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IN MEMORIAM NORMAN GEISLER It was with a genuine sense of loss that I learned the news of Norman Geisler’s death. He played a pivotal role in my life. I first met Dr. Geisler when he came over to Dekalb from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School to speak for Inter-Varsity at Northern Illinois University on the problem of evil. I was impressed by his rational argumentation. Having graduated from Wheaton, I knew that I wanted to attend seminary, but at the same time I didn’t feel called to the pastorate, so the M.Div. didn’t seem the appropriate degree for me. But I learned that Dr. Geisler was spearheading a new program for an M.A. degree in Philosophy of Religion. This seemed tailor-made for me. I did not have an undergrad degree in philosophy, however, so to get into the program I had to qualify by scoring high enough on the Gradate Record Exam in philosophy. So I studied in my spare time all the next year and scored high enough to be admitted to the Trinity program in the fall of 1973. I spent the next two years under Dr. Geisler’s tutelage. That provided the crucial stepping stone for doctoral work in philosophy with John Hick in England. Dr. Geisler was thus the critical link in the chain for me. I bear his imprint. He gave me a strong appreciation for the history of philosophy, which has served me well. Most importantly, however, he convinced me of the need for a robust natural theology. This emphasis was and continues to be somewhat out of the “norm” (no pun intended) for Christian philosophers, but those of you who know my work will realize how indelibly Norm Geisler stamped me with his mark. I never embraced his Thomism, but I fully embraced his emphasis on the value and cogency of arguments for God’s existence. I owe him an enormous debt of gratitude. William Lane Craig July 1 at 7:15 PM | https://www.facebook.com/WilliamLaneCraig .

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Norman Geisler on Molinism
Norman Geisler on Molinism http://normangeisler.com What did Norm Geisler say about the Middle-Knowledge, Molinism, and the thought of Luis de Molina? Several people have asked about this by email. This blogpost attempts to provide an answer based on six sources of Norm’s comments on Molinism: 1) Geisler, Norman L. “Molinism,” in Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999) pp. 493–495. 2) Geisler, Norman L. Chosen but Free: A Balanced View of Divine Election, 2nd edition (Bethany House, 1999) pp. 51-55 3) Geisler, Norman L. Systematic Theology, Volume II: God, Creation (Bethany House, 2003) pp. 206-207 4) Geisler, Norman L. Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences (Baker Books, 1995), p. 450-446 5) Classroom lectures by Norm Geisler on God’s Immutability in the course TH540 (“God and Creation”) at Veritas International University, circa 2013. Class #3 - https://vimeo.com/72793620 6) Four private emails answered by Norm Although some paragraphs have been reworded slightly in the attempt to avoid copyright infringement, and the sources have been blended together in a somewhat repetitive and less-than-seamless way, this compilation remains faithful to what Norm wrote and said. The reader is encouraged to acquire the four books cited above to read this material in its original contexts. Apologies are offered in advance for the somewhat hurried and patchwork-nature of this compilation. LUIS DE MOLINA (A.D. 1535–1600) was born in Cuenca, New Castile, Spain. He joined the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and became a theologian. The theology that bears his name claims to protect the integrity of human free will better than any other system.
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Essentials of the Christian Faith
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When Critics Ask
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{PDF} Chosen but Free: a Balanced View of Gods Sovereignty and Free
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CTSJ 6:2 (April 2000) p. 59 Baker’s Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, by Norman L. Geisler (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999), 841 pages, hardcover. Reviewed by Clayton Javurek ([email protected]). The writer of this review gained familiarity with Norman Geisler in one of his 1974 apologetics courses at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Geisler, who has also taught apologetics at Dallas Theological Seminary and Liberty University, is now Dean and President of the Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. Baker’s Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics presents in one volume the fruit of his thirty years of research and teaching in apologetics (defending the faith). As a context for his own approach to the subject, Geisler summarizes the five types of apologetics:25 1. Classical—which stresses arguments for the existence of God such as the ontological, cosmological, teleological, and moral arguments. 2. Evidential—which stresses the need for rational, historical, archaeological, and experiential evidence. 3. Experiential—which appeals to the sense of a divine encounter. 4. Historical—which stresses facts in history as a starting point of proof. 5. Pre-Suppositional—which assumes the truth of Christianity and then proceeds to demonstrate it.26 CTSJ 6:2 (April 2000) p. 60 As an evidentialist, he utilizes three of these methods: classical proofs (for the existence of God), historical proofs (archaeology and history), and prophetic proofs. His approach to apologetics is evident in the three separate articles dealing with “The Argument of,” “The Need for,” and “The Types of Apologetics.” He defends the need for apologetics by pointing out that God commands it, reason demands it, and the world needs it.27 He leans heavily on the Cosmological 25 Norman L.
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