Apologetics to the Glory of God

Tag: BK

  • Resources on iTunes U

    I was recently impressed with the wealth of information available on iTunes University. One set of courses that caught my attention in particular (and that I am currently listening to) is a 3-part series on Systematic Theology, taught by Dr. Douglas F. Kelly from RTS. I have provided links below for those who may be interested in downloading these free lectures:

    Systematic Theology I
    Systematic Theology II
    Systematic Theology III

    BK…

  • Where’s the Data?

    Although I don’t spend as much time in apologetic discussions as I used to, I do, on rare occasions, find the time to have a short conversation here and there. One recent encounter I had provided me with a text book example of the potential problem with making self-referencing universal statements; that is, statements which are unqualified in their extent, and are worded in such a way as to include themselves as referents.

    By way of example, consider the statement “any assertion is a statement which implies its own truth”. Since the statement “any assertion is a statement which implies …

  • When I Use a Word …

    ‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.’

    ‘The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things.’

    ‘The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master – that’s all.’

    For those of you who have read Alice in Wonderland, this exchange between Alice and Humpty Dumpty may ring a bell.  I know it rings a bell with me, because it has been “used” against me in many discussions/debates I have had about God, …

  • Collision – A Brief Review

    I received my copy of Collision yesterday from Amazon, but didn’t get a chance to watch it until this evening.  I must say I was captivated throughout the entire 90 minutes.  Doug Wilson and Christopher Hitchens are the two “characters” (which is a truly accurate characterization) of this documentary/debate/discussion that left me wishing I was present in-person for the interchanges between them, instead of having to watch it replayed without a chance to interact with either of them.  Both are intelligent, witty, quick on their feet, and passionate about their opposing beliefs.

    Doug Wilson is a Presuppositionalist who, in …

  • Falling Down

    A section of the ongoing discussion between Chris the evil Presuppositionlist (inside joke, sorry) and Mitch over at Urban Philosophy caught my attention today.  It is a section that discusses the concept of “common ground” between believer and unbeliever by using the analogy of gravity.  Here is the entirety of what Mitch stated caught my attention:

    The common ground of reality affect both the believer and the non-believer, and this is a common ground from which dialogue may begin. Knowledge of gravity is not required for the effects of gravity. We do not see babies flying because they do not

    …

  • Faith and God’s Glory

    I was reading a Tweet from John Piper today and wanted to share this article that he referenced, that was transcribed from a sermon preached in 1999. It is a great analogy as to how our faith in God makes him look good (i.e. gives him glory).

    The article can be found here

    Your daddy is standing in a swimming pool out a little bit from the edge. You are, let’s say, three years old and standing on the edge of the pool. Daddy holds out his arms to you and says, “Jump, I’ll catch you. I promise.” Now, how

    …

  • Warming Up to Presuppositionalism

    While the rule seems to be that most non-Christians do not accept Presuppositionalism as a valid form of argumentation (due mostly to misunderstanding it), there are those who have, in my experience, warmed to the idea over time. Case in point, a cyber-friend of mine I will call by the initials “HR”. HR and I have known each other for close to 7 years now, primarily through the medium of a discussion board that he and I frequent. When we first met online, I was just coming up to speed on the Presuppositional approach to defending Christianity. Needless to say, …

  • Can the Bible Be Understood … or Not?

    It never ceases to amaze me when individuals argue that a Christian’s interpretation of the Bible is subjective (and therefore dubious) while simultaneously appealing to their own interpretation as being correct in order to make their argument. Case in point:

    Atheist: So, you are wrong, because there are many other Christian churches besides the odd Westboro who really do have a better idea of what Jesus meant than YOU do. It’s only your opinion – just as it is Westboro’s opinion that they can determine what Jesus meant.

    Westboro, for those of you who are not familiar, is the …

  • Nothing is Absolute

    I was checking in on some discussion boards I used to post regularly on and came across the following statement by an atheist in response to a discussion over the Bible:

    Atheist: All interpretation of the bible is subjective. You don’t hold the final word on it. It’s all in your own mind and isn’t absolute. Nothing is.

    If this gal had left off the last sentence, she probably wouldn’t have gotten my attention. After all, she was just sharing her own opinion about another gal’s interpretation of the Bible – nothing remarkable there. But that last sentence … …