Cave To The Cross Apologetics

Now that we know we can use classical elements to persuade people, not just heaping facts upon facts on them, Oliphint grounds the way in which we can respond and prepare to give an answer for our hope to outsiders. A look at just how the Holy Spirit helps and guides us in those answers, and we also look at a criticism of being too prepared...by Jesus?

What two horns of apologetics does Oliphint want Christians to consider - the shield & sword of apologetics. That is one that is negative apologetics and the other of apologetics. Obviously, we are not viewing these types as good and bad, but in regard as to what they do. We look at the problem of evil and see how a consistent Christian does not feign neutrality but also keeps the type of critique...

We briefly introduce the two horns of apologetics in which Oliphint says that Christians can engage in. The idea is that we don't have to wait for objections but our apologetic system can be in place to confront them when they arise. However, one must remember that we don't pull our methodology from the ether but we have a scriptural mandate to be apologists and not to pretend we're atheists when...

We finish up this chapter taking the second and third trivium road of persuasion with that of the pathos and the logic of persuasion. We ascend to Mars Hill again and see how Paul used arguments of the heart as well as logic to do his apologetics. This becomes our model in our covenantal apologetics.

Now that we have introduced the Trivium of classical learning, we walk down the path and come to another trivium - one of persuasion. Here we cover the ethos of persuasion and turn once again to Paul on Mars Hill to see that we must remember there is another Person in the audience we have to impress when we engage in our apologetics.

The cry for evidence, evidence, evidence is the usual driving factor of apologetic conversations. However, people are more than complex machines that take in just brute facts and out spits the right answer. Here, Oliphint argues for Christians to embrace the theology of persuasion and uses the classical model trivium as building blocks to promote a robust and a full "to-the-man" apologetic.

At the start of this chapter Oliphint takes us down the trivium path as he lays the foundation to talk about persuasion. Classical education has seen a resurgence in homeschool communities and private schools alike. The molding students for a career is finally using up all the investment that classical education made before World War II. Now with a resurgence of the liberal arts, classical educati...

We conclude our chapter by talking about proving God by looking at how Christians can have the theological grounding to present proof to all people and how that's possible if we are corrupted by sin. We also look at the issues with the idea that one needs to provide proof for every aspect to know things and that the idea of burden of proof isn't as clear-cut as some people want to make it out to b...

Now that the terms are defined and we understand what covenantal apologetics means, we turn to understanding what offering proof entails. Oliphint centers his giving of proofs on top of Mars Hill in Acts 17 and point to two areas of how all people can be given proof. In this episode, we talk about how the fact that the Imo Dei reflected in humanity is the primary reason we can offer proof and also...

How that Oliphint has made his case for why we need to hang our apologetic entirely on Christ as Lord, we apply that to two different critiques. An internal one levied at Dawkins and rationality alone and an internal one made by an atheist against Christianity. Which side is about to survive critique?

Now that we've got a proper understanding of the term covenant apologetics, Oliphint looks at the necessity of seeing Christ as Lord in order to do apologetics as prescribed in The Bible. Without that understanding, we'd be a confused Kant! And we impact that here as well.

We welcome back to the show from Revived Studios Troy Frasier and his cohost Mark. They've launched a new show on their network called "Christian or Not" where they look at people in Church history who have claimed or others have claimed to be a Christian. Doing a deep dive on the person's life, they evaluate their lives, writings, and actions in life to see if we are able to tell if the person ha...

Finishing up chapter 1, Oliphant makes the case for the transition of presuppositional apologetics to the more accurate and more biblical name covenant apologetics. The Christian Covenant Of Apologetics is grounded in the Scripture and nature of God. How, then, can the Christian carry out apologetics? Oliphant gives ten tenants that guide us to properly carry out the command of being apologists to...

Starting out with chapter one, Oliphint does what we love around here - defining his terms. Here he covers what is apologetics and that all humanity has a covenantal duty to believe in God and follow Him. The Christian apologist, then, is to always be ready with Christian truth - not general theism with a sidestep to Jesus.

We dive into Oliphint's intro where he wants to get into reorienting presuppositional apologetics. This is a focus less on the philosophical but more on the practical, Christian aspect of it. He wishes to "translate" Van Til for the common man and breaks down how his book will do that.

In the preface for the new book, William Edgar walks through a short history of 20th century apologetics and takes us from Athens to Indiana. We see the shaky ground that the 20th century landscape had Christianity in and the much needed resurgence that people like Kuyper, Van Til, and now Oliphint will guide us to let the roaring lion go forth - foundation and all.

Wow, book number 15! It only feels like yesterday we were on book 5. Well, after The Great Debate that put presuppositionalism on the map - what's to be done after that? Well, you actually have to talk to people. Scary, yes, but how does one actually do that? Well, this book might be of help.

Concluding our book, we ask, how must Christians respond to atheists with all these different accountings for science and logic? If we're unable to agree how we provide a basis for our knowledge, is there some sort of area above science and logic we could point to - something transcendental in nature that accounts for science and logic? Well, I'm glad you asked.

Greg Bahnsen now starts to advance his main argument that because of the confusion within the basis for science and logic, one should attack the foundational worldview using one's own worldview and therefore Christians should do apologetics presuppoitionally. In this episode, we discuss why that's the case.

Before Bahnsen gives us the answer, he's going to give us a problem that can't find the answer within itself. There are two big philosophical camps that many, if not all, atheists hold to. The problem comes in when the two atheist worldviews come into disagreement, and you find both sides saying the other is wrong at this impasse; they can't get past each other. So, is there an answer? Find out th...

In the final part of the book, we cover Bahnsen's push to encourage all Christians to use the presuppositional apologetic approach. Bahnsen, true to form, pushes the antithesis between the supernatural Christian worldview and everything else. He starts with showing that all other worldviews have issues with change, unity, & diversity - a place where the Christian worldview can swoop in and provide...

Don't worry, we'll be back to Bahnsen next week. But first, policy expert Jeff Park and Patrick have to encourage Christian fathers to take an active and central role in the education of their children - even if they're not the primary teacher, although they are primarily responsible.

It's now Patrick's turn to take a short vacation, so this week and next week will be two redux episodes featuring policy expert Jeff Park and the discussion of the Christian's responsibility to educate their children. In this, we talk about modern education, homeschooling, government policies, and why, ultimately, the Christian should fight to educate their children as they see fit.

The previous three episodes leads up to Bahnsen's claim that presuppositional apologetics is the only way to do apologetics. It's the best tool to show the split between Christianity and every other viewpoint. And the best part, it's biblical and it is found in the Christian message itself.

Bahnsen now moves to encouraging the Christian to engage in an apologetic method that attack worldview foundations first and foremost. There's nothing wrong in knowing the positive case for Christianity but when it comes to how one approaches proof and truth, why give up so much of your position to try and achieve a neutral starting point - it's not possible to have and it's not biblical to take.