Introduction to Apologetics

"Dan Barker, ex-preacher and co-founder of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, travels widely, arguing in debates and speaking on his beliefs that Christianity is false, God does not exist, and the Bible is filled with errors and mythology. He has been touted as one of America's leading atheists. Yet close examination of his arguments shows that Barker's reasons for disbelief are poorly reasoned and miss the mark as they are aimed at a mistaken caricature of Christian theism. Answering the Music Man exposes Barker's misunderstandings of Christianity and provides compelling answers to Barker's arguments."

"For two-and-a-half decades Flew and Habermas have been in friendly dialogue about the plausibility of the resurrection and the existence of God. This book presents the full content of their third and final debate, as well as transcripts of the Q & A session with the audience afterward. Also included are a 2004 conversation between Habermas and Flew shortly after Flew's much-publicized change of position, as well as editor David Baggett's assessment and analysis of the full history of Habermas and Flew's interactions."

The first volume of Gary Habermas’s magnum opus, On the Resurrection: Evidences represents the culmination of fifty years of research on the probability of Jesus’s resurrection. Using his “minimal facts argument,” Habermas demonstrates why we ought to trust the biblical and historical testimony of Scripture regarding the resurrection. This book is a must-read for pastors, students, and scholars interested in the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"Published in four volumes, 'On the Resurrection' serves as Gary R. Habermas's magnum opus--a comprehensive defense of the authenticity of Jesus Christ's Resurrection, built from Habermas's lifetime of scholarly study"-- Publisher's website, viewed on March 26, 2025."In the first volume, 'Evidences,' Habermas presents a comprehensive offering of all the historical evidence for the Resurrection, including extra-biblical sources and a full exploration of the minimal historical facts argument. This volume includes: a detailed overview of the nature of historical research and how historical truth is evaluated; evidence for the existence of Jesus; a complete evaluation of the minimal historical facts surrounding Jesus's Resurrection, plus six other known historical facts; the biblical data for the Resurrection account. Through his comprehensive analyses built from a lifetime of research, Habermas demonstrates why we ought to trust the biblical and historical testimony of Scripture regarding the Resurrection. This book is a must-read for pastors, students, and scholars interested in the historical evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ."-- Publisher's website, viewed on March 26, 2025."While evidence for Christ's Resurrection abounds, there are still those who posit alternative explanations for the empty tomb. In 'On the Resurrection, Volume 2: Refutations,' Gary Habermas offers detailed analyses and rebuttals of the alternate theories surrounding Jesus's Resurrection. Comprehensive in scope, 'On the Resurrection, Volume 2: Refutations' addresses topics such as: second-century texts that seem to challenge the Resurrection; Hume's arguments against miracles; the naturalism and skepticism of nineteenth-century German liberalism; alternative theories such as the disciples or others stealing the body, the 'swoon' theory, hallucinations, and mythological understanding. Habermas engages critically with the arguments and offers a comprehensive apologetic for the reality of Christ's Resurrection."

"Two of today's most important and popular New Testament scholars, John Dominic Crossan and N. T. Wright, here air their very different understandings of the historical reality and theological meaning of Jesus' Resurrection. The book highlights points of agreement and disagreement between them and explores the many attendant issues.This book brings two leading lights in Jesus studies together for a long-overdue conversation with one another and with significant scholars from other disciplines." Includes contributions by Craig A. Evans and Gary Habermas.

"To probe why Christianity began, and why it took the shape it did, renowned New Testament scholar N.T. Wright focuses on the key questions any historian must face: What precisely happened at Easter? What did the early Christians mean when they said that Jesus of Nazareth had been raised from the dead? What can be said today about this belief? This book, third in Wright's series Christian Origins and the Question of God, maps ancient beliefs about life after death in both the pagan and Jewish worlds. It then highlights the fact that the early Christians' belief about the afterlife belonged firmly on the Jewish spectrum, while introducing several new mutations and sharper definitions. This together with other features of early Christianity, forces the historian to read the Easter narratives in the Gospels not simply as late rationalizations of early Christian spirituality, but as accounts of two actual events: the empty tomb of Jesus and his 'appearances.' How do we explain these phenomena? The early Christians' answer was that Jesus had indeed been bodily raised from the dead; that was why they hailed him as the messianic 'son of God.' Facing this question ourselves, we are confronted to this day with the most central issues of the Christian worldview and theology."

The Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus.

"The Rogers / McKim proposal : preliminary concerns -- The Patristic period and Middle Ages -- The Reformation : Luther and Calvin -- Biblical authority in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries : Roman Catholic and Protestant apologetics -- Challenges to biblical infallibility in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries -- Reformed traditions in the seventeenth century : a reappraisal -- Biblical infallibility in the nineteenth century : the Princetonians -- The shaping of the Rogers / McKim proposal -- Conclusion."

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1. The Battle for the Resurrection -- 2. It Makes a Difference -- 3. The Bible on the Resurrection -- 4. "I Believe in the . . . Resurrection of the Flesh" -- 5. Denials of the Physical Resurrection -- 6. Denials of the Physical Resurrection within the Church -- 7. Physical Resurrection vs. Immaterial Resurrection -- 8. Evidence for the Physical Resurrection -- 9. Lessons to Be Learned -- 10. Drawing the Line."

A comprehensive collection of essays by Norman L. Geisler written over the course of his life and scholarship. The collection includes important essays on biblical inerrancy and other topics related to Christian apologetics.

"This book examines recent postmodern efforts to redefine the traditional evangelical view of scriptural authority and counters with sound logic that supports inerrancy. Due to recent popular challenges to evangelical doctrine, biblical inerrancy is a topic receiving an increasing amount of attention among theologians and other scholars. Here G.K. Beale attempts vigorously and even-handedly to examine the writings of one leading postmodernist, Peter Enns, whose writings challenge biblical authority. In support of inerrancy, Beale presents his own set of challenges to the postmodern suppositions of Enns and others. How can the Bible be historically inaccurate while still serving as the authoritative word on morality and salvation? Beale concludes that it cannot, and his work will aid all who support biblical inerrancy in defending their position against postmodern attacks. This is an issue that affects the entire body of Christ."

Revised edition of: "Ancient evidence for the life of Jesus."

"A trusted apologist provides a fresh, balanced approach to understanding how a loving God can preside over a world filled with evil and suffering."

"Introduction / R. Douglas Geivett and Gary R. Habermas -- Of miracles / David Hume -- Neo-Humean arguments about the miraculous / Antony Flew -- Defining miracles / Richard L. Purtill -- Miracles & the modern mind / Norman L. Geisler -- History & miracles / Francis J. Beckwith -- Recognizing a miracle / Winfried Corduan -- Miracles & conceptual systems / Ronald H. Nash -- Science, miracles, agency theory & the God-of-the-gaps / J.P. Moreland -- God's existence / W. David Beck -- God's actions / Stephen T. Davis -- The evidential value of miracles / R. Douglas Geivett -- Miracles in the world religions / David K. Clark -- Fulfilled prophecy as miracle / Robert C. Newman -- The incarnation of Jesus Christ / John S. Feinberg -- The empty tomb of Jesus / William Lane Craig -- The resurrection appearances of Jesus / Gary R. Habermas -- Conclusion : Has God acted in history? / R. Douglas Geivett and Gary R. Habermas."

"Did early Christianity borrow essential beliefs and practices from pagan religions and philosophies of the time? No, answers Ronald Nash in this compelling case for the uniqueness of Christian teaching. Part 1 investigates possible influences of Hellenistic philosophy on the New Testament; part 2, the relationship of early Christianity to the pagan mystery religions; and part 3, the relationship between early Christianity and Gnosticism. First released in 1992, The Gospel and the Greeks has been retypeset and includes an annotated bibliography, as well as indexes of persons and subjects."

"Discusses the role anti-intellectualism had in the history of revivalism and fundamentalism and how evangelical Christians can recapture the role of the intellect in religious thought and practice."

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I. Prologue: the prescientific Age -- Miracles and apologetics from the early church to the Reformation -- II. The rise of skepticism -- The seventeenth-century crucible -- Age of deism -- Dave Hume -- III. The legacy of the nineteenth century -- Continental skepticism -- Orthodoxy embattled -- IV. The ongoing debate -- The questions of the philosophers -- The answers of the apologists -- Critical crosscurrents -- V. Postscript: A question of perspective -- Christian apologetics and miracles -- The place of the gospel miracles in New Testament interpretation."

"But as Edward Feser shows in The Last Superstition, there is not, and never has been, any war between science and religion at all. There has instead been a conflict between two entirely philosophical worldviews: the classical "teleological vision" of Plato, Artistotle, Augustine, and Aquinas, on which purpose or goal-directedness is as inherent a feature of the material world as mass or electric charge; and the modern "mechanical" vision of Descartees, Hobbes, Locke, and Hume, according to which physical reality is comprised of nothing more than purposeless, meaningless particles in motion."

"Phillip E. Johnson explores the theory of evolution, and argues that it is based on faith in philosophical naturalism, rather than fact, and that there is no body of empirical data supporting the theory.Is evolution fact or fancy? Is natural selection an unsupported hypothesis or a confirmed mechanism of evolutionary change? These were the courageous questions that professor of law Phillip Johnson originally took up in 1991. His relentless pursuit to follow the evidence wherever it leads remains as relevant today as then. The facts and the logic of the arguments that purport to establish a theory of evolution based on Darwinian principles, says Johnson, continue to draw their strength from faith--faith in philosophical naturalism. In this edition Johnson responds to critics of the first edition and maintains that scientists have put the cart before the horse, regarding as scientific fact what really should be regarded as a yet unproved hypothesis."

"There is still a contentious debate among evangelicals on the origins of the universe and human life. Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design provides the ins and outs of young earth creationism by Ken Ham; old earth (progressive) creationism by Hugh Ross; evolutionary creation by Deborah B. Haarsma; and intelligent design by Stephen C. Meyer. In the helpful Counterpoints format, they engage one another’s positions in the responses to each essay and one final rejoinder. The general editor J.B. Stump sets the stage for the discussion in the introduction and then concludes the book with final reflections and hopes for the ongoing evangelical conversation about origins."

Philip Johnson's second major work on Darwin explores the dominance of naturalism in modern endeavors. "A critique of the all-pervasive naturalistic assumptions and presuppositions in American academia, government, and the judiciary, and their effect on education, public policy, and law."

"Science and Christianity are often presented as opposites, when in fact the order of the universe and the complexity of life powerfully testify to intelligent design. With this comprehensive resource that includes the latest research, you’ll witness how the findings of scientists provide compelling reasons to acknowledge the mind and presence of a creator. Featuring more than 45 entries by top-caliber experts, you’ll better understand…how scientific concepts like intelligent design are supported by evidence; the scientific findings that support the history and accounts found in the Bible; the biases that lead to scientific information being presented as a challenge—rather than a complement—to Christianity. Whether you’re looking for answers to your own questions or seeking to explain the case for intelligent design to others, The Comprehensive Guide to Science and Faith is an invaluable apologetic tool that will help you explore and analyze the relevant facts, research, and theories in light of biblical truth."

"The debate about biological origins continues to be hotly contested within the Christian church. Prominent organizations such as Biologos (USA) and Faraday Institute (UK) insist that Christians must yield to an unassailable scientific consensus in favor of contemporary evolutionary theory and modify traditional biblical ideas about the creation of life accordingly. They promote a view known as "theistic evolution" or "evolutionary creation." They argue that God used-- albeit in an undetectable way-- evolutionary mechanisms to produce all forms of life. This book contests this proposal. Featuring two dozen highly credentialed scientists, philosophers, and theologians from Europe and North America, this volume provides the most comprehensive critique of theistic evolution yet produced. It documents evidential, logical, and theological problems with theistic evolution, opening the door to scientific and theological alternatives-- making the book essential reading for understanding this worldview-shaping issue."

"A head of the Human Genome Project and former atheist presents a scientific argument for the existence of God, revealing how science can support faith by citing the areas of nature that can and cannot be fully explained by Darwinian evolution.' This book also makes a case for what the writer terms "evolutionary creation."

This book serves as an introduction to the field of biblical ethics, a subcategory of the discipline of moral theology. It differs from moral philosophy in that biblical ethics is distinctively Christian, and it is more specific than Christian ethics proper because it specifically focuses upon the application of the moral law--as it is revealed in Scripture--to daily living.

An intelligent discussion of the foundations and methods in ethics and ways to apply a Christian worldview to our secular culture.

"In this thorough update of a classic textbook, noted Christian thinker Norman Geisler evaluates contemporary ethical options (such as antinomianism, situation ethics, and legalism) and pressing issues of the day (such as euthanasia, homosexuality, and divorce) from a biblical perspective. The second edition is significantly expanded and updated, with new material and charts throughout the book. There are new chapters on animal rights, sexual ethics, and the biblical basis for ethical decisions, as well as four new appendixes addressing drugs, gambling, pornography, and birth control. The author has significantly updated his discussion of abortion, biomedical ethics, war, and ecology and has expanded the selected readings, bibliography, and glossary"

Creation is a foundational pillar of the biblical storyline, yet it plays little role in contemporary evangelical ethics. Seeking to correct this oversight, Dennis Hollinger employs the creation story and creation themes throughout Scripture as a foundation for Christian ethics. After demonstrating why creation is theologically significant and important for Christian ethics, Hollinger develops major creation paradigms that provide ethical guidance on a wide range of issues, including money, sex, power, racism, creation care, social institutions, and artificial intelligence, among many others. Creation and Christian Ethics shows throughout that the triune God creates from love, and in that creation are moral designs for humanity's journey in God's world.

For three decades, Evangelical Ethics has been regarded as one of the best treatments of contemporary ethical problems facing Christians. John Jefferson Davis brings mature biblical thought to issues such as homosexuality, genetics, abortion, euthanasia, war and peace, the environment, divorce, and remarriage. This fourth edition includes a new chapter on the history and legacy of slavery in the United States

"In this second edition of the best-selling Cambridge Companion to Christian Ethics, Robin Gill brings together twenty essays by leading experts, to provide a comprehensive introduction to Christian ethics which is both authoritative and up to date. This volume boasts four entirely new chapters, while previous chapters and all bibliographies have been updated to reflect significant developments in the field over the last decade. Gill offers a superb overview of the subject, examining the scriptural bases of ethics as well as discussing Christian ethics in the context of contemporary issues, including war and the arms trade, social justice, ecology, economics, medicine and genetics. All of the contributors have a proven track record of balanced, comprehensive and comprehensible writing making this book an accessible and invaluable source not only for students in upper-level undergraduate courses, graduate students and teachers, but anyone interested in Christian ethics today"

Our culture is sex-crazed. That is no secret. But our culture is also deeply confused about sex and sexual ethics, often sending conflicting messages--at times promoting an "anything goes" attitude while at other times seeking to impose limits on sexual behavior. Unfortunately, Christians seem equally confused, and the church has tended to respond with simplistic answers. The reason for this confusion is that the meaning of sex has been largely lost. Dennis Hollinger argues that there is indeed an inherent, God-given meaning to sex. This meaning provides a framework for a biblical sexual ethic that adequately addresses contemporary moral issues. Written primarily as a textbook for Christian college and seminary courses in ethics and human sexuality, The Meaning of Sex provides a good balance between theological reflection and engaging discussion of the practical issues Christians (especially students) are facing. Part 1 lays the groundwork, discussing ethical theories and the competing worldviews that shape various approaches to sexual morality. The Christian worldview of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation is then applied to sex, followed by an exploration of the God-designed purposes for sex. Part 2 delves into critical issues: premarital sex, sex within marriage, homosexuality, reproductive technologies, and faithful living in a sex-obsessed world.

"The ability to judge good from bad, right from wrong, is a uniquely human characteristic. However, given the complexity of life, it is often difficult to discern which choice to make, where our responsibilities lie, or what the consequences of an action (or of a nonaction) will be. In The Moral Disciple Kent Van Til surveys the skills and dispositions that we need to address moral issues responsibly. This basic introduction to Christian ethics -- the systematic evaluation of morality -- highlights the centrality of Christ and the Christian faith in moral formation, and it offers an ethical framework to guide Christians as they engage a host of moral dilemmas, including those surrounding wealth, sexuality, and the end of life. Using easy-to-read prose and defining terms carefully, Van Til provides an accessible introduction to this crucial and practical subject."

A leading expert in New Testament ethics discovers in the biblical witness a unified ethical vision -- centered in the themes of community, cross and new creation -- that has profound relevance in today's world. Richard Hays shows how the New Testament provides moral guidance on the most troubling ethical issues of our time, including violence, divorce, homosexuality and abortion.