A History of the Defenders of the Faith
- 1. An Apologetics Overview (By century, from 30,000 feet) Ken Daniel, Sept 2010
- 2. Some motivating scriptures I Peter 3:15 "Always be ready to give a reason... Eph 4:14 "Tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine", Acts 26:24 "...your great learning has driven you insane..." Themes : The half-life of modern awareness; not lose valuable contributors from the past Context over the centuries; an overview of selected major issues & players To be an Acts 26 "man of knowledge" Defense against: Pagan Religions, Distortions, Skepticism, Heresy, Cults Evidentialism, Presuppositionalism, Rational Theology, Romantic Theology Resources for the digital age: easy ebook access to classics
- 3. Epochs Period The Challenge Protagonists Early Church Paganism / Judaizers Paul Church Fathers Heresy Arius Athanasius Christendom Islam Muslim Theology Aquinas Enlightenment Skepticism Hume Sam Johnson Modernity Naturalism Huxley C.S. Lewis Post-Modernity New Age / Secularism Dan Brown Tim Keller Taking a closer look across the centuries, focusing on the past century....
- 4. Early Church & Church Fathers ...from the NT through Augustine NT and Early Church Challenges The Pagan world, the Judaizers, Gnosticism Defenders Paul. Mars Hill, Trials and defenses John against the Gnostics Justin Martyr (103-165): Apologies (1&2), Dialogue with Trypho Church Fathers Challenges Greek Philosophy influence on Christology; Origen, Arius Defenders Athanasius Christology debates - Relevance: Gnosticism ... DaVinci Code Augustine - Manicheanism The Modern World C.S. Lewis: St Athanasius on the Incarnation Harold O.J. Brown: Heresies Augustine: Confessions The Trinity City of God Councils: Nicea 325 Arianism Constantinople 381 Ephesus 431 Nestorianism Chalcedon 451 Henry Chadwick: The Early Church
- 5. R.C. Sproul, A. Lindsley, J. Gerstner: Classical Apologetics The Modern World Middle Ages Challenges Threat of Islam, role of Aristotle; Averroes & Avicenna Defenders Aquinas, Scholasticism. Renaissance & Reformation. 16th-17th Challenges Reaction against scholasticism; Humanism (Mostly polemics within the family of believers) Defenders Luther vs Erasmus & Humanism: "Bondage of the Will" John Calvin: Institutes: (Presented to King Francis I as a defense of the Reformation) Enlightenment. 17th-18th. Challenges Hume, Voltaire, Gibbon, Diderot Defenders Pascal, (Kant), Jonathan Edwards, William Paley, Sam Johnson, Rutherford, (Locke) Christendom: ...from the Middle Ages through The Enlightenment Runcima: History of the Crusades Peter Gay: The Enlightenment and the Rise of the New Paganism Philip Benedict: Christ’s Churches, Purely Reformed Jenkins: Lost History of Christianity
- 6. Tim Keller: The Reason for God B. Warfield: Inspiration & Authority of the Bible Carl F.H. Henry: God, Revelation, & Authority Francis Schaeffer: The God Who Is There G.K.Chesterton: The Everlasting Man C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity Breaking out and enlarging 19th Century Challenges Darwin, Marx, Huxleys, Higher Criticism, naturalism, materialism, modernism, positivism Defenders Oxford Movement, Princeton Seminary, 20th Century Challenges Skepticism: Russell, G.B. Shaw, H.G.Wells Scientism/Evolution ... Scopes & Mencken to Gould & Sagan, Atheistic Materialism; Marxism; Liberal Theology: Tillich; Pietism, anti-intellectualism Defenders Neo-Orthodoxy: Barth and Brunner, Niebuhrs R.A. Torrey & "The Fundamentals" Evangelical Awakening: Parachurch, InterVarsity, Crusade; L'Abri Evangelical seminaries, Christianity Today Academy and Pulpit: Machen, Carl Henry, John Stott; Society of Christian Philosophers; Apologetic Ministries: L’Abri & Francis Schaeffer, Ligonier & R.C. Sproul Os Guinness, John Warwick Montgomery, Josh McDowell Public Intellectuals; Lewis, Chesterton; Secular Prophets, T.S. Kuhn, John Updike, Tom Wolfe, Alan Bloom, Walker Percy 21st Century Challenges Religious Pluralism, new atheism, post-modern relativism; Enduring questions: Problem of Evil, Tolerance vs "one way" Humanity vs cyber culture; Compromisers: emerging church & post-modernism Defenders (a sparse sample...) Tim Keller, Lee Strobel, Ken Myers, Alister McGrath, Ken Boa, Art Lindsley Intelligent Design: Discovery Institute, Michael Behe; Ravi Zacharias; ... C.S. Lewis Institute Socrates in the City: Eric Metaxis The Modern World: ...from the Industrial Age to the Computer Age
- 7. B.B. Warfield: Inspiration & Authority of the Bible Josh McDowell: A Ready Defense John Henry Newman: The Idea of a University James Turner: Without God, Without Creed the Origins of Unbelief in America 19th Century Challenges Darwin, T.H. Huxley, Herbert Spencer Naturalism, materialism; Marx Biblical Higher Criticism, D.F. Strauss, J. Wellhausen Positivism A. Compte, J.S. Mill, Modernism: Nietzsche to Beckett Defenders Oxford Movement, Princeton Seminary The Modern World: ...from the Industrial Age to the Computer Age
- 8. Carl F.H. Henry: God, Revelation, & Authority Francis Schaeffer: The God Who Is There - “FAS’s Big Ideas” G.K.Chesterton: The Everlasting Man C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity Focus: C.S. Lewis 20th Century Challenges Skepticism: Russell, G.B. Shaw, H.G.Wells Scientism/Evolution ... Scopes & Mencken to Gould & Sagan, Atheistic Materialism; Marxism; Freud Liberal Theology: Bultmann, Tillich; (Pietism, anti-intellectualism) Defenders Neo-Orthodoxy: Barth and Brunner, Reinhold & RIchard Niebuhr R.A. Torrey & "The Fundamentals" Evangelical Awakening: Parachurch: InterVarsity, Campus Crusade; Evangelical seminaries, Christianity Today, Academy and Pulpit: Machen, Carl F.H. Henry, John Stott; Society of Christian Philosophers; Apologetic Ministries: L’Abri & Francis Schaeffer, Ligonier & R.C. Sproul Os Guinness, John Warwick Montgomery, Josh McDowell, Charles Colson Public Intellectuals; C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton; Secular Prophets, T.S. Kuhn, John Updike, Tom Wolfe, Alan Bloom, Walker Percy, Neil Postman The Modern World: ...from the Industrial Age to the Computer Age
- 9. Chesterton had more sense than all the other moderns put together; bating, of course, his Christianity. Johnson was one of the few authors whom I felt I could trust utterly; curiously enough, he had the same kink. On the other hand, those writers who did not suffer from religion and with whom in theory my sympathy ought to have been complete -- Shaw and Wells and Mill and Gibbon and Voltaire -- all seemed a little thin… Surprised by Joy Chapt 14: Checkmate Samuel Johnson 1700s The Literary Club G.K. Chesterton The Everlasting Man (1925) C.S. Lewis - from his autobiography Back to 20 th Century
- 10. Carl F.H. Henry: God, Revelation, & Authority Francis Schaeffer: The God Who Is There - “FAS’s Big Ideas” G.K.Chesterton: The Everlasting Man C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity 20th Century Challenges Skepticism: Russell, G.B. Shaw, H.G.Wells Scientism/Evolution ... Scopes & Mencken to Gould & Sagan, Atheistic Materialism; Marxism; Freud Liberal Theology: Bultmann, Tillich; (Pietism, anti-intellectualism) Defenders Neo-Orthodoxy: Barth and Brunner, Reinhold & RIchard Niebuhr R.A. Torrey & "The Fundamentals" Evangelical Awakening: Parachurch: InterVarsity, Campus Crusade; Evangelical seminaries, Christianity Today, Academy and Pulpit: Machen, Carl F.H. Henry, John Stott; Society of Christian Philosophers; Alvin Plantinga Apologetic Ministries: L’Abri & Francis Schaeffer, Ligonier & R.C. Sproul Os Guinness, John Warwick Montgomery, Josh McDowell, Charles Colson Public Intellectuals; C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton; Secular Prophets, T.S. Kuhn, John Updike, Tom Wolfe, Alan Bloom, Walker Percy, Neil Postman The Modern World: ...from the Industrial Age to the Computer Age
- 11. Tim Keller: The Reason for God 21st Century Challenges Religious Pluralism, new atheism, post-modern relativism; Enduring questions: Problem of Evil, Tolerance vs "one way" Humanity vs cyber culture; Compromisers: emerging church & post-modernism Defenders (a sparse sample...) Tim Keller, Lee Strobel, Ken Myers, Ken Boa, Art Lindsley, - Alister McGrath, Don Carson, N.T. Wright, Norman Geisler - J.P. Moreland, William Lane Craig Intelligent Design: Discovery Institute, Michael Behe; Ravi Zacharias; ... C.S. Lewis Institute Socrates in the City: Eric Metaxis D.A. Carson: Telling the Truth & Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church Alister McGrath: Evangelicalism & the Future of Christianit Ken Myers: Mars Hiill Audio Journal Curt Thompson, MD: Anatomy of the Soul The Modern World: ...from the Industrial Age to the Computer Age
- 12. Topics for the 21st Century Enduring Themes Problem of Evil; Uniqueness of Christ Materialism & Scientism Man as Machine Philosophic underpinnings: Behaviorism Moral Apologetics The Autonomous Individual
- 13. Closing Thoughts Book Clubs Old Books & eBooks: Kindle and iPad Right Brain vs Left Brain Apologetics Curt Thompson, MD: Anatomy of the Soul Mars Hill Audio Journal Tim Keller (NYC) & Eric Metaxas (Socrates in the City) Ravi Zacharas RZIM & C.S. Lewis Institute Oxford Summer Program