73 Books of the Roman Catholic Bible
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.
Speaking in Tongues
In many Christian circles, speaking in tongues is seen as a spiritual high point or a sign of maturity. But if we read 1 Corinthians 14 carefully, Paul seems to be concerned about its effect on outsiders. Let’s dive into this text and find out what Paul really means.
Universalistic Ideas are not Particularly Innovative
David de Vos presents himself with a modern “Luther moment”, but the doctrine he proclaims – universalism – is anything but new. In this video, I show why this message is an old heresy that undermines the core of the gospel.
7 Habits that will Strengthen Your Faith Every Day
Are you familiar with the Christian magic word: Sincerity! We all want a sincere faith that is deep, genuine, and not just words. We want sincerity both in our hearts and in our actions. But sometimes faith becomes a kind of habit and can feel superficial. Something like a list of dos and don’ts, a […] Does God care About our Comfort?
In my last video I talked about the role of prayer in the lives of Christians. One of you posted the following question: I often say that Jesus died for our sins and for our salvation, not for us to live a comfortable life. […] Is there anywhere in the Bible where God cares about […] What is the Role of Prayer?
What role does prayer play in the life of a Christian? This question came to my mind when we had to take one of my children to hospital last week. What had happened? He had spent a more than a week with me in our village in southeastern Madagascar. We had a fantastic time and […] Chosen, Saved & Free Will
As you can see, I am back from our village on Madagascar. On my Odysee channel, I explained a little bit about what the plans are. You can find that little article here Briefly, we will soon be bringing several groups of Bible students to our village. These students are eager to learn how to […] The Best PRO-CHOICE Arguments
Many of the pro-abortion arguments are actually not that hard to refute at all. That’s why I think it’s good to sort this out with you and see why we, pro-lifers, take the most logical position in this debate. I am going to do a series on this. But I probably won’t make a new […] Always Trust God’s Word
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 […] Reformed, Evangelical or Pentecostal
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Self-righteous or Humble? If you have been following me for a while then you will know by now that I do not like to be associated with one specific denomination only. Actually, for most missionaries, church denomination is not such a big thing. Wherever possible, we like to work together. I know two Dutch families […] Christian Doctrine of Salvation
Whenever I talk about certain teachings within the Church, I often say that this or that teaching isn’t causing you to be lost when believed wrongly. Many teachings are not on the same level as the doctrine of Salvation. In this article we will see what this doctrine entails. Whenever I talk about certain teachings […] Is the Rapture Imminent?
The opinions are divided The idea of the rapture of the church keeps us busy, right? At least it keeps me busy! Especially now that we see all the developments around Israel, this topic becomes very relevant for many Christians. Are we in a march towards the one world order as we can read in […] Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary?
‘Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.’ This quote is attributed to Francis of Assisi. But yes, as is often the case with quotations, this is not true according to Assisi connoisseurs. Nor does it really matter who said it, the fact remains that this statement has become almost a lofty principle […] The Rapture
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Dangerous Ideas in the Church of Christ Introduction Many dear brothers and sisters I know believe in the rapture before the great tribulation or pre-trib rapture as they call it. The main text used for this comes from 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with […] Generation Z and the Gospel
We have all heard about the ‘millennials.’ This generation was born between 1984 and 1998. But what about the generation right behind them? Generation Z, born between 1999 and 2015. I myself have 4 children from this generation, 5 if you count my youngest (who was born in July 2015). This generation is starting high […] Thomas Aquinas’ first Mover Argument
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 […] Heresies all around us – Docetism & Gnosticism
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 […] Heresies all around us – Subordinationism
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 […] Heresies all Around us – Kenosis
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 […] Heresies all Around us – Adoptionism
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 […] Heresies all Around us – Pelagianism
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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 […] Heresies all Around us – Donatism
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 […] Heresies all Around us – Modalism
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 […] Heresies all Around us – Antinomianism
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 […] Heresies all Around us – Arianism
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 […] Heresies all Around us – Home
Heresies all Around us – Introduction
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 […] 95 theses by reformed pastor D.J. Budding
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 […] Apostasy in Church – 2
You may have heard this word before: apostasy. The basic meaning is falling away from the truth. It is a kind of rejection, even though someone knows the truth. In this section, we will see if we can recognise some signs of developing apostasy in the church. Apostasy in Church
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 once believed and then rejected the truth of God. Let’s dive into this topic and see what we can learn. Respect Is Attractive: Women and Early Christianity
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: […] Sola Fide – Faith Alone
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 […] Why do we Need Apologetics?
[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
Stream 2 Stream 3 Stream 4 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 […] Corona Related
Christian Stance on Abortion
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 the first part, I’ll lay out the lines along I would like to tackle this […] Christ, not Caesar, Is Head of the Church
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 […] And the Church Said Nothing…
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. […] Tongues a Good Sign?
Are Tongues a Good Sign? 1 Corinthians 14:20-25 “20 Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. 21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they […] 
