Here's an all-too-typical story from the front lines of Apologetics. I was once doing some evangelism with a friend on my college campus. We engaged a guy in conversation about God, and things quickly became heated. He was an international student, not at all Christian, and had a more or less pluralist view of religion. He had thought about it just enough that the conversation … [Read more...]
Fallacy Friday: Tu Quoque (But you did it too!)
Last week I looked at the Straw Man Fallacy, today I want to explore the tu quoque fallacy. In Latin tu quoque (too kwo-kwee) means “you too”; in fact, the phrase “you did it too” is a good, succinct account of this fallacy. A tu quoque occurs when one rebuts a particular criticism of one’s own position by showing one’s opponent’s position is subject to the same criticism; … [Read more...]
The Speeches in Acts: Are They Authentic?
Much of the book of Acts -- about 50% -- is comprised of speeches, discourses and letters. Among them, a total of eight speeches are given by Peter; a total of nine speeches delivered by Paul; there is Stephen's famous address before the Sanhedrin (Acts 7:2-53); a brief address at the Jerusalem Council by James (Acts 15:13-21); the advice given to Paul by James and the … [Read more...]
Rejecting Claims Because They Have Inconvenient Implications
Often people reason as follows: (1) If claim C is true, X is the case. (2) I find X difficult, inconvenient, repulsive, or undesirable in some other way. (3) (So) claim C is false. Of course, this isn’t a valid argument. It’s missing a premise: (4) If I find X difficult, inconvenient, repulsive, or undesirable in some other way, X is not the case. Premise … [Read more...]
But… you're so reasonable!
This is an absolutely priceless story submitted by a reader. Names and details have been deliberately altered / removed, but it is not difficult to imagine a conversation like this taking place at just about any College or University in any Western nation. What may be difficult to image is the conversation turning out as well as it did. … [Read more...]
Fallacy Friday: The Straw Man
In my last Fallacy Friday I covered the The Genetic Fallacy, the error of arguing that an idea is false on the basis of where it originated from. Today I want to look at what’s known as the “straw man” fallacy. Origins of the Name This fallacy takes its name from a practice common in the middle ages. A knight would practice jousting by putting a straw man on a horse and … [Read more...]
Why Every Christian Must Practice Epistemic Humility
There are three primary categories for virtue the Christian/theist will affirm. The first are the transcendental virtues: truth, beauty, and goodness. The second set is the theological virtues: faith, hope, and love/charity. Then there are the four cardinal virtues: prudence, courage, patience, and justice. It’s my belief that every Christian must practice epistemic … [Read more...]
Tactics by Greg Koukl: A Book Review
Want more friends? Better conversations? Frequent, life-changing spiritual encounters? But wait, there’s more! What if you could also avoid dead-end discussions, pointless arguments, and go-nowhere debates? Then you should be interested in Tactics, a book by Greg Koukl, the president of Stand to Reason Ministries. The fact is that many Christians feel intimidated by … [Read more...]
Fallacy Friday: The Genetic Fallacy
A fallacy related to the one we looked at last week (the Ad Hominem fallacy) is the genetic fallacy. One commits the genetic fallacy if one argues that a proposition is false on the basis of where the idea originated from. Like the ad hominem, this fallacy invokes a kind of psychological transference where one transfers one’s disapproval of the source of an idea to the content … [Read more...]
Who is the Angel of the Lord?
Throughout the Old Testament, we routinely encounter the mysterious character who goes by the title "The angel of the Lord." By looking at the numerous appearances of this individual, we can piece together clues as to His identity. The first time the angel of the Lord is introduced, he makes an appearance to Hagar, the servant of Abraham's wife Sarai. In Genesis 16:7-13, we … [Read more...]