Apologetics 315 Podcast

Today's interview is with Dr. Daniel B. Wallace, professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and an authority on Koine Greek grammar and New Testament textual criticism. He is founder of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts. He talks about his background and current work, photographing NT manuscripts, the current number of manuscripts, some of the most important manuscripts (and some great stories), his testimony journey into textual criticism, the trustworthiness of the Bible, the meaning of textual variants (how they are really counted, and what they affect), how he approaches apparent Bible contradictions, the doctrine of inerrancy, his interactions and debates with Bart Ehrman, comparing the popular vs. the scholarly Ehrman, "we don't have the originals!", determining the authorship of the Gospels, advice for apologists (great stuff), and do's and don'ts for defending the Bible. Visit CSNTM.org to assist his work.Enjoy.

Today's interview is with Peter S. Williams (blog here). He talks about his recent projects, including his debate alongside William Lane Craig at Cambridge, and his recent book: Understanding Jesus: Five Ways to Spiritual Enlightenment. He discusses a cumulative case approach, the Gospels as testimony and the role of testimony, the historical sources for Jesus, Jesus' self-centered teaching, the trilemma argument, Jesus' miracles, non-Christian miracle claims, the argument from prophecy and common objections, religious experiences, Jesus' spirituality, and more. Enjoy.

Today's interview is with Alvin Plantinga, emeritus John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He talks about his background and how he got into philosophy, theistic arguments (for two dozen or so, see here) and some he'd like to see worked on (the argument from evil & the argument from abstract objects), the use of the ontological argument, how he would speak to other about the faith, his view on the use of arguments for convincing others, properly basic belief, his air conditioner, the shift toward theism in philosophy, reading recommendations for up-and-coming philosophers, study and reading habits, character traits for the Christian philosopher, topics he'd like to see Christian philosophers tackle, advice on apologetics, his latest book, Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism, and more.Enjoy.

Today's interview is with Christian philosopher Win Corduan. Dr. Corduan has served as a professor or adjunct professor of philosophy and religion at numerous colleges, universities, and seminaries. He has also served as president of both The International Society of Christian Apologetics and The Evangelical Philosophical Society. He talks about his background and work, influences in apologetics, philosophy and apologetics, philosophical theology, philosophy of religions, comparative religions, his study in Buddhism, the neglect of Buddhism, the need for scholars in all areas, advice for apologists, and more. His books include Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction to World Religions, No Doubt About It: The Case for Christianity, Pocket Guide to World Religions (IVP Pocket Reference), Handmaid to Theology: An Essay in Philosophical Prolegomena, Reasonable Faith: Basic Christian Apologetics, and a number of others.Enjoy.

Today's interview is with apologist, author and equipping pastor Jonathan Morrow. He is author of Welcome to College and co-author of Is God a Human Invention? His latest book is Think Christianly: Looking at the intersection of Faith and Culture. He talks about faith and culture, what it means to think Christianly, practical ways to equip the local church, crucial areas of cultural engagement, the themes of his latest book, and more.Enjoy.

Today's interview is with David Horner, professor of philosophy and biblical studies at Biola University. He also serves as research scholar for Centers for Christian Study International, an effort to develop intellectual Christian communities within secular university contexts. He talks about the challenges facing those in college/university, the themes in his book Mind Your Faith: A Student's Guide to Thinking and Living Well, the Christian roots of our educational system, developing better thinking skills, the art of asking good questions, dealing with doubts, the development of character, advice for those who want to be better apologists, and more. Enjoy.

Today's interview is with Dr. Angus Menuge, Professor of Philosophy at Concordia University, and author of Agents Under Fire: Materialism and the Rationality of Science. He talks about his background and work, the philosophy of mind, what reason (or reasoning) is, what materialism is as a worldview, things excluded from a materialistic worldview, methodological naturalism and materialism, accounting for free will, materialistic accounts of reason, the epistemological argument from reason, the ontological argument from reason, finding the best explanation for reason, problems with methodological naturalism, implications of materialism, practical application of the argument from reason, advice for apologists, the International Academy of Apologetics, and more. Enjoy.

Today's interview is with Nabeel Qureshi, former Muslim and now Christian defender. He is director of Creed 2:6 ministries found at www.creed26.com. He talks about Creed2:6, his journey from Islam to Christianity, his interactions with the Muslim community and Muslim apologists, his response to critics of his conversion, the occurrence of visions and dreams from God to Muslims, the greatest challenges to sharing the Gospel with Muslims, the social consequences for leaving Islam, cultural vs. religious opposition, common errors to avoid, key factors to focus on, recommended resources on Islam, his personal message to those in Islam, and more.Enjoy.

Today's interview is with Biblical scholar Professor Craig Evans. He talks about his background and how he got into this area of scholarship (Jesus, the Gospels and Biblical manuscripts), what impresses him most about the Bible, handling manuscripts, the quest for the historical Jesus (and its overall timeline), the scholarly opinion on the "Jesus never existed" claim, the consensus of scholarship (and why scholarship is important), the contemporary distortion of Jesus, the demonstrable flaws in the thinking of particular scholars, evaluating presuppositions, a case for the reliability of the Gospels, the contrasting view of the "other" gospels, how to investigate the miracle claims within the Gospels, responding to the "failed apocalyptic prophet" objection, the faults in Bart Ehrman's reasoning, advice for those taking their Biblical studies seriously, the do's and don'ts of arguing for Bible reliability, and more. Enjoy.

Today's interview is with John Warwick Montgomery, Emeritus Professor of Law and Humanities, University of Bedfordshire, England, Distinguished Research Professor of Apologetics and Christian Thought, Patrick Henry College, Virginia., and Director of the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism & Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.He talks about how he became a Christian and became a defender of the faith, the thinkers and authors that have been most influential for him, his approach to apologetics (evidentialism) and why he takes it, the traditional proofs for God's existence (are they needed?), taking a legal approach to the case for Christianity, the meaning of burden of proof and its proper use, the concept of "beyond reasonable doubt," how to defend the resurrection of Christ historically, making a concise case, the two most common objections to the resurrection, answering the textual claims of Bart Ehrman, spiritual and intellectual disciplines for the apologist, pitfalls to avoid, advice for apologists, the International Academy of Apologetics, recommended books, and more.Enjoy.