Useful Things | June 2, 2019
Dear Readers,
We hope you’re enjoying the last days of spring, graduation season, and the start of vacation season!
As usual, we hope you find the news and resources below to be helpful and stimulating. We won’t send Useful Things out next week, as we’ll be putting the finishing touches on the June Worldview Bulletin newsletter that goes out to subscribers. If you’re not a subscriber yet, the June issue has some great content you won’t want to miss, including:
Part two of Paul Copan’s popular article Apatheism and the Unexamined Life
Paul Gould on the modern quest for authenticity
An interview with Tremper Longman on his new book Confronting Old Testament Controversies
Tawa Anderson on the ongoing relevance of worldview thinking
Plus new books in worldview and apologetics, conference info, and other great gems!
Chris Reese
Managing Editor
Quotable
"The problem of evil is a problem for everyone. If God exists, we have to explain why evil is here. But if God does not exist, we have to explain why we find 'evil' objectionable. The Christian can struggle with evil; the skeptic must also struggle with good. The Christian can weep over crooked lines; the skeptic must also explain what makes them crooked."
— Gavin Ortlund, The Problem of Evil is a Problem for Everyone
News*
Only Half of Kids Raised Southern Baptist Stay Southern Baptist
Supreme Court won't hear case on transgender school bathroom policy
Justice Clarence Thomas Gives America a Lesson on Eugenics and Abortion
Emergent Christians and the “New” Social Justice
Joseph Smith and the Many Wives of David and Solomon: Authorized or Abominable?
Theology Declining in Universities?
Scientists have finally read the oldest biblical text ever found
The Books of College Libraries Are Turning Into Wallpaper
Apologetics and the indoctrinated American atheist
(*The views and opinions expressed in the articles, videos, and podcasts linked to do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of The Worldview Bulletin.)
eBook and Audiobook Deals
Note: These deals were valid at the time this message was written, but prices may change without notice.
Lost In Transmission?: What We Can Know About the Words of Jesus by Nicholas Perrin - $0.99
This Dangerous Book: How the Bible Has Shaped Our World and Why It Still Matters Today by Steve and Jackie Green - $2.99
A Doubter's Guide to the Bible: Inside History’s Bestseller for Believers and Skeptics by John Dickson - $2.99
The History of the Hobbit: Mr. Baggins and Return to Bag-End by John D. Rateliff
Deals from Last Week’s Newsletter (still on sale)
Apologetics Study Bible for Students edited by Sean McDowell - $2.99
The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ by Brant Pitre - $4.99
How to Be a Christian in a Brave New World by Joni Eareckson Tada and Nigel M. de S. Cameron - $0.99
Lost Treasures of the Bible: Understanding the Bible through Archaeological Artifacts in World Museums by Clyde Fant and Mitchell Reddish - $1.99
The Creator Revealed: A Physicist Examines the Big Bang and the Bible by Michael G. Strauss - $2.40
Forensic Faith: A Homicide Detective Makes the Case for a More Reasonable, Evidential Christian Faith by J. Warner Wallace - $2.41
Star Struck: Seeing the Creator in the Wonders of Our Cosmos by David Hart Bradstreet - $2.99
Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design by Stephen Meyer - $1.99
On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision by William Lane Craig - $1.99
How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart - $3.99
The Case for...Student Collection: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Christian Faith (Case for … Series for Students) by Lee Strobel - $2.99
Christianity: The Biography: 2000 Years of Global History by Ian J. Shaw - $3.99
What If Jesus Had Never Been Born by D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe - $3.49
The Faith of Christopher Hitchens: The Restless Soul of the World's Most Notorious Atheist by Larry Taunton - $3.99
A Little Book for New Bible Scholars by E. Randolph Richards - $2.99
J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter - $2.99
Logos Bible Software
If you’re a Logos Bible software user, or are interested in checking it out, be sure to take advantage of their Free Course of the Month for June, which is a lecture by Dr. John Frame on the clarity of Scripture (normally $19.99). Several other courses are also on sale for 78%-85% off.
Logos 8 Basic is available as a free download.
Watching
The God of the Old Testament vs. The God of the New Testament by Dr. Paul Copan
Is Happiness Sustainable? (Ravi Zacharias International Ministries)
Ben Shapiro interviews Dr. William Lane Craig
Ben Shapiro interviews Christian philosopher Dr. Ed Feser
Is Theistic Belief Rational in a Scientific Age?- Jeff Hester vs. William Lane Craig
Andy Stanley vs Jeff Durbin - Unhitching Christianity from the Old Testament?
John Lennox vs. Peter Atkins - Can science explain everything? (Official debate video)
How To Raise Strong Believers (Focus on the Family interviews Natasha Crain)
[Natasha discusses raising kids with a confident faith in a secular world.]
Listening
Yujin Nagasawa on the Problem of Evil for Atheists
Professor Nigel Biggar on Academic Outrage Mobs, What Motivates Them and How to Fight Back
On the Prosperity Gospel (with Sean Demars & Greg Gilbert)
[Jonathan Leeman chats with Mark Dever, Sean Demars (once a part of the word of faith movement), and Greg Gilbert in order to understand why the prosperity gospel has spread and how some of our churches have been subtly influenced by it.]
The Doctrine of Creation and Human Dignity with Dr. Paige Comstock Cunningham
Misunderstandings about God and the Big Bang (Reasonable Faith)
Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards on Recent Discoveries Supporting The Privileged Planet
The Bulverism Blunder (Stand to Reason)
[Sometimes people claim that the only reason someone is a Christian is because they were born in the United States. In this episode, Alan Shlemon gives three reasons why such a claim is wrong headed.]
Free Download: Cultural Apologetics
Check out this free excerpt from Paul Gould’s new book Cultural Apologetics: Renewing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination in a Disenchanted World.
Cultural Apologetics sets forth a fresh model for cultural engagement, rooted in the biblical account of Paul's speech on Mars Hill, which details practical steps for reestablishing the Christian voice, conscience, and imagination.
With creative insights, Cultural Apologetics prepares readers to share a vision of the Christian faith that is both plausible and desirable, offering clarity for those who have become disoriented in the haze of modern Western culture.
Free Download: The Dictionary of Christianity and Science
If you haven’t already, download a free, 20-page excerpt of the Dictionary of Christianity and Science, edited by Paul Copan and Christopher Reese, along with Tremper Longman III and Michael Strauss.
The Dictionary features over 140 evangelical contributors and 450 entries on key concepts, theories, terms, movements, individuals, and debates in relation to Christianity and science.
