
A Newsletter Published for Members of
The International Society of Christian Apologetics
Donald T. Williams, PhD, Editor
Vol. 1, no. 1
September, 2014
WHO’S TO SAY?
"Who's to say?" is a question I hear a lot from the lips of the young. It is the verbal
equivalent of a shrugged shoulder. It is supposed to allow its users to adopt a pose of epistemic
humility while allowing them to abort any conversation that threatens to take them to an
uncomfortable place. The question is generally assumed to be unanswerable. One is expected to
shrug one’s shoulders in return and repeat the liturgical phrase in confirmation: “Who’s to
say?” Who, indeed? World without end, amen.
I do not give the expected non-response.
I am to say! I am to say, not because I have any special authority in myself, but because I
propose to give you good and sufficient reasons for why what I am about to say is true. If you
find them good and sufficient too, you should accept them, whether the conclusion to which
they lead makes you comfortable or not. If you don't, you should reject them. Either way, now,
you are to say.
We are to say. And God holds us accountable for what we say. He has spoken first, in
Nature and even more definitively in Scripture, so that we should be able to speak in turn. He
has spoken first—indeed, His ultimate act of self-giving is called by St. John “The Word”—so
that we should ourselves have something worth saying. He has spoken first, in creation and
redemption, so that we should be able to say it. Thus we are accountable to say things that are
in accordance with His Word, consistent with reality, and conducive to edification. We are
accountable to look the evidence in the eye, ignore the siren songs of popularity and political
correctness, and speak the truth in love. We are to say. If this be a burden, it is one that gives
meaning to our existence. It is inescapable.
We are to say, you and I. And there are things so worth saying that we should be
willing to write them with our life’s blood. We had best be about it. The verbal shrug is not
only a conversation stopper; it is a lazy and cowardly evasion of responsibility.
So say I.
Donald T. Williams, PhD
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Press, 2014); “Used Monks,” Touchstone: A
Journal of Mere Christianity 27:3 (May/June
2014): 4; “A Father’s Way,” Touchstone: A
Journal of Mere Christianity 27:3 (May/June
2014): 5; “Extra Incredible,” Touchstone: A
Journal of Mere Christianity 27:5 (Sept.-Oct.
2014): 6.
FORTHCOMING ISCA
PUBLICATIONS
Don Williams, “Coming Home: The
Influence of Chesterton’s The Everlasting Man
on C. S. Lewis,” in The Ten Books that Most
Influenced C. S. Lewis (proceedings of the
conference of the same name), 2015; “Text vs.
Word: C. S. Lewis’s Doctrine of Inspiration and
the Inerrancy of Scripture,” chp. in festschrift for
Norm Geisler, 2015; “The ‘Trilemma’: Pro,” in
C. S. Lewis’s Defense of Christianity: For and
Against, ed. Gregory Bassham (Amsterdam:
Rodolpi, 2015); “C. S. Lewis and the
Ontological Argument,” Touchstone: a Journal
of Mere Christianity, 2014?
PAPERS
PRESENTED
Harvey Solganick, “C.S. Lewis: The
Man and his Works.” University of North
Carolina,
Wilmington,
North
Carolina.
Sponsored by Fellowship of Christian Athletes
and Campus Crusades. January 25, 2014; “C.S.
Lewis and His Apologetics.” Apologetics
Conference. Southwestern Seminary, Fort
Worth, Texas, April 25, 2014.
Don Williams “Discerning the Times:
Why We Lost the Culture War and How to
Make a Comeback,” and “C. S. Lewis and the
Ontological Argument,” at the annual meeting of
the International Society of Christian
Apologetics in Denver, April 4-5, 2014;
“Cartographer of the Divine: C. S. Lewis as
Doctor Ecclesiae,” at the Francis W. Ewbank
Colloquium on C. S. Lewis and Friends at
Taylor University, Upland, IN, May 29-June 1,
2014; “Text vs. Word: C. S. Lewis’s Doctrine
of Inspiration and the Inerrancy of Scripture,” at
Mythcon, the annual meeting of the Mythopoeic
Society (for the study of the works of J. R. R.
Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Charles Williams in
particular, and fantasy literature in general),
Aug. 9, 2014.
RECENT ISCA
PUBLICATIONS
Steven Garofolo, Right for You but Not
for Me: A Response to Moral Relativism.
Charlotte: Triedstone, 2013.
Cliff
McManis,
Biblical
Apologetics:
Advancing and Defending the Gospel of Christ,
foreword by Dr. John MacArthur, 2013.
McManis is professor of Apologetics at
The Cornerstone Seminary in Vallejo, CA. The
Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) just translated
the 500 page work into Russian to distribute it at
no cost to Russian-speaking pastors and church
workers around the world. SGA needs to raise
$13,000 for the project—please pray that God
would bless their efforts. For more info, see:
www.mcmanisapologetics.com.
Harvey
Solganick,
Creating
Constructive Consciousness: Critical Thinking
for the Christian. Arlington: London Press,
2014.
Don Williams, “Risen Indeed!”
Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity
267:2 (March/April 2014): 6; “What Isaiah and
David Saw,” Touchstone: A Journal of Mere
Christianity 267:2 (March/April 2014): 6; “Why
Evangelicals Can’t Write, and How Flannery
O’Connor Can Help Us Learn Better” (chp.,
reprint) in How Evangelicals Can Write Better,
and Why I No Longer Publish “Christian
Fiction,” by Chila Woychik (N.P.: Port Yonder
PREACHING AND OTHER
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Kathryn V. Camp will be presenting at
two conferences this October. These are her first
national conference appearances, and she would
greatly appreciate your prayers. She will speak
on October 10, 2014, at the National Apologetic
Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, on “A
Christian Response to Sexual Diversity.” Then
on October 25, 2014, she will be participating in
an online women’s apologetic conference in
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connection with the Christian Apologetics
Alliance. For a link to that event, go to
http://onlineapologeticsconference.com.
Don Williams preached at University
Church, Athens, Ga., on Sunday morning, May
25, on Sunday morning, July 27, 2014, and on
Sunday morning, August 31. To hear those
sermons, navigate in your browser to
www.theuniversitychurch.org. He also preached
at house churches in Bhubaneshwar, India, on
Sunday, June 8, and Bhawanipatna, India, on
Sunday, June15, 2014, and at a “Mere Christian
Worship Service” for the attendees of Mythcon
on Sunday, August 10, 2014.
from a variety of fields engaged in the task of
apologetics.” The next meeting will be held at
Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte,
NC, April 10-11, 2015, on the theme of
“Evangelical Identity and the Word of God.” To
join, visit the website, http://www.iscaapologetics.org/.
BOOK REVIEW
C. Stephen Evans, Natural Signs and Knowledge
of God. New York: Oxford University Press,
2012. 39.95 PB; 96.00 HB. 220pp.
This is the most important book in the
philosophy of religion I have read in ten years.
Evans argues something I have never seen
argued before. He says that all theistic
arguments are framed on the basis of four
“natural signs” that are simply experienced:
“cosmic wonder,” “purposive order,” “moral
obligation,” and “human worth/dignity.” Evans
argues that these are powerful human
experiences that form the basis for cosmological
arguments (cosmic wonder), teleological
arguments (purposive order), and moral
arguments (moral obligation/human dignity).
Evans puts these “signs” under
Pascalian constraints: They are both “widely
accessible” and “easily resistible.” All are
merely “pointers” to the existence of God; they
do not convey enough information to lead
individuals to errorless conclusions (or
arguments) about God and his nature. In fact,
they can be easily resisted, which is why an
atheist may deny the existence of God while
affirming moral obligations and human worth.
Theistic arguments, then, are attempts to give
rational form to the experience of the natural
signs, but there is no philosophical argument
that simply expresses the experience of the sign.
As signs, they are subject to better and worse
interpretations, which also explains the many
different types of theistic arguments being made
on the basis of the signs.
Evans assumes with Pascal that natural
signs must be widely accessible but are often
embraced or resisted apart from any specific
philosophical sophistication or background. This
is a great book for anyone who thinks that belief
in God is based primarily on intuitions of God’s
“THINK IT THROUGH”
CONFERENCES COMING
Trevor Ray Slone, secretary of ISCA,
has recently started a company called Intelligent
Interactions LLC which seeks to encourage and
enhance interactions between people and with
regard to various ideas and issues.
His
company,
along
with
ISCA
and
FrancisSchaefferStudies.org, is sponsoring an
apologetics conference tour named after
Trevor’s radio show, “Think it Through.” The
first conference of the tour will be on October
17, 2014 in Manhattan, KS and will include
speakers such as Slone, Dr. Winfried Corduan,
ISCA treasurer Dan Guinn, and others. Trevor
is also planning on taking the conference tour to
cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, Fort Worth,
Houston, Denver, Atlanta, Raleigh, Kansas City
and possibly other places as well. So be on the
look-out for a “Think it Through” apologetics
conference tour near you!
TOCCOA FALLS COLLEGE PROF
TO LEAD APOLOGISTS
Don Williams was elected president of
the International Society of Christian
Apologetics at its annual meeting in Denver,
April 4-5. According to the organization’s
website, “The ISCA fulfills a long-felt need to
have an academically-oriented society that
brings together conservative Christian scholars
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existence grounded in such experiences. The
experiences are the ground of all the arguments
that proceed from them—the good, the bad, and
the best. This book thus explains why theistic
reasoning remains alive and well despite the
modern bias against it from atheists and from
theists who just don’t like the traditional
formulations of the arguments. It also explains
people like Plantinga, who continue to examine
various forms of theistic argument but at the
same time don’t take any of them that seriously.
Plantinga is more focused on the experiences
that led him to believe in God than in any
specific arguments that may warrant it. To him,
the arguments are okay if they are helpful, but
you really don’t need them since belief in God is
“basic” due to the widely accessible experience
of the natural signs.
This is then a liberating book that points
the way—I think—to a gentler approach to
theistic argumentation based on very common
religious experiences.
Max H. Sotak
Craig's On Guard. This summer the chapter
staged a series of three mock debates. In these
debates, a group member who converted to
Christianity
from
some
other
belief
system represents that system, giving what they
feel are the best arguments in favor of it. Kirk
then refutes these arguments and defends the
truth of Christianity. These 90-minute debates
feature opening statements, rebuttals, and
closing statements, followed by questions from
the audience to each debater.
The first debate took place on June 2 on
the topic "Atheism (Dr. Ross Hauser) v.
Christianity." The second was July 14 on "Islam
(Rev. Hicham Chehab) v. Christianity." The
third was August 11 on "The New Age
Movement (Charles Smith) v. Christianity."
During 2014-15, the group will cover many of
the major loci of systematic theology from a
biblical and philosophical perspective.
INTERVIEWS
Harvey Solganick, Radio Interview:
“C.S. Lewis and Christianity.” The Dove 89.7
F.M., Wilmington, North Carolina. January 25,
2014; Radio Interview: “C.S. Lewis and
Christianity.”
Life 90.5 F.M., Wilmington,
North Carolina. January 25, 2014
OTHER
MINISTRIES
Don Williams presented a training
seminar for thirty pastors and church planters in
Bhawanipatna, Orissa, India, June 9-14, 2014,
under the auspices of Church Planting,
International of the U.S. and Reformed Gospel
Fellowship of Orissa.
Topics included
hermeneutics, methods of Bible study and
sermon preparation, and Christian leadership.
For a full report on the mission, go to
https://lanternhollow.wordpress.com/2014/08/04
/hermeneutics-in-bhawanipatna/
ISCA PRESIDENT
INTERVIEWED
ISCA President Don Williams was
interviewed by apologist Nick Peters on the
“Deeper Waters Podcast” on Saturday, June 28.
He was interviewed by Kerby Anderson on the
syndicated Christian talk radio program “Point
of View” on Monday, July 1. Here are links to
the “Point of View” interview:
Video:
http://youtu.be/pnsKMn9x0d0 (scroll to 1:13:00)
Audio: http://podcast.ncfr.net/?p=5260 (scroll to
58:00). To stream or download the “Deeper
Waters” podcast with Nick Peters, go to
http://www.weebly.com/uploads/5/6/8/1/568121
7/donaldwilliams.mp3
REASONABLE FAITH
PRESENTS DEBATES
Dr. Kirk MacGregor directs the
Chicago Chapter of Reasonable Faith, which
is celebrating its first birthday! During the
2013-14 academic year, the group (averaging
around 15 people) met weekly and thoroughly
discussed the issues covered in William Lane
Soli Deo Gloria!
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ISCA CONFERENCE TO
EXAMINE ROLE OF
SCRIPTURE IN EVANGELICAL
IDENTITY
The annual meeting of the
preceding testimonies and resonates with
students more than anything else in the class.
Why? The one thing that students invariably
enter the class assuming is that morality is
reducible to mere preference claims, like
choosing between flavors of ice cream. With the
Moral Argument, students clearly see—
interestingly, with little to no help on my part—
that objective moral values and duties require the
existence of God. They don’t like this
conclusion and they argue tooth-and-nail against
it, which inevitably leads to a discussion of the
position that ethics or morality is nothing more
than the socio-biological outworking of
naturalistic evolution. When they see what this
entails (e.g., the fact that rape is socially
unacceptable says nothing about whether or not
it’s really wrong), they are forced to wrestle with
the Moral Argument and, more importantly, the
God in whose existence such values and duties
are hinged.
W. B. Wethington
ESSAY: WHY I PRAISE GOD
FOR PHILOSOPHY
ESSAY: WHEN NOT TO
SHARE YOUR FAITH
In teaching an introduction to
philosophy class at California Lutheran
University, I’ve been encouraged by two
unexpected developments. I hope they will be an
encouragement to you also and that you will find
yourself, as I did, praising God for philosophy.
First is the testimony of students on
opposite sides of the worldview spectrum, from
Christian theists to atheists. In accord with
Ronald Nash’s Introduction to Philosophy
textbook, I introduce students to philosophy via
worldviews. Not only do we discuss the three
traditional foci of philosophy—Metaphysics,
Epistemology, and Ethics—but God and
Anthropology also. Consequently, roughly two
weeks are spent on the Arguments for God’s
Existence (Cosmological, Moral, etc.) and the
Mind/Body Problem. Every semester, often at
the end, I hear the same encouraging words:
From Christian theists that their faith has been
strengthened and from atheists that either their
worldview has been seriously challenged or they
are now agnostics.
Second is the success of Moral
Argument for God’s Existence. This argument
often serves as the primary reason for the
I was in Bucharest, Romania, for an
Apologetics Conference when I stopped to ask
directions of a sales lady. She noticed my
American accent and held me there trying to sell
me a fingernail polisher. Fingernail polisher! I
neither wanted nor needed it. But she kept
insisting. It took a great deal of composure to
walk away with a “no-thank-you” smile.
Sharing our faith may seem like that to
some people, who either are not interested, or
have not yet been brought spiritually to a place
in their lives where they realize the finality of
life and the depth of their own sin.
So what are three situations to avoid in
sharing your faith?
First, when arguing (in the technical
philosophical sense) about religion, don’t do so
with people who are not ready or will take you
for a tail spin! Religious people (or
ideologically driven atheists) are notorious for
misusing logic in justification of their views.
Second, give a reason for the hope
within in you, but only to those that ask. Do the
Scriptures command Christians to “always be
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prepared to give an answer to anyone”? “In
your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy,
always being prepared to make a defense to
anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope
that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and
respect” (1 Pet. 3:15). It says to always be
prepared to give a reason to “those who ask
you.” If people are not asking, looking, or do
not have a spirit of humility or are genuinely
seeking the truth, it is generally a waste of time
to give it to them. George MacDonald wrote:
“To give truth to him who loves it not, is to only
give him more multiplied reasons for
misinterpretations.” It is throwing pearls before
swine. They will at the least dismiss or ignore
the truth, or at worst, trample it and attack you.
Third, don’t fall for “sincerely worded”
questions that you suspect are coming from
dubious motives. We should learn from the Lord
Jesus at his trials (Luke 23:6-9, etc.). Jesus
made no answer to Herod. Remember, it was
Herod who loved to hear John the Baptist preach
(Mark 6:20), yet it was he who beheaded John.
Jesus did not answer Herod’s questions. But he
did answer Pilate’s questions (John 18:33-388).
Why? It seems one had an open heart, and the
other did not. One was seeking; the other was
not.
So, what do you think? Are there good
reasons not to share your religion or faith to
certain people at certain times?
Khaldoun Sweiss
Logicallyfaithful.com
Norman Geisler was the keynote speaker for
this conference. More information is available
at sbtexas.com/ccc. A promotional video is
available at https://vimeo.com/97740989.
BOOK REVIEW
Winfried Corduan, Neighboring Faiths.
Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2012. 496
pages. Hardcover, $28.51.
Watching the evening news requires a
stout heart as well as an understanding of world
religions. A book which explains not only
world religions but how to reach their adherents
for Christ is difficult to find. The updated
edition of Neighboring Faiths by Winfried
Corduan is such a book. Corduan is Professor
Emeritus of Philosophy and Religion at Taylor
University, Upland, IN, and an ISCA member.
He evaluates every religion from the evangelical
position with a gracious and gentle spirit.
The first chapter evaluates the various
theories of the origins of religion, including the
concept of original monotheism. The next
section (chapters two to six) looks at the
monotheistic religions of Judaism, Islam, Baha’I
and Zoroastrianism. Chapter seven looks at a
magic and ritual religion, the African Traditional
Religions (ATR). Chapter eight dispels the
typical stereotypes people have regarding the
Native American Indian religions. The next
section deals with Hinduism, Buddhism,
Jainism, and Sikhism, (chapters nine to twelve).
The final section covers other Asian religions,
such as Chinese popular religion, Shinto, and
other Japanese religions (chapters thirteen and
fourteen).
The positives of this book are many. It
presents an expert analysis of world religions.
The cultural aspects of each religion are
examined using a template of the “Rites of
Passage” (birth, adolescence, marriage and
“The
great difficulty is to get modern
audiences to realize that you are preaching
Christianity solely because you happen to
think it true. They always suppose you are
preaching it because you think it good for
society or something of that sort. “
C. S. Lewis, “Christian Apologetics”
EQUIP CONFERENCE
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death). Each chapter ends with the “So you
meet a Hindu/Buddhist (religion of the chapter)
person…” In this section, Corduan shares how
to engage people of different religions without
being offensive. There are discussion questions
at the end of each chapter, which can be used for
assignments or class discussions.
As a professor of apologetics and world
religions in a Christian university, I have used
Neighboring Faiths for many years. For the
professor, teacher, pastor and Sunday
School/small group teacher, this updated edition
is a joy to use. To encounter someone from a
different world religion does not necessitate a
plane trip anymore. Many people who hold to
various world religions now live in our
neighborhoods, go to school with us, and work
with us. To understand their religion, and to
show proper respect while sharing Jesus Christ
with them, one can find no better guide than this
book.
Randy Douglass
The Executive Council of the International Society of Christian Apologetics includes Donald
T. Williams, President; Kerby Anderson, Acting Vice President; Dan Guinn, Treasurer;
Trevor Slone, Secretary; Phil Fernandez, At Large; Tim Adkisson, Webmaster; Bill Roach,
Journal Editor; Norm Geisler and Win Corduan, Past Presidents.
   
 is a newsletter published bimonthly for the members of the International Society of Christian
Apologetics, Donald T. Williams, PhD, editor. Please send news of publications recent or forthcoming,
papers, debates, etc. presented, preaching or other ministries, etc., to the editor (Microsoft Word, Times New
Roman, 11 pt., single-spaced) at dtw@tfc.edu. Short news articles, essays, or book reviews (400 words) on
issues relevant to our fellow apologists are also welcomed. The deadline for submissions to the next issue is
November 1, 2014.
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