The Problem of Evil: What is Evil? In this lesson we began to tackle what many consider the chief obstacle to faith which people encounter and for which the Christian apologist must have a satisfactory answer: the Problem of Evil. What is the problem of evil? What are the two kinds of evil? What is the difference between the logical and experiential problems of evil? What are the various views of what evil is, and what is the Christian view of evil? What is a “state of affairs?” Why is it important to understand that evil is a state of affairs? Did God create evil? What is the difference between creating and actualizing, and why is that important? What about the verse in Isaiah which seems to say God created evil? What is the difference between the deductive and the inductive aspects of the logical problem of evil? (46 min)
Lesson 15: Review Questions
Lesson 15: Lesson Notes

Tags: Problem of Evil, States of Affairs, Suffering, Evil

Due to a failure to record today's lesson, the audio recording for this lesson is from last years class. Sorry for any inconvenience.

The Nature of Humanness In this lesson we consider what is the nature of being human, most particularly, what aspects of humanness are most challenged or questioned today. How does the bible view the nature of humanness? What are the two primary competing views of the nature of humanness in Western culture? What, if anything, is the difference between the brain and the mind? What is physicalism? What is dualism? How does the Law of the Indiscernibility of Identicals help us to answer the question as to which view is correct? How does the existence of consciousness pose problems for the physicalist? How do mental properties such as thoughts, beliefs, and sensations differ from physical properties? Are humans essentially different than animals? How does this question influence our view of issues like population control, euthanasia, and abortion? (55 min)
Lesson 14: Review Questions
Lesson 14: Lesson Notes
Handout: Us vs. Them

Tags: Human, Mind, Soul, Spirit, Dualism, Physicalism

The Nature of God, pt 2 In today’s lesson we continue our study of those things about God which one can discover from the general revelation and natural theology, even if they don’t have a bible. What does the transcendence of God mean, and how is He related to space and time? How can we know that God is a person? What are some of the aspects of personhood? What do we mean by the omnipotence of God? What is the freedom of God and how is it related to His personhood? What is wrong with a god-of-the-gaps view of God? How can we know that the teleological arguments for God’s existence aren’t merely a god-of-the-gaps argument? (50 min)
Lesson 13: Review Questions
Lesson 13: Lesson Notes

Tags: Transcedence, Personhood, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Immateriality, Freedom

The Nature of God, pt 1 Having considered some arguments for the existence of God in the previous three lessons, in this lesson we move on to consider what this God is like. Is it appropriate to speak of defending God? It is important as we seek to offer an apologetic for God’s existence that we make sure we are talking about the true God. Non-theists often argue against a “straw man” type of God. We need not try to defend the existence of such a God. What are our sources of knowledge about God, and what do they tell us? What do we mean when we say that God is a necessary being? What is the aseity of God? What does it mean that God is immaterial? What is wrong with thinking of God as a complex being? (53 min)
Lesson 12: Review Questions
Lesson 12: Lesson Notes

Tags: God, Essence, Necessity, Aseity, Incorporeality, Simplicity