“I think Martin Luther correctly distinguished between what he called the magisterial and ministerial uses of reason. The magisterial use of reason occurs when reason stands over and above the gospel like a magistrate and judges it on the basis of argument and evidence. The ministerial use of reason occurs when reason submits to and serves the gospel…. Should a conflict arise between the witness of the Holy Spirit to the fundamental truth of the Christian faith and beliefs based on argument and evidence, then it is the former which must take precedence over the latter.” ThinkingShouldReasonUseChristianSpiritBeliefJudgingHolyConflictEvidenceArgumentBasesFundamentalsAriseFormerWitnessHoly SpiritLatterSubmitLutherDistinguishedChristian FaithMagistratesPrecedence Author:William Lane Craig
“The simple fact that the Christian fellowship, founded on belief in Jesus' resurrection, came into existence and flourished in the very city where he was executed and buried is powerful evidence for the historicity of the empty tomb.” FactsChristianJesusBeliefSimplePowerfulCitiesExistenceEvidenceEmptyBuriedResurrectionEasterFellowshipTombsJesus ResurrectionChrists ResurrectionChristian Fellowship Author:William Lane Craig
“Therefore, when a person refuses to come to Christ it is never just because of lack of evidence or because of intellectual difficulties: at root, he refuses to come because he willingly ignores and rejects the drawing of God's Spirit on his heart. No one in the final analysis really fails to become a Christian because of lack of arguments; he fails to become a Christian because he loves darkness rather than light and wants nothing to do with God.” WantHeartPersonsLightChristianSpiritReligionChristDarknessFailingIntellectualEvidenceArgumentRootsDifficultyFinalsRefuseDrawingAnalysisRejects Author:William Lane Craig
“The Christian religion, [Pascal] claims, teaches two truths: that there is a God who men are capable of knowing, and that there is an element of corruption in men that renders them unworthy of God. Knowledge of God without knowledge of man's wretchedness begets pride, and knowledge of man's wretchedness without knowledge of God begets despair, but knowledge of Jesus Christ furnishes man knowledge of both simultaneously.” MenTwoChristianJesusChristTeachKnowingPrideDespairElementsCapableJesus ChristClaimsCorruptionGod KnowsUnworthyBegetsKnowledge Of GodWretchednessPascal Author:William Lane Craig
“Part of the broader task of Christian scholarship is to help create and sustain a cultural milieu in which the gospel can be heard as an intellectually viable option for thinking men and women.” ThinkingMenHelpingChristianHeardMen And WomenTasksScholarshipThinking ManMilieu Author:William Lane Craig
“The renaissance of Christian philosophy has been accompanied by a resurgence of interest in natural theology, that branch of theology that seeks to prove God's existence apart from divine revelation.” Has BeensPhilosophyChristianInterestNaturalExistenceDivineProveTheologyBranchesRevelationsRenaissanceDivine RevelationResurgenceChristian Philosophy Author:William Lane Craig
“Should a conflict arise between the witness of the Holy Spirit to the fundamental truth of the Christian faith and beliefs based on argument and evidence, then it is the former which must take precedence over the latter.” ShouldChristianSpiritReligionBeliefHolyConflictEvidenceArgumentFundamentalsAriseFormerWitnessHoly SpiritLatterChristian FaithPrecedence Author:William Lane Craig
“If Christians could be trained to provide solid evidence for what they believe and good answers to unbelievers’ questions and objections, then the perception of Christians would slowly change. Christians would be seen as thoughtful people to be taken seriously rather than as emotional fanatics or buffoons. The gospel would be a real alternative for people to embrace.” PeopleIfsBelieveRealWould BeChristianAnswersTakenEmotionalPerceptionEvidenceEmbraceAlternativesThoughtfulFanaticsObjectionsUnbelieversBuffoons Book:On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision Source: On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision
“No one in the final analysis really fails to become a Christian because of lack of arguments; he fails to become a Christian because he loves darkness rather than light and wants nothing to do with God.” WantLightChristianDarknessFailingArgumentFinalsAnalysis Author:William Lane Craig
“Even if the disciples had believed in the resurrection of Jesus, it is doubtful they would have generated any following. So long as the body was interred in the tomb, a Christian movement founded on belief in the resurrection of the dead man would have been an impossible folly.” IfsMenLongHas BeensBodyChristianJesusBeliefImpossibleMovementFollowingFollyResurrectionDiscipleTombsDoubtfulDead ManJesus ResurrectionChrists Resurrection Author:William Lane Craig
“Our churches are filled with Christians who are idling in intellectual neutral. As Christians, their minds are going to waste. One result of this is an immature, superficial faith. People who simply ride the roller coaster of emotional experience are cheating themselves out of a deeper and richer Christian faith by neglecting the intellectual side of that faith.” PeopleMindChristianSidesChurchResultsEmotionalWasteIntellectualFilledDeeperCheatingNeglectSuperficialChristian FaithImmatureRoller CoasterCoasters Author:William Lane Craig
“The Christian faith does not call for us to put our minds on the shelf, to fly in the face of common sense and history, or to make a leap of faith into the dark. The rational person, fully apprised of the evidence, can confidently believe.” MindBelievePersonsDoeChristianFacesDarkCommonEvidenceIntelligentCommon SenseRationalLeapShelvesChristian FaithLeap Of Faith Author:William Lane Craig
“The gospel is never heard in isolation. It is always heard against the background of the cultural milieu in which one lives. A person raised in a cultural milieu in which Christianity is still seen as an intellectually viable option will display an openness to the gospel which a person who is secularized will not [as such] part of the broader task of Christian scholarship is to help create and sustain a cultural milieu in which the gospel can be heard as an intellectually viable option for thinking men and women.” ThinkingMenPersonsStillsHelpingChristianChristianityHeardMen And WomenTasksRaisedBackgroundsIsolationOpennessDisplayScholarshipThinking ManMilieu Author:William Lane Craig
