Aaron and I talk about the books that have been most influential to us. This discussion brought up issues of suffering and being authentic with God, Christian's responsibility in changing culture, apologetics, and personal struggles. We gave some thoughts on C.S. Lewis and Timothy Keller as well.
Listen to the episode here.
Books mentioned in the episode
To Change the World by James Davison Hunter
The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
A Sacred Sorrow by Michael Card
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Saturday, July 7, 2018
The AK47 Podcast Season 1: Episode 9
Aaron and I are back together to record. We talk about our experiences studying philosophy in university and graduate school. What were our universities like? What is Talbot like? Should you do it? What are the benefits and risks of getting a formal education in philosophy? Will Christian students in secular colleges encounter hostile professors if they take philosophy? Will Biola and Talbot make you cry? Check it out.
Listen to the podcast here.
Listen to the podcast here.
Monday, June 25, 2018
Apologist Recommendation: Neil Shenvi
In this series, I will recommend certain scholars and apologists to our readers and listeners. These are people that I believe are worth listening to because they are informed and give good arguments and insights into the subjects that they study, which helps intellectually equip Christians so that they can grow in their own faith and their outreach towards non-Christians. I am not claiming that these scholars and apologists have everything correct, but I think they are intellectual powerhouses that we can learn much from.
Neil Shenvi
Neil Shenvi has his Ph.D in theoretical chemistry from UC-Berkeley and was a research scientist at Yale and Duke University before becoming a homeschooler for his kids. When we look at most of the scientifically trained critics of Christianity like Dawkins, Krauss, Stenger, and others, Christians often rightly notice that their knowledge and credentials as scientists does not make them intellectual heavyweights when it comes to philosophy, ethics, religion, history, theology, or any other subject that connects to apologetics. Scientists who are critics of Christianity often make very elementary blunders because they are simply not well educated or well read in philosophy, theology, biblical studies, or history. Dr. Shenvi, however, is an exception when it comes to scientists. Having read his articles and seen his extensive interactions on Facebook, I can say firsthand that this guy is well versed in philosophy, ethics, and biblical studies. His intelligence, thoughtfulness, winsomeness, and his ability to engage in multiple subjects of inquiry make him a valuable resource to Christians.
His Website
His website is, of course, the best place to look at his content. Neil Shenvi-Apologetics is where you can find his essays, book reviews, talks, notes, and more.
The Resurrection and the Bible
As I've stated, he is well read in subjects outside of science. He has material on evidence for the resurrection of Jesus in multiple places.
Christianity and Science
Being a scientist, he is well qualified to talk about sciences connection with Christianity. He has talks on quantum mechanics and miracles and science and religion that you can check out.
Social Justice
Lately, Dr. Shenvi has been putting most of his time into learning about critical theory and intersectionality and how they have become part of the modern social justice movement. This is an important topic in cultural apologetics. His conclusion is that critical theory is a worldview that, while getting some things right and having some usefulness, has significant incompatibilities with the Christian worldview. These two articles are where you can get his introduction to the ideas of social justice and critical theory and their compatibility with Christianity. You can find his reviews and analysis of the books, Race, Class, and Gender, and Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, as a good start, but he also has other book reviews on the subject to look at. You can also check out his interview on the subject if you would rather listen.
This should get you started on his material. My understanding is that he is also in the process of writing a book defending Christianity, but it is not out yet. I think this guy should have more recognition for his contribution, so I hope this post contributes to that.
Neil Shenvi
Neil Shenvi has his Ph.D in theoretical chemistry from UC-Berkeley and was a research scientist at Yale and Duke University before becoming a homeschooler for his kids. When we look at most of the scientifically trained critics of Christianity like Dawkins, Krauss, Stenger, and others, Christians often rightly notice that their knowledge and credentials as scientists does not make them intellectual heavyweights when it comes to philosophy, ethics, religion, history, theology, or any other subject that connects to apologetics. Scientists who are critics of Christianity often make very elementary blunders because they are simply not well educated or well read in philosophy, theology, biblical studies, or history. Dr. Shenvi, however, is an exception when it comes to scientists. Having read his articles and seen his extensive interactions on Facebook, I can say firsthand that this guy is well versed in philosophy, ethics, and biblical studies. His intelligence, thoughtfulness, winsomeness, and his ability to engage in multiple subjects of inquiry make him a valuable resource to Christians.
His Website
His website is, of course, the best place to look at his content. Neil Shenvi-Apologetics is where you can find his essays, book reviews, talks, notes, and more.
The Resurrection and the Bible
As I've stated, he is well read in subjects outside of science. He has material on evidence for the resurrection of Jesus in multiple places.
Christianity and Science
Being a scientist, he is well qualified to talk about sciences connection with Christianity. He has talks on quantum mechanics and miracles and science and religion that you can check out.
Social Justice
Lately, Dr. Shenvi has been putting most of his time into learning about critical theory and intersectionality and how they have become part of the modern social justice movement. This is an important topic in cultural apologetics. His conclusion is that critical theory is a worldview that, while getting some things right and having some usefulness, has significant incompatibilities with the Christian worldview. These two articles are where you can get his introduction to the ideas of social justice and critical theory and their compatibility with Christianity. You can find his reviews and analysis of the books, Race, Class, and Gender, and Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, as a good start, but he also has other book reviews on the subject to look at. You can also check out his interview on the subject if you would rather listen.
This should get you started on his material. My understanding is that he is also in the process of writing a book defending Christianity, but it is not out yet. I think this guy should have more recognition for his contribution, so I hope this post contributes to that.
Monday, June 18, 2018
Apologist Recommendation: Timothy McGrew
In this series, I will recommend certain scholars and apologists to our readers and listeners. These are people that I believe are worth listening to because they are informed and give good arguments and insights into the subjects that they study, which helps intellectually equip Christians so that they can grow in their own faith and their outreach towards non-Christians. I am not claiming that these scholars and apologists have everything correct, but I think they are intellectual powerhouses that we can learn much from.
Timothy McGrew
Timothy McGrew is a philosophy professor at Western Michigan University. His philosophical specialties are epistemology, probability theory, logic, and the history and philosophy of science. When it comes to Christian apologetics, he frequently speaks and writes on the meaning of "faith" and the possibility and actuality of miracles. Don't let his credentials as a philosopher fool you, however, he is also very competent when it comes to biblical studies. Dr. McGrew has spent years researching the reliability of the Bible and he has shared his knowledge in numerous talks and debates over the years. In the next section, I will provide resources on the various topics McGrew has been involved in over the years.
Miracles
Dr. McGrew has said a lot over the years on the possibility and actuality of miracles and the rationality in believing miracles. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, a fantastic source for learning philosophy, features Dr. McGrew's helpful article on miracles. McGrew has given helpful talks on how to think about miracles and has participated in debates on the rationality of believing in miracles. I also highly recommend this talk on the history of the discussion of miracles among philosophers over the centuries. Many people make it seem like David Hume basically closed the issue of miracles, but Dr. McGrew shows that Hume has had his critics over the centuries. Tim and his wife, Lydia, who is also a scholar, also have an article defending the resurrection of Jesus Christ in The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology (chapter 11).
Faith
Many people claim that faith is believing without evidence. Being a philosopher who regularly thinks of evidence and rationality, Dr. McGrew has spent a lot of time showing that faith is not against the evidence. In Tom Gilson's book, True Reason, Dr. McGrew and Dr. David Marshall respond to the charge that faith is unevidential belief by giving a historical perspective on how faith was understood and defined by thinkers in the church (chapter 11). McGrew has also debated the atheist Peter Boghossian, who wrote a book arguing that faith is an unreliable way of knowing things because it doesn't rely on evidence.
The Reliability of the Bible
My favorite stuff from Dr. McGrew is his material on the reliability of the Bible. He has spent a lot of time researching the subject and has helped to resurface an old argument for the Bible's reliability that, while good, has been forgotten for some time. Dr. McGrew has an excellent series responding to alleged historical errors and contradictions in the Gospels. He has debated the well-known biblical critic, Bart Ehrman, on the reliability of the Gospels. The most interesting thing that Dr. McGrew has brought back into the apologetic discussion is the issue of Undesigned Coincidences. An undesigned coincidence occurs when two or more people give completely different details about the same event, but despite the details being different, they fit together and explain each other like pieces of a puzzle, which gives a full picture of the event. Undesigned coincidences are marks of reliability and truthfulness because they are subtle and unlikely to be made up or planned by the group of people giving the details, but despite this, the details still fit together well. The kicker is that these undesigned coincidences are found all over the Bible. Tim McGrew has spoken extensively on these things, but it is actually his wife, Lydia McGrew, who has put the most work into bringing this argument for biblical reliability back. Lydia's book, Hidden in Plain View, explains undesigned coincidences and details a massive number of them in the Bible. You can also find a number of her posts on various undesigned coincidences in the blog, What's Wrong With the World.
The Existence of God
I have not seen Dr. McGrew talk as much about the arguments for God's existence, but he does have some material on it that I think is worth looking into. Here is a talk by him giving three arguments for God's existence and answering questions and criticisms from people.
I hope Dr. McGrew's materials are helpful to you all.
Timothy McGrew
Timothy McGrew is a philosophy professor at Western Michigan University. His philosophical specialties are epistemology, probability theory, logic, and the history and philosophy of science. When it comes to Christian apologetics, he frequently speaks and writes on the meaning of "faith" and the possibility and actuality of miracles. Don't let his credentials as a philosopher fool you, however, he is also very competent when it comes to biblical studies. Dr. McGrew has spent years researching the reliability of the Bible and he has shared his knowledge in numerous talks and debates over the years. In the next section, I will provide resources on the various topics McGrew has been involved in over the years.
Miracles
Dr. McGrew has said a lot over the years on the possibility and actuality of miracles and the rationality in believing miracles. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, a fantastic source for learning philosophy, features Dr. McGrew's helpful article on miracles. McGrew has given helpful talks on how to think about miracles and has participated in debates on the rationality of believing in miracles. I also highly recommend this talk on the history of the discussion of miracles among philosophers over the centuries. Many people make it seem like David Hume basically closed the issue of miracles, but Dr. McGrew shows that Hume has had his critics over the centuries. Tim and his wife, Lydia, who is also a scholar, also have an article defending the resurrection of Jesus Christ in The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology (chapter 11).
Faith
Many people claim that faith is believing without evidence. Being a philosopher who regularly thinks of evidence and rationality, Dr. McGrew has spent a lot of time showing that faith is not against the evidence. In Tom Gilson's book, True Reason, Dr. McGrew and Dr. David Marshall respond to the charge that faith is unevidential belief by giving a historical perspective on how faith was understood and defined by thinkers in the church (chapter 11). McGrew has also debated the atheist Peter Boghossian, who wrote a book arguing that faith is an unreliable way of knowing things because it doesn't rely on evidence.
The Reliability of the Bible
My favorite stuff from Dr. McGrew is his material on the reliability of the Bible. He has spent a lot of time researching the subject and has helped to resurface an old argument for the Bible's reliability that, while good, has been forgotten for some time. Dr. McGrew has an excellent series responding to alleged historical errors and contradictions in the Gospels. He has debated the well-known biblical critic, Bart Ehrman, on the reliability of the Gospels. The most interesting thing that Dr. McGrew has brought back into the apologetic discussion is the issue of Undesigned Coincidences. An undesigned coincidence occurs when two or more people give completely different details about the same event, but despite the details being different, they fit together and explain each other like pieces of a puzzle, which gives a full picture of the event. Undesigned coincidences are marks of reliability and truthfulness because they are subtle and unlikely to be made up or planned by the group of people giving the details, but despite this, the details still fit together well. The kicker is that these undesigned coincidences are found all over the Bible. Tim McGrew has spoken extensively on these things, but it is actually his wife, Lydia McGrew, who has put the most work into bringing this argument for biblical reliability back. Lydia's book, Hidden in Plain View, explains undesigned coincidences and details a massive number of them in the Bible. You can also find a number of her posts on various undesigned coincidences in the blog, What's Wrong With the World.
The Existence of God
I have not seen Dr. McGrew talk as much about the arguments for God's existence, but he does have some material on it that I think is worth looking into. Here is a talk by him giving three arguments for God's existence and answering questions and criticisms from people.
I hope Dr. McGrew's materials are helpful to you all.
Friday, June 15, 2018
Reading Recommendations for the Winter Break
This article was originally featured on ResistanceTV.
Many of our readers may be students who are still in college. The nice thing about the university is that there is often an entire month off during this time of year. This gives one time to read books that one does not have time to read during the semesters. Even non-students like people working in ministry will be benefited from reading. These are my top apologetics book recommendations. I will be focusing on beginners material, but I will also suggest higher level books to move onto once you finish these books.
The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller
This book, written by the well-known pastor in New York, is a good introductory apologetic for people who have not exposed themselves to the topic before. In the first half, Keller responds to various criticisms of Christianity like “How can a good God send people to Hell,” “There can’t be just one true religion,” “How could a good God allow evil,” “Science has disproved Christianity,” and many more. In the second half, he gets into some arguments for the truth of Christianity. This book will challenge readers who have never exposed themselves to apologetics before, but it is incredibly readable too. Those who are more familiar with apologetics may be aided by this book because, as a pastor, Keller can put things in a way that is understandable and relatable to many people.
This book isn’t so much about apologetic content as it is about apologetic skill and strategy. This book is all about how to engaged in a winsome and intelligent way with skeptics of Christianity by asking good questions that help guide the conversation. Greg also gets into how to deal with people who are much smarter than you, people who are rude and condescending, and other challenging situations. The content in this book is valuable for everybody and for every discussion you will have, even if you are discussion issues with other Christians, like whether Calvinism is true.
On Guard: Defending your Faith with Reason and Precision by William Lane Craig
Dr. Craig is one of the most well-known Christian apologists of our time. He has been in countless debates and has written countless books on the defense of the Christian faith, so any book by him is going to be worth looking into. This book is his most accessible. He gives several arguments for the existence of God and the arguments for Christianity in particular.
After this: Read Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics by William Lane Craig
Is God a Moral Monster by Paul Copan
Many objections to Christianity are aimed at the apparent moral depravity of the Old Testament. What do we do about the conquest accounts, slavery, treatment of women, and countless other moral problems in the OT? Even many Christians avoid the OT because they don’t know how to handle it. Paul Copan looks at each one of these moral challenges and responds to them.
After this: Read Did God Really Command Genocide? Coming to Terms with the Justice of God by Paul Copan and Matthew Flannagan
I hope these resources can get you started. God bless.
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