Section 1

An Introduction to Negative Apologetics

and Starter Tools (Logic & Bibliography) 

Supplemental

    Assuming you were busy and didn’t take time to read the detailed overall introduction to these Sections on the previous Apologia Page (which brought you here), here are a few things to help you get started. Note this part of the site has its own introduction, too—above.

    First, understand that the resources on these pages are not for professional philosophers and are instead intended for professors in other fields who are interested in explaining and defending their faith in an increasingly sophisticated way. Though we wish to give a rigorous rational defense for our faith, we also want to remember that we are out to win people and not just the arguments.

    Second, even though we do NOT hold the view that people can be compelled by reason to become believers that God exists or believe in (be committed to) Him, there is a place for explaining and rationally defending our faith. We think that can be done more effectively than most people think and therefore we would contend that our position is not one of a religious fideist—that is, believes in God’s existence without reasons or evidence. 

   We do hold that the belief that God exists is a deliverance of reason--implied by other beliefs we hold, which were produced in part by our sensus divinitatis in many widely experienced situations--but that it is God by His Spirit that ultimately draws people to become committed to Himself after, or simultaneously when, they come to believe that He exists. We discuss in other places (see the detailed introduction to this overall website) our view of the kind of skepticism that is sometimes expressed by Christians as to whether apologetics is actually useful or efficacious, or is instead more of a means of coercion than of persuasion…just not here.

Statue of David by Michelangelo

Galleria Accademia, Florence, Italy

Photo credit: JAC

    Third, in brief, the resources for this  level, including the section on “Questions and Answers”  are not meant to give final and complete answers. Rather, they are aimed to help you see and better understand typical questions you’re likely to encounter in academe and to suggest important readings and resources for you to use. Hopefully all this will enable you to grow both in your clarity of thinking and hopefully, too, in the rigor of response you give as you do the work of an apologist. Said another way, this site is designed is to help you to "learn to fish" rather than to merely "give you a fish."

   Navigation is fairly simple, just use the hypertexed links at the top of this section for “horizontal” navigation and below that, when you begin to drill down, you’ll find the “vertical” navigation links to get back out to where you want to be. At this level we’re reinforcing basic conceptual skills and looking for good resources and answers for specific questions.

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