How to Get Apologetics in Your Church 2: The ‘Reasonable Faith?’ Course at Highfield Church, Southampton

The ‘Reasonable Faith?’ Course at Highfield Church, Southampton

by Peter S. Williams, Philosopher in Residence, Damaris Trust UK

For five years now Highfield Church Southampton has run a yearly ‘Reasonable Faith?’ apologetics course.  We have a presence on our church website (cf. www.highfield.org.uk/reasonablefaith), including a recording archive of talks going back to 2010.

We try to pitch our material to be useful both to Christians looking for a more grounded faith and for the non-Christians who come along. However abstract some of the discussions might get, we always try to tie our subjects back to the gospel and the choice facing everyone as to how they respond to Jesus.

[MP3 | RSS | iTunes]

Alleged Historical Errors in the Gospels (Matthew & Mark) by Tim McGrew

In this lecture, entitled Alleged Historical Errors in the Gospels, Dr. Timothy McGrew critiques seven of the strongest objections to the historical reliability of the Gospels of Mark and Matthew. This is about 55 minutes of content followed by roughly fifteen minutes of Q&A. PowerPoint file is here. Handout PDF here. Visit the Library of Historical Apologetics. This is the fourth part of a series—part 1 here; part 2 here; part 3 here, part 6 here.
(Audio gets better after 6 minutes.)

Full MP3 Audio here. (1hr 12min)
Video on YouTube here.
Enjoy.

Terminology Tuesday: Plenary Inspiration

Plenary Inspiration: A late-Reformation view of biblical inspiration that holds that God is the ultimate author of the Bible in its entirety. That is, God's superintending work in inspiration extends to the whole Bible and to each part of the Bible. Plenary inspiration guarantees that all that the church has come to affirm as Scripture is both authoritative and helpful for Christian belief and practice.1

1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), pp. 91-92.

Apologist Interview: Phil Fernandes on Apologetic Methodology

Today’s interview is with pastor and apologist Phil Fernandes. He talks about apologetics methodologies and his latest book: 7 Great Apologists. He unpacks the various approaches to apologetics, including classical apologetics, historical apologetics, two types of presuppositionalism, verificationalism, comparative religious apologetics, and psychological apologetics. Lots of great insights into the ways of doing apologetics. More from Phil Fernandes at PhilFernandes.org.

Apologetics 315 is giving away a pile of copies of 7 Great Apologists. To enter the drawing, just fill in the quick form here. The drawing will take place in one week.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (46 min)

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

Garry DeWeese on Arguing People Into the Kingdom

"It's often said that you can't argue someone into the kingdom of God. True—but you can't love them into the kingdom either. Faith is ultimately the gift of the Holy Spirit. But in showing that there are excellent reasons for Christian belief, we can lead unbelievers to a place where they may be more open to the Spirit's work."

—Garry DeWeese
Quoted in Is God Just a Human Invention? And Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists (p. 131) by Sean McDowell & Jonathan Morrow.

Book Review: The Passionate Intellect: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind by Alister McGrath

“You had me at ‘Hello’” said Renee Zellweger to Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire. A reader yearns for that response to a book’s introduction.It was my first thought about McGrath’s essays when I read, “I have always believed that theology is at its best when it generates reflective practices in the life and service of The Church” (8). The opening pages are full of rich nuggets, the benefits of theology extolled. Theology has a “positive role” giving “coherence to the Christian vision of reality” explaining “a distinctive way of looking at things” illuminating “our perceptions, decisions, and actions” making “sense of itself and the world” presenting “something essential to Christian ministry and preaching” enabling “attractiveness of faith” inhabiting “the Christian interpretive community” energizing “The Church to witness in the public square.” Every page in my copy of The Passionate Intellect is marked, highlighted, with additional notes lining the margins.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (05/18 - 05/25)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• The Problem of Good
• Q&A with Lee Strobel
• Can We Trust the Bible?
• The Evidence for God: Consciousness
• Know Your Evangelicals: Alvin Plantinga
• An Intellectual Code of Conduct, Part 3
• What Place Do Miracles Have in Apologetics?
• “Apolo-what?” Misunderstandings about Apologetics
• Dan Wallace on Newly Found Manuscripts (video)
• A Simple Example of Intelligent Design as Science
• Resurrection of Theism by Stuart Hackett Free Ebook
• Tim McGrew on the authorship of the fourth Gospel
• Advice to Christian Philosophers by Alvin Plantinga
• The return of William Lane Craig videos to Youtube
• Stephen Meyer’s 2011 Lecture on Signature in the Cell
• Did the New Testament Authors Endorse Slavery? (Audio)
• Tim McGrew Interviews Brian Auten of Apologetics315
• Lee Strobel interviews Mary Jo Sharp about Women in Apologetics
• Unpacking Atheism Simulcast with Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg (video)
• Did the divinity of Jesus emerge slowly after many years of embellishments?
• What’s in a Name? New Evidence for Eyewitness Testimony in the New Testament
• "Correct, Not Politically Correct; How Same-Sex Marriage Hurts Everyone"
• 25 untrue things you didn’t know Mormons are supposed to believe
• Faith Under Fire: A DVD Study: Exploring Christianity's Ten Toughest Questions (Great for small groups)

• Would you like to help with interview transcription through volunteering or donation?
If so, contact Ap315 here.

Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Your support is appreciated.

• Shopping via Amazon? If you use this link, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315.

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Read Along: Chapter 9—Is God Just a Human Invention?

Today we continue with Chapter Nine in the Read Along with Apologetics 315 project. This is a chapter-by-chapter study through the book Is God Just a Human Invention? And Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists by Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow. (Hear an interview about the book here.) Below you will find an audio intro for Chapter Nine, a brief summary of the chapter, a PDF workbook with questions for the chapter, and some notable quotes. You're also encouraged to share your comments and feedback for each chapter in the comment section below. Feel free to interact!  Index page here.

How to Get Apologetics in Your Church 2: Podcast and eBook - Table of Contents

Two years ago, Apologetics 315 addressed the question: "How do I get apologetics in my church?" with an essay series, ebook, and podcast. The goal of this project was simple: to share stories, experiences, and advice that will help Christians to start their own local apologetics initiatives.

Now there's a part 2 to the series. This is the index for How to Get Apologetics in Your Church 2. Listen to the podcast via the RSS feed or through iTunes.

Here is the table of contents:
00 - Introduction
01 - Why Apologetics Matters to Every Believer and Every Church
02 - How I Got Apologetics Started in My Church
03 - A Pastor's Perspective
04 - The Road to the Group
05 - How to Start a Church Apologetics Ministry
06 - The ‘Reasonable Faith?’ Course
07 - Four Lessons for the Apologetics Small Group
08 - Five Tips for Starting an Apologetics Group
09 - A Call to ACTION
10 - Kicking Off The Truth Project
11 - Evangelism, Apologetics, and Cultural Impact
12 - Questions are a Good Thing
13 - Implementing Apologetics Ministry
14 - When Apologetics is Not Welcome in Your Church
15 - Lessons Along the Way
16 - How to Organize an Apologetics Conference
17 - So You Want to Organize an Apologetic Event?
18 - An Effective Model for a Youth Apologetics Home Group
19 - How Churches Can Respond to Doubt
20 - Challenge: Start a Church Apologetics Group

Enjoy.

How to Get Apologetics in Your Church 2: How to Start a Church Apologetics Ministry

How to Start a Church Apologetics Ministry

by Steve Schrader, Mt. Airy Bible Church

While a student at Southern Evangelical Seminary in 2001 I had a dream that one day there would be an apologetics conference in the Washington DC area. A couple years later I had a dream that one day a well-known apologist would speak at my home church, Mt. Airy Bible Church (MABC). Today I can report that God has shown me how small my dreams were. As of February 2012, Mt. Airy Bible Church, in the small town of Mt. Airy, MD (pop. 9,000) has hosted the following world class apologists (some multiple times): Norman Geisler (6X); Craig Hazen (3X); Greg Koukl (3X); Frank Turek (2X); Brett Kunkle; Ergun Caner; Gary Habermas; Greg Ganssle; John Mark Reynolds; Joseph Holden; J. P. Moreland; Nabeel Qureshi; Ron Rhodes; Scott Klusendorf and Sean McDowell.

It all began during a couple difficult witnessing encounters in 1997. While working as a vice-president in a telecommunications business I learned the hard way that apologetics and evangelism go hand-inhand. I had simultaneously run into a hard-core, angry, irrational atheist and a very polite, very rational agnostic and learned quickly that I either needed to get some answers or stop sharing my faith. I chose to get some answers.

[MP3 | RSS | iTunes]

William Lane Craig vs. Mike Begon: Is God a Delusion?

During the 2007 Reasonable Faith Tour, Professor William Lane Craig debated Professor Mike Begon at Liverpool University on the topic "Is God a Delusion?" The video can be found online at bethinking.org here. A 90-minute debate followed by 30 minutes of Q&A.

Full Debate MP3 Audio here.
YouTube video here.

Enjoy.

Hear all of William Lane Craig's audio debates in the debate feed here.

Terminology Tuesday: Determinism

Determinism: The view that all natural events, including human choices and actions, are the product of past states of affairs in accordance with causal necessity. Thus the determinist holds that, given the state of the universe at any particular time, plus the causal laws that govern events in the natural world, the state of the universe at every future time is fixed. Various kinds of determinism are possible depending on the nature of the causally determining forces. Most determinists today are scientific determinists who believe the laws of nature are the determining factors, but theological determinism, in which God directly determines every event, is also possible.1

1. C.Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 34.

Tim McGrew Interviews Brian Auten of Apologetics315

Today's interview is with Brian Auten, founder of Apologetics 315. He is interviewed by Dr. Timothy McGrew on the past, present, and future of Apologetics 315. The goal of the interview is to get to know a bit more about Brian, how Apologetics 315 came to be, the vision of the ministry, future goals and projects, and how others can help support its growth. More about Apologetics 315 here.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here. (27 min)

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

Pascal on the Search for Truth

"Before entering into the proofs of the Christian religion, I find it necessary to point out the sinfulness of those men who live in indifference to the search for truth in a matter which is so important to them, and which touches them so nearly.

Of all their errors, this doubtless is the one which most convicts them of foolishness and blindness, and in which it is easiest to confound them by the first glimmerings of common sense, and by natural feelings.

For it is not to be doubted that the duration of this life is but a moment; that the state of death is eternal, whatever may be its nature; and that thus all our actions and thoughts must take such different directions according to the state of that eternity, that it is impossible to take one step with sense and judgment, unless we regulate our course by the truth of that point which ought to be our ultimate end.

There is nothing clearer than this; and thus, according to the principles of reason, the conduct of men is wholly unreasonable, if they do not take another course."

- Blaise Pascal, Pensées (195)

Book Review: Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books by Michael J. Kruger

Recent attempts to discuss biblical canon have been reserved to certain types of questions. For apologists, the discussions center around defending these books versus those books. Why Jude and not 1st Enoch? Why Esther and not Ben Sira? Unfortunately, in attempting to defend this position, the discussion quickly centers around sociological and historical issues external to the text itself. Thus, when asked why these books are in the canon, an apologist will often answer that we accept them because they were accepted by the early, orthodox church; because they were the most frequently transmitted books across spectrum of the ancient church; because the early church agreed that they were authentic witnesses of the apostolic teaching, etc. Whereas this may provide a sufficient historical and sociological answer to the question, it appeals to external authority to determine the nature of the canon, whether that authority by a community which received the text or historical criteria.

In the recent book, Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books, Michael J. Kruger approaches the question of canon through a different method than typically presented in recent evangelical work. He clarifies at the onset that he does not intend to “‘prove’ the truth of the canon to the skeptic,” nor “merely to explore how a Christian...comes to believe that the canon is from God.”1 Instead, he intends to discuss “whether the Christian religion provides sufficient grounds for thinking that Christians can know which books belong in the canon and which do not.”2 Notice the epistemological nature of this question.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (05/11 - 05/18)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• Defining ‘Fine-Tuner’
• Karamazov’s Theorem
• Codex Sinaiticus Online
• Watchtower Investigated Blog
• Sign up for Dropbox for free
• Free Apologetics E-book Library 
• The Evidence for God: Morality
• Discover the Praying Life (video)
• Theology Thursday: Alister McGrath
• Seven Marks of a Good Theologian
• Why bother with Jehovah’s Witnesses
• An Intellectual Code of Conduct, Part 2
• Where Are All the Women Apologists?
• Philosophia Christi Summer 2012 Issue
• R.C. Sproul on "How Old Is the Earth?"
• Unbelievable? The Conference 2012: London
• On Guard Conference: July 27 & 28 - Oklahoma
• Occam’s Razor and the Cosmological Argument
• Should Homosexual Couples Be Allowed to Adopt?
• Unbelievable?: The Conference 2012 (preview) - video
• Debate in Apologetics: Secondary Issues of Primary Importance
• Systematic Theology Class (MP3 CD) by Wayne Grudem for Free
• Book Review: “7 Truths that Changed the World” by Kenneth Samples
• How long are the days of Genesis? Hugh Ross and Jason Lisle debate
• Calum Miller vs. Peter Atkins "Does God Exist?" Debate - Oxford 2012
• The Master’s Seminary Presuppositional Apologetics Lectures (videos)
• Kindle Version: How to Stay Christian in College by J. Budziszewski for $3.99
• Sign up the for Intro to Logic and Critical Thinking Course Online Starting May 21st

• Would you like to help with interview transcription through volunteering or donation?
If so, contact Ap315 here.

Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Your support is appreciated.

• Shopping via Amazon? If you use this link, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315.

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For daily post links, please follow on Facebook.

Read Along: Ch8—Has Science Shown There Is No Soul?

Today we continue with Chapter Eight in the Read Along with Apologetics 315 project. This is a chapter-by-chapter study through the book Is God Just a Human Invention? And Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists by Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow. (Hear an interview about the book here.) Below you will find an audio intro for Chapter Eight, a brief summary of the chapter, a PDF workbook with questions for the chapter, and some notable quotes. You're also encouraged to share your comments and feedback for each chapter in the comment section below. Feel free to interact!  Index page here.

How to Get Apologetics in Your Church 2: The Road to the Group

The Road to the Group

by Allen Lathrop

 “How can I use my passion for apologetics within my own church?” It was a question I had regularly asked myself with growing concern. I had read and studied apologetics material on my own for years. I had experienced the effect apologetics could have, not just in my life, but also in the lives of those who did not yet know Christ. Yet, my deep desire was for those within my own congregation to experience the same effect and together have a greater impact on this world for the glory of God. Of course, all of that sounds wonderful in theory. Putting it into practice is another thing entirely. While it took a good deal of time, patience, and prayer, God has blessed me with an amazing apologetics group in my own church. I'd like to share that journey with you, and offer you some thoughts on starting your own group.

From the outset, I knew an apologetics group wasn't going to develop itself and just conveniently fall into my lap. Understandably, a little legwork on my part was going to be needed. At the time, my family and I were regularly attending our church, but we weren't plugged in to any of the groups or ministries. Since it was my goal to begin a group within our church, it seemed reasonable to get connected with an already established group and see how it operated. So, my wife and I began regularly attending a weekly Sunday School class designed for couples in our age group. After a couple of months, the group leader informed us that she would need a volunteer to teach the class for a short period while she and her family were on vacation. I happily made myself available and was able to gain my first taste of leading a small group.

[MP3 | RSS | iTunes]

Antagonistic Atheism: David Robertson vs Mike Lee

Here is a fascinating discussion from a recent Unbelievable? Radio Program between Mike Lee (aka "The Religious Antagonist") and David Robertson, Pastor of St Peter's Free Church, Dundee and director of the Solas Centre for Public Christianity. David and Mike debate whether Mike's antagonistic approach is a helpful one. An interesting look at emotional atheism as well as a critique of those mocking Christianity. Subscribe to the Unbelievable? Podcast here. Don't forget about the Unbelievable? Conference 2012 here.

Full MP3 Audio here.
Enjoy.

Unbelievable Conference 2012: London

Premier Christian Radio presents an apologetics day conference on Sat, 26 May 2012 in London aimed at equipping everyday Christians with reasons for the truth of their faith. This year's conference partner is Reasons To Believe. Guest speakers include: Hugh Ross, Ken Samples, John Lennox, Michael Green, and more.
Are you going? See you there!
Sign up here.

Terminology Tuesday: Abrogation

Muslims say that a prerogative of the Quran is abrogation, which involves the annulling of a former law by a new law. Sura 16:101 says, "When We substitute one revelation for another, and God knows best what He reveals (in stages), they say, 'Thou art but a forger': but most of them understand not."

What this means is that Allah is not bound to his revelations. If he wants, he is free to bring new revelation that completely contradicts former revelation. If circumstances call for it, Allah is free to rescind earlier revelations and bring about something entirely new and different.

An example of such a change is that, originally, Muhammad ordered his followers to pray toward Jerusalem (Sura 2:150). However, when the Jews rejected him and called him an impostor, he received new revelation to the effect that the correct direction of prayer should be toward Mecca (Sara 2:125). This change is in keeping with what we read in Sura 2:106: "If we abrogate a verse or consign it to oblivion, we offer something better than it or something of equal value."

Islamic scholars do not agree among themselves as to the precise number of verses that have become abrogated by other revelations. But there are at least 20 instances in which a newer revelation has been said to supersede, contradict, or abrogate a previous revelation." All this has given rise to a Quranic science known as Nasikh wa Mansukh, that is, "the Abrogators and the Abrogated."1

1. Excerpt from Ron Rhodes, Reasoning from the Scriptures with Muslims (pp. 75-76).

Apologist Interview: Kenneth Samples

Today's interview is with philosopher and theologian Ken Samples, senior research professor at Reasons to Believe. (Hear a prior interview here.) He talks about the Straight Thinking Podcast, the Unbelievable? Conference 2012 in London, an abductive approach to apologetics, the explanatory power of Christianity over atheism, morality and the human condition, the problem of evil and suffering, the different kinds of evil in the world, God's purposes in suffering, gratuitous evils, how to address the problem of evil with tact, and some of the key ideas in his newest book 7 Truths that Changed the World: Discovering Christianity's Most Dangerous Ideas. To enter the drawing for a copy of the book, just fill in this the quick entry form here.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here. (49 min)

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

John Lennox and Atheistic Dogma

"It is perfectly rational to propose that the universe is indeed without purpose - that what we see is all there is. But to assert that this is so, as Dawkins and Atkins do, is not at all 'rational'. It is merely a piece of dogma. Indeed, atheism—when you boil it down—is little more than dogma: simple denial, a refusal to take seriously the proposition that there could be more to the universe than meets the eye. To use science to justify such dogma, as these professors do, is a gross misuse of their own trade."

—Colin Tudge
(in his review of John Lennox's God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God from here)

Book Review: Defending Inerrancy by Geisler & Roach

God cannot err. The Bible is the Word of God. Therefore, the Bible cannot err.

This simple syllogism sums up the argument for the unlimited inerrancy of Scripture. While there have always been those who denied the historicity of some of its parts (Origen, for example), the view of the Bible’s total inerrancy is “rooted in the early fathers of the church, expressed emphatically in Augustine and Aquinas, expressed explicitly by the Reformers and continued into the 19th century without a major challenge from within the church” (12). However, when Darwin came along, attacks on God and Christianity took on new life, with the inerrancy of Scripture becoming one of the most beleaguered doctrines.

Norman Geisler and William Roach present a detailed study of the issue in Defending Inerrancy: Affirming the Accuracy of Scripture for a New Generation. They begin with a rather dry, but necessary discussion of the history of inerrancy, ending with the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (ICB I) and that body’s treatise on the subject known as the Chicago Statement. Put forth in 1978, it consists of 19 articles, and was produced along with a Preamble, a Short Statement and an official commentary entitled Explaining Inerrancy by Reformed Theologian R.C. Sproul. Geisler and Roach include the articles in their book. It is imperative that readers familiarize themselves with them because they provide the standard by which all discussions, theories and interpretations of inerrancy are measured by the authors. If anyone deviates from the Chicago Statement, he or she ends up in Geisler and Roach’s doghouse.

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (05/04 - 05/11)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• What is the unborn?
• Is Pain Inherently Evil?
• On Hummingbird Wings
• Pro-Life Crash Course
• The Anthropic Principle
• Michael Licona Interview
• The Importance of Defining Terms
• The Competing Views of Marriage
• An Intellectual Code of Conduct, Part 1
• New Research Supports Authenticity of Gospels
• Do Historical Scholars Think Jesus Existed?
• Evidence that Can be Used in Design Arguments
• Christianity, Philosophy, and the integrated mind
• Robert Price's "The Christ-Myth Theory and Its Problems"
• Houston Baptist University Master of Arts in Philosophy
• New study on tidal heating strengthens stellar habitability argument
• Is intelligent design creationism? Dr. Stephen C. Meyer explains
• TrueU: How to Get Apologetics into Your Church: Apologetics 315 & TrueU
• “In the Original Text It Says”: Word-Study Fallacies and How to Avoid Them
• Sign up the for Intro to Logic and Critical Thinking Course Online Starting May 21st
• Michael Kruger: 10 Misconceptions about the NT Canon: # 4: “Books Were Not Regarded as Scripture Until Around 200 AD”

• Would you like to help with interview transcription through volunteering or donation?
If so, contact Ap315 here.

Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Your support is appreciated.

• Shopping via Amazon? If you use this link, a bit of your purchase goes to fund Apologetics 315. Thanks for those of you using the link, as it helps Ap315.

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For daily post links, please follow on Facebook.

Read Along: Chapter 7—Why is the Universe Just Right for Life?

Today we continue with Chapter Seven in the Read Along with Apologetics 315 project. This is a chapter-by-chapter study through the book Is God Just a Human Invention? And Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists by Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow. (Hear an interview about the book here.) Below you will find an audio intro for Chapter Seven, a brief summary of the chapter, a PDF workbook with questions for the chapter, and some notable quotes. You're also encouraged to share your comments and feedback for each chapter in the comment section below. Feel free to interact!

Read Along: Chapter Index for Is God Just a Human Invention? by Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow

Read Along with Apologetics315 is a weekly chapter-by-chapter study through Is God Just a Human Invention? and Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists by Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow. This is a chapter index for the study, so you may want to bookmark it for your own reference.

[Podcast Feed RSS | Podcast in iTunes] - Click to subscribe to the audio.

Series Introduction (includes link to authors interview)
Chapter 1: Is Faith Irrational?
Chapter 2: Are Science and Christianity at Odds?
Chapter 3: Are Miracles Possible?
Chapter 4: Is Darwinian Evolution the Only Game in Town?
Chapter 5: How Did the Universe Begin?
Chapter 6: How Did Life Begin?
Chapter 7: Why is the Universe Just Right for Life?
Chapter 8: Has Science Shown There is No Soul?
Chapter 9: Is God Just a Human Invention?
Chapter 10: Is Religion Dangerous?
Chapter 11: Does God Intend for Us to Keep Slaves?
Chapter 12: Is Hell a Divine Torture Chamber?
Chapter 13: Is God a Genocidal Bully?
Chapter 14: Is Christianity the Cause of Dangerous Sexual Repression?
Chapter 15: Can People Be Good Without God?
Chapter 16: Is Evil Only a Problem for Christians?
Chapter 17: What Good Is Christianity?
Chapter 18: Why Jesus Instead of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Thanks for reading along.

How to Get Apologetics in Your Church 2: A Pastor's Perspective

Apologetics in the Church—A Pastor's Perspective

by Stephen J. Bedard

You have just read an inspiring book on apologetics. You have just returned from an exciting apologetics conference with some brilliant and engaging scholars. You just had a productive conversation with a skeptic and saw some real movement in their faith journey. You know that apologetics is vital for the local church. You make an appointment with your pastor to propose an apologetics ministry for the church, confident that the pastor will share your excitement for apologetics. You share your passion, you bare your soul to your pastor, pleading that he both approve the ministry and allow church resources to support it. Your pastor looks at you like you just suggested they start a Star Trek fan club at the church. What happened?

Many people have caught a vision for apologetics, have seen the potential impact on an unbelieving world, and have been deeply disappointed when their pastor and leadership have either rejected the notion or have given only half-hearted permission for you do something on your own. Why is this? Are pastors unspiritual? Unintellectual? Unevangelistic?

[MP3 | RSS | iTunes]

Navy SEAL: Chad Williams Interview

Today's interview is with Chad Williams, evangelist, former Navy SEAL, and author of the book SEAL of God. He talks about his training in the SEALS, his mentor Scott Helvenston, his radical conversion to Christianity, persecution, communicating the Gospel, street preaching, evangelism, the use of testimonies, encouragement in doing evangelism and using apologetics, and more. Get Chad's book on Kindle or paperback—a fascinating read. Chad's website here: StreetApologetics. Book video promo here, and chapter 1 here.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (50 min)

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

Terminology Tuesday: Reader-Response Theory of Hermeneutics

Reader-Response Theory of Hermeneutics: A postmodern form of literary criticism that explores the capacity of the biblical texts to shape, revise or confirm the expectations readers bring to their reading of the text. This approach challenges the assumption of much of modern hermeneutics that the main task of exegesis is to approach the text as a disinterested exegete and to determine, through the use of scientific strategies of interpretation, the intent of the original author of the text. Reader-response theorists, in contrast, maintain that the reader and the text are interdependent. What is important then is not so much the intent of the original author of the text but the "conversation" between reader and text that emerges in the reading of the text.1

1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 99.

31 Actions to Advance Apologetics

Need some ideas in order to advance in the area of apologetics? Things move forward when you take some action. Here are 31 Actions to Advance Apologetics:

1. Go to a Conference—Sometimes an apologetics conference is a great way to get things kick-started in the area of apologetics. Consider attending some of the great apologetics conferences hosted across the globe. Check out these conference pages by EPS, SES, Biola, Veritas, Unbelievable?, the European Leadership Forum, On Guard, Smart Faith, Solid Reasons, and Apologetics Canada, just to get started. You can even attend conferences online. Know of more conferences? Leave a comment below.

2. Do a Read Along Project—Why not work through an apologetics book with others? Spend some time and really delve in, wade through each chapter, and even work through study questions. It's easy, and you can get started right now on something that will benefit you or your small group in a great way. Read Along with Christian Apologetics by Douglas Groothuis, or Read Along with Is God Just A Human Invention? by McDowell and Morrow.

3. Decide on a Topic to Study—If you are scattered in your reading, then determine to focus your studies on one subject. Pick a subject that really interests you. Maybe it's the cosmological argument, the problem of evil, morality, or relativism. Whether it's listening to audio, or picking up a few good books on the subject, a focused study has great benefits.

C.S. Lewis on Learning

‎"If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavourable. Favourable conditions never come."

—C.S. Lewis
"Learning in War-Time"

Book Review: The Goodly Fellowship of the Prophets: The Achievement of Association in Canon Formation

Among scholars studying the shape and formation of the Hebrew Bible, few would contend that Christopher Seitz leads the pack in terms of publication and respect. Having studied under Brevard Childs, one of the fathers of Old Testament (OT) canonical studies, and having previously held professorships at Yale and St. Andrews, Professor Seitz now teaches at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, as a professor of biblical interpretation.

The shape of the OT lends itself to many questions. For instance, the ordering of the books in the Septuagint (LXX), a major Greek translation of the OT, is largely different from the ordering of the books in the Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT). A first year Hebrew student is often surprised to open their Hebrew Bible for the first time and find that the final book is not Malachi, but Chronicles! Furthermore, there are fewer books in the Hebrew Bible when compared to the English translation as some books such as Samuel, Kings and Chronicles are combined as one. New students might even hear discussions of how the twelve minor prophets were shaped as one book, simply known as the Twelve.^[1] This doesn’t even begin to address the differences in the shape of the books within the LXX versus the MT and the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS). How can an evangelical believer or young apologist sort through this deluge of seemingly confusing information?

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (04/27 - 05/04)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
• The Theology Program
• Q & A with Lee Strobel
• Happy Anniversary, STR!
• Free Gary Habermas Books
• Does Richard Carrier Exist?
• Book Review: Canon Revisited
• Three Types of Christian Scholarship
• The Bible’s Use of Non-Biblical Texts
• Book GiveAway: Resurrection iWitness
• Does atheism mean “a lack of belief in God”?
• Does Bad Design Affect the Argument From Design?
• A Brief Intro to the Kalam Cosmological Argument
• Book Review: “Think Christianly” by Jonathan Morrow
• Good read: SEAL of God by Chad Williams (Navy Seal)
• The Resurrection: Dr. Gary Habermas and Dr. Antony Flew
• Are moral values and moral duties rationally grounded in atheism?
• The Fine-Tuning of the Universe for Intelligent Life by Luke A. Barnes
• "Does God Exist?" Debate - Lenny Esposito vs Richard Carrier; May 23, 2012
• Bart Ehrman Blog and the Reliability of the New Testament Text (Daniel Wallace)
• Book Review: 7 Truths that Changed the World: Discovering Christianity's Most Dangerous Ideas by Kenneth Samples

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Read Along: Chapter 6—How Did Life Begin?

Today we continue with Chapter Six in the Read Along with Apologetics 315 project. This is a chapter-by-chapter study through the book Is God Just a Human Invention? And Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists by Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow. (Hear an interview about the book here.) Below you will find an audio intro for Chapter Six, a brief summary of the chapter, a PDF workbook with questions for the chapter, and some notable quotes. You're also encouraged to share your comments and feedback for each chapter in the comment section below. Feel free to interact!

How to Get Apologetics in Your Church 2: How I Got Apologetics Started in My Church

How I Got Apologetics Started In My Church

by William Coe

I heard Greg Koukl once say, “bloom where you're planted.” What good advice that is. Getting apologetics into your church is all about getting started. It's not about jumping on the band wagon of some larger ministry, but about doing what you can, right where you are now.

This short essay is about how I got started in getting apologetics into my church. I had been interested in apologetics for many years but didn’t find many opportunities to learn more about it in the local church so, I started listening to podcasts and reading books. I listened to the Apologetics 315 series, “How to Get Apologetics In Your Church” and got some great ideas.

[MP3 | RSS | iTunes]

Book GiveAway: Resurrection iWitness

Resurrection iWitness by Doug Powell is a book on the resurrection like no other. First, its dimensions make it a foot tall and ten inches wide. This is like a one-inch thick coffee table book, containing 32 pages chock-full of color graphics and text on the resurrection of Jesus. Powell's background as a graphic designer and Christian apologist combine to make this into a very engaging interactive book—practically every page has fold-out notes, maps, diagrams, and other pieces of evidence that build the historical case for the resurrection of Jesus. Here's a video demo.

This is exactly the kind of format that can be appealing and engaging for those not particularly turned on by the idea of text-dense, academic works of apologetics. And this was the experience with this book in my own "field-testing"—it was laid on the desk and nothing was said about it. But it was soon picked up, "wowed over", paged through, and the comments were along the lines of, "this is a great book!"

So if you are looking for a visually engaging way to learn, interact, or share the historical case for the resurrection of Jesus, you might consider Doug Powell's Resurrection iWitness. Truly unique. (And there's even an iPad app version!)

Apologetics 315 is giving a copy away: OLLIE was the winner! Congrats!

Terminology Tuesday: Fact-Value Distinction

Fact-Value Distinction: In philosophy, the ontological distinction between what is (facts) and what ought to be (values). David Hume gave the distinction its classical formulation in his dictum that it is impossible to derive an “ought” from an “is.” See also naturalistic fallacy.1

Better understood as "what is" (fact) and "what ought to be" (value), the fact/value distinction is the thin line between what is truth and what is right. It is the source of conflict between science and ethics. In its most basic sense, fact can be defined as the inarguable truths of our physical world - the material surroundings which one detects via the senses. By examining our reality through scientific methods, we hope to empirically and logically verify truths and thus to compile a collection of "knowledge". Value, on the other hand, is not accessible via the senses; it can only be derived through one's own subjective reasoning about ethics. Unlike fact, value cannot be proven true or false by any sort of scientific method. Rather, it must be compared against one's own faith or ethical worldview in order to draw personal conclusive results.2

1. Encyclopedia Britannica; 2. rit.edu; For more, see wikipedia here.