I've been presented with an extremely unique opportunity to attend an upcoming Jehovah's Witness meeting, with some significant JW leadership expected to be present. What makes this particularly interesting is that I was personally invited, and one of the main subjects being discussed is why Christians shouldn't worship Jesus. Of all the topics I could've walked into. This will be my first real opportunity to engage in public apologetics, and I have no intention of turning their meeting into a debate or being disrespectful. I was invited, so I'll respect that. My plan is simply to respond with questions rather than arguments and see where the discussion goes. A few questions I'm considering: 1. If Jesus explicitly says in John 5:23 that we must honor the Son just as we honor the Father, how does worshiping the Son dishonor the Father? 2. If Isaiah 45:23 records Yahweh declaring that every knee will bow to Him, why does Paul apply that same declaration to Jesus in Philippians 2:10–11? 3. If Philippians 2:11 specifically says that acknowledging Jesus as Lord glorifies God the Father, how does honoring Jesus somehow mean we're ignoring the Father? 4. If Hebrews 1:6 commands God's angels to render proskyneō to Jesus, how do we determine that it means something different from the worship given to God? I'm also planning to bring a lapel mic so I can review my interactions afterward, I will probably post on here for feedback, and hopefully learn something from the experience. I'm under no illusion that I'm going to walk into a Kingdom Hall and change anyone's beliefs, but hopefully just one small seed can be planted. But I do think this is a pretty rare opportunity to have meaningful conversations about Scripture, especially with experienced JW leadership present. I'm really hoping to hold by Ephesians 5:11"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." For those who have engaged with Jehovah's Witnesses before, particularly in a Kingdom Hall setting, I'd genuinely appreciate any advice or suggestions.

I witnessed something pretty interesting at Bible study last night, and I figured this group would appreciate it. We were in Matthew 11:10, and I mentioned that Muslims will sometimes try to use that verse to try to claim Muhammad is prophesied in the Bible. Which is obviously ridiculous and I called Muhammad a false prophet and basically said that if you’re ever going to talk to Muslims about Christianity, these are arguments you should at least know how to respond to. What caught me off guard, but at the same time Not surprised, was their reaction. The room got noticeably uncomfortable, and someone immediately felt the need to point out that Muslims are very nice people and that most of them are good people. Obviously this is true. I never said they weren’t. Some of my best friends are Iraqi Muslims. But lying to them also isn’t loving either. Ii guess it just highlighted something I’ve noticed more and more with Christians. Our default position has become almost theological pacifism. Even Paul preached “in weakness and in fear and in much trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3). Christianity was never supposed to be comfortable. If Paul could preach the truth while uncomfortable, I think we can survive an awkward room when the truth needs to be said. You can genuinely love someone and still tell them they’re wrong. In fact, if you believe the Gospel is actually true, I don’t know how refusing to be honest about it could be considered loving.

Let's start discussing Islam apologetics here. It would be good to share what we've encountered. Let's try to keep each thread on a single topic, and then we can organize the threads into the Islam category to find them later. Let's also try to be mindful of how dense a single comment is. Try to be precise and focused. I will go first because I have something on my mind that I want to work through with you guys. Mark 13:32 "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, except the Father." So the question I am asking is does the Son actually know in some sense? If so, what sense? And how would we defend that from the Bible? I will tell you upfront that right now I am exploring what it would mean if He actually did not know. I think a plain reading is that He does not know. The fact that His knowledge is lumped with the angels leads me to believe that over other explanations (since we would not try to reconcile the angels knowledge in the same way). So the question is what follows if it's true that the Son doesn't know? The OT passage he's alluding to is Zech 14:7 "And it will be a unique day which is known to Yahweh..." @Tim Tant asked me if I believe the Son can learn a fact. That was a good question and my gut reaction was no. The problem is I don't know why. I think our first instinct is to say God knows everything, so if Jesus is God he must know everything exactly as the Father does. But is that true? Which made me ask why is omniscience rooted in the being of God? So I looked into it. That idea comes from the classical doctrine of divine simplicity, developed through Augustine and later systematized by Aquinas. It's a product of classic theology. Scripture clearly teaches that God knows all things, knows hearts, knows the future, and possesses knowledge in a way creatures do not. But Scripture does not say: 1) God’s knowledge is identical to his essence. 2) Every divine person must therefore possess every item of knowledge identically.

We are trying something new this month - instead of a weeknight, our August event will be held on a Saturday morning! Below are the event details: Join us as we explore one of the most important theological divides in the world today — the difference between the Christian doctrine of the Trinity and the Islamic doctrine of Tawhid. We'll examine where these two faiths overlap in language, where they radically diverge in substance, and why the identity of God matters for the Gospel itself. Whether you're looking to sharpen your own understanding or equip yourself for thoughtful conversations with Muslim friends and neighbors, this will be a great time of fellowship and learning! Saturday, August 29th, 2026 Doors Open 8:30am, presentation at 9:00am CitiPointe Church 7533 Lords Chapel Dr Nashville, TN 37211

https://www.youtube.com/live/dEc8DtNEaDk?si=N5hKHBHKLx3BLHTZ