Christian Apologetics : An Anthology of Primary Sources

Contents

HISTORY, METHODOLOGY,

AND ENGAGEMENT

1 A First Century Apologetic: St. Paul . . . . . . . . . .19

2 A Short History of Apologetics:

John Warwick Montgomery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

3 Methodological Approaches in Apologetics:

James K. Beilby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

4 Interreligious Apologetics: Harold Netland . . . . .39

5 The Knowability of History:

Norman L. Geisler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

6 Advice to Christian Philosophers:

Alvin Plantinga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Questions for discussion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73


THE EXISTENCE OF GOD

THE COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT

7 The Classical Cosmological Argument:

Thomas Aquinas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

8 The Kalam Cosmological Argument:

William Lane Craig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

9 The Argument from Sufficient Reason:

G.W.F. Leibniz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94

THE TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT

10 The Classical Design Argument:

William Paley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96

11 Evidence for Intelligent Design from

Biochemistry: Michael Behe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

12 A Recent Fine-Tuning Argument:

Robin Collins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106

THE ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT

13 The Classical Ontological Argument:

Anselm of Canterbury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

14 A Recent Modal Ontological Argument:

Alvin Plantinga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125

THE TRANSCENDENTAL ARGUMENT

15 A Transcendental Argument

for God’s Existence:

Greg Bahnsen and Gordon Stein . . . . . . . . . . . .139

THE WAGER

16 The Wager: Blaise Pascal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168

THE MORAL ARGUMENT

17 God and the Moral Law: C. S. Lewis . . . . . . . . .171

18 The Moral Argument: Paul Copan . . . . . . . . . . .174

RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

19 Experiencing God: St. Teresa of Avila . . . . . . . .191

20 Perceiving God: William Alston . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196

Questions for discussion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203

PART 3

THE TRINITY

21 Regarding the Trinity: Origen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207

22 Trinitarian Creeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214

23 On the Persons of the Trinity: Aquinas . . . . . . .216

24 On the Trinity: Richard of St. Victor . . . . . . . . .227

25 The Coherence of the Trinity:

Thomas V. Morris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229

Questions for Discussion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235

Further Reading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235

PART 4

THE INCARNATION

26 On the Incarnation:

Athanasius of Alexandria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239

27 On the Incarnation:

Anselm of Canterbury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251

28 The Coherence of the Incarnation:

Thomas V. Morris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260

Questions for discussion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270

Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270

PART 5

THE BIBLE

29 On the Canon: Augustine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273

30 The Authority and Credibility of Scripture:

John Calvin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277

31 The Gospels as Historical Sources for Jesus:

R. T. France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .288

32 Archaeology and the Old Testament:

Eugene Carpenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .295

Questions for Discussion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .308

Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309

PART 6

MIRACLES

33 A Discourse on Miracles: John Locke . . . . . . . .313

34 Miracles and Modern Scientific Thought:

Norman Geisler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .318

35 A Case for Miracles: Richard Swinburne . . . . . .327

Questions for Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331

Further Reading  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331

THE RESURRECTION

36 The Resurrection of Jesus:

Thomas Aquinas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335

37 A Juridical Defense of Jesus’ Resurrection:

John Warwick Montgomery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .339

38 Experiences of the Risen Jesus:

Gary R. Habermas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .354

39 The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus:

William Lane Craig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .362

Questions for Discussion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .377

Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .377

PART 8

BODY , SOUL AND THE ARGUMENT FROM MIND
 
40 On the Soul and Body: Aquinas . . . . . . . . . . . . .381

41 The Cogito: René Descartes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .389

42 God and the Argument from Mind:

J. P. Moreland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .394

Questions for Discussion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .412

Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .412

PART 9

THE PROBLEM

OF EVIL

43 Evil and Free Will: Augustine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .419

44 A Free Will Defense: Alvin Plantinga . . . . . . . . .422

45 A Soul Making Theodicy: John Hick . . . . . . . . .433

46 Evil, Suffering, and Calvary: Peter Kreeft . . . . .444

47 Horrendous Evil: Marilyn McCord Adams . . . . .450

Questions for Discussion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .458

Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .458

PART 10

CHRISTIANITY

AND SCIENCE

48 God and Physics: John Polkinghorne . . . . . . . . .463

49 Design and Science: Del Ratzsch . . . . . . . . . . . .471

50 The Origins of Life’s Major Groups:

Kurt Wise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .486

Questions for Discussion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .502

Further Reading  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .502

PART 11

CHRISTIANITY

AND THE WORLD

51 Christians and the World:

The Epistle to Diognetus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .507

52 The City of God: Augustine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .513

53 A Christian Manifesto:

Francis A. Schaeffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .519

54 Christianity Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow:

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

(Pope Benedict XVI). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .530

Questions for Discussion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .539

Further Reading  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .539

Subject Index