LogicAttack the Argument, Not the Person
by Kenneth Richard Samples General George S. Patton, Jr.’s standing order during the Second World War was to “attack, attack, attack, and, if in doubt, attack again!” That approach certainly worked well for the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II. However, when it comes to logic and peacetime, the attack needs to be focused on the argument, not on the person. Barriers to Salvation
by Hugh Ross, Ph.D. Barriers that block people from committing themselves to Jesus Christ and accepting His gift of salvation appear to fall under three general categories: 1) self-imposed ignorance, 2) pride, and 3) moral impurity. In time, the presence of any one of these three leads to the other two. Often the problem of clearing one's way to the most important relationship in life boils down to discerning and removing the primary barrier. Darwin's Doubt:
By Kenneth Richard Samples Can Naturalistically Evolved Human Minds Be Trusted to Yield True Beliefs About Reality? Do False Beliefs Promote Survivability?
I have always taken my good memory for granted. Remembering names, dates, and facts has always been easy for me, particularly when it comes to history, philosophy, and sports. I have always wanted to be a contestant on such shows as Jeopardy! or Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? If I got a difficult science question, I could simply phone my friend Hugh Ross! Does Ockham's Razor Support Naturalism?
by Kenneth Richard Samples William of Ockham (c. 1285-1349), a Franciscan monk and philosopher,1 is remembered for his principle of parsimony or simplicity, popularly called “Ockham’s Razor.” He stated that “Entities are not to be multiplied without necessity,” and “What can be done with fewer [assumptions] is done in vain with more.” In other words, when confronted with two seemingly equal explanatory hypotheses, the simplest or most economical explanation should be granted logical deference. Faith, Reason, and Personal Persuasion
by Kenneth Richard Samples Recently a newspaper reporter asked me to respond to two provocative questions: (1) "Is it necessary to leave reason and move to faith in order to embrace Christianity?" and (2) "If there are strong arguments in support of Christianity's actually being true, then why aren't more people, particularly intelligent, well-educated people, persuaded as to its truth?" God as the Source of Knowledge
By Krista Kay Bontrager Does the Bible indicate where knowledge comes from? God-of-the-Gaps or Best Explanation?
by Kenneth Richard Samples A common skeptical objection to Christian apologetics is that theists engage in a god-of-the-gaps form of reasoning. This charge means that when it comes to various theistic arguments, the believer typically attributes gaps in (especially) scientific knowledge to God. Integrating Argument and Virtue
by Kenneth Richard Samples Scripture declares that human beings are made in the expressed image of God (Gen. 1:26-27) and therefore possess unique, profound rational capacities. In light of this biblical truth, Christians are called to exemplify virtue in matters of the mind. God is honored when His people demonstrate such disciplines as study, reflection, discernment, and honesty (Acts 17:11; Rom. 12:2; 1 Cor. 14:29; Col. 2:8; 1 Thess. 5:21). By contrast, intellectual sloth, credulity, prejudice, and especially dishonesty bring dishonor to Christ in the eyes of skeptics. Is Evolution Rational?
The other day I read an article written by Alvin Plantinga, arguably one of the greatest living Christian philosophers, entitled Evolution vs. Naturalism. I had to read it over several times to Logic 101, Part 1 (of 12)
Growing up in the 1960s, one of my favorite characters on Star Trek was... Logic Lessons- Keeping Your Thinking on Track
by Kenneth Richard Samples Logic, often defined as "the principle of correct reasoning," helps to order thinking so a person can arrive at truthful, rational conclusions. Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) was the first to systematize the principles of logic and referred to logic as a "tool" or "instrument" that helps one arrive at truth. Mathematics and Physical Universe
More than once, scientists and philosophers have noted how mathematics can describe, with remarkable precision, the laws that govern our universe. An example of this is found in the article, The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist, Eugene Wigner. President's Laptop - July 1999
Dear Friends, Have you ever been bored in church or Sunday School? How about your kids? Yes, I have been and, yes, mine have been. I have to ask myself, “Why?” especially since God and His Word are anything but boring. The Life of the Mind, Part 2 (of 3)
Kenneth Richard Samples I think one of the greatest apologetic challenges facing Christianity today is the anti-intellectualism present in many evangelical churches. Thinking about Theistic Evolution
By Kenneth Richard Samples What is Theistic Evolution?Theistic evolution (sometimes abbreviated TE) takes many forms but its general theme is that God used natural evolutionary processes to bring about his desired results concerning life on planet Earth, culminating in the appearance of human beings. LogicLogic |
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