Apologetics DVD Curriculums

Looking for good resources to teach or learn good apologetics content "out of the box"? Apologetics DVD sets can be extremely useful for individual and group study courses. So where can you find good apologetics DVD curriculums? Right here in this list:

Focus on the Family

• Focus on the Family TrueU: Does God Exist? 
• Focus on the Family TrueU: Is the Bible Reliable?
• Focus on the Family: The TRUTH Project

Lee Strobel

• The Case for Christ: A Six-Session Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
• The Case for Faith: A Six-Session Investigation of the Toughest Objections to Christianity
• The Case for a Creator: A Six-Session Investigation of the Scientific Evidence That Points toward God

William Lane Craig

• On Guard: Learn To Defend Your Faith
• Crossing Culture: Is Your Faith Intellectually Defenseless

Ravi Zacharias International

• ASK Curriculum
• Foundations of Apologetics Curriculum

Frank Turek & Norman Geisler

• I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist – Frank Turek 
• 12 Points that Show Christianity is True – Norman Geisler 

Greg Koukl / STR

• Tactics in Defending the Faith: Interactive DVD – Greg Koukl
• Making Abortion Unthinkable: The Art of Pro-Life Persuasion
• Responding to Relativism

Summit Ministries

• Understanding the Times

Tim Keller

• The Reason for God

Mary Jo Sharp

• Why Do You Believe That: A Faith Conversation

Sean & Josh McDowell

• God Quest with Sean McDowell, Josh McDowell, Lee Strobel, and others

Special Hat Tip to Chris Shannon for this list.

Terminology Tuesday: Ontology

Ontology: The study of being. Ontology is often considered to be equivalent to metaphysics, but some thinkers, such as Martin Heideggar, have viewed ontology as a quest to understand the meaning of being, in contrast with metaphysics as inquiry about specific types of entities.1

1. C.Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 85.

Author Interview: Paul Buller

Today's interview is with author of Arguing with Friends: Keeping Your Friends and Your Convictions. He also runs the blog whyjesus.ca and arguingwithfriends.com. He talks about influences in apologetics, conversational apologetics, the goal in personal interactions with others, understanding arguments (this Monty Python skit), tactics vs. strategies, learning from mistakes in doing apologetics, and advice for effective communication. He's giving away a couple copies of his book:
Enter the drawing here.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (40 min)

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

Phillip E. Johnson on Darwinian Arguments

"In the final analysis, it is not any specific scientific evidence that convinces me that Darwinism is a pseudoscience that will collapse once it becomes possible for critics to get a fair hearing. It is the way the Darwinists argue their case that makes it apparent that they are afraid to encounter the best arguments against their theory. A real science does not employ propaganda and legal barriers to prevent relevant questions from being asked, nor does it rely on enforcing rules of reasoning that allow no alternative to the official story. If the Darwinists had a good case to make, they would welcome the critics to an academic forum for open debate, and they would want to confront the best critical arguments rather than to caricature them as straw men. Instead they have chosen to rely on the dishonorable methods of power politics."

Phillip E. Johnson

The Wedge of Truth: Splitting the Foundations of Naturalism Intervarsity Press: Downers Grove IL, 2000, p.141

Book Review: Christian Apologetics: An Anthology of Primary Sources

If you’re searching for a reference book that provides a look at apologetics from a wide variety of perspectives by some of the best apologists in the field, past and present, then Christian Apologetics: An Anthology of Primary Sources is for you. Editors Khaldoun A. Sweis and Chad V. Meister have assembled an impressive collection of essays in this 11-part, 553-page tome.

Part I, entitled History, Methodology, and Engagement, kicks off with the apostle Paul addressing the Greek philosophers at the Areopagus as recorded in Acts 17. This is followed by John Warwick Montgomery’s brief history of apologetics, James Beilby’s discussion of different approaches to apologetics, and Harold Netland’s essay on interreligious apologetics.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (10/19 - 10/26)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• Paul Kurtz debates
• Why atheism is self-defeating
• An atheist changes his mind about God
• Is Biblical Inerrancy Irrelevant?
• Jehovah’s Witnesses meet Grace, Patience
• Frank Turek Interviews John Lennox (MP3)
• Billy Graham, Mormonism, and the word "Cult"
• Certificates in Apologetics from Denver Seminary
• God of the Gaps: Five Problems with a Terrible Slogan
• Video: “Secret Universe: The Hidden Life of the Cell”
• New from Geisler: "The Big Book of Christian Apologetics"
• Some new good music to download: Bluetree "Kingdom" 
• Why Trying to Explain Away God With Science is an ERROR
• Presidential Debates, Apologetics, Information and Influence
• Top Five Myths Christians (and Non-Christians) Often Believe About Intelligent Design
• You can now support Apologetics 315 by shopping at Amazon in the UK.
• You can now support Apologetics 315 by shopping at Amazon in Canada.

Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Would you support us monthly?

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Lee Strobel Interview Transcript

The following transcript is from an Apologetics 315 interview with Lee Strobel. Original audio here. If you enjoy transcripts, please consider supporting, which makes this possible.

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BA: Hello, this is Brian Auten of Apologetics 315. Today I interview Lee Strobel. Lee is probably best known as the author of a series of best-selling Christian apologetics books: The Case For Christ, The Case For Faith, The Case For a Creator and The Case For the Real Jesus, among others. As a former atheist and professional journalist, Lee became a Christian after investigating the evidence for Jesus. The purpose of our interview today is to learn a bit more about Lee's background, ask him about his experience as an apologist and what advice he has for apologists, and find out what his current projects are. Well, thanks for joining me today Lee!

LS: My pleasure Brian — thanks for having me! I'm a big fan of your website; I visit there multiple times a day and it's just a tremendous resource so I'm very happy you asked me to join you.

BA: Excellent. Well, Lee, this interview is particularly special to me as it seems in my mind that you've been one of the most influential popular apologetics authors, at least in my time I think. There must be countless up-and-coming apologists who, maybe, got into the field through reading The Case For Christ or The Case For the Creator. So my question first is, since you wrote This Case For Christ back in '98, what sort of response have you had from those who've read your books?

36 Purposes of God in Our Suffering

When difficulties, trials, and suffering come in our lives, often the first question we ask is, "why?" How could God allow this? Why does God allow suffering at all? Could there be any purpose in suffering?

Joni Eareckson Tada knows hardship firsthand and shares her experiences and reflections on suffering in many of her books. The following is an appendix from her book When God Weeps: Why Our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty.

1. Suffering is used to increase our awareness of the sustaining power of God to whom we owe our sustenance (Ps 68:19).
2. God uses suffering to refine, perfect, strengthen, and keep us from falling (Ps 66:8-9; Heb 2:10).
3. Suffering allows the life of Christ to be manifested in our mortal flesh (2 Cor 4:7-11).
4. Suffering bankrupts us, making us dependent upon God (2 Cor 12:9).
5. Suffering teaches us humility (2 Cor 12:7).
6. Suffering imparts the mind of Christ (Phil 2:1-11).
7. Suffering teaches us that God is more concerned about character than comfort (Rom 5:3-4; Heb 12:10-11).

Michael Licona & Dale Martin: Did Jesus Physically Rise From the Dead?

In this audio, Michael Licona (Houston Baptist University) and Dale Martin (Yale University) dialogue on the topic of “Did Jesus rise physically from the dead?” This dialogue was held at St. Mary’s University’s McNally Theatre Auditorium on October 18th. Hosted by Religion Soup. YouTube video is here.

Full Dialogue MP3 Audio here (2 hr)
Enjoy.

Terminology Tuesday: Metaphysics

Metaphysics: The branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of reality. Literally, metaphysics is that which is "beyond" or "after" physics, since it deals with questions such as the following: Are the entities postulated by science real? Does God exist? Do numbers and other mathematical objects exist independently of the human mind?

The term is sometimes used pejoratively, to designate an attempt to develop an impossible "super science" that would achieve completeness and certainty. It is also used as a synonym for ontology, the name for the study of being.1

1. C.Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), pp. 74-75.

Apologist Interview: David Marshall

Today's interview is with David Marshall, founder and director of the Kuai Mu Institute for Christianity and World Cultures and editor of the forthcoming Faith Seeking Understanding: Essays in Memory of Paul Brand and Ralph Winter. He talks about his work and background, apologetics in missions, his latest book, the influence of Paul Brand and Ralph Winter, how the Gospels demonstrate the historicity of the Gospel story, advice for those doing apologetics, and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (40 min).

Books by David Marshall include:
• The Truth Behind the New Atheism
• Jesus and the Religions of Man
• The Truth About Jesus and the "Lost Gospels"
• Why the Jesus Seminar can't find Jesus, and Grandma Marshall Could

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

Tim Keller on the Need for Apologetics

"I’ve heard plenty of Christians try to answer the why question by going back to the what. ‘You have to believe because Jesus is the Son of God.’ But that’s answering the why with more what. Increasingly we live in a time in which you can’t avoid the why question. Just giving the what (for example, a vivid gospel presentation) worked in the days when the cultural institutions created an environment in which Christianity just felt true or at least honorable. But in a post-Christendom society, in the marketplace of ideas, you have to explain why this is true, or people will just dismiss it."

– Tim Keller

[HT: Christian Apologetics UK]

Book Review: Thinking About Christian Apologetics: What It Is and Why We Do It by James K. Beilby

Thinking About Christian Apologetics: What It Is and Why We Do It is a cogent and compelling book because it argues that apologetics is not an academic exercise. To be sure, an apologist can learn much from academia, and from having her ideas tested in the scholarly community. However, James K. Beilby realises that apologetics is, at the root, simply “commending and defending” the faith and he reminds us that this is an unavoidable part of Christian living. While Beilby takes us through the familiar territory of presuppositionalism and evidentialism, his argument remains fresh and persuasive.

Just as theology flows naturally from worship and confession, apologetics is the natural outcome of evangelism. At some point the Christian moves from proclaiming the Gospel to persuading the unbeliever; once this move takes place, the Christian has moved from evangelism to apologetics. In any case, the unbeliever will soon ask “why should I take anything you say seriously?” The Christian will have to state some reason for the hope that is within him; so his answer had better be good. Once we realise that apologetics is a natural part of the Christian life, the objections of the anti-apologist melt away.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (10/12 - 10/19)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• Apologetics is not….
• Unpacking Atheism debrief
• Apologetics seasoned with grace
• The Character Of Miracle Witnesses
• Why Naturalism Lacks Explanatory Power
• What is This Thing Called String Theory?
• Featuring the Christian Apologetics Alliance
• The Ontological Argument (An Introduction Video)
• The Falsifiability of a Non-Fine-Tuning Hypothesis
• How Do Other Ancient Texts Compare to the New Testament?
• If a good God exists, then why is there so much evil in the world?
• 10 Reasons Why the Government is Wrong to Redefine Marriage (PDF)
• William Lane Craig lectures on failure in the Christian life
• You Have to Come Out As A Christian Before You Can Step Out As An Apologist
• You can now support Apologetics 315 by shopping at Amazon in the UK.
• You can now support Apologetics 315 by shopping at Amazon in Canada.

Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Would you support us monthly?

• Shopping via Amazon? 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. Canada here. UK here.

• Would you like to help with interview transcription? If so, contact Ap315 here.

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Shop at Amazon and Support Apologetics315

Did you know that you can support Apologetics 315 any time you shop online with Amazon? By using our affiliate link, a small portion of your purchase supports Apologetics 315. It's a little thing that goes a long way. Here are three links to bookmark in your browser and use anytime you buy books, brooms, or baby clothes:

• Amazon.com (USA)
• Amazon.ca (Canada)
• Amazon.co.uk (UK)

Thanks for your support!

Brian Auten Interviewed on EIE Radio

Today's audio is a recent interview on the EIE Radio Podcast. Neill Hess interviews Brian Auten on a variety of topics: Brian's testimony, reasons for getting into apologetics, apologetics training, memorable interviews, critical areas of engagement for Christians, habits for apologists, pitfalls to avoid, being loving when using arguments, the future of apologetics, and how to get started in apologetics. Links mentioned include: 10 Favorite Apologetics Interviews, 10 Pitfalls of the Foolish Apologist.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (35 min)

Enjoy.

52 Tips for Apologists

This month marks 5 years of blogging at Apologetics 315. With that in mind, I went back to review a guest post I did with Cloud of Witnesses three years ago to see if the advice I offered then still sounded good to me. The question was: "What advice do you have for those who want to learn more about apologetics?  What kinds of attitudes and character traits should Christians adopt as they use apologetics in conversations with skeptics?"

Here was my answer, in 52 Tips for Apologists:

As a learner myself, I am on the lookout for good advice for learning more. My advice to others would vary depending on how involved in apologetics someone wants to get. It is such a wide subject, dealing with theology, philosophy, history, textual criticism, science, culture, evangelism, etc. Everyone is going to have a different level or area of interest, so my advice here is for those who want to learn as much as they can on the subject. Here are the things that I would have told me when I first got interested in apologetics:

1. Be first a person of prayer with a goal to know the Lord.

2. Be a continual reader.

3. Know both sides of the issues.

Terminology Tuesday: Inference to the Best Explanation

Inference to the Best Explanation: Type of reasoning in which the truth of a theory or proposition is affirmed on the grounds that it best accounts for all of the available evidence. This type of inference is sometimes called "abduction" by those who think it is a type of reasoning distinct from induction or deduction.

Inference to the best explanation is common in daily life, the detective story and science. Advocates of cumulative case apologetics appeal to this kind of argument pattern in arguing for the existence of God.1

1. C.Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 61.

Apologist Interview: Douglas Wilson

Today's interview is with pastor and reformed theologian Douglas Wilson. He talks about his background and influences, his pastoral ministry, apologetics and its role in the local church, how to incorporate apologetics into preaching, encouraging apologetic engagement within the church, his debates with Christopher Hitchens (and the DVD Collision), the presuppositional approach to apologetics, biggest lessons learned from speaking and debating, pitfalls to avoid, advice for apologists, and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (41 min)

Doug's books can be found here. Enjoy.
Subscribe to the Apologetics 315 Interviews podcast here or in iTunes.

Tony Lane on Understanding History

"We need to read about the past in order to understand the present. People without a grasp of history are like a person without a memory. Many of the current beliefs in our society are properly grasped only when we see how they have emerged. A knowledge of history will help us to understand better both ourselves and those with whom we might disagree."

—Tony Lane, A Concise History of Christian Thought (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 1.

[HT: Ken Samples]

Book Review: The Grand Weaver by Ravi Zacharias

Zacharias introduces The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes Us Through the Events of Our Lives (Paperback, Kindle, Audio CD) by preparing an analogy. He takes the reader on a descriptive journey to a place in India where saris are made. These large masterpieces are woven thread-by-thread, line-by-line in a painstaking process. These can take weeks and even months to complete. The entire time, the weaver has a single design in his mind that he wishes to create. Every weave that he does, though individually they may seem insignificant, contribute to the whole. Over time, the design takes shape and becomes more evident. As the title of the book indicates, Zacharias wishes to use the weaving of a magnificent sari to illustrate God's design and purposes for what He has chosen to and allows to take place in our lives.

Chapter 1: Your DNA Matter
In the first chapter, Zacharias focuses on the physical attributes that God has chosen for each person. He explains how our DNA allows for each person to be physically unique. He explains that even certain outcomes that we believe to be crippling (physically or mentally) are not flaws in the design, but are set for a reason—all part of God's design for the individual's life. As an example he points to a young man who is a weaver yet seems to have mental challenges. Not everyone's purpose is the same, so God is not going to give every person the same tools. We shouldn't complain about what God has given us, but use what He has given us.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (10/05 - 10/12)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• Neo-Darwinism
• Unpacking Atheism
• Five-Point Logic Checklist
• Papyrus Conservation Videos
• Eastwooding Richard Dawkins
• Becoming an Ambassador, part 2
• Asking For More Evidence For Miracles
• The Speeches in Acts: Are They Authentic?
• Gospel of Jesus’ Wife: Forgery Confirmed?
• Uninformed, Misinformed, Illogical, Incomplete
• Existential Reasons for Belief in God (interview)
• 10 Examples of Bold Witnessing in the Book of Acts
• Fifteen Myths about Bible Translation | Daniel B. Wallace
• Believing in One Less God than Me…Three Problems With a Terrible Slogan
• National Simulcast with Lee Strobel, Mark Mittelberg, and William Lane Craig

Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Would you support us monthly?

• Shopping via Amazon? 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.

• Would you like to help with interview transcription? If so, contact Ap315 here.

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On Guard Apologetics Conference AUDIO

This year The Reasonable Faith Tulsa Chapter hosted the 2012 On Guard Christian Apologetics Conference at the Church at BattleCreek in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. This conference had a number of excellent speakers, and videos are here. Now here are the AUDIOS of this conference. (RSS Audio Feed here.)

• William Lane Craig - What is Apologetics?
• William Lane Craig - What About Suffering?
• Gary Habermas - The Resurrection of Jesus
• Mike Licona - Who Was Jesus?
• Paul Copan - Can We Be Good Without God?
• Doug Geivett - God & the Origin of the Universe
• Panel Interview
Enjoy.

Debate: Hugh Ross vs. Lewis Wolpert: Is there Evidence for a Cosmic Creator?

Recorded at Imperial College London, Christian astrophysicist Hugh Ross of Reasons To Believe debates atheist biologist Lewis Wolpert on the topic: Is There Evidence for a Cosmic Creator? Ross brings evidence for God from Big Bang cosmology, explaining why scientific advance provides a testable model of Biblical Creation. Wolpert says that belief in God is a by-product of evolution and nothing more. The debate was hosted by Imperial College Christian Union. A debate review by ApologeticsUK is here.

Full Debate MP3 Audio here. (1hr 42min)

Enjoy.

Mentoring by Greg Koukl: Watch Your Language [MP3]

Greg Koukl is one of the best Christian apologists to learn from, especially when it comes to practical communication. (His book Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions is a must-read for all Christians.) You should subscribe to his monthly mentoring newsletters and podcast. A good example is this month's mentoring letter with A Simple Communication Tip. It's also got an audio version (from the podcast), linked below.

Full MP3 Audio here (7 min)
Enjoy.

Terminology Tuesday: Epistemology

Epistemology: The branch of philosophy concerned with questions about knowledge and belief and related issues such as justification and truth. Some conceive of epistemology as an attempt to refute skepticism, the denial that knowledge is possible.

One of the major debates in epistemology is that of internalism versus externalism: Must the basis or ground that warrants a belief be internally accessible to consciousness? Another major debate is foundationalism versus coherentism: Are some beliefs "properly basic," or are all beliefs based on other beliefs in an interconnected web?

Some philosophers of religion have argued that critiques of religious belief as unreasonable are grounded in faulty epistemologies, theories of knowledge that if applied to fields other than religion would make knowledge impossible in those other fields as well.1

1. C.Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), pp. 39-40.

Apologist Interview: K. Scott Oliphint

Today's interview is with K. Scott Oliphint, Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. He is author of a number of books, including God With Us: Divine Condescention and the Attributes of God, and Reasons for Faith: Philosophy in the Service of Theology. He talks about his background and influences, Christian Apologetics Past & Present: A Primary Source Reader, presuppositional apologetics, the work of Cornelius Van Til, "covenantal apologetics," the practical application of presuppositionalism, common ground, common misconceptions of presuppositionalism, recommended reading, advice, and much more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (78 min)

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

Hudson Taylor on Hardness of Heart

“Perhaps if we had more of that intense distress for souls that leads to tears, we should more frequently see the results we desire. Sometimes it may be that while we are complaining of the hardness of the hearts of those we are seeking to benefit, the hardness of our own hearts and our own feeble apprehension of the solemn reality of eternal things may be the true cause of our lack of success.”

—Hudson Taylor

(From Hudson Taylor in Early Years: The Growth of a Soul, pp.178ff.)

Book Review: Christian Contours, by Douglas Huffman (Ed.)

Recent years have seen an increase in writing and speaking about how Christians are to have a biblical worldview and the importance of a biblical worldview. A biblical worldview that is the idea that Christians are to base what they believe on the Bible isn’t a new idea but a very old one. Jesus taught us to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37) The heart, mind and strength are overlapping categories, and the idea is that we must have an integrated love, loving God with everything we are and everything we have, giving our whole selves to Him. In the helpful new book Christian Contours: How A Biblical Worldview Shapes the Mind and Heart edited by Dr. Douglas S. Huffman helps to advance the discussion on what a biblical worldview is and why it matters.

The purpose of the book is to “reacquaint all Christians with the basic of life claims that the historic Christian faith has about all of life in every era” (17). In other words, the approach of the authors in this book is to take an integrated approach to theology. In recent days, I’ve come to view theology this way myself as I’ve seen that we can become so focused on systematic or biblical theology that we neglect how theology should be integrated in every area of our lives. The fact that the authors take an integrated approach in this book is one that I greatly appreciate, and one I believe that readers of this book will find very helpful.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (09/28 - 10/05)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• The Atheist Chart
• A “remarkable fact”
• A Faith Worth Defending
• The Role of Christian Scholars
• How God Saved A Hardened Atheist
• William Lane Craig TV program
• Try Doubting Something Else
• Terms for Budding Apologists
• The Argument From Reason reference page
• Jesus: The Smartest Man Who Ever Lived
• Two great podcasts from J. Warner Wallace
• reTHINK Student Apologetics Conference
• "How can we address the rise in skepticism?"
• Visualizing the Flagellum with Computer Animation
• Stop Teaching Young Christians About Their Faith
• The Minimal Facts of the Resurrection in 1,000 Words
• The PROBLEMS of Evil and Internal Inconsistency
• Chronological Snobbery and the Resurrection of Jesus
• Apologetics in Women's Ministry: Book & DVD Curriculum
• The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife – A Simple Response
• Reasonable Faith with Dr William Lane Craig TV Program
• Why Richard Dawkins’ Argument from Improbability Fails
• Henry F. Schaefer: Stephen Hawking, the Big Bang and God
• "Think Christianly" by Jonathan Morrow only $3.99 on Kindle
• Should the Gospel accounts be taken as history or as propaganda?
• Of Course Atheists Have Meaning and Value—Just No Good Way To Explain It
• Love Your God with All Your Mind by J. P. Moreland only $2.99 on kindle!
• The Number of Atheists in Philosophy Don't Bother Me, & Shouldn't Bother You Either

Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Would you support us monthly?

• Shopping via Amazon? 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.

• Would you like to help with interview transcription? If so, contact Ap315 here.

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10 Great Apps for Reading, Listening, & Study

There are plenty of apps available on the App Store for those who use the iPhone/iPad/iPod. But which are the best tools for reading, listening, and study purposes? In this blog post, I'll suggest 10 iPhone apps which have been of excellent service for my own study purposes. The first six are for reading, listening, and study, and the last four are Bible app suggestions.

1. Kindle. If you want access to your ebooks across various devices, you can't beat the Kindle app. If you own a Kindle or not, you can still read the books on the Mac, the PC, the iPad, iPhone, iPod, on the web, or on an Android device. Your books are  synced everywhere and you never are without a book. Great for uploading your own PDFs and documents for study as well.

2. Reeder. That's no misspelling. That's the name of my favorite mobile RSS reader. All of your subscribed blogs or google reader subscriptions are synced. From this app you can read, share, and browse all your RSS feeds for keeping abreast of the best apologetics blogs, for example. You can also send articles to other services for later reading if desired. There's also a desktop app for Mac and a great version for the iPad, both top notch RSS readers. I'd say the best.

3. Pocket. This app was formerly called "read it later," which is exactly what it allows you to do if you don't have time to read a particular blog post. If you find something interested online or in your RSS feeds, just send it to Pocket. Then you can read it later in a more attractive and easy-on-the eyes format. Again, this keeps in sync with your online Pocket account and you can keep all your reading material in sync.

Craig Keener Interview on Miracles: Transcript

The following transcript is from an Apologetics 315 interview with New Testament scholar Craig Keener. Original audio here. If you enjoy transcripts, please consider supporting, which makes this possible.

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BA: Hello, this is Brian Auten of Apologetics 315. Today's interview is Dr. Craig Keener, professor of the New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is especially known for his work as as a NT scholar on Bible background, and his popular level IVP commentary for the NT has sold over half a million copies. Dr. Keener is also the author of a newly-released book entitled Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts, which is a two-volume work which we'll be discussing a bit today. The purpose of this interview is to gain some insights from Dr. Keener's study in the area of miracles, look at miracle claims today and how they relate to NT claims, and get his advice from an apologetic perspective. Well, thanks for joining me today Dr. Keener.

CK: It's great to be with you.

BA: Dr. Keener, would you mind first telling our listeners a bit more about yourself, maybe your background, and what your current work is?

Apologetics Canada 2012 Conference Videos (and audio of Love Your God With All Your Mind by J.P. Moreland)

In this audio and video from the Apologetics Canada Conference 2012, Christian philosopher and apologist J. P. Moreland presents a signature talk on the topic of Love Your God With All Your Mind. (Video can be found on YouTube here.) You can also find Moreland's revised and updated book Love Your God With All Your Mind here (it's cheap on Kindle at the time of this post). Visit Apologetics Canada here, and see ALL the videos from the Apologetics Canada Conference 2012 here, including talks from Paul Copan, J. Warner Wallace, and Mary Jo Sharp.

Full MP3 Audio here. (1 hr)
Enjoy.

Terminology Tuesday: Theodicy

Theodicy: An answer to the problem of evil that attempts to "justify the ways of God to man" by explaining God's reasons for allowing evil. Two of the more important theodicies are the "soul-making theodicy," which argues that God allows evil so as to make it possible for humans to develop certain desirable virtues, and the "free will theodicy," which argues that God had to allow for the possibility of evil if he wished to give humans (and angelic beings) free will. Theodicies are often distinguished from defenses, which argue that it is reasonable to believe that God has reasons for allowing evil even if we do not know what those reasons are.1

1. C.Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 114.

Apologist Interview: Craig Parton

Today's interview is with Craig Parton, attorney and author of The Defense Never Rests: A Lawyer's Quest for the Gospel as well as Religion on Trial. He is also the United States Director of the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism and Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. He talks about his faith journey, a lawyer's perspective on the evidence for Christianity, how to investigate religious truth claims, how we know things are true, evidential methodology, "beyond a reasonable doubt", how the burden of proof works, how to disprove Christianity, the apologetics academy in Strasboug, lessons learned as an apologist, advice for those doing apologetics, and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (48 min)

Enjoy.
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