Apologist Interview: Alister McGrath

Today's interview is with Alister McGrath, Professor of Theology, Ministry and Education, and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture at King's College, London. He talks about his journey out of atheism, his interactions with the New Atheists, the future of atheism, the tone of debate, his new book The Passionate Intellect (Mere Theology in UK), the role of a theology in apologetics, the role of natural theology, collaborative apologetics, advice for Christian apologists, and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (37 min)

Alister McGrath's book's include:
• The Passionate Intellect: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind
• Christian Theology: An Introduction
• Theology: The Basics
• Chosen Ones (Aedyn Chronicles, The)
• Heresy: A History of Defending the Truth
• Christianity's Dangerous Idea
• Doubting: Growing Through the Uncertainties of Faith
• Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought
• A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology
• Science and Religion: A New Introduction
• The Dawkins Delusion?
• In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible
• The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World
• Dawkins' GOD: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life
• Intellectuals Don't Need God and Other Modern Myths
• Christianity: An Introduction
• The Future of Atheism: Alister McGrath and Daniel Dennett in Dialogue
...and more...

Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics here.
Check out other resources by Alister McGrath on Ap315 here.

Enjoy.

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

Sunday Quote: Paul Copan on Bias

“If writing with a goal – whether it be evangelistic, apologetic, or didactic – implies propaganda, then all recorded history is propaganda. . . a work shouldn’t be dismissed simply because of the strong convictions of the writer. Should we discount the facticity or reliability of the accounts of Nazi concentration camp survivors simply because they passionately recount their story?”

- Paul Copan

True For You, But Not For Me – Defeating the Slogans that leave Christians Speechless, (Bethany House, 1998), p.101.

Two Apologetics Blogs to Follow

If you are interested in short apologetics video clips or audio features, there are two blogs that you should follow. Faithful Thinkers, run by Luke Nix, consistently features audios and videos covering apologetics topics. Case for Christianity regularly features short apologetics videos. So for those looking for regularly posted, consistent quality video content, these might be good ones to bookmark or to subscribe to via RSS.

Faithful Thinkers and Case for Christianity.

Check them out.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (01/21 - 01/28)

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

• Propositions to Ponder
• Letters vs. Myth
• The Rage Against God
• What Is Christianity?
• Josh McDowell Book GiveAway
• God, Black Holes, and Stephen Hawking
• Useful or Useless Evolutionary Terms?
• Fallacy Friday: Assessing Arguments
• Being a Thinking Christian at the University
• Common Errors in Bible Interpretation
• Tactics and talking points for defending traditional marriage
• A dignity argument against most abortions
• Currently Reading: Reasoning from the Scriptures with Muslims by Ron Rhodes
• Don't be cruel to yourself, engage in theology!
• Harvard Astrophysicist Supports Rare Earth Hypothesis
• Book review of Stephen Hawking’s “The Grand Design” by Edgar Andrews
• The Underestimated Agreement Of The Gospels
• The Case for the Resurrection by Lee Strobel on Kindle (only 1.99) good deal.
• New book of interest: Alfred Russel Wallace: A Rediscovered Life
• Is Glenn Beck a Mormon-new-age guru?

Get these sorts of links and more by following on Twitter.
Or just add this feed to your RSS reader.

Ken Samples New Blog: Reflections

Philosopher and theologian Ken Samples has a new blog called Reflections. Some may already be familiar with Ken's Straight Thinking podcast, and will most likely want to follow his blog as well. His goal is to help and challenge Christians to think carefully about the implications of their worldview. Check out his phenomenal inaugural post: 100 Academic Commandments, which covers the classroom, study skills, student life, and the development of the Christian mind.

Visit Reflections and subscribe.
Check out more resources by Ken Samples.

Enjoy.

Clay Jones Interview: The Crusades - part 2

Apologetics 315 is happy to welcome Clay Jones for a series of three interviews. Clay is assistant professor at the Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics program at Biola University - and he teaches courses in Theodicy & the Issue of Evil, apologetics research and writing, and defending the resurrection. He has been interviewed in the past on Apologetics 315 on the problem of evil.

Today's interview is the second of a series of three short podcasts (see part one here) dealing with the general perception of the Crusades, what the Crusades were, motivations behind them, Augustine's concept of "just war," the atrocities of the Crusades, and their overall outcome.

Clay Jones Interview on the Crusades - part 2 (14 min)

Clay's blog is here.

For more interviews, subscribe to the Interviews podcast here or in iTunes.
Enjoy.

The Ehrman Project: Resources Answering Bart Ehrman

Dr. Bart Ehrman has raised significant questions about the reliability of the Bible. In an engaging way, he is questioning the credibility of Christianity. His arguments are not new, which he readily admits. Numerous Biblical scholars profoundly disagree with his findings. The Ehrman Project website provides responses to Dr. Ehrman's provocative conclusions.

Check it out here.

Other Bart Ehrman resources here.

Also, Peter J. Williams makes a good observation in the comments at Evangelical Textual Criticism.

Apologist Interview: Jay Richards

Today's interview is with Jay Richards, program director of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture. (articles by Jay here) He talks about the use of intelligent design arguments in Christian apologetics, understanding the limits of arguments, removing obstacles to the Gospel, "God must have done it" caricatures,  the Privileged Planet thesis, the factors needed for a life-sustaining planet, the overlap between the conditions for life and the conditions for discovery, the materialistic worldview and the Copernican principle, pre-Copernican cosmology, earth-like exoplanets, design and constrained optimization, the importance of the moon for life and for science, the benefit of philosophical tools for apologetics, advice for apologists, and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here. (35 min)

Jay Richards' books include:
• God and Evolution
• The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos is Designed for Discovery
• Unapologetic Apologetics: Meeting the Challenges of Theological Studies
• The Untamed God: A Philosophical Exploration of Divine Perfection, Simplicity, and Immutability
• THE DVD: The Privileged Planet

Check out Jay's view on The Grand Design, and his debate with Christopher Hitchens.

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

Sunday Quote: Michael Green on Bias

“It is one thing to recognize bias and aim off for it: it is quite another to suppose that because men passionately believe something to be true it must therefore be false.”

– Michael Green

‘Jesus and Historical Scepticism’ in The Truth of God Incarnate, (Hodder & Stoughton, 1977), p.120

A Fine-Tuned Universe: Science, Theology and the Quest for Meaning by Alister McGrath

This resource comprises six talks given at the Gifford Lectures at the University of Aberdeen in 2009. In this series, Professor Alister McGrath explores the human quest for meaning in the universe, especially in light of its apparent "fine-tuning" to permit the origination of life. Why do we long to make sense of things? Do we possess some kind of "homing instinct" for heaven? What is the significance of "fine-tuning"? And can the Christian faith engage with these observations meaningfully?

Lecture series homepage is here. Each lecture is in PDF format:
Lecture 1 - Introduction: Yearning to make sense of things
Lecture 2 - Why we still need natural theology
Lecture 3 - The mystery of the constants of nature
Lecture 4 - The enigmas of evolutionary biology
Lecture 5 - Natural theology and the quest for meaning
Lecture 6 - Conclusion: Clues to the meaning of the universe?

Enjoy.

Norman Geisler Podcast

This 4-minute apologetics podcast is by Norman Geisler, who is the author or co-author of some 70 books and hundreds of articles. See Geisler author page here. See other Geisler resources on Ap315 here. Entitled "The Voice of Truth," this podcast presents Geisler's nutshell answers to dozens of issues.

Get the RSS feed here, or subscribe in iTunes here.

Enjoy.

Clay Jones Interview: The Crusades - part 1

Apologetics 315 is happy to welcome Clay Jones for a series of three interviews. Clay is assistant professor at the Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics program at Biola University - and he teaches courses in Theodicy & the Issue of Evil, apologetics research and writing, and defending the resurrection. He has been interviewed in the past on Apologetics 315 on the problem of evil.

Today's interview is the first of a series of three short podcasts dealing with some of the attacks against Christianity because of events such as the Crusades, witch hunts, and other historical events. This introductory episode begins to unpack how we as Christians should approach and think through the issues.

Clay Jones Interview on the Crusades - part 1 (12 min)

Clay's blog is here.

For more interviews, subscribe to the Interviews podcast here or in iTunes.
Enjoy.

Did Christianity Steal from Mystery Religions? MP3 Audio

In this four-part audio series, apologist Lenny Esposito of Come Reason Ministries unpacks the question: Did Christianity Steal from Mystery Religions? Lenny responds to the charge that "There were many resurrected messiahs in ancient religions," "Christianity ripped off other faiths," and the like.

Did Christianity Steal from Mystery Religions?
Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Audio (link bundle here)

Check out the Come Reason podcast here.

Enjoy.

Francis Schaeffer Lecture Collection

Wheaton College has an online archive of resources - which includes a large collection of lectures by the late Francis Schaeffer. The list can be found here (or broader index here), but here are a few that may be of apologetic interest:
• Christian Apologetics
• Christianity & Science
• Intellectual Proof & Faith
• Modern Man & Epistemology
• On the Problem of Evil & the God of Love part 1 | 2
• The Inspiration of Scripture
• The Question of Apologetics
• Basic Philosophical Questions
• and lots more here... 

Enjoy.

Sunday Quote: Nancy Pearcey on the Gospel

"The ultimate goal is to preach the gospel. But the gospel is not simple to those whose background prevents them from understanding it. Today's global secular culture has erected a maze of mental barriers against even considering the biblical message."

- Nancy Pearcey (Saving Leonardo, p.15)

[HT:JM]

New Apologetics Event Calendar

Due to numerous requests, Apologetics 315 is launching an apologetics event calendar. This page is designed to be a public calendar for apologetics meetings, conferences, gatherings, and the like. The content is all reader-submitted. So if you know of an event and want to get the word out -- just leave a comment or send an email to Apologetics315.

If you are an event coordinator or faculty of a seminary and wish to publish your events regularly to the calendar, please contact Ap315.

Thanks - and may 2011 be another great year of apologetics events!

Go to the Calendar

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (01/07 - 01/14)

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

• A Review of the ESV Study Bible
• Biblical Archaeology Review
• The Case for Christianity in 15 Minutes
• T.H. Huxley on Science & Religion
• John Lennox coming to New Zealand
• Unjustified belief
• Just Think Podcast
• Isn’t science more rational than faith?
• William Lane Craig reviews his debate with Dawkins (mp3)
• Currently reading: World Religions by Warren Matthews
• Three Ways Christians Must Change – Dr J.P. Moreland
• Can there be moral accountability if there is no life after death?
• Alvin Plantinga – Why Does A ‘Loving God’ Permit Evil In Our World?
• Peter S. Williams on '5 Flaws In The Thinking Of The New Atheists'

Get these sorts of links and more by following on Twitter. Or just add this feed to your RSS reader

Did God Create the Universe? MP3 by Hugh Ross

In this audio file available, at the great CS Lewis Institute website, Hugh Ross (Reasons to Believe) speaks on the subject: Did God Create the Universe?: Why a Personal God Must be Responsible for The Grand Design of the Universe. Ross surveys current scientific evidence to show how it points to the design of the universe by a personal God.

Full MP3 Audio here (68 min).
Download page here. Lecture page here.

Hugh Ross's books include:
• Why the Universe Is the Way It Is
• More Than a Theory: Revealing a Testable Model for Creation
• A Matter of Days: Resolving a Creation Controversy
• Genesis One: A Scientific Perspective

Enjoy.

Featured Podcast: Overflow Today

Overflow Today is a free 3 to 5 minute video/audio podcast for Christians which teach us how to naturally “overflow” into our non-Christian friends’ lives with the gospel. Each show is different and brings new and helpful ideas. Topics include: how to transition to talking about Jesus; intellectual answers to objections about our faith; and many more. From answering questions, to removing doubts, Overflow Today seeks to give you confidence and connect you better with non-believers.

You can subscribe to the podcast here or via RSS or in iTunes.

Have a look at some of the topics you'll find. Lots of short snippets from some of the best apologetics and evangelism resources out there. Some of the apologetic topics:

• DNA Evidence for a Creator
• Scientists Who Believe
• You’re Wrong to Convert Others!
• All Religions Lead to the Same Place!
• How Could a Good God Allow Evil and Suffering?
• Religion Causes Most Violence and Wars!
• Christians are Judgmental!
• Bible – Reliable? Defendable?
• Hard to Believe Bible Passages
• Shutting Down Cheap Shots
• Hypocrites in the Church?

Enjoy.

Apologist Interview: Paul Copan - Is God a Moral Monster?

Today's interview is with Christian apologist and philosopher Paul Copan. This is my second interview with Paul - the first covered a number of different topics for apologists -- but today's interview focuses on his recent book entitled: Is God a Moral Monster? Making sense of the Old Testament God. He explores the questions of the "mean" Old Testament God, is God proud and jealous, Abraham being commanded to sacrifice Isaac, challenging Old Testament laws, slavery, and the judgement of the Canaanites.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (55 min)

Some of Paul Copan's other excellent books:
• True for You, But Not for Me: Overcoming Objections to Christian Faith
• When God Goes to Starbucks: A Guide to Everyday Apologetics
• How Do You Know You're Not Wrong?: Responding to Objections That Leave Christians Speechless
• That's Just Your Interpretation: Responding to Skeptics Who Challenge Your Faith

Enjoy.