Apologetics to the Glory of God

Choosing Hats

  • Wallis Debate Recap Continued: Induction

    Mr. Wallis claims that, “we simply must use induction, because we have no other means of planning for action in the world.” An interesting claim to be sure, but it is not clear what Mr. Wallis means by this statement or how Mr. Wallis could know that it is true. He nevertheless concludes from this statement that, “no epistemic ‘problem’ of induction need cause us an abundance of concern.” Even more strange is that Wallis offers these statements as constituting an “objection” to the following argument that he quotes from me from our debate:

    “Reasoning invalidly is not reasonable at …

  • Comments on the Wallis Debate Recap: Agnosticism (Updated! Includes response from Wallis)

    Introduction

    Ben Wallis has written a post wherein he briefly points out what he believes are serious problems with “two key arguments” I offered during the course of our debate on the existence of God. There are a number of arguments I used for TAG in the debate and it is not my opinion that Mr. Wallis addressed them all either during the debate or in his brief review. That Mr. Wallis has written some of his thoughts concerning the debate and apparently wants to continue some discussion in the future (both of which are perfectly fine with me) allows …

  • Is the Qur'an the Word of God – Update

    For those who may not have checked the transcript post I have been adding in additional information garnered from email exchanges – especially, additional questions and answers from the shortened debate. Keep checking back as more information is added, and I’ll attempt to keep you updated.…

  • Coffee Bean Discipleship

    Today as I was sitting at my local Starbucks, typing away on an essay, I began to take notice of two guys who had sat down behind me.  It was  somewhere in between the end of one album I was listening to and the beginning of another that I heard someone mention “the Word”.  I paused my iPod and began to listen intently, feeling a bit guilty that I was both listening to someone else’s conversation, and doing so with headphones in my ears as if I was listening to music instead!  What I heard, however, was encouraging.

    It was …

  • Acquainted with the Watch-Maker

    The so-called argument from design by well-meaning “Apologists” has, we believe, done much more harm than good, for it has attempted to bring down the great God to the level of finite comprehension, and thereby has lost sight of his solitary excellence.

    Analogy has been drawn between a savage finding a watch upon the sands, and from a close examination of it he infers a watch-maker. So far so good. But attempt to go further: suppose that savage sits down on the sand and endeavors to form to himself a conception of this watch-maker, his personal affections and manners; his

  • Pre-order to save big!

    Two titles you will want that are almost here are:

    Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics

    (I should be clear that I am not endorsing the work of Karl Barth, but it is nevertheless an important work. For an excellent critique of Barth’s theology see the WTS iTunes lectures by Van Til.)

    John Frame’s Doctrine of the Word of God

  • Some thoughts

    Being an apologist is not a path to popularity and popularity does not make an apologist.

    The most intelligent and knowledgeable unbelievers are no less and no more fallibly human than you are.

    We should not be neutral and never can be, but we pretend that this is not so.

    More than the minimal facts are needed for the metanarrative and motivation necessary to make sense of their use in the first place.

    How to inductively prove that 1 Kings 12.29 is the Word of God?

    No worldview goes without logic, science, or morality but logic, science, and morality only …

  • Interview With The Reformed Media Review

    Jared Oliphint and Jonathan Brack at Reformed Forum recently interviewed me on The Reformed Media Review concerning Van Til’s presuppositionalism, my background, and the Choosing Hats website. Many thanks to Jared, Jonathan, and Reformed Forum for being so kind as to have me on.

    Click here to download/listen.

  • Is the Qur'an the Word of God? – Debate Transcript

    Debate Thesis: Is the Qur’an the Word of God?

    Introductions

    [12:07] [BK] ok, the floor is yours, Algo
    [12:07] [PL] Very Good.
    [12:07] [PL] Welcome Gentlemen.
    [12:08] [PL] Let us now begin our formal debate with an intro/bio.
    [12:08] [PL] Introducing MusLm :
    [12:08] [PL] Name: Yasser Ali
    [12:08] [PL] Nick: MusLm
    [12:08] [PL] Age: 34
    [12:09] [PL] Country: Pakistan
    [12:09] [PL] Education: Post-Graduate of Information Technology (Australia)
    [12:09] [PL] Occupation / Designation: Da’ee (Da’ee is a Muslim who invites people towards God / Islam)
    [12:09] [PL] Faith: Muslim based on Quran (100%) and Hadith (Authentic)
    [12:09] [PL] I have …

  • Debate News

    Due to issues encountered with resuming the debate, and an inability to resolve the difficulties posed by the inordinate time taken for the first portion; we’re just going to post the completed portion sometime today. If you haven’t heard, the debate clocked in at an astonishing 8 hours – and we had only reached question 10 in my opponent’s *first* cross-examination period. Since he is unwilling to accept time limitations for the remainder, I think it’s best to just end things here, as he didn’t show up this morning (our time) as invited. If he’d like to submit his remaining …