About Duane Caldwell

Duane has served in many different capacities including pastor, elder, project coordinator and flight instructor. He is an ordained minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ by the Evangelical Church Alliance and holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, a Trinity International University school and a BS in Aeronautics from Parks College, St. Louis University.

Dune 2 – Reflections on a Secular Messiah

Dune 2

I went to see Dune 2 this past weekend. I went to enjoy, not take notes for a review, so I don’t consider this a formal movie review. Rather, it’s an informal reflection on themes in this and other movies that deal with control of the world and those who vie for that control, whether those who would control it are presented as a messiah (as in Dune) or a megalomaniac (as in most other Sci-Fi and Fantasy thrillers). Continue Reading

Q25 Faith is believing without evidence, Right?

Thomas sees the risen Jesus. That evidence causes him to believe. – The Bible Episode 10 “Courage”

Thomas sees the risen Jesus. That evidence causes him to believe.
The Bible Episode 10 “Courage”

“Faith is believing without evidence, right?” Wrong! Emphatically wrong. Those who want you to believe faith is believing without evidence are either ignorant (but well meaning) Christians, or more likely – those like atheists and Satan and those deceived by them–all who will be spending eternity in hell. Such want you to be just as foolish as they are by condemning yourself along with them by believing this foolish platitude. Don’t fall for it. Faith is not “believing without evidence.” On the contrary, Christians believe because of the evidence.  Continue Reading

Q22 – Is There Really Any Such Thing As Truth?

Serpent tempting with apple

There is an obvious answer to this question, and the only reason to ask this question in the first place is to attempt to deny that obvious answer. But attempts to deny the obvious are self-contradictory. So the humanists and atheists and other “ists” who believe they are the masters of logic and reason show their foolishness when they attempt to deny the obvious answer to this question. They are the perfect example of the foolish idolaters identified in Romans chapter 1:

“Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.”
(Rom 1:22-23 )

Those who fall into the trap of repeating this foolish question from supposed wise philosophers and thinkers do not realize that they have fallen into a form of idolatry. That is because the idol is hidden from their view. It is made possible by their own ability to think, reason and question. Such thoughts become idolatry when the thinkers place the conclusions from their thoughts above the clear declarations and revelations of God and God’s word. Anything that displaces God from his rightful place is an idol, so those asking “is there any such thing as truth?” are really expressing a form of idolatry, akin to saying “is there any better god than this calf idol?”.

Jesus stated he is truth incarnate (“I am the Way the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14.6), so to deny there is such a thing as “truth” is to deny the clear declarations and revelations of God, that: Continue Reading

Question Evolution Day 2024 – The Axolotl

The Axolotl

I’m just getting back from vacation so this year’s Question Evolution Day snuck up on me, but not to worry, I still have an item for consideration for today. Since I’m writing late in the day I’ll keep it short and stick to the theme of the day, namely questions for evolutionists concerning wonders of God’s creation which no version of evolution – whether classic or neo-Darwinism – can explain.

Well, not to the satisfaction of anyone who isn’t wearing Darwin blinders and hasn’t drunk the mind-killing Kool-Aid. You know, the Kool-Aid that allows you to believe foolishness like things which cannot create themselves – such as life and information – somehow managing to create themselves; things like order arising from chaos without an intelligence to order it; like non-material things such as language and consciousness creating themselves from non-living, inert matter, and so on.

So I will merely ask the questions, and leave it up to the Darwinists to provide their best answers. Of course there is no answer to these questions within an evolutionary worldview but the attempt to create one is always entertaining. Most explanations are so obviously foolish and untrue that they are not worthy of a response but on occasion some are misleading enough to warrant a response. We’ll see if we get any on this outing. Okay, enough with the introduction. Let’s get to the topic of the this year’s Question Evolution Day.

The Axolotl

This is another of God’s unique creatures. I had the pleasure of first seeing and learning about it when I  visited Sea Life in Florida last year. The picture above is one I took, as is the poster below, which provides the information for our questions this year. The poster reads: Continue Reading

Q21 How can Christians think their way is the only way? Part2: Theological Considerations

Jesus - The Way - Wallking on Water

How can Christians think their way is the only way? Part 2: Theological Considerations

As I pointed out in part 1 of this article, followers of Jesus don’t insist on “our” way, we insist on abiding by the truth. That truth is Jesus is the only way to God. There are many signs pointing to that truth, starting with Jesus saying, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” (John 14.6)

I wrote part 1 of the answer as a Christmas meditation that focused on the signs that point to the one way that God provided: Jesus. As a meditation, it did not go beyong that single focus, but, as I mentioned in that first article, now I want to move beyond that to examine theological and philosophical considerations. These considerations are questions that are not adequately answered by any other religion, making Christianity unique among all religious belief systems. Christianity alone has both the answers to, and makes sense of, the philosophical question of why Jesus is the only way and thus why Christians are correct to proclaim that.

Theological Considerations
Question Number 1: What to do about the Sin Problem?
Continue Reading

Q21 How can Christians think their way is the only way? Part 1: A Christmas Meditation

For Christians this is a very easy question to answer. But first a clarification. It’s not “our way” it’s “the way” and that would be the way of our God and King, Jesus. (Titus 2.13, Rev 19.16) Jesus literally said that he is “the way” (John 14.6). Note that he didn’t say one of many ways, but the way–meaning the only way.

But, this being Christmastime, I wanted to give you a bit more to meditate on. So the meditation part is in this article. Further theological considerations will come in part 2, the follow-up to this article.

Many Signs, One Destination Continue Reading

Q12 – Hasn’t evolution been proved? Why do Christians insist on believing Genesis is true?

Automobile Evolution

Darwinian evolution: the concept that undirected forces over time can take the most basic elements and turn them into complex objects with a specific purpose – no designer necessary. Does this make sense? Look at the above picture. It’s a German stamp showing an abbreviated picture of car evolution. A similar sequence type picture is used to illustrate Darwinian evolution (below). Does either prove evolution of their respective items?

Evolution icon

Continue Reading

Q11 – Why are Christians so stuck on believing their Bibles instead of science?

Science Research

We now consider the question, “Why are Christians so stuck on believing their Bibles instead of science.” This is a false dichotomy because Christians do not reject all science. The question either reveals a profound ignorance of the nature of science and the scientific process or implicitly denies that science, by its very nature, is constantly rejecting things as false that were previously thought to be true. Tenets, previously accepted as good science one day, can be rejected as foolish and obsolete the next.

Regarding the nature of God, the question reveals either ignorance concerning God or a denial of the nature of God and the Bible. God is omniscient. He has perfect knowledge (John 21.17, Heb 4.13). He never learns anything because he already knows everything. The Bible is the word of God, breathed out from the omniscient God (2 Tim 3.16) and all it affirms is true (Ps 119.160). Therefore, as expected of knowledge coming from God who is perfect in knowledge, the Bible is wholly true and without error in all it affirms. This is known as the doctrine of inerrancy. Continue Reading

Q2 Why are Christians opposed to equality in marriage?

marriage - definitioin

This question, “Why are Christians opposed to equality in marriage?” again shows the poisoned well thinking common in this culture and age. I’m tempted to give a quick, accurate answer to this, but it is such a loaded question, a quick answer will not address the errors implicit in this challenge which is fraught with many antibiblical assumptions. So, as Fräulein Maria tells the von Trapp children when they need to learn the basics, “Let’s start at the very beginning.” Let’s get the assumptions out in the open. We’ll start with definitions.

What is meant by “equality”?
What is meant by “marriage”?

On Equality

Christians believe that everyone has the right to marry any eligible person of the opposite sex of marriageable age who will willingly marry the person in question. That is “equality” for all, but already I hear objections because clearly this definition imposes limitations. But having limitations does not mean there are “inequalities” because everyone is under the same limitations. It would only be “unequal” if some people were under restrictions and others were not, but that is not the case. Everyone is under the same restrictions. (Except for one case I’ll discuss below.) So let’s look at the restrictions. Continue Reading

100 Questions – Introduction and Question 1 concerning the bedroom.

Darkened bedroom

Introduction to the 100 Questions/Challenges confronting Christians today

Before we get to the 100 questions, let me discuss why this blog exists. The reason for this blog is to demonstrate that it is reasonable and rational to believe the teaching of the  Christian faith because all questions that challenge the faith can be rationally answered. It is neither foolish nor contrary to science to believe what Christianity teaches. Further, the answers are internally consistent and rationally coherent. Up to this point I have focused on challenges presented by secular understandings of science and atheistic misrepresentations. These include challenges from science about things like evolution and the age of the earth to philosophical challenges from the “New Atheists” like Richard Dawkins. Continue Reading