Apologetics

 
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In 1966 Time Magazine came out with an article on its front-page magazine cover stating that God is dead.  Today we are indoctrinated from all angles, Hollywood, the educational system, media, social media, and society that there is no God.  They tell us to strive to be better people as we march down a humanistic, materialistic march towards a more evolved and enlightened society.  We are told the Bible is just man’s creation and that God existed in a time period before we had the technological advancements that we have today.

But what evidence do we have for evolution?  Sure, of course, people and species evolve over time, but does that mean all life that we see today evolved from a warm primordial soup millions of years ago?  Did birds turn into dinosaurs?  Did monkeys crawl out of this warm pit and turn into man?  Are we missing something?  Is there any concrete evidence for evolution or is it more theories mixed with hypotheses?

When evidence for evolution is presented, why is it sometimes faked or doctored?  Why have we not found any transitional fossils?  Darwin’s tree of life, the Miller-Urey experiment, and Haeckel’s embryos are all given as scientific proof for evolution and taught in high schools, but what aren’t they telling us?  Why are we receiving partial truths as facts and lies as truth?  Is evolution still a theory or hypothesis, or is it now fact?  Why does the age of the Earth continually change, and have the various dating methods failed us before?  Is science supposed to be bringing us empirical evidence or presenting theories as empirical evidence?

The Bible presents historical truth, prophecy, archaeological evidence, look at it.  Rather than take the word of someone else, read and research it yourself.  

Research will reveal that there is much evidence that points to an all-powerful creator.  Unfortunately, there is no smoking gun, or irrefutable evidence that points to God.  You can find truth, which will help you make an intellectual basis for your faith, but you will need some faith to finish the process.  Likewise, if you believe in evolution and the absence of God, an honest reflection is going to require faith to continue in that belief.

Christian Apologetics has a long history.  It really would have started with Paul the Apostle.  And we have Origen, Augustine of Hippo, Tertullian, Justin Martyr, and Aquinas.  In recent history, we have Blaise Pascal, GK Chesterton, and CS Lewis.  Today we have a new group of writers to show us the truth.

 

 

Here are some books that may help you in your search for truth:

Top 10 books on Apologetics:

  1. The Case for a Creator - Lee Strobel - Also see: The Case for Faith and the Case for Christ All modern day classics.  These books pack a lot of power, in an easy to read intriguing format.

  2. More Than a Carpenter.  Quick, simple read by Josh & Sean Mcdowell that highlights the basics.  If you are looking for a more scholarly read with more information, try Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh Mcdowell

  3. The New Answers Book 1 - Ken Ham - He has a whole series out, book 1,2,3, and 4.  Very easy to read book with basic illustrations.  If you are new to apologetics, this is the book to start with.  Also suitable for a child or teenager.  

  4. Mere Christianity - CS Lewis - The classic and it is CS Lewis, win, win.

  5. Jonathan Wells - Icons of Evolution - This book shows us the flaws in the basic experiments that textbooks provide as a basis for the theory of evolution.  Such as the Miller-Urey Experiment, Darwin’s Tree of Life, Haeckel’s Embryos, Darwin’s Finches, etc.

  6. The Battle for the Beginning - John MacArthur - Great easy to read book.

  7. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist - Norman L. Geisler & Frank Turek - Argues that Christianity requires less faith than all of the other worldviews because it is the most reasonable. 

  8. Francis Schaeffer - Trilogy - Schaeffer led a sort of renaissance back towards christian apologetics.  Not an easy read, but a classic.

  9. The Handbook of Christian Apologetics - Peter Kreeft & Ronald K.Tacelli - Summarizes and categorizes major arguments in support of the main Christian beliefs.  

  10. The Genesis Flood - John C. Whitcomb & Henry Morris - Highlights the Biblical record and its scientific implications.  Not necessarily a quick read, but an important one.

Honorable Mention

Reasons of the Heart: Recovering Christina Persuasion - William Edgar - good introductory read into apologetics