Volume 7 / Issue 7 | July 2020
The Apologetics Newsletter
of the Missouri Baptist Convention
In this issue: Robert Bowman to headline Witnesses Now for Jesus ... A look into Hades ... One Church, All People ... Hebrew Scriptures and the Trinity ... and more!
Robert Bowman to headline Witnesses Now for Jesus
Robert Bowman, widely regarded as the leading evangelical scholar addressing Mormon and Jehovah’s Witness interpretations of the Bible, is the featured speaker at an upcoming conference focusing on the beliefs and practices of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Sonrise Baptist Church in Bonne Terre is hosting “Witnesses Now for Jesus – Midwest,” a regional apologetics conference that features sound Bible teaching and testimonies from former Jehovah’s Witnesses, July 24-26. The event is open to all, and admission is free. The Missouri Baptist Apologetics Network is an event sponsor.

Learn more or contact Charles Smith for details: 314-277-3866 or sns276@yahoo.com .
A look into Hades
The word Hades appears 10 times in the New Testament, forming a linguistic bridge that takes us from the Old Testament view of life beyond the grave (in Sheol ) to the New Testament. In coming to a biblically faithful understanding of Hades , it's important to learn what the term means -- and what it doesn't mean.

One Church, All People
Unity, diversity, and racial reconciliation are far more than social justice issues. They permeate Scripture from beginning to end, imploring followers of Jesus to heal the wounds of racial division. Dr. Bill Victor, a member of the Missouri Baptist Apologetics Network, has written insightfully on this issue in his book One Church, All People: Biblical Truth About Diversity and Reconciliation.

A look into Tartarus
If  Sheol   or  Hades  is the temporary abode of deceased people, is there a transitory place of punishment for some demons? It seems the answer is yes, in a place the New Testament refers to as  Tartarus .

Hebrew Scriptures and the Trinity
While most arguments for the Trinity are grounded in the New Testament, God begins revealing His triune nature in the Old Testament. One hint at the plurality and unity of the Godhead may be found in passages where God speaks.

The Trinity and other gods
When Scripture states there is no God but Yahweh, yet often speaks of other elohim (gods), we should not see this as a contradiction. Rather, we should see the use of elohim as the biblical writers' way to describe inhabitants of the spiritual realm.

Jesus Before Bethlehem
High Street Press, the publishing imprint of the Missouri Baptist Convention, offers a new resource for personal or group study: Jesus Before Bethlehem: What Every Christian Should Know About the Angel of the L ORD . This 335-page resource explores dozens of Old Testament Christophanies , or appearances of the preincarnate Christ. Written for pastors and laypersons, the study is designed to show how the eternal Son of God has always taken a personal interest in those He created to be His imagers on earth.

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