Summer Reading List

I just finished another semester of my master's program in apologetics at Biola University. It was very rewarding, but it was also a long one!! While I am very blessed to be able to be a stay-at-home mom for our 4 and 15 year old boys, having a little one in the house is not so conducive to good study time! When I do go back to work one day, I will have to take juice breaks and stop to play Candy Land every four minutes. I no longer know any other way!! :)

Now that I am on summer break, I can finally catch up on my housework (ugh!), spend many days at the park with my 4 year old, and many evenings at the baseball field cheering for my favorite 2nd baseman - my 15 year old. I am also excited about getting back to learning to play my new electric guitar! But what I have been anticipating all semester long is having the time to read all the books I've been ordering the past few months. They have been sitting in my office (which now has a clean, cleared off desk for the first time since January!!) waiting patiently for my attention. So with that in mind, I thought I would suggest a few of them for your summer reading list.

These books are not easy reading. If you already have something lighter on your list, save it for bedtime reading when you're too exhausted to think, or for when you take the kids to the park and the other 100 screaming kids make it impossible to concentrate! Save the heavier reading for those times when you can curl up in the quiet without too many distractions.

The first book I can't wait to start is: Signature In the Cell:DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design by Stephen C Meyer.
This book has been making a big splash in the scientific world recently. Dr. Meyer received his Ph.D from the Univ. of Cambridge in the philosphy of science. He is a former geophysicist and college professor. He currently directs the Center for Science and Culture at the Discovery Institute in Seattle. He knows what he's talking about!! An interesting side note: In 2004 a biology journal at the Smithsonian Institution published Meyer's peer reviewed scientific article advancing intelligent design. A firestorm of media and scientific controversy was ignited because it advanced evidence against evolution. Hopefully, those who read his book will be more willing to follow the science wherever it leads instead of being so protective of their own agendas that scientific debate is not only unwelcome, but forcefully discouraged!

Endorsers of Meyer's book say, "A decisive case based upon breathtaking and cutting-edge science." (Dr. Philip S. Skell, member, National Academy of Sciences; Evan Pugh Professor Emeritus at Pennsylvania State University); and "This book is a landmark in the intelligent design debate and one which accurately draws together all relevant scientific research and information. It is elegantly written in a style that is accessible and laced with interesting historical and personal anecdotes. Signature in the Cell will pay rich dividends to everyone who turns its pages." (Dr. Norman C Nevin, professor emeritus in medical genetics, Queen's University, Belfast, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians

This book is 508 pages including Appendixes - but don't let that stop you! This is an important book in the intelligent design/evolution debate and those of us who believe in a Creator need to sharpen our knowledge in this area! (Other books on this subject for those interested are: The Creation Hypothesis by J.P. Moreland and Three Views on Creation and Evolution edited by J.P. Moreland, John Mark Reynolds, and Stanly N. Gundry. I hope to get through them all!!

Another book that I am excited about is The Cross of Christ by John R. W. Stott. This book was the 1988 winner of the ECPA Gold Medallion for Theology and Doctrine and has long been respected as "a work of outstanding value for...all who want to enlarge their understanding or to refresh their minds by focusing anew on what is at the heart of the Christian faith." (Robert Letham)

I'm excited to deepen my faith, love, and understanding in Jesus Christ with this valuable book!

If you're interested in life after death, a great book to check out is Beyond Death by Gary Habermas and J.P. Moreland. I've started this book and it is a great mix of science and real life experience. The authors discuss and give riveting examples of near death experiences. They also talk about the soul, what it is, and how it relates to our physical bodies. And much more! You will learn a lot from this book and like the others, it is really important to know this stuff! (Another book to read on the soul/body is Body & Soul: Human Nature & the Crisis in Ethics by J.P. Moreland and Scott Rae.)

If you want to read something on apologetics and techniques, pick up Relativism: Feet Planted Firmly in Mid-Air by Apologists Greg Koukl and Francis J. Beckwith. This is a lighter and quicker read than the others and has much to offer on combating the relativism that is so prevalent in our culture.

O.K. ~ That should get you started! :) A lot of great work has been done by these authors and we should definitely take advantage of it! So grab a deck chair or a sunny window and start reading...and learning!! Enjoy!

A Great New Apologetic Blog

I've added a new blog to the blogs I follow (you can find them on the right hand side of the page) that will be great for anyone interested in apologetics to keep up with. The blogger is one of my professors in the MA Christian Apologetics program at Biola University - Dr. Clay Jones.

I think you will find Dr. Jones thought provoking and very interesting! I continue to learn a LOT from him and his classes. So check it out soon and go back often!

A Great Sermon With Apologetic Lessons

If you haven't been checking out Lincoln Berean's sermon series called "Which Church Has it Right?" now is a great time to start, especially for those of us who love apologetics! This week's sermon had A LOT to say about truth, relativism, absolutism, and tolerance. As I've said on this blog and as I'm sure you've heard in other places, more than 50% of high school graduates will walk away from their faith in college. This is partly due to the pressure to leave the "unenlightened, unintelligent, archaic faith" that their parents taught them and instead embrace the "intelligent worldview" of relativism. Pastor Bryan Clark made the point in his sermon that relativism is NOT new, progressive, enlightened, or intelligent. In fact, it is higly unintelligent, lacking in integrity, and full of contradictions. Relativism refutes itself at many, many points.

So take some time and listen to this week's message, and if you haven't already, listen to the rest of the series as well. (You can find the links on the right hand side of this page under "Lincoln Berean Church Sermons.) It is a great series and I promise it will give you a lot to think about!

(And check back soon for more on the problems of evil!)