Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Meta-Apologetics
Of late I've been putting a lot of my research efforts into meta-apologetics, that is, to thinking about the nature of apologetics, and I've been doing this in the context of on-going research into the nature of Christian Spirituality, Classical Rhetoric, and the Transcendental values of Truth, Goodness and Beauty; all of which has, I think, proven quite fruitful. I've given three talks on different aspects of this research which I'd like to highlight by presenting them here:
‘The Damaris Approach - How Paul in Athens Provides a Biblical Basis for Engaging with Popular Culture through Classical Rhetoric’ (43:00) 1st Sept 09
'Apologetics in 3D' (55:00) 24th Sep 09
'1 Peter 3:15 - Apologetics: What, Where, When, Who, How & Why?' (31:00) 23rd Nov 09
Recommended Resources on Apologetics
(Video) Frank Turek, ‘Do we need proof, or is faith enough?’
(Video) Gregory Koukl, ‘Apologetic Tactics’ Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3
(Video) John Lennox, ‘What is Apologetics?’
(Video) John Lennox, ‘Apologetics: An Intellectual Game?’
(Video) John Lennox, ‘Prepare to Defend Christianity’
(Video) John Lennox, ‘The Christian Use of the Mind’
(Video) Lee Strobel, ‘The Adventure of Apologetics’ Part One & Part Two
(Audio) William Lane Craig, ‘Advice to Christian Apologists’
(Audio) Lars Dahle, ‘Biblical Foundations and Models for Contemporary Apologetics’
(Audio) Peter May, ‘The Centrality of Persuasion in Authentic Evangelism’
(Audio) J.P. Moreland, Apologetics Seminar (into by Ronald Larson)
(Audio) Tom Price, ‘Persuasive Evangelism - Apologetics’
(Audio) Francis A. Schaeffer, ‘Apologetics’
(Paper) J. Daryl Charles, ‘Engaging the (Neo)Pagan Mind: Paul’s Encounter with Athenian Culture as a Model for Cultural Apologetics (Acts 17:16–34)’
(Paper) Norman L. Geisler, ‘The Need for Apologetics’
(Paper) Gregory Koukl, ‘Regarding Apologetics, An Apology’
(Paper) Peter May, ‘What is Apologetics?’
(Paper) J.P. Moreland, ‘Philosophical Apologetics, the Church, and Contemporary Culture’
(Papers) Thinking Matter’s Journal, Issue 1, January 2009 – Introducing Apologetics
(Book) Steven B. Cowan (ed.), Five Views on Apologetics (Zondervan, 2000)
(Book) Peter Kreeft & Ronald Tacelli, Handbook of Christian Apologetics (IVP, 1994), Chapter 1.
(Book) Alister McGrath, Bridge-Building: Communicating Christianity Effectively (IVP, 1992), Introduction.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
William Lane Craig defends the viability of Intelligent Design Theory in Biology
Christian philosopher, theologian and apologist William Lane Craig has participated in his first ever public debate on the topic of Intelligent Design Theory (cf. the official debate website here). Craig's noted debating partner was theistic evolutionist Francisco J. Ayala. The topic of debate was: Is Intelligent Design Viable?
You can watch Craig's opening speech on video @ http://winteryknight.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/video-of-william-lane-craigs-opening-speech-from-his-debate-on-id-with-ayala/
Listen to the full Ayala/Craig debate and Q&A time on MP3 Audio here
Craig (who endorses big bang cosmology and who says he is genuinely open to evidence for macro-evolution) stated that he is agnostic about the truth of a design inference from biology, but that he thinks such an inference is at least a viable hypothesis that should be given a place at the table, and that the attacks being made on the theory aren't sound.
Craig offers his view of how the debate went here
Interestingly, the debate and Q&A time was moderated by Bradley Monton, an atheist philosopher of science and the author of Seeking God in Science: An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design. In essence, Craig was arguing the same general thesis as Monton (although he is more positive than Monton about biology-based ID arguments), whilst being a theist rather than an atheist.
Monton has blogged on the debate here.
It's well worth reading Monton's book, and listening to his lecture defending ID:
Bradley Monton, 'An Atheist Philosopher Defends Intelligent Design - Lecture'
You can watch Craig's opening speech on video @ http://winteryknight.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/video-of-william-lane-craigs-opening-speech-from-his-debate-on-id-with-ayala/
Listen to the full Ayala/Craig debate and Q&A time on MP3 Audio here
Craig (who endorses big bang cosmology and who says he is genuinely open to evidence for macro-evolution) stated that he is agnostic about the truth of a design inference from biology, but that he thinks such an inference is at least a viable hypothesis that should be given a place at the table, and that the attacks being made on the theory aren't sound.
Craig offers his view of how the debate went here
Interestingly, the debate and Q&A time was moderated by Bradley Monton, an atheist philosopher of science and the author of Seeking God in Science: An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design. In essence, Craig was arguing the same general thesis as Monton (although he is more positive than Monton about biology-based ID arguments), whilst being a theist rather than an atheist.
Monton has blogged on the debate here.
It's well worth reading Monton's book, and listening to his lecture defending ID:
Bradley Monton, 'An Atheist Philosopher Defends Intelligent Design - Lecture'
