Nat Crawford - Executive Coach, Speaker, Leader

A quick note to my readers: The Searching Apologist has found a new home. I, and my family, have been asked to teach apologetics at First Evangelical Free Church here in Lincoln, NE. After much excitement, prayer, discussion, and godly counsel we said "yes!"  My first class will be teaching alongside a friend and brother in Christ - Brian Abbot. We'll be co-leading a class titled "How Do We Know The Bible is Real?" We'll be tacking the following topics: How did we get the Bible? How do we know we have the right Bible? Is the Bible a reliable source of truth? Can we trust the Bible to guide our lives? Please join us as we work through this topic and see the incomparable nature of divine revelation. We'll be meeting Sunday mornings at 9am from September 15th through October 6th.  For location and additional information, check out E. Free's website . And yes, I will blog more...

I had been wondering what to write about next when my oldest son, Simon asked "Why do we say 'amen' after we pray?" I was blessed because I had just researched this very same topic. Christian or non-Christian, we all say "amen" at junctures in our lives. We're familiar with it, but few know why we say it. It's not saying "Peace out, God" or "I'm good here." No sir. It is saying, "I lay aside my request, my will and submit it to your will , God." This realization is so important because it removes us from the assumption that prayer is purely an opportunity get goodies from God. Rather it is a chance to communicate, listen and ultimately submit to God's will.  Remember, Jesus taught us how to pray:      Our Father who is in heaven,      Hallowed be Your name. 10       ‘Your kingdom come.       Your will be done ,      On earth as it is in heaven. 11       ‘ Give us this d...

Okay, first I know this seems like a weird topic to target in July. Maybe, but I have a reason. A month ago I boarded a plane for Los Angeles. It was in LA that I spent two weeks learning from the greatest minds in apologetics, as well as being at the "Star Trek Convention" for Christian apologists. It was great. On a personal note, I walked away from my time with some great friends and a renewed (and challenged) belief in Christianity. It was during one of my lectures the topic of Halloween came up. Hence, this is why I blog now. So, should Christians "celebrate" Halloween? By celebrate I really mean partake in it. Okay, a brief history lesson to understand where Halloween comes from. It originally was a Celtic feast of Samhaim. It was a night that Druids believed the separation between the natural and supernatural was breached. Druids believed demons and witches were released to bully humans. Those concerned with the Druids beliefs would camouflage themselves...

Are There Any "Good" People? The second issue raised is how could a loving God send "good" people to hell? The nature of this question is troublesome because it is subjective in its understanding and in its measurement. How would someone measure and record their good and bad deeds? It is impossible. Would such a recording, if possible, be subject to bias for at least a 51% ratio of good to bad? It is highly unlikely someone would willingly put forth a case to condemn oneself to eternal punishment. This problem is minor in comparison to the subjective nature man would judge goodness. One must ask, “What is good? What is bad?” Without an objective guide, cultures and individuals will determine good or bad. What this does is put an individual like Osama Bin Laden and his actions behind September 11th in comparison to the child who steals a piece of gum or Hitler’s attempted genocide of the Jews. Some would say “Bin Laden is bad compared to me, but he’s got a few mor...

Again, I will start with an apology for my tardiness in blogging. The selling and purchasing of homes, as well as reading and writing of papers for graduate work, as well as being a father and husband have been my focus for a few months. Moving on, there is much discussion today about hell and its fairness. Today this debate carries on in secular circles as well as "Christian" circles. After a far-too-long hiatus, I want to tackle the topic of the fairness of hell. Do you realize every minute 107 individuals die world-wide.[1] That means on average 154,080 people die every day. The number of people who have died since Adam and Eve is incalculable. The thought of those who will not be saved from God's judgment and hell is a sobering, and frankly depressing. But there are those in today's culture who are challenging the fairness of hell - even the existence of hell. This challenge first comes from the atheist and agnostics. John Lennon encouraged his listener's t...

Can God create an object too big to move? I think we have all given this question audience. Some of us ask out of sincerity and others out of ulterior motives. Regardless, let's look at it. The first problem we find in this question is the premise. God can do anything that is consistent with His nature, therefore cannot do everything. For the Christian who hears this red flags go up. Allow me to explain. First, God cannot be tempted. James 1:13 states, " When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone." God cannot lie as seen in Hebrews 6:18: "   God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,  we who have fled to take hold of the hope  set before us may be greatly encouraged." And God cannot fade away,  In the beginning   you laid the foundations of the earth,  and the heavens   are the work of your hands.  They will perish,   bu...

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:14 " For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband..." At first glance it appears this verse implies as long as a spouse is saved, an unbelieving spouse will experience salvation as well. Is this correct? First, sanctified is the Greek transliterated  hagiazo . Here in 1 Corinthians it means " to separate from profane things and dedicate to God." This is very different than being saved. The believer has been set apart from the wickedness of the unbeliever, and the unbeliever is set apart from the total influence of sin in the world. The work of the Holy Spirit is alive in the life of the believer thus impacting the life of the unbeliever. Pastor and theologian John MacArthur stated, " You become set apart unto God and holy when you believe in Christ...but just having been in a home or living in a home where somebody is a Christian, has...