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Apologists Every Christian Should Know PART 2
William Lane Craig
Must-Reads Reasonable Faith: The standard college textbook on apologetics. ————————— On Guard: An easier (yet still robust) introductory text. ————————— A Reasonable Response: Craig answers readers’ hard questions about the truth. —————————
Three collections of essays, edited by Craig and fellow philosopher and apologist, Paul Copan, address a smattering of recent apologetic issues:
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 12
————————— Contending with Christianity’s Critics ————————— Passionate Conviction ————————— Come Let Us Reason
The Convincing Case of William Lane
Why Philosophy What would you think
of a war general who told his enemies precisely when, where, and how he was going to strike? How about a quarterback who posted his playbook online? You would likely think such people were not only out of their minds, but also destined to lose. But what if I told you there is a Christian apologist who is so skilled at defending the faith that it makes no difference if his opponents know his every move because he is going to win anyway? If this sounds too good to be true, then it’s time for you to meet William Lane Craig. With a Ph.D. in philosophy, another doctorate in theology, and over 250 publications under his belt, Craig is well equipped to handle virtually any objection to the Christian faith. His specialty, however, is defeating atheists in formal debates. Time after time, Craig takes on the world’s top unbelievers and emerges victorious. That is not to say he wins every point, but when the dust settles and the debate is over, there is little doubt that Craig has presented a more convincing and logical case than his challenger. And this is precisely why atheists keep lining up to take their shot—they want to be known as the one who finally takes down Craig. But as some extended YouTube viewing should make clear, the odds of that happening anytime soon are slim indeed. (Perhaps this is why some refuse to debate him. The famous atheist Richard Dawkins, for example, makes drive-by insults instead of engaging Craig directly.) Since Craig’s expertise revolves around refuting those who deny the supernatural, he regularly squares off against philosophers—that group of intellectuals who, as the recent movie “God’s Not Dead” implies, can seem especially eager to dismantle people’s Christian faith. But of course, Craig is a philosopher himself, as are countless other believers. And it just so happens that his convincing case directly deals with two philosophical issues: God’s existence and miracles.
A Little Logic Can Go a Long Way The classical proof for God’s existence that Craig uses most efficiently is the Cosmological Argument. This line of reasoning seeks to demonstrate the existence of a “First Cause” of the universe: that there is Something behind the cosmos that brought space, time, and matter into existence. The argument only works, however, if the universe itself is not eternal but had a beginning. For years, many atheists denied that the origin of the universe required any explanation. They simply asserted that it had always been here. But the overwhelming evidence acquired over the past century in the field of astrophysics has helped put a stop to that. For example, it has been proven that the cosmos is expanding at a constant rate, which means it cannot have existed eternally in the past. Thus, it is now widely accepted by scientists that the cosmos began to exist, with its beginning commonly referred to as the “Big Bang.” Craig builds on this scientific information with a logical precision that appears insurmountable. His argument follows the standard form of a syllogism—a point-by-point argument in which conclusions must follow from the given premises (or statements). The classic example of a syllogism is as follows: 1. All men are mortal. 2. Socrates is a man. 3. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
