Latest Posts

• The Good Book Blog

  What are the Best Apologetics Resources for Students?

  Sean McDowell — August 03, 2016

  When I first wrote my book Ethix in 2006, the reviewer for the Christian Research Journal said its one of a few, but growing number of apologetics resources for students. It’s amazing how much has changed in a decade. Now we have tons of good apologetics resources for students, and the challenge is to highlight the best ones. The purpose of this post is simply to highlight some of my personal favorites. Please let me know if there are any good ones I need to add to my list ...

• The Good Book Blog

  Gratuitous Evil and the Burden of Proof

  William Lane Craig — July 29, 2016

  As I am transcribing your latest Defenders lectures on the problem of evil, I was hoping someone would ask the question, but I don't think it has been asked. So, maybe you can attend to it next week? Instead of arguing that "even though some evils look gratuitous, they really aren't" (i.e. we can't discern what greater-good will come out of any evil - this greater-good could occur centuries later in another country), why not come up with an argument that says, yes, gratuitous evil does exist (since it seems more obvious than not that it does exist), but that that somehow doesn't refute God's existence? Specifically, have you read Kirk MacGregor's response to the problem of evil and what are your thoughts? ...

• Biola News

  Faculty Spotlight: Biola’s Gifted Physicist

  Xidong Chen, Professor of Physics

  Jenna Loumagne — July 29, 2016

  Xidong Chen, professor of physics, has pushed student research to the next level in Biola University’s science department in the last five years....

• The Good Book Blog

  Pokémon Go and Jesus

  Steve Porter — July 28, 2016

  By now, most of us know about the Pokémon GO craze. My son downloaded the app on my cell phone the week it came out and while I don’t play much, I understand enough of the game to capture Pokémon and cash in on the rewards dished out at PokéStops (for the uninitiated, Pokémon are monsters of various species that appear on the game display based on where players are physically located and PokéStops are places where players can collect needed items—thus, people play this game on the move). So, the other day while on a prayer walk in a local park, I had my Bible app open to Colossians 3 and my son’s Pokémon GO app open as well. It turns out that parks are fruitful places for capturing Pokémon.

• The Good Book Blog

  5 Myths about Teaching Apologetics to Students

  Sean McDowell — July 27, 2016

  Training students in apologetics is one of the most important tasks for any youth leader today. Whether through classroom teaching, speaking, personal conversation, on apologetics mission trips, or through writing, I have been training students to defend their faith for nearly two decades. While there are certainly some exceptions, in my experience, the vast majority love it ...

• The Good Book Blog

  Should We Think of Christ’s Death in Juridical Terms?

  William Lane Craig — July 22, 2016

  Dr Craig First and foremost, I would like to thank you for the significant impact that your ministry has had in the life of my family. My wife and I have been encouraged to share our faith with confidence knowing that we can provide a rational response to many of the objections that Christians face. I have been a Christian for a majority of my life. However, my new found interest in apologetics has highlighted my considerable lack of knowledge with respect to the basics of the faith that I attempt to defend. As a result, I have started to study theology. The question I have for you arises from my recent study on the atonement. Howard Marshall's Aspects of the Atonement (2007), was very helpful, and provided a solid defence of penal substitution. However, I have since developed doubts regarding this atonement metaphor ...

• The Good Book Blog

  J.P. Moreland Answers Three Important Questions

  Sean McDowell — July 20, 2016

  In my recent book, A New Kind of Apologist, I was able to interview my friend and colleague J.P. Moreland. He is the distinguished professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and the author or coauthor of thirty books, including The Kingdom Triangle ...

• Biola News

  National Collegiate Athletics Association Approves Membership Application

  Biola will begin the NCAA Division II membership process

  Brenda Velasco — July 20, 2016

  Biola University’s application for membership into the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division II has been approved for the...

• Biola News

  Biola University is Granted a 10-year Reaccreditation Term

  The Western Association of Schools and Colleges grants Biola the longest term possible for accreditation.

  Brenda Velasco — July 19, 2016

  Biola University has been granted a 10-year reaccreditation term, the longest term possible, from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges...

• The Good Book Blog

  What Does it Mean to Say God Is a Soul?

  William Lane Craig — July 15, 2016

  I would like to ask a clarifying question, and also ask you to consider some implications of your view on the Trinity. For reference sake, here is the view to which I'm referring: "Suppose, then, that God is a soul which is endowed with three complete sets of rational cognitive faculties, each sufficient for personhood. Then God, though one soul, would not be one person but three, for God would have three centers of self-consciousness, intentionality, and volition, as Social Trinitarians maintain. God would clearly not be three discrete souls because the cognitive faculties in question are all faculties belonging to just one soul, one immaterial substance. God would therefore be one being which supports three persons, just as our individual beings each support one person." ...

• The Good Book Blog

  Are Christians in a Culture War? Interview with Josh McDowell

  Sean McDowell — July 13, 2016

  This goal of this blog is for me to soak up wisdom from my father and share it with you. I have been blessed to have an incredibly influential father, Josh McDowell. He has written over 150 books and spoken to more young people live than anyone in history. But what I appreciate most about my father is his love for my mom, for his kids, and now for his many grandkids. Enjoy! ...

• Biola News

  Softball Takes Mission Trip To Cuba

  Eagles spread the Gospel through softball

  Lorie Coleman — July 12, 2016

  LA MIRADA, Calif. --- This summer Biola Softball partnered with Global Baseball, a missionary organization geared towards utilizing the popularity...

• The Good Book Blog

  Lo Trágico del Racismo y la Gracia del Príncipe de Paz

  Octavio Esqueda — July 08, 2016

  ... Todos los seres humanos somos creados a la imagen y semejanza de Dios (Gen. 1:27). La imagen de Dios es la base fundamental de nuestro valor y dignidad. Por la gracia divina podemos representarlo y todos los hombres y mujeres somos la corona de la creación (Salmo 8). Nuestro color de piel es insignificante para determinar nuestro valor o esencia. Desgraciadamente lo que debería ser una muestra de la belleza de la diversidad de la creación divina para muchos se ha convertido en una forma de señalar y discriminar a otros que son diferentes a ellos ...

• The Good Book Blog

  Much More Ado About Nothing

  William Lane Craig — July 08, 2016

  Beloved Dr. Craig, Atheists argue that you commit a Fallacy of Equivocation when you talk about Something and Nothing. When you say "if the universe could come into being from nothing, then why is it that only universes can pop into being out of nothing? Why not bicycles and Beethoven and root beer? What makes nothingness so discriminatory? If universes could pop into being out of nothing, then anything and everything should pop into being out of nothing. Since it doesn't, that suggests that things that come into being have causes." Here, when you talk about the origins of the universe you are referring to absolutely nothing (no space, no time, no vacuum, no voids). But when you ask "Why not bicycles and Beethoven and root beer?" you are referring to the space-time in which we live. This is a fallacy of equivocation! ...

• The Good Book Blog

  What are the Top Books to Give a Non-Christian?

  Sean McDowell — July 06, 2016

  One of the most common questions I receive regards which books I would recommend Christians to give their non-Christian friends who they hope may become believers. While there are many excellent books, these six come from both my personal experience of hearing stories of how people have become believers, and also an assessment of the apologetic and evangelistic value of each book ...

• The Good Book Blog

  How Do You Minister to Second Generation Christian Students?

  Sean McDowell — June 29, 2016

  Even though I grew up in a Christian home, with parents in professional Christian ministry, there was a time that I walked away from God. I was tired of the rules, authority, and simply wanted to live life my own way. And as you can imagine, I hit rock bottom. Feelings of loneliness, despair, and the weight of sin simply overwhelmed me and I hit the end of my rope … and so when I was four years old, I got down on my knees and decided I was going to follow Jesus ...

• The Good Book Blog

  The Brits’ Brexit

  Freddy Cardoza — June 28, 2016

  It’s official. Or essentially official. Sure, it’ll be contested and the process and the unfurling of the never-before-used Article 50 (the document governing agreements to leave the European Union) will take a couple of years, but with 100% of the nation reporting, the people of Great Britain have decided “enough is enough.” With 52% favoring the move, Brits have formally voted to exit the European Union—hence the term “Br(itish)exit.” After two years of speculation and bitter fights that spanned the halls of Parliament, all the way to the shores of Washington D.C., the people have spoken: They want out. No, it wasn’t by a landslide, but that’s immaterial. The vote has been won. A simple majority is what is needed and that’s “democracy” folks! ...

• The Good Book Blog

  What Did Jesus Suffer?

  William Lane Craig — June 24, 2016

  Dr. Craig, I am glad to hear that your next line of research is targeting the atonement. I have also been looking into this subject and am trying to find some answers concerning one aspect of the substitution theory, namely, Christ taking on our punishment or God's wrath. I have to believe this entails more than just physical death since our punishment without the covering of Jesus' righteousness is an eternity in the lake of fire. Does this mean that while Jesus suffered a horrific physical death on the cross that he also suffered this same eternity of God's wrath for each person that has ever lived or ever will live? Otherwise, there have been many martyrs that have suffered horrific deaths, so what would make Christ's death any more harder to handle than theirs, regarding God's wrath, if only the physical aspect was meant? ...

• The Good Book Blog

  What are the Top Academic Books on the Bible and Homosexuality?

  Sean McDowell — June 22, 2016

  In my last post, I listed my top five popular books on the Bible and homosexuality. This post is designed for those who want to go deeper and explore the academic sources firsthand ...

• Biola News

  Diomartich Joins Tampa Bay Rays

  Biola ace Eric Diomartich signs pro contract with Tampa Bay Rays.

  Neil Morgan — June 17, 2016

  PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. --- Back in May of 2011 ESPN's Keith Law recognized Biola Baseball as one of the top-3 programs in the NAIA in terms of...

• The Good Book Blog

  Divine Psychology

  William Lane Craig — June 17, 2016

  First of all I would like to say thanks for the great job you are doing and for the big influence you have upon people's lives both spiritually and intellectually. My question isn't really mine, actually I found it in one of the reasonable faith forums, and I think it's a very good question that intrigues me since it was raised in your debate with Kevin Scharp. I would like to look at your take on the divine psychology objection proposed by Scharp more closely. Here's the question as it was presented in the forum: “Dr. Craig recently debated Dr. Kevin Scharp on the Veritas Forum. One very interesting objection that Dr. Scharp raised to the fine tuning argument is that it appeals to divine psychology to support the premise that design is more probable than chance and necessity ...

• The Good Book Blog

  Top Ten Verses to Defend Your Faith

  Sean McDowell — June 15, 2016

  For the past few days I have been trying to think of the top ten verses that would be most helpful to apologists and evangelists. I have reflected on my own experience and also gotten feedback from many of you on Facebook and Twitter. So, here are my top ten verses to defend your faith (in no particular order) ...

• Biola News

  Biola Announces Founding Dean of the School of Science, Technology and Health

  Paul W. Ferguson brings diverse experience in higher education to the new role

  Brenda Velasco  — June 14, 2016

  After an extensive national search and interview process, Biola University has selected Dr. Paul W. Ferguson to serve as the founding dean of the...

• The Good Book Blog

  Animal Consciousness Once More

  William Lane Craig — June 10, 2016

  Dear Dr. Craig, Thank you for everything you do, in the philosophical and apologetic area for us. I'm writing to you because recently I was debating with a friend of mine about consciousness, and the implications of such concept in our life. I argued that from his line of thinking (which is evolutionism) consciousness isn't a trait that you can acquired through darwinian evolutive methods. (such as Descent with modifications, adaptive radiation etc.) But he went ahead and stood firm that animals do have states of consciousness and that really left me shocked, that he would go so far as to affirm such statement ...

• The Good Book Blog

  How Do We Help Kids Who Have Left the Faith?

  Sean McDowell — June 08, 2016

  Perhaps the toughest question parents ask me is how they can help their wayward kids. The difficulty of this question stems not solely from the intellect, but from seeing the pain in the eyes of parents who are genuinely hurt and disappointed in the choices of their kids. What can we do? Here are some humble thoughts from my work with students ...