Faith and Reason: Searching for a Rational Faith


Ronald H. Nash - 1988
    Faith and Reason has two major purposes. First, it is designed to introduce readers to the more important questions that link philosophy and religion. It explores philosophical questions. It is also written for pastors, Christian workers, and educated laypeople who want to know how to defend the Christian faith. The book includes discussion questions.

Being Logical: A Guide to Good Thinking


Dennis Q. McInerny - 2004
    Indeed, logic goes to the very core of what we mean by human intelligence. In this concise, crisply readable book, distinguished professor D. Q. McInerny offers an indispensable guide to using logic to advantage in everyday life. Written explicitly for the layperson, McInerny’s Being Logical promises to take its place beside Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style as a classic of lucid, invaluable advice. As McInerny notes, logic is a deep, wide, and wonderfully varied field, with a bearing on every aspect of our intellectual life. A mastery of logic begins with an understanding of right reasoning–and encompasses a grasp of the close kinship between logical thought and logical expression, a knowledge of the basic terms of argument, and a familiarity with the pitfalls of illogical thinking. Accordingly, McInerny structures his book in a series of brief, penetrating chapters that build on one another to form a unified and coherent introduction to clear and effective reasoning.At the heart of the book is a brilliant consideration of argument–how an argument is founded and elaborated, how it differs from other forms of intellectual discourse, and how it critically embodies the elements of logic. McInerny teases out the subtleties and complexities of premises and conclusions, differentiates statements of fact from statements of value, and discusses the principles and uses of every major type of argument, from the syllogistic to the conditional. In addition, he provides an incisive look at illogical thinking and explains how to recognize and avoid the most common errors of logic.Elegant, pithy, and precise, Being Logical breaks logic down to its essentials through clear analysis, accessible examples, and focused insights. Whether you are a student or a teacher, a professional sharpening your career skills or an amateur devoted to the fine points of thought and expression, you are sure to find this brief guide to effecting reasoning both fascinating and illuminating.From the Hardcover edition.

Critique of Pure Reason


Immanuel Kant - 1781
    It presents a profound and challenging investigation into the nature of human reason, its knowledge and its illusions. Reason, Kant argues, is the seat of certain concepts that precede experience and make it possible, but we are not therefore entitled to draw conclusions about the natural world from these concepts. The Critique brings together the two opposing schools of philosophy: rationalism, which grounds all our knowledge in reason, and empiricism, which traces all our knowledge to experience. Kant's transcendental idealism indicates a third way that goes far beyond these alternatives.

With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God


Skye Jethani - 2011
    Stop Living Your Life Under, Over, From and For God and Start Living in Communion With Him.

Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be)


Kevin DeYoung - 2008
    In fact, I want to argue that it would be better if you weren't.The Emergent Church is a strong voice in today's Christian community. And they're talking about good things, like caring for the poor, peace for all men, and loving Jesus. They're doing church a new way, not content to fit the mold. Again, all good. But there's more to the movement than that. Much more.Kevin and Ted are two guys who, demographically, should be all over this movement. But they're not. And here’s why—they do life founded upon orthodox beliefs about God, propositional truths about Jesus, and the authority of Scripture.In Why We're Not Emergent, Kevin and Ted diagnose the emerging church from both a theological and an on-the-street perspective. They pull apart interviews, articles, books, and blogs, helping you see for yourself what it's all about. Provocative yet playful, this book seeks to show you why being emergent isn’t the only, or even the best, way to be passionate about Jesus Christ.

Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility


Duane Elmer - 2006
    With careful biblical exposition and keen cross-cultural awareness, Duane Elmer offers principles and guidance for avoiding misunderstandings and building relationships in ways that honor people in other cultures.

World Religions in a Nutshell


Ray Comfort - 2008
    Learn how to gently remove that robe, so those seeking eternal salvation can be clothed in the righteousness that comes only through faith in Jesus Christ.

Christianity, Cults & Religions


Paul Carden - 2008
    Christianity, Cults & Religions will help Christians know what they believe and why! This eBook, which can be read in 30 minutes or less, compares the beliefs of 20 world religions, cults, and new religious groups on the following topics: Who is God? Who is Jesus? What happens after death? How is a person "saved" and what is the spiritual goal? Many religious groups use the same terms but hold completely opposite beliefs. Christianity, Cults & Religions helps you understand the differences between the different beliefs and gives you a firm foundation for your own faith. Christianity, Cults & Religions takes a close look at: Christianity, Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientology, Judaism, Islam (Sunni and Shi'a), Nation of Islam, Unity School of Christianity, Buddhism, New Age, Hinduism, Mormonism (Latter-Day Saints), Wicca, Hare Krishna, Unification Church, Christian Science, Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, Bahá'í World Faith, and Transcendental Meditation™ Researched by some of the top scholars in the field, Christianity, Cults & Religions is an excellent guide for study leaders who want to provide clear summaries of beliefs and practices. This pamphlet provides the most up-to-date comparison chart available and features more groups, including Scientology, Bahá'í, Wicca (associated with witchcraft and neopaganism), and Nation of Islam, that other comparative pamphlets may overlook. Christianity, Cults & Religions provides extensive comparisons of 20 groups, including the five major world religions. In side-by-side comparisons, the pamphlet addresses: The key person or founder of the group The date and place it was founded The key writings such as the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Qur'an (Koran), etc. Who is God? Who is Jesus? Who is the Holy Spirit? What is salvation? What happens after death? Other facts, beliefs, and practices The Christianity, Cults & Religions eBook is an excellent way to teach the key beliefs and practices of biblical Christianity and how it compares to other religions and cults. The pamphlet's concise nature makes it easy to see and understand how the religions and cults differ as well as what they may have in common. The pamphlet is a great resource for Bible study and missions classes. General editor: Paul Carden is a longtime specialist in the field of cults and new religions around the world. Executive Director of the Centers for Apologetics Research (CFAR), and general editor of Christianity, Cults & Religions. Former co-host of the nationwide "Bible Answer Man" radio program. In 1980, Paul joined the Christian Research Institute (CRI) under its founder, Walter Martin. During his time at CRI he was also the ministry's director of international outreach and a senior editor of the Christian Research Journal (1989-1995). The pamphlet also contains information that addresses how to become a Christian and what other groups may teach about Jesus with a verse-by-verse biblical response.

Urban Apologetics: Answering Challenges to Faith for Urban Believers


Christopher Brooks - 2014
    But much of today's apologetics (engagement with the questions that people are asking about Christianity) come from suburban churches and academic studies. Urban believers--those who live and minister in America's inner cities--often face unique issues, not often addressed by the larger Christian community. These questions aren't neat or easy to answer but need to be addressed by applying biblical truth in the culture and challenges of urban life.Author Chris Brooks has ministered for years in the urban environment as well as received extensive theological training. In Urban Apologetics, he seeks to connect the riches of the Christian apologetic tradition with the issues facing cities--such as poverty, violence, and broken families. He brings an urban rhythm and sensitivity to the task of demonstrating the relevance of faith and the healing truth that Christ provides.

Letters from a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with His Father's Questions about Christianity


Gregory A. Boyd - 1993
    I've got enough time on my hands...You invited me to raise whatever objections come to mind, so I'll jump right in. Here's one I've wondered about a lot: how could an all-powerful and all-loving God allow the church to do so much harm to humanity for so long? Isn't this supposed to be His true church, His representation on earth?...To my mind, this alone is quite enough to prove that the church does not possess any true philosophy...Well, you wanted an objection; you've got one. I look forward to your response...Love always, DadIn Letters from a Skeptic Dr. Gregory Boyd and his father Edward Boyd "debate" many other objections to Christianity, the church, and the Bible.• Why is the world so full of suffering? • Does God know the future? • How can you believe that a man rose from the dead? • Why do you think the Bible is inspired? • Do all non-Christians go to hell? • How can I be holy and sinful at the same time?Greg Boyd initiated this correspondence with his father in the hope that his father would eventually come to know Christ. After three years, 30 letters, and numerous phone calls, Edward K. Boyd did just that.Letters from a Skeptic will help you wrestle with the rational foundation of your own faith. It will also help you know how to share that faith with the skeptics you love.

The Rhetoric Companion


N.D. Wilson - 2011
    It is offered in the conviction that God in His common grace bestowed a great deal of practical wisdom about public discourse on the ancient practitioners of rhetoric, and that we must hold what they taught up against the final standard of Scripture.Definitions of rhetoric vary in the classical writers, but adapting one of them, with a peculiarly Christian backdrop and understanding, provides us with our working definition of rhetoric: "the art of a good man speaking well." And in this "art," you want three things to line up. You want convergence of ethos, pathos, and logos.Logos: Logic is the foundation for logos. Logic deals with statements and their relationships with one another. For diligent speakers, and especially for those diligent students who are not all that confident, the inclination is to put all your eggs in the basket of content preparation. Logos is a great place to begin, but ethos and pathos are just as important.Ethos: Give yourself to the cultivation of your character, but beware of the dangers of affectation. The problems attendant to this will be avoided if your first concern is that of worship, study, helping, giving, and so forth. If someone goes off to a good liberal arts college and comes back home with a tweed jacket with patches on the elbows, a pipe, and faux accent, and is twice as much of a snot as when he left home, the problem is ethos. Remember, a person cannot be a good speaker without being a good person, and this means that in the Christian worldview, ethos is holiness.Pathos: We do not play with words, we work with them. And because we live in a fallen world, we fight dragons with them. Believe what you say, and say what you believe. And if you do not feel it at any level, this means you do not really believe it. This means there should be a correspondence between the content of what you are saying and how you are affected by it. If you shed false tears, then you are a manipulative, deceitful, treacherous hazard to the republic. Do not try to affect a group of hearers by anything that does not affect you first.As a stand-alone text, this book can be used over the course of a term or semester. As a supplement or companion, it can be used in conjunction with some of the historic texts for the study of classic rhetoric, extended over the course of a year. Besides ethos, pathos, and logos, this book also covers the five canons of rhetoric, fallacies, the composition of arguments, copiousness, and presentation, among other things. Each of the thirty-one chapters contains a lesson, exercises, and review questions, along with suggested reading material and excerpts from the classical masters of the art of rhetoric.

Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith


Douglas R. Groothuis - 2011
    But are those answers reliable?In this systematic text, Douglas Groothuis makes a comprehensive apologetic case for Christian theism--proceeding from a defense of objective truth to a presentation of the key arguments for God from natural theology to a case for the credibility of Jesus, the incarnation and the resurrection. Throughout, Groothuis considers alternative views and how they fare intellectually.

Satan and His Kingdom: What the Bible Says and How It Matters to You


Dennis McCallum - 2009
    In recent years, pastor and teacher Dennis McCallum found himself fielding more and more questions about Satan. He wanted to recommend a book on the subject, but those he found either reflected extreme beliefs, contained little biblical instruction, used fear tactics, or were poorly written. In Satan and His Kingdom, McCallum clarifies what is true and what is false about Satan, demons, and demonic control--both historically and today. He shows readers how to effectively battle the enemy individually and corporately, all the while keeping their focus on Christ, not Satan. A reliable resource for pastors, lay leaders, and any Christian wanting to know more about evil in the world.

Essentials of Christian Theology


William C. PlacherRichard J. Mouw - 2003
    Himself giving an excellent discussion of the history and current state of each doctrinal issue, he allows the essays to explore and raise questions about their key elements—and the contemporary issues confronting them.

Finding God in the Lord of the Rings


Kurt Bruner - 2001
    It's a much-needed reminder that, like J. R. R. Tolkien's hobbits, we Christians are all on an epic quest. In examining the Christian themes in the trilogy, authors Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware find that truth and fiction are not as far apart as they seem. And that although Tolkien never intended for these books to present the gospel, when read in the light of Scripture they offer a rich tapestry of redemption, values, and faith against all odds from which we may learn much.