James White Critiques Dan Barker's Debates

With today being the day of the debate between James White and Dan Barker, it is fitting to feature White's commentary and critiques of Barker's arguments in past debates. If audio is made available, it will hopefully be featured as well.

• Review of the Douglas Wilson vs. Dan Barker debate - MP3
• Critique of clip of Dan Barker - MP3
• Review of Dan Barker's alleged Bible contradictions - MP3
• Commentary on the Mike Licona vs. Dan Barker debate - MP3
• Review of the Dan Barker vs. Dinesh D'Souza debate - MP3
• More Dan Barker commentary - MP3
• Review of Barker's comments on Calvin - MP3
• Final Dan Barker discussion prior to debate - MP3
• James White's POST DEBATE synopsis - MP3

Please see here for synopsis of each show, as the content is varied between episodes.
James White's blog can be found here.

MP3 AUDIO from the debate can be purchased here.

Enjoy.

The Missing Gospels MP3 Audio Interview

New Testament experts Darrell L. Bock, W. Hall Harris III, Daniel B. Wallace, and Mark Yarbrough discuss the impact of the Gnostic Gospels on Christianity in the early church, the church today, and contemporary culture.

Full MP3 Audio here.
Original media here. Hear more about the missing gospels with Darrell Bock here.

Enjoy.

Scientists, Philosophers, Historians & Apologists Worth Knowing

The website Truthincontext.org has a number of good resources. Among them are number dealing with apologetics. Here you will get a glimpse at who some of these personalities are, their works, and links to audio and video resources:
• Scientists Worth Knowing
• Philosophers Worth Knowing
• Historians Worth Knowing
• Apologists Worth Knowing

Be sure to browse the site for some other helpful items.
Enjoy.

Book Review: A Rulebook for Arguments by Anthony Weston

A Rulebook for Arguments (3rd Edition) by Anthony Weston is a short and helpful guidebook for making effective arguments for your position. Weighing in at only 85 pages, the content is simple and clear, but by no means lightweight. This is a gem of a book for critical thinking, argumentation, and logical communication – suitable for an introductory text as well as a guidebook for the advanced.

There are ten brief chapters in the book. Chapters 1—6 deal with various types of arguments (arguments by example, by analogy, from authority, about causes, and deductive arguments). Chapters 7—9 give instruction on composing and argumentative essay. This content gives the reader a game plan for writing effectively, clearly, and persuasively. Finally, chapter 10 deals with the most common logical fallacies, offering a brief explanation of each.

There are a number of good points the reader will take away from this book. First, the book shows the reader how to use language properly by avoiding common errors and encouraging clarity. Second, it presents the correct ways to use various forms of arguments. Third, it gives a nice introduction to deductive arguments without heavy terminology. A good number of logical fallacies are covered but not over-emphasized. Finally, the authors offer great insights into writing effectively.

In short, A Rulebook for Arguments is highly recommended as a concise guide to logical and effective communication.

Sunday Quote: Dallas Willard on Evolution

"Evolution, whether cosmic or biological, cannot — logically cannot! — be a theory of ultimate origins of existence or order, precisely because its operations always presuppose the prior existence of certain entities with specific potential behaviors, as well as of an environment of some specific kind that operates upon those entities in some specifically ordered (law-governed) fashion, to determine which ones are allowed to survive and reproduce. Let us quite generally state: any sort of evolution of order of any kind will always presuppose pre-existing order and pre-existing entities governed by it. It follows as a simple matter of logic that not all order evolved. Given the physical world — and however much of evolution it may or may not contain — there is or was some order in it which did not evolve. However it may have originated (if it originated), that order did not evolve, for it was the condition of any evolution at all occurring. We come here upon a logically insurpassable limit to what evolution, however it may be understood, can accomplish."

Does God Have to Obey the 10 Commandments? - by Greg Koukl

Greg Koukl has written a brief article discussing whether or not God has to obey the 10 Commandments, found here.

If you want to call moral rules absolutes in the sense that they can never be trumped, then that is probably too strong a definition and not a Biblical definition. And if you are not careful, it makes God subject to His own rules in a way that puts the rules above God instead of God above the rules. more...

Happy Reading.

Todd Friel Interviews Christopher Hitchens MP3 Audio

Todd Friel on Wretched Radio recently interviewed Christopher Hitchens, author of God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.

Full MP3 Audio here. Or listen to a quick highlight here.

Enjoy.

[HT: Pisteuo]

Plantinga's Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism MP3 Audio

Philosopher Alvin Plantinga's evolutionary argument against naturalism purports to show that metaphysical naturalism, when combined with contemporary evolutionary accounts of the origin of human life, is self-defeating. (wikipedia) It is worth a listen. His outline can be found here or in PDF.

Full MP3 Audio here from Veritas.org.

Enjoy.

A Brief Historical Critique of the Zeitgeist Movie

The Centre for Public Christianity has a number of great resources. One of them is a recent brief historical critique of the Zeitgeist movie with historian Dr. Chris Forbes.

Full MP3 Audio here. Watch the video here.

Other video resources here. Their podcast can be found here on iTunes.

Enjoy.

European Leadership Forum One Month Away

This year's European Leadership Forum is only one month away (23rd - 29th May, 2009) and will be held in Eger, Hungary. If you are in Europe and are interested in apologetics, it is not too late to register for this week-long event. Speakers will include Gary Habermas, Douglas Groothuis, John Lennox, Stuart McAllister, Wayne Grudem, Bruce Little, Peter Williams, Michael Ramsden, Amy Orr-Ewing, William Edgar, and many more. Check out the European Leadership Forum PDF for more information.

Some great audio resources from past events can be found here.

Hope to see you there!

Featured Podcast: Straight Thinking

One of the Reasons to Believe podcasts is called Straight Thinking, featured today. Some of the notable recent episodes include:

• Golden Rule of Apologetics: Avoiding the Ad Hominem - [MP3]
• Golden Rule of Apologetics: Avoiding the Straw Man - [MP3]
• Need for Dispassionate Analysis - [MP3]
• Explanatory Power & Scope - [MP3]

RSS Feed | iTunes link

Enjoy.

Sunday Quote: Os Guinness on Doubt

"If ours is an examined faith, we should be unafraid to doubt....There is no believing without some doubting, and believing is all the stronger for understanding and resolving doubt."

- Os Guinness

Dinesh D'Souza vs. Peter Singer Debate: Can There Be Morality Without God? MP3 Audio

Dinesh D'Souza and Peter Singer debate the topic: Can there be morality without God? at Princeton University. Video links can be found over at In Defense of the Faith.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Is God Necessary for Morality? William Lane Craig Debates Shelly Kagan MP3 Audio

"Can we really be good apart from God?” Yale philosopher Dr. Shelly Kagan defends the idea of morality without God in a debate with Dr. William Lane Craig, who questions the common assumption that the existence of God is not necessary for morality. Q&A session with the audience follows the debate.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Original media at Veritas.org.

WL Craig also debated Louise Antony on this topic here.

Enjoy.

New Atheism by Norman Geisler MP3 Audio

Norman Geisler talks about the many new forms of atheism that exist today. He also presents arguments for theism over atheism.

Full MP3 Audio here.
Original video here.

Enjoy.

A Critique of Bart Ehrman's Jesus Interrupted by Ben Witherington

New Testament scholar Ben Witherington (blog, wiki) has an insightful look at Bart Ehrman's book Jesus Interrupted. His detailed analysis is worth reading; in five parts:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Enjoy.

Wayne Grudem's Christian Essentials MP3 Audio Resources

Theologian Wayne Grudem, well known for his excellent and readable Systematic Theology, has a great website featuring hundreds of hours of his audio teachings for MP3 download. His Christian Essentials site is highly recommended!

Go here for the audio.

Enjoy.

[HT: Faith by Hearing]

Problems of Evil by Douglas Geivett MP3 Audio

Douglas Geivett (blog / info) presents a talk on the Problems of Evil. An informative lecture originally found at hisdefense.org.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Enjoy.

[HT: WK]

Sunday Quote: B.B. Warfield on the Resurrection

"Christ himself deliberately staked his whole claim to the credit of men upon his resurrection. When asked for a sign he pointed to this sign as his single and sufficient credential."

- B. B. Warfield

Evidence for the Resurrection of Christ by Peter Kreeft

Dr. Peter Kreeft presents an article on the evidence for the resurrection of Christ. Kreeft presents 5 different theories and offers a critique of each.
This was recently featured over at Truthbomb Apologetics, along with this nice resurrection post, which included this flash video.

Article here.

Have a blessed Easter holiday.

Easter and the Resurrection MP3 Audio

A discussion focused on Easter, which points believers to one of their greatest hopes—resurrection. A DTS Forum discussion with Thomas L. Constable, Buist M. Fanning III, and Mark Yarbrough.

Easter and the Resurrection - Part 1 MP3 | Part 2 MP3

Enjoy.

Against Materialism by Alvin Plantinga MP3 Audio

Philosopher Alvin Plantinga presents a philosophical case against materialism. A PDF by the same name can be found here. Original media found at radioapologia.com. But that link died. New audio from Veritas.org.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Enjoy.

Habermas, Flew & Wright Dialogue MP3 Audio

Gary Habermas and N.T. Wright have a dialogue with former atheist Anthony Flew, who now believes There is a God. This audio is from the video available here.

Full MP3 Audio here.

See Douglas Groothuis's review of Flew's book here.

Enjoy.

Apologetics Teaching Series MP3 Audio

Apologetics is the branch of theology that presents the rational basis for the faith, exposes the errors of other world views, and equips believers to defend the faith against objections. This course is taught by Eric Douma of Twin City Fellowship.

These audio files can be downloaded via podcast or RSS feed. Links below:

1 - Introduction to Logic Lecture | Discussion | PowerPoint | PDF
2 - Categorical Syllogisms Lecture | Discussion | PowerPoint | PDF
3 - Other Syllogisms Lecture | Discussion mp3 Audio | PowerPoint | PDF
4 - Informal Fallacies Lecture | Discussion | PowerPoint | PDF
5 - The Battle for Truth Lecture | Discussion | PowerPoint | PDF
6 - Proving the Existence of God to Athiests Lecture | Discussion | Powerpoint | PDF
7 - Defeating Macroevolution Lecture | Discussion | PowerPoint | PDF
8 - Proving the God of the Bible is the True God Lecture | Discussion | PowerPoint | PDF
9 - Proving the God of the Bible is the True God Part 2 Lecture | Discussion | PowerPoint | PDF
10 - Proving the God of the Bible is the True God Part 3 Lecture | Discussion | PowerPoint | PDF
11 - Answering False Religions and Cults Lecture | Discussion | PowerPoint | PDF

Also added to the Ultimate Apologetics MP3 Audio page. Enjoy.

Christopher Hitchens vs William Lane Craig Debate Audio

William Lane Craig debates Christopher Hitchens on the subject: Does God Exist?

Audio of the debate will be available from DoesGodExistDebate.com.
Summary of the debate can be found here.
DVD pre-order here.

NEW: Craig's follow-up podcast on this debate is here.

Enjoy.

Gary Habermas and Tim Keller Audio Interviews

Gary Habermas and Tim Keller are interviewed by Slipstream, a podcast produced by the Evangelical Alliance. Other resources by Slipstream are here. Podcast here. RSS feed here.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Enjoy.

Sunday Quote: John Stott on the Resurrection

"Perhaps the transformation of the disciples of Jesus is the greatest evidence of all for the resurrection."

- John R. W. Stott

The Case For Objective Moral Values MP3 Audio by Peter Kreeft

Peter Kreeft presents an interesting Socratic dialogue entitled: The Case for Objective Moral Values. While you're at it, check out his Twenty Arguments for the Existence of God. More various audio by Peter Kreeft here.

Original Media from Veritas.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Enjoy.

Dan Barker vs. Douglas Wilson Debate MP3 Audio

Douglas Wilson debates Dan Barker on the subject: Does the Triune God Live? By the way, AiD has a running critique of Barker's Bible misrepresentations and misinterpretations. Also, you can hear James White's critique of this debate here.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Enjoy.

[HT: The Apologetic Front]

Does the God of Christianity Exist and Does it Matter? MP3 Audio

At the Christian Book Expo 2009, William Lane Craig, Christopher Hitchens, Douglas Wilson, Lee Strobel, and James Denison dialogue on the topic: Does the God of Christianity Exist and Does it Matter?

Video of the forum debate can be found here.
The apologia podcast also did a live recording at the event which is an interesting listen. Get it here.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Enjoy.

The Moral Argument for God's Existence MP3 Audio by William Lane Craig

William Lane Craig discusses the Moral Argument for the existence of God in this four-part lecture series from his Defenders podcast.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Enjoy.