If you are a Christian and you are reading this blog, you probably have some degree of interest in apologetics. You may be getting your feet wet, getting your masters in apologetics, or somewhere in between. No matter where you are at in your study of apologetics, hopefully you find it incredibly rewarding and empowering to study the robust defense of the Christian faith. I … [Read more...]
You're only an atheist because you were raised in an atheist home.
Contributed by Matthew Clayton of Loving Christ with Your Mind. One time, if I remember correctly, for my brother's stagecraft class, he had an assignment to make a birdhouse and it seems as though one of the requirements was that it be painted. I believe he was busy (I don't know the situation's exact details) so he asked my sisters if they'd like to paint it. And, of course, … [Read more...]
The Apologist's Life of Worship
Introduction. Our family has had an interesting year filled with joys, frustrations, and wonderful moments of ministry. As one heavily entrenched with a passion to equip the body of Christ in the context of the defense of the faith, I have been reflecting upon the subject of worship in the life the apologist. What sparked this reflection is a church change that has … [Read more...]
Unbelievable radio interview – Mormonism (part 2)
I already blogged about part 1 of the interview between two Christians and a Mormon on the Unbelievable radio program. I had some thoughts about the second half of the interview. In my view part 2 went downhill from part 1. They continued to treat each other with great respect but Dayton (the Mormon) started sidestepping major issues, avoiding giving straight answers and so on. … [Read more...]
Friday Fallacy: Affirming the Consequent
In my last Friday Fallacy post, I looked at the fallacy of denying the antecedent. There I discussed conditional statements, statements of the form “if P then Q”. Examples would be statements such as “if it is raining then the grass will be wet” or “if the US had not shot Bin Laden then he would still be alive”. I noted that conditionals have an “antecedent” and a … [Read more...]
Unbelievable radio interview – Mormonism
I recently enjoyed part 1 of a two part radio interview hosted by Justin Brierley over at the Unbelievable podcast. Brierley contributed the least to the dialogue and mostly facilitated the conversation between his two guests, Bobby Gilpin of the UK Partnership for Christ and Charles Dayton, a lifelong Mormon. I enjoyed it for several reasons, all of which highlight many of the … [Read more...]
Achilles Heel: Internet Arguments
This clever picture really breaks down the state of affairs when it comes to arguing over the internet, especially when it comes to the arguments between Christians and Atheists. … [Read more...]
Fallacy Friday: Denying the Antecedent
This week I will look at the fallacy of denying the antecedent. Before I can elaborate exactly what is involved in this fallacy, it is important to introduce and analyse some valid arguments that are superficially similar. Modus Ponens One of the very first valid inferences one learns in logic is modus ponens. To use the well worn example that was repeated ad nauseam when I … [Read more...]
Apologetics: Fighting Last Year's Battles, Last Year's Way
I was privileged to lead the True Reason project earlier this year, which I undertook because I thought it would be good to show how weak New Atheist leaders are in reasoning, even as they try to feature it as their great strength. I think the book has probably done a lot of good. I hope so, anyway. But I am coming to see that it's a skirmish being fought on an old … [Read more...]
Equivocation, Semantic Range, and Scripture
I happened to be perusing the Internet recently (a very poor idea, I know) and came across the following meant-to-be-ridiculed scenario. “We are to fear God. We are to love God. There is no fear in love.” The idea is that the Bible is demanding a contradictory state of affairs, or something impossible to fulfill. This article shall demonstrate this is not a problem. The Bible … [Read more...]