Thursday, January 31, 2013

Free: Essential Apologetics PowerPoint Series

In partnership with The PowerPoint Apologist, Apologetics 315 is offering a series of 12 Free PowerPoint presentations, released monthly. These cover 12 essential topics in apologetics. These are free to download, modify, and use for your own apologetics presentations. (However, please retain the final two slides featuring the PowerPoint Apologist and Apologetics 315 resources.)

The first presentation is "Why Apologetics?"
Download it here. Slideshare link here.
Enjoy.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

SALT Conference Videos Free Online

SALTStrategic Answers for Life’s Questions. Brought to you by Tactical Faith, the SALT Apologetics Conference had a great lineup of speakers, including: Gary Habermas, Greg Koukl, Mary Jo Sharp, Doug Powell, Robert Stewart, Jay Watts, Jeremy Howard, Alan Shlemon, Dave Glander, Brett Kunkle & Jay Wolf. And now, VIDEOS of the event are available for free viewing.
Check them out:

Greg Koukl — "Any Old God Won’t Do"
Gary Habermas – "Joy of the Resurrection"
Youth Track – Brett Kunkle
Youth Track – Jay Watts
Youth Track – Doug Powell

See them all here: SALT Conference Videos.
Enjoy.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Terminology Tuesday: The Five Ways

The Five Ways: The five rational arguments that Thomas Aquinas saw as pointing to the existence of God. The five arguments are (1) the argument from motion (all things in motion need a mover, but there must be something unmoved that begins other things in motion; God is this Unmoved Mover); (2) the cosmological argument (all effects must have causes, but there cannot be an infinite series of causes into the past; thus God is the first or Uncaused Cause); (3) the argument from contingency (all things exist in dependence on something else, that is, contingent; therefore there must be something that is absolutely independent, that is, necessary; this necessary being is God); (4) the argument from perfection (there appears to be an increasing degree of perfection among things; therefore there must be a being who is the height of perfection; this Being is God); and (5) the teleological argument (the observable design in the world suggests that there must be an intelligent designer - God).1

1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 52.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Apologist Interview: John Bloom

Today's interview is with Dr. John Bloom, professor of physics at Biola University. He's also the Academic Director of the MA Program in Science and Religion at Biola, and the Chair of the Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering Dept. He talks about how he got into science, the faith/science "conflict", countering the faith/science conflict, the history of science and Christianity, naturalism and methodological naturalism, Hume & Darwin, "non-overlapping magisteria", the integration of faith and science, the MA program in Science & Religion at Biola, advice for those defending the faith, Saddleback's Conference on Creation, and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (41 min)

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

Sunday, January 27, 2013

John Elder on Archaeology and the Bible

“It is not too much to say that it was the rise of the science of archeology that broke the deadlock between historians and the orthodox Christian. Little by little, one city after another, one civilization after another, one culture after another, whose memories were enshrined only in the Bible, were restored to their proper places in ancient history by the studies of archeologists…. Contemporary records of biblical events have been unearthed and the uniqueness of biblical revelation has been emphasized by contrast and comparison to newly discovered religions of ancient peoples. Nowhere has archeological discovery refuted the Bible as history.”

—Archaeologist John Elder
Prophets, Idols and Diggers: Scientific Proof of Bible History, p. 16.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

2nd Book Review: Evil: A Guide for the Perplexed

Chad Meister’s Evil: A Guide for the Perplexed is a remarkably concise and accessible introduction to the “problem of evil”. Meister summarises a quarter century of academic debate and philosophical reflection in a book that can be read in an evening. He also finds time to critique Hindu and Buddhist responses to evil, and to present a moral argument for Christianity based on the gravity of evil and suffering.

Mesiter leads with the logical problem of evil, which was presented most effectively by JL Mackie.
i) A wholly good being always eliminates evil as far as it can.
ii) There are no limits to what an omnipotent and omniscient being can do.
iii) So, if a wholly good, omnipotent and omniscient being exists, it eliminates evil completely.
iv) Evil has not been eliminated completely.
v) Thus, a wholly good, omnipotent and omniscient being does not exist.

Review: Evil: A Guide for the Perplexed by Chad Meister

Given that most of us are perplexed to a certain extent about evil, this new book on the subject by Chad Meister, professor of philosophy at Bethel College, Mishawaka, Indiana, is aimed at just about everybody.

Meister begins his work with an attempt to answer the question of what evil is. He notes that “the meanings of the word are multifarious and often fall short of capturing the depth and complexities of the term” (1). He offers several examples, then goes on to classify evil in two categories—moral and natural.

The author asserts that, if we are to talk about evil and its relationship to God, we must also elucidate what we mean by “God”. He then lists a number of properties in the traditional theistic understanding of God, including omnipotence, omniscience and omnibenevolence.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (01/18 - 01/25)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
"Why isn't the Evidence Clearer?"
How Do We Know That Jesus Really Died?
The Circumstantial Case For John’s Authorship
Upcoming Apologetics Events at Biola University
What Christians Believe About Jesus in 20 Minutes
Evangelical Philosophical Society: Call for Papers
The Ontological Argument (Question Begging?) video
Teaching Effective Apologetics for Small Time Periods
Just downloaded: "In the Beginning... We Misunderstood"
Guillermo Gonzalez lectures at UC Davis on the requirements for life
Cold Case Christianity and The Gospel Coalition: A review of a review
Ten Basic Facts about the NT Canon that Every Christian Should Memorize: #1

Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Would you support us monthly?
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Canada here. UK here.

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Petition: Churches for Apologetics

Are you passionate about seeing the Christian faith rationally defended? Do you wish believers were better equipped to understand and defend what they believe? Then why not add your voice to this petition and proclaim that you are committed to learning and equipping your church with apologetics?

Read more and sign the petition here.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Michael Licona Interview Transcript

The following transcript is from an Apologetics 315 interview with Michael Licona (the first of two). Original audio here. Transcript index here. If you enjoy transcripts, please consider supporting, which makes this possible.


BA: Hello, this is Brian Auten of Apologetics 315. Today, I’m speaking with Michael Licona. Mike has a PhD in New Testament Studies at the University of Pretoria and an MA in Religious Studies from Liberty University. He is a frequent speaker on University campuses, churches, Christian groups, and retreats. He frequently debates and has appeared as a guest on numerous radio and television programs. He is also the author of a number of books, including Paul Meets Muhammad, Cross Examined, Behold I Stand at the Door and Knock, and a book that I think that every Christian should read, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, which he co-authored with Gary Habermas.
Now the purpose of today’s interview is to learn a little bit more about Mike, his apologetics ministry, and find out some of the things he is working on and overall just to gain insights from him and his experience.

So thanks for speaking with me today, Mike.

ML: Well, thanks Brian. Good to be on your show. I really believe in the ministry you’re doing and it is a pleasure to be on here with you.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

God & Arguments from Morality

What is the moral argument for God's existence? How can someone use this argument when interacting with others? In this audio/video, Chad Gross of Truthbomb Apologetics presents a talk entitled God & Arguments from Morality. This teaching was delivered on a Sunday morning service at Faith Christian Fellowship in Maryland. This is a great example of a church-based Sunday morning teaching focused on an apologetic topic. Clear and practical training in apologetics on a Sunday morning.

MP3 Audio download here.
YouTube Video here.

Enjoy.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Terminology Tuesday: Middle Knowledge

Middle Knowledge: The philosophical theory that God knows all possible events and all theoretical truths, as well as all actual events and truths. Middle knowledge suggests that God knows not only what humans actually do but also what humans would do under hypothetical circumstances. For example, in the case of persons who die without hearing the gospel message, God knows how they would have responded had they heard it. Some theologians conclude that based on this middle knowledge, God will save those who remained beyond the pale of the gospel in this life but would have accepted Christ had the message come to them.1

1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 79.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Tactical Faith Interview: Matthew Burford

Today's interview is with Matthew Burford of Tactical Faith, a grassroots apologetics organization promoting events and resources (for instance, the recent SALT Apologetics Conference). He talks about the growth of the organization, how to put on apologetics events, apologetics at a grassroots level, roadblocks to doing events, and lots more. (First interview from 2011 here.)

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (xx min)
Enjoy.

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

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Ravi Zacharias on the Problem of Evil

"When you say there's too much evil in this world you assume there's good. When you assume there's good, you assume there's such a thing as a moral law on the basis of which to differentiate between good and evil. But if you assume a moral law, you must posit a moral Law Giver, but that's Who you're trying to disprove and not prove. Because if there's no moral Law Giver, there's no moral law. If there's no moral law, there's no good. If there's no good, there's no evil. What is your question?"

—Ravi Zacharias

In response to the objection, "There cannot be a God, because there is too much evil in this world."
Can Man Live Without God?, p. 182 [HT]

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Book Review: The Bible Among the Myths by John Oswalt

We live in an age of reductionism. Most commonly this comes through the use of the word just. Reductionists say, “the human mind is just a complex system of matter” or “morality is just an evolutionary byproduct for group survival.[1]” In biblical studies, it usually takes the form of, “The Genesis narratives are just another Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) myth.”

Post-evangelicals today regularly use such arguments. At the popular level, writers like Rachel Held Evans comment on the “remarkably similar” ANE flood and creation accounts to those found in Genesis. Understanding Genesis as non-historical, non-scientific myth, which contains the same “human literary devices” and “cosmological assumptions” as the ANE was “freeing” to her.[2] Peter Enns is the post-evangelical scholar most frequently associated with this view. In his book Inspiration and Incarnation, Enns sought to show that God accommodated himself to the cultures of ANE by using non-historical and non-scientific literary forms in Genesis (and elsewhere) to communicate his message.[3] Many have followed his lead, especially those seeking resolution of the perceived discord between faith and science.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (01/11 - 01/18)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
Who Made God?
Positions Open for Apologists
David Robertson online Webinar
Do Manuscripts of Q Still Exist?
Why Does God Seem Hidden From Us?
Five Questions Science Can’t Answer
4th Annual Online Apologetics Conference
William Lane Craig in Michigan on Jan 21st
Life Training Institute: The 5-Minute Prolifer
Brian Auten interviews pro-life debater Scott Klusendorf
Why The Pre-Jesus Mythologies Fail To Prove Jesus Is A Myth
SALT Apologetics Conference 2013 Live-Streaming this weekend
iWitness Biblical Archaeology for iPad on the iTunes App Store
Ten Basic Facts about the NT Canon Every Christian Should Memorize
I’m At Home With Evidentialism Because the Evidence Brought Me Home
Walter Bradley: three scientific phenomena that point to a designed universe
Paul Davies: the hard problem of the origin of life is not “complexity” – it’s information

Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Would you support us monthly?
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• Would you like to help with interview transcriptionIf so, contact Ap315 here.

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SALT Apologetics Conference January 19th & 20th


SALTStrategic Answers for Life’s Questions. Brought to you by Tactical Faith, the SALT Apologetics Conference is held this weekend in Montgomery, Alabama. But even if you aren't in town, portions of the conference will be streamed live on this page. The speakers include: Gary Habermas, Greg Koukl, Mary Jo Sharp, Doug Powell, Robert Stewart, Jay Watts, Jeremy Howard, Alan Shlemon, Dave Glander, Brett Kunkle & Jay Wolf.
This is a FREE event; Register here. And don't forget the LIVE Streaming content.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Old Testament & the New Atheists: Peter J. Williams


Peter J. Williams of Tyndale House, Cambridge, challenges the New Atheists' interpretations and condemnation of the Old Testament. This includes addressing the destruction of the Canaanites. (Video includes PowerPoint.) This talk is part of the Bethinking National Apologetics Day Conference: Countering the New Atheism during the UK Reasonable Faith Tour in October 2011. Watch the video on YouTube, or download the MP3 audio here. Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Scott Klusendorf Interview Transcript

The following transcript is from an Apologetics 315 interview with Scott Klusendorf. Original audio here. Transcript index here. If you enjoy transcripts, please consider supporting, which makes this possible.


BA: Hello this is Brian Auten with Apologetics 315. Today’s interview is with Scott Klusendorf. Scott is President of the Life Training Institute found on line at prolifetraining.com Scott travels throughout the United States and Canada training pro-life advocates to persuasively defend their views in the public square. He’s participated in numerous debates given countless lectures, and is also author of The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture. The goal of this interview today is to look at some of the essential elements of the Pro-life position, answer some of the common arguments from the pro-choice position, and look at how Christians can be better equipped to make a strong positive case for life.

BA: Thanks for joining me today Scott.

SK: Brian great to be with you on apologetics 315.

BA: Now as I mentioned in the intro, you’re president of the Life Training Institute, and which helps educate people about the pro-life message. Now can you tell me just a bit about yourself and the vision that you have behind the life training Institute?

SK: Well in a sentence, Life Training Institute exist to equip pro-lifers to make a case for life in the public square to do that graciously and yet persuasively. My own journey began in 1990 when I was functioning as an associate pastor at a Church in Southern California, and I went to a pro-life gathering that was supposed to have at it up to 100 pastors. And regrettably there were only four other clergy in the audience that day. But thankfully the speaker was so persuasive, and so good at what he did that I was compelled to get involved in this work. And six months after hearing that presentation, I resigned my position with the blessing of the church to work full time equipping pro-lifers.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Terminology Tuesday: Naturalism, Natural Theology

Naturalism, Natural Theology: Naturalism sometimes refers to a form of atheism and materialism that maintains that the "natural" universe (composed of energy and matter and based on natural laws) is the sum total of reality, thereby negating human freedom, absolute values and, ultimately, existential meaning. As an ethical theory naturalism suggests that ethical judgments arise out of or are based in the universe itself or "the ways things naturally are." Natural theology maintains that humans can attain particular knowledge about God through human reason by observing the created order as one locus of divine revelation.1

1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 82.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Apologist Interview: Frank Turek

Today's interview is with apologist Frank Turek. This is our second interview with Frank (the first can be found here). In this interview, he talks about lessons from Christopher Hitchens, the moral argument for the existence of God, two different versions of the moral argument, the meaning of objective morality, illustrations to help the argument, common objections to the moral argument, volitional reason for people rejecting God, the Cross Examined Instructor Academy, and more. Check out Frank's ministry, Cross Examined.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (51 min)

Check out books by Frank Turek:
I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist
I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist Curriculum
• Correct, NOT Politically Correct
• Legislating Morality

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

Sunday, January 13, 2013

William Lane Craig on Apologetics Training

"If Christians could be trained to to provide solid evidence for what they believe and good answers to unbelievers’ questions and objections, then the perception of Christians would slowly change. Christians would be seen as thoughtful people to be taken seriously rather than as emotional fanatics or buffoons. The gospel would be a real alternative for people to embrace."

- William Lane Craig
On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision, p. 18.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Book Review: Defending the Faith: Apologetics in Women’s Ministry by Mary Jo Sharp

When Stand to Reason’s Greg Koukl introduced apologist Mary Jo Sharp on his radio program, he called her a “strange bird” because she is one of only a few women actively engaged in the field of apologetics. However, if Sharp has anything to do with it, the numbers will increase drastically in the near future. To that end, she has written Defending the Faith: Apologetics in Women’s Ministry, a book aimed at getting women fired up about apologetics.

In chapter 1, Sharp focuses on why it is necessary for us to know the reasons behind our beliefs about God. She begins by sharing her personal story of how she came to Christ and why she embarked on the study of apologetics. Although she grew up in a “non-church, non-religious, non-culturally Christian” environment, she says many atheists mistakenly think she must have been raised to believe in God and encouraged her to “take a more honest look” at her Christian beliefs (20).

Friday, January 11, 2013

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (01/04 - 01/11)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
Un Caso para la Apologética
DNA Replication: An Engineering Marvel
Did the Apostle Paul “Invent” Christianity?
Truth Matters Conference: Jan 18-19, Georgetown, TX
Higgs Caution and Dawkins’ Unfalsifiable Fundamentalism
Bill Maher Led a Cocaine-Dealing Atheist to Christ
Stephen Meyer debates Peter Ward on intelligent design vs Darwinism
Once Again, Why Intelligent Design Is Not a "God-of-the-Gaps" Argument
Becoming a Community Apologist: The Significance and Cost of Being an Apologist
Saturday in Phoenix: "Can You Trust the Bible?" A Conversation with Drs. Peter Williams and Dirk Jongkind
On Kindle: Myth Became Fact: Storytelling, Imagination, and Apologetics in the Bible by Brian Godawa

Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Would you support us monthly?
• 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. Canada here. UK here.

• Would you like to help with interview transcriptionIf so, contact Ap315 here.

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For daily post links, please follow on Facebook.

Free Logic Primer eBook Download

Last week we featured the great resource, The Logic Classroom and mentioned the book by Elihu Carranza Logic Primer. Although you can purchase the paperback version online, the author has graciously offered this logic book as a free resource to Apologetics 315. Logic Primer is a 7-chapter book which will take you through a foundational study of logic.

Please fill out a quick form before downloading the PDF eBook.
Get the Logic Primer ebook by Elihu Carranza here.

Enjoy.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Best Selling Apologetics Books of 2012

Back in 2012 I was reviewing some statistics from the previous year's Amazon affiliate links, and a top-10 post came together: the Best Selling Apologetics Books of 2011. It only seemed appropriate to do the same this year, with a bit of a longer list, as well as with the inclusion of Kindle titles. Keep in mind that this list is only for books purchased via Apologetics 315's links.

The best-selling books of 2012 were Greg Koukl's excellent book Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions as well as the Kindle version of Christian Apologetics by Douglas Groothuis. Personally, I loved the new children's books by William Lane Craig (#13, #15), which continue to be released.

So here's the list of the 15 top-selling paper books through Apologetics 315 in 2012, based upon those purchased through Ap315's affiliate links:
  1. Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
  2. On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision
  3. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
  4. Holman QuickSource Guide to Christian Apologetics (Holman Quicksource Guides)
  5. Is God Just a Human Invention? And Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists
  6. DREAMS AND VISIONS: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World?
  7. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
  8. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
  9. The Reason Why: Faith Makes Sense
  10. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus
  11. How Will You Measure Your Life?
  12. The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
  13. God Is Spirit (Volume 1)
  14. Why It Doesn't Matter What You Believe If It's Not True: Is There Absolute Truth?
  15. God Is Everywhere (Volume 2)
And here's the list of the 15 top-selling Kindle books through Apologetics 315 in 2012:
  1. Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith
  2. True Reason: Christian Responses to the Challenge of Atheism
  3. Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning
  4. Is God Just a Human Invention? And Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists
  5. Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul
  6. Think Christianly: Looking at the Intersection of Faith and Culture
  7. Letters from a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with His Father's Questions about Christianity
  8. Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know
  9. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
  10. Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
  11. Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ with Bonus Content (Designed for Influence)
  12. The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith
  13. Arguing with Friends
  14. Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion
  15. The Christ Files: How Historians Know What They Know about Jesus
It was clear to me that many of the paper book sales were favoring those that may have been purchased in larger quantities for books studies. As for Kindle books, the ones that had been on sale in some way or which were heavily tweeted did very well. For instance, Christian Apologetics by Groothuis is a massive tome, but can still be purchased on Kindle for around four dollars.

What were your favorite books of 2012?

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Michael Patton Interview Transcript

The following transcript is from an Apologetics 315 interview with Michael Patton. Original audio here. If you enjoy transcripts, please consider supporting, which makes this possible.


BA: Hello this is Brian Auten of Apologetics 315. Today’s interview is with Michael Patton. Michael is the president of Reclaiming the Mind and Credo House Ministries found at reclaimingthemind.org. This is a ministry of theological development for lay people. He blogs at Parchment and Pen at reclaimingthemind.org/blog and is also responsible for the development of Credo House of Theology found at credohouse.org. That’s a theological coffee house museum and book store. The purpose of our interview today is to talk about the interface between theology and apologetics, advice for studying theology and doing apologetics, and to hear about the work Michael is doing at Credo House. Well, thanks for joining me for this interview today Michael.

MP: Thanks for having me Brian, it’s great to have you…it’s great to be here, excuse me, I’m use to my own interviews that I do on my program.

BA: Well, I’d like to say thanks for your great resources, especially your interviews and the blog, the things you have available at reclaiming the mind and all of your theology program lectures have been real helpful for me.

MP: Ah, well great. Thank you so much. It’s fun, it’s what I love to do and it’s always nice as you know to see that it’s affecting people.

Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Terminology Tuesday: Occam's Razor

Occam's (Okham's) razor: One of the main axioms of nominalist philosopher William of Occam (c.1300-1349), namely, that principles employed to explain any phenomenon should not be multiplied without necessity. In the modern era Occam's razor was used to eliminate the supernatural from view. Hence critics argued, for example, that we need no longer appeal to demonic possession to explain what is better referred to as some purely human malady such as epilepsy or mental illness.1

1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 85.

Monday, January 07, 2013

Apologist Interview: J. Warner Wallace

Today's interview is with cold-case detective J. Warner Wallace, author of Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels. He talks about his present work, his journey from atheism, how the tools of the detective apply to investigating the Gospels, how we reason abductively, the value and use of circumstantial evidence, eyewitness evaluation, the difference between what's possible and what's reasonable, how we know the disciples didn't fabricate their story, biased witnesses, the tactics of defense attorneys and skeptics, making an impact when you're not a "full-time apologist," encouragement for Christian case-makers, and more. Pick up his book here. STR here. Visit Cold Case Christianity blog and PleaseConvinceMe blog

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (58 min)

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

Sunday, January 06, 2013

J. Budziszewski on Agnosticism

"To say that we cannot know anything about God is to say something about God; it is to say that if there is a God, he is unknowable. But in that case, he is not entirely unknowable, for the agnostic certainly thinks that we can know one thing about him: That nothing else can be known about him. In the end, agnosticism is an illogical position to hold to."

— J. Budziszewski
Quoted in Ron Rhodes, Answering the Objections of Atheists, Agnostics & Skeptics, p. 25. 

Saturday, January 05, 2013

Book Review: Cold-Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace

Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels is one of the latest books to examine the evidence for the reliability of the New Testament. Detective Jim Wallace was an atheist before he began putting Christianity to the same tests that he places witnesses and suspects to in his investigations of crimes. He split his book into two sections. The first deals with the methods used in detective work. He uses his own experiences to illustrate and applies them to different aspect of Christianity. In the second part he specifically targets the reliability of the four gospels as eyewitness accounts of history. This review will be a chapter-by-chapter summary but should not be taken as comprehensive of Wallace's presentation:

Section 1: Learn to Be a Detective
Chapter 1: Don't Be a "Know-it-All"
In the first chapter Wallace begins his training of the reader by speaking a bit about presuppositions. He explains that presuppositions are ideas that we come to an investigation with prior to any investigating. They usually determine our conclusion before we examine the evidence. Though everyone has these, it is required that an investigator or juror set them aside to be able to come to an objective conclusion. The consequences of allowing our presuppositions to guide our investigation are that we are likely to come to a conclusion that is not accurate. This goes for investigating murders and investigating truth-claims of worldviews.

Friday, January 04, 2013

Weekly Apologetics Bonus Links (12/28 - 01/04)

Here are this week's recommended apologetics links. Enjoy.
On The Dangers Of Fideism
Eyewitness Testimony Unreliable?
Apologetic Wednesday: Think
SALT Apologetic Conference 2013
The Atheistic Leap of Faith
11 Ways to be a Better Thinker in 2013
10 Reference Books for the Apologist
Free on Kindle: "Relational Apologetics"
Mammalian Ear Has "Extraordinary Features"
Richard Dawkins meets David Roberts (video)
Interview with Darrell Bock on Bible Contradictions
Alabama Baptists plan apologetics conference
"The Ambition" by Lee Strobel only 2.99 on Kindle
Why the Argument from Suboptimal Design Is Weak
12 Mistakes for Christmas (#9 Worshipping Your Shopping List)
Stepping Up to the Plate: The Call for Community Apologists
"The Making of an Atheist" by James Spiegel: 99 cents on Kindle
Frank Turek interviews Phil Fernandes on the Historical Jesus (MP3)
Five More Myths about Bible Translations and the Transmission of the Text
"Intelligent Design: The Most Credible Idea?" Stephen Meyer in Cambridge (video)
Why Should We Trust the Gospels When Eyewitness Testimony Is So Unreliable?
Tim McGrew replies to Babinski's Critique of Undesigned Coincidences
"Does God Exist?" Upcoming debate between William Lane Craig & Alex Rosenburg
I nominate this for book of the year 2013: "Cold-Case Christianity" by J. Warner Wallace

Apologetics 315 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Would you support us monthly?
• 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. Canada here. UK here.

• Would you like to help with interview transcriptionIf so, contact Ap315 here.

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For daily post links, please follow on Facebook.

Interview Transcript: David Instone-Brewer

The following transcript is from an Apologetics 315 interview with David Instone-Brewer. Original audio here. If you enjoy transcripts, please consider supporting, which makes this possible.


BA: Hello, this is Brian Auten of Apologetics 315. Today's interview is with David Instone-Brewer, Senior Research Fellow in Rabbinics and the New Testament at Tyndale House, Cambridge. He is a specialist in the area of early Rabbinic Judaism, and his latest book is entitled The Jesus Scandals which we'll be exploring a bit today. The purpose of this interview is to take a closer look at the historical Jesus through the lens of a first century context, explore some of the Jesus scandals, and see how these topics relate to Christian apologetics.

Thank you for joining me today, David.

DIB: Hi, great to be with you and everyone who's listening.

BA: Well can you first introduce yourself to our listeners, and tell us a bit about your background and what your current work is?

Thursday, January 03, 2013

Featured Resource: The Logic Classroom

Looking for resources for better thinking? Here at Apologetics 315 we have the Basic Logic Primer. But along with the primer we have a number of suggested followup resources. One new resource to add to the list of tools is The Logic Classroom. The Logic Classroom is a course in basic logic. Each study has review questions, exercises, and answers to the exercises. It's layout and design is simple, but the content is great. This resource provided by Dr. Elihu Carranza, author of Logic Primer.

Check out The Logic Classroom here.
Enjoy.

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Michael Licona on Bible Contradictions (MP3)

In this interview on Frank Turek's CrossExamined Radio program, New Testament scholar Michael Licona talks about new insights to apparent Bible contradictions. Licona examines a number of historical sources which shed light on the methods used by Biblical writers to record their accounts. An illuminating interview for those who have struggled to reconcile apparent contradictions in the Gospel accounts. More resources from Michael Licona at RisenJesus.com.

Full MP3 Audio here (45 min)
Enjoy.

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

Terminology Tuesday: Transcendence

Transcendence: That which is higher than or surpasses other things. What is transcendent is thus relative to what is transcended. God is conceived by traditional theologians as being transcendent with respect to the created universe, meaning that he is outside the universe and that no part of the universe is identical to him or part of him. To think of God as transcendent with respect to time is to conceive of him as timeless. Immanuel Kant believed that God was transcendent in the sense of being beyond the possibility of any human experience. Theologians have usually balanced an emphasis on God's transcendence with and emphasis on God's immanence within the created world as embodied in his knowledge of and action within the world.1

1. C.Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), p. 117.

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