Apologetics

A (Not So) Short Defense of Christianity: A master Christian apologist gives an overview of the basic apologetic issues that Christians need to be able to defend: evidence for God's existence, the reliability of the Biblical documents, and the person of Jesus Christ.
Articles, Books, and Reviews (Origins Research) Dennis Wagner, Gregg Wilkerson: Origins Research 10:1 reviews Teaching Science in a Climate of Controversy, Creation's Tiny Mystery, and other writings.
A Baptism of Imagination: A Conversation with Peter Kreeft Ellen Haroutunian: The Boston College prof is well-known in academic circles for his intriguing studies on the philosophies of Blaise Pascal and Thomas Aquinas. But he is best known among evangelicals for his work in apologetics, using imaginative, dramatic dialogues between personalities as diverse as John F. Kennedy, Aldous Huxley, and C.S. Lewis to illustrate differing worldviews. In this interview, you'll meet the lively Catholic mind behind a forthcoming novel on "fat Jewish-mother substitutes [speaking] on the post-abortion trauma of Orthodox Jewish girlfriends of philosophical Muslim surfers in Boston in 1978."
Blaise Pascal: An Apologist for Our Times Rick Wade: Rick Wade examines the contemporary relevance of the apologetics of Blaise Pascal, a seventeenth century mathematician, scientist, inventor, and Christian apologist.
The California Science Framework: How Firm a Foundation? Mark Hartwig: Editorial on the 1989 California Science Framework and its shortcomings.
Calling, Postmodernism, and Chastened Liberals: A Conversation with Os Guinness Kirk and Heather Webb: Apologist and cultural analyst Os Guinness is a modern-day renaissance man-author of eleven books, creative force behind the Trinity Forum (a sort of Christian Aspen Institute), and interpreter of the intellectual signs of the times. So, why is he talking about spiritual gifts? In this issue?s Mars Hill Interview, Kirk and Heather Webb tap the mind of the formidable thinker for his views on direction, purpose, and fulfillment-all wrapped up in the simple word calling.
Christian Apologetics Dr. Otto J. Helweg: Dr. Otto Helweg, Dean of the College of Engineering and Architecture at North Dakota State University, provides a number of papers regarding Christian Apologetics.
Commentary on the Patterson/Walters Exchange Robert A. Gange: Dr. Robert A. Gange addresses some of the points made by Dr. John W. Patterson in the Thermodynamics debate in Origins Research 9:2.
Confident Belief: What Does It Mean to Know Truth? Rick Wade: This article addresses the demands and limitations placed on Christian beliefs by modernism and postmodernism. We can know truth, but we don't need mathematical certainty. Contents included: Religious Knowledge Today, Modernism, Postmodernism, Too Much and Not Enough, Confident Belief Without Absolute Certainty.
A Conversation with an Atheist: Rick Wade distills an in-depth e-mail "conversation" with an atheist in which he addresses her doubts and arguments concerning the existence of God.
Cosmology Confronts the Creator Hugh Ross: Hugh Ross investigates the twentieth century's scientific struggle to come to grips with cosmological evidence for a designed universe.
Defending Darwinism: How Far is Too Far? Mark Hartwig: Essay on Scientific American's firing of veteran science writer Forrest Mims because he didn't believe in Darwin's theory of evolution.
Dialogue on Censorship Chris Foreman, Paul Ricci: Paul Ricci responds to Chris Foreman's letter to Omni magazine (printed in OR 10:1). Foreman's response is included.
Does God Exist? A Debate between William Lane Craig and Quentin Smith: The transcript of a 1996 debate between emminent Christian theist philosopher Dr. William Lane Craig and prolific atheist Dr. Quentin Smith on the topic, "Does God Exist?" The debate was held at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, in March, 1996. Drs. Craig and Smith collaborated on a book, "Theism, Atheism and Big Bang Cosmology."
Does God Exist? A Debate between Dr. William Lane Craig and Dr. Massimo Pigliucci: In 1995, Dr. Massimo Pigliucci and Dr. William Lane Craig debated on the campus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. These scholars discussed "Does God Exist?" This is the transcript of that debate.
Dr. William Lane Craig Resources: Recommended books and tapes from Dr. William Lane Craig.
Editor's Column Art Battson: Making a guest appearance, Art Battson lends his unique insight to this issue's (Origins Research 15:1) issues and other controversial topics.
Editor's Column Access Research Network: Overview of Origins Research 10:2 featuring Hugh Ross's cosmology article and the continuing dialogue over Chris Foreman's censorship letter to Omni magazine.
Evangelism Toolbox: Visit the Evangelism Toolbox for some of the world's best evangelistic resources from many groups, in many languages, and in many formats.
Evidence For God's Existence Sue Bohlin: Sue Bohlin examines some of the evidence for God's existence including His fingerprints in creation, inspired writings about Him in the Bible, and God in the flesh, Jesus Christ.
The Frying Pan Never Looked So Good (Editorial) Mark Hartwig: Mark Hartwig provides an overview on Origins Research 10:1 and it theme topic: Thermodynamics.
The Hipness Unto Death: Soren Kierkegaard and David Letterman-Ironic Apologists to Generation X Mark C. Miller: Denmark in the mid-1800s and late twentieth-century America might appear to have little in common. But the two cultures share common influences-and perhaps a common future. In this essay, the author points out how the eighteenth-century philosopher Kierkegaard, a man ahead of his time in the truest sense, may be the contemporary church's best model for reaching Generation X.
The Historical Christ: A Response to 'From Jesus to Christ' Rick Wade: Rick Wade examines the recent PBS special 'From Jesus to Christ' in terms of the three historical 'quests' for Jesus. He begins by focusing on the theological presuppositions of those who deny the supernatural and instead search for the 'historical Jesus.' He examines the development of these views from Davis Strauss, to Rudolf Bultmann, to the Jesus Seminar and the work of Dominic Crosson. Drawing from the work of Craig Blomberg of Denver Seminar, the author ably presents arguments for the early dating of the Synoptic Gospels and the historical accuracy and authenticity of their authors. Finally, he demonstrates that the differences in the synoptic accounts can be reconciled without resorting to questioning their historicity. The conclusion is that the Christ of faith IS indeed the Jesus of history.
How Long an Evening and a Morning Dr. Otto J. Helweg: The spiritual and historical context in which God communicated the creation account deserves greater attention than I have seen most commentators give.
How Now Shall We Live? [Book Review] What Went Wrong - And How to Fix It: Human Events review of Nancy Pearcey and Charles Colson's book "How Now Shall We Live?"
Is There Meaning in Evil and Suffering? A Discussion Forum with Dr. Ravi Zacharias, Dr. William Lane Craig, Dr. Bernard Leikind, and Dr. Jitendra Mohanty: On February 11, 1999, Drs. Ravi Zacharias, William Lane Craig, Bernard Leikind, and Jitendra Mohanty, explored the question, "Is there meaning in evil and suffering?" Visit the online RealMedia archive to hear this forum again.
Justin Martyr Defender for the Church: The 2nd century apologist, Justin Martyr, provides encouragement for us as we consider how to make a defense in our post-Christian and religiously pluralistic society.
Kerugmatic Hints for Christian Academicians Dr. Otto J. Helweg: For the non-professional theologians, "kerugmatic" is the adjectival form of "kerugma" the transliteration of the Greek word, which means "proclamation." Had I wished to be less pedantic, I would merely said "Hints to witnessing for Professors." I offer four areas which I believe all Christian professors can apply if they desire to be a witness on their campus.
A Look Back at Ten Years Dennis Wagner: In marking the 10-year Anniversary of Students for Origins Research, Dennis Wagner takes a look at the past and offers some thoughts for the future (Spring 1997).
The Need to Read Francis Schaeffer Todd Kappelman: In this installment in the "Need to Read" series, Todd Kappelman promotes the work of Francis Schaeffer, one of the most respected and recognized Christian authors of this century.
The New Testament: Can I Trust It? Rusty and Linda Wright: "How can any well-educated person believe the New Testament? It was written so long after the events it records that we can't possibly trust it as historically reliable." This is a common question on the university campus and deserves on honest answer. This paper explores this issue.
News and Views Paul Nelson: Reviews from Origins Research 13:1, including Michael Anderson's "Fleshing out the Past: Reconstructing Fossil Faces" and Michael Behe's "Histone deletion mutants challenge the molecular clock hypothesis." (pdf file)
News, Views, and Reviews Access Research Network: Origins Research 10:2 reviews of Quasars, Redshifts and Controversies, The Ancestry of Vertebrates, Cosmic Joy and Local Pain, and other writings.
No Relevance to the Origin of Life Walter L. Bradley: Dr. Walter L. Bradley addresses some of the arguments raised by Dr. John W. Patterson ("Thermodynamics and the supernatural") and Francis Arduini, as well as some concerns raised by other OR writers.
A Note to Teachers Mark Hartwig, Steve Meyer: This article is a reprint of the appendix to the Second Edition of Of Pandas and People by Davis and Kenyon. The article notes that controversy has its benefits and offer teachers convincing justifications for teaching alternatives to Darwinian theory.
A Possible Perfect World: Examining the Anti-theistic Argument Based On the Problem of Evil John Gay: "I do not believe in a God because there is so much evil and suffering in the world." This is an argument we commonly hear. The existence of evil and suffering, it is believed, refute the possibility of God's existence.
Probe Answers Our E-Mail: Unknown Jesus: Answers the question, 'Evidence that Jesus Didn't Become the Christ Till Centuries Later?'
Professional Ethics without Religion Dr. Otto J. Helweg: It seems that writers on professional ethics attempt to dissociate ethics from religion. There are philosophical reasons why this is not only bad strategy but fundamentally flawed logically. If each individual does not have an existential reason for being ethical, all the codes in the world cannot produce ethical behavior. This paper argues that a theistic presupposition is a sufficient, if not necessary, condition to supply the existential motivation. Moreover, professional societies should encourage rather than discourage their members to integrate their theological inclinations with the appropriate ethical codes. Though the principles are generally applicable, the paper is written from the perspective of an engineer.
The Project of Apologetics Michael Murray: Apologetics is the defense of the Christian faith. It is of the utmost importance that we identify exactly what it is that a "defense of the Christian faith" is supposed to do. Is it supposed to present us with arguments that will bring all non-Christians to their intellectual knees? Is is supposed to show without question that the Christian world view is more compelling than any other world view? This paper answers these questions.
Quien se Quido con el Cuerpo Rusty Wright: ?A quien le importa? ?Que diferencia hay si Jesus resucito de los muertos? Esto hace toda la diferencia del mundo. Si Cristo no hubiera resucitado, entonces miles de cristianos han vivido y muerto por una mentira. Si, de todos modos, El resucito, entonces El vive todavia y puede actuar ahora para poner orden en nuestro caotico mundo. Los hechos hablan mas fuerte que las opiniones. Echemos una mirada a algunas evidencias historicas de la resurreccion y veamos adonde los hechos nos guian.
The Relevance of Christianity: An Apologetic Rick Wade: Rick Wade develops and defends the relevancy of Christianity, encouraging believers to find points of contact with an unbelieving world.
Response to Gould Phillip Johnson: Phillip Johnson responds to Stephen Jay Gould's scathing 1992 review of Johnson's book, "Darwin on Trial" published in Scientific American.
The Resurrection: Fact or Fiction? Pat Zukeran: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most important event in history and the one essential cornerstone for the Christian faith to be true. This essay examines the historical evidence for the Resurrection and demonstrates why five common explanations for it are not valid.
The Role of Natural Selection on Macroevolution Theory Art Battson, J. Richard Wakefield: Continuing dialogue between J. Richard Wakefield and Arthur LaGrange Battson III, originally begun with Battson?s article, "The Paradox of Natural Selection" which appeared in Origins Research 9:2, Fall/Winter 1986.
Science, Censorship, and Omni Magazine Christopher Foreman: An open letter to Omni Magazine received from one of ARN's readers, Dr. Chris Foreman. We printed this letter because it expressed well the spirit of SOR's (Students of Origins Research) position. The dialogue started by this letter is continued in OR 10:2.
Scientific Facts and Christian Faith: How Are They Compatible? Dr. Otto J. Helweg: One would think the unnecessary battle between science and Christianity had long ago been resolved; however, recent statements by both scientists and theologians belie that thought.
The Secular and Sacred; Friends or Foes? Dr. Otto J. Helweg: Since the beginning of the Church, Christians have been struggling with the problem of how to be in the world but not of the world. On the one hand are those who segregate the secular from the sacred and live in two worlds. On the other hand are those who attempt to integrate the two by allowing one to dominate the other. How does one handle the competing demands of one's faith and ones profession?
Six Enemies Of Apologetic Engagement Douglas Groothuis: This paper briefly identifies six factors that illegitimately inhibit apologetic engagement today. If these barriers are removed, our apologetic witness may grow into what it should be in Christ.
Stasis Considered Michael Thomas: Thomas, a Ph.D. with a long-standing interest in origins issues, outlines the discontinuities between basic cell types.
The Status of Evolution as a Scientific Theory Robert Newman, John Bloom, Perry Phillips, John Studenroth: An investigation of the scientific basis of evolutionary theory, featuring discussions on Darwinian mechanisms and Descent through common ancestry.
A Theodicy Brad Johnson: The author examines the classical understanding theodicy, with emphasis on the relationship between the defender and that which is defended. He examines the Logical and Evidental Problems of Evil, as well as the classical resolutions to such problems. He posits the problem of evil as an existential "pastoral" problem whose answer lies in faith in the person and work of Christ.
Thermodynamics and the Supernatural John W. Patterson: Dr. John W. Patterson comments on Tracy Walters? replies in the thermodynamics debate in Origins Research 9:2.
Truly a Wonderful Life Kurt P. Wise: Review of Stephen Jay Gould's book, Wonderful Life, by a former student.
The Trustworthiness of Scripture in Areas Relating to Natural Science Walter L. Bradley and Roger Olsen: In this paper we would like to focus on the interpretation of the Hebrew words "yom" and "bara/asah" as they are used in the early chapters of Genesis to describe the time frame and mechanism of creation. A careful examination of both biblical and scientific data will be summarized. A critique of the current models based on this data will be made leading to our summary of how at present we think one may best harmonize all of the available information.
Walters Replies to Patterson Tracy Walters: Tracy Walters? response to Dr. John W. Patterson?s views on the Thermodynamics debate in Origins Research 9:2.
What Do I Say Now? Responding to the Slogans of Critics Rick Wade: Rick Wade exposes the thinking behind cliched objections to Christianity with a view toward encouraging believers not to fear these prefabricated phrases.
What Life is All About: The Triad Professor William Lively: This website is external to Leadership University. It explores what life is all about: Be Good for People, Do Not Be Deceived, Use Your Mind to the Best Possible Extent. These three issues seem like reasonable goals, but what does it mean "to be good for people"? What are the basic personal problems that cause us the most difficulty in our life? They are intimately associated with interpersonal relationships. If you know the answer, you can reason through the above Triad and see additional problems we face. Let's examine these problems more in depth.
What are the Obligations of Professors to Reveal their Personal Philosophies of Life to Students? Dr. Otto J. Helweg: A professor has a privileged position and influences students in ways of which most professors are unaware. With this position comes an obligation to not abuse the power to influence, but is there not also an obligation to reveal ones personal philosophy to life?
What's in the Fridge? Access Research Network: Testimony of French geneticist Jerome LeJeune in the Tennessee "Frozen Embryo" case.
The Whole Question of Metaphysics Paul Nelson: Paul Nelson delivers his report on the AAAS 1993 Boston meeting discussing "The New Anti-Evolutionism" and Professor Michael Ruse's surprising remarks.
William Lane Craig Speaking Schedule Speaking Engagements: See if Dr. William Lane Craig, Research Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, will be speaking in your area.