Latest Posts

• The Good Book Blog

  Reservations about the Ontological Argument

  William Lane Craig — October 09, 2015

  Dear Dr Craig, I have a reservation regarding the Ontological argument as you defend it. You identify the first premise, it is possible that a maximally great being exists, as the controversial one. You defend it as being more plausibly true than false with two sub-arguments. The first of these is that the notion of a maximally great being seems to be coherent, and that this implies such a being is possible. The second is an appeal to the other theistic arguments; that their plausibility shows that it is at least possible for a metaphysically necessary being to exist. We can argue against the first sub-argument, that the notion of a maximally great being seems to be coherent and is thus possible, in the following way. This sub-argument requires that conceivability, or conceptual coherence, implies metaphysical possibility. But we have a good reason for thinking that this is false ...

• The Good Book Blog

  Character Formation in Online Education: An Interview with Joanne Jung

  Joanne Jung — October 07, 2015

  Joanne Jung (Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Talbot School of Theology) recently finished writing Character Formation in Online Education: A Guide for Instructors, Administrators, and Accrediting Agencies and it will be released on October 13, 2015. We wanted to learn more about this book, so we had Joanne respond to some questions ...

• Biola News

  Biola University’s ‘Forgotten Founder’ Remembered in Dedication Ceremony

  Biola University dedicates Blackstone Hall in honor of William E. Blackstone

  Shayna Brodsky — October 06, 2015

  Biola University dedicated the newest residence hall, named after Biola’s first administrative dean, William E. Blackstone, on Oct. 6, 2015 in the...

• The Good Book Blog

  A Pesar de las Malas Noticias Podemos Orar y Ayudar / We are Surrounded by Bad News, but We Can Pray and Help

  Octavio Esqueda — October 06, 2015

  Esta semana hablé por teléfono con un amigo y cuando le pregunté qué estaba haciendo me dijo que estaba en la sala de su casa leyendo las noticias en el periódico local. En tono de broma le pregunté si había encontrado una buena noticia y me respondió rápidamente con un “no” rotundo. Al parecer las malas noticias salen a luz mientras que las buenas se pierden en el anonimato social ...

• The Good Book Blog

  Christian Pessimism?

  William Lane Craig — October 02, 2015

  Dear Dr. Craig Hi I'm an Australian who converted to Christianity about a year ago after reading Richard Dawkins’s book 'The God Delusion'. Ever since I read the book I became interested in Christianity and so after 3-4 months of research I came to the conclusion that Christianity is the most probable worldview, hence this is why I'm a Christian. Over the last year I have continued to search for answers to my greatest questions by reading the works of people like you, Ravi Zacharias, Alvin Plantinga, John Lennox, Hugh Ross, Timothy Keller and many others. In all my many hours of research I have yet to find a direct answer to the question I'm about the pose ...

• The Good Book Blog

  Did the Apostle Paul Use Profanity?

  Gary Manning Jr — October 01, 2015

  In Philippians 3:8, the apostle Paul compares his religious credentials to knowing Jesus. The difference could hardly be more emphatic: “knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” is of “surpassing value,” but Paul’s past success is like σκύβαλα (skubala). σκύβαλα is commonly translated as rubbish, refuse, or garbage, but sometimes more strongly as dung, in both ancient and modern translations (Vulgate, Tyndale, KJV, NET). Some have suggested another four-letter translation, stronger than dung. While teaching Greek, I used to say that σκύβαλα is the closest thing to a swear word you can find in the New Testament - and I was repeating something that I had heard or read quite a few times. C. Spicq's Greek lexicon even suggests that σκύβαλα should be rendered crap. But is it true? Is σκύβαλα a swear word, or maybe a rude word? Or is it unobjectionable?

• Biola News

  Biola University Hosts First-Ever University-Wide Lockdown Drill

  Campus Safety actively pursues emergency preparedness

  Jenna Loumagne — September 30, 2015

  Biola University’s Campus Safety in conjunction with Biola’s Emergency Response Team and the La Mirada Sheriff’s station (LASD) conducted a...

• Biola News

  Biola Kicks off Campaign National Tour in Newport Beach

  A fifteen city tour begins for Biola's comprehensive campaign, A Soul of Conviction, A Voice of Courage: The Campaign for Biola

  Cambria Aviles — September 29, 2015

  Approximately 100 Biola University alumni, parents and staff gathered at the Newport Beach Civic Center in Newport Beach, Calif. to kick off the...

• Business. Ministry. Life.

  Recap: Startup Competition Kickoff

  Robert Harp — September 28, 2015

  On September 14, the Biola Startup Competition, http://crowell.biola.edu/startup, kick-off event opened with a standing-room only crowd of...

• The Good Book Blog

  Disobeying the Supreme Court

  William Lane Craig — September 25, 2015

  Hello Dr. Craig. I must say that I began my travels as an agnostic, and after watching a multitude of your debates, reading your book Reasonable Faith, and reviewing your website, I confess to be impressed by the breadth and depth of your research. I have come to accept Christianity. In fact, much of the apologetics I use now to help others understand what I had trouble understanding I learned from you! So thank you for that. Now, as of recent, with the legalization of gay marriage across the United States, someone pointed out to me that the Bible says that to resist the authorities would be directly against God's wishes. To support this, he showed me Romans 13 verses 1-7. The verses seem to suggest that authority is placed by God, and we are to obey them because disobeying would be akin to disobeying God ...

• Business. Ministry. Life.

  Recap: Crowell Distinguished Speaker Series with Michael Fleming, CEO of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor

  Robert Curtis — September 25, 2015

  You can view the video of Michael’s talk at: http://open.biola.edu/resources/six-phases-of-faith-in-business The speaker for the first Crowell...

• The Good Book Blog

  Prince of Peace—Jesus, or Pope Francis?

  Doug Geivett — September 24, 2015

  “Prince of peace” is biblical language. In other words, it derives from its use in the Bible as a descriptive title with a very specific context. The title “Prince of Peace” is used of the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6. It is, therefore—according to Christian orthodoxy—a reference to Jesus Christ. This is an extraordinarily honorific title. It denotes the full realization of messianic hope. In the Christian Scriptures it alludes to human reconciliation with God, and only by extension to the realization of peace within the human community. The agent, of course, is the Prince of Peace ...

• The Good Book Blog

  New Commentary On Philippians

  Joe Hellerman — September 23, 2015

  Dr. Joseph Hellerman, Professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology, talks about his volume on Philippians in the Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament series ...

• Biola News

  Kellian Hunt Named National Runner of the Week

  The senior standout is recognized nationally.

  Neil Morgan — September 23, 2015

  After placing fourth overall at last weekend’s The Master’s College Mustang Invitational Kellian Hunt has been awarded Biola’s first NAIA Women’s...

• Biola News

  A Bright Future for Music Education

  How Biola is shaping the next generation of music teachers

  Staff — September 22, 2015

  A common concern of prospective students is that music programs are being cut from schools and there is no future for music teachers. But this...

• The Good Book Blog

  Does "I Am" always refer to God in the Gospel of John?

  Gary Manning Jr — September 21, 2015

  It is commonly claimed that when Jesus used the phrase “I am” (ἐγώ εἰμι, ego eimi), he was making a direct reference to the name of God in the Old Testament, YHWH. There is some truth to this, but I want to suggest three important caveats to this claim: “I am” (ἐγώ εἰμι), by itself, is not a code for the name of God; “I am” is only intended to refer to deity in some of Jesus’ sayings; Paying too much attention to the “I am” part of the sentence distracts readers from paying attention to the rest of the sentence.

• The Good Book Blog

  Nominalism and Natural Law

  William Lane Craig — September 18, 2015

  Hi Dr Craig. I've heard you say, on the topic of marriage, that you are an "essentialist" on the nature of marriage- that is, marriage has a certain intrinsic nature which is not merely a social construct. As a natural law theorist who thinks the moral law is grounded in what it is to be human, this gratified me immensely. On the other hand, you are also well-known for your nominalism on the topic of abstract objects, which I take to be the denial that there are real universals in any sense (either Aristotelian or Platonic). My question is how these positions can be made consistent. As far as I know, to an essence just is a universal, so to affirm that marriage has an essence seems in direct contradiction with the idea that there are no such things as universals. Since I don't think you would permit so obvious a contradiction, either my account of essence or my understanding of your nominalism must be at fault. I would be much gratified if you could elaborate, as I think it would help me better understand your position on abstract objects ...

• Biola News

  From Spanish teacher to deputy: Biola alumna uses education to help others

  Biola graduate Laurel Yoshimoto utilizes her education degree and experience to help her become a better peace officer

  Angelene Wong — September 16, 2015

  Laurel Yoshimoto (’04, M.A. ’06) never dreamed of going into law enforcement when she graduated from Biola University. She started her career as a...

• Biola News

  New Vice Provost for Inclusion and Cross-Cultural Engagement Announced

  Pamela Christian brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her new role at Biola

  Jenna Loumagne — September 15, 2015

  Pamela Christian has been appointed Biola University’s Vice Provost for Inclusion and Cross-Cultural Engagement. She will oversee Multi-ethnic...

• Biola News

  Crowell School of Business Launches Startup Competition

  Students and alumni invited to enter Biola’s first annual competition for capital to launch a new business

  Olivia Bersin — September 14, 2015

  The first annual Biola Startup Competition, hosted by Biola University’s Crowell School of Business, will launch this month giving students and...

• The Good Book Blog

  Is God’s Life Absurd?

  William Lane Craig — September 11, 2015

  Dear Doctor Craig, I have recently thought myself into a theological dilemma, which, to be perfectly honest, I find somewhat frightening. I look forward to your analysis: I do not want to say or even think that God's existence might be purposeless, but I'm having a hard time not coming to that conclusion. Consider: purposes do not lie within themselves. Purposes depend upon an external factor, or judgment. Does the purpose of a tree lie within that tree's mere existence? No. The purpose of the tree becomes known only after observing the tree with various other things, i.e. the bird nesting in its branches, the shade its leaves provide on a hot summer day. Therefore, it follows that for one to assert a /purpose/ for God implies that there remains something outside of God, thus making God God ...

• Biola News

  Biola Named NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star Institution

  Claims character award for eighth year in a row.

  Neil Morgan — September 10, 2015

  NAIA RELEASE Biola is named a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Champions of Character Five-Star Institution for the eighth...

• The Good Book Blog

  Comical Zondervan Ice Cream Video Features a Talbot Professor

  Joanne Jung — September 08, 2015

  Have you ever wondered what theology and ice cream have in common? Some Zondervan authors shed some light on the matter, and our very own Dr. Joanne Jung chimes in.

• The Good Book Blog

  Questions Sparked by Defenders Class

  William Lane Craig — September 04, 2015

  Weekly Q & A with Dr. William Lane Craig: ... I have found your descriptions of omni-temporalism and middle-knowledge have challenged some of my assumptions, but instead of finding this irritating or threatening I am grateful to have had my horizons extended, and I am very interested to know more. I suspect I shall have to track down a copy of your book "Time and Eternity" for a detailed explanation, but I wondered if you could find the time to provide a short answer? ... But I am finding the idea of omni-temporalism much harder to get my head around. If God didn't create time then who did? Also aren't temporal beings in a sense controlled by time? As you point out, God would still has his perfect knowledge of the past, but does omni-temporalism lead to a belief that God is under the control of time? ... are these valid thoughts to ponder as I weigh a-temporalism and a tense-less B-theory against omni-temporalism, or have I misunderstood the debate?

• Biola News

  Biola University Receives $500,000 Grant from Kay Family Foundation

  Grant will fund initiatives to bolster university’s global impact

  Jenna Loumagne  — September 02, 2015

  Biola University has received a $500,000 grant from the Kay Family Foundation to enhance Biola’s Talbot School of Theology ’s global impact. The...