7 Big Questions Seminar References and Resources

This page is devoted to supplementary material for attendees of a '7 Big Questions' seminar. This is a full day seminar for churches (generally, it can also be given in two half-day sessions) to encourage and assist members in being able to think through answers to the seven most commonly asked questions of Christians.

If you have not attended a seminar, naturally, you are nevertheless welcome to use this page.

If you want to organize a seminar or inquire about hosting one, please send an e-mail to 7BQ_Seminars@email.com, with the subject line "I want to organize a seminar" otherwise it will be filtered out.

If you attended a seminar you have access to a moderated discussion group (provided through your registration e-mail address).

Thanks to 'Watcher' for allowing this page to be hosted on his blog.

General Resources

[Caveat: None of these resources, or their producers is necessarily wholly endorsed at all points. They all contain useful content but have varying theological and philosophical stances that I or others might disagree with.]

McDowell, J., The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict

Koukl, G., Tactics, 2nd Edition

Koukl, G., Street Smarts

Koukl, G., Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air

Kreeft & Tacelli, Handbook of Christian Apologetics

Geisler, N. L., Christian Apologetics

Craig, W. L., Reasonable Faith

    Videos

YouTube playlist for the seminar

     Websites

Apologetics UK

 

Stand to Reason apologetics ministry (USA)

The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (UK)

Theological Studies (UK) / Apologetics page

 

    Downloadable Items

These are offered for both new Christians and the Flyer for any interested in exploring Christian Faith.

Flyer on Christian Faith: one page double sided A4 -- laminate on A3 as a wall poster. Free to use.

Flyer 2-up for A5 printing: take it to your printer, or do it yourself. Ideal for laminating and giving out. Free to use.

Bible Topic List: a 'table of contents' for important episodes or passages. Free to use.

Bible Overview: Overviews of each book and lists of events, people and episodes along with FAQs. For private use.

Nelson Bible Chronology: a 'mainstream' suggestion, with which me might disagree at points, but useful in general terms. For private use.

Faith Logic by Dale Rhoton: a booklet on the whys and wherefores of Christian faith.

Bible Events Summary (1p): a brief overview of the Bible's main events on 1 page.

The Tanakh (Jewish) OT order -- graphic: sets out the logical order of the OT to lead to Christ.

Early Church Councils -- graphic: The earliest decision-making bodies of the church.

Heresies of Biblical Faith: The major heresies that distort biblical teaching.

The Logic of Knowledge: Chapter on questions of knowledge from Hawkins' book Witch Craft.

Session Resources

1. Why are you a Christian?

Lewis, C. S., Mere Christianity

Schaeffer, F., He is There and He is not Silent

Schaeffer, F., The God Who is There

Scrivener, G., The Air We Breathe

Sheriden, G., God is Good for You

2. Why do you believe in God?

Strobel, L., The Case for a Creator

Moreland, J. P., Nielsen, K., Does God Exist

Miethe, T., Flew, A., Does God Exist? (Debate)

Sarfati, J., Refuting the New Atheists

Walls, J. L., Dougherty, T., Two Dozen (or so) Arguments for God

Craig, W. L., Copan, P., Creation out of Nothing

    Websites

5 Proofs for the Existence of God

What evidence do we have for God's existence? ( W. L. Craig)

3. Why do you read the Bible?

Koukl, G., The Story of Reality

Mangalwadi, V., The Book that Made Your World.

The credibility of the text.

    Links

C.S. Lewis Institute: Are Bible Manuscripts Reliable?

Got Questions, Biblical Answers

F. F. Bruce on the reliability of the Bible

4. Why do you go to church?

 

    Note

 Ponder 1 Corinthians 11-14, and Hebrews 10:25.

 

    Video

Wadsworth, T., Why the early church didn't have worship services.

5. Why is Jesus the only way?/I'm spiritual not religious.

Shlemon, A., 1 God, 1 Forgiveness, 1 Son, 1 Way

Habermas, G., The Historical Bedrock for the Resurrection of Jesus!

Strobel, L., The Case for Christ

Bowman, R. M., et al. The Incarnate Christ and His Critics: A Biblical Defense.

--------------------------  Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ

Jones, P., The Gnostic Empire Strikes Back

_______  The Other Worldview

_______  Only Two Religions

_______  On Global Wizardry

_______  Stolen Identity: The Conspiracy to Reinvent Jesus

Hawkins, C. S., Witch Craft

    Videos

 Peter Jones YouTube Playlist

6. Hasn't science disproved the Bible?

Moreland, J. P., Scaling the Secular City

------------------- Christianity and the Nature of Science

------------------- Theistic Evolution: Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique

Meyer, S. C., Return of the God Hypothesis

---------------- Darwin's Doubt

Dembski, W. A., The Comprehensive Guide to Science and Faith

Sarfati, J., The Greatest Hoax on Earth (crit. of Darwinian modern consensus)

------------ The Christian Roots of Science

------------ Evolution Refuted

 

    Article

Plantinga; An Evolutionary Argument against Naturalism

    Websites

Discovery Institute: 'Intelligent Design' 'Think Tank'

Evolution News: (Associated with the Discovery Institute) Articles on critical aspects of modern evolutionary thought.

CMI: Creation Ministries International: for a scientific analysis of evolution and biblical creation.

ICR: Institute for Creation Research: a staffed research institute.

7. Why does God allow evil (natural/personal)?

Copan, P., Is God a Moral Monster?

Jones, Clay, Why Does God Allow Evil?

 

    Websites

Paul Copan's website

Clay Jones' website

BONUS ITEMS

(The seminar you attended may not have included any or all of these.)

Bonus 1: Explain the Trinity

    Articles

Koukl, G., The Trinity: a solution not a problem. Part 1

Koukl, G., The Trinity: a solution not a problem. Part 2

Bowman, R., Biblical Basis for the Doctrine of the Trinity

 

    Videos  

Morrow: Is the Trinity Logical? 

Why the  Trinity wasn't invented by early Christians

Wood, D., Why Muslim Objections to the Trinity self-destruct

Qureshi, N., Explaining the Trinity

Bonus 2: Explain heaven

Wright, N. T., Surprised by Hope

Wright. N. T., (History and Eschatology)? 

    Video

Wright, N. T., Explanation of Heaven.

Shamoun, S., Difference in Heaven between Islam and Christianity

Bonus 3: To Enneagram or not to Enneagram?

Berg, C., The New Age Trojan Horse: What Christians Should Know About Yoga And The Enneagram

Montenegro, Marcia. Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret

    Note

The Enneagram in contemporary (actually the whole think is 'contemporary' with the chart invented in the late 19th century) usage leverages Jung's idea of 'personality types'. A quote from Richard Noll's book 'The Aryan Christ' a biography of Jung, is apposite:

Murray,  quite in awe of Jung at the time, then carried on a three-way relationship with his wife and his mistress, Christiana Morgan. With Morgan he acted out a wide variety of sexual fantasies and sex-role reversals in order to develop the psychological components of their personalities. The rationale for this was Jung's theory of  'psychological types,' which maintained that the road to health involved developing the energies of the opposite sex that were often repressed in oneself.

    Articles

Pacwa, M., Tell me who I am, O Enneagram, Christian Research Institute

Warrior-Priest Blog: God does not have Nine Faces, 

Whittaker, K., What's Wrong with the Enneagram, Medium

Adams, W., 9 Reasons I can't buy into the Enneagram

 

    Videos

Enneagram-Playlist (YouTube)