Do you really believe what you say and think you believe, and how can you know? The answer may at first brush appear obvious -- "of course I believe what I say and think I do," you might say. If you didn't, after all, why would you be spending so much time engaged in the intellectual defense of it? This raises an interesting question: Can you believe that you believe something … [Read more...]
What Did the Disciples See?
Introduction When it comes to the Christian faith, there is no doctrine more important than the resurrection of Jesus. Biblical faith is not simply centered in ethical and religious teachings. Instead, it is founded on the person and work of Jesus. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, we as His followers are still dead in our sins (1Cor.15:7). Explanations try to … [Read more...]
Can You Argue Someone Into The Kingdom?
A while back I was listening to Greg Koukl's radio show "Stand to Reason," and a caller challenged the need for apologetics. His main concerns were that nobody could be "argued" into the Kingdom and that apologists were wasting their time with "hollow and deceptive philosophy" (Colossians 2:8). I have to agree that his first concern is valid, but I don't agree with the second … [Read more...]
Four Reasons You Should Attend the 2014 CrossExamined Instructor Academy
This past weekend I got to hang out with Frank Turek, a dear friend, co-laborer and mentor. Frank is the author of I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist, and he was here in our neck of the woods teaching several services at a large local church. Susie and I joined him afterward and we spent the better part of two days together. We ate some barbeque, ran through the local … [Read more...]
How Can You Trust Christianity Is True When There Are So Many Unanswered Questions?
As a Christian, I have many unanswered questions. The more I study the Christian worldview, the larger my list seems to grow. While essential truths are easier to identify from scripture, there are many non-essential (and more ambiguous) features of Christianity. The unfathomable aspects of God’s nature typically leave us in awe and without adequate explanation. To make matters … [Read more...]
What happens when we disagree? Wisdom from Nicholas Wolterstorff
Just over a year ago I discovered a philosopher who would come to be one of my favourite thinkers—Nicholas Wolterstorff. As I read his book Justice in Love I was struck by the sharp clarity and rigor of his thought. But what I’ve come to appreciate most about Nicholas Wolterstorff is the gracious manner in which he challenges the views of his opponents. He writes with a … [Read more...]
Book Review: The End of Apologetics
Myron Bradley Penner, The End of Apologetics: Christian Witness in a Postmodern Context (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013) (Follow this link to get the book in electronic format from Logos.) Full disclosure: I do not publicly label myself an “apologist.” However, in some ways that’s what I am just by virtue of many of the things that I do and say, and there are others who … [Read more...]
Forest for the Trees? Keeping apologetics grounded and apologetic method
The idiom 'forest for the trees' in American English is a phrase that means that one might get so caught up in the details that they miss the larger concept or the goal; they are looking at the trees so closely, they don't recognize the forest. This can be a danger in Christian apologetics; especially for us apologists! … [Read more...]
The Apologist and the Pastor
There seems to be a growing frustration on behalf of those trying to work apologetics into the fabric of local church life. Sometimes the frustration reflects a clash with leadership (“I told my pastor we needed more apologetics in church, and he got really hostile!”) Other times, it reflects a general mindset in the church (“I told my small group we should study apologetics, … [Read more...]
A Look at the Evidence for the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus
Introduction When it comes to the formation of the early Jesus movement, 1 Corinthians 15: 3-7 is a crucial element to the proclamation of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. In relation to early testimony, historian David Hacket Fisher says, “An historian must not merely provide good relevant evidence but the best relevant evidence. And the best relevant evidence, … [Read more...]