Saturday, January 7, 2017

Enduring Personal Identity Requires God




By Mike Robinson


personal id enduring change
Everything proves God exists, even repaired boats

Enduring Personal Identity Requires God

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).

If the world were not as scripture says it is, if the natural man’s knowledge were not actually rooted in the creation and providence of God, then there would be no knowledge. …The non-Christians have made and now make discoveries about the state of the universe simply because the universe is what Christ says it is. The unbelieving scientist borrows or steals the Christian principle of creation and providence every time he says that an “explanation” is possible, for he knows he cannot account for an “explanation” on his own.

The nonbeliever cannot account for the intelligibility of various things, even his own persistent personal identity. When someone says, “I’m Ernie,” and means that he is the same “Ernie” as the person in his high school yearbook named “Ernie,” he is unknowingly borrowing from the theistic worldview. Theism furnishes a reason one can be confident we are who we are. Our physical bodies change every moment and every day. Human beings lose one-sixtieth of an ounce of respiratory moisture and sweat every minute; there is a net loss every second, meaning that humans physically change every moment. Hence, under a pure materialist worldview, I am not the same person I was a second ago. The skin replaces itself once a month. The stomach lining is replaced every five days. The cells in the liver are replaced every six weeks, and the skeleton about every three months. The body of every human being changes constantly. The cells of a human body are in a constant state of flux and are always being modified. In one year the average person has ninety-eight percent of his atoms exchanged for new ones. In seven years’ time every atom in a person’s body has been replaced. Thus the person is a new and completely different being within the worldview of the firm materialist atheist (faster if you visit the dentist frequently).

   The atheistic materialist affirms that only the material world exists, claiming that nothing spiritual or immaterial exists. After seven years everyone is a different person. So the atheist cannot account for personal identity. By his standard of an unalloyed materialist world, everyone is a different person after seven years, because every atom has been replaced by a new one.

Since all material things change, materialistic atheism is impossible

   The rigid materialist, under his worldview, would not be married to the same woman he married nine years ago. They are totally different physically, due to the complete replacement of bodily atoms every seven years. If he has a child over the age of seven, then by the atheist’s standard he is not the same child who was born to them. Therefore, if he wanted to be consistent in his worldview, he should throw away all baby pictures along with his wedding album. Every molecule in his body has changed. And in a strict materialist world, he is a different person. But he will not throw away his baby pictures or his wedding album, because he is basing much of his life on the truth of theism. The atheist husband still hugs his wife without being unfaithful to her. He will still take his kid to the park and buy him a balloon. But he will not buy the stranger who is next to him a balloon. The atheist knows that his child is the same child who was born to him years before. He lives much of his life on the truth that the Creator exists. Can the information in one’s DNA be the basis for personal identity? No, since twins have the same DNA but they are two different individuals. Additionally, even though it is highly improbable, two or more distinct men can have the same DNA and yet remain totally different individuals.

Sartre … described his recent exposure to the philosophy of Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger and the other “phenomenologists” delving into questions of experience and consciousness: “What is it for a thing to be? What does it mean to say that you yourself are?” Pointing at one of the apricot concoctions, Aron announced: “If you are a phenomenologist, you can talk about this cocktail and make philosophy out of it!” (Sara Bakewell).

Bob and the Boat

A man named Bob builds a fishing boat and names it Dolly Mae. A couple of years later he replaces all the wood because the color is fading. He throws the wood in a pile on the side yard. Later Bob replaces all the nails and metal binders with new ones. He tosses them in the side yard with the wood. His friend sees the wood and nails and asks Bob if he can have them to build a canoe. Bob lets him have them, and the friend builds a canoe with all the wood, nails, and metal from the boat.

   Which vessel should be named Dolly Mae? This paradox exposes the problem that atheists have with human identity. The first boat has none of its original parts—the canoe has them all, but with a different shape. Hence, neither vehicle is the original; they have both changed. The first has changed in its physical parts and the second in its shape and design.

   In the strict materialist view of life, humans who lose body parts to disease or accidents are not the same people they were before the loss. The Christian professes that man is made in God’s image. We all have what scholars have called sensus deitatis, a sense of God or deity. We know who we are by looking at God and His revelation. God’s word announces who we are—our unchanging personal identity. Humans have a personal identity that transcends the physical world. Christians can hold their ten-year-old child’s hand and hug their grandparents and remain consistent within their own worldview. When the anti-theist performs these types of caring actions towards his loved ones, he is being inconsistent with his ultimate precommitments.

   The atheist knows that men have souls; and although they deny this obvious truth, they live as though it were true. If personal identity did not have an immaterial aspect, anyone who had lost a couple of limbs in an accident, had his skin burned off in a fire, or lost a couple of organs would not be the same person. His identity would change in a materialist’s worldview. Suppose a man lost all his skin due to a chemical accident. That same man had to have his kidneys replaced due to an adverse reaction to the medication. He got so depressed; he drank in excess and had to receive a new liver. One day, he was so despondent that he hurled himself out of his third-story window and lost all his limbs. New technology provided him with new limbs, new organs, and new skin. With almost his entire physical body replaced, is he still his mother’s son? Is he still his wife’s husband? Is he still the father of his little girl? Is he still the same man? The answer is yes—yes because he has a spirit and he is a soul. He is more than the sum of his physical parts; he is a human being created in the image of God.

   With the element determining intrinsic nature in mind, it would appear that the atheist’s worldview, a human being is just a bipedal blob of water and protein. There is no moral reason for the world to esteem a human being as anything more important than a bumblebee. Nevertheless, we see atheists affirming the dignity and value of man; when they do this they are living contrary to their own worldview.

Do the Crime and Do the Time?

To reject the notion that man has a spirit has implications for the penal system as well. According to the atheist’s worldview, all that exists is the material world; if this were true, after seven years the state should let all murderers out of prison. Remember that they have had all their atoms replaced by new ones. Therefore, they are now different people, according to the materialist worldview of atheism. The materialistic atheist should not kiss his wife goodbye if they have been married for over seven years. Materially speaking, they are totally different people, so he is not kissing the same woman he married. He should not choose to buy his nine-year old son an ice cream in preference to the stranger next to him. To live consistently within a firm materialist philosophy is unreasonable and bewildering.

   We sip champagne on our tenth anniversary with our spouses and buy birthday presents for our twelve-year-old daughter because the Christian worldview is true; it is impossible for it not to be.

In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3).

If there were no God, one could not ever say, “I do not believe in God.” One could not say, “I,” because there would be no interminable “I.” In principle one could not make any assertion at all; only if God exists can one account for self-identity and justify any personal assertion. It is not just that Christianity makes better sense in describing human experience than atheism; it is the truth condition for making sense out of human understanding.

   Who is the source of all truth, order, logic, mathematics, goodness, beauty, and philosophy? Bahnsen put it well when he said:

The Christian offers the self-attesting Christ to the world as the only foundation upon which a man must stand to give any “reasons” for anything at all. The whole notion of “giving reasons” is completely destroyed by any ontology other than the Christian one. The Christian claims that only after accepting the Biblical scheme of things will any man be able to understand and account for his own rationality.


For more see my book Reality and the Folly of Atheism HERE on Amazon


Sunday, November 6, 2016

Presuppositional Apologetics Books, eBooks, and Unique Resources

New Presuppositional Apologetics Books, eBooks, and Powerful Resources

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In parts of the world the growth of Christianity is spectacular, yet in the West, atheism and skepticism are fervently seeking converts. “The many proofs for the existence of God must be clearly presented to our generation," says author Mike Robinson. "The goal of those who declare that ‘God is Dead’ is to remove God from our culture, schools, and civilization—this threat must be met head-on with the truth and evidence of the Christian faith.” God's Not Dead is inspired by the film directed by Harold Cronk, and stars Shane Harper, Kevin Sorbo, Jim Gleason, David A.R. White, Marco Khan, Korie Robertson, Wilie Robertson, the Newsboys and Dean Cain. It aims to show the world that God’s not dead.
God’s Not Dead helps the reader understand answers to questions like:

• Does God exist?
• Doesn’t evolution disprove the Bible?
• What are the reasons to affirm the Resurrection of Christ?
• How can I prove that God’s not dead?
• If life has a purpose, how do I find meaning in my life?
• How can the believer answer the problem of evil?
• How is Jesus Christ unique?
• How can one claim to have certain truth?
• Why is true faith not blind, but based on truth and evidence?

Are you sometimes concerned that someone will ask you a question about your faith that you can’t answer? Have you tried to learn how to prove and contend for your faith, but have gotten lost in puzzling language and concepts? Have you struggled with periods of doubt yourself? This new, easy-to-understand book provides simple but powerful tools to help you defend the existence of God.

Yes, this God’s Not Dead: Many Proofs for the Christian Faith is geared for average believers; however, this book is not just for beginners. The author refines very difficult and complex intellectual issues and makes them accessible to all, even though it may challenge many seasoned apologists and scholars—great for students as well as skeptics.
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Paperback Historical Apologetics Grounded on Ultimate Precommitments

The death of Jesus stands at the very center of Christianity. Still, many are confused about the reasons for the killing of Jesus, for many deviant views are saturating the media.

Killing Jesus Christ reveals the truth about:

• The Arrest of Jesus Christ
• The Various Trials of Christ: An Apologetic Approach
• The Errors of the Trendy Critics (O’Reilly, Aslan, Ehrman, etc.)
• The First Good Friday and Its Redemptive Provision
• The Ancient Rabbinic, Roman, and Non-biblical Historical Accounts
• The Proof of the Resurrection of Christ: The Facts within a Certain Rational Framework
• Who Really Killed Jesus?
• The Evidence of The Historicity of Christ’s Life, Death, and Resurrection

In this fully loaded apologetics resource, Robinson gives a complete biblical account of the events leading up to the illegal trials, killing, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Drawn from numerous ancient documents and archives, the infinitely lofty as well as the minutia of facts are examined within the Jewish and Roman proceedings that led to the atoning death of the Son of God. It is a remarkable look at the killing of Jesus Christ, and one that will leave an unforgettable imprint on every reader.

In eBook format HERE

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Paperback - All encompassing apologetics




GOD DOES EXIST! You will encounter recent apologetic research employing Van Til's and Bahnsen's Presuppositional argument through a fresh street-level approach that allows you to:
  • Refute atheism and agnosticism 
  • Demonstrate that the triune God exists 
  • Intellectually defeat vain philosophy 
  • A Great Introduction to Presuppositional Apologetics 
  • Learn how to share your faith with confidence 
  • Discover how logic, morality, and mathematics presuppose God 
  • Apply Presuppositional Apologetics to disprove Darwinism
  • Utilize Evidential Apologetics within a Covenantal Apologetic framework.
Purchase in Paperback God Does Exist! on Amazon HERE





By Mike Robinson - World Religion Apologetics eBook Format

        

It’s difficult to find books that refute Islam using worldview criticism and Christian philosophy. But herein Robinson produces an innovative book that argues that Islamic thought fails the test of reason and that Christian theism is not only true, but Christianity is rationally necessary and assured. Refuting Allah, Proving Jesus is a readable volume; accessible yet scholarly.

This volume is a must for everyone concerned about defending Christian theism against the claims of Islamic thought.

If you desire to find out how a philosophical, biblical, theological, and transcendental analysis refutes the Qur’an and Islamic thought, then this book is for you.

Within its pages are numerous deductive and transcendental arguments which make it a very unique book regarding comparative religion. It’s a fine resource for a searching non-Christian, those with apologetic or philosophical interests, religious scholars, and ministers.

In Refuting Allah, Proving Jesus Islam is a clearly written and fairly presented statement of what Islamic Theism implies and how we as Christians can argue for the truth of the Triune God as we present the claims of Christ to Muslims in a persuasive and caring manner.

Logically meticulous, apologetically relevant, and philosophically indispensable, this is a richly illuminating work. Anyone interested in sharing the truth with Muslim friends or understanding the doctrines and theological foundation of Islam will appreciate this new apologetic resource.

Using an easy–to–follow format this book helps the reader answer questions like:
  •   Did Mohammad exist and what are to flaws of the Qur'an? 
  •   Muhammad and Jesus Christ—what are their roles and who has a legitimate claim to authority? 
  •  The Qur’an and the Bible—what kind of inspiration and authority do they have? 
  •   Islamic Theology—What are the theological, philosophical, and logical problems? 


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Risen: Proof for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ




On Amazon at http://amzn.to/2bIwLBp
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An eBook by Mike Robinson New-Age & Relativism Apologetics


Countless skeptics, atheists, and secularists are utilizing relativism to challenge Christians in the public square. The new apologetics book Defeating Relativism, Subjectivism, and Self-Refuting Statements shows that relativism is not just false, but intellectually unmanageable. The author demonstrates that absolute truth and objective moral values do exist and the contrary is not possible. This volume may contain the largest list of Self-refuting statements (and proper replies) in one resource.

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Reality and the Folly of Atheism




On Amazon at http://amzn.to/2b0legT

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Historical Apologetics Grounded on Ultimate Precommitments - eBook Format
No man in the past or the present has provoked such widely differing opinions as Jesus Christ. Some say He was merely a good and decent man, while others say He must be God in the flesh. In many trendy books, Christ’s story is altered to suit the whims of those seeking to make Him a supporter of numerous political or ethical causes. Today, fashionable skeptics like Bart Ehrman follow in the footsteps of the Jesus Seminar as they reject the biblical depiction of Jesus. They do not depict Him as God who came to atone for the sins of humanity. They attempt to reduce Christ to a mere man to suit their quirks and odd notions—they attempt to depict Christ as a zealot, a mystical sage, or a prophet for progressive values. 

In How Jesus God Became in the Flesh, you will discover: 

• Innovative Ways to Refute Critics of the Bible 
• How the Foundation of Hypercritical Scholarship Collapses 
• A Powerful Defense of the Trinity 
• The Historical Evidence for Christ and the New Testament 
• The Early Church Father’s Proclamation of Christ’s Divinity 
• The Proof that Jesus Christ is God 
• The Church Did Not Make Christ Divine by Vote 

Jesus Christ's influence on our world is commanding, unavoidable, constructive, and often reviled. It is commanding because He is the Lord who fulfils His word; it is unavoidable for the reason that He is God and His name is known in every nation; it is constructive in light of the wisdom, love, education, and salvation it has produced; it is reviled because He makes moral demands upon humanity. 

In How Jesus Became God in the Flesh, Mike Robinson robustly defends the divinity of Christ, His incarnation, and the doctrine of the Trinity. He rests on Scripture as he explores philosophy, ontology, history, and textual criticism. In this innovative volume, Robinson maintains Jesus Christ is God—the contrary is not possible. 

Not only is there compelling evidence that Jesus was something loftier than a mere man—that He was, in fact, God in the flesh. By wrestling with the biblical view of the Logos and the accounts of His birth, ministry, death, and resurrection, Robinson clarifies the scriptural depiction of Jesus of Nazareth: God the Son—he undercuts the critics at their foundation. This reader-friendly book examines events, sayings, teachings, and the history of Jesus, using the Greek texts, ancient Rabbinical documents, and modern philosophy in service of the truth—God came to the earth to save men. Grab a warm beverage, pull up a seat, participate in the discussion, and learn how captivating the conversation regarding the historical Jesus can be. 








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by Michael Robinson - Children's & Teens Apologetics


A unique and easy way for your Kids, young teens, and middle school children to learn how to prove Christian truth. Do you want to reach America’s largest mission field? Look in your home or Sunday School classroom: Young People! And with this new book they can learn to defend the Christian worldview.

Many intellectuals spend the greater part of their life carefully guarding their ideas and shielding their worldview and ultimate pre-commitments from critical analysis; especially Biblical critics and skeptics. In this new book Robinson challenges the rational assumptions and ethical presuppositions that drive unbelief as he offers potent arguments for Christian theism.
Check out Who Made Truth on Amazon HERE Purchase paperback through eMail ALrob2020@gmail.com





by Michael Robinson - Cult and Mormonism Apologetics - eBook Format


Christian Philosophy and Presuppositions Critique Mormonism is not just another book in the standard collection of recent works refuting the Mormon faith. The great majority of books which disprove Mormonism use arguments that demonstrate the absurdity of the claims of the Book of Mormon & Joseph Smith. Instead, Robinson deploys unique “How-to” arguments which refute Mormonism at its core. It offers a unique and fresh approach.
Also in Paperback on Amazon



 by Michael Robinson - Moral Apologetics

        
This unique book demonstrates, with an easy-flowing style, that Moral Absolutes must exist and God is the necessary ground for unchanging moral norms. The Sure Existence of Moral Absolutes: The Proof God Exists provides precise arguments in a simple to understand manner--step-by-step ways to demonstrate that God exists. This volume helps you refute: 1. Atheists 2. Agnostics 3. False religions.
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by Michael Robinson - World Religion Apologetics - eBook format


If you desire to find out how a philosophical, biblical, theological, and presuppositional analysis refutes Hinduism, New Age Thought, & Eastern Religions, then this book is for you. This book is simple, powerful, unique, and accessible to the non-scholar. Examines: Hindus, New Agers, Sikhs, Krishna, The Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita and more.




by Mike Robinson - Paperback - Rational and Worldview Apologetics


Within these pages Robinson contends that the worldview revealed in Scripture is the precondition for all knowledge. The God of the Bible is the source and the basis of every element of mankind’s experience, knowledge, and value. This is a fine resource that will help believers and unbelievers discover the enormous amount of evidence that exists for the truth of Christianity. In "Many Infallible Truths" the reality of Theism is made clear: Men know that God exists. All men have their ultimate rational criteria, yet only a worldview based on Christian theism can provide absolute reasons to justify truth and knowledge. Robinson supplies powerful and vital arguments for the existence of God.


•a case for Christian theism built upon the rational and ethical bedrock required for knowledge
•an expansion of recent advancements concerning:
◦a) the argument from knowledge
◦b) the argument from reason
◦c) and the argument from the laws of thought using a concatenation of rational necessities.

•How can one utilize Justification in one’s apologetic approach?

Included is new and distinctive material that will help the reader refute the arguments from the hostile “new atheists.”
Purchase in Paperback on Amazon Truth, Knowledge, and the Reason for God HERE
And in eBook format HERE




Moral Apologetics eBook format


Many types of personal vice and public immorality flow from and are sustained by lies.  Acts of infidelity and other personal disloyalties, financial deceit, government dishonesty—even killing and massacres—usually involve an additional moral flaw: a readiness to lie.

Yes, Lying: The Case Against Dishonesty provides precise arguments in a simple-to-understand way, as Robinson offers deep scriptural, apologetic, and philosophical truths concerning lying. If, as a Christian, you know that lying is wrong, but you don't know how to demonstrate this fact, then this book will help clear it up. “Lying” gives you simple step-by-step ways to understand and apply the deep-seated moral value of honesty.

This fresh volume helps you refute: 
• Atheists 
• Agnostics 
• People in false religions 
• Secularists 
• Cult members 

You will learn the reasons why lying is wrong while discovering numerous proofs for the existence of God—much of the material discusses lying within the context of objective moral values. The author affirms and works from an innovative approach that will equip you with the latest apologetic research; the book is path-breaking in its readability of difficult concepts. 


• Understand how men and nations can be dishonest 
• Comprehend how dishonesty affects your relationships 
• Demonstrate that the God of the Bible exists 
• Learn how to have absolute certainty 
• Discover how honesty and morality require and presuppose God 

In Lying, top-selling author and pastor Mike Robinson contends that we can fundamentally better our lives and improve culture by simply telling the truth in situations where others often lie. Purchase Lying on Amazon  HERE

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by Michael Robinson - Worldview Apologetics for the New Atheism - eBook Format

Frequently summoned as justification for atheism and skepticism, modern science actually offers reasons for Christian theism. More than that, without the truth of Christianity, one could not even do science. Robinson challenges the dogmas of atheism, relativism and materialism as he demonstrates that only the existence of God explains reality, including: matter, order, science, design, and ethics.




by Michael Robinson - World Religion Apologetics - eBook


It’s difficult to find books that attempt to disprove Buddhism (and non-Christian religions) using Christian philosophy. In Christian Philosophy and Presuppositional Apologetics Examine Buddhism, Robinson produces an innovative thought-provoking book that argues that only Christian theism is true and certain, and that Buddhism is false.


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Christian Philosophical Apologetics  by Michael Robinson

Confrontational atheism is on the warpath. In recent years pop-atheists have written a steady stream of combative books belittling Christian theism. These authors are merely the leading edge of a larger movement that includes various E-atheists. In response, Mike Robinson, author of twenty books, delivers a fascinating defense of Christianity based upon the nature of God: His matchless ontology.





God and Logic: Proof, Rationality and Theism    
Philosophical Logic Apologetics by Michael Robinson

           
In God and Logic: Proof, Rationality and Theism, Mike Robinson approaches the topic of logic using confident apologetics as he gives careful attention to crucial questions and concerns; including the relationship between God and logic, the existence of the true God, the power of the truth of the Trinity, and the problems inherent in atheism. Unique, informative, and very useful. Buy God and Logic HERE


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by Michael Robinson eBook Price: $12.95

Robinson exposes the shortcomings of atheism, agnosticism, and skepticism as the author contends that with a fresh examination of the logic, evidence, and science, atheism is no longer reasonable; there are too many gaps, unexplained assumptions, subjective hypotheses, and conceptual flaws. This is an excellent book for those who desire to think seriously through the claims of Christian theism.

by Michael Robinson - eBook Price: $6.95 Evangelism

Failure at winning the lost and a lack of desire in witnessing are often part of the modern Christian life. Why are many unbelievers turning away from the message of the Bible? Doesn't scripture call us to bring sinners to true repentance? Using biblical truths and dynamic anecdotes, Pastor Mike Robinson presents the crucial truths that are needed to share your faith effectively.


Numerous illustrations - Great for Sermons!

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by Michael Robinson
 eBook - Price: $11.95 Evidence within Presuppositional Context
Are you sometimes concerned that someone will ask you a question about your faith that you can’t answer? Have you tried to learn how to prove and contend for your faith but have gotten lost in puzzling language and concepts? Have you struggled with periods of doubt yourself? This new, easy-to-understand apologetic book provides simple but powerful tools to help you defend Christianity.

by Michael Robinson eBook Price: $11.95 Logic Based Apologetics

ARISTOTLE, FREGE, THE LAWS OF LOGIC AND THEISM: How Christianity Accounts For the Laws of Reason Robinson supplies powerful and vital arguments for the necessity of the Laws of Thought and the existence of God as he analyzes the works of Aristotle and Frege. Included is new and distinctive material that will help the reader refute irrationalism and anti-theism. Purchase HERE

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by Michael Robinson eBook Price: $9.95 Cult Apologetics

New Book on Jehovah’s Witnesses: This book is a fresh, unique, and groundbreaking biblical and philosophical look at the faith of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Watchtower organization. The author exposes their inconsistencies and proves that rationally, philosophically, and biblically this high-demand religion cannot be true.

Purchase this cult apologetics book HERE

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Michael A. Robinson, author of dozens of books on apologetics, the Bible, and history, the long-time pastor of Christ Covenant Church, Abundant Life Church, and instructor at FLBS. Robinson has trained numerous average Christians in using innovative apologetics for witnessing to the unbeliever. He is available for speaking and teaching seminars. 
Contact AAP at AppliedApologeticsPress@gmail.com