I Do Not Give the Expected Non-Response

love. We are to say. If this be a burden, it is one that gives meaning to our existence. WHO’S TO SAY? It is inescapable. We are to say, you and I. And there "Who's to say?" is a question I hear a are things so worth saying that we should lot from the lips of the young. It is the be willing to write them with our life’s verbal equivalent of a shrugged shoulder. It blood. We had best be about it. The verbal is supposed to allow its users to adopt a shrug is not only a conversation stopper; it pose of epistemic humility while allowing is a lazy and cowardly evasion of them to abort any conversation that responsibility. threatens to take them to an uncomfortable So say I. place. The question is generally assumed to be unanswerable. One is expected to shrug one’s shoulders in return and repeat the Donald T. Williams, PhD liturgical phrase in confirmation: “Who’s to say?” Who, indeed? World without end, FORTHCOMING ISCA amen. PUBLICATIONS

I do not give the expected non- Don Williams, “Coming Home: The response. Influence of Chesterton’s The Everlasting Man I am to say! I am to say, not because on C. S. Lewis,” in The Ten Books that Most I have any special authority in myself, but Influenced C. S. Lewis (proceedings of the because I propose to give you good and conference of the same name), 2015; “Text vs. sufficient reasons for why what I am about Word: C. S. Lewis’s Doctrine of Inspiration and the Inerrancy of Scripture,” chp. in festschrift to say is true. If you find them good and for Norm Geisler, 2015; “The ‘Trilemma’: Pro,” sufficient too, you should accept them, in C. S. Lewis’s Defense of Christianity: For whether the conclusion to which they lead and Against, ed. Gregory Bassham (Amsterdam: makes you comfortable or not. If you don't, Rodolpi, 2015); “C. S. Lewis and the you should reject them. Either way, now, Ontological Argument,” Touchstone: a Journal of Mere Christianity, 2014? you are to say. We are to say. And God holds us accountable for what we say. He has RECENT ISCA spoken first, in Nature and even more PUBLICATIONS definitively in Scripture, so that we should be able to speak in turn. He has spoken first Steven Garofolo, Right for You but Not —indeed, His ultimate act of self-giving is for Me: A Response to Moral Relativism. called by St. John “The Word”—so that we Charlotte: Triedstone, 2013. Cliff McManis, Biblical Apologetics: should ourselves have something worth Advancing and Defending the Gospel of Christ, saying. He has spoken first, in creation and foreword by Dr. John MacArthur, 2013. redemption, so that we should be able to McManis is professor of Apologetics at say it. Thus we are accountable to say The Cornerstone Seminary in Vallejo, CA. The things that are in accordance with His Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) just translated Word, consistent with reality, and the 500 page work into Russian to distribute it at no cost to Russian-speaking pastors and church conducive to edification. We are workers around the world. SGA needs to raise accountable to look the evidence in the eye, $13,000 for the project—please pray that God ignore the siren songs of popularity and would bless their efforts. For more info, see: political correctness, and speak the truth in www.mcmanisapologetics.com.

1 Harvey Solganick, Creating SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS Constructive Consciousness: Critical Thinking for the Christian. Arlington: London Press, Kathryn V. Camp will be presenting at 2014. two conferences this October. These are her first Don Williams, “Risen Indeed!” national conference appearances, and she would Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity greatly appreciate your prayers. She will speak 267:2 (March/April 2014): 6; “What Isaiah and on October 10, 2014, at the National Apologetic David Saw,” Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, on “A Christianity 267:2 (March/April 2014): 6; “Why Christian Response to Sexual Diversity.” Then Evangelicals Can’t Write, and How Flannery on October 25, 2014, she will be participating in O’Connor Can Help Us Learn Better” (chp., an online women’s apologetic conference in reprint) in How Evangelicals Can Write Better, connection with the Christian Apologetics and Why I No Longer Publish “Christian Alliance. For a link to that event, go to Fiction,” by Chila Woychik (N.P.: Port Yonder http://onlineapologeticsconference.com. Press, 2014); “Used Monks,” Touchstone: A Don Williams preached at University Journal of Mere Christianity 27:3 (May/June Church, Athens, Ga., on Sunday morning, May 2014): 4; “A Father’s Way,” Touchstone: A 25, on Sunday morning, July 27, 2014, and on Journal of Mere Christianity 27:3 (May/June Sunday morning, August 31. To hear those 2014): 5; “Extra Incredible,” Touchstone: A sermons, navigate in your browser to Journal of Mere Christianity 27:5 (Sept.-Oct. www.theuniversitychurch.org. He also preached 2014): 6. at house churches in Bhubaneshwar, India, on Sunday, June 8, and Bhawanipatna, India, on PAPERS Sunday, June15, 2014, and at a “Mere Christian PRESENTED Worship Service” for the attendees of Mythcon on Sunday, August 10, 2014. Harvey Solganick, “C.S. Lewis: The Man and his Works.” University of North Carolina, Wilmington, North Carolina. “THINK IT THROUGH” Sponsored by Fellowship of Christian Athletes CONFERENCES COMING and Campus Crusades. January 25, 2014; “C.S. Lewis and His Apologetics.” Apologetics Trevor Ray Slone, secretary of ISCA, Conference. Southwestern Seminary, Fort has recently started a company called Intelligent Worth, Texas, April 25, 2014. Interactions LLC which seeks to encourage and Don Williams “Discerning the Times: enhance interactions between people and with Why We Lost the Culture War and How to regard to various ideas and issues. His Make a Comeback,” and “C. S. Lewis and the company, along with ISCA and Ontological Argument,” at the annual meeting FrancisSchaefferStudies.org, is sponsoring an of the International Society of Christian apologetics conference tour named after Apologetics in Denver, April 4-5, 2014; Trevor’s radio show, “Think it Through.” The “Cartographer of the Divine: C. S. Lewis as first conference of the tour will be on October Doctor Ecclesiae,” at the Francis W. Ewbank 17, 2014 in Manhattan, KS and will include Colloquium on C. S. Lewis and Friends at speakers such as Slone, Dr. Winfried Corduan, Taylor University, Upland, IN, May 29-June 1, ISCA treasurer Dan Guinn, and others. Trevor 2014; “Text vs. Word: C. S. Lewis’s Doctrine is also planning on taking the conference tour to of Inspiration and the Inerrancy of Scripture,” at cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, Fort Worth, Mythcon, the annual meeting of the Mythopoeic Houston, Denver, Atlanta, Raleigh, Kansas City Society (for the study of the works of J. R. R. and possibly other places as well. So be on the Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Charles Williams in look-out for a “Think it Through” apologetics particular, and fantasy literature in general), conference tour near you! Aug. 9, 2014.

TOCCOA FALLS COLLEGE PROF PREACHING AND OTHER TO LEAD APOLOGISTS

2 different types of theistic arguments being made Don Williams was elected president of on the basis of the signs. the International Society of Christian Evans assumes with Pascal that natural Apologetics at its annual meeting in Denver, signs must be widely accessible but are often April 4-5. According to the organization’s embraced or resisted apart from any specific website, “The ISCA fulfills a long-felt need to philosophical sophistication or background. This have an academically-oriented society that is a great book for anyone who thinks that belief brings together conservative Christian scholars in God is based primarily on intuitions of God’s from a variety of fields engaged in the task of existence grounded in such experiences. The apologetics.” The next meeting will be held at experiences are the ground of all the arguments Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, that proceed from them—the good, the bad, and NC, April 10-11, 2015, on the theme of the best. This book thus explains why theistic “Evangelical Identity and the Word of God.” To reasoning remains alive and well despite the join, visit the website, http://www.isca- modern bias against it from atheists and from apologetics.org/. theists who just don’t like the traditional formulations of the arguments. It also explains people like Plantinga, who continue to examine BOOK REVIEW various forms of theistic argument but at the same time don’t take any of them that seriously. C. Stephen Evans, Natural Signs and Plantinga is more focused on the experiences Knowledge of God. New York: Oxford that led him to believe in God than in any University Press, 2012. 39.95 PB; 96.00 HB. specific arguments that may warrant it. To him, 220pp. the arguments are okay if they are helpful, but This is the most important book in the you really don’t need them since belief in God is philosophy of religion I have read in ten years. “basic” due to the widely accessible experience Evans argues something I have never seen of the natural signs. argued before. He says that all theistic This is then a liberating book that points arguments are framed on the basis of four the way—I think—to a gentler approach to “natural signs” that are simply experienced: theistic argumentation based on very common “cosmic wonder,” “purposive order,” “moral religious experiences. obligation,” and “human worth/dignity.” Evans Max H. Sotak argues that these are powerful human experiences that form the basis for cosmological arguments (cosmic wonder), teleological OTHER arguments (purposive order), and moral MINISTRIES arguments (moral obligation/human dignity). Evans puts these “signs” under Don Williams presented a training Pascalian constraints: They are both “widely seminar for thirty pastors and church planters in accessible” and “easily resistible.” All are Bhawanipatna, Orissa, India, June 9-14, 2014, merely “pointers” to the existence of God; they under the auspices of Church Planting, do not convey enough information to lead International of the U.S. and Reformed Gospel individuals to errorless conclusions (or Fellowship of Orissa. Topics included arguments) about God and his nature. In fact, hermeneutics, methods of Bible study and they can be easily resisted, which is why an sermon preparation, and Christian leadership. atheist may deny the existence of God while For a full report on the mission, go to affirming moral obligations and human worth. https://lanternhollow.wordpress.com/2014/08/04 Theistic arguments, then, are attempts to give /hermeneutics-in-bhawanipatna/ rational form to the experience of the natural signs, but there is no philosophical argument that simply expresses the experience of the sign. REASONABLE FAITH As signs, they are subject to better and worse PRESENTS DEBATES interpretations, which also explains the many

3 Dr. Kirk MacGregor directs the Chicago Chapter of Reasonable Faith, which is celebrating its first birthday! During the Soli Deo Gloria! 2013-14 academic year, the group (averaging around 15 people) met weekly and thoroughly discussed the issues covered in William Lane Craig's On Guard. This summer the chapter staged a series of three mock debates. In these debates, a group member who converted to Christianity from some other belief system represents that system, giving what they feel are the best arguments in favor of it. Kirk then refutes these arguments and defends the truth of Christianity. These 90-minute debates feature opening statements, rebuttals, and closing statements, followed by questions from the audience to each debater. The first debate took place on June 2 on the topic "Atheism (Dr. Ross Hauser) v. Christianity." The second was July 14 on "Islam (Rev. Hicham Chehab) v. Christianity." The third was August 11 on "The New Age Movement (Charles Smith) v. Christianity." During 2014-15, the group will cover many of the major loci of systematic theology from a biblical and philosophical perspective. ESSAY: WHY I PRAISE GOD INTERVIEWS FOR PHILOSOPHY

Harvey Solganick, Radio Interview: In teaching an introduction to “C.S. Lewis and Christianity.” The Dove 89.7 philosophy class at California Lutheran F.M., Wilmington, North Carolina. January 25, University, I’ve been encouraged by two 2014; Radio Interview: “C.S. Lewis and unexpected developments. I hope they will be an Christianity.” Life 90.5 F.M., Wilmington, encouragement to you also and that you will find North Carolina. January 25, 2014 yourself, as I did, praising God for philosophy. First is the testimony of students on opposite sides of the worldview spectrum, from ISCA PRESIDENT Christian theists to atheists. In accord with INTERVIEWED Ronald Nash’s Introduction to Philosophy textbook, I introduce students to philosophy via ISCA President Don Williams was worldviews. Not only do we discuss the three interviewed by apologist Nick Peters on the traditional foci of philosophy—Metaphysics, “Deeper Waters Podcast” on Saturday, June 28. Epistemology, and Ethics—but God and He was interviewed by Kerby Anderson on the Anthropology also. Consequently, roughly two syndicated Christian talk radio program “Point weeks are spent on the Arguments for God’s of View” on Monday, July 1. Here are links to Existence (Cosmological, Moral, etc.) and the the “Point of View” interview: Video: Mind/Body Problem. Every semester, often at http://youtu.be/pnsKMn9x0d0 (scroll to 1:13:00) the end, I hear the same encouraging words: Audio: http://podcast.ncfr.net/?p=5260 (scroll to From Christian theists that their faith has been 58:00). To stream or download the “Deeper strengthened and from atheists that either their Waters” podcast with Nick Peters, go to worldview has been seriously challenged or they http://www.weebly.com/uploads/5/6/8/1/568121 are now agnostics. 7/donaldwilliams.mp3 Second is the success of Moral Argument for God’s Existence. This argument

4 often serves as the primary reason for the your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, preceding testimonies and resonates with always being prepared to make a defense to students more than anything else in the class. anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope Why? The one thing that students invariably that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and enter the class assuming is that morality is respect” (1 Pet. 3:15). It says to always be reducible to mere preference claims, like prepared to give a reason to “those who ask choosing between flavors of ice cream. With the you.” If people are not asking, looking, or do Moral Argument, students clearly see— not have a spirit of humility or are genuinely interestingly, with little to no help on my part— seeking the truth, it is generally a waste of time that objective moral values and duties require the to give it to them. George MacDonald wrote: existence of God. They don’t like this “To give truth to him who loves it not, is to only conclusion and they argue tooth-and-nail against give him more multiplied reasons for it, which inevitably leads to a discussion of the misinterpretations.” It is throwing pearls before position that ethics or morality is nothing more swine. They will at the least dismiss or ignore than the socio-biological outworking of the truth, or at worst, trample it and attack you. naturalistic evolution. When they see what this Third, don’t fall for “sincerely worded” entails (e.g., the fact that rape is socially questions that you suspect are coming from unacceptable says nothing about whether or not dubious motives. We should learn from the Lord it’s really wrong), they are forced to wrestle Jesus at his trials (Luke 23:6-9, etc.). Jesus with the Moral Argument and, more made no answer to Herod. Remember, it was importantly, the God in whose existence such Herod who loved to hear John the Baptist preach values and duties are hinged. (Mark 6:20), yet it was he who beheaded John. W. B. Wethington Jesus did not answer Herod’s questions. But he did answer Pilate’s questions (John 18:33-388). Why? It seems one had an open heart, and the ESSAY: WHEN NOT TO other did not. One was seeking; the other was SHARE YOUR FAITH not. So, what do you think? Are there good I was in Bucharest, Romania, for an reasons not to share your religion or faith to Apologetics Conference when I stopped to ask certain people at certain times? directions of a sales lady. She noticed my Khaldoun Sweiss American accent and held me there trying to sell Logicallyfaithful.com me a fingernail polisher. Fingernail polisher! I neither wanted nor needed it. But she kept insisting. It took a great deal of composure to walk away with a “no-thank-you” smile. Sharing our faith may seem like that to some people, who either are not interested, or have not yet been brought spiritually to a place in their lives where they realize the finality of life and the depth of their own sin. So what are three situations to avoid in sharing your faith? First, when arguing (in the technical philosophical sense) about religion, don’t do so with people who are not ready or will take you for a tail spin! Religious people (or ideologically driven atheists) are notorious for misusing logic in justification of their views. EQUIP CONFERENCE Second, give a reason for the hope within in you, but only to those that ask. Do the Scriptures command Christians to “always be prepared to give an answer to anyone”? “In

5 to engage people of different religions without being offensive. There are discussion questions at the end of each chapter, which can be used for assignments or class discussions. As a professor of apologetics and world religions in a Christian university, I have used Neighboring Faiths for many years. For the professor, teacher, pastor and Sunday Norman Geisler was the keynote speaker for School/small group teacher, this updated edition this conference. More information is available is a joy to use. To encounter someone from a at sbtexas.com/ccc. A promotional video is different world religion does not necessitate a available at https://vimeo.com/97740989 . plane trip anymore. Many people who hold to various world religions now live in our neighborhoods, go to school with us, and work BOOK REVIEW with us. To understand their religion, and to show proper respect while sharing Jesus Christ Winfried Corduan, Neighboring Faiths. with them, one can find no better guide than this Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2012. 496 book. pages. Hardcover, $28.51. Randy Douglass Watching the evening news requires a stout heart as well as an understanding of world religions. A book which explains not only world religions but how to reach their adherents for Christ is difficult to find. The updated edition of Neighboring Faiths by Winfried Corduan is such a book. Corduan is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Religion at Taylor University, Upland, IN, and an ISCA member. He evaluates every religion from the evangelical position with a gracious and gentle spirit. The first chapter evaluates the various theories of the origins of religion, including the concept of original monotheism. The next section (chapters two to six) looks at the monotheistic religions of Judaism, Islam, Baha’I and Zoroastrianism. Chapter seven looks at a    magic and ritual religion, the African Traditional Religions (ATR). Chapter eight dispels the typical stereotypes people have regarding the Native American Indian religions. The next section deals with Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, (chapters nine to twelve). The final section covers other Asian religions,  such as Chinese popular religion, Shinto, and other Japanese religions (chapters thirteen and fourteen). The positives of this book are many. It presents an expert analysis of world religions. The cultural aspects of each religion are examined using a template of the “Rites of Passage” (birth, adolescence, marriage and death). Each chapter ends with the “So you meet a Hindu/Buddhist (religion of the chapter) person…” In this section, Corduan shares how