Comments on: Book Recommendations http://www.thinkingchristian.net/2009/01/book-recommendations/ Do Christians "hold the truth?" No, the Truth holds us... Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:41:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Tom Gilson http://www.thinkingchristian.net/2009/01/book-recommendations/#comment-10948 Tom Gilson Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:37:31 +0000 http://www.thinkingchristian.net/2009/01/book-recommendations/#comment-10948 Thanks, Luke, for all of that. Thanks, Luke, for all of that.

]]> By: luke http://www.thinkingchristian.net/2009/01/book-recommendations/#comment-10943 luke Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:43:44 +0000 http://www.thinkingchristian.net/2009/01/book-recommendations/#comment-10943 Alvin Plantinga has long been a favorite of mine and the <i>Free Will Defense</i> is outstanding. I still have to go back and reread it every so often, very slowly, to grasp the argument and every time I feel like I come away enlightened. Another favorite article/argument of his that I like is <i>On Ockham's Way Out</i> which is about human freedom and God's foreknowledge. This and some other good ones are found in a collection called <b>"The Analytic Theist"</b> which I highly recommend. A side note about the <i>Free Will Defense,</i> it answers the "problem of evil" question from the point that there is no contradiction between there being a good God and evil existing, in fact it answered it so well that the "problem of evil" argument in now generally stated in a "quantity" of evil. A really good book with arguments from both sides is <b>"The Evidential Argument from Evil"</b> which includes many good theistic thinkers such as William P. Alston, Peter van Inwagen, Richard Swinburne and Plantinga. Another, more accessible, Christian philosophy book is <b>"Reason for the Hope Within."</b>I would also recommend J.P. Moreland's <b>"Love Your God with All Your Mind"</b> as something to read to remind ourselves that God wants us to know him using our minds too. And C. Stephen Evans <b>"Philosophy of Religion: Thinking About Faith"</b> as another accessible read on the subject. William Lane Craig is another favorite. <b>"Time and Eternity"</b> is interesting look at the nature of time and how God relates. <b>"The Only Wise God"</b> follows Plantinga, I think, in how human freedom and divine foreknowledge relate. And as noted in the above, Craig is well known for the modern development of a cosmological argument for God in <b>"The Kalam Cosmological Argument."</b> I have a fondness for the Kalam as it was one of those doorway readings for me -- I read a smaller version that he had posted up online back in '96 and it opened my eyes to "rational" Christian thinking and influenced greatly my walk. Needless to say it was out of print and I had to borrow a copy from a college a few cities away, but it is now back in print and I highly recommend it. Craig also edited <b>"Philosophy of Religion: A Reader and Guide"</b> which contains lots of great contemporary reading on the subject. Alvin Plantinga has long been a favorite of mine and the Free Will Defense is outstanding. I still have to go back and reread it every so often, very slowly, to grasp the argument and every time I feel like I come away enlightened. Another favorite article/argument of his that I like is On Ockham’s Way Out which is about human freedom and God’s foreknowledge. This and some other good ones are found in a collection called “The Analytic Theist” which I highly recommend. A side note about the Free Will Defense, it answers the “problem of evil” question from the point that there is no contradiction between there being a good God and evil existing, in fact it answered it so well that the “problem of evil” argument in now generally stated in a “quantity” of evil. A really good book with arguments from both sides is “The Evidential Argument from Evil” which includes many good theistic thinkers such as William P. Alston, Peter van Inwagen, Richard Swinburne and Plantinga.

Another, more accessible, Christian philosophy book is “Reason for the Hope Within.”I would also recommend J.P. Moreland’s “Love Your God with All Your Mind” as something to read to remind ourselves that God wants us to know him using our minds too. And C. Stephen Evans “Philosophy of Religion: Thinking About Faith” as another accessible read on the subject.

William Lane Craig is another favorite. “Time and Eternity” is interesting look at the nature of time and how God relates. “The Only Wise God” follows Plantinga, I think, in how human freedom and divine foreknowledge relate. And as noted in the above, Craig is well known for the modern development of a cosmological argument for God in “The Kalam Cosmological Argument.” I have a fondness for the Kalam as it was one of those doorway readings for me — I read a smaller version that he had posted up online back in ‘96 and it opened my eyes to “rational” Christian thinking and influenced greatly my walk. Needless to say it was out of print and I had to borrow a copy from a college a few cities away, but it is now back in print and I highly recommend it. Craig also edited “Philosophy of Religion: A Reader and Guide” which contains lots of great contemporary reading on the subject.

]]> By: Aleksandar M. Velkoski http://www.thinkingchristian.net/2009/01/book-recommendations/#comment-10797 Aleksandar M. Velkoski Thu, 01 Jan 2009 19:51:23 +0000 http://www.thinkingchristian.net/2009/01/book-recommendations/#comment-10797 Excellent list. I haven't read any of these texts but I plan on picking a few of them up in the near future. Thank you for your recommendations. Sometimes I don't know where to go to get advise about texts of this sort but I'll be sure to bookmark your page and look at your blog more frequently in the future. Excellent list. I haven’t read any of these texts but I plan on picking a few of them up in the near future. Thank you for your recommendations. Sometimes I don’t know where to go to get advise about texts of this sort but I’ll be sure to bookmark your page and look at your blog more frequently in the future.

]]> By: Charlie http://www.thinkingchristian.net/2009/01/book-recommendations/#comment-10796 Charlie Thu, 01 Jan 2009 19:50:01 +0000 http://www.thinkingchristian.net/2009/01/book-recommendations/#comment-10796 Great list. I definitely rate <i>Divine Conspiracy</i> as having the most impact on my faith in recent years and think <i>Kingdom Triangle</i> compares favourably. For some reason I have yet to get to <i>Reasonable Faith</i>, as there just always seems to be one more pile of books between me and buying it. I've read other books by Stark than the ones on your lost and commend them as well. I would also recommend <i>Fundamentals Of The Faith</i> by Catholic apologist and professor of philosophy at Boston College, Peter Kreeft. The book is a series of essays in keeping with the idea of being generally non-sectarian in a <i>Mere Christianity</i> way. Great list. I definitely rate Divine Conspiracy as having the most impact on my faith in recent years and think Kingdom Triangle compares favourably. For some reason I have yet to get to Reasonable Faith, as there just always seems to be one more pile of books between me and buying it. I’ve read other books by Stark than the ones on your lost and commend them as well.
I would also recommend Fundamentals Of The Faith by Catholic apologist and professor of philosophy at Boston College, Peter Kreeft. The book is a series of essays in keeping with the idea of being generally non-sectarian in a Mere Christianity way.

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