I can do no other
Today I want to talk about a subject that has haunted the church for almost two thousand years. A doctrine that keeps reappearing, always in a different guise, always with new words… but with the same old mistakes. I am talking about universalism — the belief that ultimately everyone will be saved. The reason for […]
You’ve probably noticed it — the endless debate about Calvinism and Arminianism. Who chooses whom? Does God choose us, or do we choose God? It’s been discussed for centuries, but lately, it feels more alive than ever. Online, you’ll find brothers like John Piper, R.C. Sproul, James White, Leighton Flowers, Michael Brown, and William Lane […]
![🇬🇧 500 Eyewitnesses Saw Jesus After His Death [but at what cost?]](https://i1.wp.com/www.apologeet.nl/wp-content/uploads/images/studies/500-yewitnesses-GB-thumb.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
Introduction Imagine having to die for a story. Not a vague idea or some philosophy, but an actual story of which you were part off yourself. That was exactly the choice the first eyewitnesses of Jesus were facing. They did not die for a fairytale, they died for what they had seen with their own […]
Have you ever wondered what the Bible says about Israel’s future? For many, this topic evokes curiosity and often confusion. Don’t panic! That feeling is not strange. What makes it difficult is that this subject is approached by many as if it just the easiest thing in the world. Now the fact that you don’t […]
We live in a time when information comes at us like a frenzy. It goes so superfast! The difference between what I had to learn in school and what my parents had to learn is huge. But I still had to go to a physical library to gather information. My kids go onto the internet […]
15 January 2025, I had a good conversation with my brother and friend, Kenneth Johannes, during a livestream. Beforehand, we had thought we might touch on the topic of Islam for a while. But then again, we hadn’t spoken to each other for such a long time that we had to move this topic to […]
Article by I. Hofmann, July 2024. All right reserved. Published with permission on Apologeet.nl. Translation by J. Hofmann. Introduction Thomas Aquinas is a well-known Roman Catholic philosopher and theologian from the 13th century. He lived from 1225 to 1274 and was declared a saint in 1323, 49 years after his death. During his lifetime, he […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Article reposted with permission from ‘The Jesus Fandom’ Original can be found here and posted on 10 April 2023. Translated by Jurgen Hofmann. Introduction Globally, women are more religious than men. They see their faith as more important, tend to pray daily and attend church more than men. This is well reflected in church practice: […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
Seen From a Secular Viewpoint1 Introduction A commonly heard statement against missionary work is to leave people alone: do not spoil their culture and belief systems. One should not bother people groups with alien belief systems. This argument is understandable because many appreciate the diversity of cultures around the world. Rightly so, it is one […]
Creative Presentation on the History of British Evangelism and Mission Jurgen Hofmann Word Count written paper: 1031 13td February 2012 Your browser does not support the video tag. »» Please click here to watch the intro before continuing to read. Introduction Your browser does not support the video tag. »» Please click here to watch […]
