voting "present."


I am somewhat happy about this vote, but...what this means, if the public (statist) option goes through, is that many women may claim rape or incest in order to get federal funds. When the civil government promises to pay, many people lie to get it. Consider all the Medicare fraud going on! That means pro-life people will be paying for abortion that they do not agree with.


In fact, I do not think rape or incest justifies abortion, since a human being has been conceived, however wrongfully. You don't solve one problem (illicit, immoral intercourse) by another one (aborting an innocent human being made in God's image). I do not want my money going to pay for these abortions.

Pro-life people have some hard days ahead. It will be worse for the unborn.

Groothuis Talk at Auraria Campus, November 16 at 11:45 AM

"Collision" DVD Review

"Collision" recounts several debates between atheist Christopher Hitchens and Christian pastor Douglas Wilson.

This production suffers from all the worst of the postmodern sensibility and aesthetic. While billed as a "debate," there is no linear presentation of ideas in a classic debate forum. Rather, the video jumps from one setting to another. Now it's a TV exchange; then it's a debate at a seminary; next they are in a bar. I lost track of how many settings there were. It is maddening to anyone trained in linear logical thinking and analysis. All the actual arguments between the two men are clipped and lack sufficient context. Moreover, the camera angles, set conditions, and lighting are deeply annoying. There are strange high-glare closeups, jiggling cameras, as well noisy backgrounds. It is unnerving. Call it videographic ADHD.

Despite all this unnecessary clutter and chaos, a few arguments stand out. For example, Wilson claims that Hitchens has no philosophical grounding for his moral pronouncements, and Hitchens admits as much while denying God as a foundation for morality. Those trained in apologetics, will note that Wilson uses the Van Tillian presuppositional method (with some help from C.S. Lewis on objective moral law). This approach, while helpful for critiquing non-Christian worldviews, has deep limitations in apologetics, since it can marshal no genuine constructive arguments based on natural theology, science, and history. At several points, Wilson seems to concede that he and Hitchens inhabit different thought worlds entirely. If so, how can you build a logical or evidential bridge with the unbeliever? The cumulative case approach--used by William Craig, J.P. Moreland, Douglas Geivett, (if I may) myself, and many others--is the far better method. See Craig's debate with Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, God: A Debate Between a Christian and an Atheist (Oxford, 2003).

Unlike Hitchens, Wilson is not that articulate. However, he is knowledgeable, civil, courageous, and funny at times. He reduces Hitchens worldview to this at the end: "There is no God: s--t happens." We need more Christians, who, like Wilson, are willing to engage in meaningful debates with unbelievers. However, we need less DVDS in which the original debate form is debauched through the insane postmodern insistence on fragmentation and incoherence.

On Not Speaking Truth to Power

Obama refuses to meet with the Dali Lama and figures opposed to tyranny. This is typical of the hard left. They refuse to support those who speak truth to tyrannical power; instead they curry favor from the powerful, as long as they are hostile to the West. This is unjust, perverse, and ungodly in the extreme. Wake up, America. Your president is a no friend of freedom, democracy, or "hope."

Beyond the shiny spectacle of this "historic" president is an empty suit, political mantras (meaningless), a magic teleprompter, and a man who is putting America and its deepest ideals at risk for the sake of his neo-Marxist ideology.

Truth: Act!

Tax money for abortion: Refuse it!

Whence Mind? No Matter!

In a recent issue of The Philosophers Magazine, atheist philosopher Raymond Tallis admits that Darwinism cannot explain the human mind. Of course, Christianity can.

#$%^*(_*)_

I posted one obscenity (from a Darwinist) for illustrative purposes. No more will be published.

Defining Terrorism Down

The mainstream press and Obama are very reluctant to admit that the homicidal rampage of a Muslim psychiatrist and General were the result of Islamic terrorism, although the evidence is mounting. Call it defining terrorism down. CAIR and their cronies (the political left) will chalk it up to mental illness or somehow blame the US armed forces. As a good friend of mine from Africa has been saying for yours, "Political correctness is killing your country." This is literally true.

Spiritual Warfare: The Belt of Truth and Breastplate of Righteousness

My sermon on Ephesians 6:14 is available at the Wellspring Church web page. It was given on 10-11-09. Scroll down to find it. I can send you sermon notes if you'd like.

Another Obama-nation

Obama Manufacturing Czar agrees with Mao's power politics. Mao Tse Tung was the greatest murderer of the 20th century. My God, what is happening to my country, its Constitution, and its heritage?!

Rule: Publication of the Civil

There is some new activity on this blog in light of comments about and participation in the recent conference on Darwinism and ID. As is typical, Darwinists insult, condescend, and label anyone who disagrees as an ignoramus. The policy of this blog is to not post insults and invective. If you have an argument, make it without assassinating any one's character. For some strange reason, Darwinists usually have difficulty doing this. Richard Dawkins is the poster boy on this, and serves as a model for many. I know from long experience.

Fear it. Oppose it.

"The Worst Bill Ever": Obama/Pelosi takeover of American medicine.

"Live and Love as We Like"--Sounds like a 1960s Pop Song

Read Albert Mohler on Obama's sexual relativism and endorsement of the homosexual lobby's Trojan Horse on "hate crimes."

Twitter Query

How do people--I mean non-celebrities--get these huge numbers of Twitter followers? I only have about 140.

Pot Shots, Cheap Shots, and More!

Here is some classic cant against ID. Count the logical fallacies, although it may get tiring.

Berklinski on Darwinism (thanks to Sarah Geis)

"'Swimming in the soundless sea, the shark has survived for millions of years, sleek as a knife blade and twice as dull. The shark is an organism wonderfully adapted to its environment.' Pause. And then the bright brittle voice of logical folly intrudes: 'after all, it has survived for millions of years.' This exchange should be deeply embarrassing to evolutionary biologists. And yet, time and time again, biologists do explain the survival of an organism by reference to its fitness and the fitness of an organism by reference it its survival, the friction between concepts kindling nothing more illuminating than the observation that some creatures have been around for a very long time." - excerpt from pp 43-44 of The Deniable Darwin by David Berlinski

The Legacy of Darwin and Intelligent Design

I attended and participated in this conference in Castle Rock, CO, last night and today. It was superb--a world-class conference in every way.

Steve Meyer present the essence of his information argument the first night, covering a huge range of material in an approachable, but challenging way. He thus outlined the major argument of his magisterial work, Signature in the Cell. (Amazingly, we had met in 1986 in Dallas. I forgot; he remembered!) On Saturday morning, Michael Behe winsomely explained the nature of ID and illustrated it with material from Darwin's Back Box and (to a lesser degree) The Edge of Evolution. Then Steve Meyer interviewed the inimitable David Berlinski on Berlinski's life and his take on Darwinism. (I was able to give Dr. Berlinski a copy of my book, On Pascal.) John West gave a stellar presentation on the social and political implications of Darwinism. The conference ended with a panel discussion moderated by Craig Smith that included myself (the minor leaguer), Mike Behe, Steve Meyer, and John West. We discussed how to take the ID message to "the next generation."

Despite the attacks on the web page and the attempts to jam their phone lines, the conference was very well attended. The Douglas County Events Center was perhaps 70% filled, not counting the bleachers. There were perhaps 1000 people. I was heartened to see many Denver Seminary students. Many books and DVDs were available and seemed to be selling well.

I encourage you all to visit Shepherd Project web page (when it is de-hacked) and pick up these DVDs or audio files. All the presenters did an excellent job. I was honored to play a small part in this and to get to hang out with these folks for two meals and some other informal time. It was a near-heaven experience for me.