Since being someone in apologetics needs vast reserves of information and knowledge I think we need to have a place where we can go and get information from. So I am making this thread so that as a body, we can suggest books, articles, lectures, debates and websites to go to for information. Also, what books, articles, lectures, debates, and websites that shouldn't be used. This is so that we can all use the resorces that others use so that we can become more productive defenders of the faith. Besides books and other things, we can offer Bible verses that are helpful too.
1 Peter 3:15 - "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."
So far the best stuff I have read on apologetics is Always Ready: Directions for Defending the Faith by Dr. Greg L. Bahnsen. Also his website has many of his lectures and debates on CD or MP3. I would highly recomend his two lectures on "Is Evolution Scientific?"
These are just a few of my suggestiongs, and I look forward to seeing what other things I and others can read or listen to so that we can become better defenders of the faith
__________________ -Doug
"The Lord will Rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be the Glory forever and ever. AMEN!" - 2 Timothy 4:18
Warning: There is a fair amount of scholarly material here. If you wish to know WHY I recommend these simply ask. But I do not want to say it in this post due to avoidance of clutter.
www.christian-thinktank.com
- Glen Miller, someone who I owe for my drive for an interdisciplinary approach to things. His list of books he has used is of extraordinary size, and should you find some interesting topic that you think you need to know more about, you can certainly find some titles among his horrendous list.
www.ntgateway.com
- Run by Dr. Mark Goodacre, and has links to a lot of good stuff, including direct links to downloads of past editions of the Journal of Biblical Literature.
And now a slew of Christian Philosophers and Apologists...
And what Christian resource list would be complete without the experts in Bible-related fields?
N. T. Wright's unofficial page - Definitely see his three volume series (soon to be four)! The New Testament and the People of God, Jesus and the Victory of God, and The Resurrection of the Son of God. He is a very powerful scholar.
The Context Group publication page is not working at the moment. But here are two of the Context Group: Dr. John Pilch Bruce Malina Jerome Neyrey - with full-text articles Socio-Rhetorical Interpretation - Maintained by Vernon Robbins, has short and helpful examples that illustrate important concepts like limited good, challenge-riposte, as well as examples of intertexture. An easy springboard to get into more advanced exegesis
Also see, Ben Witherington, Craig Blomberg, David deSliva, Metzger, and the Alands (Kurt and Barbara).
I come from an apparently rare hermeneutical standpoint. However I think it is of incredible importance, and you can read a concise explanation of my position here (and a larger one here). I would also like to add that a much more sophisticated and powerful defense can be made in favor of that position, and I would be glad to take it up in discussion.
I submit that my position is of fundamental importance to apologetics. For the fundamentals of Christianity cannot be defined without understanding both Testaments in their historical/social/et cetera, context. Otherwise we are wasting time by arguing about an anachronistic version of Christianity, or perhaps worse, a factually heretical version of it. This also holds important ramifications for personal life as well.
That was my first major point. My second major point is that, and I will state it in big capital letters so it is not missed,
FAITH IS NOT CONTRARY TO EVIDENCE
and thus reason, philosophy, science, scholarly studies, etc, should not be categorically looked down upon. I have written a short essay to this effect.
Third. Logic is of IMMENSE IMPORTANCE to apologetics (as well as everything else in life). An argument may be deconstructed by the simple observation that it commits a fallacy. Likewise studying logic helps us avoid fallacies. Categorically tossing out logic is self-defeating and should be treated as foolery. Thus one who refuses to study logic or even logical fallacies is not wishing to do battle with ideas but wishing to hide in their shell.
Originally Posted by CPman2004
Also, what books, articles, lectures, debates, and websites that shouldn't be used. This is so that we can all use the resorces that others use so that we can become more productive defenders of the faith.
I put a short qualifier section above. I hope that people who disagree with my philosophy of hermeneutics will not disregard my recommendations of what I have to say otherwise. First, see some basic source criteria.
- I generally avoid people who are not scholars in the relevant field (i.e. a philosopher trying to discuss the historical aspects of Jesus)
- I generally avoid people I don't know unless I have a recommendation from someone I DO know
- I avoid Josh McDowell and Rick Warren
- I avoid 'Christian answer' websites that give short sound bite answers to several big questions, as I have found that they are often misleading and sometimes simply wrong
- I avoid people who rail against scholars instead of providing reasons to reject what those scholars say
And my big pet peeve (which is actually a good criteria for choosing sources) is when one does not provide footnotes or bibliographies of WHERE they got their information. If a Christian attempts a defense of the resurrection of Jesus, and simply quotes verses, I am neither moved here nor there. Likewise if a non-Christian attempts a defense of another allegedly historical event, and simply makes assertions but does not provide footnotes (or provides irrelevant ones), I am neither moved here nor there--except, maybe to laughter.
I would rather not comment on too many specific places. Stay with my previous post and you are going to be working with some pretty formidable scholars.
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Mostly gone after what happened with CFT. On occasionally to check up on people. Drop a line to my gmail.
Books for those interested in Comparative Religions
This thread is a wonderful idea! jbarcher posted some great links. Look at them! I don’t really have much to add to his list, except to mention this guide to the logical fallacies.
My field of study has recently been comparative religions…I don’t have any really good web resources dealing specifically with comparative religion (They are some out there, but I haven't been particularly impressed with them, If anyone knows of any good ones, please share! ), although you can easily find a large amount of information on any specific religion on the internet. (Please make sure your source is qualified!) However, here are some books I would recommend, along with one I would not:
LDS, JW, and other pseudo-Christian groups:
Martin, Walter. Kingdom of the Cults. Ed. Dr. Ravi Zacharias, Jill Martin Rische, and Kevin Rische. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2003. (Highly recommended. It is a most useful resource!)
Robertson, Judy. Out of Mormonism. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2001.
Davis, Tall, R. Philip Roberts, and Sandra Tanner. Mormonism Unmasked: Confronting the Contradictions Between Mormon Beliefs and True Christianity. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman , 1998.
Gruss, Edmund C. Jehovah's Witnesses: Their Claims, Doctrinal Changes, and Prophetic Speculation. What Does the Record Show.: Xulon P, 2001.
I also highly recommend anything else you may find by Walter Martin on this subject. He is a well qualified scholar in terms of his research on pseudo-Christian groups and provides excellent information.
Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism*:
Kung, Hans. Christianity and the World Religions: Paths of Dialogue with Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. 1987: HarperCollins.
Kramer, Kenneth. World Scriptures: An Introduction to Comparative Religions. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist P, 1986.
Porterfield, Amanda. The Power of Religion: A Comparative Introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998.
AVOID, at all costs:
Baker, Tim, and Kate Etue. Why So Many Gods? Ed. Kate Etue. Nashville, TN: Nelson Reference and Electronic. (It is scarily inaccurate. *shudders*)
*Keep in mind that if you want to get a good grasp on any world religion, you will have to read writings from scholars and sacred texts from that religion as well.
Oh, and one other thing to keep in mind if you are interested in studying comparative religions: Know Christianity first. Don’t delve into the study of Islam or Hinduism when you aren’t even sure what the Bible says. (And, hey, to know what the Bible says, you ought to know social/historical context as jbarcher pointed out.) Knowing what the Vedas teach isn’t going to do you much good, as far as apologetics go, unless you know (a) why you believe they are wrong and (b) what you believe instead. Don’t study other texts at the expense of not studying the Bible
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. .......It's a relationship that a person must chooseto live out daily, in every action & deed.
"Ask not what God can do for you, ask what you can do for God."
"The Lord will Rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be the Glory forever and ever. AMEN!" - 2 Timothy 4:18
I agree with jbarcher; proper hermeneutics is essential to understanding the text. But I would add to that that one should also know the original languages to fully appreciate, and apologetically exploit, the social context of the texts.
As for good sources, I would also tag the following authors onto your reading lists:
Gleason Archer
Alstair Chapman
Michael Behe
James McCarthy
*everything* by Clive Staples Lewis
Just my two cents..
__________________ Where ever I stand, I stand with Israel.
"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Eccl 12:13-14
“Young man, it's wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do.” Eccl 11:9
Hm. I need to make some comments on this, "But I would add to that that one should also know the original languages to fully appreciate, and apologetically exploit, the social context of the texts." as that very deeply runs the risk of dishonesty. But for another time.
I came across a site that looks interesting; I haven't actually read anything from there however (not to mention it's a paid subscription). It's the Apologia Report. I found it through an article linked to on NT Gateway.
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Mostly gone after what happened with CFT. On occasionally to check up on people. Drop a line to my gmail.
The Christian Apologetic Reserve 
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