John 20:18 “Mary Magdalene told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and He had spoken to her.”

Ever wonder where the young rioters you are watching destroy Seattle, Portland or Chicago got their brilliant ideology that our Judeo-Christian American foundation must be torn down and remade into a socialist system? If you have finally woken up to the chaos being wreaked by these mobs in some of our most beautiful cities, you must understand where this ideology is birthed: our school classrooms.

Five years ago, in his August 2016 article “Why Do People Still Donate to Universities?”, Dennis Prager gave multiple examples of alumni shocked to discover the leftist, Marxist ideology taught at their alma maters. Prager’s summary: “Nearly every college and university in America has become the least open, the least tolerant, the most hate-filled, and most anti-American mainstream institution in America.”

The 2 most impactful groups to equip our children against this poisonous ideology, parents and churches, have done little to date. Dinesh D’Souza, in his book ‘What’s So Great About Christianity?’, puts it this way: “Our children spend most of their waking hours in school. Parents invest a good part of their life savings in college education to entrust their offspring to people who are supposed to educate them. Isn’t it wonderful that educators have figured how to make parents the instruments of their own undoing? Isn’t it brilliant that they have persuaded Christian moms and dads to finance the destruction of their own beliefs and values?”

What can Apologetics do, to strengthen our children’s Christianity? Meet Julian Shoemaker, a 20-year old skilled in Apologetics and biblical truth. He shared his recent experience at Longview Community College.

“In my Philosophy 100 class at MCC Longview, I sat in a room of 35 students. The diversity was typical of my classes: a few Christians, about one-third Islamic, and the rest secular. I knew the professor was not Christian, as many of my professors aren’t, but as a Christian myself I knew that college classrooms are the best place to ask questions to cultural hot topics and religious beliefs. One day, the professor lectured on the history of women’s rights, and how most ancient cultures gave no rights to women. After the lecture, we discussed feminism and women’s rights. Somehow, the Bible also was brought up in the discussion. 

The professor made many claims about the unreliability of the Bible previously in the class, and even mentioned it in his syllabus! The professor said that ‘women in biblical times had no rights, privileges, and were treated as property’, which is true. The issue for me was that there are many women figures in the Bible that play critical roles in the lineage and gospel of Christ. I said to the professor, ‘That is very true! But if the Bible was made by man, then why include so many woman players in the Gospel?’ The point of my question was to challenge his previous claim that the Bible was unreliable and man-made. If the Bible was created by man, there would be no women characters in the Bible. Why? It would be embarrassing!

His answer avoided the question. He responded by repeating the history of women not having rights in ancient times. He never answered why there were important women players in the Bible.

Yet we read in the Gospel of John that the resurrection of Jesus was first witnessed by Mary Magdalene – a woman follower of Christ during his ministry: “Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her” (John 20:17-18). Why would a man say the first person to witness the resurrected Christ was a woman? The writer would use Peter or John as the first witness, because no one would believe such a report from a woman in ancient times. Women had no voice. 

In today’s secular, progressivist, or even atheistic classroom, there can be much hostility when talking about the Bible. So many Christians today sit in these classes where the Bible is discredited, pushed down, and attacked while saying nothing about the reliability and relevance of the Bible. It may be scary to stand up to a professor, but truth is only discovered by asking questions and testing foundations of beliefs. That is why I questioned the claims of the professor. When beliefs contradict each other, both cannot be true. 

People have a mind that thinks, and tests claims and experiences even before going to a science lab. It is in every human being to have the ability to think rationally and logically. Let us use our minds to discover the truth rather than sit back and let biased professors tell us what to think.” We need more Julians!

The Evidence of Faith’s Substance – Article #409