Argument from the Fine-Tuning of the Universe

This continues the series of weekly posts dealing with some basic theistic arguments. The purpose here is to introduce the reader to the idea behind each argument. Strengths and weaknesses will be presented after each summary. These are only summaries and springboards for further study in the theistic arguments. See Reason for the Hope Within for more.

An Argument from the Fine-Tuning of the Universe

The physical universe is able to support life. But the ability to support life depends upon a dizzying array of physical constants being precisely what they are (the specific constants governing the fundamental forces of nature - the strong, weak, electromagnetic, and gravitational - are good examples). If any of these constants had been much different, life would be impossible. And while it is not impossible that all these constants had the values they did by pure chance, it is considerably more likely that they have the values they do by design. God's existence is a much better explanation for the fine-tuning of the universe than any god-free explanation.

Greatest Strength: The very narrow range of values for a large number of physical constants is highly suggestive. The closer one looks at the conditions necessary to support life, the harder it is to believe that life is a cosmic accident.

Greatest Weakness: Although it would take a very powerful being to set up a universe capable of supporting life, it wouldn't take one that was infinitely powerful. The "god" of deism would seem to be sufficient.1

1 William C. Davis, Reason for the Hope Within (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman's Publishing Co., 1999), p. 28.

Darwin's Surprise MP3 Audio by Dr. Charles Thaxton

Dr. Charles Thaxton presents a lecture on Darwin's Surprise: Why Darwin Wouldn't Write the Origin Were He Alive Today. This lecture suggests what Darwin would think and write about if he were doing research today.

Full MP3 Audio here. (originally found here)

Enjoy.

Confidence in the Gospel MP3 Audio by Michael Green

Dr. Michael Green at the recent European Leadership Forum presented a talk entitled: Confidence in the Gospel, which hits a great variety of apologetics topics. Ap315 just featured some ELF content recently, but this is just too good of an apologetics talk to pass up. Highly recommended. Also, subscribe to the ELF podcast here.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Enjoy.

The Michael Behe Video Interview

Michael Behe was recently on bloggingheads.tv, discussing his book Edge of Evolution. Behe tells how the video was pulled here. You can watch the video for yourself here. (For more Edge of Evolution stuff, go here.) UPDATE: the video has been reposted at bloggingheads.tv here.

Full MP3 Audio here. (44 min)

Enjoy.

Sunday Quote: Jaroslov Pelikan on Jesus Christ

"Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of western culture for almost twenty centuries... It is from his birth that most of the human race dates its calendars, it is by his name that millions curse and in his name that millions pray."

- Jaroslov Pelikan

Book Review: The God Who Sits Enthroned by Phil Fernandes

The God Who Sits Enthroned: Evidence for God’s Existence by Phil Fernandes is a helpful overview of the main apologetic arguments for the existence of God and the case for Christian theism. Appropriate for a primer on apologetics for the layperson, The God Who Sits Enthroned is divided into three sections: 1) psychological apologetics, 2) philosophical apologetics, and 3) scientific apologetics.

The first section on psychological apologetics deals with man’s intrinsic need for God. This includes the absurdity of life without God (drawing heavily from the thought of Blaise Pascal), man’s thirst for God, and the paradox of man’s greatness and wretchedness. Fernandes’ aim here is not to offer arguments for God’s existence, but to show that God is the answer to both man’s depravity as well as his inner longing.

Argument from the Existence of Human Intelligence

This continues the series of weekly posts dealing with some basic theistic arguments. The purpose here is to introduce the reader to the idea behind each argument. Strengths and weaknesses will be presented after each summary. These are only summaries and springboards for further study in the theistic arguments. See Reason for the Hope Within for more.

An Argument from the Existence of Human Intelligence

While it is possible for complex effects to arise by accident, it is much more likely that an effect is the result of a suitably complex cause, and that specific organization in an effect depends upon at least an equal measure of organization in the cause. Human intelligence is a clear case of highly specific organization. Thus it is much more likely that the ultimate cause of human intelligence is itself at least as intelligent as the most intelligent human; and it is much less likely that the ultimate cause of human intelligence is the impersonal, unintelligent universe itself.

Greatest Strength: It is hard to believe that human intelligence is a cosmic accident; and experience tells us that organized effects result from organized (intelligent) causes.

Greatest Weakness: Many people think that Darwinian naturalism provides a mechanism for generating complex order without the need for a single, highly ordered cause.1

1 William C. Davis, Reason for the Hope Within (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman's Publishing Co., 1999), p. 27.

The Resurrection of Christ by Douglas Geivett MP3 Audio

Philosopher Doug Geivett presents a philosophical approach on the topic of the resurrection of Jesus, which includes the logic of resurrection belief as well as historical evidences.

Full MP3 Audio here. (original found at MacLaurin.org)

Enjoy.

God and Morality Debate: William Lane Craig vs. Torbjörn Tännsjö MP3 Audio

William Lane Craig debates Torbjörn Tännsjö on the topic of God and morality: "If God is dead, is everything permitted?" For all of WLC's debates, check out the WLC Audio Debate Feed.

Full MP3 Audio here. (90 min)

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A Refutation of Moral Relativism MP3 Audio by Peter Kreeft

Philosopher Peter Kreeft presents a talk entitled: A refutation of moral relativism.

Note: audio quality is not optimal, but tolerable. A transcript can be found here.
Find Kreeft's book refuting moral relativism here.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Enjoy.

Sunday Quote: Richard Baxter on Prayer

"Prayer must carry on our work, as well as preaching. He does not preach heartily to his people who does not pray for them. If we do not prevail with God to give them repentance and faith, we are not likely to prevail with them to repent and believe."

- Richard Baxter

Book Review: In Defense of Natural Theology edited by James Sennett & Douglas Groothuis

In Defense of Natural Theology: A Post-Humean Assessment edited by James F. Sennett and Douglas Groothuis is a thorough and focused critique of eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher David Hume’s criticisms of natural theology. The thesis of the book is this: “Natural theology is alive and well in contemporary philosophy; the supposed Humean refutation of the enterprise is a myth whose exposure is long overdue.”1 A dozen philosophers contribute to the task in this substantial volume.

Argument from the Possibility of God

This continues the series of weekly posts dealing with some basic theistic arguments. The purpose here is to introduce the reader to the idea behind each argument. Strengths and weaknesses will be presented after each summary. These are only summaries (not debate starters) and springboards for further study in the theistic arguments. See Reason for the Hope Within for more.

An Argument from the Definition of "God" and the Possibility That God Exists

Alvin Plantinga defines God as, together with the standard attributes, a "necessary being." A necessary being, if one existed at all, would exist no matter how the world went (it would exist in every "possible world"). If one admits that it is possible that God exists (as most will), then it follows that God does exist:

in order for it to be possible at all, there must be at least some possible world in which it will be true that God exists (this is, philosophers argue, just what it means to say that something is "possible"); but (and here is the tricky part), if there is some world where it is true that God exists, then "God exists" must be true in every world. Why? Because the very definition of God demands that God is a necessarily existing being. Thus, we are forced to admit that if we "find" him existing in even one world, we are guaranteed (by the definition) that he must be found in every other possible world as well. Thus, God is found (i.e., exists) in this world.

Greatest Strength: Most opponents of theism are willing to concede that God's existence is at least possible.

Greatest Weakness: Atheists who have considered the argument can and do reject the claim that God is even possible. They argue instead that the very concept of God is incoherent since, for example, it entails paradoxes such as the paradox of the stone: Can God make a stone so big that he cannot lift it? This is supposed to show that an omnipotent being is impossible.1

1 William C. Davis, Reason for the Hope Within (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman's Publishing Co., 1999), p. 25.

William Lane Craig Audio Debate Feed

Many of William Lane Craig's debates can be found online. However, it's a hassle downloading them all piecemeal. Now you can download them all neatly within iTunes or your feedreader by using the WLC Audio Debate Feed. When new debates are available they will be added to the feed.

Subscribe directly in iTunes here. (opens iTunes and subscribes for you)
Regular feed here.

Enjoy.

Frank Turek vs. Christopher Hitchens Debate #2 MP3 Audio

Frank Turek debates Christopher Hitchens on the topic: What Best Explains Reality: Atheism or Theism? This is their 2nd debate. Their first debate can be found here.

The debate video can be found at Crossexamined here.

Full MP3 Audio here. (2 hours)

Enjoy.

Evil and the God Who Knows MP3 Audio by Bruce Little

Philosopher Bruce Little speaks on the argument from evil in this lecture entitled: Evil and the God Who Knows. If God is all-loving and all-powerful, why so much evil in the world? An important and helpful discussion of the issue and its facets. Original (with notes) at bethinking.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Listen.

Sunday Quote: Ed Harrison on Fine Tuning

"The fine tuning of the universe provides prima facie evidence of deistic design. Take your choice: blind chance that requires multitudes of universes or design that requires only one."1

- Ed Harrison

1. Harrison, E. 1985. Masks of the Universe. New York, Collier Books, Macmillan, pp. 252, 263.

Book Review: Natural Theology by William Paley

Natural theology is the practice of inferring the existence of God from the design and beauty found in nature. Hence, the full title of William Paley’s 1802 Natural Theology is: Natural Theology, or, Evidence of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity, collected from the appearances of nature. As a literary work, Paley’s Natural Theology became a best seller and remains a classic.

Even those who have not read Paley may be familiar with his famous watch analogy. Paley tells of how if one were to find a watch in nature, one would infer a designer because of the structure, order, purpose, and design found in the watch. The features of the watch have all the hallmarks of design. Paley then shows how the manifold features of natural structures also have similar marks of design: complex organization, order, purpose, and apparent features of design. “There cannot be a design without a designer; contrivance without a contriver; order without choice; arrangement, without any thing capable of arranging…”1

Argument from the Contingency of the Universe

This will be a series of weekly posts dealing with some basic theistic arguments. The purpose here is to introduce the reader to the idea behind each argument. Strengths and weaknesses will be presented after each summary. As these are only summaries (entire books can be written for and against each) these are not debate starters (with further books written in the comments), but springboards for further study in the theistic arguments. See Reason for the Hope Within for more.

An Argument from the Contingency of the Universe

The universe didn't have to be here, and even if it has always been here it didn't have to be the way it is. This means the universe is a contingent thing. But all contingent things depend upon a cause which is itself contingent, but it is not possible that everything is contingent. Thus there must be a necessary (indeed, self-necessary) being which is the ultimate cause of the universe. God is the self-necessary ultimate cause of the universe.

Greatest Strength: Pure contingency is logically untenable, so it is difficult to believe that the universe is both contingent and uncaused.

Greatest Weakness: The contingency of the universe as a whole is difficult to establish convincingly unless one is already convinced that it has a cause.1

1 William C. Davis, Reason for the Hope Within (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman's Publishing Co., 1999), p. 25.

Is the Old Testament Ethical? Peter Williams MP3 Audio Interview

Tyndale House scholar Dr. Peter Williams is interviewed on the topic: Is the Old Testament Ethical? in this European Leadership Forum podcast episode. Williams addresses the various indictments brought against Old Testament passages by Richard Dawkins in The God Delusion, as well as other criticisms. A phenomenal interview.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Enjoy.

Evidence for the Resurrection: Josh McDowell MP3 Audio

Josh McDowell looks at some of the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Five MP3 audio files here:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Video and PDF transcripts can be found here.
Also some good free eBooks:
• Christianity - Hoax or History?
• Resurrection Growth Guide
• Reasons Skeptics Should Consider Christianity
• Skeptics Who Demanded a Verdict

Enjoy.