tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323570472024-03-14T03:33:27.208+00:00Apologetics 315Daily apologetics resources including audio, debates, podcasts, book reviews, and more.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.comBlogger2371125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-83247486874276116172017-07-05T07:30:00.000+01:002017-07-05T07:30:21.619+01:00Coming Soon: The Revised Apologetics Study Bible for Students<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vvkUa-J0C1U/WVsyuwVhj4I/AAAAAAABmmY/RMg_iMG9jbUKZdmbxPwwTu9Co8_kkCudACLcBGAs/s1600/Apologetics%2BStudy%2BBible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="373" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vvkUa-J0C1U/WVsyuwVhj4I/AAAAAAABmmY/RMg_iMG9jbUKZdmbxPwwTu9Co8_kkCudACLcBGAs/s200/Apologetics%2BStudy%2BBible.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
The forthcoming revised <i><a href="http://amzn.to/2uEIaWX" target="_blank">Apologetics Study Bible for Students</a></i> is for those who desire to always be "...ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you..." (1 Peter 3:15). General editor Sean McDowell explains:<br />
<br />
"The student apologetics Bible first released in 2010 and has sold over 160,000 copies. To be honest, this has blown away my expectations. This shows the hunger for both relevant and practical resources that tackle the real questions students are asking. On July 1 we are releasing an updated, expanded, and improved version. Here are a few ways the update will be different from the first version:<br />
<br />
1.Outdated articles have been removed or updated.<br />
2. Individual authors went through each of their articles and improved them substantially.<br />
3. There are 12 new articles on “hot” topics like tattoos, euthanasia, transgenderism, Islamic Jihad, religious freedom, singleness, race, and more.<br />
4. Each of the special features (Bones & Dirt, Tactics, Twisted Scriptures, Stories, and Fast Facts) have been expanded with 5-10 more articles."<a href="http://seanmcdowell.org/blog/coming-soon-the-revised-apologetics-study-bible-for-students" target="_blank">1</a><br />
<br />
Some of the articles within include:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Why does God allow evil?</li>
<li>If I can’t see God, how do I know He is real?</li>
<li>Can God’s love be reconciled with the order to kill the Canaanites?</li>
<li>Is it okay to pick and choose my religious beliefs and practices?</li>
<li>What does the Bible say about homosexuality?</li>
<li>If God made everything, why shouldn’t I smoke pot?</li>
</ul>
You can learn more about this excellent resource <a href="http://seanmcdowell.org/blog/coming-soon-the-revised-apologetics-study-bible-for-students" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2uEIaWX" target="_blank">Pre-order your copy here</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-37755865725245531222017-07-04T07:30:00.000+01:002017-07-04T07:30:37.765+01:00Book Review: The Little Book of God, Mind, Cosmos and Truth By Kenneth Francis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The strength of this book is simultaneously its greatest drawback: it is too short – just 25,000 words. Its very brevity is, of course, central to its dynamism. It seeks to hook in the curious and the unconvinced, to hold them in its grip for a short time and send them way buzzing with thoughts and questions, perhaps with a mind to undertake further investigation, evaluation and reflection. In all of this is it so successful that, paradoxically, you finish it wishing it could be longer.<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://stpauls.org.uk/9781910365250-the-little-book-of-god-mind-cosmos-and-truth-kenneth-francis.html" target="_blank">The Little Book of God, Mind, Cosmos and Truth</a></i> is, in its way, an introduction to the greatest topic in the world, a topic that might obviously have merited a 15 volume theophilosophical encyclopaedia. This slim volume has a better chance of reaching those most in need of being reached, and that is no small thing. By virtue of being 25,000 words rather than, for example, 2.5 million words, it leaves the topic unexhausted; but it will also leave, I suspect, the even slightly open-minded reader with enough new thoughts and previously unencountered propositions to leave him restless in a way that resonates with the underlying restlessness of being human. And that resonance of ‘restlessnesses’ will not easily be unseated.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Kenneth Francis has a way of suggesting much in a few broad strokes. In the detail of his examples, analogies and references, we can sense the clear sweep of his broader knowledge. His erudition allows him to achieve something that seems impossible: the summoning up of a coherent opening speech in the much delayed hearing of the case against Mr Friedrich Nietzsche, suspected not merely of announcing the death of God, but also likely a collaborator in His murder. And yet, in the tight weave of Francis’s argument we begin to suspect something unexpected: that Mr Nietzsche may be innocent on at least the more serious charge, because God may not be dead after all, and Mr Nietzsche might not have been entirely displeased to discover it.<br />
<br />
In truth, we find ourselves today in the throws of an age much worse than anything envisaged or provoked by the musing of that German philosopher, for he at least had the mitigating quality of wistfulness for the God he is so frequently accused of annihilating.<br />
Francis cites from ‘The Magician’, Part 4 of <i>Thus Spoke Zarathustra</i>:<br />
<br />
<i>‘Oh, come back, My unknown god!</i><br />
<i>My pain! My last – happiness!’</i><br />
<br />
Nietzsche’s inheritors, though nothing like as intellectually resourceful, have moved to an unearned certainty from the bare bones of nihilism he bequeathed them. In doing so, they make leaps where there is no ground and play tricks with words to camouflage the cracks in their edifices. But Kenneth Francis is on their case, and no better man.<br />
<br />
The instruments Francis uses to debunk and deconstruct the fallacies and follies of latter-day secular atheism are reason and a patent love for humankind, and he employs these to great effect in, as he promises at the outset, ‘laying out arguments for God’s existence and exposing the absurdity of atheism and bad theology’. Without God, he declares, ‘we would be nothing more than evolved slime fighting for survival amongst a multitude of advanced apes dressed in skirts and suits with delusions of intellectual grandeur.’<br />
<br />
In his Introduction, Francis reveals that he became an agnostic in his teens as a result of exposure to Western philosophy, particularly the work of Arthur Schopenhauer. He admits (‘to my shame’) that he had neither studied nor read the Bible. This combination of commission and omission left him, he writes, ‘a philosophically, theologically, scientifically and intellectually flawed agnostic, unexposed to sophisticated arguments for the existence of God.’<br />
<br />
He has left this state of vacuity far behind, employing his intimate familiarity with a dazzling pantheon of thinkers to impressive effect. Beginning with a quote about the impossibility of mechanistic perception from the German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, he takes us through a range of brief but striking encounters in which we witness along the way the dismantling of some of the core fallacies of the modern era. He deconstructs the possibility of artificial intelligence and despatches the idea of the absent self. He delves into the ‘hard problem’ of consciousness and refutes the mechanical version of human Mind. He looks at evolution and morality, God as ‘the uncaused cause’, free will and the ‘God-sized vacuum in the human heart’, and delves as sure-footedly into more purely theological issues like the verifiability of the Gospels, the indispensible coherence arising from objective morality, the influence of political correctness of some latter-day forms of Catholic thinking, the plausibility of Hell, the reliability of witness concerning near-death experience, the problem of evil, and the merits or otherwise of Eastern mysticism and the occult. These themes are by no means randomly chosen, but placed in an unfolding narrative in which the author makes visible the holistic alternative offered by genuine Christianity to the chaos of modern life and thinking.<br />
<br />
He identifies, for example, a key contradiction of Darwinism-inspired secular-atheism: that if, as Darwin maintained, we are beings hardwired to achieve survival rather than pursue truth, it seems dubious whether atheism itself can lay claim to truth of any kind. Only theism offers the possibility of total coherence concerning mankind, and our secular-atheist culture succeeds in concealing this inversion by sleight-of-hand rather than reasonable argument. This book is the clearest, most wieldy antidote I have yet to encounter.<br />
<br />
Francis has a feel for the right analogy and the succinct summary, factors that in part account for the impossibly comprehensive nature of this short book. In his brief demolition of one recent totemic work of scientism – Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow’s <i>The Grand Design</i>, in which it is put forward as an argument that the universe in effect ‘created itself’ – Francis dryly asks: ‘But surely for something to create itself it would have to be before it was?’<br />
<br />
He quotes the Humanist philosopher Bertrand Russell: ‘The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people are so full of doubts.’ Francis’s tackle is hard but fair: ‘We can only assume Russell was “certain” of this self-refuting statement and had no doubts about it.’<br />
<br />
He exposes how Humanism needed to borrow Christian ethics in order to mount its argument for a morality independent of God. An ‘unruly student’ at a Humanist ‘ethics’ course, he posits, might usefully ask: ‘Why should I agree to these Humanist aspirations if the universe just is? How can you derive an <i>ought</i> from an <i>is</i> if matter, energy and space-time is all there is?’<br />
<br />
In the same way, he dispenses with the conventional atheistic tactic of taking strategic offence at the idea that not believing in God makes you amoral: ‘One does not have to believe in God to recognise morals or lead a good life. But without objective morality there is no foundation or justification why one <i>ought</i> to act morally good. By objective we mean values that are true whether or not anyone believes in them.’<br />
<br />
‘Who should one trust,’ he asks: ‘A machine made of blind chemicals bent on survival and oblivious to higher truths, or a Mind created by an infinite Intelligence endowed with objective moral values, reasoning skills and the capacity for absolute truth? Which is the most rational?’ He quotes the American philosopher RC Sproul: ‘Only those who believe that man is made in God’s image have grounds for attributing any kind of worth to humanity.’<br />
<br />
It is strange that, very often, those who dismiss the possibility of God do so on the basis of a moral argument against the kind of ‘god’ who permits suffering. It seems to occur to them neither that the very basis of their argument – morality – is null and void if there is no God; nor secondly that it is nonsensical to express anger at a being whom you regard as a humanly generated phantasm. There are many such absurdities in the secular-atheist creed, and Francis is good at turning them up in simple sentences for us to contemplate. In treating of the problem of evil in the world, for example, he writes that if Nietzsche is right about God being dead, ‘the logical conclusion of what happened during the Great Wars was neither right nor wrong and “evil” and “suffering” are nothing more than the behaviour of funny-looking creatures at the mercy of physics, chemistry, environment and time; a multitude of molecules in motion on a chunk of solar rock called planet Earth. Think about it. In a godless universe, the guards at the gulags and death camps would not have free will. And even if they did, they would be under no obligation to act in the interests of other fellow “primates”, as objective morality would be an illusion.’<br />
<br />
Indeed, reading this passage, it struck me that the logic of atheism on this score is even more threadbare than I had hitherto focussed on, since the defence of many of the secondary agents of the Nazi death camps was that they were merely obeying the law of the land, in effect a claim that the very absence of a higher morality made their actions both unavoidable and, in an atheistic worldview, defensible. This is an example of a feature that might be called the ecology of this book: the capacity to throw up in the mind of the reader extrapolations from the thread of argument that are shadowed-in rather than always spelt out. It literally ‘puts you thinking’. It contains, cover to cover, an uncommon form of common sense, amounting over its 130-odd pages to a primer of a possible future popular apologetics. And since this is precisely the territory in which the pushback against secular-atheism needs to begin, <i><a href="https://stpauls.org.uk/9781910365250-the-little-book-of-god-mind-cosmos-and-truth-kenneth-francis.html" target="_blank">The Little Book of God, Mind, Cosmos and Truth</a></i> is a volume whose importance ought not be measured by its girth, but by the gift it contains of rendering accessible the arguments which, for all the pessimism of the present moment, still hold the power to divert western civilisation from its determined pelt towards self-destruction. It is a book to give to your teenage children the first time they come over all ‘rational’.<br />
<br />
*John Waters is the author of a number of books, including <i><a href="http://amzn.to/2uEFiJS" target="_blank">Lapsed Agnostic</a></i> and <i><a href="http://amzn.to/2uEHeBV" target="_blank">Beyond Consolation: How we became too clever for God - and our own good</a>.</i><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-53543469239558029862017-03-09T15:12:00.000+00:002017-03-09T15:12:20.417+00:00William Lane Craig in Ireland 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qam9GjkOae8/WMFvE-6OkmI/AAAAAAABmbM/mvg49iN9r2U369x4cMQR2JIu9QdpxlWYwCLcB/s1600/reasons-tour-2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qam9GjkOae8/WMFvE-6OkmI/AAAAAAABmbM/mvg49iN9r2U369x4cMQR2JIu9QdpxlWYwCLcB/s200/reasons-tour-2017.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
At long last, William Lane Craig will be visiting Ireland as part of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Reasons2017/" target="_blank"><b>Reasons for Hope 2017 Tour</b></a>. This tour includes stops in Cork, Dublin, and Belfast with debates and talks by William Lane Craig and John Lennox. All the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/Reasons2017/events" target="_blank">events are listed here</a>, so get your tickets now to avoid disappointment.<br />
Of note are two debates in Ireland which will be LIVE STREAMED:<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/381222535590053/" target="_blank">March 21:</a> <b>Does God Exist? debate: <br />William Lane Craig vs Michael Nugent</b><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1777216415875921/" target="_blank">March 23</a>: <b>Does God Exist? debate: <br />William Lane Craig vs Daniel Came</b><br />
Talks by William Lane Craig include "Is Christianity Credible?", and talks by John Lennox include "Do God & Science Mix?" Keep an eye on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/Reasons2017/events" target="_blank">Facebook page here</a>, so you can get updates on the Live Streaming debates, as well as find details for getting tickets.<br />
<br />
See you there!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-65986338031457440372016-11-01T07:30:00.000+00:002016-11-01T07:30:07.250+00:00Terminology Tuesday: Immortality<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s1600-h/dictionary.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350245507433285634" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s320/dictionary.jpeg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 135px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 108px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Immortality</span>: Most simply, the inability to cease to exist or the ability to exist eternally. In this sense God is the only being who is truly immortal, because God has always existed and will not cease to exist. Some theologians argue, however, that human souls are created by God as intrinsically immortal, whereas others argue that the soul only becomes extrinsically immortal upon the reception of "eternal life" through salvation. Either way, it is commonly agreed that all humans, whether righteous or wicked, are subject to physical death as a consequence of sin and thus are universally mortal as to their earthly life. Whatever immortality humans possess is due to the will and power of God.<span style="font-size: 78%;">1</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;">1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, <a href="http://bit.ly/EgF1s"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms</span></a> (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 64.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-32050492470134159662016-10-25T07:30:00.000+01:002016-10-25T07:30:00.156+01:00Terminology Tuesday: Creatio Ex Nihilo<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s1600-h/dictionary.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350245507433285634" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s320/dictionary.jpeg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 135px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 108px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><i>creatio ex nihilo</i></span>: A Latin phrase that literally means "creation out of nothing." Augustine is credited with developing the argument that God created the world without any preexisting materials. This was in contrast to most Greek philosophers, who understood the creative act as God's ordering of eternally existing materials into the present world or universe. The value of the doctrine of <i>creatio ex nihilo</i> is that it maintains a clear distinction between God and the created order and also maintains that God alone has eternal status.<span style="font-size: 78%;">1</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;">1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, <a href="http://bit.ly/EgF1s"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms</span></a> (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 32.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-83865130659321898242016-10-18T07:30:00.000+01:002016-10-18T07:30:00.205+01:00Terminology Tuesday: Omnipotence<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s1600-h/dictionary.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350245507433285634" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s320/dictionary.jpeg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 135px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 108px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Omnipotence</span>: The attribute that refers to God's ability to do whatever is consistent with God's own character and being in effecting the divine plan for creation. God's omnipotence is primarily demonstrated in God's overturning evil for good. This is especially evident in the death of Jesus, which although it was the act of malicious people, has become God's means of human salvation.<span style="font-size: 78%;">1</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;">1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, <a href="http://bit.ly/EgF1s"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms</span></a> (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), pp. 85-86.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-36797703963390501042016-10-11T07:30:00.000+01:002016-10-11T15:28:52.659+01:00Terminology Tuesday: fides quaerens intellectum<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s1600-h/dictionary.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350245507433285634" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s320/dictionary.jpeg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 135px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 108px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><i>fides quaerens intellectum</i></span>: Literally, "faith seeking understanding." The phrase originated with Anselm in his <i>Proslogion</i> and was used to show the relationship of religious faith to human reason. For Anselm, matters of religion and theology are understood only by first believing them and then proceeding to gain an intellectual understanding of the things already believed. In other words, faith is both logically and chronologically prior to reason.<span style="font-size: 78%;">1</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;">1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, <a href="http://bit.ly/EgF1s"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms</span></a> (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 52.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-15027858818720716872016-10-04T07:30:00.000+01:002016-10-04T07:30:23.229+01:00Terminology Tuesday: Inerrancy<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s1600-h/dictionary.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350245507433285634" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s320/dictionary.jpeg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 135px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0pt; width: 108px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Inerrancy</span>: The doctrine that the Bible is completely trustworthy and contains no errors. The doctrine is normally qualified in a number of ways. The Bible is said to be inerrant in the original autographs, and it is said to be without error only when properly interpreted. Proper interpretation itself requires attention to genre (such as poetry, proverbs and history) and answers to questions about the intentions of the author and conventions shared by author and reader. Some Christians affirm a limited inerrancy, declaring that the lack of error holds only for certain types of truth that God intends to reveal through Scripture, primarily matters of morality and theology.<span style="font-size: 12px;">1</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 12px;">1. C.Stephen Evans, </span><span style="font-size: 12px;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Dictionary-Apologetics-Philosophy-Religion/dp/0830814655?ie=UTF8&tag=apologetics31-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion</a></i></span><span style="font-size: 12px;"><i><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=apologetics31-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0830814655" height="1" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-bottom-width: medium !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: medium !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: medium !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: medium !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></span><span style="font-size: 12px;"> (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 60.</span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-9993837503653864122016-09-30T14:25:00.001+01:002016-09-30T14:29:12.470+01:00Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (09/23 - 09/30)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s1600-h/weekly-links.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s320/weekly-links.jpg" /></a>Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.<br />
<div class="p1">
<b>KINDLE DEALS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2aUaEph" target="_blank"><i>Is God Just a Human Invention? </i>by Sean McDowell - 1.99</a> (A SUPERB general apologetics book; HIGHLY recommended). <i><a href="http://www.apologetics315.com/2012/05/read-along-chapter-index-for-is-god.html" target="_blank">Read along with it here!</a></i><br />
<br />
<b>WEEKLY LINKS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2cWgPJI" target="_blank">Rapid Response: Who Created God?</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2dxnDwr" target="_blank">Understanding the Cosmological Argument</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2czyWlk" target="_blank">Did Jesus Really Die on the Cross? (Video)</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2cxwX6w" target="_blank">2016 Defending the Faith Conference - October 7-8</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2d6idIj" target="_blank">An Interview with Marine and Apologist Jason Ladd</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2d1vJ3L" target="_blank">5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started in Apologetics</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2d31yK2" target="_blank">Latest Book With Dr. Timothy McGrew Now Available</a><br />
<b>• <a href="http://a315.co/2cZBq2W" target="_blank">The Big Questions Event with Andy Bannister - Belfast!</a></b><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2cKrV7t" target="_blank">How Can We Trust the Gospels When the Genealogy of Jesus Is So Different?</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2cMXDAR" target="_blank">Video: A Pre-Modern Reflection on the Modernist Roots of Postmodernism by Peter S Williams</a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<i>Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. </i>Would you <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042" target="_blank"><b>support</b></a> us?</div>
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• Shopping via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a>? If you use <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">this link</a></b>, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315. <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=213741&creative=393241&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583125-20" target="_blank">Canada here</a>. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=3194&creative=21334&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583121-21" target="_blank">UK here</a>.<br />
<br />
Get these sorts of links and more by <a href="http://twitter.com/Apologetics315">following on Twitter</a>.</div>
For daily post links, please <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Apologetics315">follow on Facebook</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-33069256712716810212016-09-27T07:30:00.000+01:002016-09-27T07:30:34.043+01:00Terminology Tuesday: Relativism<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s1600-h/dictionary.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350245507433285634" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s320/dictionary.jpeg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 135px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 108px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Relativism</span>: The theory that denies that humans can possess any objective, universally meaningful knowledge, that there are any ultimate and unchanging metaphysical realities (God, persons, space, time, natural laws) or that there are any moral absolutes. Hence meaning and truth are relative to each culture and historical period or to each person, situation, relationship and outcome.<span style="font-size: 78%;">1</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;">1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, <a href="http://bit.ly/EgF1s"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms</span></a> (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 101.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-46026114284991365412016-09-20T07:30:00.000+01:002016-09-20T07:30:09.569+01:00Terminology Tuesday: Humanism<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s1600-h/dictionary.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350245507433285634" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s320/dictionary.jpeg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 135px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 108px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Humanism (secular humanism)</span>: In general, humanism is any movement or ideology that focuses on the worth of the human being. Christian humanism emphasizes the fact that humans are create in God's image and as such are creatures of worth or value. <i>Secular</i> humanism, on the other hand, attempts to see the worth of humans apart from any appeal to God. Thus humanists often suggest that value is completely intrinsic to the individual.<span style="font-size: 78%;">1</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;">1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, <a href="http://bit.ly/EgF1s"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms</span></a> (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 61.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-91746593288334305392016-09-13T07:30:00.000+01:002016-09-13T07:30:11.380+01:00Terminology Tuesday: Propositionalism<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s1600-h/dictionary.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350245507433285634" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/Sj_j8TOwyAI/AAAAAAAAD9k/0_aPKr1N2Fo/s320/dictionary.jpeg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 135px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 108px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Proposition, propositionalism</span>: A proposition is a meaningful, logical statement (or assertion) that can be confirmed in some manner, such as by sensory observation, and so can be subjected to scientific inquiry. Propositionalism presents and defends theological truths by setting them forth as a series of propositions that can be reasonable demonstrated to be true. Propositionalism serves as an important reminder that the Christian faith has a rational and, hence, a scientifically demonstrable dimension. Critics accuse propositionalists of reducing the faith to a cognitive level and thereby missing the sense of wonder, awe and mystery about God and salvation; the importance of the affective, emotive and intuitive dimensions of human life; and the importance of the practical outworking of Christian commitment in a life of service to God and others.<span style="font-size: 78%;">1</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;">1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, <a href="http://bit.ly/EgF1s"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms</span></a> (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), pp. 96-97.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-83636010858058772652016-09-09T17:30:00.000+01:002016-09-09T17:30:21.442+01:00Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (09/02 - 09/09)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s1600-h/weekly-links.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s320/weekly-links.jpg" /></a>Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.<br />
<div class="p1">
<b>KINDLE DEALS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2aUaEph" target="_blank"><i>Is God Just a Human Invention? </i>by Sean McDowell - 1.99</a> (A SUPERB general apologetics book; HIGHLY recommended). <i><a href="http://www.apologetics315.com/2012/05/read-along-chapter-index-for-is-god.html" target="_blank">Read along with it here!</a></i><br />
<br />
<b>WEEKLY LINKS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2cn8oZ8" target="_blank">“No Man’s Sky” and 10,000 Bowls of Plain Oatmeal</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2c3WQ8L" target="_blank">Video: God, Science and Atheism by David Wood</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2cnB6qU" target="_blank">The Big Questions Event with Andy Bannister - Belfast!</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2clguzb" target="_blank">What Counts As Evidence When Making the Case for Christianity? (Video)</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2bR5JHf" target="_blank">Strategic Apologetics: New Initiatives For An Integrated Long-Term View</a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<i>Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. </i>Would you <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042" target="_blank"><b>support</b></a> us?</div>
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• Shopping via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a>? If you use <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">this link</a></b>, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315. <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=213741&creative=393241&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583125-20" target="_blank">Canada here</a>. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=3194&creative=21334&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583121-21" target="_blank">UK here</a>.<br />
<br />
Get these sorts of links and more by <a href="http://twitter.com/Apologetics315">following on Twitter</a>.</div>
For daily post links, please <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Apologetics315">follow on Facebook</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-17823842506313664772016-09-02T17:00:00.000+01:002016-09-02T17:00:21.499+01:00Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (08/26 - 09/02)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s1600-h/weekly-links.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s320/weekly-links.jpg" /></a>Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.<br />
<div class="p1">
<b>KINDLE DEALS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2bOtizp" target="_blank"><i>7 Truths That Changed the World</i> by Ken Samples - 1.99</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2c4Nn1X" target="_blank"><i>In Defense of the Bible: A Comprehensive Apologetic for the Authority of Scripture</i> - 2.99</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2aUaEph" target="_blank"><i>Is God Just a Human Invention? </i>by Sean McDowell - 1.85</a><br />
<br />
<b>WEEKLY LINKS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2buj5ZG" target="_blank">5 Questions to Ask Jesus Mythicists</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2bzUUJB" target="_blank">Book Review: No God But One- Allah or Jesus? by Nabeel Qureshi</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2bOHPYj" target="_blank">Cold Case Christianity for Kids : Investigate Jesus with a Real Detective</a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<i>Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. </i>Would you <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042" target="_blank"><b>support</b></a> us?</div>
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• Shopping via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a>? If you use <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">this link</a></b>, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315. <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=213741&creative=393241&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583125-20" target="_blank">Canada here</a>. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=3194&creative=21334&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583121-21" target="_blank">UK here</a>.<br />
<br />
Get these sorts of links and more by <a href="http://twitter.com/Apologetics315">following on Twitter</a>.</div>
For daily post links, please <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Apologetics315">follow on Facebook</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-7206571454975231362016-08-26T17:00:00.000+01:002016-08-26T17:00:11.078+01:00Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (08/19 - 08/1926<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s1600-h/weekly-links.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s320/weekly-links.jpg" /></a>Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.<br />
<div class="p1">
<b>KINDLE DEALS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2b0k9oy" target="_blank"><i>Cold-Case Christianity</i> by J. Warner Wallace - 3.82</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2bC7s3P" target="_blank"><i>On Guard</i> by William Lane Craig - 3.99</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2b1hs6Y" target="_blank"><i>Saving Leonardo</i> by Nancy Pearcey - 2.99</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2bcA4OT" target="_blank"><i>Mere Apologetics</i> by Alister E. McGrath - 2.99</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2aUaEph" target="_blank"><i>Is God Just a Human Invention? </i>by Sean McDowell - 1.99</a><br />
<br />
<b>WEEKLY LINKS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2b6h1ma" target="_blank">Did the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Exist? by Sean McDowell</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2bDsqMR" target="_blank">Tim McGrew Interviewed on CrossExamined with Frank Turek</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2bNVsYM" target="_blank">What is the Difference between Shia and Sunni Muslims?</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2bShVnO" target="_blank">The Thinking Series by Andy Steiger of Apologetics Canada</a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<i>Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. </i>Would you <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042" target="_blank"><b>support</b></a> us?</div>
<div>
• Shopping via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a>? If you use <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">this link</a></b>, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315. <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=213741&creative=393241&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583125-20" target="_blank">Canada here</a>. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=3194&creative=21334&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583121-21" target="_blank">UK here</a>.<br />
<br />
Get these sorts of links and more by <a href="http://twitter.com/Apologetics315">following on Twitter</a>.</div>
For daily post links, please <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Apologetics315">follow on Facebook</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-60952421006141277622016-08-19T17:00:00.000+01:002016-08-19T17:00:01.528+01:00Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (08/12 - 08/19)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s1600-h/weekly-links.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s320/weekly-links.jpg" /></a>Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.<br />
<div class="p1">
<b>KINDLE DEALS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2b0k9oy" target="_blank"><i>Cold-Case Christianity</i> by J. Warner Wallace - 3.82</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2bC7s3P" target="_blank"><i>On Guard</i> by William Lane Craig - 3.99</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2b1hs6Y" target="_blank"><i>Saving Leonardo</i> by Nancy Pearcey - 2.99</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2bcA4OT" target="_blank"><i>Mere Apologetics</i> by Alister E. McGrath - 2.99</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2aUaEph" target="_blank"><i>Is God Just a Human Invention? </i>by Sean McDowell - 1.99</a><br />
<br />
<b>WEEKLY LINKS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2bcTcLY" target="_blank">Stealing</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2bczuki" target="_blank">Book Review: “Taking Pascal’s Wager” by Michael Rota</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2aMJP2N" target="_blank">Apologetic Non-Starters: Arguments to Avoid in Defending Christianity</a><br />
<br />
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• Shopping via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a>? If you use <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">this link</a></b>, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315. <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=213741&creative=393241&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583125-20" target="_blank">Canada here</a>. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=3194&creative=21334&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583121-21" target="_blank">UK here</a>.<br />
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For daily post links, please <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Apologetics315">follow on Facebook</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-78896881679121313692016-08-12T17:00:00.000+01:002016-08-12T17:00:16.663+01:00Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (08/05 - 08/12)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s1600-h/weekly-links.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s320/weekly-links.jpg" /></a>Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.<br />
<div class="p1">
<b>KINDLE DEALS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2aHmD5A" target="_blank"><i>The Big Book of Christian Apologetics</i> - 2.99</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2b0k9oy" target="_blank"><i>Cold-Case Christianity</i> by J. Warner Wallace - 3.82 </a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2aOhDgu" target="_blank"><i>The Case for Hope</i> by Lee Strobel - 1.99</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2avYteX" target="_blank"><i>Holman QuickSource Guide to Christian Apologetics</i> - 2.99</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2aXUyrR" target="_blank"><i>ETHIX: Being Bold in a Whatever World</i> by Sean McDowell - 0.99</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2aUaEph" target="_blank"><i>Is God Just a Human Invention? </i>by Sean McDowell - 1.99</a><br />
<br />
<b>WEEKLY LINKS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2aueul7" target="_blank">Video: Why is the Universe so Vast?</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2aNBCQS" target="_blank">A Little Primer on Humble Apologetics</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2amURA3" target="_blank">A simple case for the pro-life position by Scott Klusendorf</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2aqmAx8" target="_blank">Doug Axe on the burden of proof on the Darwinian evolutionist</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2aFYTyJ" target="_blank">Book Review: Legislating Morality- Is It Wise, Is It Legal, Is It Possible</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/2aJ2NYQ" target="_blank">3 Key Things Skeptics Will Say to Shame Your Kids for Being Christians by Natasha Crain</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. </i>Would you <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042" target="_blank"><b>support</b></a> us?</div>
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• Shopping via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a>? If you use <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">this link</a></b>, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315. <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=213741&creative=393241&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583125-20" target="_blank">Canada here</a>. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=3194&creative=21334&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583121-21" target="_blank">UK here</a>.<br />
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For daily post links, please <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Apologetics315">follow on Facebook</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-68083662210603980982016-02-05T17:00:00.000+00:002016-02-05T17:00:09.310+00:00Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (01/29 - 02/05)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s1600-h/weekly-links.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s320/weekly-links.jpg" /></a>Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.<br />
<div class="p1">
<b>KINDLE DEALS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/1nq1vr9" target="_blank"><i>More Than a Carpenter</i> by Josh D. McDowell - 2.84</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/1ZUZrnf" target="_blank"><i>What Does the Bible Say About...? </i>by Ron Rhodes - 2.99</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/1lW0mpY" target="_blank"><i>God: A Philosophical Argument from Being </i>by Norman L. Geisler - 2.99</a><br />
<br />
<b>WEEKLY LINKS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/1K0tx72" target="_blank">A New Kind of Apologist</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/23zwXnR" target="_blank">Answering a Poor Pro-Abortion Choice Argument</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/1SnhdAP" target="_blank">Jesus: Subversive Apologist - Video & MP3</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/1UFhRqL" target="_blank">Book Review: The Fate of the Apostles by Sean McDowell</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/23HILUV" target="_blank"><b>Free Live Stream</b>: Dr. Daniel Wallace, Reliability of the Bible - Feb 5, 7pm ET - Sign up</a><br />
<br />
<i>Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. </i>Would you <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042" target="_blank"><b>support</b></a> us?</div>
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• Shopping via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a>? If you use <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">this link</a></b>, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315. <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=213741&creative=393241&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583125-20" target="_blank">Canada here</a>. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=3194&creative=21334&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583121-21" target="_blank">UK here</a>.<br />
<br />
Get these sorts of links and more by <a href="http://twitter.com/Apologetics315">following on Twitter</a>.</div>
For daily post links, please <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Apologetics315">follow on Facebook</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-10432124072810397832016-02-03T07:30:00.000+00:002016-02-03T14:27:35.339+00:00Free Live Stream: Daniel Wallace, Reliability of the Bible<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WH5uwWjGsNI/VrINnDa3KJI/AAAAAAABhe0/SlFNiUw3qNE/s1600/image001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WH5uwWjGsNI/VrINnDa3KJI/AAAAAAABhe0/SlFNiUw3qNE/s640/image001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
How do you respond to the claim that there are 200,000-400,000 variants in the New Testament manuscripts, surely making it historically unreliable? There are more variants than words in the New Testament? <a href="http://www.symposiachristi.com/main-event/" target="_blank">Free Live Stream presentation from Purdue University</a> by <a href="http://danielbwallace.com/" target="_blank">Dr. Daniel B. Wallace</a>, <i>"How Badly Has the Bible Been Corrupted?"</i> Feb 5, 7pm ET - Sign up for your group, church, ministry to watch. As Craig Blomberg has written, “Dan Wallace has clearly become evangelical Christianity’s premier active textual critic today.” <a href="http://www.symposiachristi.com/main-event/" target="_blank">Sign up here</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-36185572423831020822016-01-30T07:30:00.000+00:002016-01-30T07:30:04.101+00:00 Wednesday, October 28, 2015 Book Review: Aborting Aristotle- Examining Fatal Fallacies in the Abortion Debate by Dave Sterrett<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0WaNU680ouw/Vqt6dxAG-wI/AAAAAAABgoI/nnB4OIQxdfU/s1600/Aborting%2BAristotle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0WaNU680ouw/Vqt6dxAG-wI/AAAAAAABgoI/nnB4OIQxdfU/s400/Aborting%2BAristotle.jpg" /></a><a href="http://disruptivetruth.com/bio/" target="_blank">Dave Sterrett</a> is the founder of <a href="http://disruptivetruth.com/" target="_blank">Disruptive Truth</a>, a non-profit organization that is disrupting culture with the truth of the Gospel. When his book <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1Qx8Wqd" target="_blank">Aborting Aristotle</a></i> arrived in the mail this reader was very grateful. It could not have come at a more appropriate time. Like many, I have been deeply troubled by the contents of the videos released by the Center for Medical Progress that reveal Planned Parenthood has not only been aborting babies, but selling their body parts. One evening, after viewing some of the videos, I found myself unable to sleep and lying on the floor in my daughter's room, trying to comprehend what I had just seen. I have always known that abortion is a brutal process, but these videos graphically demonstrate just how gruesome the business (and make no mistake, that is what it is) of abortion has become.<br />
<br />
As I recall my own reaction to the videos I am further reminded of how emotionally charged the topic of abortion can be. This is one of the primary reasons this author believes Dave Sterrett’s book is an important contribution to the ongoing abortion debate. The author not only persuasively makes the pro-life case using logical arguments and sound philosophical principles, but he also takes a unique approach to the discussion.<br />
<a name='more'></a>He explains:<br />
<br />
“This book seeks to examine...essential differences philosophically and will investigate the naturalistic worldview about humanity that is frequently held by much of the scholarly defenders of abortion. There are some metaphysical or meta-ethical ideas (including law of non-contradiction, substance, transcendence, and intrinsic personhood) that were taught by Aristotle and the scholastics influenced by him that are frequently denied by defenders of abortion. These philosophical convictions influence their ethical stances on the abortion debate.” [p. 1]<br />
<br />
Sterrett’s goal is not to simply provide the reader with responses to common pro-abortion choice arguments, but to demonstrate that the very pre-suppositions abortion defenders bring to the table are false. <br />
<br />
The author explains the layout of the book as follows:<br />
<br />
“In the following chapters, I will frame the abortion debate with specific consideration to the key metaphysical topics that shape the ethical debate on abortion. First, I will provide a case for the reality of metaphysics and demonstrate that materialistic naturalism is not the best explanation of reality. Later, I will focus on particular metaphysical concepts including sanctity, substance and personhood that influence that ethical debate on abortion.” [p. 5]<br />
<br />
In Chapter 1, Sterrett contends that both Aristotle and Thomas Jefferson were alike in some respects. Both were brilliant and influential in their time. Not everything they taught was true and some of what they taught was morally reprehensible (for example, Aristotle was in favor of infanticide), yet both had much to offer society, but because of some of their moral failings we have “thrown out the good that these men have provided us through their teachings.” [p. 7] The author argues for the remainder of the chapter that we would be wise to revisit the teachings of these great thinkers and siphon from their works that which is good. Namely, the metaphysics of Aristotle and Jefferson’s “notion of ‘law,’ his classical notion of ‘right to life,’ and his notion of an intelligent, transcendent ‘Creator.’” [p. 7]<br />
<br />
The chapter ends by demonstrating that Christianity has historically been against abortion and that while “Christianity’s position on abortion is contrary to Aristotle’s defense of abortion, [it is] not contrary to Aristotle’s logic and metaphysics.” [p.12]<br />
<br />
In Chapter 2, Sterrett explains:<br />
<br />
“Metaphysics has been defined as the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of things…Metaphysics also applies to concepts such as being, knowing, substance, cause, identity, time, and space.” [p. 13-14] <br />
<br />
It is the author’s contention that many ethicists “believe…one can bypass certain metaphysical or meta-ethical concepts regarding humanity and dive right into the ethical discussion.” [p. 14] However, Sterrett reasons that this is precisely where abortion choice advocates go wrong. He explains how “many contemporary orators of society are convinced that Aristotle’s philosophy of the law of non-contradiction, ontological existence, substance, and human rights are irrelevant or unknowable” and then goes on to make the astute observation that “the ethical beliefs of society’s influencers have molded many people’s beliefs about abortion and human dignity, whether society realizes it or not.” [p. 22]<br />
<br />
In Chapter 3, the author contends that to deny the metaphysics of persons is self-refuting and he also defends Aristotle’s correspondence view of truth.<br />
<br />
As I have been writing this review it has been this reviewer’s fear that some would scoff at the idea of “metaphysics” and argue that metaphysics is based solely in religion. This type of objection, argued by such abortion choice advocates as Paul Simmons, actually demonstrates the point the author is making. Quoting philosopher Francis Beckwith, Sterrett shows “All positions on abortion presuppose some metaphysical point of view, and for this reason, the abortion-choice position…is not entitled to a privileged philosophical standing in our legal framework.” [p. 27]<br />
<br />
To deny the importance of metaphysics or “first things” in the abortion debate is to invite contradiction.<br />
<br />
In Chapter 4, Sterrett deals with the work of David Boonin, author of A Defense of Abortion. According to the author, Boonin states that “…because some humans may lack precise knowledge concerning certain specifics about fertilization or when the child experiences pain, the metaphysical or ontological reality must not exist.” [p. 30]<br />
<br />
Sterrett rightly points out that “The one who argues this seems to be confusing epistemology (the study of knowledge) with ontology (metaphysics or the nature of being).” [p. 30]<br />
<br />
In Chapter 5, this reviewer was pleased to see Sterrett argue that naturalistic materialism is not the best explanation for reality. He writes:<br />
<br />
“Many proponents of abortion choice who reject metaphysics hold a naturalistic philosophy generally about reality, and specifically about homo sapiens. I believe there are good reasons why naturalistic materialism, which is frequently assumed or believed by proponents of abortion, is not the best explanation for reality.” [p. 37]<br />
<br />
This reader appreciated how the author conceded that “there are some overlaps and disagreements concerning definitions of the words naturalism, materialism, and physicalism” and as a result, he is careful to define exactly what he means by “naturalistic materialism.” Sterrett calls upon the works of Peter Singer, Michael Tooley, and Richard Dawkins to arrive at his definition “that there are not supernatural causes, moral transcendence and nonphysical mind, but that everything in reality, including human beings, are purely material and physical.” [p. 40]<br />
<br />
Employing the works of philosophers William Lane Craig, J.P. Moreland, Quentin Smith and Thomas Nagel, the author concludes the chapter by showing that even scientists hold certain metaphysical assumptions that their unverified scientism cannot sustain.<br />
<br />
In Chapter 6, the author moves from critiquing naturalistic materialism to offering a positive case for natural theology and goes even farther by challenging the idea that an argument should be dismissed because it has divine implications. Further, he explains that if God exists, “this has implications of dignity.” [p. 53]<br />
<br />
This reader was delighted to see Sterrett call upon the works of some of the greatest theologians and thinkers of past and present to argue that God is the best explanation for a first efficient cause, God is the best explanation for a necessary entity and that God is the best explanation for objective moral truths. Regarding the latter, the author argues that if God does not exist “there not adequate ontological reasons to affirm the existence of objective moral truths.” [p. 70]<br />
<br />
In Chapter 7, Sterrett argues that “Aristotle’s ancient concept of substance is still relevant and compatible with science. [p. 71] As he explains, “The substance view says that there is a unity between the personhood and nature of a human being.” [p. 76] This reader was also pleased to see the author deal with David Hume’s skepticism towards substance as he notes, “Hume’s empiricism seems to have influenced...many contemporary naturalistic ethicists.” [p. 79]<br />
<br />
In Chapter 8, drawing upon his defense of substance theory, Sterrett defends the premise that “all human beings are persons.” [p. 82] The author notes that the majority of defenders of abortion believe strongly in a separation between human beings and personhood. Sterrett explains that it is important to understand some distinctions when debating the issue of personhood and that this separation is unmerited. The personhood of an individual is an ontological reality.<br />
<br />
In Chapter 9, Sterrett challenges the view that a person is someone because of what they can do. On the contrary, he states that personhood is not linked to functioning, but rather that it is the underlying unity of the individual. He calls upon the expertise of Francis Beckwith once again to explain:<br />
<br />
“What is crucial morally is the being of a person, not his or her function. A human person does not come into existence when human function arises, but rather, a human person is an entity who has the natural inherent capacity to give rise to human functions, whether or not those functions are ever attained…A human person who lacks the ability to think rationally (either because she is too young or she suffers from a disability) is still a human person because of her nature. Consequently, it makes sense to speak of a human being’s lack if and only if she is an actual person.” [p. 95]<br />
<br />
Sterrett concludes that “Beings do not come into existence because of certain functions, rather they maintain a unity, even if functions are not working properly.” [p. 96]<br />
<br />
In Chapter 10, Sterrett concludes the book by discussing the similarities and differences he has with ethicist Peter Singer and other abortion choice advocates. He writes:<br />
<br />
“It may seem difficult for a philosopher of religion to share areas of agreement with someone like Peter Singer who supports human infanticide, bestiality, and incest. It does seem inconsistent that an ethicist teaching at the Center of Human Value openly respects some animals more than some human babies and the elderly. I certainly have disagreements with Peter Singer and other defenders of abortion choice. While there are fundamental differences, there are also some areas of ethics held by Singer and other abortion choice advocates that a non-atheist philosopher and even a Christian can also affirm.” [p. 101] <br />
<br />
The author goes on to list the areas of agreement such as: 1. there can be a greater purpose in some suffering 2. humans are responsible for what they could have prevented 3. racism is wrong 4. and animals should be treated with respect. <br />
<br />
This reader was glad to see Sterrett point out that “those in favor of abortion frequently emphasize hypotheticals, while defenders of life use Aristotelean logic with premises about real life.” [p. 107] The author explains that “Although there are some helpful aspects of shorthand with symbolic logic as well as clearness, sometimes the hypotheticals, though coherent, miss what is real.” [p. 108] <br />
Further, as Sterrett rightly points out, “...these analogies frequently do not exist in real life.” [p. 108] The author uses Judith Jarvis Thomson’s well-known violin as an example and points out the many problems with it.<br />
<br />
<b>Conclusion</b><br />
<br />
I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing four other books by Dave Sterrett and have always enjoyed his work. However, it is this reader’s opinion that <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1Qx8Wqd" target="_blank">Aborting Aristotle</a></i> is Sterrett’s best work to date. Not only is his writing logically airtight and his arguments philosophically sophisticated, but his approach to the abortion issue is utterly unique. Sterrett is not content to simply show why abortion choice advocates arguments fail, but he goes further and argues that the very assumptions they bring to the debate are in error. As he notes:<br />
<br />
“We must be brought back to the Aristotelian scholastic philosophical tradition combined with the notion that human beings are contingent upon the existence of the Necessary Being, who is the Natural Law Giver and the Creator of human existence. These classical truths could help progressive ethicists who are blinded by an incoherent naturalistic worldview, become open-minded about the dignity and personhood of unborn human beings.” [p. 114]<br />
<br />
Philosophy matters and in <a href="http://amzn.to/1Qx8Wqd" target="_blank"><i>Aborting Aristotle</i></a> Dave Sterrett shows that in some cases it is a matter of life and death.<br />
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<hr />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>Apologetics 315 Book Reviewer </b></span></i><i><b>Chad Gross </b>is a graduate of Frostburg State University (BS) and has a Master's Equivalency in education. He currently is working toward an Apologetics Certificate through Biola University. He is the founder and director of <a href="http://www.truthbomb.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Truthbomb Apologetics</a>. Chad teaches elementary school while leading Christian Apologetics classes at Faith Christian Fellowship in Williamsport, MD. Chad and his wife, Danielle, live in Hagerstown, MD with their two daughters, Emma and Lily Opal.</i><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-30853128210215161302016-01-29T17:00:00.000+00:002016-01-29T17:00:09.991+00:00Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (01/22 - 01/29)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s1600-h/weekly-links.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s320/weekly-links.jpg" /></a>Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.<br />
<div class="p1">
<b>KINDLE DEALS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/1nq1vr9" target="_blank"><i>More Than a Carpenter</i> by Josh D. McDowell - 2.84</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/1ZUZrnf" target="_blank"><i>What Does the Bible Say About...? </i>by Ron Rhodes - 2.99</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/23vxh74" target="_blank"><i>New Atheism: A Survival Guide</i> by Graham Veale - 2.99</a><br />
<div>
• <a href="http://a315.co/1lW0mpY" target="_blank"><i>God: A Philosophical Argument from Being </i>by Norman L. Geisler - 2.99</a></div>
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<b>WEEKLY LINKS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/23iESFW" target="_blank">Book Preview: The Fate of the Apostles by Sean McDowell</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/1QuhpKP" target="_blank">Abortion takes a human life – why does having to travel for one matter?</a><br />
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<i>Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. </i>Would you <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042" target="_blank"><b>support</b></a> us?</div>
<div>
• Shopping via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a>? If you use <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">this link</a></b>, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315. <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=213741&creative=393241&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583125-20" target="_blank">Canada here</a>. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=3194&creative=21334&linkCode=shr&tag=9388583121-21" target="_blank">UK here</a>.<br />
<br />
Get these sorts of links and more by <a href="http://twitter.com/Apologetics315">following on Twitter</a>.</div>
For daily post links, please <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Apologetics315">follow on Facebook</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-78879948020641316482015-11-09T07:30:00.000+00:002015-11-09T07:30:01.820+00:00The Top 7 Things You Can't Do as a Moral Relativist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hgWYaigcmz8/Tt6AI9LJXZI/AAAAAAAAHyk/9--woik3mF0/s1600/moral-relativism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hgWYaigcmz8/Tt6AI9LJXZI/AAAAAAAAHyk/9--woik3mF0/s200/moral-relativism.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Moral <a href="http://www.apologetics315.com/2011/11/terminology-tuesday-relativism.html" target="_blank">relativism</a> is the theory that denies that humans can possess any objective, universally meaningful knowledge, that there are any ultimate and unchanging metaphysical realities or that there are any moral absolutes. Philosopher Peter Kreeft <a href="http://www.apologetics315.com/2011/10/peter-kreeft-on-moral-relativism.html" target="_blank">said</a> that <i>"No culture in history has ever embraced moral relativism and survived."</i> If you don't think objective moral values exist, Kreeft can <a href="http://www.apologetics315.com/2009/04/case-for-objective-moral-values-mp3.html" target="_blank">teach you about that</a>. But what's the problem with moral relativism? <a href="http://www.apologetics315.com/search/label/Greg%20Koukl" target="_blank">Greg Koukl</a> of <a href="http://www.str.org/" target="_blank">Stand to Reason</a> (who along with Francis Beckwith wrote <i>the book</i> on <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801058066?ie=UTF8&tag=apologetics31-20" target="_blank">Relativism</a></i>) wrote a great article in <a href="http://www.salvomag.com/index.php" target="_blank">Salvo Magazine</a> on that topic. Here are <b>7 Things You Can't Do as a Moral Relativist</b>:<br />
<ol>
<li>Relativists Can’t Accuse Others of Wrong-Doing</li>
<li>Relativists Can’t Complain About the Problem of Evil</li>
<li>Relativists Can’t Place Blame or Accept Praise</li>
<li>Relativists Can’t Claim Anything Is Unfair or Unjust</li>
<li>Relativists Can’t Improve Their Morality</li>
<li>Relativists Can’t Hold Meaningful Moral Discussions</li>
<li>Relativists Can’t Promote the Obligation of Tolerance</li>
</ol>
<b>Bonus #8</b>: <a href="http://www.stephencmeyer.org/" target="_blank">Stephen Meyer</a>, in the <a href="http://www.trueu.org/" target="_blank">TrueU video series</a> (which is excellent for group study), lists a couple more. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Edit</span></span>: Meyer's number 8 is: <i>Relativists can’t complain about the problem of evil</i>. But his number 2 is: <i>The relativist can't complain about being mistreated</i>.<br />
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If you want to know the detailed reasons that Koukl gives for each, read the <a href="http://www.salvomag.com/new/articles/salvo1/koukl.php" target="_blank">article in its entirety over at Salvomag</a>.<br />
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Want more <a href="http://www.apologetics315.com/search/label/Relativism">resources</a> on relativism? Find out <a href="http://www.apologetics315.com/2010/08/what-would-jesus-say-to-relativist-mp3.html">what Jesus would say to a relativist</a>, hear Greg Koukl's <a href="http://www.apologetics315.com/2008/12/relativism-by-greg-koukl-mp3-audio.html">talk on relativism</a>, or Paul Copan's <a href="http://www.apologetics315.com/2008/08/relativism-interview-with-dr-paul-copan.html">interview about relativism</a>.<br />
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<i>Would you add any more to the list?</i><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-51395823639638213812015-10-24T07:30:00.000+01:002015-10-24T07:30:01.591+01:00Book Review: God's Crime Scene by J. Warner Wallace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nKazoC_0ivA/VipN3WQ7qwI/AAAAAAABAJs/wqDaA_j4sxg/s1600/gods%2Bcrime%2Bscene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nKazoC_0ivA/VipN3WQ7qwI/AAAAAAABAJs/wqDaA_j4sxg/s200/gods%2Bcrime%2Bscene.jpg" width="155" /></a></div>
<i>God's Crime Scene</i> (<a href="http://amzn.to/1MeFBSD" target="_blank">Book</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyCcFB1YvfQ" target="_blank">Promo Video</a>) is the highly anticipated "sequel" to J. Warner Wallace's <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1Mad4rb" target="_blank">Cold Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels</a></i>. In his first investigation Wallace looks at the evidence for the claim that the Gospels were eye-witness accounts of the life of Jesus. In his latest book, he investigates the existence of God. He takes his experience and skill-set as a homicide detective to bring together the evidences and present them in a coherent and convincing manner for the jurors (readers) to decide. God's Crime Scene is 204 pages divided into eight chapters. He has also included nearly 80 additional pages of case files for digging deeper into the cases he investigates in the book. This review will provide a chapter-by-chapter summary of the book but it cannot be substituted for reading the full text. I've included short interviews with J. Warner Wallace and Bobby Conway from <a href="http://oneminuteapologist.com/" target="_blank">The One Minute Apologist</a> at the end of chapter summaries so you can hear a synopsis of the chapter directly from the author.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>Opening Statement: Has Someone Else Been in This Room?</b><br />
J. Warner Wallace begins his investigation by taking the reader through one of his first crime scene investigations. The crime scene involved a death that needed to be determined if it was the result of natural causes, suicide, or homicide. Wallace explains that when making this determination, the investigator quickly assess the pieces of evidence in the room and asks whether those pieces originated inside the room or if the came from the outside. If the evidence cannot all be explained by remaining inside the room, then they have evidence of an intruder- someone outside the room. Not only can these pieces of evidence establish that an intruder invaded to commit the murder, but they can also be used to give the identity of the murder (a suspect profile). He notes that it is important to have multiple independent types of evidence to build the strength of the case for the type of death (homicide) and the identity of the murderer.<br />
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Wallace explains that investigating God's existence is analogous. If all the evidence of the universe can be explained by staying inside the universe, then there is no need to appeal to someone outside the universe. However, if all the evidence cannot be explained by remaining inside the universe, then we have stumbled upon direct evidence of a source outside the universe. Just as the same evidence can be used to construct a "suspect profile" of the murderer, so too can the evidence that must be explained by going outside the universe be used to construct a profile to identify the "intruder" external to the universe.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upvuhtJtI6c" target="_blank">Video- How Does A Detective Investigate God's Existence?</a><br />
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<b>Chapter 1: In the Beginning</b><br />
Wallace's first piece of evidence that appears to not have an explanation inside the universe is the universe's beginning. He presents a diverse set of arguments for the beginning of the universe. These include the philosophical evidence of the impossibility of infinite regresses, theoretical evidence of mathematics and physics, observational evidence from astronomy, thermal evidence provided by the second law of thermodynamics, quantitative evidence in the abundance of helium, and evidence of the cosmic background radiation. All these used together provide powerful evidence of the beginning of the universe, and since everything that begins to exist, must have a cause, the universe must have had a cause outside itself too.<br />
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Wallace grants that there may be alternative explanations of the evidences provided and demonstrates how the alternative models that are commonly offered do not actually explain what they claim to, so the conclusion of the universe having a beginner is solidly established. Wallace then begins building his profile of the "intruder" by noting that the beginner must be external to the universe, nonspacial, atemporal (not confined by time), nonmaterial, uncaused, and powerful enough to create the universe.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny3gpYtWlwk&index=4&list=TLpmHeXGmp4ZYyMDA5MjAxNQ" target="_blank">Video- Does the Beginning of the Universe Entail God's Existence?</a><br />
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<b>Chapter 2: Tampering with the Evidence</b><br />
Next Wallace examines evidence of tampering with the natural order of things. He explains that a death scene can be determined to be a crime scene (death not caused by natural causes) by knowing the natural condition of the scene and examining it for multiple differences that can only be explained from something outside the scene. Three levels of conditions are considered: foundational, regional, and locational. If the conditions of the room where a death took place contributed directly to the death, but are not natural conditions of the room, then evidence of tampering by an outside agent (a suspected murderer) has been established.<br />
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Wallace examines the universe at the same three levels. The "crime" he is investigating is the existence of life. The foundational conditions of the universe that allow for life's existence include the physical laws governing the atom, the matter of the universe, and the creation of chemicals. The next layer (regional) moves closer to home: our galaxy and solar system. The shape, position, and size of our galaxy make it habitable for life; while our sun's position, age, mass, and composition allow it to to host a planet fit for life. The third layer is the planet, itself. The earth's relationship to the sun, atmosphere, terrestrial nature, and moon all play a role in making a place that is fit for life. Compared to the rest of the universe to establish the "natural" conditions, the fact that these conditions are present and life exists are powerful evidences for tampering. The evidence for tampering indicates that the suspect was intentional.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwwPAf82STo&list=TLpmHeXGmp4ZYyMDA5MjAxNQ&index=3" target="_blank">Video- Do The Intricacies of This World Point to a Designer?</a><br />
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<b>Chapter 3: The Origin of Life</b><br />
A key piece of evidence in one of Wallace's cases was a text message on the victim's phone. As a detective he needed to answer the classics questions of what, where, when, why, and how to explain the message and its significance to the case (connecting a suspect to the death). In Chapter 3, Wallace asks the same questions about life and its origin to connect a suspect to its origin. In explaining what life is, where could it have originated, when it could have originated, why and how it originated, Wallace concludes that not only is an outside agent required, but it is an agent that possesses intelligence and volition.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTnMblsLGrw&index=2&list=TLpmHeXGmp4ZYyMDA5MjAxNQ" target="_blank">Video- Can We Explain the Origin of Life from Non-Life?</a><br />
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<b>Chapter 4: Signs of Design</b><br />
Examining a crime scene for evidences of "design" can be highly useful in identifying a suspect. In one of Wallace's case, he demonstrated that a particular object found at a crime scene was a homemade weapon- the product of a mind, external to the scene. He identified eight characteristics of the object that cumulatively led to the correct conclusion:<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Dubious Probability<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Echoes of Familiarity<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Sophistication and Intricacy<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Informational Dependency<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Goal Direction and Intentionality<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Natural Inexplicability (Given the Laws of Physics)<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Efficiency/Irreducible Complexity<br />
He explains each of these criteria and how each one points to the conclusion of a mind. He then applies these same eight criteria to the living cell, and in so doing, he concludes that it must be the result of a mind. But just like in a murder case, the other side is allowed to offer alternative explanations to show that the evidence can be accounted for without the presence of the suspect. Wallace examines possible alternative explanations offered by naturalists to explain the evidence from a purely naturalistic (in the room) perspective. He shows how such explanations fail and his conclusion of an external agent's involvement is the best explanation.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnqB2a0X9R8&list=TLpmHeXGmp4ZYyMDA5MjAxNQ" target="_blank">Video- Does Biological Appearance Point to a Designer?</a><br />
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<b>Chapter 5: Our Experience of Consciousness</b><br />
Wallace now moves away from evidence from astronomy and biology to the human brain. In naturalistic worldviews it is common to believe that the brain and the mind are the same thing. Wallace explains that the only way that two things are the same is if they share all their attributes with no differences. He describes six attributes of the brain that are not shared by the mind. All of these distinctions build a powerful case for the two being completely different. He concludes that the brain is physical while the mind is non-physical and that the mind's existence can only be explained "outside the room" of the universe being the product of another mind. He examines several attempts by naturalistic philosophers to explain the mind "inside the room" of the universe, but he shows how each of them fail to offer an adequate explanation. His conclusion is that the existence of the mind offers powerful evidence that can only be explained by going "outside the room." Because only a conscious mind can produce another conscious mind, Wallace adds the characteristic of being a conscious mind to his suspect's profile.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSRHkSpZlNI" target="_blank">Video- How Does Our Consciousness Point to God's Existence</a><br />
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<b>Chapter 6: Free Will or Full Wiring</b><br />
Even though Wallace has firmly established that there exists a distinction between the mind and the brain, he now examines an attribute of the mind that is hotly debated: free will. From a naturalistic perspective (one that holds there is no distinction between the mind and the brain) free will does not exist; it is an illusion much like the mind. If free will does actually exist, it points even more powerfully towards the existence of the mind, which must derive its origin from the supernatural, since it is supernatural itself. Wallace uses the concept of responsibility and the ability to choose other than we do to build his case for free will's actual existence. Without e the ability to chose something other than what we do, we cannot be held responsible, thus no one would be worthy of punishment (in the case of wrong-doing) or praise (in the case of doing right). Our experience tells us that we have the ability to do otherwise when we are presented with options; we also acknowledge that others have the same ability by giving them either praise or punishment for their chosen actions.<br />
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Wallace recognizes that naturalistic options have been proposed to accommodate this reality, but he shows how none of the explanations suffice. They reduce to complete determinism (making no one responsible, praise-worthy, or punishable for their actions), making free will something of an illusion foisted on us by evolution in an effort to make our genes survive instead of others.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d0lcfO6Agk" target="_blank">Video- Does Free Will Point to God's Existence?</a><br />
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<b>Chapter 7: Law and Order</b><br />
The very fact that Warner is in law-enforcement allows him to see, first-hand, many acts of "evil." The next piece of evidence at the crime scene of the universe is evil. He explains that evil does not actually exist if objective moral duties and objective human value do not exist. However, to exist these cannot find their grounding in individuals or people groups. Both of those options result in flexible "standards" (subjectivism and relativism, respectively) which cannot provide a rule by which to punish criminal activity (if there truly is such a thing).<br />
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Warner examines several attempts to stay "inside the room" to explain moral duties and human value, but none of the attempts result in authentically objective results. He concludes that our experience of evil is not mistaken and the denial of it is unlivable in societies, so to explain the evidence, the investigator must go "outside the room" of the universe to find the responsible party that explains objective moral duties and objective human value.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BElmcIyMbus" target="_blank">Video- What is the Best Explanation For Moral Laws?</a><br />
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<b>Chapter 8: The Evidence of Evil</b><br />
As the final piece of evidence Wallace introduces the reader to exculpatory evidence. This is evidence that would ultimately demonstrate that a suspect could not have possibly committed a crime. The problem of evil and suffering is often raised as exculpating evidence against God as the suspect who intervened from "outside the room" into the "room" of the universe. Many people do not see that God is compatible with the existence of evil based on the fact that God is all-loving and all-powerful. They argue that if God is both of those, then He would necessarily have removed evil by now or not let it happen in the first place. If they are correct, then no matter the rest of the case for God being the suspect "outside the room," He simply is not the one we're looking for.<br />
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However, to remove the exculpatory nature of the problem of evil, it simply needs to be demonstrated that an all-loving and all-powerful God would have a purpose for allowing evil and suffering. Wallace puts forth seven explanations that is compatible with God's existence. He also reminds the reader that even if an event cannot be explained by one of these seven, we are not omniscient and do not know the future, so the explanation simply has yet to be revealed. Ultimately, evil and suffering do not serve the purpose that skeptics believe that it does. It does not remove God as a suspect.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82lBnheM-7g" target="_blank">Video- Does Evil Disqualify The Existence of God?</a><br />
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<b>Closing Argument: Make a Decision and Make It Now</b><br />
Wallace concludes the book similarly to the closing arguments in a trial. He reminds the reader that he has presented several pieces of evidence from multiple disciplines, each with several evidences from multiple disciplines support their validity. He explains that jurors throughout the country are required to make decisions based on the evidence they are presented even though not every questions they have can be answered- when the evidence for a conviction is sufficient, the decision must be made. Wallace also recounts incidents where the identification that the cause of a death was to be found "outside the room" rather than "inside the room." This causes a sense of urgency among the investigators. He encourages the reader to embrace the sense of urgency that comes with the knowledge that a suspect exists and to continue their investigation to identify Him. He encourages the reader to read his book "Cold Case Christianity- A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels" to help them further identify the suspect as the God of the Bible (Jesus Christ). Finally Wallace explains that the urgency must not be limited to the investigation, but include sharing the results of the investigation with people.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUkmVQDUyDQ" target="_blank">Video- What Makes the Cumulative Case for God So Powerful?</a><br />
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<b>Reviewer's Thoughts</b><br />
<i>God's Crime Scene</i> is an engaging read. For many people investigating the existence of God seems like a dull, philosophical project. To make matters worse, the resources to investigate seem overwhelming, so people do not know where to start. Because of the interest of people in criminal investigation (as evidence by the popularity of both fictional and non-fictional crime investigation shows on television) and the fact that people often are involved with the criminal justice system (as a victim or juror), Wallace is able to use his skill set and experience as a homicide investigator to bring the investigation into God's existence to the masses. This book is not only filled with the evidences for God as the "suspect" in the "crime scene" of the universe, but he includes stories of his own experiences and many stories that most people will connect with on a deep basis. Wallace's connection to the reader and his powerful case result in a book that I highly recommend for everyone to read and pass along to friends, family, and others who may be interesting in God's existence but may not know exactly where to start.<br />
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<hr />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>Apologetics 315 Book Reviewer </b></span></i><i><b>Luke Nix </b>is a Computer Systems Administrator in Oklahoma, USA. He has a beautiful and supportive wife, but no kids yet. In his spare time he enjoys studying theology, philosophy, biology, astronomy, psychology and apologetics. If you liked this review, more of his writing can be enjoyed at <a href="http://lukenixblog.blogspot.com/">lukenixblog.blogspot.com</a>.</i><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-53452163900682411232015-10-23T17:00:00.000+01:002015-10-23T17:00:04.359+01:00Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (10/16 - 10/23)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s1600-h/weekly-links.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ULYS62ugM98/S1eCXW3ttGI/AAAAAAAAFH0/sP311FBma4E/s320/weekly-links.jpg" /></a>Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.<br />
<div class="p1">
<b>KINDLE DEALS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/1rWQjDy" target="_blank"><i>Finding the Real Jesus: A Guide for Curious Christians and Skeptical Seekers</i> by Lee Strobel - 1.99</a><br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/1KAsneM" target="_blank"><i>Truth Matters: Confident Faith in a Confusing World</i> - 0.99</a><br />
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<b>WEEKLY LINKS</b>:<br />
• <a href="http://a315.co/1LdkXPo" target="_blank">Apologetics Events at Biola</a><br />
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For daily post links, please <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Apologetics315">follow on Facebook</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32357047.post-52625874837015207132015-10-10T07:30:00.000+01:002015-10-10T07:30:00.411+01:00Book Review: Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change your Life by Eric Metaxas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eJEJ6eUQX6c/VhfLTE2igLI/AAAAAAAAqDI/MYPL6Z_fkM8/s1600/miracles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eJEJ6eUQX6c/VhfLTE2igLI/AAAAAAAAqDI/MYPL6Z_fkM8/s200/miracles.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
“History,” writes Eric Metaxas in the introduction to his book entitled <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1LlFSAV" target="_blank">Miracles</a></i>, “comprises subjective accounts of human beings, and from those subjective accounts we arrive at an ‘objective’ truth” (xii). He asserts that we need to ask ourselves whether those subjective accounts are reliable by sifting through the information and considering the witnesses as one would do in a court of law.<br />
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This, he says, is what we must do when we hear accounts of miracles. We must “examine (them) with the greatest rigor possible” to determine whether something is truly a miracle. Otherwise, we could deserve the label of “gullible” that those who reject the very idea of supernatural events sometimes use to describe us. <br />
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In the first half of the book, Metaxas explores the basic question of what constitutes a miracle. While he notes there is no standard definition, he essentially concurs with that given by philosopher David Hume who defined a miracle as “a transgression of a law of nature by a particular volition of the Deity, or by the interposition of some invisible agent (11).” Metaxas simplifies Hume’s definition, stating that a miracle occurs “when something outside of time and space enters time and space” (12). As to the purpose of miracles, Metaxas says that they are signs that point to God, noting that Jesus performed them to prove that he was divine.<br />
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Metaxas then looks at miracles and science, noting that the realm of the miraculous is outside the scope of science (26). Quoting John Lennox, apologist and professor of mathematics at Oxford, he says, “To force a naturalistic paradigm on everything has the effect of closing down science, rather than opening it up” (29), and adds that, as we gain more scientific knowledge, it points to God, not away from him (32). Metaxas then offers information about the fine-tuning of the universe and intelligent design to support this thesis. The author ends the first half of his book with a look at three Biblical miracles – the feeding of the five thousand, raising Lazarus from the dead, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.<br />
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The second part of the book consists of miracle stories. Metaxas notes that he chose only those accounts from people he knew and trusted. They include personal stories of angelic visitations, visions that changed people’s lives, and healing and medical miracles.<br />
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Metaxas, best-known for his biographies of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and William Wilberforce, has written this book for the popular audience. Those wanting a more vigorously academic study of miracles should read the massive work of Craig Keener as well as C. S. Lewis’s Miracles. And, given that his discussion of science and miracles is rather cursory, readers are encouraged to seek out the work of John Lennox or Hugh Ross for further reading. Additionally, while Metaxas spends a chapter on the resurrection of Christ, he merely introduces the topic. Therefore, the work of Gary Habermas on the topic is recommended.<br />
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Overall, the book provides good food for thought as well as stories of miracles that encourage and astound, making it a solid introduction to the topic. As Metaxas writes, “the idea that there is a God who loves us and who desires to help us be what we were always meant to be . . . is a staggering concept. That this God is not far from us, but is at all times right near to us, wanting to communicate with us and wanting to intervene in our lives for our benefit, is about as ‘empowering’ an idea as anyone could imagine” (330). For this reason, Metaxas concludes, we should not let the materialistic worldview make us shy away from the very possibility of miracles. Rather, we should embrace the reality of their existence and watch for God at work in the world and in our lives.<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>Apologetics 315 Book Reviewer </b></span></i><i><b>Mary Lou </b>is a Canadian journalist who holds a Master’s in Theological Studies from Tyndale University College and Seminary, Toronto, Ontario. She holds three other degrees, including one in history, and writes poetry and fiction as well as non-fiction.</i><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p></p>Apologetics 315 is a non-profit charitable organization. You can support this work <a href="https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=51042">here</a>.<p>Do you do your shopping at Amazon? If so, using <i><a href="http://j.mp/uGAuIV"> this Amazon link </a></i> supports Apologetics315.</p> In the UK? Use <i><a href="http://j.mp/QxnZ2p"> this the UK Amazon link</a></i>.</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939074645029376866noreply@blogger.com1