Sunday Quote: A.B. Bruce on Apologetics

"Apologetic, then, as I conceive it, is a preparer of the way of faith, an aid to faith against doubts whencesoever arising, especially such as are engendered by philosophy and science. Its specific aim is to help men of ingenuous spirit who, while assailed by such doubts, are morally in sympathy with believers. It addresses itself to such as are drawn in two directions, towards and away from Christ, as distinct from such as are confirmed either in unbelief or in faith. Defence presupposes a foe, but the foe is not the dogmatic infidel who has finally made up his mind that Christianity is a delusion, but anti-Christian thought in the believing man's own heart."

- A. B. Bruce

[HT: here]

12 Favorite Blog Posts at Apologetics 315

If you are a relatively new reader of Apologetics 315, you might not know where to begin, with over 1,300 blog posts featuring  apologetics resources on a daily basis. If you already know what you are looking for, you can use search: use the sidebar on the left listing the various topics. Or just use the search bar at the top for more detailed results. If you want to find some of the more popular pages, see the top right "must-visit pages" list.

But what happens to great posts that don't fall into those categories? That's where this post comes in. Here are 12 favorite blog posts at Apologetics 315:

1. Apologetics Podcasts Worth Your Time - These are some of the more useful podcasts, beyond the top 16. All worth checking out if you are wanting more audio.

2. How to Get Apologetics in Your Church: Podcast and eBook - If I could only recommend one series, it would be this one. We need to get apologetics programs going in churches everywhere.

3. Masters of Arts in Christian Apologetics Programs - If you are serious about doing apologetics, check out this page. It might provide you with the next step in the journey. We need well-equipped defenders.

4. Various Posts on Lifelong Learning in the Apologists Toolkit - Here I share some of the keys that I have found useful in learning apologetics, as well as attitudes and habits that are profitable as an apologist.

5. J.P.Moreland vs. Clancy Martin Debate MP3 Audio - One of my favorite debates. Moreland is winsome and passionate, and super-sharp. A great listen, even if the audio quality isn't superb.

6. 500+ William Lane Craig Videos - Enough WLC video to keep you going indefinitely. Watch from one of the masters and learn. And share with skeptical friends. Something worth watching on YouTube that won't make you dumber.

7. Various Blog Posts Introducing Various Theistic Arguments - brief introductions to various theistic arguments. Useful for the beginner surveying the landscape.

8. Apologist Ken Samples Featured Resources - Some of the resources offered by one of the sharpest theologians and apologists out there. All very helpful and worth listening to.

9. Uninformed, Misinformed, Illogical, Incomplete - A short but extremely helpful post that will keep you focused when critiquing arguments. Read it, bookmark it, and memorize it.

10. Dr. Phil Fernandes Comprehensive MP3 Audio Feeds - When I started out I listened to all of these. Good stuff, and all free. Great free resource for those surveying apologetics topics.

11. Resurrection Resources Galore - This might be a great place to get started if you are studying the resurrection. A large list of links to resurrection reading to get you started.

12. Tons of Apologetics Audio from The Things that Matter Most - Not sure what happened to this program, but it had some excellent interviews. All of them are loaded with good nuggets.

What are your favorite pages?

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (07/22 - 07/29)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• Existential Absurdity
• When Were The Gospels Written?
• Tread Lightly Young-Earthers
• Christian Apologetics Journal
• God or “We Got Lucky”
• Campus Crusade and “Cru”
• Perfect Outlet for Apologists
• Pondering Norway's Darkest Hour
• View Darwin’s Dilemma online free
• Explaining the Gospel to Muslims (MP3)
• Jesus: The Cold Case by Glenn Peoples
• Philosophy Word of the Day – Absurd
• Issues and Methods In Apologetics
• Classical Apologetics: It Stands to Reason
• Presenting Evidence That Demands a Verdict
• Practical advice for persuading others in conversation
• Pushing Back Against the World: Thoughts on Prayer
• The Jesus Myth Theory: Investigating Claims of Copying
• Do good people in non-Christian religions go to Heaven?
• GiveAway: Thinking About God by Gregory E. Ganssle
• Theologian Wayne Grudem on God, the Christian, and Politics
• Evidence for the Resurrection for Kids by Josh McDowell
• National Conference on Christian Apologetics October 28-29
• Interview with Dr. Douglas Groothuis about his upcoming book Christian Apologetics
• Upcoming book: Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts by Craig S. Keener

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Interview: Sean McDowell on GodQuest

This interview is with Sean McDowell (also check out his first interview and second interview). In this audio Sean talks about his current projects and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's PhD program, advice for those looking at Masters programs, the size of the need for apologetics in the local church, his small-group resource called GodQuest, the goal of the project, the content of the program (the six 'signposts' and the contributing interviews), how the resource can be used (for believers and nonbelievers), and more. He calls this resource a kind of apologetics-lite that can introduce your church to apologetics.

Find the GodQuest resources here.
Full Interview MP3 Audio here (24 min)

Enjoy.

God, Evolution and Intelligent Design with Jay Richards

This audio from Issues, Etc features an interview with Jay Richards, the editor of God and Evolution, which is one of World Magazine's top 2 books of the year. (subscribe to the Issues, Etc. podcast here). What does it mean to say that God “used evolution” to create the world? Is Darwin’s theory of evolution compatible with belief in God? And even if Darwin’s theory could be reconciled with religious belief, do we need to do so? More resources on this book can be found at the Faith and Evolution website, where you can find a number of videos outlining the themes covered in the book. Find the book here.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here. (21 min)

Enjoy.

Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts Free Downloads in iTunesU.

The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts, which does excellent work with early manuscripts of the NT, is making a series of videos concerning New Testament manuscripts, textual criticism, history of the New Testament, and expert commentary on key verses available as a free download on iTunes U. Daniel B. Wallace has contributed a great deal of insight to these videos, which are well worth checking out. Look at manuscripts here!

Check out the CSNTM on iTunesU here.

Enjoy.

Author Interview: Clifford Williams

Today's interview is with Clifford Williams, teacher of philosophy at Trinity College in Deerfield, IL. He is an author of Existential Reasons for Belief in God: A Defense of Desires & Emotions for Faith. He talks about his background and how he got into philosophy, the role of philosophy in theology and apologetics, the meaning of "existential" and the existential argument for belief in God, needs and desires and their role in the existential argument, various objections to the argument, the role of the argument in a cumulative case for God, practical application for apologetics, further resources, and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here. (50 min)

Enjoy.
Subscribe to the Apologetics 315 Interviews podcast here or in iTunes.

Sunday Quote: James Sire on Apologetics

"A good case for the Christian faith lays before the watching world such a winsome embodiment of the Christian faith that for any and all who are willing to observe there will be an intellectually and emotionally credible witness to its fundamental truth."

- James Sire


James W. Sire, Why Good Arguments Often Fail: Making a More Persuasive Case for Christ (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), p. 17.

GiveAway: Thinking About God by Gregory E. Ganssle

Apologetics 315 is giving away three copies of the book Thinking About God: First Steps in Philosophy by Gregory E. Ganssle. Anyone who has read this book enthusiastically recommends it. All you need to do to enter the drawing is click the link and fill in the quick form. Three winners will receive either the paperback or the Kindle version (their choice). Drawing will be at the end of July.

Giveaway Closed!

Enjoy!

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (07/15 - 07/22)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• Knowledge - What counts?
• Atheism, The Paper Tiger
• Win a Philosophia Christi Journal
• God, science and evolution Part 1
• Faith, Reason, and Personal Persuasion
• Should Christians Embrace Evolution?
• Apologetics: Why your church needs it
• Accessible Apologetics: Curriculum Review
• Planet Narnia by Michael Ward: Book Review
• Sean McDowell: Lessons From My Father (Part 1)
• Subscribe to RatioChristiTV's Channel on YouTube
• Integrating Diverse Arguments in Apologetics Site
• Is the Bible from God? 3 Signs of the Supernatural
• William Lane Craig on the doctrine of substitutionary atonement
• How Does One Atheist Support the Existence of Human Rationality?
• The UK Centre for Intelligent Design Announces Its 2011 Conference
• Ed Feser explains common misunderstandings of cosmological arguments
• New study: frequent Bible reading leads to charity and openness to science
• Before we had an "official Bible" what and who determined sound doctrine? (video)
• Common Objection #16 - "We know nothing about Jesus outside of the New Testament."
• Natural Signs and Knowledge of God: A New Look at Theistic Arguments
• New Book: Reformed Epistemology and the Problem of Religious Diversity
• Book Review: “O” God: A Dialogue on Truth and Oprah’s Spirituality

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Featured Blog: The Poached Egg

Today's featured blog is ThePoachedEgg.net. The Poached Egg is a daily blog featuring links to articles all across the web on topics pertinent to apologetics, science, faith, and Christianity in the public square. Visit ThePoachedEgg.net and explore, or subscribe to the RSS feed here.

Here's a quick interview with Greg West, editor of thePoachedEgg. (5 min)

Check it out.

New Atheism, Science & Morality by Glenn Peoples

Dr. Glenn Peoples presents this talk at the University of Auckland on The New Atheism, Science & Morality. He explains Sam Harris's view of morality, and explains the fundamental moral issues that his account overlooks altogether. Video of the lecture can be found on Vimeo here. Be sure to check out Glenn's podcast: Say Hello to My Little Friend (RSS / iTunes), as well as his Beretta Blog. Glenn interviewed here.

Full MP3 Audio here (1hr)

Enjoy.

Apologetics and Worldview Homeschool Curriculum

Looking for homeschool curriculum from a Christian worldview? You may want to check out Apologia's various products that help teach apologetics, science, and worldview. In Tom Gilson's review of the Worldview curriculum, he says, "If you’re homeschooling, this series is a must-buy. If you’re not homeschooling—it’s still a must-buy. Your children, our next generation of Christians, desperately need to understand worldview from a biblical perspective." Download the full PDF catalogue of their resources (10mb) to see it all.

Check out Apologia here.

Enjoy.

Apologist Interview Suggestions

Apologetics 315 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. For a full listing of the apologists interviewed, go here. Many more interviews are in the works...

Now for your feedback: What apologist, scholar, theologian, author, or individual would you like to have interviewed? Leave a comment below. Or, if you would like to suggest an interview and would like to provide additional contact information and feedback, please contact Apologetics 315 here.

Thanks for listening!

Sunday Quote: Jaroslov Pelikan on Atheism & Agnosticism

"An agnostic position is one that leaves open the question whether there exists a god or gods, professing to find such a question unanswered or unanswerable. For the atheist, the question has been answered, and in the negative."

- Jaroslav Pelikan

Jaroslav Pelikan (b. 1923), U.S. theologian. "Atheist/Agnostic," The Melody of Theology: A Philosophical Dictionary, Harvard University Press (1988). Citation.

Jay Smith & Shabir Ally Debate: Islam or Christianity - Which Promotes Peace?

In this debate held on 28 June 2008 in Toronto, Jay Smith and Shabir Ally discuss the question: Islam or Christianity: Which Promotes Peace? This debate can also be found on Youtube here.

Full Debate MP3 Audio here (2hr).

Enjoy.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (07/08 - 07/15)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• God and Logic
• What to believe?
• Genetic Similarity
• Debate Tactics
• Is God a monster?
• Pic of the Kindle winner...
• Resources to Reach Mormons
• Another new book by John Lennox
• Is Hell a Vital Doctrine?
• Is Hell For Real? How Would You Answer?
• Check Out ComeReason's Youtube Channel
• The Christian and the Euthyphro Dilemma
• J.P. Moreland on Apologetic Character
• Recommended Reading in Bioethics
 • Where did Tacitus get his information?
• Is Methodological Naturalism Question-Begging?
• The Rationality of the Christian Worldview
• Equipping Christians: Must Read Science Books
• Abortion debate: Scott Klusendorf vs Nadine Strossen
• Some intrinsic evidences of the Gospels’ genuineness
• Presuppositional Apologetics resources at Monergism.com
• Speaking the Truth in Love: Perspectives on Apologetics
• How the Holy Spirit is Restoring God-Confidence among Youth
• The Nature of Nature: Examining the Role of Naturalism in Science
• Is praying to God any different than praying to a milk jug?
• Inerrancy? What Do the Differences in the Gospels Really Prove?

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Wicca & the Occult Interview with Craig Hawkins

In this audio, from 4Truth.net, Rob Bowman interviews Craig Hawkins, director of Apologetics Information Ministry. He is author of two books on the subject of witchcraft and Wicca. In this interview, he explains various aspects of occultism in contemporary culture, clearing up many popular misconceptions about the subject. Find more at 4Truth.net here.

Full Audio Interview here (1 hr)

Enjoy.

How to Interpret the Bible by Wayne Grudem

Theologian Wayne Grudem, research professor at Phoenix Seminary (and author of a great Systematic Theology), presents four talks on the topic of: How to Interpret the Bible. This resource can be found at the TheologyNetwork here. Pick up his Systematic Theology, or listen to the Systematic Theology podcast as he teaches through the book. Here are the audios:

How to Interpret the Bible:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Enjoy.

Blaise Pascal Audio Series by Ken Samples

Blaise Pascal was one of the greatest thinkers of his day. He was a scientist, inventor, philosopher, mathematician and theologian. His book the Pensées is popular to this day. In today's featured resource, philosopher and theologian Ken Samples provides a multi-part series on Blaise Pascal. This is part of Ken Samples' excellent Straight Thinking podcast (subscribe via RSS or iTunes). More parts will be added below as they become available.

• Part 1: Man of Reason & Faith
• Part 2: Two Apologetics Insights
• Part 3: The Wager (part 1)
• Part 4: The Wager (part 2)

Enjoy.

More podcasts from Reasons.org here.

Interview: Tony Watkins of CultureWatch

Today's interview is with Tony Watkins, speaker, writer and editor with Damaris and Managing Editor of Culturewatch.org. He talks about his background and work, CultureWatch and looking at the message behind the media, the definition of culture and media, the importance of critically examining culture and media, the influence of film on us personally and in culture, what movies tell us about ourselves and the world, identifying redeeming themes and issues that echo Christian truths, being culturally aware, the definition and importance of worldviews, discerning worldviews and the messages in film, and more.

Tony's webpage is: www.tonywatkins.co.uk. See also Damaris and Tools for Talks.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (64 min)

Check out books by Tony Watkins:
• Focus: The Art and Soul of Cinema
• Dark Matter: A Thinking Fan’s Guide to Philip Pullman

Enjoy.

Sunday Quote: Ben Witherington on the Historical Resurrection of Jesus

“Any position in which claims about Jesus or the resurrection are removed from the realm of historical reality and placed in a subjective realm of personal belief or some realm that is immune to human scrutiny does Jesus and the resurrection no service and no justice. It is a ploy of desperation to suggest that the Christian faith would be little affected if Jesus was not actually raised from the dead in space and time.

A person who gives up on the historical foundations of our faith has in fact given up on the possibility of any real continuity between his or her own faith and that of a Peter, Paul, James, John, Mary Magdalene, or Priscilla. The first Christian community had a strong interest in historical reality, especially the historical reality of Jesus and his resurrection, because they believed their faith, for better or for worse, was grounded in it.”

- Ben Witherington

New Testament History, pg 167 [HT:Eric... again]

Scientists of Faith

Roger Bacon (c. 1214-94)
Roger Bacon was a Franciscan monk who was important right at the beginning of the development of modern science. He believed it was very important to have an empirical (observed or based on experiment) basis for beliefs about the natural world. He contributed to the idea of 'laws of nature'. He studied mathematics, optics, the making of gunpowder, astronomy, and the anatomy of the eye and brain.

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)
Johannes Kepler was an astronomer who formulated the laws of planetary motion that were based on the observations of Tycho Brahe. These are still used to calculate the approximate position of artificial satellites, the outer planets and smaller asteroids. He also did a lot of work in the field of optics and invented a new type of telescope which was used to confirm the discoveries of Galileo.

Galileo Galilee (1564-1642)
Galileo Galilee was one of the early supporters of a sun-centred (heliocentric) view of the solar system. He was censured and imprisoned by the church, but this was mostly because of the way he spoke to people in power. His imprisonment was house arrest, and he was never tortured (as Huxley would have had us believe). He never abandoned his faith and contributed to many areas of science including our understanding of the physics of motion and sound.

Michael Faraday (1791-1867)
Michael Faraday was a chemist and physicist and also an elder in his church. He established the basis for the electromagnetic field concept, electromagnetic induction, and established that electromagnetism could affect rays of light. He discovered benzene and invented the first working electric motors. Some people think he was the greatest experimenter in the history of science.

James Clerk Maxwell (1831-79)
James Clerk Maxwell was a physicist who formulated classical electromagnetic theory in ‘Maxwell’s equations’, which synthesized all of the previously unrelated work regarding electricity, magnetism and light into one coherent theory. He demonstrated that electricity and magnetism travel in waves at the speed of light. He also created a statistical way to understand the kinetic motion of gases and laid the foundation for special relativity. Many scientists think that he was as important as Einstein and Newton.

Gregor Mendel (1822-84)
Gregor Mendel was an Augustinian priest and is known as the ‘Father of Genetics’. He studied inherited traits in pea plants and discovered that inheritance follows certain laws. His work went largely unappreciated until the turn of the twentieth century.*

Are science and faith opposed to one another? Apparently not for these scientists.
[*Excerpt from Test of Faith: Science and Christianity Unpacked study guide, p.79]
Review of materials forthcoming.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (07/01 - 07/08)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• What Is Apologetics?
• The End of Morality?
• Can We Be Good Without God?
• A Brief History of Apologetics
• More Falsifications of Evolution
• A secular case for the pro-life view
• Can Science and Creationism Coexist?
• Are the New Testament Texts Reliable?
• How to Waste Your Theological Education
• A "Twelve Facts" resurrection logic puzzle
• Using the News for Apologetics and Evangelism
• Worldview: Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage
• Online Christian Writing Conference: August 18th
• Two more interviews on the historicity of Scripture
• 10 Reasons the New Testament Writers Told the Truth
• Looking forward to this book: Seven Days That Divide the World: The Beginning According to Genesis and Science

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Will Richard Dawkins Debate William Lane Craig?

William Lane Craig's UK Speaking Tour is coming in October 2011. This includes a debate with Polly Toynbee at Central Hall Westminster on Mon, 17 Oct at 7:30pm, the "Is God a Delusion?" Lecture at Sheldonian Theatre on Tues, 25 Oct from 7:30pm to 9:30pm, and a debate on Does God Exist? with Peter Atkins at Manchester University on Wed, 26 Oct from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. Register for these events at the Unbelievable page here, and get more info from BeThinking here. Here's a teaser video:

Resources on Rob Bell & Hell

The purpose of this post is to provide helpful resources on the doctrine of hell - in particular, those that deal with issues raised by Rob Bell's Love Wins. If you would like to recommend audio, blog posts, or books, please contact Ap315 with your suggestions. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, but a short list of good starting points for further review. Here are a few to get you started:

Discussions:
Rob Bell & Adrian Warnock on Unbelievable MP3
Martin Bashir Interview Video
Audio:
William Lane on Hell & Rob Bell MP3
Frank Turek on CrossExamined MP3
Michael Licona: "Is Jesus the Only Way?" MP3
Jonathan Morrow: "Is Hell for Real? How would you answer?" MP3
Douglas Groothuis (interview): MP3
Blog Articles:
Tim Challies review
CultureWatch review
Ben Witherington (chapter by chapter review)
part one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight
Further Index of Reviews (via Thinking Matters)
Books on Hell:
Hell Under Fire
Four Views on Hell