PWJ: S4E85 – AH – “After Hours” with Dr. Ray Baker

We end Narnia Month by going “Beyond Narnia” with Dr. Ray Baker, discussing his book, Beyond Narnia: The Theology and Apologetics of C.S. Lewis.

S4E85: “After Hours” with Dr. Ray Baker (Download)

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Bad Islamic Apologetics

I was in an apologetics discussion group and someone posted the following:

I told the members of the group that I didn’t like this line of argumentation. Several people responded by saying that since the Qur’an claims that there are no contradictions within its pages, the passages cited above were clear evidence that the book is not of divine origin.

In reply, I explained that they were interpreting the Qur’an in a way which forced a contradiction and then declared it to contain contradictions. I pointed out that they would never accept a Muslim exegeting the Bible in this way.

Even without digging into the context of these passages from the Qur’an, it seemed immediately obvious to me that the statements could very easily be harmonised by simply recognising that “first of” can mean “foremost among”. This would mean that, according to the Qur’an, Moses declared himself to be foremost among the believers of his time and Muhammad made the same claim for himself in his own generation. Interpreting the passages in this way eliminates the contradiction.

There are many apparent contradictions in the Bible, but careful exegesis can show this not to be the case.  If you wouldn’t accept bad methodology when interpreting the Bible, you shouldn’t force it on the Qur’an….

Wise Words on Wednesday: Why Apologetics?

“It is commonly said that if rational argument is so seldom the cause of conviction, philosophical apologists must largely be wasting their shot. The premise is true, but the conclusion does not follow. For though argument does not create conviction, the lack of it destroys belief. What seems to be proved may not be embraced; but what no one shows the ability to defend is quickly abandoned. Rational argument does not create belief, but it maintains a climate in which belief may flourish.”

Austin Farrer, Theologian and friend of C.S. Lewis

Asking for evidence

A few weeks ago, a friend on Facebook posted this:

This just didn’t seem right, so I asked him what evidence he had to back up this assertion. Several weeks later my friend still hasn’t responded to my request for evidence…

I went and looked at a Fact-Checker website which assessed that it was Mostly False.

People are often afraid of doing apologetics, but honestly most of the time you’re just asking some basic questions, particularly “Do you have any evidence to back up that claim?”. If none is presented, it betrays that the opinion is primarily held because the person would like it to be true, rather than as a result of conscientious study.

Apologetics For The Confused (MP3)

Confused

This is the second of two talks I gave during Lent at a parish in Los Angeles this year…

“Apologetics for the confused” (Download)

 

 

— Questions —

• What does IHS stand for?

• Who is your blog’s patron saint?

• How do you evangelize at work?

• How do I deal with my Mormon family attacking my Faith?

• What can I do about my niece who is drifting away from the Faith?

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