Christian Apologetics

The College Student’s “Back to School Guide to Intelligent Design”

Admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:21:44 +0000

Grab the PDF here.

Another PDF to go alongside the above is this one titled: “The theory of Intelligent Design: A Briefing Packet for Educators”.

Dr. Jonathan Sarfati’s Online Books

Admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:43:01 +0000

Yes, Dr. Jonathan Sarfati is the chessmaster guy who can play blindfolded against many opponents simultaneously (see Wikipedia).

His books “Refuting Evolution I” and “Refuting Evolution II” are available for reading online.

These are just a couple of the many free books that are listed on TruthBomb’s website here.

And changing the subject to “Cults”, here are a couple of websites that focus specifically on Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons.

Master’s Seminary Presuppositional Apologetics Course

Admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:25:13 +0000

Is Banning Same-sex Marriage Like Banning Interracial Marriage?

Admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:45:27 +0000

Here.

Let me be blunt: denying same-sex couples from marriage is not the same as denying interracial couples from it. Although anti-miscegenation laws were immoral, the same mistake is not happening today. And despite the rhetorical force of making the comparison, merely claiming it’s the same does not make it so.

In the beginning he made them…..

Admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 10:36:25 +0000

Gunning for God by Oxford Professor John Lennox

Admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 09:42:55 +0000

Gunning for God: Why the New Atheists are Missing the Target

Here on Amazon (and Kindle).

God’s Undertaker by Oxford Professor John Lennox

Admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 09:41:06 +0000

God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?

Here on Amazon (and Kindle).

ECCLESIOLOGY: The Doctrine of the Church

Admin — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:19:13 +0000

Friday Fun: Can We Really All Coexist?

Admin — Sat, 12 May 2012 03:19:37 +0000

From here.

Evolution’s End? President Obama Calls for Same-Sex Marriage

Admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:24:58 +0000

From Albert Mohler: www.albertmohler.com/2012/05/10/evolutions-end-president-obama-calls-for-same-sex-marriage/

Is President Obama’s “evolution” on same sex marriage finally complete? His call for the legalization of same-sex marriage yesterday is an historic and tragic milestone. An incumbent President of the United States has now called for a transformation of civilization’s central institution. And yet, no observer of this President could be surprised. The arrival of this announcement was only a matter of time.

Pillars Of Naturalism

Admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:22:39 +0000

Should Homosexuals Be Able to Marry Whom They Love?

Admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:28:49 +0000

From Stand to Reason’s blog here.

Are we really depriving homosexuals the right to marry the person they love? Yes. But there’s nothing unusual about that. Nobody has the right to marry any person they love. Everyone has restrictions.

When you take an honest look at the marriage law, it turns out that there is nothing unfair about it. Homosexuals have the same rights and the same restrictions as heterosexuals. For example, there is no legal right granted to a heterosexual that does not apply in exactly the same way to every homosexual. Both can marry in any state. Both can marry someone of the opposite sex. Both can receive the benefits that come with legal marriage. Heterosexuals and homosexuals are treated alike.

There is also no legal restriction for homosexuals that does not also apply in exactly the same way to every heterosexual. Neither one can marry their sibling. Both are prohibited from marrying someone already married. They can’t marry a child. And neither has the freedom to marry someone of the same sex.

The marriage law applies equally to every person, whether they are homosexual or not. Everyone is treated the same.

Read more here at Stand to Reason’s blog.

William Lane Craig – The Sheer Lack Of Evidence For Macro Evolution

Admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:28:27 +0000

Michael Behe – No Scientific Literature For Evolution of Machines

Admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:18:31 +0000

Stand to Reason / Life Training Institute Apologetics Speaker Tour September 2012

Admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:32:38 +0000

Stand to Reason / Life Training Institute
Apologetics Speaker Tour
September 2012

Brett Kunkle, Student Impact Speaker, Stand to Reason www.str.org

Jay Watts, Public Speaker, Life Training Institute www.prolifetraining.com

Amy Hall, Apologist and Blogger, Stand to Reason www.str.org and str.typepad.com

Thinking Matters New Zealand is proud to host these three top US speakers in September and would like to make them available to your church or youth group.
They can speak on any topic relating to the defence of Christianity, the sanctity of human life or any other theological topic which equips Christians to know and defend the essential beliefs of their faith.
These are three dynamic and experienced communicators who engage both the heart and mind, leaving audiences challenged and inspired.

Brett and Jay speak to thousands of adults and students at churches, conferences, and university campuses across the US each year, while Amy writes for the Stand to Reason blog (at str.typepad.com – which has a readership of roughly 32,000 visit per month) and has spoken at churches and women’s retreats.
Each speaker brings different specialities and can contribute in different ways. See over for a list of potential presentation topics.

Available individually or as a group, for daytime or evening presentations, sermons, workshops, women’s ministry groups (Amy) or casual youth-group discussions.

The dates are as follows (there is still some flexibility in these):

Auckland: Friday 14th September to Sunday 16th September, and a week later on the morning of Sunday 23rd September.
Hamilton/Tauranga/Rotorua: Sunday 16th September to Wednesday 19th September.
Palmerston North: Wednesday 19th September to Thursday 20th September.
Wellington: Thursday 20th September to Saturday 22nd September.

Possible Speaking Topics

Brett Kunkle

Who’s waiting for your kids? What do good Christian kids face when they leave home and youth-group and head off to university?
True for You but Not for Me. Moral relativism is everywhere. We examine its flaws and equip you with an understanding of how we come to know and defend moral truth.
Tactics in Defending the Faith. Learn specific skills to help engage others in friendly conversation and be equipped to present Christ in an intelligent yet gracious way.
Can we be Good without God? Atheists claim we don’t need God to be moral. Yet objective moral values cannot exist without God.
Is One Way the Only Way? Examining common objections to the exclusivity of Christ’s claims and building a careful case for Jesus as the only way to God.
Doubting Your Doubts. Identifying three causes of doubt, and how to deal with doubt it in constructive ways that draw us back to God.
Is the Bible Intolerant? Demonstrating how accusations of Christian intolerance are flawed in three important ways, and examining the true nature of tolerance and truth.

Brett’s full list of speaking topics and his biography are here and his YouTube channel is here.

Jay Watts

Is Truth True? How do we reach people with the truth when they deny that absolute truth exists or can be known?
How to Train your Doubters. Learning to tactically approach conversations with people who disagree with us makes it possible to discuss Christian ideas without making enemies.
Back to the Cross: Apologetics and Evangelism. How the Gospel of Jesus Christ encompasses our full worldview while defining how we relate to information and experience in our lives.
The Case for Life. Defending the pro-life position in an attractive and winsome manner using science and philosophy.
The Christian Worldview: Victory or Futility. How the distinctive facets of the Christian worldview starting at the historical resurrection of Jesus compete against rival worldviews in answering the big questions in life.
Image of God or Strange Apes? What does it mean to be made in the image of God, and how does that impact our obligations to other human beings, our place in the world, and our understanding of human consciousness?
Can the Incomprehensible be Relevant? The Trinity and Our Daily Life – God’s nature and how and why he reveals himself to us impacts our grasp of concepts like grace, community, and purpose.

Jay’s biography is here.

Amy Hall

Facing Hostile Opposition in Ministry. Staying the course.
Conversational Evangelism. How to talk to people about Jesus.
Suffering and the Goodness of God. How can a good God allow us to suffer?
Character issues in apologetics. How can you gain knowledge without getting puffed up?
Why I Am a Christian. Good reasons for thinking Christianity is true.
Reaching Mormons. Practical advice for talking to Mormon friends and missionaries.

Amy’s blog is here.

Brett, Jay & Amy Q&A Panel. Our speakers work well as a team for casual conversations and challenging questions on any topics in the area of ethics, values, religion and God.

If you would like to host these speakers in your church, please contact Rodney ASAP at: Rodney@ThinkingMatters.org.nz