Gregory Koukl's Blog, page 144
February 17, 2013
Links Mentioned on the Show
The following are links that were either mentioned on this week's show or inspired by it, as posted live on the @STRtweets Twitter feed:
CrossExamined Instructor Academy
Half of those on Liverpool Care Pathway never told by Laura Donnelly
Listen to today's show or download any show for free.
CrossExamined Instructor Academy 2013
If you're looking for a way to become a speaker on apologetics, Frank Turek's annual CrossExamined Instructor Academy (CIA) is coming up on August 8-10 in North Carolina:
CIA is an intense three-day program where you will learn how to present I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist—which involves four main topics: Truth, God, Miracles and the New Testament—and how to answer questions about those topics in a hostile environment. During those three days, in addition to hearing lectures and participating in discussions, you will be asked to present a portion of I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist and answer questions from several instructors including Frank Turek, Greg Koukl, Richard Howe, and others.
Greg, Brett, and J. Warner will be instructors at the academy. See the website for more info on qualifications, applications, tuition, etc.
February 15, 2013
"Problem of Evil" Answers
Our Sense of Moral Obligation Proves Materialism Is False
My experience as a homicide detective has given me some insight into the nature of moral culpability and the limits of materialism. Over the years, some of my suspects have claimed they were not responsible for their actions because they suffered some physical condition that was beyond their control. If you’re not familiar with the famous 1979 trial of Dan White, you might want to do a little research. White murdered the mayor of San Francisco, George Moscone, and a San Francisco city supervisor named Harvey Milk. When the trial finally took place, White’s attorney claimed that White was not culpable for the murders because he had a physical condition that caused depression, and this condition was aggravated by a recent change in White’s diet. White allegedly modified his diet from healthy food to sugary food, including Hostess brand Twinkies. He claimed these unhealthy foods caused a physical condition that was beyond his control, aggravating his depression and causing him to murder Moscone and Milk. The jury actually accepted this explanation and convicted White of manslaughter rather than murder. The public response was quick and violent. People were appropriately outraged by White’s successful effort to minimize his personal responsibility; riots broke out in the city of San Francisco. This defense strategy was widely (and appropriately) panned and resulted in the creation of a label that has since been applied to all such attempts to excuse immoral and illegal behavior on the basis of some physical condition. The “Twinkie Defense” has now become a catch-all term used to describe such efforts.
When examining the causes for an event (such as a death) we can separate them into two categories: event causation and agent causation (prior physical events cause things to happen and free agents cause things to happen). It’s important to recognize that free agents alone have the freedom to act or respond without a prior physical causal event. Physical objects, like dominoes, cannot cause themselves to fall over; they require a prior event to cause them to fall. But you and I have the ability to cause the first domino to fall as a simple matter of choice (we don’t need a prior event to cause this action). You can’t blame a car for running over a victim; the car is simply a physical object subject to a series of physical processes, none of which can be held morally culpable. But we can blame the driver of the car for driving the car over the victim. The driver is a free agent, and we recognize that his choices are just that: free choices. The driver is not like the car. His choice is not simply the result of a series of purely physical processes, like dominoes falling. He had the freedom to choose otherwise, and this is why we seek to arrest and prosecute him.
Our recognition of the moral culpability of the driver (rather than the car) is an admission that materialism (physicalism) fails to explain who we are as humans. Consider the following argument:
No Physical System is a Free Agent
Physical systems are either “determined” (one event necessarily following the other) or “random”
Therefore No Physical System Has Moral Responsibility
Moral responsibility requires moral freedom of choice
Human Beings DO Have Moral Responsibility
We recognize that each of us has the responsibility and choice to act morally, and indeed, we seek to hold each other legally accountable for each other’s free-will choices
Therefore, Human Beings Are NOT Simply Physical Systems
Our recognition of moral responsibility and our efforts to hold each other accountable are irrational and unwarranted if humans are merely physical systems
If we, as humans, are only physical systems (merely matter), we ought to stop trying to hold each other accountable for misbehavior. In fact, there can be no misbehavior if we are only physical brains and bodies; there can only be behavior. Our actions have no moral content at all unless we truly have the freedom to choose and the ability to break the bondage of physical event causation. As a homicide detective, I can’t prosecute the gun or knife that was used by the murderer, but I can certainly arrest the free-agent human that used the physical tool to commit the murder in the first place. I can’t do this if the human was only another purely physical object in a sequence of caused events. If materialism (physicalism) is true, there is no need for homicide detectives. We still employ detectives, however, because our sense of moral obligation proves materialism to be false.
Whiter than Snow
As I was readings Psalm 51 last year throughout Lent and meditating on it, this phrase jumped out at me for the first time. Whiter than snow? Not as white as snow. Whiter.
Jesus' redemption for us is so utterly complete and perfect that before God, His children are seen to be whiter than snow. Whiter and cleaner than anything we can imagine from our experience.
Let me recommend Paul David Tripp's meditations on sin and mercy about Psalm 51. I also recommend rereading Psalm 51 with each meditation, not just the verse, because the Psalm will sink into you and give you more to think about than only one verse. It's good to read it in different translations, too, even paraphrases, to see different expressions of the original Hebrew.
Another little insight I got from Tripp is that the hyssop mentioned in verse 7 is the same kind of branch the Israelites used to paint the blood of the lambs over their thresholds so that the angel of death would pass over them on the eve of their Exodus from Egypt. Purge me with the blood of the Lamb, Jesus.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
February 14, 2013
Red Letter Christians
Christians and non-Christians sometimes quote Jesus' words in the Bible as though they have more authority than the rest of the Bible. People might dismiss something taught by Paul or Moses by saying, "Well, Jesus never said anything about..." and fill in their specific topic. Some Bible versions have Jesus' words printed in red, leaving the rest of the text in black. Some have developed the mistaken notion that the "red letters" are more authoritative than the black letters, that we should pay more heed to quotations from Jesus' ministry than what is taught elsewhere in the Bible.
This is an incorrect understanding of the Bible, though. And it's especially troubling when Christians take this approach because it's not the orthodox, historic Christian view. All of the words of the Bible were God-breathed, inspired by God, and have equal authority. Jesus, as part of the Trinity, then is speaking from Genesis 1 through Revelation.
Peter expresses this in 2 Peter 1:21: "For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God las they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
Wayne Grudem explains in his book Systematic Theology,
Thus God's words spoken through human lips [or pen] were considered to be just as authoritative and just as true as God's words of personal address. There was no disminishing of the authority of these words when they were spoken thorugh human lips. To disbelieve or disobey any of them was to disbelieve or disobey God Himself." (p. 100)
An example of this is in Act 4:25-26 where Peter and John, praising God after having been released from the Sadducees said,
[Sovereign God], through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and sthe rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed
They credited David's words recorded in the Psalm 2 as having been God's own words through the Holy Spirit. This is the Christian view of the entire Bible.
As Christians, we cannot focus primiarily on the red letters. The whole Word of God is our teacher and guide. If you want red letters, make them all red because they're all from Jesus.
February 13, 2013
Ash Wednesday Prayer
Accept His worthiness for my unworthiness,
His sinlessness for my transgressions,
His purity for my uncleanness,
His sincerity for my guile,
His truth for my deceits,
His meekness for my pride,
His constancy for my backslidings,
His love for my enmity,
His fullness for my emptiness,
His faithfulness for my treachery,
His obedience for my lawlessness,
His glory for my shame,
His devotedness for my dead works,
His death for my life.
(Puritan Prayers and Devotions, "God All-Sufficient")
Irony and Virtues
Columnist Stanley Fish made an interesting observation about many of reviews of the movie "Les Miserables." Some of the "sophisticated" reviewers scofffed at the movie's presentation of virtue and vice. From their 21st century cultural perspective of 19th century values, the story's take on heroism, sacrifice, tragedy, grace, and mercy seemed quaint and archaic. Fish quotes one reviewer who criticized the movie for it's lack of irony - treating these virtues with disdain. Fish goes on to analyze this cultural malady:
Irony is a stance of distance that pays a compliment to both its producer and consumer. The ironist knows what other, more naïve, observers do not: that surfaces are deceptive, that the real story is not what presents itself, that conventional pieties are sentimental fictions.
The artist who deploys irony tests the sophistication of his audience and divides it into two parts, those in the know and those who live in a fool’s paradise. Irony creates a privileged vantage point from which you can frame and stand aloof from a world you are too savvy to take at face value. Irony is the essence of the critical attitude, of the observer’s cool gaze; every reviewer who is not just a bourgeois cheerleader (and no reviewer will admit to being that) is an ironist.
“Les Misérables” defeats irony by not allowing the distance it requires.
Fish's observation reminded me of C.S. Lewis's comment, "We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst."
February 12, 2013
How to Find the Perfect Christian Case-Making (Apologetics) Curriculum
Now that I have your attention with that title, I need to tell you the truth: you’ll never find the perfect apologetics curriculum. In fact, your search for the perfect case-making curriculum is likely to leave you frustrated and discouraged. Two weeks ago on the Stand to Reason radio show I got a call from a listener who lamented the problem he was having in his search for age appropriate apologetics curriculum for young people. While I could think of a few great resources (like the Truth Project and the TrueU Series from Focus on the Family and GodQuest from Sean McDowell), I knew that none of these curriculum packages, as good as they are, would be the perfect fit for him. In fact, I was also approached last week by my publisher to start talking about creating a DVD curriculum based on Cold-Case Christianity. Although I am excited and eager to start working on that project, I know that my curriculum won’t be the perfect solution either. Let’s face it; if you are leading a small group (of any age) you probably know your group better than anyone else, including me or the authors of these other fine products. Every group is different, every setting is different, and every group leader has a different purpose and goal. So here are my tips as you search for a solution to your Christian case-making curriculum quandary:
Be Prepared to Look Beyond Curriculum
Sometimes we make the search harder than it needs to be by limiting our hunt to formalized curriculum. There are many great apologetics books on the market that are already structured in a way that provide a simple outline for small group leaders. I found one university group that is using my book in this fashion. Expand your search from formal curriculum to include appropriate books.
Be Prepared to Modify
Even if you do find a curriculum or book that you like, the odds are that it will require some modification. When I was a youth pastor I often used books and curriculum to help me created the rough outline for a teaching series, but found that I had to make many changes in order for it to be accessible to my students. When you are looking for curriculum, expect to have to work hard to simplify, contextualize, visualize and modify the work. There are probably no plug and play curriculum packages that are perfect for your group: expect to do some work.
Be Prepared to Become Your Own Expert
You will have to become the author of the curriculum you present to your group, and that’s a good thing. When you are tasked with teaching something, you start by learning that something for yourself. This is the nature of teaching and leading small groups. As you become more familiar with the subject matter, you’ll find yourself thinking about better ways to communicate the truths that you are mastering. Be prepared to learn before you try to teach. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.
As a youth pastor, I discovered the search for apologetics curriculum resulted in my becoming a better Christian Case Maker. The quest for the perfect lesson plan caused me to read through the available curriculum and appropriate books on the market, simplify, contextualize, visualize and modify the material, and become an expert so I could teach my students. I bet your search for the perfect Christian case-making curriculum will make you a better case maker as well.
