Your Worldview Reader Contents page and

The Worldview & Apologetics Reader that you will receive this week is missing several entries and some of the copies that Kinkos made did not turn out well. Also, they are missing the table of contents. To solve this problem I will be posting the entries, the poor copies and Table of Contents on this site. Below is the Table of contents. The other materials will be posted in the next couple of days under the titles "replacing poor copies in Reader," and "articles to add to your reader" and print out to put in reader. Close to 1,000 pages it is my prayer that it will serve as a wonderful reference source throughout your college years and beyond.



APOLOGETICS

Worldview Scriptures Understanding the Times

Twenty Arguments for the Existence of God
The Problem of Evil
From the Handbook of Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreeft

The Resurrection of Jesus
From the book De Christo by William Lane Craig

Introduction - Evidence for Christianity
The Uniqueness of the Bible
How We Got the Bible
In the New Testament Historically Reliable?
In the Old Testament Historically Reliable?
Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled in Jesus Christ
Excerpts from the book Evidence for Christianity by Josh McDowell

How Can We Know the Bible is the Word of God? by Norman L. Geisler

Alleged Error in Bible
Excerpt from the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics Edited by Norman L. Geisler
Charts on Approaches to Reconciling Discrepancies in Scripture
Charts of Christian Theology edited and published by H. Wayne House

Is Jesus the Only Way to God? By Rick Rood
From the Compact Guide to World Religions Edited by Dean Halverson

Christ and Civilization
Thinking God’s Thoughts After Him
Healing the Sick
Inspiring the World’s Greatest Art
The Sins of the Church
A Cruel World
Excerpts from the book What if Jesus had Never Been Born? by D. James Kennedy

God is not Dead Yet by William Lane Craig
From Christianity Today, July 2008

The God of Gaps by David Berlinski
Critical Essay originally published in Commentary April 2008

Survival of the Fakest by Jonathan Wells
Article originally appeared in The American Spectator – December 2000 / January 2001




APOLOGETICS (Continued)

Remembering the Secular Age by Michael Novak
Critical Essay originally published in First Things July 2007

The Scientific Controversy Over the Cambrian Explosion
Article from Center for Science and Culture, Discovery Institute

Evolution vs. Naturalism by Alvin Plantinga
The Dawkins Confusion by Alvin Plantiga
New Athiests Are Not Great by Tony Snow
The Great Debate by Douglas Groothuis
Answering the Athiests by Stan Guthrie
Darwin’s Graveyards by Edward T. Oakes
What’s New? by Jonathan Wells
The Dick Staub Interview: William Dembski’s Revolution
The Dick Staub Interview: Ravi Zacharias’s Wonderful World
Article from www.christianitytoday.com

ISLAM and TERRORISM

Islam and the Crusades– Introduction
Why the Crusades Were Called
The Crusades: Myth and Reality
What the Crusades Accomplished, And What they Didn’t
What if the Crusades Had Never Happened?
The Jihad Continues
The Crusade We Must Fight Today
From The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) by Robert Spencer

Terrorists in Their Own Words by James Phillips and James Jay Carafano, Ph.D
Article from the Backgrounder, published by the Heritage Foundation

Why Iraq was Inevitable by Arther Herman

Hezbollah’s Terrorist Threat to the European Union by James Phillips
Iran’s Evil Game: Arms Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis by Peter Brooks
Iran Emboldened: Tehran Seeks to Dominate Middle East Politics by Peter Brooks
Iraq Five Years On: The Coalition is Winning the War Against Al-Qaeda by Nile Gardiner, Ph.D.
War is Expensive, But Defeat Costs More, by Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D.
Articles from the Heritage Foundation, www.heritage.org

The Holy War that Isn’t, Preface & Introduction
Selection from Jihad in the West by Paul Fregosi

A Biblical Perspective on War by John MacArthur, Jr.
Position Paper from www.biblebb.com

Are We Winning the War on Terror by Max Boot
Article from www.galegroup.com, originally published in Commentary July 2008

Europe’s Stark Options by Daniel Pipes
Article from www.danielpipes.org, originally published in National Interest March 2007

Why Victory in Iraq Matters by Pete Hegseth
Article from Vets for Freedom, Friday, August 15, 2008





COMMUNISM

Witness by Whittaker Chambers
Foreward in the Form of a Letter to my Children (What it means to be a Communist)

The Crimes of Communism by Stephane Courtois

Quote from Lenin, “With the clarity and brilliance of genius…”
V.I. Lenin, Selected Works Vol. II, Part 2, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow 1952
Page 542 and Page 544

Selections from the Manifesto of the Communist Party
Pages 20, 21, 66, 67, 96

Inside the Chinese Communist Mind
From Beating the Unbeatable Foe, by Dr. Fred Schwarz, pages 407-465
Prof. Bowers discussions with Mikhail Gorbachev and Prof. Bowers debate in China
With Mo Xiusong’s Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Congress

Cold Friday by Whittaker Chambers
The Direct Glance, pg. 67-88 (Danger of Materialism to us)

Professor’s notes regarding various statistics and quotations

POSTMODERNISM

From the Modern to the Postmodern
Excerpt from the book Postmodern Thought by Gene Edward Veith, Jr.

Some Instructive quotes by Postmodernists
Comprehensive Problems with Postmodernism
Problems with Postmodernism
Selections & Collection of Quotations by Prof. Clark Bowers






CULTURE AND GOVERNMENT

Quotes on the Importance of Truth and Values to the Maintenance of Civilizations
Compiled by Clark Bowers

Why Religion Matters Even More: Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability by Patrick Fagan
Faith and the American Founding: Illustrating Religion’s Influence by Michael Novak
What’s Great About America by Dinesh D’Souza
Independence Forever: Why America Celebrates the Fourth of July by Matthew Spalding, Ph.D.
Myths About American Religion by Robert Wuthnow, Ph.D.
Why America Is Such a Hard Sell: Beyond Pride and Prejudice by Juliana G. Pilon, Ph.D.
A Moral Case Against Big Government: How Government Shapes the Character, Vision, and Virtue of Citizens by Ryan Messmore
The Mythical “Wall of Separation”: by Daniel L. Dreisbach
A Moral Case Against Big Government by Ryan Messmore
Articles from the Heritage Foundation, www.heritage.org

The Decline of a Nation by Kerby Anderson
Article from Probe Ministries, 1991

Chomsky’s Universe by Arch Puddington
Article from Commentary, October 2004

(Understanding Slavery)
Conquests and Cultures - Excerpts from the book by Thomas Sowell
Race and Culture – Excerpts from the book by Thomas Sowell

Criteria for Christian Appreciation of the Arts by Lance Box
Article from www.leaderu.com from April 22, 2000

Art and the Christian by Jerry Solomon and Jimmy Williams

The End of Art by Roger Kimball
Article from First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life

Assessment: Music, Man and Society
Selections from the book, The Secret Power of Music













LITERATURE

Paradise Lost Excerpts from Book One by Milton
Dante’s Inferno – Selected excerpts
Soliloquy from “Hamlet” Poem by William Shakespeare
If Poem by Rudyard Kipling
The Spell of the Yukon Poem by Robert Service
Men that Don’t Fit In Poem by Robert Service
Crossing the Bar Poem by Alfred Tennyson
Stranger at the Gates - Book 17 of Homer: The Odyssey

Nineteen Eighty-Four
Selected pages from the book 1984 by George Orwell

The Theban Plays – Sophocles
Selected passages from King Oedipus, Oedipus at Colonus & Antigone

The Trial and Death of Socrates - Excerpts from the Four Dialogues by Plato

The Memorial from the Pascal’s Testimony
Man’s Natural Condition
Reason Can Begin Again by Recognizing What It Can Never Know
The Wager
The Corruption of Human Nature
Excerpts from the book Penses [which means thoughts} by Blaise Pascal

Plato, The Parable of the Caves
Viktor Frankl, Experiences in a Concentration Camp
Blaise Pascal, Diversion
Goethe, Faust
C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
Bertrand Russell, A Free Man’s Worship
Albert Camus, The Plague
C.S. Lewis, Some Thoughts
C.S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Friedrich Nietzsche, The Parable of the Madman
Charles Darwin, The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin
G.K. Chesterton, The Hag of the World
C.S. Lewis, What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ
The Gospel of Mark, A Man Through the Roof
Blaise Pascal, The Wager
The Apostle Paul, Saul Becomes Paul
Aldous L. Huxley, Ends and Means
Helmuth James von Moltke, Letters to Freya
Excerpts from the book, The Journey, A Time for Questions edited by Oz Guinness

The Encheiridion of Epictetus (a crippled slave in Rome)

The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan - Excerpts from Parts the First

Excerpt from the play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Excerpt from the play Waiting for Lefty by Clifford Odets

LITERATURE (continued)

Costly Grace – From The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Excerpt from the book Night by Elie Wiesel

Detachment from Gravity of Grace, by Simone Weil

Quotations by Edmund Burke

“Why has God created souls knowing they would sin…?” Alfred, Lord Tennyson
On the question of sin & suffering. Extract from a Letter, 1839 On In Memorium

The Sincere Convert - Sample page by Thomas Shepard, Founder of Harvard University

CHARTS, GRAPHS, and PUZZLES

Understanding the Times Worldview Chart
Prof. Bowers’ expanded Worldview Chart – 1995-2008
Timeline of Apologists and Notable Works – Twentieth Century
Timeline of Apologists and Notable Works – Nineteenth Century
Timeline of Apologists and Notable Works – Reformation/Renaissance/Enlightenment
Timeline of Apologists and Notable Works – Early Church / Patristic Era & Middle Ages

Guide to Interpretation of the Biblical Texts
Definitions of the Attributes of God
The Dimensions of the Imago Dei
Classic Arguments for the Existence of God
Evaluation of the Classic Arguments for the Existence of God
Charts of Christian Theology edited and published by H. Wayne House

Naturalism vs. Theism: Which Context Best Explains the Phenomena We Observe?

Which Resurrection Theory Best Fits the Facts?
The Problem of Miracles
Intelligent Design Theory
Tools of Philosophy
Laws of Logic and Objections
How Can Truth Be Known?
Two Models of Origins: Fiat Creation and Naturalistic Evolution
The Relationship between Creation Ex Nihilo and Evangelical Theology
Charts of Christian Evidences edited and published by H. Wayne House

Comparisons of World Religions
Seven Major Worldviews
Comparison of Foundational Religious Worldviews
Major World Religions in Order of Founding
Comparison of Beliefs Among Religions
Why We Think and Act the Way We Do in the World
The Postmodern Analytical Framework
World Religions
Worldview Chart
The Spectrum of Religions and Religious Beliefs
An Overview Comparison of Ethical Theism, Modernism, and Postmodernism
Imperial & Fuedal System – figure & explanation
Discussed Types of Adaptation
Types of Culture
Systems of Culture
The Problem of Defining Conservatism

The Four Great Truths
The Trilemma – Lord, Liar or Lunatic

Selected Important Old Testament Archaeological Finds
Selected Important New Testament Archaeological Finds


CHARTS, GRAPHS, and PUZZLES (continued)

The Person of Christ
Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled in Christ
Theories of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Charts of Christian Theology edited and published by H. Wayne House

Comparison of Foundational Religious Worldviews
Major World Religions in Order of Founding
Comparison of Beliefs Among Religions
Timeline of Christianity
Evil
Christianity
Comparison of Beliefs within Christianity
Christian Scriptures
Timeline of Islam
Islam
Comparison of Beliefs within Islam
Sunni Islam
Shi’ite Islam
Charts of Christian Evidences edited and published by H. Wayne House

Generations – Four Types of Generational Cycles

Answers to Supposed Discrepancies in Scripture

Puzzles
Woman in Vanity? Or Skull?
How many legs does this elephant have?
Horizontal Lines
Black Dot
Native American or Eskimo
Duck or Rabbit

All Future Home Work Will Be Handed Out in Class

All future homework will be handed out in class and not posted on this site.

Prof. Clark's First Worldview Test

Introduction Test

“Introduction to Worldviews” video questions
Fill in the blanks: (3 points possible per answer)

1. In Colossians 2:8, Paul warns the Colossians not to be taken captive by vain or deceptive philosophies.

2. In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Paul informs the Corinthians that Christians should demolish strongholds [or arguments or pretensions] set up against the knowledge of God.

3. In 2 Timothy 2:22-26, Paul instructs Timothy to teach the truth to others that have been taken captive. The hope is that they will be set free.


Short answer: (9 points possible per answer)
4. What is a worldview?



‘Introduction’ textbook questions
Short answer: (9 points possible per answer)

5. What are some fundamental questions a worldview answers?

6. How is a worldview like a pair of eyeglasses? How is a worldview like a tree?


Matching: (1 point possible per answer)
*some options may be used more than once or not at all; some questions may have multiple answers
a. Theology
b. Philosophy
c. Ethics
d. Biology
e. Psychology
f. Sociology
g. Law
h. Politics
i. Economics
j. History

7. “God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

8. “after their kind” (Genesis 1:21)

9. “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28)

10. “it shall be for food” (Genesis 1:29)

11. “man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7)

12. “knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9)

13. “enmity between you and the woman” (Genesis 3:15)

14. “I commanded you” (Genesis 3:11)

15. “Whoever sheds man's blood” (Genesis 9:6)

16. “Christ is lawgiver” (Genesis 49:10)
Playing with Fire Questions essay questions
True or False: (3 points possible per answer)
*if an answer is false, restate it to make it true

17. “What does a text mean to me?” is the key question when reading and interpreting the Bible.



18. The classical view of meaning is that a text is a mirror by which readers generate meaning.



19. Meanings are communicated through genres.



20. If God had not placed the words of Scripture within genres, we wouldn’t understand Scripture.



21. Biblical proverbs are instances of promises from God.



22. Bible verses were meant to be freestanding units of thought.



23. A Bible verse is simply a part of a paragraph and develops some aspect of the paragraph’s big idea.



24. Within its context, 1 Thessalonians 5:22 means to abstain from all appearances of evil.



25. We must know what biblical passages mean before we can apply their meaning to our lives.



26. We must know the Bible’s information before we can experience the Bible’s transformation.










“Ambassadors for Christ” video questions
Short answer: (9 points possible per answer)

27. What does it mean to be an ambassador for Christ?



Total Truth essay questions
True or false: (3 points possible per answer)
*if an answer is false, restate it to make it true

28. Politics tend to change culture.



29. The heart is for religion and the mind is used for science.



30. In modern society, the concept of truth is often divided into fact and value.



31. “Mohammad was God’s final prophet” is an example of a fact claim.



32. A worldview is like a mental map that tells us how to navigate the world effectively.

Home Work Sept. 9-16

Worldview Home Work for September 9-16

1. Read Total Truth Essay (SM pp. 26-32) and answer questions on a separate page to hand in

2. Read UTT textbook Theology 1.1-1.5 (UTT pp. 43-75)

3. Answer questions for 1.1-1.2 and 1.3-1.4 (SM 37-38) to hand in.

4. Watch Theology DVD.

Thanks again for being such a great class. I hope that by now everyone is catching up and that we are on the same page, so to speak. Remember you can always email me if you are having any difficulties. I usually reply no later than the next day.
profclarkbowers@gmail.com

4 New Riddles!!!

6 More Riddles

There is an Island whose only inhabitants are Knights, Knaves, and Normals. The Knights always tell the truth, The Knaves always lie, and The Normals can either lie or tell the truth. Also, on this Island Knaves are considered the lowest rank, Normals are middle rank and Knights are of highest rank.

Riddle 1: Given two inhabitants of this Island A,B, that make the following statements:
A: I am of lower rank than B.
B: That’s not true!

Q1:What are the ranks of A and B?
Q2: Are their statements true?

Riddle 2: Given three inhabitants of this Island A,B,C, one of whom is a knight, one a knave and one normal. A,B, make the following statements:
A: B is of higher rank than C.
B: C is of higher rank than A.
Q: When C is asked, “Who has a higher rank, A or B?” What does C answer?

Riddle 3: A man was looking at a portrait . Someone asked him, “Whose picture are you looking at?” He replied, “ Brothers and sisters have I none, but this man’s father is my father’s son.” Whose picture is the man looking at?

Riddle 4: A man is 100 yards due south of a bear. He walks 100 yards due east, then faces due north, fires his gun due north and hits the bear. What color is the bear? How many different places besides the North pole on earth would these instructions result in hitting the bear? Explain?

Riddle 5:
To help with last weeks riddles try this similar one:
A girl was looking at a photo and she said, "Brothers and sisters? I have one and this man's father is my fathers son." Who was in the photo?

6. SUPER ADVANCED BONUS RIDDLE (YOU MAY GET HELP FOM PARENTS OR TEACHERS WITH THIS ONE. IT CAN BE PERFECTLY SOLVED WITH ONLY THE EXACT INFO THAT I PROVIDE):
"A Cylindrical hole six inches long has been drilled straight through the center of a solid sphere. What is the volume remaining in the sphere."
This may be soved with calculus, with the forlmulas for solid spheres and cylidrical holes, or just by insightful deductive reasoning. All the information you need to sove it is included, feel free to ask your math teachers ;-)

Home Work Sept 2-9

Worldviews and Apologetics Home work for the week of 9-02-08

1. Answer the questions on page 21 of SM (Student Manuel) regarding last week’s DVD and turn it in next week.

2. Please read Playing with Fire Essay in SM.
Then on a separate page to be turned in answer the Essay Questions.

3. Write your first “Dear Doug” letter and turn it in next class.

4. Watch this weeks DVD “Ambassadors for Christ” and answer the questions in SM (pp.22-25) to be turned in next week.

As always, if you have any question you would like me to address in the next class or you have any suggestions at all, please feel free to email me ProfClarkBowers@Gmail.com Your emails will, of course, be kept confidentially.

Thanks for being such an engaging and interested class!