Monday, May 31, 2010

Apologist Interview: Tom Gilson of ThinkingChristian.net

Today's interview is with Tom Gilson of ThinkingChristian.net. Tom talks about his background and how he got started in apologetics, pitfalls for bloggers, using blogging for apologetic discussions, his work with Campus Crusade for Christ, and strategic planning and effectiveness in apologetics.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here. (30 minutes)

Tom's blog can be found here, and he has also begun blogging over at First Things. For key posts at his blog, go here. Also check out Tom's podcasts. For speaking engagements, click here. And for his upcoming book, see here.

Enjoy.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Sunday Quote: John Bloom on Religious Claims

"Given that we have a limited amount of time in this life to study religions, we can dispense with those that offer us a second chance in the afterlife, or which will reincarnate us if we make a mistake in this life, or which promise us that all will be well eventually no matter how we live now. Prudence dictates that we first ought to consider the claims of those religions which say that everything depends upon the decisions made and lived in this life."1

- John Bloom

John A. Bloom, “Truth Via Prophecy,” in Evidence for Faith: Deciding the God Question, ed. John Warwick Montgomery; Cornell Symposium on Evidential Apologetics, 1986 (Dallas, TX: Probe Books, 1991), p. 175.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Featured Videos by Ravi Zacharias

Today's featured videos come from Ravi Zacharias. His podcasts and other resources can be found here. His youtube channel can be found here.

• Why the Bible? Ravi at the University of Illinois
• Politics and religion - where should the two intersect?
• The Law of Non-Contradiction and the Trinity
• What are the boundaries of beauty?
• Is Western culture deteriorating?
• Compulsion in religion and the freedom to disbelieve
• Postmodernism: is it a new idea?
• Maintaining a Godly Perspective in the Classroom
• Atheism, Feminism, and the Bible
• How to approach people in non-adversarial ways with the Gospel

More youtube videos of Ravi Zacharias can be found here.
Enjoy.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (05/21 - 05/28)

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

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Honoring Alvin Plantinga

Alvin Plantinga's ideas, and his leadership with those ideas, have been deeply impactful for a whole generation of Christian philosophers, His work has also been significantly appropriated by theologians, scientists, historians, psychologists and other Christian scholars working in various disciplines and fields.

In this featured blog post, the EPS blog honors Alvin Plantinga for his contribution to the landscape of philosophy. Check it out.

More Plantinga links from Ap315 here and his books here.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

The Problem of Evil and Suffering MP3 by William Lane Craig

In this talk, William Lane Craig discusses the issues and challenges that are posed by the problem of evil and suffering. For useful reading on this subject, see the section on the problem of evil in the Recommended Apologetics Books Directory.

Full MP3 Audio here. (1 hr)

Listen.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

5 Books for Summer Reading

Here are a few books on the summer reading list:
1. Son of Hamas - Heard amazing things about it.
2. Who Made God? - Also heard good reviews; planning to review.
3. The God Conversation - Useful for practical apologetics.
4. The Rationality of Theism - edited by Copan and Moser.
5. Inference to the Best Explanation - gifted from a friend; can't wait to finally get into.

What are your recommendations? Want to read along?

Monday, May 24, 2010

Apologist Interview: Douglas Groothuis

Today's interview is with philosopher and apologist Douglas Groothuis (Denver Seminary). He talks about how he got started in philosophy, his top 3 influential books (The God Who is There, Pensées, Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing), the cumulative case approach, natural theology, advice to apologists, spiritual and practical disciplines, his view on technology, and more.

Douglas Groothuis' books include: Unmasking the New Age, Confronting the New Age, Revealing the New Age Jesus, Christianity That Counts, Deceived by the Light, Jesus in an Age of Controversy, The Soul in Cyberspace, Truth Decay, On Pascal, On Jesus, and In Defense of Natural Theology.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here. (42 min)

Enjoy.

Doug's blog is here, and other resources can be found here.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Sunday Quote: Louis Pasteur on the Work of the Creator

"The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator... There is something in the depths of our souls which tells us that the world may be more than a mere combination of events."

- Dr. Louis Pasteur, 1822—1895


[H/T: Randall Niles]

Saturday, May 22, 2010

20 Ideas for Doing Apologetics

Need some ideas to make an impact in the area of Christian apologetics? Here are 20 ideas to get you started...

1. Give to an apologetics ministry
2. Get books into the hands of the right people (Love Your God with All Your Mind)
3. Organize apologetics conferences
4. Contribute to online forums
5. Comment on blogs
6. Start your own blog (Blogger, Wordpress)
7. Give people CDs and MP3s to listen to
8. Show a DVD or movie at your church or home
9. Start a Reasonable Faith Group (or something like that)
10. Get a certificate (Biola, Cross Examined Instructor Academy)
11. Get a degree (Biola, SES, and more)
12. Start a Sunday school class
13. Do youth group apologetics mission trips (like Jim Wallace here)
14. Do talks at schools
15. Start a podcast
16. Write letters to the editor
17. Do book reviews on Amazon from a Christian perspective
18. Go through good curriculum (Perhaps the ABC curriculum  for home, church, or youth group)
19. Encourage your pastor to preach apologetically
20. Use apologetics bulletin inserts weekly (PCM has some good ones)

Why not sit down and brainstorm your own 20 ideas for doing apologetics. Please add your ideas below and tweet this post.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (05/14 - 05/21)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
The Argument from Reason by Victor Reppert


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Westminster Larger & Shorter Catechism Podcasts

This is an audio version of The Westminster Larger Catechism and Shorter Catechism. Each episode is a section of ten questions. The question is read followed by the answer. They can be downloaded via iTunes at these links:

• The Westminster Shorter Catechism in iTunes
• The Westminster Larger Catechism in iTunes

Enjoy.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Apologetics Toolkit: Tips for the Apologetic Life #05

This continues the Apologetics Toolkit series on: Tips for the Apologetic Life. The goal behind this series of 5 tips is to provide a few ideas on how to take the ideas studied in apologetics and apply them to "real life" situations. This particular tip has to do with who you are.

Tool #05: Character Matters

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Free eBook: Signature of Controversy

Signature of Controversy is a free eBook with contributions by David Berlinski, David Klinghoffer, Casey Luskin, Paul Nelson, Jay Richards, Richard Sternberg and Stephen Meyer. It contains responses critics of Stephen Meyer's book Signature in the Cell.

Download the PDF ebook here. (expires soon)

Enjoy.

Check out more Stephen Meyer resources here.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Apologist Interview: Clay Jones

Today's interview is with Clay Jones (his blog is right here), assistant professor at the Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics program at Biola University, teaching courses in Theodicy & the Issue of Evil, apologetics research and writing, and defending the resurrection. But the area of focus he is known for is the topic of evil and suffering. In this interview he talks about the issue of evil, his recommended resources for learning about the issue of evil, the judgment of the Canaanites, and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here. (53 min)

Clay mentions a few books that may be of interest:
• The Many Faces of Evil by John S. Feinberg
• The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
• Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold by C.S. Lewis
• When God Weeps by Joni Eareckson Tada

Giveaway for FREE Apologetics Products
The Graduate Program in Christian Apologetics is giving away two Clay Jones "Why God Allows Evil" lecture CDs to two people. To be entered in this contest, leave a comment on this post. Each person will only be counted once, even if multiple comments are left. Giveaway ends on May 21 at 11:59 pm PST. Winners will be chosen at random using random.org and notified by email.

10% off anything in the Biola apologetics product catalog Apologetics Resources.

Only $75! Biola’s Certificate in Christian Apologetics. $20 discount. Special Discount

Biola’s apologetics program will honor such rates until the end of May for all readers and friends of Apologetics 315. If you want to receive the 10% discount off of anything in the apologetics product catalog that is not clickable above, please order by phone (562-906-4570) or email.

For more interviews, subscribe to the Apologetics 315 Interviews podcast here or in iTunes.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Sunday Quote: Blaise Pascal on God's Hiddenness

"What can be seen on earth indicates neither the total absence, nor the manifest presence of divinity, but the presence of a hidden God. Everything bears this stamp."

- Blaise Pascal, Pensées (449) / 142

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Book Review: The Real Face of Atheism by Ravi Zacharias

Real Face of Atheism, TheThe Real Face of Atheism by Ravi Zacharias is a book written with the familiar signature style of the author: profound in depth, focused on the ultimate issues of life, engaging and immersive with illustrations, and challenging to the heart. Anyone who has heard Zacharias speak can appreciate the flowing gracefulness of his words and the clarity of his thought. In this book, the author engages the subject of atheism in a similar fashion – although, for this reviewer, it lacks the same impact on the written page. This will be a very brief reflection on the general content.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (05/07 - 05/14)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
New ESV Online
Critical Thinking Exercise: Bad Design
The Limits of Science
Devotional Life of a Christian Apologist/Philosopher
10 reasons why you can trust the Gospels
Recent Lectures online at Trinity Foundation
The Compatibility of Faith & Reason - Ken Samples MP3
Theistic Critiques Of Atheism
A Brief Overview of Islam
Can atheists trust the truth-detecting ability of their own minds?

• Find Apologetics 315 on FriendFeed

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Featured Website: Answering Islam

If you are looking for resources on Islam, be sure to check out today's featured website: www.answering-islam.org. It includes numerous helpful resources, including:
• An introduction to Islam
• A comparative index to Islam
• An evaluation of the Qur'an and Muslim claims
• All about Muhammad
• Lots of Questions and Answers
• and more...

Enjoy.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Apologetics Toolkit: Tips for the Apologetic Life #04

This continues the Apologetics Toolkit series on: Tips for the Apologetic Life. The goal behind this series of 5 tips is to provide a few ideas on how to take the ideas studied in apologetics and apply them to "real life" situations. This particular tip has to do being aware of cultural influences.

Tool #04: Study Culture

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Critiquing Bart Ehrman's Objections to Christianity MP3 by William Lane Craig

In this lecture, William Lane Craig gives an overview and analysis of textual critic Bart Ehrman's objections to Christianity. A very helpful talk addressing Ehrman's misuse of historical criteria for authenticity, and other flaws in Ehrman's approach. Original audio at reasonablefaith.org here.

Full MP3 Audio here. (1 hr)

Enjoy.

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