Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Terminology Tuesday: Imply/Implication

Imply/Implication: There is an everyday sense of these words which means roughly, 'suggests' or 'leads me to believe', as when the detective says, 'the evidence implies that Smith was present at the murder'. However, the word 'imply' is often used more strictly to mean 'if ... then ...' For example, if someone says, 'the presence of fire implies that there must be oxygen present', they could equally well say, 'if there is fire then oxygen must be present'. In general, to say that 'A implies B' is to say something like 'if A then B', either strictly as in the oxygen example or more loosely as in the detective example. To say that 'A entails B' is usually to say 'A implies B' in this strict usage of 'implies'.1

1. Alec Fisher, Critical Thinking: An Introduction (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001), pp. 239-240.

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Merry Christmas from Apologetics 315

Apologetics 315 wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas in 2014. May you enjoy a blessed Christmas with family and friends.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Terminology Tuesday: Inclusivism

Inclusivism: A theory of salvation that suggests that although God saves people only on the merits of Christ, not all who are saved have consciously known of Jesus or heard the gospel. God saves those who, although they have not heard of Jesus, nevertheless respond to the best of their knowledge to the revelation of God available to them. This view stands in contrast to both exclusivism, which suggests that God saves only those who consciously respond to the presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to pluralism, which sees saving value in non-Christian religions.1

1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 65.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Book Review: Apologetics Beyond Reason by James Sire

Apologetics Beyond Reason ventures into nontraditional territory when it comes to classic apologetics. Although I’m familiar with Sire’s other work and have valued greatly from his other writings, the title grabbed my attention. Coming from the analytic tradition, I was intrigued how one might get “beyond reason” when defending the Christian faith without also utilizing reason. What I found was a robust apologetic method and one that will likely resonate more with a [post] post-modern/existential culture than more traditional approaches. While apologetic models typically fall within rational or evidential spaces, Sire’s presuppositional touch (see the post Apologetic Taxonomy) coupled with his push toward the “intuitive” will add valuable insights in  the toolbox of Christian apologists. This book deserves a wide and careful read.

Friday, December 19, 2014

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

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• 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 transcriptionIf so, contact Ap315 here.

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Thursday, December 18, 2014

Read Along Index: The Gospel in the Marketplace of Ideas

This is the chapter study index for the Read Along project for the book The Gospel in the Marketplace of Ideas: Paul's Mars Hill Experience for Our Pluralistic World by Paul Copan and Kenneth D. Litwak.

[Podcast Feed RSS | Podcast in iTunes]
Click to subscribe to the audio.

• Introduction & Author Interview
Chapter 1: Welcome to Athens
Chapter 2: Was Paul's Speech at Athens a Mistake?
Chapter 3: Paul's Athens
Chapter 4: Our Athens
Chapter 5: Paul's Speeches in Acts
Chapter 6: Paul's Audience
Chapter 7: Paul's Gospel for the Educated
Chapter 8: The Art of Persuasion
Chapter 9: Acting on the Truth
Chapter 10: Going to Our Own Mars Hill

Thanks for Reading Along.

10 Apologetics Books for Giving

Last year you may have read the post Top 5 Books for Christmas Giving. Well, here's a revised list... of ten books. Keep in mind, this is no definitive list of "best apologetics books." This is a list of books that I feel would be the best to choose from for giving to people who have varying interest in apologetics. This list is split into three groups. Group one is for people who you want to reach apologetically. Group two is for people who are new to apologetics. Group three is for the person who is an avid apologist. And the number one book fits all three categories.

Three Books to Reach Out Apologetically
10. The Ambition by Lee Strobel - Not straight apologetics. It's a novel. But it's a great novel. The content doesn't preach either, but the themes are appropriate to open the door for further conversation. Finally, this book may provide an open door for the reader to explore other books by Strobel.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Terminology Tuesday: Monism

Monism: Any antidualist philosophy that appeals to one unifying principle to explain all that is. In response to the metaphysical questions "How many things are real or exist?" monism answers, "Only one reality or thing" or "One kind of thing with many different things within that category" (attributive monism). In effect, monism allows for no distinction between God and creation.1

1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 80.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

"Why I am a Christian" Testimony by David Wood


Former atheist David Wood (of Acts 17.net) shares his testimony about how he became a Christian. The video explains why he left atheism and surrendered to Jesus as Lord and Savior. Hear Apologetics 315's interview with David Wood here: Audio / Transcript.

Friday, December 05, 2014

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (11/28 - 12/05)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• 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 transcriptionIf so, contact Ap315 here.

Get these sorts of links and more by following on Twitter.
For daily post links, please follow on Facebook.

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