Have you ever heard anyone say something like, “Love is a commitment of the will?” Here’s an 11-minute Reasonable Faith audio from William Lane Craig and Kevin Harris that demonstrates the value of checking our theology.
Love is a commitment of the will. But if that’s all love is we had better work on our understanding of the character and nature of God. It’s really, really important to get this straight.
And for the record, not that I would want to argue with William Lane Craig, but I don’t think Calvinists have the corner on this issue by any means.
“Our greatest ability is our availability.”
Dick Woodward, Marketplace Disciples, pg. 324
Have you ever considered how much time it takes to reach unbelieving people for Jesus Christ?
William Lane Craig Interview
William Lane Craig recently did an interview on Fox News to promote his latest book, A Reasonable Response: Answers to Tough Questions on God, Christianity, and the Bible. In a few minutes, he made an articulate and defensible case for believing in God and for the Christian faith. What strikes me most about the interview is how well prepared Dr. Craig is to engage thinkers—there are forty-five years of intense study behind his eight-minute interview.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for going out there and laying it on the line like Billy Graham or D.L. Moody. Let the Holy Spirit work. Preach the Word! Absolutely.
But frankly there are many times when apologetics can open doors to the Christian faith that might otherwise be closed. If I’m going to have my faith challenged—or even mocked—by a non-believer, responding with logic and reason carries more sway than quoting Scripture. I’m not counting on my intellect to get me through; I’m just saying it may be wiser to prepare the soil, sow the seeds, and water the crop before calling for the harvest. Jesus intended that we should ‘sow’ when He gave us the Great Commission. When He said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, He meant for us to work at renewing our minds.
So why don’t more people appreciate apologetics as a tool for sharing their faith? Apologetics takes a lotof time. We don’t hear much in the way of apologetics from our pulpits. It’s more of a personal discipleship sort of thing. Truth be told, most people don’t even know what apologetics is. So what is apologetics, really, and why should we care? Continue reading
Whale Shark at the Georgia Aquarium (photo credit: Zac Wolf)
During a family visit to the Georgia Aquarium last weekend, for no particular reason I started wondering if they might have a clown triggerfish on the premises. Clown triggerfish are part jaguar, part piranha, and part Peter Max—among the most colorful and striking of all animals.
Eventually I asked a docent in the Tropical Diver exhibit if there were any triggerfish around (leaving off the word ‘clown’ so as not to appear star-crossed with only the most beautiful fish). He was very knowledgeable—probably a professor or teacher of marine biology just gazing at beautiful fish and waiting for someone to ask a question. He led me around the exhibit, describing the three triggerfish they had (no clowns), where they normally hang out, their swimming patterns, and a whole host of interesting fish facts. He said there was a triggerfish in the surf above our heads (go figure), and if we were patient the fish would eventually come into full view. It did, he spotted it, and let me know right away so I could get a couple of pictures. Then he said, “The evolution of their tails is really quite interesting.” Continue reading
The resurrection of Jesus is the basis for the Christian faith. No resurrection, no Christian faith—it’s that simple according to the Apostle Paul, who wrote half the New Testament. But how well does the resurrection stand up to historical scrutiny?
The Gospel accounts of Jesus’ burial and resurrection are found in:
Here’s a presentation on the historical reliability of these accounts by Dr. William Lane Craig, in which he uses analytic philosophy to get at the truth of the resurrection. If this sounds a bit intellectually over the top, check out our recent Apologetics 101 post where he explains the process—using logic, clear definition, and the careful enunciation of arguments, with an emphasis on the derivations of conclusions from premises. It’s a lengthy video, packed full of sound reasoning, and well worth the time it takes to watch.
Backstory
So how did William Lane Craig, one of the greatest deep thinkers of our time, come to faith in Christ? It must have been in response to the writings of someone like C.S. Lewis or Søren Kierkegaard, right? Maybe he read classical theologians like Augustine of Hippo, or reformists like Martin Luther, John Calvin, or Thomas Aquinas? Or maybe he read the Bible and found some special truth that appealed to his intellect?
Here’s Dr. Craig’s surprising answer (you just can’t make this stuff up).
He was “hit like a ton of bricks” by an annoyingly happy girl named Sandy. Go figure.
Here’s an interview with Dr. William Lane Craig in which he answers basic questions about the importance of Christian apologetics, the resurrection of Jesus, the problem of evil, and the lack of atheistic explanatory models. He also gives some practical advice for those interested in apologetics.
Veracity 