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...]
Public Apologetics Part 1: Introvert Edition
Over the past few years I’ve noticed that many Christians have a certain sense of performance anxiety from hearing a few too many conversion stories and personal testimonies. Should I have led X number of people to Christ by now? Christians who have been studying apologetics are often particularly gripped by anxiety: shouldn’t I be Doing Something Important to Save Souls with … [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...]
Dialogue with a gay activist
The dialogue recorded at this link is a fabulous example of doing many things right in a conversation with somebody you disagree with. Peter Kreeft was taking a class that was being taught by a homosexual activist. Kreeft hoped to chat with his professor (whom he calls "Art") about his views, striving to open and clarify their respective views on the subject. Kreeft is right to … [Read more...]
Why I Raise My Children With God
CNN’s iReport recently carried a blog post entitled “Why I Raise My Children Without God” (which CNN says is the 2nd highest viewed post ever on their iReport site) by an atheist Texas blogger named TXBlue08. Her blog site, “Kids Without Religion,” is all about “raising kids as independent, logical thinkers”. In her post, she put forth seven reasons why she’s decided to bring … [Read more...]
The Problem of Blind Faith
In talking with skeptical students around Boston, I have learned that few things drive them as crazy as Christians with a blind faith. They are perplexed: "How can your core convictions be completely divorced from reason and logic?" Three examples, just from the past year, illustrate the problem: … [Read more...]
Do we need to teach apologetics in church?
By Brad Cooper. "Do we need to teach apologetics in the church?" Asking this question is like asking: *Do we need to obey the commands of Scripture? *Are we obligated to follow the example of Christ? *Should we follow the example of the apostles and other New Testament leaders? *Do we need the Bible? If we are Christians, the obvious answer to all of these is an emphatic … [Read more...]