Cave To The Cross Apologetics

At Some Point We Have To Talk About TAG Bahnsen uses the final part of his second rebuttal by letting Stein and the audience know that at some point we have to talk about TAG. The argument that Bahnsen is known for surprised and shocked the atheist who hand waves it away without dealing with any of the points. Maybe Stein can make his final case next week in his closing argument. TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 00:15 – Bahnsen’s A Stickler For The Transcendental Argument 02:48 – A Reminder Of TAG 06:14 – The Atheist Tries To Turn The Tables On Christian Logic 11:24 – The Atheist Can’t Have Standards That Don’t Change 13:48 – The Christian Worldview Has More Consistent Consistents 18:23 – Conclusion BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

Blind Faith Of Atheist Materialism We’re breaking up Bahnsen’s 2nd rebuttal into two sections as we did with Stein, as there are two major sections both have covered. In this first half, Bahnsen makes the case of the use of blind faith of atheist materialism, in which the worldview has no ability to justify the use of logic or of science, as the issues that have been covered in the debate – that of the problem of induction and the non-material nature of logic leads to a denial that they even exist. TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 01:26 – Bahnsen Hasn’t Heard Any Justification For An Atheist To The Laws Of Logic 03:35 – The Issue Of Induction To Science Has Gone Unanswered 05:23 – The Future Is Only Probability For Atheists 07:35 – The Atheist’s Blind Faith In Logic & Science 10:55 – Conclusion BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

How Does God Think? Stein didn’t know what the laws of logic were, knows philosophers don’t agree what they are – but now he’s going to point the finger back at Christians and say they don’t know either. He wants to know how does God think and how do Christians even know that. We Christians have a textbook and meetings every week. TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 00:15 – How Does One Know What God Thinks? 04:09 – If You Want A Why Did God Create – Here It Is; But So What? 05:58 – Stein Equivocates On His Terms 10:13 – Stein Doesn’t Think Bahnsen Could Give Laws Of Logic Meaning 12:54 – The Rock Question 15:09 – Conclusion BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

Atheist Admits He’s Trapped! Stein has been stymied and this atheist admits he’s trapped when it comes to his inability to justify his use of the laws of logic within the confines of his atheistic materialism worldview. Next week, we’ll look at his attempt to heap that same outcome on Bahnsen and Christianity. TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 01:37 – Atheist Can’t Understand Why Christian Wants To Talk About Logic 05:50 – Here’s The Deal 09:05 – The Issue With Falsification – For Atheists 15:30 – The Atheist Doesn’t Want An Explanation For Logic – They Just Want To Be Mad 17:00 – Atheist Admits He’s Trapped By Not Being Able To Explain Logic 18:02 – Conclusion BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

Atheist Admits Atheism Can’t Justify Science A slightly shorter episode due to sickness by the editor but nonetheless still an important part of the Great Debate. Here, Stein, the atheist admits atheism can’t justify science especially when it comes to induction. This issue that David Hume identified the problem with not having justification that the future will be like the past was identified all the way back during the Enlightenment and those enlightened ones who wanted to shake off God also shook off the justification of the use of science. TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 01:19 – How To Deal With Hume’s Issue With Induction 03:40 – Atheists Want To Have Brute Facts Just Because 04:39 – Atheist Admits Atheism Can’t Justify Science 06:29 – Evolution Should Have Us Except Science To Change 09:24 – What Right Do We Have To Assume The Future Will Be Like The Past? 10:53 – Conclusion BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

What’s The Atheist’s Metaphysical Basis For Anything? While this is supposed to be Stein’s 2nd cross-examination of Bahnsen, we see Bahnsen causes the atheist to stumble by trying to get him to provide the atheist’s metaphysical basis for anything – here specifically for math and the laws of logic. The Christian has a basis, one that the atheist doesn’t like, but that’s better than nothing or a lack of the ability to provide anything. TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 02:09 – Is Math Theistic Or Atheistic 04:30 – Math Is Christian Because It Couldn’t Be Anything Else 06:12 – Delving Further Into This 08:11 – Is No Other Explanation Needed? 09:27 – The Christian’s External Answer That Is Required 11:29 – Unreasonable Demand On The Atheist? 12:31 – How Does An Atheist Justify Non-Material Laws? 14:10 – How Does A Christian Know Logic Reflects The Mind Of God? 19:06 – Atheist Doesn’t Buy, Or Understand 20:34 – Atheists Don’t Desire Metaphysical Proof Of Other Concepts They Agree With BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

Atheist Logic By Experiment Or Agreement? Finishing up Bahnsen’s attempt to help out his atheist opponent provide justification for his use of logic, we look at logic being shown through experimentation or agreement. And like the good Christian Bahnsen is, he provides a good overview and then sinks the foundation of the atheist to claim any grounding for logic. TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 01:47 – Atheist Logic From A Posteriori? 04:07 – Are Laws Of Logic Contingent Under Atheism? 06:29 – Why Do Laws Of Logic Work In Different Areas The Same 07:50 – Atheist Logic Just Linguistic Convention? 09:27 – If So Then They’re Culturally Relative 11:59 – Why Do Atheists Decry Moral Failure Of Christians 13:13 – What Type Does One Give To Back Up Atheistic Materialistic Logic 15:04 – Atheists Steal From Christians To Use Logic 15:45 – Conclusion BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

The Failure Of Atheistic Logic Where Stein has claimed that the laws of logic are only agreed upon but useful, Bahnsen is having a hard time accepting that – because it’s wrong. It’s up to Bahnsen to try and make the case for the atheist metaphysical use of the laws of logic. But it’s also up to Bahnsen to shoot those down too and show the failure of atheistic logic. TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 01:57 – A Battle Of Worldviews 05:46 – The Atheist Doesn’t Have Reason To Use Reason 07:10 – The Christian’s Reason For Reason 08:08 – The Laws Of Logic Need A Mind 08:28 – Helpful Remind Of The Laws Of Logic 10:06 – Justifying Truth Of Logic Without Needing To Test It 11:42 – Not Proven Because They’re Used 13:40 – Logic Is More Conceptual Than Empirical 14:31 – Why Logic Can Always Be Used Consistently If They’re Only Agreed Upon 17:12 – If Logic Relies On People Only Why Don’t We Have Different Scholarships 18:49 – To The Library! 21:06 – Conclusion BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

A Little Greek, A Little Sci-Fi The final half of the list of 2025 book reviews has more Greek, more sci-fi, and more indiepub goodness. Romance in space and space opera, talking pigs and talking frogs, first contact with aliens and first contact with demons, and good church history hymns and bad biblical archeology. TIMELINE: 00:00:00 – Introduction 00:00:25 – Medea by Euripides 00:01:56 – The Trojan Women by Euripides 00:03:13 – Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White 00:06:40 – The Breadth of Creation by C.S. Johnson 00:08:40 – Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds 00:12:34 – Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis 00:14:16 – The Clouds by Aristophanes 00:16:23 – The Frogs by Aristophanes 00:17:48 – Shoot the Devil – Ten Tales of Humans Defeating the Demonic edited by Eric Postma 00:22:48 – Lifebinder by Blake Carpenter 00:26:48 – Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein 00:29:39 – Theogony – Works and Days by Hesiod 00:31:22 – Blind Devotion – A Tale of the Van Meter Visitor by Ty Drago 00:33:39 – The Last Summer – A Tale of the Glawackus by Jacob Jones-Goldstein 00:35:34 – 3 Black Nights – An Urban Fantasy Horror Triple Feature! By T.J. Marquis 00:39:51 – The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein 00:44:21 – Record of The Paladins – Book of Ivon and Ivoire by BP McCoppin 00:47:48 – After Moses Prodigal by Michael F. Kane 00:52:14 – The Shepherd Descends by J.A. Raithe 00:55:50 – Atlas of World War II – History’s Greatest Conflict Revealed Through Rare Wartime Maps and New Cartography Stephen G. Hyslop 00:58:26 – Stones Still Speak – How Biblical Archaeology Illuminates the Stories You Thought You Knew Amanda Hope Haley 01:02:59 – The One Year Book of Hymns – 365 Devotions Based on Popular Hymns Robert K. Brown , Mark Norton 01:04:35 – The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli 01:07:32 – DIEROCK 88 by S.A. Oliver 01:11:05 – Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi 01:14:45 – Conclusion Books mentioned in this episode: Medea by Euripides Kindle Paperback         The Trojan Women by Euripides Kindle Paperback           Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White Kindle Paperback Audible         The Breadth of Creation by C.S. Johnson Kindle Paperback Audible         Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds Kindle  Paperback Audible         Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis Paperback           The Clouds by Aristophanes Kindle Paperback         The Frogs by Aristophanes Paperback           Shoot the Devil – Ten Tales of Humans Defeating the Demonic edited by Eric Postma Kindle Paperback           Lifebinder by Blake Carpenter Kindle Paperback           Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein Kindle Paperback Audible         Theogony – Works and Days by Hesiod Kindle Paperback Audible         Blind Devotion – A Tale of the Van Meter Visitor by Ty Drago Kindle Paperback         The Last Summer – A Tale of the Glawackus by Jacob Jones-Goldstein Kindle Paperback           3 Black Nights – An Urban Fantasy Horror Triple Feature! By T.J. Marquis Kindle             The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein Kindle Paperback Audible           Record of The Paladins – Book of Ivon and Ivoire by BP McCoppin Kindle Paperback Audible           After Moses Prodigal by Michael F. Kane Kindle Paperback           The Shepherd Descends by J.A. Raithe Kindle Paperback Audible         Atlas of World War II – History’s Greatest Conflict Revealed Through Rare Wartime Maps and New Cartography Stephen G. Hyslop Hardcover           Stones Still Speak – How Biblical Archaeology Illuminates the Stories You Thought You Knew Amanda Hope Haley Kindle Paperback Audible         The One Year Book of Hymns – 365 Devotions Based on Popular Hymns Robert K. Brown , Mark Norton Paperback           The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli Kindle Paperback Audible           DIEROCK 88 by S.A. Oliver Kindle Paperback Audible           Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi Kindle Paperback All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com  

A Little Greek, A Little Sci-Fi 2025 kicked off my goal of reading the great books of Western Civilization. So in typical fashion I read a little Greek, a little sci-fi, and a smattering of everything else. Indiepub still factored into the list with some hits and misses, just like the tradpubs. As always, the goal we should all have isn’t quantity it’s quality. But quality doesn’t just mean classic great books, it means books you enjoy and changes you and allows you to experience escapism and learn more about God’s world as He is the ultimate storyteller. TIMELINE: 00:00:00 – Introduction 00:04:14 – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 00:07:06 – The God Frequency by Douglas Hemme 00:10:40 – Amorphous – Breaking the Mold by Steven Burgess 00:12:06 – Spectrum Multiview Christian Ethics Four Views edited by Steve Wilkens 00:18:18 – The Peace War by Vernor Vinge 00:22:37 – Greek for the Rest of Us by William D. Mounce 00:26:05 – The Iliad by Homer 00:32:09 – Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie 00:34:31 – Flight of the Eagles by Gilbert L. Morris 00:37:21 – Sundered by Ernie Laurence Jr. 00:38:55 – Horus Rising by Dan Abnett 00:41:37 – The Odyssey by Homer 00:43:17 – D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths by Ingri d’Aulaire 00:44:46 – The Secret Door by Jenny Phillips 00:46:59 – Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 00:49:34 – Passing the Torch – An Apology for Classical Christian Education by Louis Markos 00:53:21 – The Core by Leigh A. Bortins 00:56:06 – Agamemnon by Aeschylus 00:59:10 – The Libation Bearers by Aeschylus 01:00:39 – The Eumenides by Aeschylus 01:02:29 – The Air We Breathe – How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality by Glen Scrivener 01:05:11 – Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray 01:07:00 – Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear 01:09:45 – The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 01:12:15 – Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater 01:13:37 – Oedipus Rex by Sophocles 01:16:36 – Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles 01:18:39 – Antigone by Sophocles 01:21:12 – To Be Continued Next Week Books mentioned in this episode: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis Kindle Paperback Audible         The God Frequency by Douglas Hemme Kindle Paperback Audible         Amorphous – Breaking the Mold by Steven Burgess Kindle Paperback           Spectrum Multiview Christian Ethics Four Views edited by Steve Wilkens Kindle  Paperback  CaveToTheCross Episodes – wwww.CaveToTheCross.com/ChristianEthics         The Peace War by Vernor Vinge Kindle Paperback           Greek for the Rest of Us by William D. Mounce Kindle Paperback         The Iliad by Homer Kindle Paperback Audible         Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie Kindle Paperback Audible         Flight of the Eagles by Gilbert L. Morris Kindle Paperback Audible         Sundered by Ernie Laurence Jr. Kindle           Horus Rising by Dan Abnett Kindle Paperback  Audible           The Odyssey by Homer Kindle Paperback            D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths by Ingri d’Aulaire Kindle Paperback Audible         The Secret Door by Jenny Phillips Paperback             Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Kindle Paperback Audible           Passing the Torch An Apology for Classical Christian Education by Louis Markos Kindle Paperback Audible         The Core by Leigh A. Bortins Kindle Paperback  Audible         Agamemnon by Aeschylus Kindle Paperback           The Libation Bearers by Aeschylus Kindle Paperback           The Eumenides by Aeschylus Kindle Paperback               The Air We Breathe How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality by Glen Scrivener Kindle Paperback  Audible            Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray Paperback Audible           Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear Kindle Paperback Audible           The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Kindle Paperback           Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater Kindle  Paperback Audible             Oedipus Rex by Sophocles Kindle Paperback               Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles Kindle Paperback             Antigone by Sophocles Kindle Paperback All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com        

Andreas Köstenberger Interview Redux Here are two of our interviews with the great Andreas Köstenberger. The first part was discussing his book in response to Bart Ehrman that we did on the show. The second being a join interview with Andreas Köstenberger and his co-author Gregory Goswell on their amazing Biblical Theology book. I have more Köstenberger books in my collection and have referenced his work in almost every message at church I’ve taught. He’s a blessing to the Church and a godly worker in the Lord. Enjoy listening to these interviews and a dream come true from my standpoint. TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 01:44 – How Does He Write So Much?! 04:41 – The Importance Of Writing With Others 06:31 – On The Importance Of John & “Signs Of The Messiah” 08:23 – From Atheist Economist To Christian Theologian 14:09 – Setting His Target On Bart Ehrman 17:36 – The Inspiration For “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” 19:00 – The Skeptic’s Problem Of The Problem Of Evil 23:15 – Bart Ehrman – The Poor Man’s Theologian 26:15 – Bart Ehrman’s Two Audiences 29:02 – The Layout Of “Truth In A Culture Of Doubt” 36:46 – Bart & Bauer Still Going – Why? 43:00 – Christianity Has A Reliance On Written Texts At The Beginning 47:23 – The Future & Needs Of New Testament Scholarship 49:25 – The Desire For Academics To Throw Out Truths Of Christianity 54:15 – Where Andreas Köstenberger Thinks The Future Of Apologetics Is Going 58:30 – Biblical Foundations Organization & Its Impact 01:02:25 – A Quick Review Of Biblical Theology 01:02:53 – The Division Of Labor & Working Together 01:06:13 – Biblical Theology Vs. Systematic Theology Or Partnership? 01:10:31 – How Biblical Theology Helps Our Presuppositions 01:15:40 – You Too Can Do Biblical Theology 01:17:30 – Ethics In Focus In Biblical Theology 01:27:07 – Theologians Share Surprises In Biblical Theology 01:31:28 – How To Use The Biblical Theology Book 01:36:10 – Other Points About The Book 01:38:57 – Conclusion LINKS LINKS To Andreas Köstenberger Biblical Foundations Facebook Twitter LINKS To Gregory Goswell https://christcollege.edu.au/faculty/greg-goswell/ LINKS: 09:50 – Finding Truth Playlist 14:17 – Ehrman Vs. Wallace Debate 25:36 – Ehrman Vs. White Debate 32:48 – Atheists Should Be Consistently Skeptical 37:09 – Michael J. Kruger Mashup Books mentioned in this episode: Books mentioned in this episode: Truth In A Culture Of Doubt – Engaging Skeptical Challenges to the Bibleby Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw Kindle – https://amzn.to/2JX62lL Paperback – https://amzn.to/3hoREkW         Signs Of The Messiah – An Introduction to John’s Gospel by Andreas Köstenberger Kindle – https://amzn.to/3eM4W9r Hardcover – https://amzn.to/33PBGrU           Finding Truth – 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes by Nancy Pearcey Kindle – https://amzn.to/3ohuxKj Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3eQ1RFh Audible – https://amzn.to/33N0yka         Truth Matters – Confident Faith in a Confusing World by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw Kindle – https://amzn.to/3fcwVhu Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3fjcQWR Paperback – https://amzn.to/33JGU8N             Jesus And The Eyewitnesses – The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony by Richard Bauckham Kindle – https://amzn.to/3uI6Ltv Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3bsseik Paperback – https://amzn.to/3tQlx03 How To Be An Atheist – Why Many Skeptics Aren’t Skeptical Enough by Mitch Stokes     Kindle – https://amzn.to/2Qgv0zW Paperback – https://amzn.to/3huJebU           The Heresy Of Orthodoxy – How Contemporary Culture’s Fascination with Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity by Michael J. Kruger & Andreas Köstenberger Kindle – https://amzn.to/2QjvxRR Paperback – https://amzn.to/3v4hpuZ           Christianity At The Crossroads – How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church by Michael J. Kruger Kindle – https://amzn.to/3hn95SU Paperback – https://amzn.to/33JYCJ8           The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament by Andreas Köstenberger, L. Scott Kellum, Charles L Quarles Kindle – https://amzn.to/3tMb45U Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3hqkeCx         Women in the Church – An Interpretation and Application of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 by Andreas Köstenberger & Thomas R. Schreiner Kindle – https://amzn.to/3w2d1fZ Paperback – https://amzn.to/2QlaQ7Y           God’s Design for Man and Woman – A Biblical-Theological Survey by Andreas Köstenberger & Margaret Elizabeth Köstenberger Kindle – https://amzn.to/33McqTz Paperback – https://amzn.to/2RUNXZE           Apologetics At The Cross – An Introduction for Christian Witness by Josh Chatraw Kindle – https://amzn.to/3fh9pjx Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3uWI5O0 Audible – https://amzn.to/3uT8koD       Telling A Better Story – How to Talk About God in a Skeptical Age by Josh Chatraw Kindle – https://amzn.to/3ybiiUl Paperback – https://amzn.to/33N245Q Audible – https://amzn.to/3ygRge8         Evidence That Demands A Verdict – Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World by Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell Kindle – https://amzn.to/3hqqZ77 Hardcover – https://amzn.to/3fjeCat Audible – https://amzn.to/2RlxyNO God, Marriage, And Family – Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation by Andreas Köstenberger & David W. Jones Kindle – https://amzn.to/3v0stt3 Paperback – https://amzn.to/2RSwaSK Biblical Theology: A Canonical, Thematic, and Ethical Approach Kindle Hardcover Logos Crossway         Text and Paratext: Book Order, Title, and Division as Keys to Biblical Interpretation by Gregory Goswell All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

Church History Matters Redux I absolutely love the people God has brought together in the scope of doing this podcast. One very good friend is Troy Frasier who helps run the Revived Thoughts podcast which takes sermons of the past and gets people to record them so they can be heard now in the present. I know! What a great concept! Here’s Troy and I sitting down to talk about why Church History matters for us today and all people in God’s historical timeline. Enjoy! TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 04:43 – Why Listen To Sermons From Church History 11:55 – How To Listen To Sermons Of History For The Ears Of Today 19:04 – The Sung Heroes Of Church History Should Be Sung 22:13 – The Unsung Heroes Of Church History Should Be Sung 23:35 – God’s Word Inspires People To Make History 26:04 – The Outlook We Can Have Because Of What Others Did In History 28:56 – The Definition Of Church History & Who’s Included 32:17 – The Christian Message Moves People To Move It 33:32 – Are You Letting The Gospel Move You? 42:22 – To Be Continued…Right Now! 42:32 – Looking Into The Past Of Church History To Live It Today 48:08 – Making Church History That Lasts Throughout History 51:14 – Don’t Look To Pop Culture When Church History Has The Hereos To Look At 55:33 – Scary Church History May Not Look Like Me! 01:00:27 – Should We Include Catholics In Church History? Mormons? JWs? 01:04:25 – Need A Biblical View Of History To Be Fair To People Of History 01:09:47 – The Hard Work Resulting From Church History Is Evident 01:12:45 – The Great Good For The World Christians Have Done In History 01:17:13 – The Judgement Of God When The Church Is Removed From Society 01:20:38 – Where To Find Good Resources On Church History 01:26:01 – Conclusion – Church History Matters! LINKS Revived Thoughts Martyrs & Missionaries Revived Devos Revived Radio Revived Thoughts Facebook Revived Thoughts Twitter MissionQuest – Support The Frasiers Cave To The Cross On Revived Thoughts Every episode we’ve done for Revived Thoughts can be found here – CaveToTheCross.com/RevivedThoughts Revived Thoughts Episodes Mentioned 03:32 – Martyrs & Missionaries – The Rise and Fall of Christianity in Japan Part I 03:32 – Martyrs & Missionaries – The Rise and Fall of Christianity in Japan Part II 15:06 – David Livingstone: Who will carry on the work? 15:06 – David Livingstone: The Heart Of Africa 15:11 – George Matheson: The Patience of Job 18:32 – Henry Grattan Guinness: Christian Charity (Feat. Dr. Os Guinness) 29:46 – Anselm: The Storm of the Last Days 30:00 – Deep Dive: The Story of Ethiopia 01:21:44 – Lightkeepers Reviews & Links Books mentioned in this episode: The Life and Diary of David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards Kindle Paperback Audible         The Downgrade Controversy by Charles Spurgeon Kindle Paperback All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

Atheist Knows How God Would Act If He Did Exist Throughout this second part of Stein’s opening, he shows himself to be an atheist who doesn’t believe in God but definitively knows how that god would act if he did exist. Stein attempts to conflate logical contradiction with a psychological ickiness he perceives in the argument for God. Suffering, evil, justice, and how to act are things Stein knows how his made up god would act – a weird thing for someone who claims that he just lacks a belief. TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 02:10 – All God Has To Do Is Appear To A Group Of People For Stein To Believe 06:14 – Stein Is Just Using His Unargued Presuppositions 10:00 – Stein Thinks He His god Wouldn’t Allow Suffering 12:48 – Stein Doesn’t Provide His Basis For Evil Or Good Or Logic 17:04 – Stein Doesn’t Think Sin Or Justice Is Fair 20:55 – Stein Doesn’t Believe In God Because Of Religious Pluralism 21:44 – Stein Sees Christianity As A Failure Because Christians Can Be Bad 24:06 – Stein Should Ask These Questions To A Christian 27:52 – What Does Stein Think He’s Left With? 29:33 – Conclusion BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

Where Can One Stand To Call Out Evil? For the second opening to The Great Debate, Dr. Stein wants to call out Christians for not having any good proofs and also having a system that allows evil to be present in a world created by God. However, one must ask, where can one stand to call out evil? Or even good for that matter. TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 02:34 – Two Main Cases For Why God’s Existence Hasn’t Been Proven 03:34 – Long Period Of Time With Failure Of Main Arguments For God’s Existence 06:37 – The Problem Of Evil Is An Issue For Theists 08:02 – God Definitely Doesn’t Exist But If He Did Exist He Wouldn’t Allow Evil 09:23 – Atheists Fail To Establish An Evil Standard Exists For Them To Use The Problem Of Evil 12:57 – Stein Not Convinced Of Next Life Justice Takes Care Of Evil 16:15 – Stein Allows For God Not To Be All Powerful – Uses Specific Christian Attack 17:22 – Stein Does Not Buy The Free Will Defense – One That Bahnsen Didn’t Make 18:04 – The Atheist Putting Onto The Christian Elements Of Their Worldview 22:48 – Conclusion BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

Stein’s Assessment So Far Now it’s Gordon Stein’s turn to assess the debate so far. With Stein’s assessment he believes that Bahnsen hasn’t offered anything other than feelings based arguments and non sequiturs. He doesn’t feel the need to offer an explanation for why the universe exists and he sees laws of science, logic, and math only as agreed upon by consensus items. Why? What’s wrong with that? TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 02:34 – Does The Universe Require A Cause? 03:56 – Looking For How God Created 05:43 – God Is Very Knowable 08:04 – Scientific & Logic Laws Are Just Consensus According To Atheist 11:25 – Philosophical Death Is The Result 12:33 – Math Is Also Consensus 15:27 – An Atheist Universe Has Regularity Because Of Internal Properties 16:56 – The Cause Of The Universe Must Be A Part Of It Says Atheist 20:56 – Do Atheists Destroy All History Or Are Christians Only Feelings-Based? 25:35 – Stein Finally Deals With The Transcendental Argument 31:04 – Conclusion BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

Bahnsen’s Assessment So Far Essentially round one is over and both debaters are going to give their take of the Great Debate. In Bahnsen’s assessment so far, he finds that Stein has not addressed his main argument for God and has also given up the debate with the idea that the laws of logic are just social conventions agreed upon by people. But – is that how people view logic and operate in their daily lives? TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 01:25 – The Atheist Isn’t Debating The Christian Yet 05:45 – Stein Hasn’t Dealt With Bahnsen’s Argument At All 07:13 – Stein’s Problematic Atheist Idea Of The Laws Of Logic 18:38 – The Atheist Unknowingly Gives The Win To The Christian By Convention 21:11 – Conclusion BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

The First Sparring Of The Great Debate The first sparring of The Great Debate takes place here with the Christian & atheist getting five questions to ask for the other to answer. While we aren’t used to this format, this really lays out the needed back and forth interaction that a lot of debates lack within a formal structure. It’s not the blood-sport debates we’re used to on YouTube but it helps with each side making sure the other is interacting with their points the best. TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 03:22 – Q1 – Source For Atheism Definition 04:03 – A1 – Source Cited 05:15 – Q2 – Cite The Argument Used By Bahnsen 05:36 – A2 – No But You Believe It 06:49 – Q3 – Where’s The Transcendental Argument 07:50 – A3 – No Because It’s Not A Proof 08:12 – Commentary – Stein Was Helpful For Presuppositionalists 10:49 – Q4 – All Questions Answered The Same Way 11:08 – A4 – No They Are Not 11:34 – Q5 & A5 – What Does An Atheist Believe Laws Of Logic Are 14:21 – Atheist 14:41 – Q1 & Q2 – The Nature Of God 17:04 – Q2 & A2 – Is Your God All The Omnis 17:33 – Q3 & Q3 – If Argument Is Wrong Will God Not Exist 17:56 – Commentary – A Clarifying Comment On A “Problematic” Bahnsen 20:25 – Q4 & A4 – Is God Good 24:43 – Q5 & A5 – Can You Prove The Soul 26:38 – Conclusion BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

9 More Attempts To Disprove God Here are 9 more attempts by Dr. Gordon Stein to levy his critiques against traditional arguments for God. With all 11 of them, has there been any that have addressed the claims presented by Dr. Greg Bahnsen? What do you think about these critiques? TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 01:54 – The Revealed Theology Argument Taken Down – No Circles 02:57 – Presuppositional Christian Responds – Two Issues 06:20 – The Miracles Argument Taken Down – No Begging Allowed 07:56 – Presuppositional Christian Responds – Only Atheists Can Beg It Seems 10:35 – The Perfect God Argument Taken Down – Existence First 12:26 – Presuppositional Christian Responds – Agrees With Being Careful 13:37 – The Moral Argument Taken Down – Not Need & Different Values 15:29 – The Wish Argument Taken Down – Nice But Not True 16:21 – The Faith Argument Taken Down – No Reason Unless Reason 17:24 – Presuppositional Christian Responds – All Reason Rests On Faith 20:09 – The Religious Experience Argument Taken Down – It’s Only Feelings 21:56 – Presuppositional Christian Responds – Agree But For Different Reasons 22:30 – The Pascal’s Wager Argument Taken Down – How To Pick? 25:06 – Conclusion BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

Atheist Attempts To Disprove God It’s now Dr. Gordon Stein’s turn in the debate. This atheist attempts to disprove God in 11 different ways. However, what seems to happen here is the use of an odd definition for God and an actual need for one more argument – the one Dr. Bahnsen uses. TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 05:59 – Dr. Gordon Stein’s Opening Statement – On Facts 07:01 – Atheist Stein’s Definition Of Atheism 09:27 – Atheist Stein’s Definition Of God 11:45 – Atheist Takes Down 11 Proofs For The Existence Of God 13:38 – The Cosmological Argument Taken Down – The Uncaused Universe 16:40 – Joshua Pillows Commentary Against Stein’s Presentation 21:14 – Joshua Pillows Commentary Against The Cosmological Argument 23:55 – The Design Argument Taken Down – The Undesigned Universe 26:29 – The Life Argument Taken Down – The Unmoved Life 28:42 – Joshua Pillow Commentary Against Stein’s Induction 31:54 – Conclusion LINK: 30:19 – Dr. Jason Lisle Does Some Science BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com

3 Important Claims In The Great Debate Here is Dr. Greg Bahnsen’s 3 important claims in the Great Debate. The first two are there to sweep away a lot of confusion Dr. Stein and other atheists have when it comes to the type of argumentation presuppositionalists use. Unfortunately, Dr. Stein didn’t seem to be prepared to actually engage in that type of debate as we’ll see in the coming weeks. TIMELINE: 00:00 – Introduction 01:36 – The 3 Claims Of Bahnsen’s Opening Statement 06:00 – Cracker’s Don’t Matter! – The Nature Of Evidence Between Christians & Atheists 11:12 – Presuppositional Conflict Of Worldviews 26:54 – The Transcendental Argument For God As A Positive Claim 31:49 – Conclusion BOOK LINKS: The Great Debate – Does God Exist? – Edited and Commentary by Joshua Pillows Debate Transcript Video The Bahnsen Institute       All episodes, short clips, & blog – https://www.cavetothecross.com