What is Faith? – Part 9
Here are some key points from the first section (Relation of Faith to Reason) of Geisler’s article “Faith and Reason” (Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, p. 239; hereafter: BECA): If we take the second point in a straightforward manner, then there appears to be no conflict between faith and reason, at least in terms of the … What is Faith? – Part 9
The Logic of the Resurrection – Index
The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 1 Different assumptions about the existence of God have different implications concerning the resurrection. The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 2 As Richard Swinburne has pointed out, a complete case for the resurrection must be a three-legged stool, resting upon general background evidence, prior historical evidence, and … The Logic of the Resurrection – Index
The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 5
Before I continue to examine Theodore Drange’s excellent article “Why Resurrect Jesus?” (The Empty Tomb, p. 55-67), I want to reinforce a key point: an important but neglected aspect of the case for the resurrection of Jesus is what Swinburne calls General Background Evidence, specifically reasons and evidence related to God’s alleged purposes. I would … The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 5
What is Faith? – Part 8
In the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (1999; hereafter: BECA), Geisler has written a fairly long and detailed article on “Faith and Reason”, and the entire article is basically an exposition of the views of Aquinas about faith and the relationship between faith and reason. There are nine bolded subheadings in Geisler’s article on “Faith … What is Faith? – Part 8
The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 4
One of the neglected aspects of the case for the resurrection of Jesus is what Swinburne calls General Background Evidence. I have summarize this part of the case this way: (GTE) The God of traditional theism exists. (GPR) God, if God exists, has purposes P1, P2, etc. that are relevant to whether God would be … The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 4
The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 3
The logic of the resurrection apologetic goes roughly like this: NOTE: This does not represent Swinburne’s case for the resurrection. It is a rough representation of a case for the resurrection that follows the general logic laid out by Swinburne (constituting a three-legged stool). ============== KEY TO DIAGRAM (DOC) Jesus died on the cross on … The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 3
The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 2
The two most important writings on the resurrection of Jesus are, IMHO, Richard Swinburne’s book The Resurrection of God Incarnate (Oxford University Press, 2003; hereafter: ROGI), especially the Introduction (pages 1-6), and Theodore Drange’s short article “Why Resurrect Jesus?” in the collection of skeptical essays The Empty Tomb, edited by Robert Price and our fearless … The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 2
The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 1
In thinking about the Christian doctrine of the resurrection of Jesus, one needs to either determine an answer to this very basic question: Q1: Does God exist? Or else one needs to determine some sort of approach to how this question is to be dealt with in relation to the two key questions about the … The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 1
What is Faith? – Part 7
I’m going to take a detour and temporarily set Mr. Swinburne’s characterization of the Thomist view of faith aside. But I will continue to examine the Thomist view of faith, specifically as presented by Dr. Norman Geisler. As Jeff Lowder has recently shown, Dr. Geisler’s case for Christianity is a failure. IMHO Jeff won that … What is Faith? – Part 7
What is Faith – Part 6
I have noticed a problem of unclarity in my own thinking and writing about the Thomist view of faith. Before I go further in discussing Swinburne’s characterization of the Thomist view of faith, I want to briefly consider the point of unclarity or ambiguity in my previous discussion of this view of faith. I have … What is Faith – Part 6