Coming Soon: The Revised Apologetics Study Bible for Students

The forthcoming revised Apologetics Study Bible for Students is for those who desire to always be "...ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you..." (1 Peter 3:15). General editor Sean McDowell explains:

"The student apologetics Bible first released in 2010 and has sold over 160,000 copies.  To be honest, this has blown away my expectations.  This shows the hunger for both relevant and practical resources that tackle the real questions students are asking.  On July 1 we are releasing an updated, expanded, and improved version.  Here are a few ways the update will be different from the first version:

1.Outdated articles have been removed or updated.
2. Individual authors went through each of their articles and improved them substantially.
3. There are 12 new articles on “hot” topics like tattoos, euthanasia, transgenderism, Islamic Jihad, religious freedom, singleness, race, and more.
4. Each of the special features (Bones & Dirt, Tactics, Twisted Scriptures, Stories, and Fast Facts) have been expanded with 5-10 more articles."1

Some of the articles within include:

• Why does God allow evil?
• If I can’t see God, how do I know He is real?
• Can God’s love be reconciled with the order to kill the Canaanites?
• Is it okay to pick and choose my religious beliefs and practices?
• What does the Bible say about homosexuality?
• If God made everything, why shouldn’t I smoke pot?

You can learn more about this excellent resource here.

Pre-order your copy here.

Free Live Stream: Daniel Wallace, Reliability of the Bible

How do you respond to the claim that there are 200,000-400,000 variants in the New Testament manuscripts, surely making it historically unreliable? There are more variants than words in the New Testament? Free Live Stream presentation from Purdue University by Dr. Daniel B. Wallace, "How Badly Has the Bible Been Corrupted?"  Feb 5, 7pm ET - Sign up for your group, church, ministry to watch. As Craig Blomberg has written, “Dan Wallace has clearly become evangelical Christianity’s premier active textual critic today.”  Sign up here.

Apologist Interview: Joel Furches

Today's interview is with Joel Furches, a Christian author in the area of Christian Apologetics, Philosophy, and Biblical Scholarship. He writes a Christian column for The Examiner and has done research and writing for Bible Translation Magazine, including contributing a chapter to a book on Biblical Criticism. He is author of Christ-Centred Apologetics: Sharing the Gospel with Evidence. He talks about how he got into apologetics, Ratio Christi chapters, his work as a writer, the themes in his book, defending the centrality of Christ, the cumulative case for Jesus and the Gospel, focusing on evangelism, the importance of hearing counter-arguments, tips for speaking with others, and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (52 min)

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

Apologist Interview: Dr. Jefrey Breshears

Today’s interview is with Dr. Jefrey Breshears, Christian historian, apologist,  the president of "The Areopagus” and author of An Introduction to Bibliology. He talks about his background and interest in history and apologetics, the problem of anti-intellectualism in the church (and what can be done about it), the systematic study of the bible (bibliology), an overview of An Introduction to Bibliology, bad arguments for the Bible, good arguments for the Bible, defending the inspiration of scripture, how we got the books that are in the Bible (the canon), the transmission of the Biblical texts, the significance of textual variants, answering skeptics regarding apparent contradictions, the most misunderstood issues about the Bible, and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (37 min)

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

Book Review: Questioning the Bible

The Bible's authority is constantly under attack in today's culture. It is important that Christians prepare themselves to address the challenges for their own faith and for overcoming intellectual challenges in their evangelistic efforts. Jonathan Morrow's new book Questioning the Bible: 11 Major Challenges to the Bible's Authority (Kindle and Paperback) aims to be an introductory resource for the Christian to rise to these challenges at an intellectual level.

The book's 234 pages are divided by the eleven challenges and appendices. Morrow also includes, at the end of each chapter, a three-point summary, questions to spur discussion, and a short list of resources for more in-depth research into the challenges and their resolutions. This review will provide a chapter-by-chapter summary and conclude with the reviewer's overall impression and recommendation.

Book Review: The Bible Among the Myths

It is quite common to hear or see people include the Bible as just another piece of ancient near east mythology that may be rejected as having no applicability to reality. John Oswalt decided to investigate this claim and address it directly in his book The Bible Among The Myths: Unique Revelation or Just Ancient Literature? (promo video). This book comes to me by recommendation of several people, and the introduction alone sparked great excitement to dig in quickly and deeply. This review will be a chapter-by-chapter summary and will include some of my concluding thoughts.

Part 1: The Bible and Myth
Chapter 1: The Bible In Its World
Oswalt begins by providing the historical context. He takes the reader quickly through Greek philosophy, which was based on the idea that something cannot be and not be at the same time (the law of non-contradiction). The Greek philosophers struggled (and lost) for acceptance of this radical idea in their culture. At roughly the same time the Hebrew idea of a single God, who created the universe, (an idea also unique among cultures of the time) was under attack in the mind of the very people who carried the tradition because of the rising military powers, which affirmed contradicting theologies, that eventually overtook the nature of Israel. However, this "set the stage" for Jesus Christ to come on the scene and bring these two culturally independent yet correct understandings of reality together into one consistent worldview that is now known as "Christianity." A single God, who created the universe, is the metaphysical foundation for the law of non-contradiction that his creation (and the rest of reality, for that matter) adheres to. The Christian worldview was necessary for logic and science to fully develop and fully function (seemingly) independently.

Book Review: The Bible Tells Me So by Peter Enns

Peter Enns is an apologist. His apologetics program went public in 2005 with the publication of Inspiration & Incarnation. In it he sought to defend against what he saw as an inadequate doctrine of inspiration in evangelicalism. At first, it was largely well received. Then it wasn’t well received. Then Enns lost his job.[1] This inspired Enns to further his apologetic pursuits more openly. In 2012 he published The Evolution of Adam, where he sought to remove evolution as an obstacle for Christian belief. I disagreed more with his method than his conclusions, but appreciated his honesty in addressing the topic.[2] Outside of these two books, the project has continued at various conferences and counterpoint exchanges.[3]

The Bible Tells Me So continues the apologetic subset of his writings. Whereas other works have been aimed at academics or at least a well-read laity, TBTMS is aimed at the mass public.[4] From the start, Enns paints his position as a via media between two extremes.

On the one hand are those who read the Bible as an “unerring rulebook,” a “heavenly instruction manual,” or “Truth downloaded from Heaven.”[5] For Enns, this position is untenable. He suggests that if Christians read early biblical stories as they do non-biblical literature, they would seem like folktales or something from the “Syfy channel.” Furthermore, he asks how someone, in our day, can condone Old Testament ritual laws of sacrifice? He even says that some laws are “just plain weird.”[6] He states that some biblical stories are “barbaric” and “hard to defend as the Word of God in civil adult conversation.”[7]

R. T. France on the Historicity of the Gospels

"At the level of their literary and historical character we have good reason to treat the gospels seriously as a source of information on the life and teaching of Jesus, and thus on the historical origins of Christianity. Ancient historians have sometimes commented that the degree of scepticism with which New Testament scholars approach their sources is far greater than would be thought justified in any other branch of ancient history. Indeed many ancient historians would count themselves fortunate to have four such responsible accounts, written within a generation or two of the events, and preserved in such a wealth of early manuscript evidence. . . . Beyond that point, the decision as to how far a scholar is willing to accept the record they offer is likely to be influenced more by his openness to a ‘supernaturalist’ world-view than by strictly historical considerations."

—R. T. France
“The Gospels as Historical Sources for Jesus, the Founder of Christianity,” Truth 1 (1985): 86. (link)

Book Review: Evangelical Faith and the Challenge of Historical Criticism

Reading this book review will be challenging–and possibly frustrating for some–because it addresses topics rarely addressed in evangelical circles. Although it does not appear as such, this is a work of apologetics. It aims to defend the results of historical criticism against evangelicals who fear its conclusions.

The book aims to challenge evangelical students, pastors and scholars to consider the implications of historical criticism for their faith. Throughout the volume, the various authors address major issues such as the historicity of Adam & Eve, the historical reliability of the Exodus tradition, pseudopigraphy in the Bible, revised prophecies and the historical Jesus. The chapters seek to address how best to engage and accept the outcomes of critical scholarship, and whether to actively pursue critical scholarship as evangelicals.

Apologist Interview: Amy Orr-Ewing

Today's interview is with Amy Orr-Ewing, Director of Programmes for the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (the OCCA) and UK Director for RZIM Zacharias Trust. She talks about her background and interest in apologetics, contemporary cultural challenges, common objections to the Bible, wrong ways to defend the Bible, helpful approaches to defending the Bible, manuscripts and translations, inerrancy, the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, advice to apologists, and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (39 min)

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

Craig Evans Interview Transcript

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

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BA: Hello, this is Brian Auten with Apologetics315. Today’s interview is with biblical scholar Professor Craig Evans. He is Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College, Acadia University, Nova Scotia. Professor Evans is author or editor of more than sixty books, and author of hundreds of articles and reviews. His area of expertise is Jesus and the Gospels, as well as New Testament manuscripts. Along with countless interviews on radio networks across Canada and the US, Evans has been seen on Dateline, NBC, CBC, CTV, Day of Discovery, and many documentaries aired on the BBC, the Discovery Channel, History Channel, History Television, and others. He’s also served as a consultant for the National Geographic Society. The purpose of this interview is to gain some insight from Professor Evans on the historical Jesus and the reliability of the Gospels. Well, thank you for joining me today Professor Evans.

CE: Oh, my pleasure, glad to be with you.

BA: Now Professor Evans, you have a resume that is quite extensive in the area of biblical scholarship. And looking at the historical Jesus, the Gospels, and the New Testament manuscripts. So you’ve done countless interviews and it’s certainly impressive work for which the Christian community is thankful for, so I want to thank you for your work in this area.

Book Review: Inerrancy and Worldview by Vern Poythress

The past few years have seen the rise of inerrancy—an issue that many thought was resolved come to the forefront of current theological debate, once again. Inerrancy is an important theological truth that while not directly tied to the Gospel itself nevertheless affects how one will ultimately understand issues directly related to the Gospel such as redemption, sin, justification among a host of other issues.  For this reason, the issue of inerrancy while not “of first importance” certainty ranks way up there on the priority of Christian doctrine.

It really shouldn’t surprise Christians that inerrancy is becoming an issue again at all—since the issue of inerrancy is directly tied to the question of who is authoritative: God or man. Theological liberalism has convinced many parts of Christianity today that inerrancy is unimportant because according to them the Bible is a book full of errors. The sad thing is when one looks at the churches of those who deny the inerrancy of the Scriptures it becomes readily apparent who is in “charge”—man and not God. Making much of man is not the church’s mission, but making much of Jesus and spreading His fame to the nations is the Church’s mission. This is exactly why the issue of inerrancy is so important because it deals definitively not just with whether the text of Scripture is with or without error but rather with the larger question of who is authoritative, God or man. This is also the reason why I was excited when I heard about Dr. Vern Poythress new book Inerrancy And Worldview: Answering Modern Challenges To The Bible, because in the past few years I’ve been spending more time studying the doctrine of inerrancy. Through my study, I have become increasingly convinced that this issue will be one of the biggest theological battles in our generation.

Why Trust the Gospels? Video by Peter J. Williams

Enjoy this video of Biblical Scholar Peter J. Williams on the topic: Why Trust the Gospels, brought to you by the Forum of Christian Leaders resource. More videos by Peter J. Williams here. Enjoy.

John Lennox on God and Reason

"…fictional gods may well be enemies of reason: the God of the Bible certainly is not. The very first of the biblical Ten Commandments contains the instruction to 'love the Lord your God with all your mind'. This should be enough to tell us that God is not to be regarded as an enemy of reason. After all, as Creator he is responsible for the very existence of the human mind; the biblical view is that human beings are the pinnacle of creation. They alone are created as rational beings in the image of God, capable of a relationship with God and given by him the capacity to understand the universe in which they live."

—John Lennox
Gunning for God (p. 28). Lion Hudson. Kindle Edition.

Book Review: The Bible Among the Myths by John Oswalt

Visit any forum where atheists and Christians are engaged in discussion and you will find non-believers claiming that Christianity is a myth and that Jesus is no more real than Zeus or Osiris. They will then offer a number of supposed similarities as evidence. However, as John N. Oswalt, distinguished professor of Old Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary, Kentucky, states in his The Bible Among the Myths, such a comparison stems from a lack of understanding about what constitutes a myth. While some people think it is simply a story that is false, Oswalt explains that it is a worldview with specific characteristics that stand in opposition to what the Bible tells us.

There was a time when the majority of people accepted God’s Word as true in what it related about people and events. Oswalt says the Ancient Near Eastern data hasn’t changed, but the way we explain and understand it has. In a society where naturalism reigns, people’s view of reality no longer includes the supernatural.  The Bible’s miracles cause it to be relegated to the category of myth.

10 Basic Facts About the NT Canon that Every Christian Should Memorize

New Testament scholar Michael J. Kruger has been working through a blog series entitled 10 Basic Facts About the New Testament Canon that Every Christian Should Memorize. Check out his book Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books for more. Hear the interview with Michael Kruger here.

1. The New Testament Books are the Earliest Christian Writings We Possess
2. Apocryphal Writings Are All Written in the Second Century or Later
3. The New Testament Books Are Unique Because They Are Apostolic Books
4.   Some NT Writers Quote Other NT Writers as Scripture
5.   The Four Gospels are Well Established by the End of the Second Century
6.   At the End of the 2nd Century, the Muratorian Fragment lists 22 of 27 NT Books
7.   Early Christians Often Used Non-Canonical Writings
8.   The NT Canon Was Not Decided at Nicea—Nor Any Other Church Council
9.   Christians Did Disagree about the Canonicity of Some NT Books
10.   Early Christians Believed that Canonical Books Were Self-Authenticating

Enjoy.

Biblical Training App Now Available

BiblicalTraining.org is one of the best online resources for great lecture series on theology, apologetics, and other discipleship resources. Now their app is available on the iTunes app store for iPhone/iPad. You can now access and listen to all the BiblicalTraining lectures on your mobile device. (If you don't have an Apple device, you can also use their mobile site.) For more about the app, go here.

Download the BiblicalTraining App here.

Enjoy.

The Gospel According to Bart Ehrman

A June 3rd article that appeared on Christianpost contained an interview with Dr. Bart Ehrman who is a noted author and professor of religion. Ehrman is most famous for his criticisms of the New Testament’s reliability, with various books he’s produced on the topic reaching the top of certain best seller lists.

The Christianpost interview focused on his skepticism of the New Testament, with very predictable results occurring in the reader comments that followed. Atheists and skeptics high-fived each other, reveling in the fact that they had a credible champion who fuels their hope that the Bible cannot be trusted, while some believers cast disparaging remarks at Ehrman saying he’s not worth listening to.

Both sides need to step back from their rhetoric.

Atheists who believe Bart fully sides with them may be surprised to learn what he does support on the topic of Jesus (and what that foundation points to). And Christians who call into question Ehrman’s intelligence or skill should understand that he is indeed a very smart and well-trained scholar who deserves respect.

An Analysis of Bart Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus: MP3 by Peter J. Williams

Here's a good listen: Peter J. Williams critiques Bart Ehrman's book Misquoting Jesus. If you are interested in New Testament studies, this MP3 audio will be worth your time. You'll hear more about Ehrman, the claims he makes, as well as a fine critique.

Enjoy.

Be sure to visit bethinking.org for other great resources.

(audio quality starts patchy, but clears up after the intro)

Daniel B. Wallace Interview Transcript

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

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BA: Hello. This is Brian Auten of Apologetics 315. Today, I’m speaking with Dr. Daniel B. Wallace, professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and an authority on Koine Greek grammar and New Testament textual criticism. He also influences students across the country through his textbook on intermediate Greek grammar, and it’s used in more than two-thirds of the nation’s schools that teach that subject. Dr. Wallace served as senior New Testament editor for the NET Bible and has founded The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (CSNTM). The purpose of the CSNTM is to preserve the Greek text of the New Testament by taking digital photographs of all extant Greek New Testament manuscripts and that is found at CSNTM.org.

The purpose of our interview today is to find out more about Dr. Wallace’s work, his debates with Bart Ehrman, the reliability of the New Testament, and his advice for Christian defenders. Thanks so much for joining me today, Dr. Wallace.

DW: Thank you. I’m glad to be on the show, Brian.