This is an awesome example of GOOD Christian Apologetics being applied against an agnostic scholar (Bart Ehrman). The best part about it is the fact that it is Stephen Colbert telling Bart Ehrman that an agnostic is just an atheist without balls! 🙂
Here it is… Enjoy! Please comment and share your thoughts and reactions.
Keller’s latest book is due out on Feb. 14th, Valentine’s Day. From what I know about this book and about Keller, it is not a book you will want to miss out on. It would even be a great gift to give your loved one on V-Day! 🙂
The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
By Tim Keller
Book Description
The End of Faith. The God Delusion. God Is Not Great. Letter to a Christian Nation. Bestseller lists are filled with doubters. But what happens when you actually doubt your doubts?Although a vocal minority continues to attack the Christian faith, for most Americans, faith is a large part of their lives: 86 percent of Americans refer to themselves as religious, and 75 percent of all Americans consider themselves Christians. So how should they respond to these passionate, learned, and persuasive books that promote science and secularism over religion and faith? For years, Tim Keller has compiled a list of the most frequently voiced “doubts†skeptics bring to his Manhattan church. And in The Reason for God, he single-handedly dismantles each of them. Written with atheists, agnostics, and skeptics in mind, Keller also provides an intelligent platform on which true believers can stand their ground when bombarded by the backlash. The Reason for God challenges such ideology at its core and points to the true path and purpose of Christianity.
Why is there suffering in the world? How could a loving God send people to Hell? Why isn’t Christianity more inclusive? Shouldn’t the Christian God be a god of love? How can one religion be “right†and the rest “wrong� Why have so many wars been fought in the name of God? These are just a few of the questions even ardent believers wrestle with today. In this book, Tim Keller uses literature, philosophy, real-life conversations and reasoning, and even pop culture to explain how faith in a Christian God is a soundly rational belief, held by thoughtful people of intellectual integrity with a deep compassion for those who truly want to know the truth.
About the Author
As the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, Tim Keller started his congregation with a few dozen people. It now draws over five thousand weekly attendees who meet in three Manhattan locations. Redeemer has since spawned a movement of churches across America and throughout major world cities. Many pastors model their churches on Redeemer and Tim’s thoughtful style of preaching.
Some Positive Book Reviews:
Tim Keller’s reason for writing the book
Here is where you can purchase it once it comes out: Continue reading The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
This is an excellent critique and response to the atheist blasphemy challenge. Enjoy and you might need to reference an online dictionary if you are not that familiar with philosophical terminology. 🙂
I just finished listening to “The God Delusion Debate†that was live broadcast on Moody Radio. The debate was between two Oxford professors, Dr. John Lennox and Dr. Richard Dawkins. I don’t know if any of you heard about it, or maybe some of you actually listened to it… either way, I think the main thing I want to mention about this debate are the closing remarks by Richard Dawkins. Dawkins said (roughly in my own summary of his words), that Dr. Lennox (the Christian in the debate) said so many great things about science and the universe, and that Dr. Lennox even presented a beautiful picture of a deistic god that tuned up the universe with laws and properties, but then all of a sudden, Dr. Lennox moved past his understanding of science and God’s natural laws built into the universe, to telling us dogmatically about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and God’s demand that we believe such a thing. Dawkins went on to say that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is “so trite, so unworthy†of the universe that there is no reason for anyone to trust in it especially in light of Darwinian Evolution.
After hearing Dawkins’ closing statements, I make this connection… My Sunday school class has been studying Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. While listening to the radio tonight, it came to me vividly that Richard Dawkins personifies what Paul said about the gentile view of the Gospel of Jesus Christ… Paul said in 1 Cor. 1, “Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.â€
Tonight, Richard Dawkins said that the resurrection was foolish in light of the world’s evolutionary wisdom and that it is basically intellectually weak of anyone to believe such a thing. Simply astounding and yet so revealing that the Apostle Paul really did understand what he was talking about when he wrote that letter the Church at Corinth!
Dr. Lennox did an excellent job and I encourage anyone who has a chance to listen to it in the future to make an effort to do so. (You can purchase a CD here) I believe that everyone will all be encouraged and enlightened and better able to understand the New Atheism that is being preached by its ministers, such as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. For anyone interested in some good online debate, I would direct you to the debate at Christianity Today between Pastor Doug Wilson and Atheist Christopher Hitchens. You can read all the debate entries at this web page.
May God be glorified as His foolishness and His weakness is proclaimed throughout the world to all peoples! Amen!
Can a Scientist Believe in the Resurrection?
Here is an interesting article by N.T. Wright on the topic of science and Christianity.
In Christ and In Defense of the Faith,
EXPELLED the movie is due out in theaters nation wide in February of 2008! This is going to be a very controversial film and I cannot say just how thankful I am that Ben Stein has committed himself to fighting for the academic freedom of our scientists and scientists around the world. This is truly a blessing and an awesome surprise!
I encourage everyone to visit the site and follow the blog on this one. You can even sign up to volunteer to promote the film! It even has a sign up (check box) for youth leaders who want to get their kids involved! 🙂
Well, enough from me. Please check out the trailers on the sight. If the trailers tell us anything, I can almost guarantee that this movie is going to upset a TON of science and academic leaders! And why not since they need to be shaken up anyway. 😉 Here is one of the trailers…
Lastly, I’m re-posting Ben’s first blog entry from yesterday. Hope you enjoy reading it…
Have you ever thought about this? The other day I read a good article over at Uncommon Descent regarding a recent journal entry in Nature.
Here is the portion I wanted to point out to everyone:
Continue reading Evolutionists will become exstinct because of their own views
Here is the debate ABC hosted between Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron and two atheists.
Part 1
Part 2
David L. Bahnsen is the son of the late Dr. Greg Bahnsen. He has a good web site full of articles that I highly recommend reading whenever you have the chance.
A couple of days ago I was looking through some of his articles regarding his father, Dr. Greg Bahnsen. I stumbled upon one article entitled “My Favorite Part of the Great Debate.” The Great Debate was between Dr. Bahnsen (a Christian) and Dr. Stein (an Atheist) and has been well known as one of the best debated to listen to for representing how to effectively do Presuppositional Apologetics with an atheist.
Anyone interested in this debate should check out this web site to find the MP3s of the debate for free download.
Here is David Bahnsen’s favorite part!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Dr. Bahnsen: Are all factual questions answered in the same way?
Dr. Stein: No, they are not. They’re answered by the use of certain methods, though, that are the same – reason, logic, presenting evidence, and facts.
Dr. Bahnsen: All right. I heard you mention logical binds and logical self-contradictions in your speech. You did say that?
Dr. Stein: I said. I used that phrase, yes.
Dr. Bahnsen: Do you believe there are laws of logic, then?
Dr. Stein: Absolutely
Dr. Bahnsen: Are they universal?
Dr. Stein: They’re agreed upon by human beings. They aren’t laws that exist out in nature. They’re consensual.
Dr. Bahnsen: Are they simply conventions, then?
Dr. Stein: They are conventions, but they are conventions that are self-verifying
Dr. Bahnsen: Are they sociological laws or laws of thought?
Dr. Stein: They are laws of thought which are interpreted by men and promulgated by men
Dr. Bahnsen: Are they material in nature?
Dr. Stein: How an a law be material in nature?
Dr. Bahnsen: That’s a question I am going to ask you
Dr. Stein: I would say no
[MODERATOR: Dr. Stein, you now have an opportunity to cross-examine Dr. Bahnsen]
Dr. Stein: Dr. Bahnsen, would you call God material or immaterial?
Dr. Bahnsen: Immaterial
Dr. Stein: What is something that is immaterial?
Dr. Bahnsen: Something not extended in space
Dr. Stein: Can you give me an example of anything other than God that is immaterial?
Dr. Bahnsen: The laws of logic
[MODERATOR: I am going to have to ask the audience to hold it down please. Please. Refrain from laughter and applause. Can you hold that down please?]
For those of you who have not heard…
Doug Wilson and Christopher Hitchens will be debating their views against each other over at Christianity Today! The Debate is over “Is Christianity Good for the World?” This is going to be a great and lively debate between a great Christian pastor and a popular atheist.
Here is the hilarious jest that Wilson made over at his blog. Enjoy!
For those of you who don’t know. Doug Wilson has written many wonderful books on the family and Christian education. The title of Wilson’s book above is a real book he’s written. It’s just hilarious that he dressed up like Hitchens and made a book cover!
I could hardly stop laughing. 🙂
For more on Wilson’s view of satire and Trinitarian skylarking, see A Serrated Edge. I’ve read this book and it is awesome!
In Christ and In Defense of the Faith,
