Alan Shlemon

“Transgender ideology has hijacked science and used it to advance an agenda.” @ReadTheLion features @AlanShlemon in an article about whether a person can actually change their sex. Read the full article at readlion.com/experts-debunk….

Your argument doesn't work because it begs the question. Notice you created an analogy where two people are talking about the SAME subject - Jones. There's only one person in your analogy. But that's the very point that's in question - is there one or two? I could just as easily start with a different premise and different analogy, where there are two different people: Smith and Jones. So, now I've baked my conclusion into the premises of the argument - there's two people and therefore we don't worship the same God. For example, suppose two people, Jesus and Frank, are standing side by side. Christians worship Jesus while the other religious devotees worship Frank. To your point, we disagree about the nature of Jesus and Frank, but still do not worship the same person. So, you can disagree and not be talking about the same subject.

Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? Here's the strongest argument that they do, and I almost never see anyone deal with it. Christians and Muslims DISAGREE about God. Christians say God is triune. Muslims say He's not. That looks like a straightforward contradiction. But here's the thing: disagreement is only possible if you're talking about the same subject. If I say "Jones is tall" and you say "Jones is short," we're only disagreeing if we mean the same Jones. If we're talking about two different guys who happen to share a similar name or title, there's no actual disagreement at all. Just two unrelated claims. So if Christians and Muslims DON'T worship the same God, then they don't actually disagree. They're just making separate claims about separate beings. But that's absurd, of course they disagree. And it gets worse. Ancient Israelites before Christ weren't Trinitarians. But almost no Christian wants to say the Old Testament prophets worshipped a different God. So now you need to explain: what metaphysical rupture happened between ancient Israel and 7th-century Arabia that broke the chain in one case but not the other? Good luck drawing that line without it looking completely arbitrary. The real answer is that Christians and Muslims refer to the same being, the one creator God of Abraham, and disagree about His nature.

Christian transgender advocates believe the biblical data about eunuchs makes a case for people who identify as transgender today. Is that true? No, and here’s why: 1) That the Bible mentions eunuchs or that Jesus extoled the virtue of eunuchs is not evidence for transgender ideology. The Bible describes people as male and female and doesn’t delve into a eunuch’s self-perception (what is described as “gender identity” today). 2) Anyone—whether intersex or not—can put their faith in Christ. But the fact that God accepts the faith of a eunuch does not imply his approval of castration. Read the full article from @alanshlemon at shr.link/8btpy.

Do the biblical passages about eunuchs signal a trajectory towards transgender inclusion? That's one way some Christians attempt to support the transgender movement. I unpack one of their arguments - and respond to it - in my latest article at Stand to Reason. str.org/w/do-eunuchs-i…

Muslims claim the Quran’s reference to the gospel (“Injil”) is not a reference to the four New Testament gospels. But is that true? I offer a few reasons why I think it is. Listen to the full episode of my podcast, “Thinking Out Loud with Alan Shlemon” on Spotify, iTunes, your favorite podcast app, or find it at the top of the home page at Stand to Reason. #podcast #apologetics #gospel #quran #islam

Want to see @gregkoukl's tactics used on the street? Watch my friend and STR colleague Jon Noyes' new channel, "Noyes on the Street." #apologetics #standtoreason

Is the Quran’s reference to the Gospel (“Injil”) a reference to the four New Testament Gospels? Muslims say no, but I explain why I think the answer is yes.

@DrFrankTurek Because we’re ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20). Ambassadors do two things: learn and engage. They first learn about a people group (their worldview, ideas, etc) and then they engage that people group. But learning about them first is essential.

Why is it important for Christians to study other worldviews?

Are your students prepared to discuss difficult topics like gender and sexuality? #RealityApologetics tackles the questions that inevitably challenge young Christians. We have two locations left this season! Get all the details at rsn.pub/3UT0xWb.

@KristanHawkins The only similarity between abortion & the death penalty is that in both cases a person ends up dead. The difference is that in abortion the child is innocent & in the death penalty the criminal is guilty. That difference makes killing the former wrong & killing the latter right.

The death penalty is inconsistent with a pro-life worldview.

Your children don’t have to be caught off guard. They can be ready. Join us at Stand to Reason’s #RealityApologetics, where your student will gain the wisdom and confidence they need to engage their world with truth. Register your group or student for one of our remaining conferences today! Dallas, TX, Feb 20-21 🔗 rsn.pub/3yeGjhN Livestream, Feb 20-21 🔗 rsn.pub/3VjqfkG Philadelphia, PA, Mar 13-14 🔗 rsn.pub/3QATLCZ Los Angeles, CA, Apr 24-25 🔗rsn.pub/3UPRztP

@DrFrankTurek Theism better explains the existence of the universe, free will, and morality. I unpack that more here: str.org/w/atheism-s-bu…

What best explains reality: atheism or theism?

@vteclimey @STRtweets Yes, of course. I don't disagree. That's the first point I make in my article.

@STRtweets @AlanShlemon Beliefs can, and do, change how we behave. The belief does not need to be true in order for this to happen.

A changed life is certainly noteworthy, but it’s not necessarily noble, so before one can know if it’s evidence of the truth of a religion, there’s a more pressing question that needs to be answered.   @alanshlemon writes, “Towards what standard is the belief system changing people’s lives? In other words, what kind of change is occurring? Is it good change or bad change? You can’t answer that question until you evaluate the veracity of the standard. Determining what that standard is and whether it’s a true standard is the more pressing question.”

Christians are killing their own children.

“Christians for millennia have reported changed lives. What’s notable about these changed lives versus the changed lives of adherents of other religions is that Christians are changing towards the true standard. They’re becoming more like Jesus.” — @AlanShlemon

There are an estimated 2 billion Muslims worldwide. Many are interested in discussing spiritual topics, including the person of Jesus. But how do we have these conversations—and share the good news about who Jesus really is—without the conversation turning into an argument? @AlanShlemon offers an answer that he and many others have found to be helpful. Listen to his interview with College Faith podcast now at collegefaith.net/65-discussing-….

Even though abortion’s Roe v. Wade decision has been dead for nearly 4 years, abortion is still very much alive. Here are three steps pro-lifers should take to kill #abortion for good in the United States. Listen to the full episode of my #podcast, “Thinking Out Loud with Alan Shlemon” on iTunes, Spotify, your favorite podcast app, or at str.org/w/roe-is-dead-…

During the Kīlauea eruption, there were obviously lots of photographers around and many of us chatted for hours as we spent several days hanging out, waiting for the climactic fountaining event. This one videographer was filming a documentary on volcanos and asked to borrow my Tamron 150-600mm zoom lens to film 30 mins of content for his film. I thought that was pretty cool because I don’t think my lens is super high quality but it was still fun to see it in action for something more serious than my hobby. So, we traded lenses (I borrowed two of his) for a bit. #volcano #kilauea #kilaueavolcano #hawaii #naturephotography

When the Kilauea volcano stopped fountaining lava, it shut down like a 4th of July fountain firework. It just turned off. All that was left was a smoke plume and a river of lava a mile long inside the crater. #kilauea #volcano #kilaueavolcano #hawaii #naturephotography

Kilaeau volcano eruption (episode 40). This was an evening shot as it got darker outside and you could more easily see the glow of the lava river. At this point, the fountaining episode had about another 20 mins before it fizzled out. #volcano #kilauea #naturephotography #kilaueavolcano #hawaii