J. P. Moreland

What influences the decision to become a Christian? In the seventeenth century the famous scientist Blaise Pascal viewed this as a game, with truth our adversary. Pascal argued that we are in the game whether we like it or not. Christianity is either true or not, and we have to weigh the two alternatives. According to Pascal's Wager we have everything to win and nothing to lose by taking a leap of faith and becoming a Christian. In this book Ola Hossjer extends Pascal's Wager and argues that we respond to the Christian message very differently. There are three main attitudes among people: the first group follows Pascal's advice, even if evidence before the decision is incomplete; the second group requires convincing evidence at first; and members of the third group will not become Christians regardless of evidence. Hossjer contends that the decision consists of three components: a religious disposition from birth, evidence, and a willingness to act. Although we weigh evidence and will differently, our priorities may change after a life crisis so that we either reevaluate evidence or become more positive toward Christianity. This is illustrated by a number of people who became Christians. ""In the book Becoming a Christian, Ola Hossjer skillfully brings together very powerful apologetic arguments to show the overwhelming logic of the Christian faith. Using careful mathematical analysis Ola lays open the issues in the first part and, in my view, excels in the central part of the book, in showing evidence for the Christian position philosophically, scientifically, and theologically. Like a diamond, he shows that whatever test you make of the Christian faith, it shines with the deep and brilliant hues of truth."" --Andy McIntosh, Professor, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom Ola Hossjer is Professor of Mathematical Statistics at Stockholm University, Sweden, since 2002. He has done research in statistics and probability theory, with applications in population genetics, epidemiology, and insurance mathematics. He is the author of eighty-five peer-reviewed papers and has supervised thirteen PhD students. In 2009, he received the Gustafsson Prize in mathematics. He is a member of a Pentecostal church in Sollentuna, and has published several articles and book chapters on Christian apologetics.

Winner of a 2004 ECPA Gold Medallion AwardWinner of an Award of Excellence in the 2003 Chicago Book Clinic What is real? What is truth? What can we know? What should we believe? What should we do and why? Is there a God? Can we know him? Do Christian doctrines make sense? Can we believe in God in the face of evil? These are fundamental questions that any thinking person wants answers to. These are questions that philosophy addresses. And the answers we give to these kinds of questions serve as the foundation stones for constructing any kind of worldview. Now updated and expanded in this second edition, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview by J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig offers a comprehensive introduction to philosophy from a Christian perspective. In their broad sweep they seek to introduce readers to the principal subdisciplines of philosophy, including epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of science, ethics, and philosophy of religion. They do so with characteristic clarity and incisiveness. Arguments are clearly outlined, and rival theories are presented with fairness and accuracy. Philosophy, they contend, aids Christians in the tasks of apologetics, polemics, and systematic theology. It reflects our having been made in the image of God, helps us to extend biblical teaching into areas not expressly addressed in Scripture, facilitates the spiritual discipline of study, enhances the boldness and self-image of the Christian community, and is requisite to the essential task of integrating faith and learning. Here is a lively and thorough introduction to philosophy for all who want to know reality. This second edition now includes including enhanced arguments, updated bibliographies, and new chapters on atonement and the mind-body problem.

J. P. Moreland—Christian philosopher, theologian, and apologist—issues a call to recapture the drama and power of kingdom living—to cultivate a revolution of Evangelical life, spirituality, thought, and Spirit-led power. Drawing insights from the early church, he unpacks three essential ingredients of this revolution:Recovery of the Christian mind. Renovation of Christian spirituality. Restoration of the power of the Holy Spirit. Western society is in crisis: the result of our culture's embrace of naturalism and postmodernism, and a biblical worldview has been pushed to the margins. Christians have been strongly influenced by these trends, with the result that their personal lives often reflect the surrounding culture more than the way of Christ, and the church's transforming influence on society has waned as a result. Kingdom Triangle is divided into two major sections:The first examines and provides a critique of secular worldviews and shows how they have ushered in the current societal crisis. The second lays out a strategy for the Christian community to regain the potency of kingdom life and influence in the world. Moreland believes that evangelical Christianity can mature and lead the surrounding society out of the meaningless morass it finds itself in with humility and vision. With clear insight, he puts the thoughtful Christian in a position to understand our current cultural struggle and to return to a responsible presentation of "the way of Christ" as not just a way of right living, but also a way of knowledge and meaningful life.

Think of it this way . . . Our beliefs are challenged from many directions. Every day it seems more difficult to explain to our friends, families, and neighbors what we believe and why. When our ideas and arguments fail to persuade them, what then? Is there another approach we can take? Veteran apologists and communicators J. P. Moreland and Tim Muehlhoff say that the best way to win over others is with a good story. Stories have the ability to get behind our preconceptions and defenses. They appeal to the whole person rather than just to the mind. This expanded edition includes new chapters and updated stories and illustrations throughout. In these pages the authors enhance the logic and evidence found in other books defending the faith with things that your friends, relatives, or coworkers will ponder long after a conversation is over. Here is sound, empathetic coaching for those of us who long to communicate our faith more effectively.

Challenging atheists to be more skeptical about their own worldview, this book by an accomplished philosopher shows how Christianity offers the best explanation for the world, humanity, and morality.

The outrageous idea of this book is that God wants to use professors as professors to reach others, transform the academy, and meet the needs of the world. God is on a mission to redeem and restore this fallen world, and as members of one of the most influential institutions in society, Christian professors in the university play an important role in that mission. Becoming a missional professor will require a clear vision of God's heart for the lost as well as humankind's purpose and calling under the banner of Christ, an understanding of the significance of the university as a cultural shaping institution and mission field, and a desire for Christian wholeness in a fragmented world. This idea is outrageous because many Christian professors struggle to live missionally and need a clear vision of such a life as well as role models to lead the way. Many professors already living missional lives need encouragement to ""excel still more"" (1 Thess 4:10). We all need God's grace and mercy as we try to faithfully follow Christ within the university. ""What does it mean to be a faithful follower of Jesus as a University professor? Paul Gould, in The Outrageous Idea of the Missional Professor, has the boldness to suggest that faithfulness involves taking up the mission of Jesus in the academy. Combining clear analysis and concrete steps, Gould motivates academics to a deeper commitment to that mission."" --Gregory E. Ganssle, Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, La Mirada, CA ""This book is for anyone in a teaching profession wondering what it means to be 'called' to serve God in the classroom, library, or lab. Expertly combining foundational principles and points of practical application, Gould offers a roadmap to flourishing as a Christian academic."" --Stan Wallace, President, Global Scholars, Overland Park, KS ""Paul Gould is one of the brightest young scholars in the evangelical world, and The Outrageous Idea of the Missional Professor is an excellent book which argues that evangelical institutions and faculty members need to 'revision' themselves as missional institutions and professors. I agree with Gould and recommend the book highly to leaders, administrators, and faculty members in the world of Christian higher education."" --Bruce Ashford, Associate Professor of Theology and Culture, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC ""Professor Gould has issued a challenge for anyone interested in the needs of higher education in America. He argues forcefully that Christian professors should live their lives before God as participants in His mission of redemption and restoration to a world badly in need of hope, a missio dei extending to the classroom, the faculty lounge, the research lab, and the myriad other venues one finds the soul of the modern university. May his message find a widespread audience."" --Andrew H. Trotter Jr., Executive Director, Consortium of Christian Study Centers, Charlottesville, VA Paul M. Gould is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Christian Apologetics at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. He is the editor of Beyond the Control of God? Six Views on the Problem of God and Abstract Objects and the co-editor of The Two Tasks of the Christian Scholar: Redeeming the Soul, Redeeming the Mind and Loving God with Your Mind: Essays in Honor of J. P. Moreland.

In a society fascinated by spirituality but committed to religious pluralism, the Christian worldview faces sophisticated and aggressive opposition. A prior commitment to diversity, with its requisite openness and relativistic outlook, has meant for skeptics, critics and even many Christians that whatever Christianity is, it cannot be exclusively true or salvific. What is needed in this syncretistic era is an authoritative, comprehensive Christian response. Point by point, argument by argument, the Christian faith must be effectively presented and defended. To Everyone an Answer: A Case for the Christian Worldview offers such a response. Editors Francis J. Beckwith, William Lane Craig and J. P. Moreland have gathered together in this book essays covering all major aspects of apologetics, including: faith and reasonarguments for God?s existencethe case for Jesus the problem of evilpostmodernismreligious pluralism and Christian exclusivism Preeminent in their respective fields, the contributors to this volume offer a solid case for the Christian worldview and a coherent defense of the Christian faith.

"The unexamined life is not worth living," according to Socrates, but pursuing the examined life strikes many as daunting, unappealing and even unnecessary. Is philosophy important? Why do I need philosophy if I have the Bible? Aren't philosophers simply engaged in meaningless disputes that are irrelevant to everyday life? Mark Foreman addresses these and other questions in this "prelude" to the subject. Unlike a full introduction to philosophy, this book is a preliminary discussion that dispels misunderstandings and explains the rationale for engaging in philosophical reasoning. In the first half of the book, Foreman defines the task of philosophy, compares it to other disciplines and demonstrates its practical value to Christians interested in developing a more thoughtful faith. The second half introduces the reader to logic and argumentation, the essential tools of a philosopher. Concise and straightforward, Prelude to Philosophy is a guide for those looking to embark on the "examined life."

The Veritas Series refuses to accept disciplinary isolation: engaging in critical questions of pressing concern to both philosophers, theologians, biologists, economists and more. The Recalcitrant Imago Dei offers a critical discussion of naturalism, the idea that all phenomena can be explained by the physical sciences.

The Veritas Series refuses to accept disciplinary isolation: engaging in critical questions of pressing concern to both philosophers, theologians, biologists, economists and more. The Recalcitrant Imago Dei offers a critical discussion of naturalism, the idea that all phenomena can be explained by the physical sciences.

In Consciousness and the Existence of God, J. P. Moreland argues that the existence of finite, irreducible consciousness (or its regular, law-like correlation with physical states) provides evidence for the existence of God. Moreover, he analyzes and criticizes the top representative of rival approaches to explaining the origin of consciousness, including John Searle’s contingent correlation, Timothy O’Connor’s emergent necessitation, Colin McGinn’s mysterian "naturalism," David Skrbina’s panpsychism and Philip Clayton’s pluralistic emergentist monism. Moreland concludes that these approaches should be rejected in favor of what he calls "the Argument from Consciousness."

Many obstacles can get in the way of having a healthy Christian faith. Some of those obstacles are intellectual, but there are emotional, relational and experiential ones as well. Even theological problems can get in the way when the very nature of faith itself is misunderstood. J. P. Moreland and Klaus Issler team up in this book to clear away the barriers to faith by helping you gain a clear grasp of what faith is, identifying the various obstacles to it and providing guidance for growing in your trust in God through Jesus Christ.

Many obstacles can get in the way of having a healthy Christian faith. Some of those obstacles are intellectual, but there are emotional, relational and experiential ones as well. Even theological problems can get in the way when the very nature of faith itself is misunderstood. J. P. Moreland and Klaus Issler team up in this book to clear away the barriers to faith by helping you gain a clear grasp of what faith is, identifying the various obstacles to it and providing guidance for growing in your trust in God through Jesus Christ.

In Consciousness and the Existence of God, J. P. Moreland argues that the existence of finite, irreducible consciousness (or its regular, law-like correlation with physical states) provides evidence for the existence of God. Moreover, he analyzes and criticizes the top representative of rival approaches to explaining the origin of consciousness, including John Searle’s contingent correlation, Timothy O’Connor’s emergent necessitation, Colin McGinn’s mysterian ‘‘naturalism,’’ David Skrbina’s panpsychism and Philip Clayton’s pluralistic emergentist monism. Moreland concludes that these approaches should be rejected in favor of what he calls ‘‘the Argument from Consciousness.’’

Truth is no longer based on reason. What we feel is now the truest reality. Yet despite our obsession with the emotive and the experiential, we still face anxiety, despair, and purposelessness. Tracing trends in twentieth century thought, Francis A. Schaeffer shows that Christianity offers meaning where there is purposelessness and hope where there is despair.

Concurrent with the demise of dualism has been the rise of advanced medical technologies that have brought to the fore difficult issues at both edges of life. Central to questions about abortion, fetal research, reproductive technologies, cloning and euthanasia is our understanding of the nature of human personhood, the reality of life after death and the value of ethical or religious knowledge as compared to scientific knowledge." "In this treatment, J. P. Moreland and Scott B. Rae argue that the rise of these problems alongside the demise of Christian dualism is no coincidence. They therefore employ a theological realism to meet these pressing issues, and to present a reasonable and biblical depiction of human nature as it impinges on critical ethical concerns." "This vigorous philosophical and ethical defense of human nature as body and soul, regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees, will be for all a touchstone for debate and discussion for years to come.