A criticism that is sometimes levelled against religious faith is that it is ‘a crutch’ for those who want comfort and who are unable to deal with death and other hardships in life. It argues that belief in God is simply a coping mechanism and that if people were able to deal with life without God they would not believe in him. This criticism and others like it are particularly … [Read more...]
Introduction to Incarnational Apologetics
There are a lot of ways to “do” apologetics, but from my perspective far too many of the books and educational programs focus on winning debates rather than winning souls for Christ. My friend Paula summarizes this concern well when she writes, My concern is that apologetics, which is by nature a rational sharing of information, has become for some an emotional tool of … [Read more...]
What Does Philosophy Have to do with Apologetics?
I’m in the process of getting a Master’s in Philosophy. Right now, I’m taking a class on thesis writing and we’re working through the process of choosing a topic. Since I attend a Christian University, most, if not all, of the students are Christian. The thesis, however, as my professor said, has to be “purely philosophical.” In this case, “purely philosophical” means that it … [Read more...]
Mature, gracious debater
Debates are inherently confrontational, right? The entire point is to make your opponent look like an idiot by puffing yourself up, isn't it? Debates certainly do serve a different purpose than run-of-the-mill conversations, but even within a debate setting it is certainly possible to engage in a reasoned and compelling defence of one's own perspective without denigrating one's … [Read more...]
Credentials or Competencies
Several years ago, I was invited to help train a set of agents for a call center. It would have been easy if not for the fact that the people we had to train thought in a different language (Visayan), and had to communicate in English to serve (American) English-speaking callers. It was quite a task, but we managed to get a good team working in around three months. My … [Read more...]
Art of Reason – those poor horses
This is my second attempt at an "art of reason" article. The hope is to help people think through the truth claims they are presented with. We get hundreds of them a day so this is an important skill to develop. I hope this is helpful; let me know. My wife and I enjoyed a nice getaway at a cabin in the woods. Around the property it is not uncommon to see wild animals, … [Read more...]
Becoming an Ambassador, part 2
In this post, I want to describe the second leg of the stool of evangelism, wisdom. As I indicated in the previous post, I learned these concepts from Stand To Reason’s model of a Christian ambassador. Regarding our knowledge Koukl suggests it “… must be deployed in a skillful way. There’s an element of wisdom, a tactical and artful diplomacy that makes his message … [Read more...]
The Scientific Method, Proof, and Skepticism
About a year ago I was having a conversation with a friend who told me that science had proven that God was not necessary for the universe to come into being. He concluded from that that God is not required to explain the existence of the universe, and he is justified in his belief that God does not exist. He claims that an honest look at the evidence will lead to this … [Read more...]
Defend Without Getting Defensive
Ever get uncomfortable listening to opposing views? Some believers get defensive and feel pressure to defend the entire Christian worldview when confronted with one objection to the faith! I’m suggesting we reduce this pressure by employing a modest goal and a simple strategy: Get the skeptic thinking by asking sincere, but strategic questions. … [Read more...]
Is Pro-Choice Really Pro-Life?
I am currently reading the book “True Reason” by Tom Gilson and others (the book's official website can be found here). This isn’t a traditional apologetics book per se. Rather, it is a collection of essays by authors responding to the new atheists’ cooption of the term “reason” to describe their worldview. The contributors are not so much concerned with making an affirmative … [Read more...]