March 1, 2015

Do We Need Arguments for God’s Existence?

By John Paine
Stargazing

Stargazing in the Tyrolean Alps. Photograph by Torsten Muehlbacher, National Geographic Your Shot

Poll results consistently show that approximately three-quarters of American adults believe in God, with some polls reporting more than 90 percent belief. Given such a strong majority, what is the value of studying arguments for the existence of God? Far fewer people believe that Jesus is the only way, or that the Resurrection was an actual, historical event. Why not concentrate on apologetic arguments targeted at religious pluralism or historical evidence for the Resurrection?

Simply this. There are powerful arguments for the existence of God, and the value of learning these arguments is not limited to being able to defend theism against the minority of adults who believe atheism is true. Studying these arguments can produce strong reinforcement of the Christian faith, and a much deeper appreciation for the nature, power, and character of God.

A more insightful question might be, “Why are there so many Christians who have never heard or considered the classical arguments for the existence of God?” Continue reading

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February 22, 2015

Personal Discipleship: Apologetic Reasoning

By John Paine
Week 4, Apologetic Reasoning

Click on the images inside this file to link to the online resources. (You may need to adjust your browser settings to allow the links to work, or open it in iBooks, or save it to your desktop and open it with Acrobat Reader.)

For those attending or following our personal discipleship class, here are the slides from this week’s session on apologetic reasoning.

The slides contain hyperlinks to videos and related material. In terms of resources, the most useful item might be the link to the 2015 Veracity’s Top 10 Scorers List. If you want a good grounding in apologetics, study these apologists, professors, theologians, philosophers, and authors.

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February 21, 2015

Veracity’s Top 10 Scorers, 2015 Edition

By John Paine

Veracity's Top Scorer Award

It’s time again for that most prized of all personal discipleship honors, Veracity’s Top 10 Scorer Awards. (I know, I know…I can hardly stand the excitement either!)

There are lots of great resources for personal discipleship on the web and in bookstores, but these are the sources Clarke and I cite most frequently, and for good reason. They are the players who consistently “put the puck in the net.” No skating around the issues—just on-target discipleship. We listen to their podcasts, read their books, watch their debates, and benefit greatly from their teaching and personal examples. We don’t agree with everything each of them says or believes, and they wouldn’t want us to. But we are blessed by having studied them. They are, in our opinion, among the most influential proponents of the Christian faith today.

This year’s list includes pastors, philosophers, professors, theologians, apologists, an astrophysicist, several world-class scholars, some exceptionally gifted teachers, and a cop. (As in the past there are more than 10 winners on our Top 10 Scorers list because they all deserve the award.) Continue reading

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February 19, 2015

Were the Crusaders Medieval Terrorists?

By Clarke Morledge

Beheadings. Torture. Kidnappings. Execution-style murders. Unspeakable acts of barbarism. Rape as a weapon of war.

Today’s headlines are filled with atrocities, many of them associated with radical Islam. For example, my initial reaction is that the masked faces behind ISIS are clearly the “bad guys”and people in the West are the “good guys.” And then something mind boggling like the execution-style murders of three Muslims in Chapel Hill, North Carolina happens. It can get really confusing.

Examples of violence in history across the religious spectrum are invoked by journalists and political leaders in order to give us perspective. For many, the actions associated with extreme Islamic jihad are comparable to the aggressive militancy of the Crusades waged by Western Europeans in the Middle East during the medieval era. Countless readers of history, both from Christian and Islamic backgrounds, accept the narrative made famous by 20th century medieval historian Sir Steven Runciman that the Crusades remain the classic example of unprovoked, religious intolerance and unbridled fanaticism.

So, is this a fair comparison? Did the offensive actions of those medieval Crusaders provoke modern day extreme Islamic jihad? Or were the Crusades primarily intended to be an act of defense against the juggernaut advance of militant Islam over the preceding centuries?

Let’s face it. History can get really complicated, particularly when talking about violence, especially religiously motivated violence. How do we sort these things out?

Thomas F. Madden is a professor of medieval history at Saint Louis University. He is one of the leading academic historians on the Crusades. Many of the things Madden talks about regarding common misunderstandings of the Crusades may surprise you. Madden gave the following talk before a Catholic audience (here is a summary of his main points):

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February 18, 2015

What is Lent?

By Clarke Morledge

I just came home from our church’s Ash Wednesday service, with some charcoal on my forehead, reminding me and others around me of our own mortality.

I know that many evangelical Christians do not celebrate Ash Wednesday, or the season of Lent, for that matter, because it is not directly taught within the Bible. I can understand that, but the unfortunate rumors that the season of Lent has pagan roots is without foundation. Instead, the practice of Lent is thoroughly grounded in a tradition begun in the early church, for which traditionally-minded liturgical churches continue to celebrate, along with a growing number of evangelical churches. So while the specific practice of Lent is not mentioned in the Bible, the concepts of repentance and self-examination as we prepare our hearts to meet the crucified and risen Christ celebrated on Easter Sunday are most definitely grounded in Scripture.

For more on the history of Ash Wednesday and Lent, see this Veracity posting from last year. Columbia Publishing House, an arm of the Missouri-Synod Lutheran Church, produced the following video, a short under-3-minute introduction to what Lent is all about:

HT: Gene Veith’s Cranach blog at Patheos.com

 

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