Monday, November 24, 2008
Doug Groothuis Lecture on Natural Theology on Line
My lecture, "A Defense of Natural Theology," is now on line. It was given at Denver Seminary on November 19, 2008, and is a chapter from my in-process ("How Long, O Lord?") book, What Matters Most (an apologetics textbook). In it, I rebut nine arguments against natural theology. I have a short outline to go with the lecture. Let me know if you would like one.
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8 comments:
Many thanks for the advantage to listen to your lecture, part of your (How long, O Lord) book, "What matters most."
I hope I understood well when I say that it confirms my conviction that God reveals Himself to everyone, and that everybody has the opportunity to accept or refuse Him.
As an Evangelical, I feel at times burdened with the need and the duty to call each person to repentance. Yet, it's becoming more and more obvious to me that God is everywhere and can use other means (like nature and conscience) than the Revelation and my participation to bring people to Him.
I'm not minimizing my joy to speak of Him, more emphasizing the sometimes impossibility for Christians to reach all the unsaved, even if they live under the same roof.
Very helpful lecture, especially the common arguments against natural theology. Thanks for posting this.
I listened to this lecture twice today and will probably listen again before the end of the week. For the last two years I've trying to gain a better grasp of Calvinism as well as presuppositional apologetics as understood by Frame.
Your lecture helped to clear up questions I had concerning Natural Theology, such as it's compatibility with Calvinist theology. I found it cogent on a number of levels and the question and answer section was especially helpful.
I look forward to your upcoming book!
That was very engaging. For me, the most psychologically motivating argument is when I see the proof of God's working in someone's life. I took an online apologetics class from Temple Baptist seminary and the lecturer was mostly saying things that you were saying, but underscoring the apologetic of Christlike love.
When people live lives of love, humility, and compassion for the suffering I treat that as the most rational apologetic for a loving creator.
The apologetic of Christian love is another topic. It plays a signigicant part in my overall apologetic, which I teach in a semester long class and which (God willing) will be presented in my book, What Matters Most. On this see, Francis Schaeffer, The Mark of the Christian.
Very good lecture, and quite timely for my purposes.
Doug,
Thanks! Excellent lecture: I listened all the way through. Now you need to do similar lectures on the major arguments!
I enjoyed the lecture. Ever since I started studying apologetics (my first book was Sproul's 'A Defense of Classical Apologetics...') I've always considered presuppositional apologetics with its emphasis on the noetic effects of sin counter intuitive as well as contrary to the teachings of Scripture. Your lecture confirms that.
I have been listening to a series of lectures on philosophy by John Frame however and found his approach to apologetics appealing as well. During one of his lectures he recounts a discussion with Sproul in which he concluded that presuppositional and classical apologetics are not that different from each other.
My impression is that presuppositional apologetics - because of its negative attitude toward reason - ends up doing a lot of negative apologetics whereas classical apologetics has a much more positive approach.
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