Volume 41:Issue 3

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CONTENTS:

04 From the Contributing Writers
Tributes to Elliot Miller, Editor-in-Chief (1951-2018)

08 Effective Evangelism
Mere Ambassadors

10 Practical Hermeneutics
The Remarkable Reliability of Oral Tradition

12 Thinking through Mindfulness: Psychology, Religion, or Both?
by Sarah C. Geis
Cultural Discernment: A major reason mindfulness has been successfully “mainstreamed” is that we are so overstimulated and chronically busy. Because mindfulness has entrenched itself in American culture, Christians need to investigate it thoroughly in order to determine whether it is friend of foe.

20 The Jesus of Mormonism: Differences That Make a Difference
by Corey Miller
Today’s Religious Movements: Although there may be similarities between Christianity and Mormonism, the biblical Christ differs substantially from the Mormon Christ. Christians can engage in tactical dialogue by asking leading questions for the purpose of addressing the identity and worship worthiness of Jesus.

28 Bertrand Russell: An Atheist Philosopher Christians Should Know
by Douglas Groothuis
Philosophical Apologetics: During the twentieth century, Bertrand Russell was perhaps the foremost atheist in the Western world. Some aspects of his philosophy are beneficial for the cause of philosophically defending Christianity because his attacks on the faith, for all their popularity, are really quite weak. An installment on the occasional CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL Philosophers Series.

34 Is It Abusive to Teach Children about Hell?
by Rebekah Valerius
Practical Apologetics and Cultural Discernment: It is important to understand the sources of our modern distaste for the teachings of the doctrine of hell, for these are part of the strongholds characteristic of our times. By critically exploring these sources, we can best instruct children in the essential biblical doctrine of hell and avoid an abuse of greater severity: their being unaware of its reality.

40 The Story of Morgan Freeman (Not God)
by John McAteer
Cultural Discernment and Apologetics: Morgan Freeman’s personal beliefs, such as the New Age quasipantheist doctrine that every human being is God, are not as well known as his Hollywood brand. But his series The Story of God with Morgan Freeman illustrates trends prevalent in today’s culture — an interesting combination of scientism and anti-intellectualism.

48 How Does the Soul Come to Be?
by Clinton Wilcox
Ethical and Philosophical Apologetics: The existence of the soul, an entity materialists deny exists, is more controversial than the question of when life begins because the soul is an immaterial entity. Are the body and the soul simultaneously created at fertilization, or are both passed down from parents to offspring?

54 Reviews
A Summary Critique: The Illusion of Certainty: How the Flawed Beliefs of Religion Harms Our Culture A Summary Critique: Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

58 Viewpoint
What’s in a Name? A Growing Trend to Abolish the Labels Pro-Choice and Pro-life

60 Postmodern Realities
Cream or Sugar? Fostering Authentic Community in the Expanding Age of Social Media

62 Ask Hank
Have the Land Promises God Made to Abraham Been Fulfilled?