The World Could Use Some Apologists
Part 10 – Docetism & Gnosticism Some would say that the material world is inherently evil. If that is true, God could not have become flesh like we read in John 1. This teaching is also called ‘Docetism’ and it seems to tight in closely with Gnosticism. Which is Which? Okay, it might be a […] 
Part 9 – Subordinationism We read in the Bible that Jesus voluntarily placed Himself under the authority of the Father. But could it be that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are subordinate in terms of their nature and in essence? This is what we are going to discuss today. Subordinationism Subordinationism teaches that Jesus (and […] 
Part 8 – Kenosis Did Jesus empty himself of divinity in the incarnation? In other words, did Jesus give up His deity when He became human? This idea is sometimes called kenotic theology. Confusing This word, kenosis, is confusing at best and misleading at worst. The word kenosis comes from the Greek kenoo, which mean […] 
Part 7 – Adoptionism As far back as the second century, several groups already debated Jesus’ preexistence. One such group are called Adoptionists. They denied the preexistence of Jesus and, as a consequence, His deity. Jesus was tested by God According to these teaching, Jesus was just a human like you and I. Adoptionism, says […] ![Can You Realy Decide to Follow Christ? [About Free Will and Pelagianism]](https://i2.wp.com/www.apologeet.nl/wp-content/uploads/images/studies/heresies-gb-6.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Part 6 – Pelagianism I came to Christ around 1994. In my testimony I often say that I chose to be saved by Jesus. I think you can even hear me saying that in my online testimony.i But, does that mean that I was capable of deciding all one my own? Pelagianism Well, it might […] 
Part 5 – Donatism Is your baptism invalid if your baptiser was adulterer? Picture this: You decided to become a real follower of Christ. You realised that you needed to be baptist. That is your first step of obedience to Jesus. Your pastor was more than willing to baptise you. But, two weeks later you […] 
Part 4 – Modalism Jesus is like an uncle, nephew, father, brother, or son… Come on Patrick! Try this: Ask your pastor, youth leader or someone else in your church to explain the trinity! That is a fun question to ask, don’t you think? Many will struggle to give a good answer, and that is […] 
Part 3 – Antinomianism Let’s ditch the Old Testament laws! We are no longer under the law, right? Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. Still, in many churches, we find the commandments written on banners. What’s more, every Sunday many congregations […] 
Part 2 – Arianism ➜ ➜ ➜ PS. Who noticed the mistake at the end of the video? No, it wasn’t a slip of the tongue. It was really in my head…. But what? A Christian believes that salvation cannot come through works or by another created being. We believe that we can only be […] 
Part 1 – What is heresy? Jehovah’s Witnesses are like the Dutch people… You’ll find them all around the world. Please don’t complain about this comparison. I myself am Dutch. And I know, the Dutch mostly go around the world to do business, which can be good, right? The Jehovah’s Witnesses mostly go around to […] 
Despite living on Madagascar, the new developments in the West have not escaped my attention. What strikes me, and annoys me, is that many words are being redefined. This happens mainly because of the left-liberal movements we see popping up every where in western countries. For a Christian, words and their definitions are very important. […] 
Before I came to faith, I really did take a critical look at other religions. Later, when I was already a Christian, I studied Islam over and over again. My conclusion? I am not exactly a huge fan of this religion. But that is too short and some might think I would dislike the people […] 
Jan van Meerten is the driving force behind the website Fundamentum (oorsprong.info). Jan’s work goes far beyond his website. He has always been very active in all kinds of study days and conferences. It is thanks to Jan that I get informed, on a regulart basis, about what is going on in the more Reformed […] 
If you think defending the Christian faith is just a small discipline within theology, you might be surprised that there are several styles. These styles come with their own extensive literature. There are four main types of Christian apologetics: Classical, evidential, presuppositional, and fideism. In this video I would like to look with you at […] 
If you think defending the Christian faith is just a small discipline within theology, you might be surprised that there are several styles. These styles come with their own extensive literature. There are four main types of Christian apologetics: Classical, evidential, presuppositional, and fideism. In this video I would like to look with you at […] 
If you think defending the Christian faith is just a small discipline within theology, you might be surprised that there are several styles. These styles come with their own extensive literature. There are four main types of Christian apologetics: Classical, evidential, presuppositional, and fideism. In this video I would like to look with you at […] 
If you think defending the Christian faith is just a small discipline within theology, you might be surprised that there are several styles. These styles come with their own extensive literature. There are four main types of Christian apologetics: Classical, evidential, presuppositional, and fideism. In this video I would like to look with you at […] 
Introduction I recently received a comment on one of my posts on my website. The person wasn’t really polite towards me because apparently I am completely brainwashed with complete loss of self-identity and therefore critical thinking. Not only that but I am also in a psychosis, totally trapped in a delusional system. Don’t you just […] 
Romans 9:14-24 Did God created people to go to hell? Firstly, this is an important issue which demands an answer. The letter to the Romans is considered by many to be the most influential letter of Paul’s writings. Up till today it is still deemed to be the most doctrinal Epistle of the New Testament. […] 
1. Have the New Testament documents not been corrupted? True enough, we hadn’t had the possibility to copy and paste the documents back then. So, all the documents had to be copied by hand, which was a tedious job. On top of that, we do not have the original documents, as written by the apostles […] 
Part 2 – The Signs of Apostasy You might have heard this word before: Apostasy. It’s basic meaning is to fall away from the truth. It is a kind of rejection even though someone knows the truth. Therefore, an apostate is someone who has once believed and then rejected the truth of God. In the […] 
Part 1 – What makes an apostate? You might have heard this word before: Apostasy. It’s basic meaning is to fall away from the truth. It is a kind of rejection even though someone knows the truth. I am talking about the truth of the Gospel of course. Therefore, an apostate is someone who has […] 
Persecution, you know? I don’t really like this word. Not that I deny that there is persecution in this world. No, more because many of us use this word in the most inappropriate situations. Let’s be honest here. Many of us who can afford to watch this video or reading this article experience no real […] 
I never really bothered about the extra books in the Roman Catholic bible. I always thought that this was just about a dispute in the early church. But is it? Let’s find out. Many of our more respectable Bibles, such as the King James Version, Revised Standard Version, and the New International Version, have just […] 
Masculinity or manliness, is the topic I started to address in my last video. In that video we have discussed the moral duty of a man to be virtuous. Virtue is the habit of choosing what is good and right, despite our own inclinations. So, a real godly man will try to find out what […] 
Masculinity or manliness, is a topic I wanted to address for a long time already. I have already did a video about the idea of ‘What is a man.’ Actually, I have been thinking about what it means to be a man ever since I became a Christian somewhere in 1994. When I was a […] 
I grew up with the books of Roald Dahl. I wasn’t such a great reader myself, but the teachers were doing a great job during the read aloud. I loved the story of the Twits and the Big Friendly Giant. These stories were colourful and exiting! But not very politically correct. What did I know […] 
You might have heard of the five ‘solas’ of protestantism. It is basically a summary of what the protestants believe to be true after the reformation. Sola is latin for ‘only’ or ‘alone.’ I will explain a bit more about these ‘solas’ in a minute. But I mostly want to think with you about ‘sola […] 
Last month I received a question through my website about universalism, and whether I could say a thing or two about it. Universalism (Greek: apokastastasis) states that sooner or later all people will be saved for eternity. This position holds that the concepts of hell and punishment are inconsistent with a loving God. Early Church […] 
We hear a lot about the ‘woke’ movement. Everywhere you come you’ll meet people who refer to themselves as being ‘woke.’ In the supermarkets, on our universities, in the big companies, and even within some churches. What is this idea of being ‘woke’ anyway, and why do some Christians embrace this idea? Definition of the […] 
Have you ever wondered whether the Holy Spirit lives in you or not? I know I have! When I became a Christian the whole concept of the Holy Spirit was baffling to me. Well willing Christians tried to explain it to me, and they came with all sorts of terms: Baptism in the Spirit; receiving […] 
I guess this is the follow-up of the last video in which we tackled the doctrine of ‘once saved, always saved.’ Can a Christian lose salvation? Good question! What is a Christian? First, I think it will be smart to determine what a Christian is. A ‘Christian’ is not someone who sits in church every […] 
Today, I would like to take a look at this doctrine of ‘once saved, always saved.’ Actually, I don’t think it is an official church doctrine today. The doctrine has been around for a long time already. This time, I think I am not going to give you just one answer. To be honest, I […] 
Unity or Diversity… or Both? Last week we’ve had the annual conference with all the Missionaries from our organisation on Madagascar. My wife and I helped organising the week and that is nice because we get to plan when we have breaks and what kind of programme we have. We don’t really like the kind […] 
or, How not to Debate an Atheist What not to say to an atheist or how not to debate an atheist. Two different approaches to the same topic in my opinion. First of all, let me say this: I do not like to debate with atheists, sceptics or any other who says they don’t believe […] 
The Problem of Evil The Epicurean paradox is very often used as a tool to deny or at least too seed doubts about the existence of a God. Now, I am very luck to have my own atheistic and sceptical followers on my video channels. I mean, some would even say that a self-respecting apologist […] 
#5 God Must be Horrible: Sadomasochistic, Capriciously Malevolent Bully Skip the introduction ↵ ↵ I believe it was 2006 that Mr Dawkins published his book, the God Delusion. I have never paid to much attention to his writings simply because I thought the hype would die a fast and silent death. His book isn’t, what […] 
#4 God Must be Horrible: Pestilential & Megalomaniacal Skip the introduction ↵ ↵ I believe it was 2006 that Mr Dawkins published his book, the God Delusion. I have never paid to much attention to his writings simply because I thought the hype would die a fast and silent death. His book isn’t, what you […] 
#3 Homophobic, Racist, Infanticidal, Genocidal, Filicidal Skip the introduction ↵ ↵ I believe it was 2006 that Mr Dawkins published his book, the God Delusion. I have never paid to much attention to his writings simply because I thought the hype would die a fast and silent death. His book isn’t, what you would call, […] 
#2 God Must be Horrible: Vindictive, Bloodthirsty Ethnic Cleanser, Misogynistic Skip the introduction ↵ ↵ I believe it was 2006 that Mr Dawkins published his book, the God Delusion. I have never paid to much attention to his writings simply because I thought the hype would die a fast and silent death. His book isn’t, […] 
#1 God Must be Horrible: Jealous, Petty, Unjust, Unforgiving, Control-freak Skip the introduction ↵ ↵ I believe it was 2006 that Mr Dawkins published his book, the God Delusion. I have never paid to much attention to his writings simply because I thought the hype would die a fast and silent death. His book isn’t, […] 
Utterly Destroyed Intro I have touched on this subject, differently, several times before. Divine war is a confusing subject. How can a God of love command His people to kill others? How can this be seen as ‘divine’ while it more or less looks like genocide. First things First Before we discuss the topic we […] 
Intro In the last video I talked about how you should not raise your kids, and hopefully it helped you to be more conscience about the importance of your role as a parent. Now, there is another thing I would like to discuss. I came to realise that one of the biggest weapons of Satan […] 
I am going to do it again… That one thing that has brought me in trouble several times before. I am going to talk about raising children. Trouble So, why would this topic bring me in trouble? I think it is because it is a very emotional issue. I don’t know of any parents who […] 
My daughter came up with a new documentary by Matt Walsh named: What is a woman? Living on Madagascar has its benefits when it comes to these issues. Here, a woman is a woman and a man is a man… Not many Malagasy understand the question anyway. Yes, there are man who are more feminine […] 
[Part 1] Go to part two In the last video I already touched on one aspect of the importance of apologetics. I know, I am a bit strange. On the one hand I say that I will not use it, to much, in online debates. But on the other hand I believe it is very […] 
Why I don’t debate atheists? Well, that statement is not entirely true because, so now and then, I do respond on their remarks. However, I try to avoid these endless debates on forums, YouTube and other online platforms. You see, it is often a quite different situation if you meet someone in person, and it […] 
The Unsafe Position of an Apologist Part 2 Apologetics is the branch of Christian theology that deals with the defence and establishment of the Christian faith. An apologist uses logic, evidence, scripture, and wisdom when dealing with opposition, challenges and questions. An apologist loves to gain knowledge in a multitude of subjects like biblical theology, […] 
The Unsafe Position of an Apologist Part 1 Click here for part two I love apologetics. Apologetics is the branch of Christian theology that deals with the defence and establishment of the Christian faith. An apologist uses logic, evidence, scripture, and wisdom when dealing with opposition, challenges and questions. But there are serious dangers when […] 
Atheist Experience 30-03-2008i This wager thingy was still on my mind when I came across a YouTube channel called the ‘Atheist Experience.’ This channel is already running 13 years, so you could say that these guys are pretty experienced in them being atheistic and all. One of the faces of this channel is mister Matt […] 
You Wanna Bet on it? My kids love to climb trees. Overall, I’m okay with that, but I normally give them one very important but simple rule: You are not allowed to fall out! And whatta you know… They tend to break that one simple rule every time. One day, one of them came running […] 
Nortega came up a good topic. He said: If you can, would you mind explaining why we should use our (bodily or spiritual) capacities for the ends to which they are ordered? […] To my knowledge, the notion of ‘ordered’ in the sense in which I am using it derives from Thomistic and (originally) Aristotelian […] 
In this series, we will discuss the Christian Stance on abortion. Many Christians are mute on this topic. This is unfortunate and unnecessary because there are good theological and reasonable arguments to take a firm stand in this debate. In this first part, I’ll lay out the lines along I would like to tackle this […] 
A bit overdue but, better late than never. Last year, Brett send me a question about Deism. He said: In the Deistic model, a world with a God or a world without a God look the exact same. If God is a non-interventionist [in other words: When God is not intervening with the world], then […] 
In the last video, and the videos before I asked you whether you have any topics you would like me to discuss. So far, I have several. One of you want to talk about deism and why it is or isn’t a flawed idea. And Nortega came up with also a good topic. He said: […] 
What is good for you, isn’t necessarily good for me. Did you hear that one before? I did! It is called ‘moral subjectivism’, and it is very popular in our western society. But things seems to change if you start to talk about one’s conscience. I have met many who do not, or who refuse, […] 
This argument from miracles, and others, like the argument from religious experience and the argument from change, are not designed to prove the absolute existence of God they only claim a strong probability. Still, I include these kinds of arguments because they, together with all the other arguments, form a strong cumulative case. Other arguments […] 
This argument is closely related to the ontological argument. It starts from the idea of God. However, unlike the ontological argument, it does not say that real being is part of the content of that idea. Nope, it tries to demonstrate that only God Himself could have make this idea to develop in our thoughts. […] 
The material world we know is a world of change. My oldest son is about 1.76 metre. But he was not always that height. When he was born, he was about 51 centimetres. Yes, he changed a lot during the last 15 years. General Sherman is the biggest tree in the world. According to estimates, […] 
A Biblical Case for the Church’s Duty to Remain Open Christ is Lord of all. He is the one true head of the church (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23; Colossians 1:18). He is also King of kings—sovereign over every earthly authority (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16). The Church should stand immovably on those biblical principles. As […] 
We have discussed several arguments for God. Now we’ve come to the fifth argument and I think this one will tricker most resistance. The Religious Experience argument for the existence of God! A religious experience is when someone feels they have had a direct or personal experience of God. This argument basically says that if […] 
A new video! On apologetics again. I promised in my last video to show you a bit of our road here in the countryside of Madagascar. So, stay tuned, because I will paste some of that footage at the end of this video. Anyway, let’s get started. I grew up in a time that knew […] 
Not a topic about apologetics this week. Something else got my attention. Last week I was reading the news items concerning my home country, the Netherlands. One article triggered my attention. It was an interview with a doctor about all the measures the government took and is still taking to prevent people from getting Corona. […] 
As missionary among the un-reached Antanala-people of Madagascar, I have heard this question a million times… Well, maybe not a million but many times. Mostly these questions are hidden in presuppositions. Among Christians some think that nobody will be saved, except those who’ve heard and believed the Gospel. While others, say that there are people […] 
What do you think? Are we like orphans or are we citizens of our universe? Are we just an accident, a fluke, a product of mere chance? If we have to belief the secular world we are just a result of time, space, matter, chance and impersonal laws. No, the universe is just what it […] 
Do you know mister William Lane Craig? This is a hugely smart man, and listening to him sounds like you’re reading an official academic essay. I’ve written a lot of essays and I wish I could write them as fast as he formulates his sentences. Mister Craig is well known for his philosophical way of […] 
Introduction In his 1078 work Proslogion, Anselm of Canterbury came with the idea which is known as ‘the ontological argument’. In this argument God’s existence is not just possible or probable or very likely, but is logically ensured. Anselm defined God as “that than which nothing greater can be thought”. Anselm said that this being […] 
What’s Next? See all videos below In previous videos, I have been talking that I wanted to do some videos on apologetic arguments. Until now, I have chosen different topics each time. Topics that some of you suggested and also topics suggested by my own family. The latest suggestion was that of the impact of […] 
One question that keeps popping up is that of why people won’t accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ.So, what than are the reasons people don’t accept the Gospel? The reasons can be all sorts of things such as religious traditions, peer pressure within the family or within friendships, the work of Satan, or even doubting […] 
Several scientific studies have now shown that immunity after a natural infection gives a better protection than immunity after Covid-19-vaccination. Natural immunity may well be necessary to build up full protection in the population, writes immunologist dr. Carla Peeters.a By now, the vulnerable and at-risk groups in most western countries have been vaccinated with one […] 
Part 4 – The Hard Questions Introduction This is part 4 of this series. Please watch the first three parts first to better understand this one. You’ll find the links in the description of this video. So, what actually will happen to those who never heard the Gospel? Where do they go when they die? […] 
Part 3 – Old Testament Introduction This is part 3 of this series. Please watch part one and two first because we build on those two videos in this part. You’ll find the links in the description of this video. As said, I work as missionary in the middle of nowhere on Madagascar, and I […] 
Part 2 – What is known to mankind? Introduction This is part 2 of this series. Please watch part one first because there we set out some basic truths on which we build on in this part. As said, I work as missionary in the middle of nowhere on Madagascar, and I have heard this […] 
Part 1 – Basic Truths As missionary among the un-reached Antanala-people of Madagascar, I have heard this question a million times… Well, maybe not a million but many times. Mostly these questions are hidden in presuppositions. Among Christians some think that nobody will be saved, except those who’ve heard and believed the Gospel. While others, […] 
#1 INTRODUCTION #1 introduction – description I have been listening to the discussion about the Covid-19 vaccine. It has almost become a religious debate. My biggest concern is the total misunderstanding of the stance of the so-called refusers. In the media, on the streets, among the politicians, and among worried people, there seems to be […] 
Part 1 Terms Part 2 Human or Not Part 3 Dilemmas Part 4 Compromise, Church, Conclusion Part 4 — Compromise, Churches, and the Conclusion Welcome to the last episode of this series about the Christian stance on abortion. In part three we have discussed two dilemmas that so now and then happen. We’ve seen that […] 
Part 1 Terms Part 2 Human or Not Part 3 Dilemmas Part 4 Compromise, Church, Conclusion Part 3 — Dilemmas You might have heard at least one of the ‘what ifs’. What if the girl gets pregnant after being raped, what if the girl is still studying, what if the lady is a bit old. […] 
Part 1 Terms Part 2 Human or Not Part 3 Dilemmas Part 4 Compromise, Church, Conclusion Part 2 — Human or Not Introduction Hi there! Welcome to the second part of this small series on abortion. I on purposely mention abortion in the first sentence of this video. Why? So nobody can mistakenly watch this […] 
Part 1 Terms Part 2 Human or Not Part 3 Dilemmas Part 4 Compromise, Church, Conclusion Part 1 — Clarifying the Terms Introduction Talking with my daughter is often an interesting experience. She is almost 17 and her view on the world isn’t much different from that of mine. However, the things that she reads, […] 
Part 1 – Introduction Part 2 – History Part 3 – What is doesn’t say Part 4 – Possible meaning Part 5 – What I think it means Part 6 – What to do with it? What to do with Romans 13:1-7 Introduction And here we are! The last episode of this series. I knew […] 
Part 1 – Introduction Part 2 – History Part 3 – What is doesn’t say Part 4 – Possible meaning Part 5 – What I think it means Part 6 – What to do with it? What I Believe Romans 13:1-7 Means Introduction I am a bit doubtful whether I should name this episode ‘What […] 
Part 1 – Introduction Part 2 – History Part 3 – What is doesn’t say Part 4 – Possible meaning Part 5 – What I think it means Part 6 – What to do with it? What Romans 13:1-7 Might Mean Introduction Sometimes you just want to see whether there are more possibilities than one. […] 
Part 1 – Introduction Part 2 – History Part 3 – What is doesn’t say Part 4 – Possible meaning Part 5 – What I think it means Part 6 – What to do with it? What Romans 13:1-7 isn’t saying Introduction This is part three of this series about Romans 13:1-7. In part two […] 
Part 1 – Introduction Part 2 – History Part 3 – What is doesn’t say Part 4 – Possible meaning Part 5 – What I think it means Part 6 – What to do with it? Throughout History of Romans 13:1-7 Let’s dive into the history and see what Christians throughout the ages made of […] 
Part 1 – Introduction Part 2 – History Part 3 – What is doesn’t say Part 4 – Possible meaning Part 5 – What I think it means Part 6 – What to do with it? Introduction to Romans 13:1-7 SCROLL down to see all episodes In my last video, I asked you what I […] 
Conclusion – They have proven Boston’s points Intro The conclusion of why people won’t accept the Gospel: They have proven Boston’s points Introductory video The first video was an introduction to this series. And yes! Right away I made a mistake. Not a huge one, but I did misrepresent Calvinism by stating that Calvinism says […] 
Reason 8 – They are not content with Christ but on terms of their own making Intro The eight reason of why people won’t accept the Gospel: They are not content with Christ but on terms of their own making Boston said: They are not content with Christ but on terms of their own making. […] 
Reason 7 – They have no anxiety for the supply of their soul-wants Intro The seventh reason of why people won’t accept the Gospel: They have no anxiety for the supply of their soul-wants Boston said: They have no anxiety for the supply of their soul-wants. They want grace and holiness, but they can be […] 
Reason 6 – They see not their own unworthiness of a Saviour’s help Intro The sixth reason of why people won’t accept the Gospel: They see not their own unworthiness of a Saviours help Boston said: They come to the market of grace with their money in their hand. They look on themselves as worthy […] 
Reason 5 – They do not feel their need of Christ Intro The fifth reason of why people won’t accept the Gospel: They do not feel their need of Christ Boston said: Revelation 3:17 “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art […] 
A short explanation of the Penal Substitution Theory These are just some notes a friend of mine took many years ago during our lectures. So they are not an extended explanation but just a brief overview. Penal (that Christ satisfied the penalty of the law, as the righteousness of the Father demanded) substitution (that he […] 
A short explanation of the Christus Victor theory These are just some notes a friend of mine took many years ago during our lectures. So they are not an extended explanation but just a brief overview. History Developed by Gustaf Aulén (May 15, 1879 – December 16, 1977) the Lutheran professor and Bishop of Strängnäs […] 
Reason 4 – ‘They are strangers to their utter inability to help themselves’ Intro The fourth reason of why people won’t accept the Gospel: They are strangers to their utter inability to help themselves Boston said: They are like Samson, in another case, who knew not that his strength was departed from him. We may […] 
Reason 3 – They have no idea about ‘the clouds of wrath which are hanging over their heads’ Intro The third reason of why people won’t accept the Gospel: They have no idea about ‘the clouds of wrath which are hanging over their heads’. Boston said: Their eyes are veiled, so that they see not […] 
Reason 2 – ‘Men have no true sight and sense of their own sinfulness.’ Intro Okay! We’re on a roll here! This is the second reason of why people won’t accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I’ve been pretty busy in the week after the introductory video about this series. I didn’t say much about […] 
Reason 1 – ‘No Due Sense of Spiritual want.’ So here we go, this is part one of eight reasons why people won’t accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The first reason: ‘No due sense of spiritual want.’ And I do apologize for the noise in the background it started to rain here and you […] 
Introduction I’ve been making 20 videos in which I tried to give simple answers on regular critical questions. I called this series the ‘silly Christian series’. Some, especially my kids, were wondering why I did that. One of them said that it is kind of offending to her. And she is quit right. I am […] 
Oh boy, this video is going to cost me some followers…. How about obesity? Or in other words, how about living an unhealthy lifestyle? Do we, as Christians, have anything to say about that? And if so, are there consequences for those who are mistreating their bodies? Nissan Patrol Well, before I dive into this […] 
