Are you fit to lead the flock? Imagine you live in the first century and you’re a shepherd. You are leading your flock to the water when lo and behold, you notice a wolf is coming. Being the good shepherd, you approach the wolf and say, … [Read more...]
Fallacy Friday: Assessing Arguments
In last week’s post, Fallacy Friday: What is an Argument?, we established that an argumentis a set of reasons (or premises) offered in support of a conclusion. We noted that arguments always have two components: premises and conclusions. We also observed that premises sometimes can be implicit or unstated. Of course knowing what an argument is, in and of itself, does not help … [Read more...]
Theism and the Causal Principle: A response to DasAmericanAtheist
For whatever reason, the following YouTube video caught my attention annoyance. Perhaps it is because this person is speaking so close to his webcam that his face nearly fills out the entire screen forcing the viewer to constantly gaze upon his John Travoltesque chin and/or that being so close to the camera gives the feeling that he is literally in-your-face to go along with … [Read more...]
Conundrum: You want to get into apologetics but don’t have a degree – pt2
This is part two of my series on helping out the GED Apologist. For the first post, click here. 6. Enroll in certificate programs This is probably one of the best things an aspiring Apologist can do and I can personally testify as to how much I've benefited from going this route. I've either completed these programs, currently working on them, or will most likely do them in … [Read more...]
Apologetics Misunderstood: It Is All About Evangelism (Part One)
By Rick Schenker, President of Ratio Christi Recently a minister asked me how Ratio Christi was different from other college ministries. I explained that we focused on apologetics—equipping students and faculty with the philosophical, historical, and scientific evidence for why Christianity is true. His next statement shocked me. He said, “So you are not focused on evangelism … [Read more...]
“See to it that No One Takes You Captive through Philosophy”
What ought Christians do with philosophy? Isn’t this contrary to theology and explicitly warned of in the Bible? This is particularly poignant in the letter to the Colossians 2.8. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementry principles of the world, rather than according to … [Read more...]
Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt: The Passover as a Foreshadow of Christ
Previously, I posted a blog entry on the Abraham affair as a foreshadow — a prototype — of the Gospel. As with most of the arguments for Christianity, the evidence from Old Testament foreshadows and prophecies is most compelling when taken as a cumulative argument. In other words, it becomes most convincing when many different examples are considered together. In this blog … [Read more...]
Conundrum: You want to get into apologetics but don't have a degree – pt1
When I became a Christian, I was immediately drawn to apologetics. Apologists are all wired a certain way, and I'm definitely wired in a way which causes me to dig deeper for answers to questions, especially those related to Christianity. I have plenty of questions which come from my own proclivity to doubt, plus there are questions from other Christians, questions from … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Reason for God by Tim Keller
The Reason for God, by Tim Keller, is an outstanding response to the biggest questions of our day. Tim Keller is the highly regarded pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, a church with weekly attendance around 5,000. Redeemer has planted dozens of other churches and is generally considered to be one of the most influential churches in America. From the first … [Read more...]
Fallacy Friday: What Is an Argument?
When I was doing my PhD at the University of Otago, Madeleine and I would try to save up for a “date night” once a fortnight. Often we would go to the movies. On more than one occasion we would stand in the theatre and look at various options. Madeleine would suggest we see one movie and give some reasons, I would suggest another. After a few minutes we would settle on a movie … [Read more...]