Exams: 60% Project: 30% Class Participation: 10%

Transcription

1 Course Description Introduction to Apologetics (PH 6910) Apologetics concerns itself with the defense of Christian theism and the exposure of error in alternate worldviews. The present course is an overview of the principle points of apology from a presuppositional perspective. Course Requirements 1. Daily Reading. There are two texts for the present course. The first is James Sire s The Universe Next Door (UND). It will be used at the beginning of the term. The second text is Apologetics to the Glory of God (AGG) by John Frame. The student is responsible for reading each text and following the daily schedule of reading assignments. 2. Research Project. A list of possible topics is given in the syllabus. These are only representative of the types of topics the student can chose. If there is an area of concern or interest in apologetics, consult the professor for approval. The research project composes 40% of the student s final grade and is graded by the following rubric: Content (20%), Style (20%), Mechanics (20%). Logic (20%), & Research (20%). 3. Exams. Three exams are given during the semester. These are listed on the daily schedule. Course Objectives. Exams: 60% Project: 30% Class Participation: 10% 1. Each student will be introduced to the challenges facing Christian theology. 2. The students will be equipped to give a defense to everyone who asks regarding the Christian message. 3. The students will be prepared to lead others in defending their faith. 4. The students will be challenged to discipline themselves in the area of Christian thought.

2 Research Topics (PH 6910) 1. Immanuel Kant: The Impact of his Agnosticism upon Theology. 2. A Proposed Christian Defense of Miracles. 3. God as a First Cause: A Reassessment. 4. Critical Analysis of Aquinas' Five Proofs. 5. The Christian World-View. 6. An Overview of Van Tillian Presuppositionalism. 7. A Christian Defense of Regeneration as the major Pre-requisite for Apologetics. 8. Theodicy 9. The Resurrection of Jesus: Looking at the Evidence 10. Anselm s Ontological Argument in Current Usage. 11. A Critical Evaluation of General Revelation for the Purpose of Apology. 12. Faith and Reason: Friends or Enemies? 13. The Problem of Prayer. 14. The Value of Religious Experience. 15. Secularism and the Christian Faith: An Evangelistic Presentation. 16. Apologetic Response to Alternate Worldviews (Sire s list) 17. Overview of Reformed Epistemology as an Apologetic Approach 18. The Apologetic of J. P. Moreland

3 Session 1 (1/20): Overview Daily Schedule Session 2 (1/21): Introduction to the Discipline Session 3 (1/22): Introduction to the Discipline (AGG, 1) Session 4 (1/27): History of Apologetics: New Testament & Church Fathers Session 5 (1/28): History of Apologetics Prior to the Reformation Session 6 (1/29): History of Apologetics after the Reformation The Enlightenment Session 7 (2/3): History of Apologetics: David Hume Session 8 (2/4): History of Apologetics: Protestant Liberalism Session 9 (2/5): Introduction to Worldview as a Concept (UND, 1) Session 10 (2/10): History of the Concept: Original Worldview Thinkers Session 11 (2/11): History of the Concept: 19 th Century Session 12 (2/12): History of the Concept: 20 th Century Session 13 (2/17): History of the Concept: Theological Reflections Session 14 (2/18): Worldview: Philosophical Reflections Session 15 (2/19): Worldview 1: Christian Theism (UND, 2) Session 16 (2/24): Deism (UND, 3) Session 17 (2/25): Naturalism (UND, 4) Session 18 (2/26): Nihilism (UND, 5) Session 19 (3/3): Existentialism (UND, 6)

4 Session 20 (3/4): Eastern Pantheistic Monism (UND, 7) Session 21 (3/5): New Age/Panentheism (UND, 8) Session 22 (3/24): Postmodernity (UND, 9 Session 23 (3/25): Exam Session 24 (3/26): Application- The Examined Life (UND, 10) Session 25 (3/31): Apologetic Methods: Overview Session 26 (4/1): Apologetics Methods: Evidentialism Session 27 (4/2): Apologetic Methods: Evidentialism Session 28 (4/7): Apologetic Methods: Classical Session 29 (4/8): Apologetic Methods: Classical Session 30 (4/9): Apologetic Methods: Cumulative Case Session 31 (4/14): Apologetic Methods: Cumulative Case Session 32 (4/15): Apologetic Methods: Reformed Epistemology Session 33 (4/16): Apologetic Methods: Reformed Epistemology Session 34 (4/21): Apologetic Methods: Presuppositionalism Session 35 (4/22): Apologetic Methods: Presuppositionalism Session 36 (4/23): Exam Session 37 (4/28): ARC- No Class Session 38 (4/29): ARC- No Class Session 39 (4/30): Epistemic Justification

5 Session 40 (5/5): Methods of K: Normative Perspective Session 41 (5/6): Methods of K: Situational P Logic Session 42 (5/7): Method in Apologetics: Proof Issues (AGG, 3-5) Session 43 (5/12): Method in Apologetics: Proof Issues (AGG, 3-5) Session 44 (5/13): Method in A: Defense Problem of Evil (AGG, 6) Session 45 (5/14): Method in Apologetics: Offense Critique of Unbelief (AGG, 8) Final Exams: 5/19-20 Certification: I have read the syllabus for Introduction to Apologetics (PH 6910) and understand each of the requirements for the course. Signed:

6 Bibliography Alexander, Samuel. Space, Time, and Deity. London: Macmillan, Alston, William P. Perceiving God: The Epistemology of Religious Experience. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Univ. Press, Alsup, John. The Post-Resurrection Appearances of the Gospel Tradition. Stuttgart: Calwer Verlag, Anderson, Charles. The Historical Jesus: A Continuing Quest. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, Anselm. St. Anselm: Basic Writings. Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologica. Augustine, St. Basic Writings of Saint Augustine. Edited by Whitney J Oates. Vol. 2, City of God. Translated by Marcus Dods. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, Ayer, A. J. Language, Truth, and Logic. New York: Dover Publications, The Origins of Pragmatism. San Francisco: Freeman, Cooper, Bahnsen, Greg L. Van Til's Apologetic: Readings and Analysis. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, Barrow, John D. and Frank J. Tipler. The Anthropic Cosmological Principle. Oxford: Clarendon Press, Barth, Karl. Anselm. Translated by Ian W. Robertson. Richmond: John Knox Press, Bendall, Kent, and Frederick Ferre. Exploring the Logic of Faith. New York: Association Press, Bernstein, Richard J. Beyond Objectivism and Relativism: Science, Hermeneutics, & Praxis. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1983.

7 Blanchard, John. Why Believe the Bible? Popular Christian Apologetics Collections. Webster, NY: Evangelical Press, Blanshard, Brand. Nature of Thought. 2 Vols. London: Allen & Unwin, Blocher, Henri. In the Beginning: The Opening Chapters of Genesis. Translated by David G. Preston. Downers Grove: IVP, Boa, Kenneth. God, I Don t Understand. Wheaton: Victor, Bonaventura, St. The Mind s Road to God. Translated by George Boas. New York: Liberal Arts Press, Bradley, F. H. The Presuppositions of Critical History. Chicago: Quadrangle Books, Brown, Colin. Miracles and the Critical Mind. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984., ed. History, Criticism, and Faith. Downers Grove: IVP, Brown, Delwin, ed. Process Philosophy and Christian Thought. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, Bruce, F. F. The Apostolic Defence of the Gospel: Christian Apologetic in the New Testament. Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Fellowship, Burrill, Donald R., ed. The Cosmological Arguments. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, Bush, L. Russ. Classical Readings in Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, Butler, Bishop Joseph. The Analogy of Religion. Carnell, Edward J. Christian Commitment an Apologetic. Grand Rapids: Baker, Introduction to Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1948.

8 Carnell, Edward J., and Foster H. Shannon. An Introduction to Christian Apologetics: A Philosophic Defense of the Trinitarian-Theistic Faith. Lebanon, TN: Green Leaf Press, Chaney, David R., and Steven Sanders, eds. The Meaning of Life: Questions, Answers and Analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Clark, David K. Dialogical Apologetics: A Person-Centered Approach to Christian Defense. Grand Rapids: Baker, Clark, Gordon H. Historiography: Secular and Religious. Grand Rapids: Baker, Religion, Reason, and Revelation. Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed, The Philosophy of Science and Belief in God. Nutley, NJ: Craig, Clark, David K. and Norman L. Geisler. Apologetics in the New Age: A Christian Critique of Pantheism. Grand Rapids: Baker, Clark, Kelly James. Return to Reason: A Critique of Enlightenment Evidentialism and a Defense of Reason and Belief in God. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, When Faith Is not Enough. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, Collingwood, R. G. The Idea of History. Oxford: Clarendon Press, Collins, James. The Existentialists. Chicago: Henry Regnery, Corduan, Winfried. Reasonable Faith: Basic Christian Apologetics. Nashville: Baptist Sunday School Board, Cousins, Ewert, ed. Process Theology. Glen Rock, NJ: Newman Press, Cowan, Steven B. Five Views on Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, Craig, William Lane. Apologetics: An Introduction. Chicago: Moody, Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the

9 Resurrection of Jesus. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen, The Cosmological Argument from Plato to Leibniz. NY: Barnes & Noble, The Existence of God and the Beginning of the Universe. San Bernardino, CA: Here s Life, The Historical Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus during the Deist Controversy. Texts & Studies in Religion 23. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen, The Kalam Cosmological Argument. NY: Barnes & Nobles, Craig, William Lane and Quentin Smith. Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology. Oxford: Clarendon Press, Dembski, William A. and Jay Wesley Richards. Unapologetic Apologetics: Meeting the Challenges of Theological Studies. Downers Grove: IVP, Descartes, Rene. A Discourse on Method. Translated by John Veitch. NY: E. P. Dutton, Diamond, Malcolm, and Thomas Litzenburg, eds. The Logic of God. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, Driscoll, John T. Pragmatism and the Problem of the Idea. NY: Longmans, Green, Dulles, Avery. A History of Apologetics. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, Dunn, James D. G. The Evidence for Jesus. Philadephia: Westminster, Dyrness, William A. Christian Apologetics in a World Community. Downers Grove: IVP, Evans, C. Stephen. Philosophy of Religion. Contours of Christian Philosophy Series. Downers Grove: IVP, Subjectivity and Religious Belief. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978.

10 . Existentialism: The Philosophy of Despair & the Quest for Hope. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, Ewing, A. C. Value and Reality. London: George Allen & Unwin, Farrer, Austin. Finite and the Infinite. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, Ferre, Frederick. Exploring the Logic of Faith. NY: Harper, Shaping the Future: Resources for the Post-Modern World. NY: Harper & Row, Feuerbach, Ludwig. The Essence of Christianity. Translated by George Eliot. NY: Harper Torchbooks, Flew, Antony, and Alasdair MacIntyre. New Essays in PhilosophicalTheology. London: SCM Press, Flint, Robert. Agnosticism. NY: Charler Scribner s Sons, Anti-Theistic Theories. London: William Blackwood & Sons, Frame, John M. Apologetics to the Glory of God: An Introduction. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, Cornelius Van Til: An Analysis of His Thought. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God. Phillipsburg: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing Company, France, R. T. The Evidence for Jesus. Downers Grove: IVP, Garrigou-Lagrange, Reginald. God: His Existence and Essence. Translated by Dom. Bede Rose. St. Louis: B. Herder Book Company, Geisler, Norman. Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976.

11 . Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, Philosophy of Religion. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, The Roots of Evil. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, Geisler, Norman L., and J. Kerby Anderson. Origin Science: A Proposal for the Creation-Evolution Controversy. Grand Rapids: Baker, Geivett, R. Douglas, and Brendan Sweetman, eds. Contemporary Perspectives on Religious Epistemology. NY: Oxford Univ. Press, Geivett, R. Douglas, and Gary R. Habermas, eds. In Defense of Miracles: A Comprehensive Case for God s Action in History. Downers Grove: IVP, Gerstner, John. Reasons for Faith. NY: Harper, Green, Ronald M. Religious Reason: The Rational and Moral Basis of Religious Belief. NY: Oxford University Press, Grenz, Stanley J. and John R. Franke. Beyond Foundationalism: Shaping Theology in a Postmodern Context. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, Habermas, Gary R. Ancient Evidence for the Life of Jesus. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, The Resurrection of Jesus: An Apologetic. Grand Rapids: Baker, Hackett, Stuart. The Resurrection of Theism. Chicago: Moody Press, Reconstruction of the Christian Revelation Claim: A Philosophical and Critical Apologetic. Grand Rapids: Baker, Harre, R. Varieties of Realism. NY: Basil Blackwell, Hawking, Stephen. A Brief History of Time. NY: Bantam Books, Hanna, Mark M. Crucial questions in apologetics. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1981.

12 Henry, Carl F. H. God, Revelation, and Authority. 6 Vols. Waco, Texas: Word Books, Hick, John. Faith and Knowledge. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Univ. Press, The Existence of God. NY: Macmillan, Hick, John H., ed. Arguments for the Existence of God. Philosophy of Religion Series. NY: Herder, Hoffecker, W. Andrew and Gary Scott Smith, eds. Building a Christian Worldview. 2 Vols. Phillipsburg: P & R, Holmes, Arthur. Faith Seeks Understanding. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, Hoover, A. J. Case for Christian Theism: An Introduction to Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Baker, Horigan, James E. Chance or Design? NY: Philosophical Library, Howe, Frederic R. Challenge and Response: A Handbook of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, James, William. Pragmatism & Other Essays. NY: Washington Square Press, Juster, Daniel C. The Biblical World View: An Apologetic. International Scholars Publishers, January 1, Kant, Immanuel. Critique of Pure Reason. Translated by Norman Kemp Smith. NY: St. Martin s Press, Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone. Translated by T. M. Greene and H. H. Hudson. LaSalle, IL: Open Court, Kennedy, D. James. Why I Believe. Waco: Word, Kierkegaard, Soren. Concluding Unscientific Postscript. Translated by David F. Swenson and Walter Lowrie. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1941.

13 . Either/Or. Translated by David F. Swenson and Lillian Swenson. Garden City: Doubleday, Kreeft, Peter and Ronald K. Tacelli. Handbook of Christian Apologetics: Hundreds of Answers to Crucial Questions. Downer s Grove: IVP, Ladd, George E. I Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, Laudan, Larry. Progress and Its Problems: Toward a Theory of Scientific Growth. Berkeley: University of California Press, Lester, Lane, and Raymond G. Bohlin. The Natural Limits of Biological Change. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. NY: Macmillan Publishing Company, Miracles: How God Intervenes in Nature & Human Affairs. NY: Macmillan Publishing Company, Lewis, Gordon R. Testing Christianity's Truth-claims: Approaches to Christian Apologetics. Chicago: Moody Press, 1976 Lewis, H. D. The Elusive Self. Philadelphia: Westminster, Little, Paul. Know Why You Believe. Wheaton: Scripture, Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. London: Collins, Lucas, J. R. The Freedom of the Will. Oxford: Clarendon Press, Mackie, J. L. The Miracle of Theism. Oxford: Clarendon Press, Maddell, Geoffrey. The Identity of the Self. Edinburgh: The University Press, Marsden, George, and Frank Roberts, eds. A Christian View of History? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975.

14 Marshall, I. Howard. I Believe in the Historical Jesus. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, Mavrodes, George. Belief in God. NY: Random House, Mayers, Ronald B. Balanced Apologetics: Using Evidences and Presuppositions in Defense of the Faith. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, Maynell, Hugo. God and the World. London: n.p., McDowell, Josh. Evidence That Demands a Verdict. San Bernardino, CA: Here s Life, McGrath, Alister. Bridge-Building: Effective Christian Apologetics. Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, McPherson, Thomas. The Argument from Design. London: Macmillan, Mill, John Stuart. Three Essays on Religion. London: Longmans, Green, Reader, & Dyer, Miller, Ed L. God and Reason: A Historical Approach to Philosophical Theology. NY: Macmillan, Mitton, C. Leslie. Jesus: The Fact Behind the Faith. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, Monod, Jacques. Chance and Necessity. Translated by A Wainhouse. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Montgomery, John Warwick. Christianity and History. Downer s Grove: Inter- Varsity Press, Faith Founded on Fact: Essays in Evidential Apologetics. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Moreland, J. P. Scaling the Secular City. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, Universals, Qualities, & Quality-Instances: A Defense of Realism. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1985.

15 Moreland, J. P., and Kai Nielson. Does God Exist? Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Morris, Thomas V. Making Sense of It All: Pascal and the Meaning of Life. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, Nichols, Stephen J. An Absolute Sort of Certainty: The Holy Spirit and the Apologetics of Jonathan Edwards. Phillipsburg: P & R Publishing, O Collins, Gerald. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Valley Forge: Judson, Osborne, Grant. The Resurrection Narratives: A Redactional Study. Grand Rapids: Baker, Owen, H. P. The Moral Argument for Christian Theism. London: Allen & Unwin, Paley, William. Natural Theology. London: J. Faulder, A View of the Evidences of Christianity. 2 vols. 5 th Edition. Westmead, England: Gregg International, Pascal, Blaise. Pensees. Translated by A. J. Krailsheimer. NY: Penguin Books, Phillips, Timothy R., and Dennis L Okholm. Christian Apologetics in the Postmodern World. Downers Grove: IVP, Pike, Nelson. God and Evil. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, God and Timelessness. NY: Schocken Books, Pinnock, Clark H. Reason Enough: A Case for the Christian Faith. Downers Grove: IVP, Set Forth Your Case: Studies in Christian Apologetics. Nutley, NJ: The Craig Press, Plantinga, Alvin. The Nature of Necessity. Oxford: Clarendon Press, God and Other Minds: A Study of the Rational Justification of Belief in God.

16 Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, God, Freedom, and Evil. NY: Harper & Row, Warrant: The Current Debate. NY: Oxford University Press, Warranted Christian Belief. NY: Oxford University Press, Plantinga, Alvin, and Nicholas Wolterstorff, eds. Faith and Rationality. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, Popper, Karl. The Poverty of Hisoricsim. NY: Harper & Row, Harper Torchbooks, Ramm, Bernard. Protestant Christian Evidences. Chicago: Moody Press, Varieties of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, The Christian View of Science and Scripture. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, Reymond, Robert L. The Justification of Knowledge: An Introductory Study in Christian Apologetic Methodology. Phillipsburg: P & R, Reichenbach, Bruce. The Cosmological Argument. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, Richardson, Alan. Christian Apologetics. Robinson, Howard. Matter and Sense. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Rowe, William L. The Cosmological Argument. Princeton: Princeton University Press, Russell, Bertrand. Why I Am Not a Christian? London: Allen & Unwin, Schaeffer, Francis. Escape from Reason. Downers Grove: IVP, 1968.

17 . The God Who Is There. Downers Grove: IVP, How Should We Then Live? Old Tappan: Fleming H. Revell, Sire, James W. The Universe Next Door: A Basic World View Catalog. Downers Grove: IVP, Sproul, R. C. Defending Your Faith: An Introduction to Apologetics. Wheaton: Crossway Books, Classical Apologetics. Stackhouse, John G., Jr. Humble Apologetics: Defending the Faith Today. NY: Oxford University Press, Swinburne, Richard. The Coherence of Theism. Oxford: Clarendon Press, The Concept of Miracle. NY: Macmillan, The Evolution of the Soul. Oxford: Clarendon Press, The Existence of God.Oxford: Clarendon Press, Taylor, A. E. Does God Exist? London: Macmillan, Tenney, Merrill C. The Reality of the Resurrection. Chicago: Moody Press, Thaxton, Charles B., Walter L. Bradley, and Roger L. Olsen. The Mystery of Life s Origin: Reassessing Current Theories. NY: Philosophical Library, Van Til, Cornelius. Common Grace. Philadelphia: Presbyterian & Reformed, The Defense of the Faith. Philadelphia: Presbyterian & Reformed, Jerusalem and Athens. Edited by E. R. Geehan. Grand Rapids: Baker, Toward a Reformed Apologetics.

18 Van Til, Cornelius, and William Edgar. Christian Apologetics. Phillipsburg: P & R, Warfield, Benjamin Breckinridge, Apologetics. In The Works of Benjamin B. Warfield. Vol. 9, Studies in Theology. NY: Oxford University Press, 1932; reprint., Grand Rapids: Baker, White, Morton. Foundations of Historical Knowledge. NY: Harper & Row, Harper Torchbooks, Wolterstorff, Nicholas. Reason Within the Bounds of Religion. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, Wood, W. Jay. Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Honest. Contours of Christian Philosophy. Edited by C. Stephen Evans. Downers Grove: IVP, Wrede, Wilhelm. The Messianic Secret. Translated by J. O. G. Greig. Cambridge: James Clarke, Yandell, Keith. Christianity and Philosophy. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, The Epistemology of Religious Experience. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Zacharias, Ravi K. The Shattered Visage Zacharias, Ravi K. and Norman L. Geisler. Is Your Church Ready?: Motivating Leaders to Live an Apologetic Life. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing Company, Zuck, Roy B. Vital Apologetic Issues. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1995.