Part Two: Questions about God
Part 2
QUESTIONS ABOUT GOD
Questions about the nature, existence, value, and implications of God’s existence have not only shaped humanity but entire conditions and institutions of human society. As you discover from Part One, if God exists there is great reason to think that objective moral values and duties exist. And, in turn, we humans bank on their existence for our everyday life and interactions. At the very least, we live as if it is true. Thus, lawless societies are not generally regarded as theistic-like societies. The very institution of the “rule of law,” as Harvard historian Niall Ferguson has observed in his 2011 book, Civilization, has its basis in a Judeo-Christian framework. Is that coincidental? Probably not. So, the questions of God’s existence are as relevant for the “City of Man” as they are for the “City of God,” a point which atheist-turned-Christian Peter Hitchens also acknowledges in his 2011 book Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith (Peter is the brother of the late “new atheist” Christopher Hitchens, who debated Dr. Craig in 2009).
The questions in this part seek to get at the “God Question,” but not merely the generic God question, but questions about the Trinitarian God and His attributes as revealed in Scripture. Whether popular questions regarding if “God’s existence can be evident to every sincere seeker,” or deep questions regarding the meaning of the Incarnation in light of the Trinity, these questions will surely challenge and provoke thought.
By interacting with the questions and answers of Part Two, you can benefit in the following ways.
In section 1, you can come to understand that
• God has necessary existence.
• God is a maximally great being.
• Theistic arguments do provide positive evidence for God’s existence in non-question-begging ways.
In section 2, you can come to grapple with
• How God is a “simple” being.
• Why God’s infinite personhood does not imply pantheism.
• The meaning of God’s “omni-attributes” among the persons of the Trinity.
• How the persons of the Trinity are interrelated with each other.
In section 3, you can come to appreciate
• Why “perfect being theology” is significant.
• Why the attributes of God are reason for us to be morally obligated to worship God.
• Why a doctrine of divine impassibility creates problems for what it means for God to be compassionate.
• How Reformed theology’s conception of God and creation is problematic.
The above areas have a long history in the study of philosophy of religion, philosophical theology, “natural” and “revealed” theology, and Christian apologetics. You can discover further background to these issues, grow your understanding, and become even more skillful in your communication of what you learn by interacting with some of these valuable resources:
Dig Deeper into Dr. Craig’s Work
BEGINNER
Craig, William Lane. On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook Publishers, 2010. Chapter 3.
Craig, William Lane. Defenders Podcast: Series 2. ReasonableFaith.org. http://bit.ly/DefendersPodcast.
Craig, William Lane. “The Arguments for God’s Existence and Critique of New Atheists.” GracePoint Church, Berkeley, Calif., April 17, 2010. http://bit.ly/GodsExistenceGracePoint.
INTERMEDIATE
Craig, William Lane and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. God? A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Craig, William Lane and J. P. Moreland. Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2003. Chapters 8–10, 23–26, 29.
Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics. 3rd ed. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008. Chapters 3–4.
Craig, William Lane. “Is God a Delusion?” Lecture on Richard Dawkins’ argument. Sheldon Ian Theatre, Oxford, UK, October 24, 2011. http://bit.ly/GodADelusion.
Craig, William Lane and Antony Flew. “Craig v. Flew: Does God Exist?” University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisc., 1998. http://bit.ly/CraigFlew.
Craig, William Lane and Peter Atkins. “Craig v. Atkins: What Is the Evidence for/against the Existence of God.” Carter Presidential Center, Atlanta, April 3, 1998. http://bit.ly/CraigAtkins.
Craig, William Lane and Austin Dacey. “Craig v. Dacey: Does God Exist?” Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., 2004. http://bit.ly/CraigDacey.
ADVANCED
Craig, William Lane and J. P. Sinclair. “The Kalam Cosmological Argument.” The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology, William Lane Craig and J. P. Moreland, eds. Malden, Mass.: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2009. Chapter 3.
Flint, Thomas and Michael Rea, eds. “Divine Eternity.” The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical Theology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. 145–66. http://bit.ly/DivineEternity.
Supplemental Recommended Resources
BEGINNER
Strobel, Lee. The Case for a Creator. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004.
Zacharias, Ravi. Can Man Live Without God? Nashville: Word Publishing Group, 1994, 2002.
INTERMEDIATE
Copan, Paul and William Lane Craig, eds. Come Let Us Reason: New Essays in Christian Apologetics. Nashville: B&H, 2012. Chapters 4–6.
Copan, Paul and William Lane Craig, eds. Contending with Christianity’s Critics. Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 2009. Chapters 1, 4, 6, 13–16, 18.
Craig, William Lane and Chad Meister, eds. God Is Great, God Is Good: Why Believing in God Is Reasonable and Responsible. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2009. Chapters 1–3.
Groothuis, Douglas. Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2011. Chapters 9–12, 15–16.
Sweis, Khaldoun A. and Chad V. Meister. Christian Apologetics: An Anthology of Primary Sources. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012. Chapters 7–25.
Williams, Clifford. Existential Reasons for Belief in God: A Defense of Desires and Emotions for Faith. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2011.
ADVANCED
Craig, William Lane and J. P. Moreland, eds. The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology. Malden, Mass.: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2009. Chapters 2–7, 10.
Meister, Chad and Paul Copan. Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Religion. New York: Routledge, 2009. Parts 4–8.
Wallace, Stan, ed. Does God Exist? Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 2003.