The Day After the Elections of 2008

Tas Walker in Palmy North 26 Sept

Tas Walker from Creation Ministries international is in Palmy North on Friday night.

Details: Friday 26 September, 7.30pm, public meeting, Central Baptist Church, 190 Church Street, Palmerston North.

More here.

Darwin and Evolution

Two lectures at Te Manawa. Details here.

See also the calendar on Thinking Matters.

Racism and Christianity

I have a friend who describes herself as a “disinterested agnostic”. For several years I have tried to understand where she is coming in terms of her worldview. She is quite reluctant to talk to me about these things, which is perhaps understandable. She has been known to make some rather strong assertions regarding morality — for example, female circumcision, treatment of women in Afghanistan, and “white-flight” from schools that apparently have too many Muslims and indigenous attendees.

Recently she wrote about the latter on her blog, to which I responded:

I don’t personally like racism, and certainly feel emotionally for those who suffer at the hands of others, simply because their appearance is different due to minute differences in genetic coding.

However, at an intellectual level, I find it much more difficult to reject racism as evil. Indeed, to believe racism is actually evil, I would have to believe first that evil actually exists.

But how do I get to this realization?

If you are thinking: “what a moron — of course evil exists”, then convince me as to how you arrived that that conclusion.

Stating “this is evil” or “that is evil” is only making assertions, and even racists are good at making assertions. For an assertion to carry any weight, it requires a foundation, lest it just be merely an empty assertion.

So what do you think? Does she have a case, or is she being inconsistent with her worldview? Is she making baseless assertions? Or am i just being too hard on her?

Does Intelligent Design Have Merit?

This is looking like a nice (and useful) interchange by the ID experts and those opposing them:

http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/does-intelligent-design-have-merit

Frank Turek comments on the Hitchens-Turek Debate

On Tuesday night, I debated atheist Christopher Hitchens, author of God is not Great:  How Religion Poisons Everything, at Virginia Commonwealth University. The topic was, “Does God Exist?” 

Thanks be to God (and to you for your prayers) because I don’t think the debate could have gone much better. There were several atheists who approached me afterwards to say that I had won. 

One young lady actually apologized for being an atheist!  Her position was not well represented, and she said that the arguments for God were. 

Hitchens was his usual charming and witty self (I really like him and said as much), but he did not answer any of the eight arguments that I presented for the existence of God.  And as many in the audience acknowledged, he dodged nearly all of my questions.  

Here is the introduction of a long e-mail sent to me two hours after the debate by a VCU Philosophy professor who attended (this professor told me that he is completely “non-religious”):

Dear Dr. Turek, I wanted to say once again that I greatly enjoyed your talk and that, in my judgment, you clearly and unequivocally prevailed against Hitchens. Your two mind-body arguments were, I thought, very good, as were your modernizations of the cosmological argument and the teleological argument. I was also moved by your argument that, given how vanishingly close to zero are the chances of there being any sort of life, let alone intelligent life, it is more reasonable to infer that there is a God than it is to infer that there isn’t — the first an inference, but not the latter, being an ‘inference to the best explanation’, as philosophers of science would say.

Read the rest here.

North Island ‘Evidence For Design’ Tour with Dr Tas Walker

Friday 26 September, 7.30pm, public meeting, Central Baptist Church, 190 Church Street, Palmerston North.

Dr Tas Walker has been working for CMI–Australia since 1999 and is one of the conrtributing editors for the world-renowned Creation magazine which has subscribers in over 140 countries.

Tas is an engaging speaker, answering many questions such as, ‘Is the creation/evolution debate just a side issue?’ or ‘Doesn’t evolution remove the need for a designer?’ In his easy-to-understand illustrated presentations, Tas will show how you can be confident in the Bible, strengthen the faith of your family, and witness with enthusiasm to your neighbours and friends.

This is your chance to hear a scientist talk about:

• evidence for the accuracy of the Bible

• evidence for creation and against evolution

• evidence that geologic observations confirm the event of Noah’s Flood

A Hitch in Hitchens: Observations From the Turek-Hitchens Debate

Here are some observations from a Hitchens fan who was at the debate. Sounds like Turek won the debate, but Hitchens was not in great form (unwell perhaps?). Enjoy.

http://rudyhenkel.livejournal.com/2726.html

Anyone know where the MP3s are?

Help Us Get Lawmakers Expelled

Dear friends,

We’re excited to be able to tell you that on October 21^st Expelled: No Intelligence Allow, starring Ben Stein, will be released on DVD. In Expelled, Stein brilliantly exposed the widespread persecution of scientists and educators who are pursuing legitimate science that challenges Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Rush Limbaugh called the movie “powerful” and “fabulous” and said Stein’s “interviews with some of the professors who espouse Darwinism are literally shocking.”

Read more

Debate between Frank Turek and Christopher Hitchens at VCU

This should be really exciting for those who like a lively debate!

Frank is from this site: http://www.crossexamined.org/

Check it out. Frank is “in ya face!” and so is Christopher Hitchens — so this should be a fun debate. See a short video of Frank on his website above.

The Darwin Lectures

National Radio are running this series. Check out the MP3s here.

Apologetics Study Bible

Watch the video here.

• General Editor: Ted Cabal
• Associate Editors: Chad Owen Brand, E. Ray Clendenen, Paul Copan, and J. P. Moreland
• Contributors: Charles Colson, John Frame, Norman L. Geisler, Al Mohler, Ravi Zacharias, and dozens more
• Broadman & Holman Publishing Group | 1999, 2007

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

Human beings are the only creatures who ask questions. Major questions.

• Can I know that God exists?
• Am I the product of a blind evolutionary process or was I created by God?
• How strong is the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection?
• Is the Bible reliable and true?
• Do I have a destiny beyond my life on earth?
• Can evil be reconciled with belief in God who is both all-powerful and all-loving?

Read more

Evidence for Correlations Between Nuclear Decay Rates and Earth-Sun Distance

http://arxiv.org/abs/0808.3283

Unexplained periodic fluctuations in the decay rates of Si-32 and Ra-226 have been reported by groups at Brookhaven National Laboratory (Si-32), and at the Physikalisch-Technische-Bundesandstalt in Germany (Ra-226). We show from an analysis of the raw data in these experiments that the observed fluctuations are strongly correlated in time, not only with each other, but also with the distance between the Earth and the Sun. Some implications of these results are also discussed, including the suggestion that discrepancies in published half-life determinations for these and other nuclides may be attributable in part to differences in solar activity during the course of the various experiments, or to seasonal variations in fundamental constants.

Another debate — Frank Turek versus Christopher Hitchens

http://crossexamined.org/calendar_event.asp?d_ID=121

Debate with Christopher Hitchens: Does God Exist?

Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Virginia Commonwealth University
VCU: Commonwealth Ballroom in the Student Commons
Richmond, VA

ARN - Real Science-4-Kids

What is Kogs-4-Kids?

Kogs-4-Kids is a workbook set that has just been released that supports the Real Science-4-Kids curriculum. This workbook set helps students make cognitive connections between the scientific discipline they are studying (chemistry, biology, physics, and earth and space) and other disciplines such as critical thinking, language, technology, the arts, philosophy, and history. Kogs-4-Kids plus Real Science-4-Kids work together to create not only a foundation for scientific knowledge but also a framework for scientific literacy.

Order the complete Chemistry 1A Bundle today or the individual workbooks of interest (recommended for grades 3-5).  You can also download sample chapters for each topic.  Find out why kids are going krazy for kogs.

Dr. James White on Apologetic Methodology

You might find this useful. This is James White’s 3 part series on consistent apologetic methodology. He does it in light of specific apologetics debates, which makes it more useful too.

• http://www.aomin.org/podcasts/20080722fta.mp3
• http://www.aomin.org/podcasts/20080724fta.mp3
• http://www.aomin.org/podcasts/20080729fta.mp3

Homepage is www.aomin.org.

Greg Koukl and Stand to Reason have their own video page

And here it is…

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=STRvideos

Lots of great stuff here!

William Lane Craig debates John Shook in Canada, 2008

Full videos of the debate are located here.

Thanks to our friends at Apologetics 315.

A Massive compilation of materials

www.apollos.ws

A New Day for Apologetics (from Christianity Today)

People young and old are flocking to hear — and be changed by — winsome arguments for the Christian faith.

Troy Anderson | posted 7/02/2008 08:50AM

Despite all the recent attacks on faith—or, perhaps, because of them—these are definitely the best of times for Christian apologists such as Lee Strobel, William Lane Craig, Ben Witherington III, Darrell Bock, and J. P. Moreland. They are making documentaries, writing books, giving media interviews, attending debates and conferences, and presenting the public with what they say is a growing mountain of scientific and archaeological evidence documenting the truth of Christianity.

“There has been a resurgence in Christian apologetics as a direct result of the challenges Christianity has faced in the form of militant atheism in college classrooms, on the Internet, and in TV documentaries and best-selling books,” says Strobel, former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune and most recently the author of The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ.

Dinesh D’Souza, who wrote What’s So Great About Christianity? (CT, March 2008), says the New Atheists are raising new types of questions requiring “21st-century apologetics.”

“The apologetics of the 1970s and ’80s are useful if you are teaching in a church camp, but it’s not that relevant to the claims the New Atheists are making, which are very different,” D’Souza says. “The New Atheists are really surfing the waves of 9/11, equating Islamic radicalism with Christianity. These are not questions addressed by C. S. Lewis or Josh McDowell.”

This spate of attacks has also kindled an unexpected surge of interest in apologetics among youth.

“It wasn’t too many years ago that scholars were writing off apologetics because we live in a postmodern world where young people are not supposed to be interested in things like the historical Jesus,” Strobel says. “The biggest shock is that among people who communicated to me that they had found faith in Christ through apologetics, the single biggest group was 16- to 24-year-olds.”

Last summer, hundreds had to be turned away from a Focus on the Family- sponsored apologetics conference for teenagers that drew an overflow crowd of 1,500. Meanwhile, the hotbeds of apologetics education—Biola University and its Talbot School of Theology (CT, June 2003), Southern Evangelical Seminary, and Liberty University—are crammed with students pursuing graduate degrees in philosophy and apologetics.

More here.

News from the Apologetics Network in Tauranga

Hi Everyone,

We had a good meeting on Thursday night, with roughly 50 people turning up to view “Unlocking the Mystery of Life” followed up by some interesting discussions afterwards.  For those who asked about getting their own copy of the DVD – you can do so for $25.95 DVD or $14.95 VHS from the Focus on the Family online shop.

Coming events

Thinking Matters Planning and Progress Meeting

To discuss progress after our first events, and table new ideas and suggestions. Anyone interested in being involved in this ministry is welcome.

When:  Tuesday 8^th 7:30-9pm (note later than normal start time)

Where:  Meeting Room, Bethlehem Community Church Centre, 183 Moffat Rd.

More Info: Click here

DVD screening of ‘The Privileged Planet’

A high quality documentary exploring the evidence of a grand designer in the cosmos. 

When: Tuesday 15^th 7-9pm

Where: Bethlehem Community Church Centre, 183 Moffat Rd.

More Info: Click here

Website Recommendation

www.BeThinking.org

The BeThinking website is a fantastic source of hundreds of recorded presentations and written articles from high calibre speakers (including William Lane Craig).  Recordings and articles are classified into Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced and grouped under the following topics:

· What is apologetics?

· Culture & Worldview

· History & Jesus

· Islam

· Other Religions

· Resurrection & Miracles

· Right & Wrong

· Science & Christianity

· Spirituality

· Stories & Illustrations

· Suffering

· Truth & Intolerance

· Who am I?

· Who are you God?

The content on this site is a must for all who are searching for greater understanding and knowledge.  After listening to some of the recordings on the computer, you will be inspired to purchase an I-Pod or MP3 player (if you don’t already have one) so you can listen to these in the car and while walking the dog/husband.

Hope to see you at the coming events!

Bill Craig - Bill Cooke Debate

It happened in Auckland…

http://mandmandmandm.blogspot.com/2008/06/battle-of-bills-review-of-craig-cooke.html

My small idea of getting Dr William Lane Craig to have a debate at Auckland University ended up being an event that far exceeded my expectations. Despite the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists (NZARH) booking a larger lecture theatre at the last minute we still had to open up three additional lecture theatres with live video feeds and we still had people sitting on the floor! Question time had to be extended because of the interest. The range of people in attendance was excellent; hardened skeptics, evangelical Christians and everyone in between, young and old, high school students through to tertiary faculty.

And is about to happen in Palmy…

http://christiannews.co.nz/2008/debate-bill-craig-and-bill-cooke/

Darwin or Design Show Notes

These are some useful interviews by an Aussie! Webpage here: http://thesciphishow.com/darwinordesign

The author of Darwin or Design is Jason Rennie. Jason is also the host of The Sci Phi Show a podcast that looks at questions of science fiction and philosophy. He lives in Sydney Australia and works as a software engineer when he isn’t busy doing things like this.

If you want to contact Jason in regards to Darwin or Design he can be reached at darwinordesign@gmail.com. He checks his email regularly so you can expect a speedy reply.

An overview of Evolution

Chapter 1 : PZ Myers, An overview of Evolution and ID 15:48
Chapter 2 : Sean Carroll, What is Evo Devo ? 20:17
Chapter 3 : Nick Matzke, Can the flagellum evolve ? 29:27

Design in the ID advocates own words

Chapter 4 : Salvador Cordova, What is ID ? 20:20
Chapter 5 : Mike Behe, What is Irreducible Complexity ? 17:51
Chapter 6 : Angus Menuge, Agency and how to identify it 18:28
Chapter 7 : Guillermo Gonzalez, The Privileged Planet 17:26
Chapter 8 : Joey Campana, Does ID research actually exist ? 26:17

Non-Darwinian approaches to Evolution and Common Descent

Chapter 9 : James Shapiro, Sentient Cells ? 33:50
Chapter 10 : Mike Gene, What is Front Loading ? 23:37

ID’s critics

Chapter 11 : Elliot Sober, ID and the Philosophy of Science 10:46
Chapter 12 : Scott Turner, The problem of Design 24:02
Chapter 13 : Glenn Morton, Can ID work in Biology ? 15:19
Chapter 14 : Ryan Nichols, Are ID and Theology Inseperable ? 14:28
Chapter 15 : Georgia Purdom, Isn’t ID just Creationism in Disguise ? 21:44

ID, The Philosophy of Science, History and The Law

Chapter 16 : David Livingstone, Evolution and Christianity, The History 32:37
Chapter 17 : Del Ratzsch, Can ID be Science ? 25:38
Chapter 18 : Massimo Pigliucci, Evolutionary Epistemology and ID 28:34
Chapter 19 : Henry Schaefer, Science and Religion 14:40
Chapter 20 : Donald McConnell, Intelligent Design, Creationism and The Law 34:42
Chapter 21 : Steve Fuller, ID & Social Epistemology 19:11

ID in the Wild

Chapter 22 : John Davison, The Price of Dissent 35:26
Chapter 23 : Denyse O’Leary, ID & The Media 22:51
Chapter 24 : Geoff Simmons, Darwinism, ID & Medicine 27:40
Chapter 25 : Rob Sawyer, Calculating God 25:27

Dr. Brad Harrub 4-night Bible & Science Seminar

Dr. Brad Harrub will be conducting a 4 night Bible & Science Seminar at the Riverdale School hall starting on Sun. 20 April, Mon. 21, Tue. 22, Wed. 23 at 6pm.

Each night there will be two 25 minute lessons with a 10 minute break in between. The final lesson will be followed by a question and answer session in which Brad will field questions from the floor.

This proved especially popular last year.

Brad is a well qualified, highly entertaining and engaging speaker. He holds a Ph.D in Neurobiology and Anatomy earned from the University of Tennessee and publishes/co-edits his own Christian apologetics magazine "Think."

I would greatly appreciate it if you would promote Brad’s visit at the next apologetics meeting and amongst any other contacts that you feel might be interested. For more information people can contact me at: 355-4580 or e-mail: nathrachp@xnet.co.nz

John Frame: Apologetics, History of Philosophy, Christian Thought courses for MP3 players

Thanks to those who write to us, especially Rob M from Memphis!

Greetings: I wanted to write a short note to thank you for the excellent resources available on your site.  You’ve aggregated some great articles and other materials and have become a really good clearinghouse for students of apologetics.

May I commend to you another resource? I’m about to graduate from Reformed Theological Seminary’s Virtual Campus, and many of their lectures are online and available from Itunes via a link you can reach here:

http://itunes.rts.edu/

Of particular interest for your site will be the complete John Frame apologetics course and also his History of Philosophy and Christian Thought course, also complete and free here.

Please do continue to keep up your web site.  It’s very helpful not only for your fellow Kiwis, but for those of us in other parts of the world as well.

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