Countercult Apologetics

Here is the TOC for the Christian Apologetics Journal, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Fall 2007):

“Should Creation be Taught as Science in Public Schools?”, by Norman L. Geisler
“The Apologetic Methodology of Blaise Pascal”, by Phil Fernandes
“Does Early Church History Favor Roman Catholicism? An Answer to Cardinal Newman’s Claim”, by Michael A. Field.
“Heaven by Randy Alcorn: Some Observations”, by Thomas A. Howe.

And the lastest CRI Journal, Vol. 31, No. 1:

“Is the Son Eternally Submissive to the Father? An Egalitarian-Complementarian Debate”, by Kevin Giles and Robert Letham.
“Civilization and Its “Malcontent”: Sigmund Freud and the Problem of Guilt”, by C. Wayne Mayhall .
“The Transsexual Dilemma: A Dialogue about the Ethics of Sex Change”, Joe Dallas.
“Becoming a “Seasoned” Apologist”, by Adam Pelser.
“Do Works Contribute to or Confirm Salvation? Philippians 2:12 in Perspective”, by Moyer Hubbard.
“The Doctrine Debate: Why Doctrine Matters More than Ever”, by Sean McDowell.
“Does the Bible Make a Distinction between Israel and the Church”, by Hank Hanegraaff.

A new biography is finally being published by P&R titled Cornelius Van Til: Reformed Apologist and Churchman, by John R. Muether (P&R, March 2008):

This work contributes to an understanding of Van Til and his apologetic insights by placing him within the context of twentieth century developments in North American Reformed theology, including the formation of Westminster Seminary and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the rise of neo-evangelicalism, and American reception of Karl Barth.

• Extensive research from published sources, unpublished archives, personal interviews. • Views Van Til’s apologetic contribution in light of his commitment to the Word and the church.

Justin Taylor posts a few endorsements.

See Reading the Bible like a Trinitarian: Calvin on the Meaning of ‘God’ by creedorchaos (2/12/08).

See also

Why Must Our Hermeneutics Be Trinitarian?”, by Vern Poythress in The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Spring 2006).

I apologize for not mentioning these until now (although you might already be aware of them). Make sure you check out the

Apologetics Search Engine and

Countercult Search Engine.

Check out the following audio from Tom Schreiner and others here. Don’t miss the panel discussion that included a Muslim and a Unitarian.

I have finally put back online the articles from the 2006 Countercult Apologetics Journal. Go here to access the following articles:

“Breaking the Baha’i Code: Understanding and Evangelizing Members of the Baha’i Faith”, by Cky J. Carrigan

“Stockholm Syndrome & the Cult Dynamic”, by Morris A. Inch

“A Brief Presuppositional Analysis of Buddhism”, by Paul Manata

“‘Theos is a Count Noun:’ Is the Word ‘God’ or ‘a god in John 1:1c? A Response to Jehovah’s Witness Apologists”, by Robert Hommel

“Zen: A Trinitarian Critique”, by Ralph Smith

“The Theism of Jehovah’s Witnesses: Possible or Impossible?”, by James Stewart

“Colossians 1:15-17 and Oneness Pentecostals”, by Edward L. Dalcour

“2 Corinthians 4:4 A Case for Yahweh as the ‘God of this Age’”, (PDF) by Donald Hartley

“The Da Vinci Code as a New Age Apologetic: The Jesus Bloodline Mythology and New Age Cosmology”, (PDF) by Michael S. Heiser

“The Only Grace Alone: Does Christianity Stand Alone in Its Doctrine of Grace”, (Word doc) by John Ferrer

“A Theological Analysis of Oneness Pentecostalism”, (Word doc) by Fred Sanders

“Christological Monotheism: A Foundation for Religious Debate”, (Word doc) by Tim Bertolet

“Crime Scenes and Folk Saints: The Cult of Santa Muerte”, (Word doc) by Tony M. Kail

“Is the Iglesia ni Cristo Teaching the Truth” (Part 1), (PDF) by Justin M.

“A Witness of Love”, by Annie Fintan

“The Quran’s Teaching about the Word of God”, by Rodger Young

Article Review: “Where Do We Go From Here?: Transforming Evangelical Responses to New Religious Movements”, by John Morehead. Reviewed by Jeff Downs
###

A few years ago I presented a paper at an EMNR conference titled “The Triune God, a Transcendental Argument and New Religious Movements.” While the presentation went well, the paper itself needed a lot of work. I have not been able to give time for this project (which Lord willing will become a book) over the past couple of years. Now that I am in seminary and taking a course in apologetics, the time is ripe. So, I will take what I have already put together, rework it and hopefully the result will turn out to be beneficial to the body of Christ.

Here is the abstract from the paper I presented at the conference. It has the same basic structure of what I’m hoping to accomplish in my paper for the apologetics class.

Can man live without God?” Ravi Zacharias addressed this particular question a few years ago in a book by the same title. I am in full agreement with Zacharias’ conclusion that, man can not live without God. The question that will be addressed in this paper is, who is this God that man can not live without. As a Christian, I have no interest in defending some sort of general deity (neither should you)! It is the particular (Triune) God of Christianity that is “back of everything.” Without this particular God, man could not live, move, nor have his being. Therefore, any other sort of God is no god at all. In our pluralistic society, there are a variety of groups offering their viewpoint on God. Can their particular form of deity, whether they claim it is derived from the biblical text or not, account for our how we know things, what is real, and how we should live our lives? My goal in this paper is to defend the particular (Triune) God of Christianity. Without this particular God, everything would be rendered meaningless. In application, we will look at various New Religions Movements, asking if their particular god can give an account for reality. My contention is that they can not and are therefore exchanging the immortal God for images made from their own imaginations.

You don’t want to miss the audio from the 2008 Desiring God Conference. I am particularly enjoying these:

The Pastor as Son of the Heavenly Father, by D.A. Carson.

The Pastor as Father to His Family and Flock by D.A. Carson.

The Pastor as Son of an Earthly Father, by D.A. Carson.

See this page for more.

I mentioned here that WTS (East) has uploaded a number of chapel messages. I mentioned I was disappointed since one of Lane Tipton’s lectures was not working.

It is now available and you can listen by going here

John Divito with Africa Center for Apologetics Research has reviewed the book authored by Robert L. Millet and Gregory C.V. Johnson titled Bridging the Divide: The Continuing Conversation Between a Mormon and an Evangelical (Monkfish Book Publishing Company, 2007).

Click here to read the review.