The winners!

Grand Prize: Sophie Neville for Makorongo’s War
-$2,500 first prize!
Runner up: Preston Shires for Knight Time for Paris
-$1,000 award!
Honorable Mention: Ben Strycker for Concerning Young Werther
-$100 award!
Honorable Mention: Denise Griffon for The Bahraini Pearls
-$100 award!

Download Contest Winners Catalog!

The semi-finalists in our 2017 contests are:

Those making the second round of judging were:

The post 2017 Christian Novel Contest Results appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

The post Protected: Passion Experience Documents appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.

9:00 AM to 10:20 AM — “Who Moved the Stone”
10:20 AM to 10:40 AM — Coffee Break
10:40 AM to Noon — “Tracking the Culture of Death”

For more information, call or email St. Martin Lutheran Church:
920-849-4421 smlcpastor@frontier.com

Download the flyer: Who Moved the Stone – Flyer-ACM

The post “Who Moved the Stone?” Presentation in Chilton, WI appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.

DOWNLOAD FULL PROPOSAL:  legislative-proposal-2016e

 Contact:  Anthony Horvath, PhD

director@policyintersections.org | 608-526-9196 | 202-697-4623 | 715-937-6067

Amend Section 69.186 of the Wisconsin Statutes[1] (“Induced abortion reporting”) to also require the reporting of

(k) the gender of the aborted child

(l) whether or not the child had a fetal anomaly, and the nature of that anomaly.

Rationale:

 Abortion providers are already required under Wisconsin law to provide certain demographic information about the women obtaining abortions within the state.  There is no requirement, however, to report anything about the unborn child.

The political winds are blowing in favor of ‘pro-life’ positions, with a number of important victories since 2010.  It seems reasonable to believe that Wisconsin might enjoy similar victories in the near future such as prohibitions against sex-selective abortions.  It would be impossible to discern whether or not the law was being complied with, however, because Wisconsin’s abortion requirements do not solicit any information about the gender of the unborn child.

Or anything else about it, for that matter.

Other successes seem likely, but if the national pattern holds, restrictions on abortions will still allow exceptions to be made for ‘fetal abnormalities.’  Numerous studies indicate a high likelihood that many children with defects are being aborted.  Estimates range between 60% to 95%, depending on the condition.  It is important to emphasize that these are estimates.  Since most reports focus on the mother and not the child, very little is known about how many children are targeted for abortion because of its gender or the presence of a birth defect.

Since Wisconsin already requires abortion providers to file a report for each abortion, it would not be a significant burden on them to ask that they also record the gender of the child or if it had a birth defect.

Amending the reporting requirements would not by itself increase or decrease abortions.  However, instead of having to work with estimates, having actual data, even if only at the state level, would allow exploration of other important issues, such as the state’s role in fostering attitudes that reflect values consistent with a high value of human life.

This is where the real work is to be done.  Abortion would not be an option in most minds if not for the low value ascribed to the unborn human.  Similarly, the rate of abortion for children diagnosed with birth defects is connected to attitudes cultivated through family planning clinics, public school curriculum, genetic counseling services, and so on;  some of these programs may indeed be financed in part by the taxpayers of Wisconsin.

Thus, with reliable information in hand, policies could be formulated that help cultivate a ‘culture of life’ and ensure that Wisconsin citizens do not help subsidize policies and/or programs that fuel an opposite perspective.

It is worth noting that many of the arguments offered to justify (or even encourage) aborting children with ‘fetal abnormalities’ are very similar to arguments used to justify (or even encourage?) physician assisted suicide, and euthanasia (both active and passive).  For example, in both areas the assertion is made that the lives are not worth living due to the suffering of the person involved and the costs associated with continuing care.

Addressing the attitudes relating to this issue creates bridges to other issues, including the supposed ‘life of suffering’ the ‘unwanted child’ or his or her mother is expected to have.

Up until recently, very few states sought information about the child that is being aborted.[2] However, due to the support the pro-life cause has, some states have even gone so far as to prohibit ‘selective’ abortions.[3]  The time seems right to press the advantage.

Ultimately, until Roe vs. Wade is overturned, the will of the people will be thwarted.  In the meantime, in Wisconsin we can at least give the unborn the dignity of being counted, even if it is only after they are dead.

[1] The current language is on page 5 of this document.  The state-provided form pertaining to this statute is on page 6.

[2] Since 2010, the number has increased to 15 states.  See attached table.

[3] Indiana and North Dakota; Indiana’s legislation was blocked by a court, but North Dakota’s is still in force.

The post Legislative Proposal for Abortion Reporting of Gender and Birth Defects (Wisconsin) appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.

The attached file represents the summary and synthesis of almost 20 years of ministry as a teacher, DCE, Christian apologist, and cultural observer. It is not meant to be exhaustive. It is meant to be persuasive and informative, serving as a launch pad for the reader’s own research and contemplation. In this role, it will be a ‘tool’ used in my own work.

Please only share this file with select individuals. It is presently being revised.

state-of-the-church-report-vs-3

New revision: state-of-the-church-report-vs-4

Latest, potentially final revision: State of the Church Report vs 5

The post God’s Plan for Transmitting the Faith vs 3 appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.

Welcome to the home page of Athanatos Christian Ministries, an organization that has been defending the Christian faith since its founding by Executive Director, Dr. Anthony Horvath, in 2008.

(Did you know that ACM paid almost $1 to Facebook just to bring you here? Scroll down for more info!)

Take a hard look at this chart:

The chart shows a staggering and sustained increase in the percentage of Americans claiming they no longer have a religious affiliation. Almost 30,000,000 new non-Christians in just thirty years! What is going on? What happened around 1992 to so dramatically cause the number of non-Christians to skyrocket? Even more troubling, why is it the case that so many of these non-Christians started out as Christians?

Dr. Anthony Horvath has been raising the alarm for a full decade. His research and experiences have led him to direct the ministries of ACM to focus on the areas that are fueling the decline of the church in America. For example, aware that so many people absorb their skepticism from the culture (rather than by argument), ACM engages the culture through annual writing contests and a Christian arts and apologetics festival. To address the fact that many atheists started out as Christians, ACM aims to equip churches with the facts of the faith.

Perhaps most important of all, with research showing that healthy, intact families are God’s plan for transmitting the faith to the next generation, Horvath calls attention to the connection between the breakdown of the family and the rise in disbelief.

Will you help us in our task? ACM is poised to do great things, but it needs the support of generous patrons like you. Check us out! And after you do, I hope you will consider making a donation of $100 or $1,000 or even $10,000 or more to help us in our task. You can use the donation options available at this link (or scroll down to use Paypal)

In gratitude for your generous support, for any donation above $150 we will send you a book of your choice from our catalog.

Questions? Email Dr. Anthony Horvath at director@athanatosministries.org | Connect with us on Facebook.

Thanks so much for your consideration. We hope you will become partners with us in our quest to win people for Christ!

Quick Donate
Long before Lois Lerner, Dr. Horvath recognized the dangers the IRS posed to bold presentation of the Gospel in society. In order to operate unmuzzled, ACM is NOT tax exempt. We hope this is not a deterrent to your financial support, but if it is, please contact Anthony to discuss other possible arrangements.

Make a One Time Payment through Paypal Make a regular payment: Place Amount of Donation ($$$$$.˘˘): Please select the donation period:DailyWeeklyMonthlyYearly

Even if you can’t help ACM right now, would you be willing to donate $5 just to cover the our cost to Facebook for bringing you here? Use the donation buttons above!

And we would also be in your debt if you could do your Christmas shopping through our Amazon affiliate link:

(For those interested in both the eternal destiny of souls and more temporal affairs, look at this chart and ponder the implications of a society packed with the ‘religiously unaffiliated.’)

The post Support an Apologetics Ministry That is on the Front Lines and on the Cutting Edge appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.

See all of our authors and titles here

Classics in Apologetics:

 

The post Support ACM with your Black Friday Shopping appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.

The overall theme I was asked to address was ‘the need for apologetics.’  This aspect of apologetics–an apologetic for apologetics, as it were–has been on my heart and mind for more than a decade.  However, my actual experiences defending the faith have made it clear that what we think of as ‘apologetics’ needs to be radically expanded.  There has been a great falling away from the faith over the last 40 years.  This demands explanation.

In my opinion, based on my experience and research, the explanation reaches down to the bedrock order of creation.  If the situation is not addressed at that level, we have good reason to expect continued abandonment of the Christian religion, and the rise of a society that has jettisoned its Christian capital… with all that that suggests.  We ought to embrace ‘traditional’ apologetics, but we should not expect out of it more than it can deliver.

Below, are the two audio files for each of the 60-75 minute presentations.  The sound quality is not great, but it is passable.  Next time, I won’t record from the back of the room next to the buffet table!

In the presentations I called attention to the Jaffe Memo, which you can download here: www.jaffememo.com.  I refer to some charts, as well.  I have them below.

Below, I linked to seven blog posts I wrote to organize my thoughts for this presentation.  They may prove interesting reading, as they go beyond what I had time to present.

Finally, I have embedded each of the audio files into a Vimeo video.  It is a still-frame video… not much to see, but some may prefer that format anyway.

If you are interested in having me present my research, perspective, and conclusions at your church or conference, contact me at director@athanatosministries.org.  It would be an honor and a privilege to speak further on an issue of such great importance.

Right click and download, or press play on the player:

defending-the-faith-by-defending-the-family-1st-session-oct-10-2016-audio-only

Right click and download, or press play on the player:
 defending-the-faith-by-defending-the-family-news-from-front-line-2nd-session-oct-11-2016-audio-only

Blog entries:

An Apology for Apologetics: Musings (Part One)

An Apology for Apologetics: Factors Driving the Anti-Revival (Part 2)

An Apology for Apologetics: The Rise of the Naturalism Fallacy (part 3)

An Apology for Apologetics: The Church Response (part 4)

An Apology for Apologetics: ‘Good Soil’ for ‘Good News.’ (part 5)

An Apology for Apologetics: Coming to Grips With Hard Truths (Part 6)

An Apology for Apologetics: Defending the Faith Is Bigger Than You Thought (Part 7, the conclusion)

Table showing decline of various religious denominations, Lutheran ones highlighted:

first session oct 10 2016 – audio only from Anthony Horvath on Vimeo.

second session oct 11 2016 – audio only from Anthony Horvath on Vimeo.

The post Defending the Faith by Defending the Family: A Report from the Front Lines appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.

The schedule was packed with authors, musicians, bands, speakers, filmmakers and even a comedy act. There is too much to say and too much to show, but we have some video clips below that give the flavor of it. As we have more uploaded, we’ll update this page with links to them.

ACM’s festival is essentially the distillation of all of the activities it carries out as an organization. It’s basic mission is to promote and defend the Christian faith (ie, work to have as many people enjoy eternal life as we can), but has an emphasis on carrying out this defense through the arts.

Thinking through how that actually looks for an artist or apologist is something we do all year long.  At the festival, we show how it looks.

ACM is the only Christian apologetics organization that focuses on defending the faith through the arts.

Please enjoy the videos below.  We hope to see you next year!

Watch:

• Hillary Morgan Ferrer talk: Stealing Past Watchful Dragons

Links to reactions to the 2016 Athanatos Festival:

Christian Arts Festival: The Athanatos Experience
by Jamie D. Greening

On the Athanatos Christian Arts and Apologetics Festival
by Medieval Otaku

Post-Festival Thoughts
by Bernard Bull

Check out the hashtag #AthanatosFest2016 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Some pics:

The post 2016 Festival Recap appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.

The description published in the program material:

“Imaginative Apologetics” — A call to churches to defend the faith through the arts.

From Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress” to C.S. Lewis’s “The Screwtape Letters”, to Mozart and Bach, Christians have been influenced by art, and have influenced through art.  Conversely, many souls have been harmed through films or novels such as Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code.”  If ever there was a time for the Church to earnestly engage the culture through the arts, it is now, when technology has made it so easy.  In fact, it is just because it is so easy that the need is great:  anyone, whether they are working for the Kingdom, or against it, can distribute their films, novels, music, and so on, to the masses.  Himself highly influenced by both the non-fiction and fiction of C.S. Lewis, Christian apologist Dr. Anthony Horvath has oriented his ministry, Athanatos Christian Ministries, towards defending the faith through the arts and culture.

Listen to the MP3 Audio:

Download:  ARH_Voice

On Youtube:

The post In Defense of Imaginative Apologetics appeared first on Athanatos Christian Ministries.