He earned his Ph.D. in philosophy at UCLA and has taught at SPU since 1986. Together, they explored Christian apologetics, the branch of theology or Christian thought that attempts to give an organized defense of the Christian faith. Layman first asked the freshmen to read relevant parts of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity and examine Lewis' argument for God's existence, as well as his critiques of such alternatives as dualism and pantheism. Finally, the class read and discussed selected portions of some of the best current apologetical works, published articles on the problem of evil by Peter van Inwagen and SPU Associate Professor of Philosophy Daniel Howard-Snyder, and key chapters from J.P. Moreland's Scaling the Secular City . In this essay for Response , Layman summarizes three possible views of the role of reason in defense of the Christian faith.
Christians believe many things.
Christians believe many things. For example, they believe that God exists, that God is wholly good, and that Jesus rose from the dead. Some shy away from giving reasons altogether. I do want to be able to defend my beliefs to others, but more than that I want the answer so that I can understand. Clearly, there is something less than intellectually honest about the willingness to use reason and logic only as long as they present no difficulties for faith.