By now I'm sure many of you have heard about the recently televised debate concerning the existence of God between Ray Comfort/Kirk Cameron, and two members of the so-called Rational Response Squad. I'll admit up front that I have not seen the entire debate. But I did see about two minutes of it, which was more than enough to make me sick to my stomach, and cause me to realize that Ray and Kirk had gotten in way over their heads when they accepted this challenge. I say this not as someone who thinks he could do a better job himself, but as someone who knows for certain that there are several other Christians around who could.
Anyway, my aim in this post is not to belittle Ray and Kirk (In many ways, I admire their boldness and desire to share the truth), but simply to provide my fellow Christians with some resources that I feel are helpful in providing us with a proper foundation for doing Christian apologetics. First though, I wanted to point you to a couple of other blog posts that were written as a "friendly critique" of Ray and Kirk's performance in the debate. Here is Part One and Part Two. I thought these were especially helpful in pointing out the weaknesses in Ray and Kirk's methodology, but at the same time, doing it in a gracious manner. Even if you don't read any of the other resources that I will link to below, I would still recommend reading through those two posts.
Now, here are some further resources that I would recommend for Christians who are wanting to dig deeper when it comes to apologetics. I don't necessarily endorse everything that is stated in these resources. Nevertheless, I do believe that they will help any Christian to gain a better understanding of how to defend Christianity, and to do it in a way that is Biblical and honoring to the Lord Jesus Christ, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
ARTICLES
There are many excellent articles dealing with Biblical apologetics at the following sites. The first two sites contain articles that would be especially good for those Christians who are studying these things for the first time.
Grover Gunn
Frontline Ministries
Monergism
John Frame
Greg Bahnsen
Sola Gratia Ministries
SERMONS
And here are some sermons that deal with Biblical apologetics that I would recommend. The first one especially would be very good for the Christian who is new to these things.
Curt Daniel-Defending the Faith
Cornelius Van Til
His message titled "The Wisdom of the World" is especially worth hearing.
BOOKS
The Justification of Knowledge by Robert Reymond
I feel this is the best single book available on Biblical apologetics. It is difficult to find, but can be ordered from here for only $7.50!!!
A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith by Robert Reymond
This is an excellent systematic theology that contains much of the material from the previous book. In other words, if you can't get the above book, then get this one.
Apologetics to the Glory of God by John Frame
Every Thought Captive by Richard Pratt
I have not yet read this book myself, but I hear it is excellent. It is especially geared towards those who are new to Biblical apologetics.
Always Ready by Greg Bahnsen
Most of the chapters in this book are available as free articles which can be found here.
I realize that there is a LOT of material here to wade through, so if you are wanting more specific recommendations, feel free to email me and I will do my best to help you. If you are new to all of this, I would be happy to point you to specific articles that I feel would be good for you to start with. Or if you are struggling with a particular apologetic issue, I will try to provide resources for you that deal with that particular issue.
In closing, I hope that these resources help other believers to be "always ready" when it comes to defending the faith, and to do so in a way that gives the most honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. But in all of this, we need to keep in mind that no amount of apologetical knowledge can change the heart of the unbelieving man or woman; only God can do that miracle. The unbeliever's problem is NOT that they are just ignorant. The problem is that they suppress the truth in unrighteousness. So above everything, the Christian needs to be a person who knows the Word, and who dwells in the presence of God through communion and prayer. By all means, use the above resources to grow in your understanding of how to Biblically defend the faith! Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort would have been much more prepared had they availed themselves of such things. Nevertheless, it is ultimately by the knowledge of the Word and communion with God that we are made "wiser than our enemies" and through which we become like Stephen, of whom it was said that his enemies "were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking."
Thoughts on the Way Home
