Tools of the Trade, Part 1
By Paul Copan | Bulletin Roundtable
We at the Worldview Bulletin have been asked to share about valuable apologetics resources. Looking back at my own work in apologetics and Christian philosophy, I should mention that my primary resource has actually been a community of Christian philosophers and apologists—especially within the Evangelical Philosophical Society and now more recently in the UK’s Tyndale Fellowship Philosophy of Religion group, of which I am now co-chair with Daniel Hill (University of Liverpool). Over the decades I have been enriched by friendships in such communities, and I learn a great deal from them in personal conversations, lessons they’ve learned, topics they’ve been researching.
Teaching at Palm Beach Atlantic University in the M.A. Philosophy of Religion program affords another place of similar nourishment for me. I’m grateful for my colleagues Paul Gould (who is also one of my Worldview Bulletin teammates) and Brandon Rickabaugh who are regularly sharing angles and insights from the work they are doing that expands my horizons and encourages different perspectives and avenues of inquiry. The key point here is that relationships and conversations here and elsewhere in Christian community have mattered much to me, and I can’t separate what I’ve gained intellectually from the encouragement, support, collegiality, and collaboration these relationships have wrought.
I would encourage those who want to benefit from apologetics resources to begin here—to cultivate relationships with others in this field: attending conferences and annual meetings, taking up formal study in flesh-and-blood community rather than virtually, developing relationships in one’s own region (e.g., Reasonable Faith chapters, connecting with a Ratio Christi group at a nearby university campus), and so on.
Online Resources
In terms of actual authors who have been a resource in earlier days of my pilgrimage in apologetics and philosophy—and into the present—I think of C. Stephen Evans, Stuart Hackett, William Lane Craig, J. P. Moreland, Dallas Willard, Alvin Plantinga, Charles Taliaferro, Doug Geivett, and many more. (I could also cite more historic thinkers like Augustine, Thomas Reid, and Søren Kierkegaard.)
When it comes to popular-level websites in apologetics and Christian philosophy, here are some of the ones I regularly recommend.
Reasonable Faith: Philosopher and theologian William Lane Craig’s website is a kind of one-stop shopping for apologetics resources: an array of Craig’s journal articles; his video debates and discussions; his Question of the Week; his animated videos presenting arguments for God’s existence, the resurrection of Jesus, and the meaning of life; Craig’s bookstore; and so on.
J. P. Moreland: J. P. Moreland offers periodic reflections on an array of topics and a number of resources at his website. He is both a sophisticated philosopher and a superb apologist, but he is so versatile! He has written a wide range of topics that connect with a wider range of readers than one would at first imagine. Consider his work on mental illness and anxiety (which comes from his own personal experience) in Finding Quiet; his material on miracles and the Spirit’s power in Kingdom Triangle; his insights and experience concerning divine guidance and more in A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles: Instruction and Inspiration for Living Supernaturally in Christ; his emphasis on thinking Christianly in Love Your God With All Your Mind; and his work on ethics in Body and Soul.
Justin Brierley is a terrific debate/dialogue host on his Unbelievable? program. He engages top thinkers taking differing viewpoints and perspectives on a wide range of subjects.
Bethinking: This British site has an array of articles and talks on general themes in apologetics and the biblical worldview. There is accessible material on Christianity and culture, faith and science, the defensibility of Christianity’s tenets, questions non-Christians often ask, other religions/new religious movements, and much more.
Apologetics.org: This website is connected to Tom Woodward and the C. S. Lewis Society based in the Tampa area and offers informative and engaging articles, podcasts, and video debates on apologetics, science, and much more.
Apologetics315: is a large platform hosting other apologetics sites (e.g., Michael Licona’s Risen Jesus site or David Wood’s Acts 17 Apologetics). One of the benefits of this website is the connection to many apologists, their websites, their articles and lectures and debates. This site has a helpful index to locate a particular apologist or apologetics topic.
When it comes to apologetics and Islam, I would check out three resources:
a) David Wood’s Acts 17 Apologetics—and especially his YouTube channel—offers reliable, often-edgy, and hard-hitting resources responding to Islam. Whatever you think of David’s style (and noted that many Muslims have come to Christ through David’s bold challenges to Islam), he is spot-on in his analysis, and he knows his stuff. A side-note: My wife and I were with David Wood and his wife Marie in Mnachen Yehuda Market in Jerusalem back in October 2019, and two orthodox Jews came up to David and asked, “Are you David Wood?” He replied, “Yes, I am.” They went on to tell him, “We love your website!” They asked to have a picture taken with him, and I was able to take a quick photo before the conversation ended.
b) The Answering Islam website presents thoroughly-researched resources on a host of topics—a gold mine—with many of them authored by Muslim-background believers. There are also many testimonies of Muslim-background believers as well (under the heading “Why They Converted”).
c) Sam Shamoun has a YouTube channel as well. His knowledge of Islam is encyclopedic, and he thoroughly and boldly challenges the intellectual credentials of Islam.
Jana Harmon’s Side B Stories is a podcast with informative and even moving interviews with former atheists who came to Christ through intellectual searching, personal crises, a quest for meaning.
Sean McDowell’s website has, among other resources, a steady stream of energetic interviews that are culture-engaging and intellectually stimulating.
I could add others, but these are a few apologetics websites I think Worldview Bulletin readers will find beneficial.
— Paul Copan is the Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Learn more about Paul and his work at paulcopan.com.
Image by Dirk Hoenes from Pixabay
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Excellent! Thank you.
Good list. Thanks to Dr. Copan for sharing. There are so many apologetics resources online that I appreciate Dr. Copan's recommendations for what the better ones are.