Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (08/27 - 09/03)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.

• Albert Mohler's new podcasts!

• Professor John Lennox responds to Stephen Hawking 

• Ten Questions with Ken Samples 

• Apologetics Course Offered in the Twin Cities 

• Free eBook: Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders 

• John Polkinghorne - Science & Faith 

• A Lighthearted Approach to Apologetics

• Alvin Plantinga's Virtual Library of Philosophy

• Challenge: Who Created God?

• Bug With Bifocals Baffles Biologists 

• Dr. Walter Bradley presents the fine-tuning argument at UCSB

• Debate Video: Mike Licona vs. Shabir Ally (2004) Did Jesus Rise? 

• Van Til's History and Nature of Apologetics Lectures in iTunesU 

• One-Click Subscribe to the Top 16 Apologetics Podcasts. Just add this OPML file to iTunes. 

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Matt Slick vs. Dan Barker Debate: Is there Reason to be Good Without God? MP3 Audio

This is a debate that took place between Matt Slick and Dan Barker onSept. 26, 2009, at Newberg Christian Church in Newberg, Oregon. The topic: "Is there Reason to be Good Without God?" Matt Slick's opening statement here.

Full Debate MP3 Audio here. (2hr 20min)

Enjoy.

The 16 Best Apologetics Podcasts

Over two years ago I posted my 16 Best Apologetics Podcasts. That list has changed a bit since then, updated once along the way. Here's the new, updated list. (Previous version August 21st, 2009; most recent update September 2, 2010).

1. Reasonable Faith - William Lane Craig - iTunes | Feed
2. Stand to Reason - Greg Koukl - iTunes | Feed
3. Please Convince Me - J. Warner Wallace - iTunes | Feed
4. Unbelievable? - Justin Brierley - iTunes | Feed
5. Defenders - William Lane Craig - iTunes | Feed
6. Straight Thinking - Kenneth Samples - iTunes | Feed
7. I Didn't Know That - Reasons to Believe - iTunes | Feed
8. Issues, Etc. - iTunes | Feed
9. Just Thinking - Ravi Zacharias - iTunes | Feed
10. Cross Examined - Frank Turek - iTunes | Feed
11. Come Let Us Reason - Lenny Esposito - iTunes | Feed
12. Sound Rezn - Alex McFarland - iTunes | Feed

13. Think Again - Randall Niles and John Stonestreet - iTunes | Feed

14. Let My People Think - Ravi Zacharias - iTunes | Feed

15. ID the Future - Discovery Institute - iTunes | Feed
16. Apologetics.com Radio Show - iTunes | Feed

And don't forget, you can podcast the audio from Apologetics 315 - get it.
SEE ALSO: Podcasts Worth Your Time and Apologetics for Your iPod.

Enjoy.

Pascal's Pensées Audiobook Podcast Feed MP3

Blaise Pascal's great collection of thoughts, captured in his Pensées, is available for free download via Librivox.org. Total running time: 11:15:17 The Librivox page has links to all the texts and audio files, but here are the quickest links to get the audio:

RSS feed · Subscribe in iTunes

Enjoy.

[HT: Wes]

Terminology Tuesday: Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism: The ethical theory, held by such thinkers as Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, asserting that moral rightness is determined by what leads to the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Traditional utilitarians identify the greatest good with happiness and define happiness in terms of pleasure and the absence of pain, while "ideal" utilitarians are willing to include other goods other than pleasure in their calculation of benefits. The traditional view is held by many animal rights advocates, who argue that the pleasures and pains of animals have great moral weight (equal to humans, in some cases). Act utilitarians hold that what is morally right is determined by the consequences of particular acts, while rule utilitarians hold that morality is a matter of conforming to rules or principles and that the right set of principles consists of those that would, if followed, lead to the greatest good for the greatest number.1

You may also be interested in Dr. John Lennox's critique of Peter Singer's Utilitarianism or Dinesh D'Souza's debate with Peter Singer on morality.

1. C.Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 119.

Apologist Interview: Edgar Andrews

Today's interview is with scientist Edgar Andrews, Emeritus Professor of Materials at the University of London and author of Who Made God: Searching for a Theory of Everything. He talks about his career as a scientist, his debate with Richard Dawkins in 1986, the relationship between faith and science, his reason for writing Who Made God, his hypothetical approach to the God question, his critique of Victor Stenger's hypothesis, advice for apologists, communicating to "the man on the street" and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here. (50 min)

Edgar Andrews website here. Book here; review here.

Enjoy.

Sunday Quote: Avery Dulles on Apologetics

“In pressing the case for their discipline, apologists should keep in mind that it is neither necessary nor sufficient for salutary acts of faith. It is not necessary, for we all know people who have strong faith without having ever read a word of apologetics. It is not sufficient, because faith is a grace-given submission to the Word of God, not a conclusion from human arguments. Apologetics has a more modest task. It seeks to show why it is reasonable, with the help of grace, to accept God’s word as it comes to us through Scripture and the Church. Reflective believers can be troubled by serious temptations against faith unless they find reasons for believing. Converts, in particular, will normally deliberate for some time about the reasons for embracing the faith. … there are sufficient signs to make the assent of faith objectively justifiable. The task of apologetics is to discover these signs and organize them in such a way as to be persuasive to particular audiences. The arguments can never prove the truth of Christianity beyond all possibility of doubt, but they can show that it is reasonable to believe and that the arguments against Christianity are not decisive. God’s grace will do the rest.”

- Avery Dulles

[HT: Tawapologetics]

(Dulles, Avery Cardinal. A History of Apologetics. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2004, p. 367)

Apologetics Toolkit: Nuggets from Proverbs 18

Today's post will take a few moments to reflect on some verses found in the 18th chapter of Proverbs. (Check out Biblia.com for a nice new online Bible interface here). The particular verses highlighted below bring to mind important conversational principles that seem to apply to apologetics, evangelism, and personal interaction.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (08/20 - 08/27)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• Biblia.com - Great New Online Bible
• FREE book for people in Britain
• Joshua and the Genocide of the Canaanites
• Is Christianity True? FREE eBook
• Resources on The Problem of Evil
• Jesus Wasn’t a Real Person? That’s Dumb
• Currently Reading: Five Views on Apologetics
• The Resurrection Challenge video: win some books
• Six Worldviews That Rule the Universe
• All Head and No Heart (Video) by Greg Koukl
• William Lane Craig answers some personal questions (MP3)
• William Lane Craig on Being Open to the Truth
• Top Ten Myths about Homosexuality
• Ten Questions with Win Corduan
• 2010 God and Culture Conference on Apologetics
• Evolutionary psychology: Evolutionary psychologists on the evolution of crying
• Also Reading: Is God Just a Human Invention? +Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists by Jonathan Morrow and Sean McDowell

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William Lane Craig vs. Yusuf Ismail Debate: Identifying Jesus Is He Man or both Man and God? MP3 Audio

This is William Lane Craig's 2010 debate with Yusuf Ismail held in Cape Town, South Africa on the topic: Identifying Jesus: Is He Man or both Man and God? The debate is lively; you can read WLC's comments about it in his newsletter here. The videos are on Youtube here. But for those who like audio, see below. Also added to the WLC Audio debate feed.

Debate MP3 Audio here. (2hr)

Enjoy.

Is Christianity True? FREE eBook

In April 2010, Apologetics 315 produced an essay series on the topic Is Christianity True? This was a series of 23 essays contributed by various apologetics bloggers from across the web. See the table of contents here. A podcast was also created with audio each of each essay. Now, the ebook version is available for download. Download below:

Is Christianity True? eBook
[ Kindle Version | Mobi | ePub | PDF ]

Please share with friends.
Enjoy.

Why We Trust the Bible MP3 Audio by Darrell Bock

The Apologetics Review blog posted this audio (here) by Dr. Darrell Bock of Dallas Theological Seminary on the topic: “Why We Trust the Bible.” Bock's lecture covers these topics:
• Historical Criteria applied to the Gospels to test authenticity
• The Jesus Seminar – goals and outcomes
• Evaluating the Extra-Biblical attestation to Jesus (Joseph, Suetonius and Tacitus – special attention to Josephus)
• The Crucifixion story and its historicity

Visit Apologetics Review to get the Powerpoint slides in PDF.

Full MP3 Audio here. (72 min)

Enjoy.

Terminology Tuesday: Tolerance

Tolerance: A trait regarded as one of the chief virtues by contemporary Western societies. Tolerance is often confused with a relativistic refusal to criticize another view or make any substantive value judgments. However, logically, tolerance is consistent with an attitude of strong disagreement and even disapproval. There are many views I may tolerate (in the sense that I think people should be allowed to hold them) that I think are mistaken or harmful. Tolerance is also sometimes confused with respect, but the two attitudes are distinct. I may respect a committed political rebel even though I do not tolerate his behavior. I may tolerate people whom I do not respect at all.1

1. C.Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 63-116.

Apologist Interview: Matthew Flannagan

Today's interview is with Matthew Flannagan, philosopher and blogger at MandM.org.nz. Matt talks about how he got into philosophy of religion, his blog posts on the Genocide of the Canaanites, his recent debate on morality with Raymond Bradley, morality, the benefit of public debate, and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (33 min) 

Enjoy.

(see also Matthew's contribution to the Is Christianity True? Essay Series)

Sunday Quote: Pascal on Christianity

"Men despise religion; they hate it and fear it is true. To remedy this, we must begin by showing that religion is not contrary to reason; that it is venerable, to inspire respect for it; then we must make it lovable, to make good men hope it is true; finally, we must prove it is true. Venerable, because it has perfect knowledge of man; lovable because it promises the true good."

- Blaise Pascal in Pensées (187)

Book Review: Who Made God? Searching for a Theory of Everything by Edgar Andrews

You might think that Who Made God? Searching for a Theory of Everything by Edgar Andrews is a “just another” popular-level response to the new atheism. But you’d be wrong. While it is a popular-level book, it is anything but a typical response. British scientist Edgar Andrews (who himself debated Dawkins in 1986) takes a unique and extremely readable approach that not only critiques the likes of Richard Dawkins and Victor Stenger, but also makes a case for Christianity from a scientific perspective. He makes his case with reason and logic, all while weaving it together with clever wit, interesting analogies, and a unique style. The result is a book with a great deal of scientific depth, while remaining completely accessible to both the expert and the man on the street. This review will highlight some of the apologetic angles that Andrews takes.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (08/13 - 08/20)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.

• 2010 EPS Apologetics Conference

• JP Moreland's Updated Website 

• JP Moreland on The Historical Accuracy of Christ (MP3) 

• Apologetics315 Monthly Newsletter: Signup 

• Ken Samples talks about Practice Makes Perfect (MP3) 

• Alan Shlemon defends the unborn in debate 

• Michael Behe & Stephen Barr debate intelligent design 

• Richard Swinburne interviewed by Centre for Public Christianity (MP3)

• Currently Reading: Faith Has Its Reasons by Boa & Bowman 

• Find Apologetics 315 on FriendFeed

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• Commentary on apologetics issues
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• Additional resources and audio, and...
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7 Apologetics Books for Giving Away

No, these are not being given away today. These are seven (okay, technically ten) books that are great for giving to others as gifts for evangelistic/apologetic purposes. In no particular order:

Who Made God? In Search for a Theory of Everything by Edgar Andrews
Extremely readable and suitable for everyone from layman to advanced. Looks at the God hypothesis from a scientific perspective. Fun, witty, and thorough, with various short critiques of Dawkins and Stenger. Highly recommended.

The God Question: Searching for a Life of Meaning by J.P. Moreland
Moreland takes a holistic approach as he looks at "the God question" as it relates to all of life. Appeals to the reader to assess classical Christianity as he presents a case for God's existence, the identity of Christ, and the life impact of becoming a disciple of Jesus.

Choosing Your Faith: In a World of Spiritual Options by Mark Mittelberg
An approachable look at how one should evaluate the truth of Christianity as it stacks up against other worldviews. An epistemology and philosophy of religion book in disguise; readable, relevant, and friendly.

Welcome to College: A Christ-Followers Guide for the Journey by Jonathan Morrow
For the high schooler and/or high school graduate, this great resource addresses all the tough questions and issues facing young people at a key time of transition to college and university. Morrow tackles the crucial subjects that should not be ignored. Something like this should be required reading in teenage years.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
A true classic that has influenced millions, C.S. Lewis's masterpiece apologetics work is still just as relevant as ever. All apologists should read it and recommend it to others.

Five Sacred Crossings by Craig Hazen
A unique novel that is not only a page-turner, but a comparative religions sort of apologetics book that shows Christianity is true. Story-telling with a message; a good gift book.

The Case for Christ | Case for Faith | Case for a Creator | Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel
All of the great "Case for" books are suitable for both the beginner apologist or for those with questions. Strobel's journalistic investigation into Christianity and the Creator pulls from the best academic minds while keeping the reader engaged. All of these are ideal for giving to others.

For more apologetics books, see the directory here.
What books do you recommend as good for reaching others?

The Top Ten Same Sex Marriage False “Facts” by Frank Turek

Apologist Frank Turek (blog | books | interview | resources) has posted an article entitled "The Top Ten Same Sex Marriage False 'Facts'" Worth reading in light of the issues surrounding California's Prop 8. Turek also talks about this article in his recent radio broadcast. For a fuller treatment, check out Frank's book: Correct, Not Politically Correct; How Same-Sex Marriage Hurts Everyone.

Article HERE. MP3 Audio here.

Edit: Frank Turek also speaks on the subject on this episode of Issues, Etc.

Enjoy.