Convincing Proof

Greg Welty recently wrote a book on Alvin Plantinga in the "Great Thinkers" series. Alvin Plantinga is a renowned Christian philosopher whom you should be familiar with. He was at the forefront of a Christian renaissance in academic philosophy in the latter half of the 20th century. Welty's book is a great short introduction to Plantinga's work. One place where Adam disagrees with Plantinga is on the idea of "Reformed Epistemology." Some descriptions of Reformed Epistemology seem to look down too much on human reason. While we certainly don't want to downplay or dismiss the vital work of the Holy Spirit, we don't want to settle for basing everything on feelings or intuitions either. In his book Warranted Christian Belief, Plantinga seems to dismiss the idea that philosophy can be useful in determining if Christianity is true, and Adam thinks he is incorrect to do that.

The moral argument for God’s existence says God is the best explanation for the fact that there are objective moral truths. Objective morality means that there are moral truths that exist beyond anybody’s own individual preferences, beliefs, or opinions. Objective morality seems self-evident; we intuitively know that some things are right and others are wrong. So, what’s the best explanation for morality? Where does it come from? Some atheist philosophers like Erik Wielenberg argue that even though morality is objective, it doesn’t need a personal source like God. However, morality is very personal, and so it would make sense that morality comes from a personal source; thus, it is proposed that God, existing as a trinity in loving relationships, provides the best explanation for the existence of objective morality. To go deeper with the subject of morality and where it comes from, check out Adam's five-part course on that here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTEkXbr4qlVNf0CV9uraiQuhhW1zmI8lM To watch Adam's debate with Erik Wielenberg, you can find that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg2WK-IIrd8 Links to Adam's other debates about morality will be posted here when they become available in mid-2024. Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you! 0:00 Basic Form of the Moral Argument 4:16 Subjective vs. Objective Truths 14:08 Responding to Arguments for Subjective Morality 26:00 What We Are and Aren't Saying 32:34 What Attributes Would the Source of Morality Have? 38:29 Does Morality Have a Transcendent Source? 44:00 Atheists Who Believe in Objective Morality 50:05 Divine Love Theory of Morality

Some people might say that evolution is proof that God doesn't exist and that Christianity isn't true. Evolution is the idea that natural selection acting on random genetic mutations can explain all the diversity of life. We know that natural selection does happen since it has been observed taking place, but how powerful is this process? Can natural selection produce new types of organisms? One scientist, Michael Behe, argues that natural selection is not powerful enough to produce new species. Based on studying things like fruit flies and malaria interacting with sickle-cell anemia, Behe says that there seems to be a limit to what natural selection can produce. If this is true, then it indicates that evolution, on a large scale, is false. If evolution is false, then certainly it can’t prove that there is no God. However, even if evolution is true, it still doesn’t prove that there is no God or that Christianity isn't true. Large-scale evolution still can’t explain the origin of life in the first place, and in addition, there are many other good arguments for God’s existence that aren’t related to evolution at all. Adam's two-part article on the question of evolution and Christianity can be found here: Part 1: What if Evolution Is False? - https://convincingproof.org/does-evolution-prove-that-christianity-is-false-part-1/ Part 2: What if Evolution Is True? - https://convincingproof.org/does-evolution-prove-that-christianity-is-false-part-2/ Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you! 0:00 Does Evolution Prove There Is No God? 3:24 Do We Actually Understand Evolution? 16:15 Is Evolution Powerful Enough to Create New Organisms? 23:32 Genetic Mutations Are Essential for Evolution 27:17 Behe's Irreducible Complexity Argument 36:20 Behe's Edge of Evolution Argument 46:28 Does Imagination Count as Science? 51:52 What if Evolution Is True? 56:17 Would That Make Christianity False?

The first-cause argument for God’s existence, often called the “cosmological argument,” says that God exists because the universe had a beginning. If the universe had a beginning, then the universe needs a first cause. In fact, there have been many first-cause arguments made by philosophers in different cultures, such as Aristotle’s unmoved mover. Based on the evidence from modern scientific discoveries, such as Einstein's general theory of relativity and Hubble's red-shift observation, scientists agree that the universe did have a beginning. Since the universe began to exist, then the universe must have a cause. But what is this cause? From the first-cause argument, we can infer that this cause is God. To watch the talk about the relationship between faith and reason mentioned around 1:55, click here: https://rumble.com/v4d1qy8-are-faith-and-reason-enemies.html To learn more about the lawsuit Adam mentioned around 32:00, you can watch this press conference: https://rumble.com/v2867vk-adam-lloyd-johnson-speaks-at-religious-freedom-press-conference-with-govern.html Click here https://linktr.ee/convincingproof/ for articles, podcasts, and other resources from Convincing Proof that give good reasons and evidence to believe that Christianity is true. You can find resources on apologetics, theology, philosophy, ethics, and more. You can order a copy of my book, "Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality," from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Love-Theory-Foundation-Morality/dp/0825447577/. Like nearly all ministries, including Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3), Convincing Proof is funded by a large team of people, most of whom are investing a small amount on a monthly basis. If God leads, you can donate to Convincing Proof Ministries by visiting this link: https://convincingproof.org/donate/. Thank you! 0:00 Why Even Study Reasons and Evidence for Faith? 6:41 What is Apologetics? 14:55 Three Steps in My Apologetic Method 18:26 History of the First-Cause Argument for God 26:50 Modern Scholars Who Defend the First-Cause Argument 34:51 Defending the Premises of the First-Cause Argument 42:58 Evidence that the Universe Had a Beginning 49:19 The Big Bang Theory 54:12 How Does This Point to God?

The design argument for God’s existence argues that God exists because things like the universe, earth, and life look like they have been designed. Through observation, we can see that every design has a designer, but how do we detect design? When something is both complex (it has multiple parts) and specified (the parts are not randomly arranged), it can be said to be designed. One way we notice design in the universe is by the fine tuning of its physical constants. We also notice design in the way that the earth is very specifically situated in our galaxy and solar system to allow life to exist. Finally, we notice design in the way life contains information in DNA. All of this evidence of design points to the existence of a designer, an intelligent supreme being like God.