63 Guest author David Beck discusses his new book "Does God Exist?" [Part 2]

On part two of Daniel Ray's discussion with Dr. W. David Beck, we look into the history of moral arguments for God’s existence and how skeptics and non-believers have traditionally responded. We also give you some practical advice as to how to apply this rich philosophical tradition to your own life and witness in dialogue with skeptics who are familiar with these arguments.

Moral Arguments for God: Perhaps you have heard it said from your skeptic and non-believing friends and family members that we can be “good without God.” Maybe you’ve also heard Christians say “Atheists can’t be good without God!” 

Sometimes that sort of back-and-forth misses a crucial point. The Bible says plainly that we have all, believers and unbelievers, fallen short of the glory of God. It is not that Christians are moral and atheists are immoral, but rather it is a question of the origin and foundation of our moral nature. 

• What is the foundational justification for our sense of right and wrong?


• Is it just feelings, emotions, and desires hard-wired into our genetics or particular in-group, passed along to us from our ancestors?


• Or do right and wrong emanate from a transcendent source, traditionally understood by Abrahamic faiths as God? 

 

These questions have been debated ever since the dawn of time and our existence on the planet. There is a long-standing tradition of philosophical defenses for the existence of God, known as moral arguments. Through appealing to man’s intellectual and reasoning capacities, moral arguments rely upon logic, reason, and philosophical thought, not in opposition to the revealed truth of Scripture, but as a complementary help meet, demonstrating that it is logical and reasonable to conclude, from the existence of our moral natures, that God exists.

FREE BOOK FOR 5 PODCAST LISTENERS!

The first five listeners who contact Daniel Ray by email will receive a free copy of Dr. Beck’s latest book, Does God Exist? A History of Answers to the Question courtesy InterVarsity Press. Daniel’s office email is [email protected].

If you are unable to get a free copy of Dr. Beck’s latest book, you can find it on Amazon: http://bit.ly/WDavidBeck.  

Related Profiles

Watchman Fellowship has published several Profiles related with this week's topic on the existance of God:

• Profile on Atheism, Watchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile: www.watchman.org/Atheism

• Profile on Agnosticism, Watchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile: www.watchman.org/Agnostic

• Profile on Richard Dawkins, Watchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile: www.watchman.org/Dawkins

W. David Beck (PhD, Boston University) is emeritus professor of philosophy at Liberty University. He is author of Does God Exist? A History of Answers to the Question and is the coeditor of Raised on the Third Day: Defending the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus. His written work has also appeared in publications including Philosophia Christi, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, and Christianity Today. Visit Dr. Beck's author's page here: http://bit.ly/WDavidBeck.

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