APOSTOLIC WRITINGS

Topic: The historical case for the bodily resurrection of Jesus Debaters: Dr. William Lane Craig vs. Dr. Bart Ehrman (New Testament scholar, University of North Carolina) Held at the College of the Holy Cross in 2006, this debate is a cornerstone resource for resurrection apologetics. Craig presented the standard "minimal facts" case: Jesus's death by crucifixion, the empty tomb, the post-mortem appearances, and the origin of the disciples' belief in the resurrection. Ehrman's central objection was methodological — that historians, by definition, cannot establish a miracle as the "most probable" explanation for any event. A clear, accessible introduction to the historiography debate underlying almost every resurrection discussion since.

Topic: Whether religious belief can be rationally justified in light of a naturalistic worldview Debaters: Dr. William Lane Craig vs. Dr. Alex Rosenberg (philosopher of science, Duke University) Recorded at Purdue University in 2013, this debate is notable because Rosenberg is an unusually consistent naturalist: he argues that if atheism is true, there is no libertarian free will, no objective purpose, no enduring self, and no real moral facts. Craig's strategy was to use Rosenberg's own consistency against him, arguing that a worldview which cannot ground reason, morality, or personal identity undercuts its own claim to be believed. One of the best debates for showing that atheism carries philosophical costs its casual defenders rarely spell out.

  Topic: The existence of God (cosmological, moral, and fine-tuning arguments vs. the problem of evil and religious harm) Debaters: Dr. William Lane Craig (Christian philosopher) vs. Christopher Hitchens (atheist author, "God Is Not Great") Held at Biola University in 2009, this is one of the most-watched apologetics debates ever recorded. Craig opened with five arguments for God's existence: the origin of the universe (Kalam cosmological argument), the fine-tuning of physical constants, objective moral values, the historical resurrection of Jesus, and the possibility of religious experience. Hitchens did not attempt to rebut each argument point by point; instead he argued that even if a "designer" existed, nothing points specifically to the God of the Bible, and that organized religion has caused disproportionate harm throughout history. The debate is valuable less for a decisive winner than for showing the contrast between a structured philosophical cas...

A new standing section on this blog. Every entry here carries one thing only: the ministry of healing as the church has actually practised it, in teaching and in demonstration. Why a healing desk at all There is a strange quietness in some corners of the modern church about healing. We will preach the cross, we will preach prosperity, we will preach purpose, and somehow the sick believer is left to negotiate his own body alone. Yet the ministry of Jesus did not separate the forgiving of sins from the healing of bodies. He did both in the same breath, to the same man, on the same afternoon (Mark 2:1 to 12). This section exists to keep that memory alive. What follows is not commentary on medicine. It is a record of what men who believe God have taught and practised on the subject, gathered in one place so that a hungry believer does not have to go hunting. Healing Streams with Pastor Chris Oyakhilome Few platforms in this generation have gathered as many people around the singl...