Sunday, January 31, 2010

Sunday Quote: Stephen Meyer on Design in Nature

“If living things—things that we manifestly did not design ourselves—bear the hallmarks of design, if they exhibit a signature that would lead us to recognize intelligent activity in any other realm of experience, then perhaps it is time to rehabilitate this lost way of knowing and to rekindle our wonder in the intelligibility and design of nature that first inspired the scientific revolution.”

- Stephen Meyer, Signature in the Cell (HarperOne, 2009, p. 452).

What was last year's post? See here.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Book Review: If There's A God, Why Are There Atheists? by R.C. Sproul

If There’s A God, Why Are There Atheists? by R. C. Sproul was first published with the title, The Psychology of Atheism. The earlier title reflects the overall subject of Sproul's book, but the later title, If There’s A God, Why Are There Atheists?, reveals the question that the author is seeking to answer. This title is in response to Freud’s past psychological query: “If there is no God, why is there religion?” And so Sproul writes his book to show that psychological factors play a role regardless of the position that one takes on the matter.

Sproul points out in his preface that the “question of man’s attitude toward God certainly touches psychology. However, it is also a question of great theological importance. This book examines some of the motivating factors of the human mind with respect to God from a theological perspective.”1 Here is Sproul’s central thesis:

Friday, January 29, 2010

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (01/22-01/29)

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

Debate Audio: Michael Brown vs. James White on Calvinism
Tim Keller's Impressions on "The Shack"
The Shack — The Missing Art of Evangelical Discernment
Video of William Lane Craig explaining the Kalam cosmological argument simply.
Sean McDowell's First Debate
Debate: McDowell & Corbet on God and Moral Values
• Truthbomb Apologetics is Da Bomb – Free Ebooks
Richard Dawkins Lectures Christians
Richard Dawkins on the Wonder of the World
When Arguments Don’t Work
Evolution Can't Tell Darwin's Story: A Review of the Movie "Creation"
PleaseConvinceMe Blog: We've Been Interviewed by Apologetics 315
Philosophy Word of the Day – Omniscience and Divine Foreknowledge
Apologetics Conference and Debate
Evangelical Philosophical Society Article: The Hazards of Self-Promotion
Event: The C.S. Lewis Society Presents - Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design
Dr. Phil Fernandes on New Testament Reliability
If God Made the Universe, What Made God? 
The old J.P. Moreland book I thought was new. Thanks for the correction, @GeoTheoBO!

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Is Atheism Dead, Is God Alive? MP3 Audio by Ravi Zacharias

sIn this talk at Harvard University, Ravi Zacharias digs into the philosophy of atheism and addresses the question, "Is atheism dead, is God alive?" This four part series on MP3s is from Ravi's Just Thinking Podcast. Find a lengthier talk here at Veritas, as well as an audio Q&A here. This has also been added to the Ultimate Apologetics MP3 Audio Page. For more on atheism from Ravi, check out his book The Real Face of Atheism.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Enjoy.

What was last year's post? See here.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Since Evil Exists, How can I Believe in a Loving God? MP3 Audio

In this timely talk, Peter May discusses the subject of evil and suffering. Reflecting on the events in Haiti, he explores the philosophical, theological, practical, and pastoral elements that come into play. The summary and original audio can be found here; another great resource from bethinking.org.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Reflect.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Matt Slick vs. Eddie Tabash Debate: Does God Exist? MP3 Audio

Here is a debate from December 5, 2009 at Boise State University between Christian apologist Matt Slick and atheist lawyer Eddie Tabash on the subject: Does God Exist? Matt Slick's opening statement and powerpoint slides can be found here, as well as follow-up questions for Mr. Tabash here. Original video found here.

Full MP3 Audio here. (2 hours)

Enjoy.

Be sure to check out more resources from Carm.org.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Apologist Interview: Jim Wallace of PleaseConvinceMe.com

Today's interview is with Jim Wallace of PleaseConvinceMe.com and host of the PleaseConvinceMe Podcast. As a cold case detective, Jim brings a unique perspective to his approach to apologetics and a very down-to-earth logical style. In this interview, Jim talks about his approach to the evidence (inference to the best explanation), Tactics and apologetics, debate vs. dialogue, pitfalls to apologists, and more.

You can find Jim's podcast on iTunes here (launches iTunes), or just go here. Check out the blog here. Become a fan on Facebook here. Follow on Twitter here. Join his email team here. He has a number of great youtube videos here. Or just find it all at Please ConvinceMe, including free curriculum, ebooks, and more resources.

Listen to the Interview MP3 Audio here. (43 minutes)

For more apologist interviews, click here -- or subscribe to the Apologetics 315 Interviews here in iTunes.

Enjoy.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Sunday Quote: Gordon Lewis on Apologetics

"But you cannot reason anyone into the Kingdom of heaven. Of course not! No apologist purports to do that. Because reasoning is insufficient, however, it is not therefore unnecessary. The simplest announcement of the Gospel must present it as true. No amount of emotional appeal can stimulate people to accept a message they consider to be false. Speech in favor of the Bible's truth is one of many means the Holy Spirit employs in bringing men to full commitment. The Holy Spirit alone regenerates; but the Holy Spirit has chosen not to regenerate alone."1

- Gordon R. Lewis

1 Gordon R. Lewis, Testing Christianity’s Truth Claims (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1990), p. 26.


What was last year's post? See here.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Book Review: Atheism Remix by Albert Mohler

Atheism Remix: A Christian Confronts the New AtheistsAtheism Remix: A Christian Confronts the New Atheists by R. Albert Mohler is basically a quick and easy guide to the New Atheism. Based upon the W. H. Griffith Thomas Lectures delivered in 2008 at Dallas Theological Seminary, this small 108-page book covers a remarkable amount of useful content in a very accessible way. Mohler's goal: to define the New Atheism, introduce its primary personalities, explore their ideas and writings, and offer a brief critique. As Mohler puts it, “the New Atheism presents a significant challenge to Christian theology – a challenge that demands our closest attention.”1

Friday, January 22, 2010

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (01/15-01/22)

• Atheism Essays Particular to Bart Ehrman
• The Making of an Atheist: New book
• Does the God of the Bible Exist? Rowdy Debate Audio at Apologetic Junkie
• Science and Faith: Friends or Foes? Conference

• Os Guinness - The Essence of Apologetics MP3
• Haiti and the Pact with the Devil: I agree with Dan Wallace

• In Defense of Antony Flew’s Positions Against Richard Carrier’s Slander
• Have the OT & NT Been Verified Archaeologically?

• Webcast explores why young people are leaving the church
• Apologetics Conference in Bend, Oregon


• Philosophy Peter S. Williams on the New Atheism MP3 Audio

• Alvin Plantinga Interview

• Darwin's God - Evolution's Kobayashi Maru Scenario
• Paul Copan's Advice to a Future Seminarian

• Ken Samples on the Movie "Avatar" MP3 Audio

• Necessary Existence and the Ontological Argument by William Lane Craig
• 
Did Jesus Really Say That? The Reliability of the New Testament Gospels
• William Lane Craig on The Flying Spaghetti Monster: Video

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Apologetics 315 Interviews Podcast Feed

Apologetics 315 now has a podcast feed specifically for apologist interviews. For the RSS feed, click here. If you have iTunes installed, click here to subscribe to the podcast automatically. Or go right to iTunes and search for Apologetics 315 Interviews. Recent interviews include Frank Turek, Lenny Esposito, Randall Niles, and MaryJo Sharp -- with more interviews to come. Want to suggest an interview? Leave a comment.

Get the feed here. Find it in iTunes here.

Enjoy.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Stephen Meyer vs. Peter Atkins Debate: Intelligent Design MP3 Audio

Intelligent Design theorist Stephen Meyer and atheist scientist Peter Atkins debate Intelligent Design on this episode of the Unbelievable? Radio program. They also discuss the upcoming UK release of the movie Expelled with Ben Stein. (Be sure to check out Stephen Meyer's book Signature in the Cell.) This is an very interesting debate; well worth the listen.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Enjoy.

Also, you will want to check out this 3 minute video of William Lane Craig with Peter Atkins regarding the limits of science. (Part of their debate found here).

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Walter Martin MP3 Audio: Reasons for Faith

Here is an audio by the late Walter Martin entitled: Reasons for Faith. For those unfamiliar with Walter Martin:
The late Dr. Walter Martin held four earned degrees and received his education at Stony Brook School and Shelton College. He completed his Master's degree at New York University, and his Ph.D. at California Western University. He authored twelve books, six booklets, and scores of articles. His tracts have been translated into a number of languages and circulated in the millions of copies around the world. He was a recognized authority on religions having their origins in the United States. Dr. Martin was best known for his popular open-radio format show, "The Bible Answer Man" which focused largely on Christian apologetics. He is widely accepted as the "father" of the Counter-Cult Movement. Dr. Martin went home to the Lord in 1989. (from Blue Letter Bible)
His most popular book is certainly Kingdom of the Cults. Other Walter Martin books here. Walter Martin videos here. Check out his MP3 lecture on miracles here.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Enjoy.

What was last year's post? See here.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Apologist Interview: Frank Turek of CrossExamined.org

Apologetics 315 interviews apologist Frank Turek of CrossExamined.org. Frank has had two debates with Christopher Hitchens which can be found here and here as audio (debate videos here). He talks about his podcast, debates, tips for apologists, an upcoming conference on the 19th of January, and more.

Check out his books:
I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist (highly recommended)
Legislating Morality: Is it wise? Is it legal? Is it possible?
Correct, Not Politically Correct: How Same-Sex Marriage Hurts Everyone

Frank is also available for campus talks and seminars. See here or email for details. Check out Frank's website and blog for more great resources.

The Interview: Full MP3 Audio here. (27 min)

Enjoy

You may be interested in more apologist interviews here.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Book Review: One Minute Answers to Skeptics by Charlie Campbell

One-Minute Answers to Skeptics: Concise Responses to the Top 40 QuestionsOne Minute Answers to Skeptics: Concise Responses to the Top 40 Questions by Charlie H. Campbell is a book intended to provide brief and good answers to common questions raised by skeptics of Christianity. It is dedicated to high school and college age people who are questioning the validity of Christianity as well as those who want to be ready with their own answers for those who ask.

The author has compiled what he has found to be the most popular questions that skeptics ask. These forty questions range from evidence for God and the existence of Jesus to questions on the crusades and religious pluralism. Each “chapter” presents a question and then provides a brief answer. And, literally, it will only take about a minute to read the answer that Campbell provides.  Each chapter is bracketed with quotes from notable scientists, historians, and scholars that defend the veracity of Christianity. The entire book could be read in under an hour with little effort.

Friday, January 15, 2010

In Intellectual Neutral: William Lane Craig MP3 Audio & Video

William Lane Craig presents this talk calling on Christians to be intellectually engaged. Entitled In Intellectual Neutral, this talk can be found in the audio/video section of ReasonableFaith.org. Craig offers three reasons to become fully engaged intellectually in order to impact the culture for Christ.

Watch the video here. Full MP3 Audio here. (40 min)

Enjoy.

Some material here may also found in the challenging introduction to Craig's excellent book Hard Questions, Real Answers (review).

What was last year's post? See here.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

29 Lesson Preaching Course MP3 Audio by Bryan Chapell

Here is another great resource from Biblical Training: a 29 Lesson MP3 course on Preaching by Dr. Brian Chapell. (See also his book on the topic: Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon.) This course covers everything from getting started, constructing the parts of the sermon to illustrations, application, and a lot more. (Curriculum PDF here.) Original course link here.

Subscribe to the podcast RSS Feed Here. Put it in iTunes here.

Enjoy.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Lewis Wolport vs. Russell Cowburn: What Can Science Tell Us About God: Debate MP3 Audio

Lewis Wolpert (Emeritus Professor of Biology, University College London) says there is no evidence for God whatsoever and religion finds its origin in tool-making. Russell Cowburn (professor of nano-technology, Imperial College London) is a scientist defending the Christian position.

Full MP3 Audio here. (90 min - Audio clears up after a few moments.)

Justin Brierley of Premier Radio hosted a follow-up to the debate as part of his Unbelievable? show on Sat 19th Dec. MP3 Audio here.
Enjoy.

Also check out Lewis Wolpert's debate with William Lane Craig.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Apologist Interview: Lenny Esposito of ComeReason.org

Apologetics315 had the privilege of interviewing Lenny Esposito of Come Let Us Reason. Lenny produces a great apologetics podcast which can be found here or through iTunes here. His website contains many resources, some 150 articles, and plenty of audio. You can also find Lenny on Twitter and Facebook. For Ap315 listeners, he has graciously provided some special discounts on his resources here.

Full MP3 Audio here. (31 minutes)

Enjoy.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Sunday Quote: Robert Jastrow on Faith and Reason

"For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."

- Robert Jastrow

(God and the Astronomers, W.W. Norton, New York, 1978, p. 116)

What was last year's post? See here.

Saturday, January 09, 2010

Book Review: There is a God by Antony Flew

There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His MindThere is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind is Antony Flew’s personal biographical account of his intellectual journey from the belief that there is no God to the belief that there is a God. The narrative is both fascinating and very readable. The purpose this review is to provide a brief synopsis and to highlight some of Flew’s reflections.

In part one, My Denial of the Divine, Flew talks about his atheism. In part two, My Discovery of the Divine, Flew talks about his reasons for believing that God exists. Flew puts in concisely in the introduction: “In brief, as the title says, I now believe there is a God!” (252-58)* The goal of his book is to chart his intellectual pilgrimage. He emphasizes the fact that this is strictly the result of considering the arguments and evidence. He says: “For the record, then, I want to lay to rest all those rumors that have me placing Pascalian bets.” (267-73)

Friday, January 08, 2010

Five Postmodern Questions About the Bible MP3 Audio by Amy Orr-Ewing

Amy Orr-Ewing of the Zacharias Trust presents this talk from the European Leadership Forum on the topic Five Postmodern Questions About the Bible. These include:
• “How can you present the Bible as true?”
• “How can the Bible say anything at all?”
• “Isn’t the Bible sexist and out of date?”
• “Why is the Bible any better than any other Holy Book?”
• “How can the Bible be relevant for 21st century life?”

Full MP3 Audio here. (84 minutes)

Amy Orr-Ewing has also written the books Is Believing in God Irrational?Is the Bible Intolerant? Sexist? Oppressive? Outdated? Irrelevant? and Why Trust the Bible?

More audio from Amy Orr-Ewing can be found here.

Enjoy.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Antony Flew's Change of Mind

Antony Flew, British philosopher, Oxford professor, and leading champion of atheism for more than fifty years, honestly followed the evidence and renounced his naturalistic faith in 2004.

The Sydney Anglicans website hosts this podcast audio discussing and reviewing Antony Flew's book:
• The Big Picture: There is a God - Antony Flew MP3 Audio here.

More Antony Flew posts here. William Lane Craig comments on Flew's change of mind here. Here is an exclusive interview (PDF) Antony Flew had with Gary Habermas. Video of Flew's discussion with Habermas and N.T. Wright and Habermas' debate with Flew can be found here.

Look for Apologetics315's review of Antony Flew's There is a God on Saturday.

Enjoy.

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

The Four Gospels and the Other Gospels: Is Our Canon Right? - MP3 Audio by Richard Bauckham

Richard Bauckham presents this lecture in 2007 at Westminster Seminary entitled: The Four Gospels and the Other Gospels: Is Our Canon Right? Bauckham was also a guest on a couple of Unbelievable? radio programs, which can be found on this list. Check out his recent book Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony as well as his other books here.

Full MP3 Audio here. (48 min)


Enjoy.

Monday, January 04, 2010

The Spiritual Life of an Evangelist MP3 Audio by Dr. Michael Green

Dr. Michael Green at the recent European Leadership Forum presented a talk entitled: The Spiritual Life of an Evangelist. This is from the ELF podcast here.

If you are in Europe, check out this year's 2010 Forum.

Full MP3 Audio here.

Enjoy.

What was last year's post? See here.

Sunday, January 03, 2010

Sunday Quote: G. K. Chesterton on Christianity

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried."

- G. K. Chesterton



What was last year's post? See here.

Saturday, January 02, 2010

9 Ways to Get the Most Out of Apologetics 315

Although Apologetics 315 is a blog, it has accumulated a lot of resources. You need to know how to make the most of these resources. This post will explain 9 ways to use the site most effectively.

1. How to Search the Site
You may be looking for something in particular -- say, a debate with Bart Ehrman. There are a couple ways to do this.

First, you can use the search bar on the right column a little ways down the page. Just type in your search (i.e., "Bart Ehrman") and the search results will appear back up at the top of the page.

Second, you can look for labels. Labels are located on the far right column of the blog. You can search or scroll down and find the label and click it in order to see all relevant posts with that label.

2. How to Download Audio
There are a couple ways to listen to audio that you find posted on the site.

The first option is to just click the link to the audio: "Full MP3 Audio here." If you click that link, the audio will (on most computers) open the audio file in your browser and begin to play.

The second option is to download the file to your computer for listening or for putting on your MP3 player / iPod. The way to do this (with most computers) is simply to right-click the link and select "save as..." or "download linked file as..." from the menu. Your computer will ask you where you want to download the audio file. Once it has been downloaded, you can listen to it on your computer or load it onto your portable player.

3. How to Use Podcasts
A podcast is basically an automated method of downloading audio to your computer and/or portable audio player. This is probably best done by using the iTunes program (download here). Here are a couple ways you can get podcasts from Apologetics315 into iTunes (and eventually your iPod).

First, you can use the iTunes link. If an iTunes link is provided on this site, it means that clicking it will open your iTunes program on your computer and automatically take you to that particular podcast's page where you can subscribe to it. This is the easiest method, but is not always available.

Second, you can use the RSS feed. If you see a link that says "RSS feed," here's what you do:
1. Right-click the link for the podcast you want to subscribe to.
2. Click "copy link"
3. Go to iTunes and click on "advanced" in the menu
4. Click "subscribe to podcast"
5. Paste the copied link into the text box
6. Click "ok" and you will be subscribed to the podcast.

4. How to Use Google Reader
If you have a Google account, you can use Google Reader to subscribe to Apologetics 315. This makes it possible for you to receive automated updates each day of new content. Here's one way to subscribe to Ap315's feed:

1. Get Google Reader (if you don't already)
2. Click on the orange RSS icon (see pic) at the top of Apologetics 315.
3. This takes you to the feedburner page where you can subcribe via Google Reader.
OR - 4. You can right-click the icon, hit "copy link" and paste it into your Reader subscription field.

5. How Get All New Featured Audio in Your iTunes
Using a combination of the Apologetics315 RSS feed and iTunes, you can basically podcast the Apologetics315 featured audio. Just right-click the RSS icon and "copy link" - then follow the second step under "how to use podcasts" above. Any time Ap315 features an individual audio file, it will be automatically downloaded into your iTunes.

6. How to Use Twitter
Apologetics 315 not only uses Twitter to provide updates to all posts but also to supply an additional quantity of updated apologetics links, resources, MP3 files, and updates of the Audio Junkie Feed. Anything good (but not awesome enough for a daily post) will be fed to you through the Twitter feed. The occasional personal note (rare) might show up. Here's what to do:
1. Go to Twitter.
2. Sign up for an account if you don't have one.
3. Once you have an account, go to Ap315's Twitter page.
4. Click on "follow" and you will receive updates from Ap315 via twitter.
5. Look around a bit and figure the rest of it out for yourself.

7. How to Use Facebook
Why become a follower on Facebook? For a couple of reasons. First, by becoming a "fan" you show your support of the site and this helps others find the site and the good resources. Second, fans get updates of posts in the news feeds, which can be handy if you don't use Google Reader. Third, you can network and discuss with others who are interested in apologetics from around the world. Fourth, there are other updates that don't occur on the blog.

1. If you have a Facebook account, simply click on the sidebar graphic (to the right).
2. Once you are at the Apologetics315 Facebook page, click on "become a fan"
3. That's it.

8. How to Subscribe by Email
If you want daily updates of all blog posts sent directly to you by email, just follow these simple steps:
1. Enter your email address in the "subscribe" form on the right column
2. Click "subscribe"
3. Follow the instructions from there. Quick and easy.

9. How to Recommend Resources
If you have come across some great content that is perfect for this site, please share it. If it is appropriate and good enough quality, Apologetics 315 will consider sharing it through either a blog post, Twitter post, Facebook post, or audio feed. Here are the sorts of things you can email and recommend:
• great apologetics blog posts or web sites
• high quality audio links
• links to new apologetics books (we will also consider reviewing new books)
• podcasts that are helpful
• upcoming conferences, debates, or apologetics events
• breaking news that is relevant to apologetics

By finding and recommending good resources, you help get great apologetics content to others.

Thanks and enjoy.

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