Author Archives: robbowman

Jesus as God and Distinct from God: A Reply to Kegan Chandler

In his book The God of Jesus in Light of Christian Dogma, Kegan Chandler repeats Dale Tuggy’s critique of Richard Bauckham’s “divine identity Christology,” which is essentially that the idea is logically contradictory. As part of his critique, Chandler offers … Continue reading

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Enoch, Jude, the Canon, and the Sons of God: Some Notes for the Curious

In an odd coincidence, I was asked twice in one day to comment about the canonicity of the Book of Enoch and some related matters. I will not attempt to resolve all of the issues here, but instead will offer … Continue reading

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Don’t Know Much about Book of Mormon Geography

On January 29, 2019 (yesterday as of the time of this writing), the LDS Church published an article online entitled “Book of Mormon Geography,” another installment in its series of innocuously titled “Gospel Topics” essays. Begun in 2013, this series … Continue reading

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Six Hints that the “Baby Jesus Stories” of the Gospels Were Not Late Additions

Gerard van Honthorst, Adoration of the Shepherds (1622)   Every December, articles circulate online (and often in major news magazines) calling into question the truth of the virgin birth of Christ. This year, a blog article posted on December 19, … Continue reading

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Is Apologetics a Discipline?

Brian Huffling, a philosopher of religion at Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES), wrote a provocative essay on his blog in March 2018 entitled “Why Christian Apologetics Is Not a Discipline.” This interesting think piece was brought to my attention today on … Continue reading

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Leaving IRR but Not Leaving Mormonism Alone!

Last month, I announced that the Institute for Religious Research, where I have worked since 2008, was facing a deep financial crisis that made its future after the spring of next year very doubtful. Since that announcement, a few people … Continue reading

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Are You Smarter than a Trinitarian? Part Two: Responding to Mormon Misrepresentations of the Trinity

In Part One of this response to LDS apologist Ronald Kimmons’s flow chart on the Trinity, I summarized his argument and replied to red herrings or misdirections included in that chart that are not germane to the issue of whether … Continue reading

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Are You Smarter than a Trinitarian? Part One: Responding to Mormon Misdirection on the Trinity

Ronald Kimmons is a Latter-day Saint businessman with political ambitions, a self-described “digital marketing professional, linguist, and smartypants” who has also spent a lot of time answering questions on the popular Q&A website Quora. According to his Quora profile, Kimmons, … Continue reading

Posted in Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus and Christology, Mormonism, Trinity, Unitarianism | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Answers to Mormon Answers on Moroni 8:18

August 18 is observed annually with the message “We Agree with Moroni 8:18” by evangelical Christians who seek to share the biblical faith with Latter-day Saints. Moroni 8:18, a verse near the end of the Book of Mormon, states: For … Continue reading

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And Don’t Call Us Mormons: The LDS Church and Language Control

Earlier today the website Mormon Newsroom issued an “Official Statement” from Russell Nelson, the President and Prophet of the LDS Church: The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His Church, even … Continue reading

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