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Forsaken

Posted by JC Lamont


Elyon, Elyon, my king, my lord
Deliver me from this sword

Why have you forsaken me
In your eyes, forsaken me
In your thoughts, in your heart,
In your wrath, forsaken me

In their hatred, dark and fierce,
They mock, scorn and abase
My hands and feet, they pierce
My bones, they wrench from place

You lay me in the dust
Desert me as death calls
Yet in you, will I trust
Into your hands, my spirit falls

                                                                -- The Prince
                                                Prophecy of the Heir
                                                 (Psalm 22:1-17, 31:5)


This poem (based on messianic psalms) is an except from the literary apologetics novel, Prophecy of the Heir, written by the Prince (the pre-incarnate Christ), who gives it to the Shekinah (Holy Spirit), who then inspires the mortal Daeved (King David) to pen it.  

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My First Interview

Posted by JC Lamont

“Standing apart from the works of JRR Tolkien, Frank Peretti, and Anne Rice, Prophecy of the Heir is a LOTR-influenced work of literary apologetics that reframes actual Biblical events in a fantasy-inspired narrative of spiritual warfare.”

—Maryann Spikes, apologetics columnist for Examiner.com

I wish to thank my new friend, and fellow apologist, Maryann Spikes, for her review of Prophecy of the Heir, and for featuring me in an in-depth interview. It was a pleasure working with you, let alone getting to know you!


Here are a few sample questions:
 
Q: Have you read Frank Peretti’s, or any other books in the growing angels and demons genre?

A: I grew up loving Frank Peretti, who was and probably always will be my favorite Christian author. I read Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness when I was 14 or 15, and to this day it has remained my favorite Christian novel. Since then, I’ve read the sequel as well many of his other works. Whether it’s This Present Darkness or Door in the Dragons Throat or The Oath, I love anything to do with magic, angels and demons, sin-conjured monsters, and the like.

Q: Do you think an author’s theology is an important thing to consider when selecting books to read from this genre?

A: Well, sure. I mean, if an author believes you can and should communicate with your guardian angel, I think that could be highly dangerous. But overall, I try to just let scripture speak for itself, and not allow any preconceived notions, doctrines, or theology to creep into my book. Over the years, I had to actually make changes to the story as I came to realize from studying the Bible that some popular doctrines don’t have the scriptural support many Christians think they do.

I hold to one doctrine, and that is the Doctrine of Perspicuity, which basically means that a verse means what it says. I’ve tried very hard to stay true to scripture in its cultural context and leave the dogma out.

For more, please see the full interview. Please feel free to share any questions not covered!

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Puppets

Posted by JC Lamont

Here is a 30 second video featuring puppet atheist Richard and Christian Ken, which is for a chance to win tickets to the Proof of God contest. But it's only eligible if it gets 1,000 YouTube views, so it would be awesome if you clicked the link and gave it a watch. Thanks so much!



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Why Teens Are Leaving the Faith

Posted by JC Lamont

Anyone with a teen should definitely read this article by Living With Teenagers. "Christianity is often equated with bigotry, racism, homophobia, and sexism. Today's generation wants nothing to do with that brand of faith." The Bible says "they will know we are Christians by our love," but we are losing our kids because we are failing at Jesus' greatest mandate...and they are blaming our Christianity and walking away.


http://www.lifeway.com/Article/ministry-family-Why-are-Teens-Leaving-the-Faith

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Prophecy of the Heir is published!

Posted by JC Lamont

I am very lazy blogger. Sorry. Prophecy of the Heir was published  on June 24th, and I have been immersed in sketching out a rough draft for book 2. After 8 years of working on the first book, it feels odd to be writing again (and not revising). I am on Facebook daily, so if someone want to keep up with me, it's better to friend me there since I don't blog often. (Bad author, bad!)

Anyhow, Prophecy of the Heir is available in paperback or eBook at Amazon and Barnes&Nobles.com. Hope you enjoy!


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Posted by JC Lamont


A  Beliefnet  interview with Dean Koontz by Dena Ross.

As one of the most popular fiction writers today, Dean Koontz captivates his readers with his creative plotlines and unique characters, often incorporating a spiritual element into the story. Koontz says these elements are both partially woven into his writing consciously and partially come second nature as he's writing. This may have a lot to do with his own faith life. Although Koontz was born into the United Church of Christ, he converted to Catholicism after marrying his wife, Gerda.

Why did you convert to Catholicism from the United Church of Christ in which you were brought up?

I was from a dysfunctional family. And although my mother made sure I went to church, the family didn't reflect the values of the church. There wasn't a lot of closeness among relatives in our family.
When I started dating Gerda, we didn't have much money. We would go on Sundays to neighboring Jonestown, where she had aunts and uncles. I was so impressed with the sense of family among them and the fun they had being together and the easiness with which they interacted that I, either rightly or wrongly, identified that in my mind as being a consequence of Catholicism, which was so strong for all of them. So, it got me interested in it. When I was in college, I expanded my reading about things and ended up thinking about halfway through college that this was for me.

What's your favorite thing about being a Catholic?

It gives me a sense that the world has shape and form and function and meaning. I suppose that's my favorite thing about it, because I don't wander aimlessly seeking for some meaning in things. I have a sense of what those meanings are. It opened my eyes to a deeper, more complex world, and that leaves you a lifetime of exploring to follow.

What's your least favorite thing about being a Catholic?

How Vatican II threw away so much tradition. It's only beginning to come back. The Latin Mass and all of that was a great loss, something that is embraced and promoted for hundreds upon hundreds of years and then disappears overnight in an attempt to satisfy an urge toward trendiness. It was a great loss to the church, and I think it still is.

Has a situation in your life ever tested your faith to the point where you wanted to let it go?

There was a time in my life after losing my mother, who had a very difficult life, [where] she was ill. She was married to a man who later in life was diagnosed as sociopathic. I was in my 20s when she died. 
That seemed to me so unfair [and then I began to] question whether things had meaning. But, it was a sophomoric kind of questioning. It wasn't anything that was intellectual in its nature. And time passed, and that doubt passed.


To read the rest of the article, please visit here: 

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Apologetics For A New Generation

Posted by JC Lamont



 Most Christian teenagers today are rolling through life without much thoughtful reflection about their faith. They have deep confusion about the nature and character of the Trinitarian God, other essential Christian truth claims, and the nature of truth itself. Most of their worldviews are shaped by a pluralistic culture rather than biblical literacy, so, naturally, their beliefs diverge widely from biblical standards. As a result, many teens are leaving the faith they grew up with, and of those who remain in the fold, few are living as bold witnesses for Christ.

Dedicated teenagers who embrace an authentic Christian worldview, however, not only are less likely to abandon the faith, but are more likely to practice it in their daily lives. This is why apologetics training is such a critical component in the discipling of youth. If we can help them to internalize the truth and beauty of Christianity, they will be far more likely to live out its goodness.

History has shown that people act on what they believe—not what they say they believe, or want to believe, but what they really believe. People who believe that God truly has spoken through the Bible are far more likely to follow its guidance and are much bolder in their witness for the truth of Christianity than are those who are not so convinced. We must lovingly train young people to be able to defend their faith with confidence and authority.  (This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 30, number 1 (2007). To read the entire article, please click here.)

Apologetics For A New Generation contains an impressive list of contributors including Dan Kimball (They Like Jesus but Not the Church), Brian Godawa (Hollywood Worldviews), and Josh McDowell show that today’s apologetics must employ...
  • a clear connection with everyday life
  • an invitation for people to express their doubts and wrestle with tough questions
  • a culturally savvy understanding of the way secular people view Christians
  • an engaging methodology that captures the imagination before engaging the mind
  • a strong emphasis on the resurrection and how it changes everything
This resource is imperative for leaders who are ready to engage a new generation with the claims of Christ.

Sean McDowell is a high school teacher, speaker, and author. He graduated summa cum laude from Talbot Theological Seminary with a double master's degree in philosophy and theology. He is currently pursuing a PH.D. in Apologetics and Worldview Studies. You can read Sean's blog and contact him for speaking events at http://www.seanmcdowell.org.


To purchase the book, click here.

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Why Do You Believe Even When God Lets Children Die?

Posted by JC Lamont Labels: , , , ,

Which is a good apologetic answer to the question "Why do you believe in God"?

A: He saved me from myself.
B: He turned my life around.
C: He healed me.

I've read how to evangelize books that recommend anecdotal stories like this, but none of these answers are good apologetic defenses. Apologetic arguments can not be subjective. For every “good” experience that “proves” God exists, there is a “bad” experiences that “proves” He doesn't.

While meeting with my agent last Saturday, she got a text message and broke into tears. The prior Sunday, a parishioner had brought a gun to her childhood church to sell to another parishioner. As he was showing how it worked, it accidently discharged. The bullet went through the wall and struck the pastor’s 14-year daughter in the head.

The text my agent received was that she had passed away.

We started talking about where God was during this — why he didn’t have the girl just a foot away, why he didn’t keep the gun from going off? Why wouldn’t he have protected the family of a man faithfully serving him? Why he didn't heal her in the hospital?

There are no easy answers.

For me, it comes down to history. Historical evidence supports the Bible from the rise of different religions to what cultures borrowed from who. For me, history proves Judaism. I was left to decide if Jesus was the Jewish messiah or not. The clincher was Micah 5:2 and Zechariah 13:7 — references by God the Father that someone He considered his equal was in heaven with Him during the OT. Couple that with Isaiah 53, and I don’t see how it could be anyone other than Christ.

So when tragedy strikes in your life, what keeps you believing in God?

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Was Hitler A Christian?

Posted by JC Lamont

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Reasonable People Reject Belief in God

Posted by JC Lamont

Richard Dawkins, P.Z. Myers and other New Atheists are planning a "Reason Rally" in Washington, D.C. on March 24. They're billing it as "the largest gathering of the secular movement in world history," and they're using it to trumpet their message that reasonable people reject belief in God.

We disagree.

Together, we represent Christians from the United States and around the world who believe that Christianity is a reasonable worldview. Our goal is to demonstrate a humble, loving and thoughtful response to the Reason Rally.
We'll be equipped there with:
  • Gifts of kindness to give away--free bottled water, for example
  • Mini-book (32-page) summarized versions of Reason Really, an exciting soon-to-be-published ebook written especially for this purpose.
  • Flyers advertising that ebook.
  • A limited number of copies of a currently published book on Christianity and atheism.
Further details on these books are available on request.

Join us in Washington!

Come join us there! We invite you to unite with us in a spirit of grace and truth (John 1:14, 1:18), ready to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), with godly grace and wisdom (Col. 4:6).
This is not a counter-demonstration, in case you're wondering. We are going there to share Christ person to person as opportunity arises. We will not raise our voices. We will talk with those who want to talk with us. We will offer gifts and materials to all, but we will not press ourselves on those who do not wish to converse. Knowing that the way others may choose to gather near us is not entirely in our control, we will nevertheless attempt to avoid gathering groups larger than a handful of people.

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