Book Review: Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge by Dallas Willard

In Knowing Christ Today Dallas Willard sets out to show that spiritual knowledge is real knowledge, that it can be tested, and it should be trusted. 

In the introduction (which should not be skipped) Willard identifies the prevailing cultural attitude towards Christian truth claims and crisply defines “knowledge” as contrasted to “belief” and “profession [of belief]”. These distinctions are important for subsequent chapters. The introduction ends with a warning to readers that this book will require “significant mental effort to understand.” (10) This reviewer finds the level of understanding required to appreciate this book to be comparable to, but slightly higher than, the level required for Edgar Andrews’ Who Made God: Searching for a Theory of Everything which was previously reviewed on this site here.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (12/23 - 12/30)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• How different is the case
• So You Want to Be an Apologist
• The Universe Had a Beginning
• William Lane Craig on Rejecting God
• What does Christmas mean to Christians?
• Biola University Chapels: 2011-2012 - Vids
• A Short Defense of Christianity (To Myself)
• C.S. Lewis BBC Broadcast - The New Man in Christ
• Did Jesus speak and act with the authority of God?
• New Book Arrival—Being Good: Christian Virtues for Everyday Life
• William Lane Craig vs Peter Millican: "Does God Exist?" - Video

"Legacy is not what you leave behind; legacy is who you leave behind." - Mark Eckel

• Shopping via Amazon this year? If you use this link, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315 while we wait for our 501c3 approval.

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Read Along: Christian Apologetics Ch16

Today we continue with chapter sixteen of Read Along with Apologetics315, a weekly chapter-by-chapter study through Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Christianity by Douglas Groothuis. Please leave a comment on your reading below. This is where you can interact with others reading the book, ask questions, or add your own thoughts. Series index here. Click below for the audio intro, chapter 16 study questions PDF, and summary:

2011 Year in Review: Apologetics 315

This year has gone fast. With 2012 on the horizon, it's time to review what has happened on Apologetics315 during 2011. This year saw over one million page views and half a million visitors to the site. Thanks for being one of them.

One feature of the blog that continues to be a favorite feature is the Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links. Because there is so much going on in the world of Christian apologetics, these weekly links provide a sort of short-list of what's happening during the week: good blog posts, events, new books, and news items. Some bloggers work hard to get on this list on a weekly basis, so you should visit them.

The Bonus Links are fed in large part by Apologetics 315's Twitter feed, which is a great way to keep up to date with these sorts of items. The Facebook page has also grown to over 4,500 members, who enjoy a daily link to the apologetics resources. If you have not yet subscribed to these, please consider doing so. You won't get more than one post a day on Facebook.

My favorite feature that has continued to grow in 2011 is the Apologetics 315 Interviews. This is a weekly interview with a Christian apologist, theologian, scientist, historian, author or philosopher. This year we broke the 100-interview mark. (You can subscribe to that podcast here.)

This year I interviewed 52 guests. I was thrilled to interview Alvin Plantinga, a living legend, and enjoyed a number of favorite interviews. A few that I really enjoyed this year included Craig Evans, John Warwick Montgomery, Timothy McGrew, Peter Kreeft, Craig Blomberg, Alister McGrath and Lee Strobel. I also worked with Clay Jones to produce a three-part interview about the Crusades, found here.

It was a pleasure teaming up with the blogger WinteryKnight for him to interview me a bit about apologetics. In addition, Jeremiah J. Johnston did a Skype interview with me for the Christian Thinkers Society, which I enjoyed.

Another MP3 by me which you might want to check out is Person-Sensitive Apologetics. I wrote this short essay and then recorded it to audio. It's about how to be sensitive to your audience when doing apologetics. Check it out here.

Apologetics 315 launched a YouTube Channel this year. This is a video version of some of the Apologetics 315 Interviews. Check it out here.

Another project this year was the Read Along with Apologetics 315 project. This is a weekly, chapter-by-chapter study through Douglas Groothuis' excellent new book Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Christianity. This project has been going on for 15 weeks and will continue into 2012. By then anyone who wants to gain a good foundational grasp of the wide scope of Christian apologetics can use the custom-made study guide and work through the book at their own pace.

I was not able to review many books personally this year, due to finishing up a Masters of Arts in Christian Apologetics from Columbia Evangelical Seminary. (I interviewed CES's president, Rick Walston, right here.) It was a great program, which I recommend. In the meantime, I enlisted the help of a team of book reviewers to work on tackling a growing number of books that are sure to be helpful for Christian apologists. Apologetics 315 reviewed a book every week this year.

Apologetics 315 reviewed apologetics "products" as well. Of particular note was the Biola Distance Learning Certificate, reviewed in three parts. This was a great program to take part in, so please consider doing the program yourself. Find the review here. The Metamorphosis DVD by Illustra Media was also reviewed this year.

Debates are a regular feature at Apologetics 315. Here are some featured this year:
• Walter Martin vs. Madalyn Murray O'Hair
• Douglas Jacoby vs. Robert Brotherus Debate
• William Lane Craig vs. Peter Millican
• William Lane Craig vs. Michael Tooley
• William Lane Craig vs. Stephen Law
• Greg Koukl vs John Baker
• Scott Klusendorf vs. Nadine Strossen Debate
• William Lane Craig vs. Herb Silverman Debate
• Jay Smith & Shabir Ally
• William Lane Craig vs. AC Grayling
• Dinesh D'Souza vs Bart Ehrman
• Michael Licona vs Stephen Patterson
• William Lane Craig vs. Sam Harris
• William Lane Craig vs. Lawrence Krauss
• Jay Smith & Khalil Meek
• Joe Boot vs. Clare Rowson
• William Lane Craig vs. George Williamson

Now in its second year, Reasonable Faith Belfast continued to have sessions, which included some Skype guests. These included Paul Copan on the topic Is God a Moral Monster?, and Timothy McGrew on the Gospels and Acts as History. The latter talk was notable, as it was recorded, along with the powerpoint, and provided here.

Apologetics 315 also partnered with the International Society of Women in Apologetics to feature a series of essays from women in apologetics. Those essays can be found here.

This year Apologetics 315 teamed up with New Zealand blogger and Christian philosopher Matthew Flannagan to create a podcast series on logical fallacies entitled Fallacy Friday. You can subscribe to it here.

Athanotos Christian Ministries held its annual online apologetics conference. I was able to take part, teaching a four-part series Introducing Logic and Critical Thinking.

Per tradition, I did my yearly update of my list of the Top 16 Apologetics Podcasts. There were also various book giveaways this year. And there was also a great Kindle giveaway as well. Lots of cults resources were added and featured this year. There was an apologetics quote every Sunday. Terminology Tuesday continues to crank out the weekly posts, providing a quick and concise way to assimilate common theological and apologetic terms.

Apologetics 315 supported and attended two UK-based apologetics conferences sponsored by Premier Christian Radio's Unbelievable? Radio Program. The Unbelievable Conference and the BeThinking National Day Conference.

Much more has happened with Apologetics 315 besides regular daily posts. Apologetics 315 was also incorporated, awaiting 501c3 status. Lord willing, this will allow for further growth, better quality and quantity or resources, and reaching more people.

Please pray for 2012 to be another good year. God bless, and thanks for reading!
- Brian Auten

Apologetics Ministries to Support

With the end of the year upon us, please consider supporting some excellent apologetics ministries. Listed here are some that you may consider supporting with your gift.

Five Great Apologetics Ministries
• Reasonable Faith / William Lane Craig - Support here.
• Stand to Reason / Greg Koukl - Support here.
• Risen Jesus / Mike Licona - Support here.
• Ravi Zacharias International - Support here.
• Reasons to Believe / Hugh Ross - Support here.

Ministries Reaching and Equipping Students
• The Veritas Forum - Support here.
• BeThinking - Support here.
• Ratio Christi - Support here.
• Summit Ministries - Support here.

Five Hand-Picked Ministries to Support

• Come Reason Ministries - Support here.

• Confident Christianity / MaryJo Sharp - Click donations tab.
• CARM - Support here.
• Probe - Support here.
• Biblical Training - Support here.

Or, you can also support Apologetics315, currently awaiting 501c3 status.
Thanks for your support.

Terminology Tuesday: Internal Testimony of the Spirit

Internal testimony of the Spirit (testimonium Spiritus sancti internum): The working of the Holy Spirit in bringing about human confidence in the truthfulness of Scripture regarding God's promises of salvation to all who exercise faith in Christ. The Word and the Spirit work together as a single testimony but in two manifestations: internally and externally. As the Scriptures are read, testifying to the work of Christ in bringing about salvation to those who believe (external), the Holy Spirit works within the believer to give a spiritual sense of the reality of faith (internal). The doctrine of the internal testimony has its origins in Augustine and was especially affirmed by Protestant theologians during and after the Reformation.1

1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 67.

Merry Christmas from Apologetics 315!

The winners of last week's Christmas book giveaway have been selected and contacted. Congratulations to Edward, Luke, and Brian for winning copies of Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism by Alvin Plantinga. (Sorry to the person who entered 150 times... We don't allow multiple entires!) Apologetics 315 will be taking a break the rest of this week from regular posting, and will resume blogging on Tuesday, December 27th. Read Along will resume on the 30th. In the meantime, enjoy this video.

Enjoy a Happy Christmas with family and friends.

“A man can’t always be defending the truth; there must be time to feed on it” - C.S. Lewis

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (12/16 - 12/23)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• Responding to the Evil God Challenge
• Geisler's new book on Inerrancy
• How Santa helps Christians love Jesus
• Christmas Resources from GotQuestions.org
• Ten Faith-Defending Ministries Worthy of Your Support
• Historical Facts About the Birth of Jesus — Luke 2:1-14
• Journal: International Society of Christian Apologetics
• Richard Dawkins vows to “destroy” Christianity
• Secular Theocracy: The Foundations and Folly of Modern Tyranny
• Molecular Animation Reveals the Machinery of Life
• Review: Where the Conflict Really Lies by Alvin Plantinga

• Planning on Christmas shopping via Amazon this year? If you use this link, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315 while we wait for our 501c3 approval.

Get these sorts of links and more by following on Twitter.
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Can We Trust the Bible? Audio by Craig Blomberg

In this excellent short audio, John Dickson of the Centre for Public Christianity interviews Craig Blomberg, distinguished professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary. This is a great discussion about the reliability of the New Testament. The video can be found here. The CPX podcast is here. Apologetics 315 interviewed Craig Blomberg here.

Full MP3 Audio here. (26 min)
Enjoy.

Apologist Interview: Peter S. Williams

Today's interview is with Peter S. Williams (blog here). He talks about his recent projects, including his debate alongside William Lane Craig at Cambridge, and his recent book: Understanding Jesus: Five Ways to Spiritual Enlightenment. He discusses a cumulative case approach, the Gospels as testimony and the role of testimony, the historical sources for Jesus, Jesus' self-centered teaching, the trilemma argument, Jesus' miracles, non-Christian miracle claims, the argument from prophecy and common objections, religious experiences, Jesus' spirituality, and more. More resources by Peter S. Williams here.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here. (52 min)

Find Peter S. Williams' new book here and here.
Previous interview with Peter here.
Enjoy.
Subscribe to the Apologetics 315 Interviews podcast here or in iTunes.

Graham Stanton on the Significance of Jesus

"The early Christians' opponents all accepted that Jesus existed, taught, had disciples, worked miracles, and was put to death on a Roman cross. As in our day, debate and disagreement centred largely not on the story but on the significance of Jesus. Today nearly all historians, whether Christians or not, accept that Jesus existed and that the gospels contain plenty of valuable evidence which has to be weighed and assessed critically."

- Graham Stanton, The Gospels and Jesus, p.145

Book Review: Aquinas by Edward Feser

One of the greatest, if not the greatest, intellectual heavyweights of the medieval period is St. Thomas Aquinas. Recently, there has been a revival of interest in Thomistic thought as many philosophers are not only beginning to notice and appreciate the value of Aquinas’s works, but also that much of Aquinas’s works offer an important insight into many of the contemporary philosophical issues. Because Aquinas’s main work, the Summa Theologiae, is too long and dense for most individuals to sit through and read, Edward Feser in his book Aquinas offers an introduction to Aquinas’s thought which presents readers with a goldmine of information covering Aquinas’s metaphysics, natural theology, psychology, and ethics. In each section, Feser sets the foundation for understanding the gist of Aquinas’s thought, with most of the book devoted to metaphysics and natural theology. What follows is a sketch of the main points covered in every chapter, with a heavy emphasis on the metaphysics chapter since this is where the foundation of the book stands.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (12/09 - 12/16)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• Surprised by Tolkien
• Profiling Plantinga
• Q&A with Lee Strobel
• Gary Habermas on Doubt
• 12 Reasons for Christmas
• It's Okay to Expect a Miracle
• Defining Success in Apologetics
• Are Faith and Reason Compatible?
• Apologetics in the Manner of Jesus
• Darwinism and the Next Generation
• Book review: Historical Theology
• What are the odds? Atheist lottery results
• The Truth About the Date and Origin of Christmas
• Can God Be Proven Through the Scientific Method? video
• Interview with Alvin Plantinga on Where the Conflict Really Lies
• Free Kindle Ebook: 'Money, Possessions, and Eternity' by Randy Alcorn
• Walter Bradley: three scientific phenomena that point to a designed universe
• New York Times profiles philosopher Alvin Plantinga and discusses his new book
• Meet Rick Schenker, head of Ratio Christi, a pro-apologetics campus ministry
• Did God Command Genocide in the Bible? William Lane Craig vs Richard Dawkins vid
• The Magic of Reality: Dawkins' Attempt to Produce Young, Angry, Atheist Clones

• Planning on Christmas shopping via Amazon this year? If you use this link, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315 while we wait for our 501c3 approval.

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Christopher Hitchens: 13 April 1949 – 15 Dec 2011

Christopher Hitchens: 13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011.

Obituary here.

A sad day.

Read Along: Christian Apologetics Ch15

Today we continue with chapter fifteen of Read Along with Apologetics315, a weekly chapter-by-chapter study through Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Christianity by Douglas Groothuis. Please leave a comment on your reading below. This is where you can interact with others reading the book, ask questions, or add your own thoughts. Series index here. Click below for the audio intro, chapter 15 study questions PDF, and summary:

Christmas Book Giveaway

Apologetics 315 is giving away three free books for Christmas. Here's how to enter the drawing: Just fill out this quick form answering a couple no-brainers and choose one of three books you'd like to win.
Here are the books in the Giveaway:

• Miracles by Craig Keener
• Understanding Jesus by Peter S. Williams
• Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism by Alvin Plantinga

Fill out the quick FORM here to enter. Three drawing winners will be chosen randomly and results will be announced on Apologetics 315 on Thursday, December 22nd.
Thanks for reading!

Debate: Walter Martin vs Madalyn Murray O’Hair

In this classic 1968 debate on the Long John Nebel Show, the late great Walter Martin debated the outspoken atheist activist Madalyn Murray O'Hair. This is not a moderated academic debate, as the listener will quickly find out. A fascinating and lively exchange. (Big hat tip to DefCon for finding this rare audio.)

Full Debate MP3 Audio here. (2hr 54min)

Enjoy.

10 Favorite Apologetics Interviews

This past month marks a milestone of over 100 interviews in the Apologetics 315 Interviews podcast. Now two years running, it has been a great tool for my personal learning and growth. At the same time, I hope that it has been a good learning tool for others. Here I'll write about the purpose of the podcast, followed by 10 favorites out of the 100.

The Purpose Behind the Questions

I have two overarching goals in mind when composing interview questions. On of them is the goal of introducing a particular apologist (author, speaker, pastor, teacher, philosopher, theologian, historian, scientist, blogger, etc.) to a listener that is intent on being a better defender of the faith. With this in mind, I want to give the audience an idea of what the guest's main areas of expertise are. So this is one factor guiding my questions: putting people in touch with some of the best resources in the area of Christian apologetics.

Leibniz on the Universe and its Author

"...if we could sufficiently understand the order of the universe, we should find that it exceeds all the desires of the wisest men, and that it is impossible to make it better than it is, not only as a whole and in general but also for ourselves in particular, if we are attached, as we ought to be, to the Author of all, not only as to the architect and efficient cause of our being, but as to our master and to the final cause, which ought to be the whole aim of our will, and which can alone make our happiness."

- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, The Monadology, 1714 (more here)

Book Review: A Short History of Atheism by Gavin Hyman

Hyman’s A Short History of Atheism traces the route by which modern epistemological discussion produced atheism. He contends that subjectivist Enlightenment epistemologies, both rational and empirical, shaped a modern conception of God shared by both atheists and theists. This modern conception renders the Theist’s epistemic justifications for God’s existence vulnerable to atheistic counterattack. It simultaneously undermines the atheist’s case by revealing the God of his denial to be only a modern construct. God Himself may be immune to rejection. Ironically modern theism and modern atheism exist in symbiosis and flourish on similar epistemic modes. For anyone with the sneaking suspicion pre-Enlightenment epistemologies can positively contribute to modern theology, Hyman’s book is a must read.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (12/02 - 12/09)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• Against Hume
• Dawkins vs. Dawkins
• About those Canaanites…
• Top 5 Common Christmas Myths
• All of Church History in 5 Hours
• God, science and evolution Part 4
• The Reasonable Faith App is here!
• “You Shouldn’t Impose Your Morality on Others”
• 'The Holiness of God' by R. C. Sproul - FREE on Kindle
• The Ultimate Apologetics MP3 Audio Page - YouTube plug!
• How Do We Investigate Whether a Resurrection Occurred?
• New study: the early Earth’s atmosphere contained oxygen
• Can Natural Selection Acting On Random Mutation Get The Job Done for Dawkins?

• Planning on Christmas shopping via Amazon this year? If you use this link, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315 while we wait for our 501c3 approval.

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Read Along: Christian Apologetics Ch14

Today we continue with chapter fourteen of Read Along with Apologetics315, a weekly chapter-by-chapter study through Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Christianity by Douglas Groothuis. Please leave a comment on your reading below. This is where you can interact with others reading the book, ask questions, or add your own thoughts. Series index here. Click below for the audio intro, chapter 14 study questions PDF, and summary:

Gospels and Acts as History by Timothy McGrew

Do the Gospels and Acts present accurate history? In this talk, originally presented for Reasonable Faith Belfast, Dr. Timothy McGrew explores five tests for historical credibility for the Gospels and book of Acts. This is one hour and ten minutes of content-packed analysis followed by thirty minutes of Q&A. PowerPoint file is here.

Full MP3 Audio here. (1hr 45min)
Video on YouTube here.
Enjoy.

Philosopher Interview: Alvin Plantinga

Today's interview is with Alvin Plantinga, emeritus John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He talks about his background and how he got into philosophy, theistic arguments (for two dozen or so, see here) and some he'd like to see worked on (the argument from evil & the argument from abstract objects), the use of the ontological argument, how he would speak to other about the faith, his view on the use of arguments for convincing others, properly basic belief, the proper function of his A/C, the shift toward theism in philosophy, reading recommendations for up-and-coming philosophers, study and reading habits, character traits for the Christian philosopher, topics he'd like to see Christian philosophers tackle, advice on apologetics, his latest book, Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism, and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (45 min)

Some of Platinga's books include:
• God and Other Minds
• The Nature of Necessity
• God, Freedom, and Evil
• Warrant and Proper Function
• Warranted Christian Belief
• Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism

Enjoy.
Subscribe to the Apologetics 315 Interviews podcast here or in iTunes.

Galileo on Sense and Reason

"But I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason and intellect has intended us to forego their use and by some other means to give us knowledge which we can attain by them."

- Galileo Galilei
Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany, 1615

Book Review: The Soul of Science: Christian Faith and Natural Philosophy by Nancy Pearcey and Charles Thaxton

In The Soul of Science: Christian Faith and Natural Philosophy, Nancy Pearcey and Charles Thaxton set out to tell an educated but non-technical audience the story of the streams of thought that produced the science of the West, with a special emphasis on the role of Christian thought. The story they tell is perhaps too technical for their audience, and after the 17th century they have little to say about Christianity. However, they do produce a useful explanation of the Christian basis for science in the Middle Ages and the Enlightenment, and provide a good, basic explanation of key scientific findings in the 20th century and a lucid and entertaining history of the sciences in general.

They begin by explaining how most people have heard the story of Western science from the viewpoint of positivism, which claims that science was gradually set free from religious superstition. Modern historians, however, have adopted idealism and historicism, two approaches to history that recognize the role that religion played in the foundation of Western science. The result, say the authors, has been a revival of interest in the beliefs of early scientists and a greater appreciation for the role of Christianity in birthing the sciences.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (11/25 - 12/02)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• Integrated apologetics
• Christian Apologetics Journal
• Let’s Not Run From “Apologetics”
• When Fallacies are not Fallacious
• Critical Thinking Or Correct Thoughts?
• Infinite Punishment for Infinite Crimes
• Mike Licona and risenjesus.com (video)
• C. S. Lewis on the Hallucination Theory
• Praxman and Meadwell on Truth (video)
• Bill Craig's Lecture 'The Origins of the Universe' video
• Mathematicians & Philosophers: Gottfried Leibniz (Part 2)
• Journal of the International Society of Christian Apologetics
• How Do We Investigate Whether a Resurrection Occurred?
• Can naturalism account for the origin of the 20 amino acids in living systems?
• International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism & Human Rights - Still room to sign up
• Origins of the Universe - Has Stephen Hawking Eliminated God? - William Lane Craig

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Read Along: Christian Apologetics Ch13

Today we continue with chapter thirteen of Read Along with Apologetics315, a weekly chapter-by-chapter study through Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Christianity by Douglas Groothuis. Please leave a comment on your reading below. This is where you can interact with others reading the book, ask questions, or add your own thoughts. Series index here. Click below for the audio intro, chapter 13 study questions PDF, and summary:

5 Great Apologetics Talks: The Ahmanson Lecture Series

For the past couple of years, Saddleback Church has been presenting an apologetics weekend called The Ahmanson Lectures. (For last year's audio and video, click here. In addition, a podcast feed for the first year's audio can be found here.) But this year's 2011 lineup is also excellent, with five talks relevant to the reliability and historicity of the Bible. These are available in audio or video via the following links or via iTunes. Check them out.

• Why Historians Take the Gospel Seriously - Dr. John Dickson
• The Reliability of the New Testament - Dr. Sean McDowell
• Ten Reasons We Know the New Testament is True - Dr. Frank Turek
• Following Jesus on the Reliability of Scripture - Dr. Paige Patterson
• A Biblical Philosophy of Truth - Dr. Doug Groothuis

Enjoy.
[HT: Michael]

Science & Religion - Where the Conflict Really Lies

Alvin Plantinga lectures on science and religion: where the conflict really lies. His latest book makes the full case. Pick it up here: Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism. [HT:Rob]

Apologist Interview: Winfried Corduan

Today's interview is with Christian philosopher Win Corduan. Dr. Corduan has served as a professor or adjunct professor of philosophy and religion at numerous colleges, universities, and seminaries. He has also served as president of both the International Society of Christian Apologetics and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. He talks about his background and work, influences in apologetics, philosophy and apologetics, philosophical theology, philosophy of religions, comparative religions, his study in Buddhism, the neglect of Buddhism, the need for scholars in all areas, advice for apologists, and more. His books include Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction to World Religions, No Doubt About It: The Case for Christianity, Pocket Guide to World Religions, Handmaid to Theology: An Essay in Philosophical Prolegomena, Reasonable Faith: Basic Christian Apologetics, and a number of others.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (50 min).
Enjoy.
Subscribe to the Apologetics 315 Interviews podcast here or in iTunes.

The Only Foundation of Sound Knowledge and Learning

"Let every student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the maine end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and Learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisdom, Let every one seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of him."

- Rule of Harvard College 1646
Quoted from Mind Your Faith: A Student's Guide to Thinking and Living Well

Book Review: Good God: The Theistic Foundations of Morality by David Baggett and Jerry L. Walls

Good God: The Theistic Foundations of Morality by David Baggett and Jerry L. Walls is a spirited defense of both the moral argument (MA) for God’s existence and a specific version of Divine Command Theory (DCT). The MA claims that morality is based in God and DCTs attempt to specify how morality is based in God. While the book briefly addresses the that question, the bulk is devoted to answering the how question.

Baggett and Walls make very clear that the kind of God one believes in affects the plausibility of both the MA and DCT. The authors affirm the existence not only of God, but of God as the Greatest Possible Being (GPB)—that is, omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, and necessary (existing in all possible worlds). This view of God as the GPB informs the rest of the book.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (11/18 - 11/25)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• Argument from Desire
• Questions Christians Fear
• The “I Could Do It Better” Fallacy
• Apologetics And Christmas
• Lee Strobel responds to Bart Ehrman
• tothesource interviews Chuck Colson
• Copan and Wallace on Licona and Geisler
• Reasons to Believe Monthly E-Zine (PDF)
• What Are Four Things Science Will Never Explain?
• Alvin Plantinga & Properly Basic Beliefs (video)
• Audio of C.S. Lewis on God, time, and Christian living
• Why Demanding Extraordinary Evidence Makes Little Sense
• Former Atheist Keener’s “Miracles” Challenges Skeptics
• 10 Surprisingly Simple Tips for Talking with Cult Members – Part 3
• Intelligent design theorist Stephen C. Meyer debates evolutionist Keith Fox

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Read Along: Christian Apologetics Ch12

Today we continue with chapter twelve of Read Along with Apologetics315, a weekly chapter-by-chapter study through Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Christianity by Douglas Groothuis. Please leave a comment on your reading below. This is where you can interact with others reading the book, ask questions, or add your own thoughts. Series index here. Click below for the audio intro, chapter 12 study questions PDF, and summary:

7 Ways for Your Church to Engage

Looking to get apologetics into your church? (There's a podcast about that.) To get started sometimes all it takes is an idea and the vision to make something happen, even if it is small. In Jonathan Morrow's book Think Christianly (interview here) he lists 21 ways for your church to engage at the intersection of faith and culture. Are you ready to look at just seven of them and think about how you might be able to incorporate them into your own church?

1. Briefly mention current events relevant to faith and culture and include a reference to an article or blog for further exploration.
   
   
2. Sponsor a debate on the existence of God. Consider partnering with another church to sponsor a live event, or you can show a recent one on a DVD. This will provide opportunities for conversations to occur.
   

Apologist Interview: Jonathan Morrow

Today's interview is with apologist, author and equipping pastor Jonathan Morrow. He is author of Welcome to College and co-author of Is God a Human Invention? His latest book is Think Christianly: Looking at the intersection of Faith and Culture. He talks about faith and culture, what it means to think Christianly, practical ways to equip the local church, crucial areas of cultural engagement, the themes of his latest book, and more. Previous interviews here and here. Book trailer here.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here. (33 min)

Enjoy.
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Timothy McGrew on the Internet and Scholarship

"One of the most disastrous illusions of the internet age is that an amateur plus Google is equivalent to a scholar. A search engine offers information, more or less relevant according to the skill of the searcher. But it does not sift that information; it does not sort fact from fancy, wheat from chaff. It does not explain which facts are relevant and which are beside the point. It does not weigh the merits of competing arguments and tell the user where the balance of evidence lies. A bright amateur armed with the internet may at best be better informed than he would otherwise have been, and he may occasionally catch a real scholar in a factual error. But it will not turn him into a scholar himself. There is no such thing as effortless erudition."

- Dr. Timothy McGrew

Book Review: The Last Superstition by Edward Feser

The title of Edward Feser's book The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism sets the tone for the entire work, as it asserts in bold letters across the cover that atheism is the ultimate 'superstition'. This alone may tell you whether or not this book is 'for you' or not – it introduces Feser's polemic style, and it also tells you its goal. The contents, however, may surprise you.

This is not a book filled with the author's own opinions, rather it's a book that tries to lay out basic underlying foundations. Feser himself does little in the way of speculation. In fact, he is hardly even writing anything new at all. The tactic of The Last Superstition is to simply appeal to the classical philosophical tradition that has already been around for thousands of years, and show how that great tradition bears on the atheist claims that we hear so much of today.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (11/11 - 11/18)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• Debunking apostasy
• McGrew on Evidence
• Could Jesus read, and did He know Greek?
• Review: Lectures on Francis Schaeffer Early Years
• When is an Appeal to Authority Fallacious?
• Conception to Birth Visualized (absolutely amazing)
• Think Christianly by Jonathan Morrow (Book Trailer)
• Lennox event on Seven Days the Divide the World
• Richard Dawkins: "I am ashamed of my university!"
• Ten Great Philosophy, Science, and Theology Podcasts
• The difference between a skeptic and a constant questioner
• Eight Points of Encouragement for Those Who Are Doubting Their Faith
• Review: The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is by N.T. Wright
• Looking forward to this book: Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts by Craig S. Keener

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Read Along: Christian Apologetics Ch11

Today we continue with chapter eleven of Read Along with Apologetics315, a weekly chapter-by-chapter study through Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Christianity by Douglas Groothuis. Please leave a comment on your reading below. This is where you can interact with others reading the book, ask questions, or add your own thoughts. Series index here. Click below for the audio intro, chapter 11 study questions PDF, and summary:

Debate: Douglas Jacoby vs. Robert Brotherus Debate

On September 10, 2011, apologist Douglas Jacoby debated atheist Robert Brotherus in Helsinki on the topic: Is Christianity Rational? A very interesting debate with cross-examination, plenty of dialogue, and Q&A. Original audio via youtube here.

Full Debate MP3 Audio here. (1hr 50min)

Enjoy.

15 Ways to Detect Nonsense

How do you avoid bad thinking? How do you detect nonsense? By nonsense we mean fallacious reasoning. Robert J. Gula's book Nonsense is a great place to start to begin to think critically and to spot fallacies in reasoning. (Review here.) It's a book that is thorough with an informal style with plenty of entertaining examples. If it's a fallacy, it's probably in this book. In the final note of the book, Gula distills the book into 15 principles. Here is that content: 15 Ways to Detect Nonsense:

1. Be alert to anyone who speaks in absolutes: who uses words such as all, none, no one, never, always, everyone, must, immediately, or who refers to a group of people as if all the members have identical characteristics, beliefs, or attitudes.