Meet the Bible: Authorship, Inspiration, Canon In this lesson we begin our module in which we consider the Bible as the authority for the Christian faith. Because the Bible is the source and foundation of Christianity, it is also a key point at which our faith is challenged and questioned. Many object to the claim that the Bible is God’s word, inspired by Him. Why do we believe the Bible is divinely inspired? What is the Bible’s self-attestation? What are the two different kinds of its self-attestation? What are other evidences of the Bible’s inspiration? How is inspiration often misunderstood? What is inspiration? What is canon, and what is its connection to the idea of covenant? What makes a book of the Bible canonical? Why is it important to distinguish between recognizing and making a book canonical? (75 min)
Lesson 30: Review Questions
Lesson 30: Lesson Notes

Tags: Bible, Inspiration, Canon

Miracles and Science In today’s lesson we talk about miracles: what they are, are they possible, and do they happen? How is the idea of a miracle often misunderstood? What are various kinds of unusual events and what makes a miracle different? Who were some key figures in shaping our modern ideas about miracles? What are the most common objections to miracles and how can we as Christians answer those objections? Why is it unhelpful to think of a miracle as a violation of the laws of nature? Why is it unnecessary to insist on some kind of “extraordinary” evidence to believe a miracle occurred?
Lesson 29: Review Questions
Lesson 29: Lesson Notes

Tags: Science, Miracles, Hume, Paley, Spinoza, Keener

The Origin of Humans In this lesson we focus in on a particularly important aspect of the evolution/creation question—where do humans come from? Why is this issue especially important to the Christian faith? What does contemporary evolutionary theory teach about human origins? What is the evidence they give for such a view? What is the actual status of the evidence for human evolution, and what are the difficulties that the prospect of human evolution from chimpanzees faces? We also talked about the Intelligent Design hypothesis and what it proposes and why many scientists oppose it. What is the difference between Intelligent Design and the “Design Argument?” What place does Intelligent Design play in the role of the Christian Apologist? (51 min)
Lesson 28: Review Questions
Lesson 28: Lesson Notes
Handout: The Uniqueness of Humans

Tags: Human, Evolution, Darwinism, Intelligent Design

The Origin of the Species In this lesson we consider the subject of evolution and the origin of the variety of biological life. What is evolution? How is neo-Darwinism different from Darwinism? What do many scientists consider to be the two primary kinds of biological evolution? Why do some scientists object to that distinction? What is meant by the "edge of evolution?" What are some of the daunting challenges faced by Neo-Darwinism that leads to the claim that it is a theory "in crisis?" How does the problem of homeostasis counter evolution’s claims? How does the reality of complexity and new information challenge Darwinian concepts of evolution? What is “devolution?” What are the various ways that Christians view the subject of evolution? (72 min)
Lesson 27: Review Questions
Lesson 27: Lesson Notes

Tags: Origin, Species, Evolution, Darwinism, Creation