Apologetics

Have there been any improvement in Christian apologetics since St. Augustine?  Not really.

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These are some Christian apologetics podcasts I've listened to in the past.  This sort of evangelicalism is apparently the fasting growing form of Christianity practiced in the United States.  I take some comfort from the fact that, except in parts of the Arab Muslim world and among arch-religious Israelis, the sort fundamentalism encountered here is rare elsewhere in the world.

Coffee Cup Apologetics was produced by the late Michael Spencer who by all indications was a gentle soul.  His essay The Coming Evangelical Collapse attracted some righteous lightning from his co-religionists, many of whom didn't seem to have read any of it but the title. He seemed like the sort of guy you could hang with even though you had different worldviews.  I never met the man and we didn't agree on much when it comes to religion but humanity is poorer without him.

The Skeptical Christian really isn't, but the blogger, Kyle Demming, seems to have mellowed a bit during his association with the various scoundrels at the Apologia podcast.

Defenders is a sort of "adult Sunday school" presented by Richard Lane Craig, a philosopher, theologian, and evangelical apologist.  He's really smart and frequently smarmy.

Reasonable Faith is a topical program also done by Craig.  His counterpart in this series is Kevin Harris, who was also a member of the Apologia crew.

Apologetics.com spends a lot of time setting up straw men and knocking them down.  Their self-congratulatory certitude gets old in a hurry.

The Please Convince Me podcast is hosted by Jim Wallace, a former atheist.  He's living proof that converts make the best zealots.  Wallace is a true believer. 

I even slogged through Dr. John Frame's course on Christian Apologetics from Reformed Theological Seminary Virtual Campus. 

Ah, the things we do for love...of knowledge.

There is very little about the evangelical fundamentalist Christian worldview that appeals to me on any level so I don't spend any time listening to these folks these days, but if you're like me you might want to see how their message compares with your view of reality.

All are available on iTunes.