In this collection of (mostly) never before published essays, Dr. Anthony Horvath tackles a wide range of topics of a philosophical, theological, apologetical, and, for the first time, polemical, nature.

The title essay, “The Golden Rule of Epistemology and Implications Thereof” makes the contention that only the Christian worldview is consistent with reason and rationality, and traces how the search for a cogent system that explains the reasonableness of reason led him from his excursion into atheism back into theism.  Edwin Abbott’s Flatland is prominently featured.

Why Does a Good and All-Powerful God Allow Suffering?

Horvath argues that the argument against the existence of God from evil and suffering fails, if only for the reason that Christians are as acquainted with evil and suffering as anyone else, and the whole point of God’s incarnating into our world is to deal with evil and suffering, or, in a word, death.

When Apologetics is Not Welcome in Your Church

This piece was previously submitted to the Apologia315 website and appears largely as it was first published.

In Defense of Lutheran Baptism

Though content to operate well within the context of ‘Mere Christianity,’ it so happens that Horvath has strong views on baptism, and in particular as Lutherans tend to understand it. This is the first essay publicly made available of a ‘polemical’ sort, although the emphasis is on presenting the Lutheran view on its own merits, rather than attacking or belittling other perspectives.

Why Do Christians Oppose Homosexuality When Even Jesus Didn’t?

Horvath does not accept the premise of the question. This essay is a revised version of a work that originally appeared on his blog.

Faith, the Proof of the Unseen (by George MacDonald)

This sermon by the famed George MacDonald, an influence on C.S. Lewis and many others, is included without comment. The reader is invited to consider why it is included in this collection.

On Amazon and Kindle!

The post The Golden Rule of Epistemology and Other Essays appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.

The description for the first edition:

In this issue Pathos explores the idea of The Grand Myth – the foundational beliefs that form the basis of our worldview and offer the framework through which we interpret our experiences. Plus, new fiction from Anthony Horvath, essays, poetry and more.

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Buy a print edition off of Amazon: Pathos: The Grand Myth

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Rally for Life

Jan. 25th @ 2pm.
Peace Lutheran Church, located at 501 E. Fillmore Ave. in Eau Claire, WI.

Sponsored by the Eau Claire chapter of Wisconsin Right to Life

“On Death’s Door: How America Embraced the Culture of Death and Why it Matters.”

Dr. Horvath began researching the ‘culture of death’ in earnest about eight years ago when he and his wife were informed at the ultrasound that their daughter had spina bifida, and then were asked if they wanted an abortion. He was disturbed that such a question would be posed in such circumstances and sought to understand how that could happen. It soon became clear that the high abortion rates of children diagnosed with birth defects is in fact an extension of eugenics programs that had their origins in the early part of the 20th century. On top of that, children with birth defects was just one component of what turns out to be a comprehensive agenda that can best be described as ‘population control.’ Adding insult to injury, while many of these programs are funded by private organizations, many more are funded by the US government–that is, the American taxpayer!

Outline and Research/Resource Material

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Bulletin Insert Blurb (Copy and Paste into your bulletin)

“On Death’s Door: How America Embraced the Culture of Death and Why it Matters.” Rally for Life on  Jan. 25th @ 2pm. Peace Lutheran Church, located at 501 E. Fillmore Ave. in Eau Claire, WI.   Sponsored by the Eau Claire chapter of Wisconsin Right to Life Speaker: Dr. Anthony Horvath.  About eight years ago, Anthony and his wife were informed at their ultrasound that their daughter had spina bifida, and were asked if they wanted an abortion. Disturbed that such a question would be posed so abruptly, Horvath sought to understand how that could happen. It soon became evident that it is not an accident that disabled children are aborted at such high rates.  Efforts to eliminate ‘defectives’ began in earnest in America a century ago, and persist to this day–often at tax payer expense.

The post “On Death’s Door” Presentation, Rally for Life, Jan. 25, 2015 appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.

by Anthony Horvath, Executive Director of Athanatos Christian Ministries

Romney has said repeatedly that he would support the over-turning of Roe vs. Wade.  Of course, Romney is running for the president, not the Supreme Court.  He would have to appoint justices who would likewise turn Roe vs. Wade and these would have to be confirmed by the Senate.  Unless the Republicans win a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, such an appointee would be blocked.  (Of course, that precedent for a way around that has now been set--by the Democrats).  It is possible, but unlikely, that the Republicans will get their majority in the Senate, let alone a filibuster-proof one.  In short, even under a Romney presidency, it is unlikely that Roe vs. Wade will be struck down any time soon.

But even assuming that this does happen (perchance the GOP wins the Senate today!), that of course only puts things back to square one, as it were.  Abortion goes back to the states for their consideration and action.  At present, the battle is largely centralized in Washington DC.  The end of Roe vs. Wade makes 50 new battles.

This is not bad.  It is a good start.  But it is a start and continuation, not an end.  Moreover, whatever a state might do, the conditions that made abortion thinkable in the first place not only remain, but are perpetuated and inflamed in a variety of unexpected places–our local schools, for example.  A Romney win merely represents a momentary set-back to the culture of death.  At present, unless things dramatically change at the local and state level on virtually any front you care to mention, the ultimate victory for the culture of death is assured.

What kinds of changes are necessary?  Changes on the school board.  The election of principled people in municipalities, counties and at the state level.  But even in this case, there would still be one more thing necessary:  courage.

Have you noticed that Democrats are never ashamed to promote their agenda with defiance but Republicans are pressured to compromise?  But the Democrat party is the party of Alinsky, who said in his Rules for Radicals that compromise was the radical’s best friend:  If you had 0% and ask for 100% and only get 50%, your position has improved.  When you ask for 100% the next time, your 50% is the new 0%, and the next compromise puts you even closer.  Rinse and Repeat, and soon you have everything you’ve ever asked for.

It is in precisely this manner that over the last 100 years virtually every liberal proposal and attitude has been accepted, incrementally.  And this, not because of who was president, but because of what transpired in the nooks and crannies of our society.  Abortion on demand included.

Going forward, then, even in the case of a Romney election, there will be great need for pro-life advocates to busy themselves with confronting and rolling back the many aspects of the culture of death that have taken hold of our society.  Without these, abortion on demand could never have happened.  Without these, abortions would rarely take place, even if it were legal.

A change in the law is just one small part of the issue, because laws reflect the activity of representatives, who are elected by people in their local communities, who are led to believe certain things in their churches and schools.

Moral of the story:  be vigilant, be principled, and be courageous.

The post Romney Election No Guarantee of Changes in Abortion Laws appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.

With election day tomorrow there are many people still deliberating on who to vote for.  Some people, who may consider themselves pro-life, may be torn by other issues, such as their support for universal health care or ‘social justice,’ which they believe Obama and the Democrats might support.  In fact, when asked to vote ‘pro-life’ they might say that they are voting pro-life, because they are voting to give care and comfort for those already living.

Be that as it may, and contrary to many so-called ‘ethicists’ say, there is no moral justification for murdering one person in order to make another person more comfortable.  So long as one political party in this country supports abortion on demand, even up to the point where they advocate for late term abortions such as partial birth abortion, and you believe the unborn human is a person worthy of protection, there is simply no way that party can receive a vote.

Note the important assumptions.  1., you believe the unborn human is a person worthy of protection.  2., the political party in question supports killing that person.

Obviously, if you do not accept the first assumption, the second assumption is moot.

Imagine, if you will, that one candidate embodies every single value you support and will further those values in their policies, and have demonstrated that they will, but on one tiny little point, they differ:  they believe that Jews or black people should be put into camps and gassed to death and then turned to ash in specially designed ovens.

There is a 99% agreement between you and that candidate on every other issue, but the remaining 1% is not inconsequential, indeed, it is controlling… provided you believe Jews and black people are human persons worthy of our protection.

Most people would agree with this, and on this issue would unapologetically be a ‘one issue’ voter.  However, many people believe that the unborn human is also a person worthy of protection, just as they see every other person–black, red, white–as worthy of protection, but for some reason they can’t bring themselves to make that their ‘one issue.’

Why?  “I wouldn’t make that choice myself, but I can’t impose my view on others.”

Were we wrong for imposing our views on the Nazis, who believed the Jews were vermin?

Were we wrong for imposing our views on American society, which for decades believed that black people were inferior?

If it is a life, it is a life.  We don’t normally refuse to protect life, just because some other people have decided those lives to be unworthy of our protection.  The Nazis and American progressives all believed that the ‘unfit’ were as much a burden on society as some women might view the unborn a burden on their bodies, and yet we did not think it appropriate to just leave it to their ‘choice.’

The core question is this:  is the unborn child really a child, or not?

If you answer in the affirmative, you must not vote for a candidate who would kill it.

People like Obama and Tammy Baldwin support partial birth abortion, where they deliver most of the baby… up until the head, which they allow just enough to be visible so they can jam a hole into the baby’s skull and sucking out the brain.  (Can you imagine any reason why the mother’s life could be in jeopardy any more by delivering the whole baby, except the head?)

While gruesome, it  is only one grotesque extension of what happens earlier in a pregnancy.  But more important is the reasoning that allows them to support that procedure or any other: based on their reasoning, the state decides when a person is a person.

It should not surprise anyone, then, that other people have decided that the reasoning extends beyond birth, even.  (Google ‘after-birth abortion.’)  You must understand, there is nothing that magically happens during birth so that one second it is a fetus, which can be destroyed without moral consequence, and then one second later, after it travels down the birth canal, it becomes a baby, worthy of our protection.   There is no dramatic difference, which is why people like Peter Singer and Julian Savulescu don’t see any problem with ‘terminating’ a child even after he is born, even up to a year, or two years of age.

In short, if you will not make the preservation of life your one issue while that life is in the womb, there is every indication that in due time life outside the womb–perhaps yours–may be targeted.

It has happened before.  Vote wisely.

The post A Statement on One Issue Voting: Abortion appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.

Watching the Obama administration try to get their messaging right regarding whether or not Christians are to blame for Muslim violence or if the Muslims are to blame for Muslim violence admittedly serves as a form of entertainment for me.  Unfortunately, this time, people were seriously–fatally–harmed.  Nothing entertaining about that.

I have been involved in Christian apologetics for nearly twenty years, and I’ve seen this type of thing many, many times.  Here is the apology:

The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims – as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Today, the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others.

I hereby call upon whomever wrote this release to resign immediately, or barring that, be fired.  No person this out of touch with reality should be permitted to represent our country in such an important role.

But that is not the main reason for issuing this statement.

It is pretty common in my experience to have people denounce all things religious, and Christianity in particular, because ‘religion is so violent’, only to have them then produce examples of specifically Islamic violence to demonstrate their point.  A good illustration of this, is Richard Dawkins’ arguments in his book “The God Delusion” in a section titled ‘Undeserved Respect’ where he targets the specifically Christian concept of God and to ‘prove’ his point, proceeds to give case after case of Muslim atrocities.  Apparently, in the atheistic mind, Christians filing lawsuits is equivalent to murdering filmmakers–and storming embassies and slaying American diplomats.

While some people are rightly denouncing the state department’s knee-jerk apologizing for ‘misguided individuals’ who ‘hurt the religious feelings of Muslims,’ I noted with particular interest the skewed notion of ‘respect for religious beliefs’ that their press release says is ‘a cornerstone of American democracy.’  No doubt, such respect really is a cornerstone of our democracy, but the idea that respect means remaining silent or that resorting to violence in response to an ‘abuse [of] the universal right of free speech’ is appropriate, is not only absurd, but is clearly out of touch with what respect for different beliefs has meant in America.

In America, ‘respect’ does not mean condoning, remaining silent, or even speaking kindly about someone.  It may mean boycotting something, but it doesn’t mean blowing it up.  There have been exceptions, but this is a case where the exceptions prove the rule.

The thing that gets me with this is that, once again, Muslims get a ‘pass.’  And of course, the media describes them as ‘ultra-conservative’ Muslims, playing into the sentiment that a conservative is anyone who actually believes what they say they believe.  The idea that there is something within the particular belief system of Islam itself that drives such behavior never seems to register.

The whole attitude exhibits a profound lack of a sound sense of proportion.  The press release by the embassy in Cairo exhibited the same distorted sense of proportion:  the speech of some American Christians is ‘bad’ but the violence of the Muslims was understandable and forgivable.  But as they say, ‘It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.’  It is reasonable to suspect that the latest ‘stop’ on the apology tour emboldened the assailants in Libya.

It is time for atheists, secular humanists, the media, and those who are tasked to defend us from real threats–the government–to exhibit a little common sense.  Some people may be religious, but they aren’t Christians.  Stop using the violence of Islamicists to argue against Christianity.  In the meantime, it seems to me very likely that our cowardice on this point is leading us into even more danger.

But I don’t expect this to happen. After all, what am I going to do?  I’m a Christian; the worst I’m doing is calling for someone’s resignation.  The other folks may very well cut off their heads.

The post Statement on the State Department Apology for Muslim Violence: A Resignation Please appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.

I am very pleased to announce that Athanatos Christian Ministries has partnered with Hieropraxis, led by Dr. Holly Ordway, in their mutual quest to defend, promote, and transmit the Christian faith through the arts, and literature in particular.

ACM has been pursuing its vision for ‘literary apologetics’ by hosting conferences and writing contests for almost five years.  These efforts have been primarily geared towards casting that vision and calling Christian authors and apologists to embrace it.  With the help of Dr. Ordway, ACM is going to go much further.  Writers and evangelists are not going to be prodded towards ‘literary apologetics.’  A new series of online courses, culminating in a Literary Apologetics Certificate, will actually equip artists, philosophers, and theologians for the task.

The courses are hosted in conjunction with ACM’s online academy of apologetics.  Dr. Ordway will be the program director for the academy’s literary apologetics program.  Even better, we are taking applicants for the program effective immediately, and our first courses in this area of study will be available in the winter session, which begins in mid-February, 2012.  For more details, please visit the literary apologetics certificate page.

But that’s not all!

Dr. Ordway will also be presenting at ACM’s third annual online apologetics conference in mid-April, 2012.  Indeed, Hieropraxis will be one of the conference sponsors!  While the details of the conference are still somewhat tentative, you are welcome to check it out and even register right now.

I look forward to working with Dr. Ordway long into the future- as well as all those others out there yet to be discovered who likewise see the need to communicate the faith through the arts.

Yours,

Anthony Horvath

Executive Director, Athanatos Christian Ministries

The post Athanatos Christian Ministries and Hieropraxis to Partner in Literary Apologetics Vision appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.

A. R. Horvath’s Birth Pangs: Fidelis

“Fidelis” follows the path of a man waking up in a broken world that is pockmarked from nuclear strikes and still coping with the lingering effects of a terrible disease. In discovering the new landscape of America, he discovers the equally new landscape of his own soul. Filled with adventure and warfare, as equally compelling is its attempt to explore concepts of truth, valor, manhood, and destiny. In “Fidelis” the crutches of society have collapsed. In this setting, the intangible characteristics that make the human race indomitable are permitted expression. Indeed, they are encouraged. “Fidelis” is the first book of seven in the “Birth Pangs” series by author A.R. Horvath. www.birthpangs.com Barnes and Noble soft cover | hard cover E-books Kindle Nook

A. R. Horvath’s Birth Pangs: Spero

The setting is America in the not too distant future. Disease and War have brought the country to its knees but in doing so has created new opportunities. Beginning with the first glimpse of the nuclear flash, the individuals in Spero join the hordes of refugees as they try to regroup and rebuild. Tasha, a beloved character from book one of the Birth Pangs series, guides her wounded charge through the carnage to a place of safety and healing. But war is never far off, and efforts to fight off despair using human effort abound. These have been tried and found wanting. In Spero, something else is offered. www.birthpangs.com On Barnes and Noble soft cover | hard cover E-books Kindle Nook

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