Last week I moderated a debate on morality and God between my main man from Dundee, Christian apologist Andy Bannister and atheist philosopher Howard Nye. I disagreed with Andy’s attempt to argue a necessary link between atheism and nihilism. I also don’t agree with his claim that objective ethics requires theism. That said, he was […]
Andy Bannister
What are Human Rights Based On? A Response to Andy Bannister
A couple weeks ago “Unbelievable” featured a debate/dialogue on human rights between Christian apologist Andy Bannister and humanist/atheist Peter Tatchell. The show begins with a short video from Andy and so in providing my critical response that is where I’ll begin as well: Andy is an articulate and engaging speaker. But I disagree with his […]
Christian apologists need to lead by example and stop caricaturing their opponents
Let’s begin with a tweet from Christian apologist Andy Bannister: Andy’s a great guy and I very much enjoyed meeting him this past spring and doing several interviews/events with him (including our Islam discussion on Bold Cup of Coffee, my interview on Bold Cup with Andy on his book, his debate/dialogue on Islam that I […]
Andy Bannister on God, Human Beings, and Intrinsic Value
This evening Andy Bannister posted another strikingly bold assertion about the connection between theism and value: On a first pass, this tweet appears to me to be obviously false. For two statements to be contradictory, one must make an assertion that is directly inconsistent with the other such that they could not simultaneously be true. For […]
Humanism, Christianity, and Human Dignity
Yesterday my friend Andy Bannister tweeted the following: If tweets are meant to be stimuli for further reflection, this one certainly qualifies. At first I thought Andy was saying Christianity is the only worldview that can provide an adequate account of value and dignity. But that can’t be right since Judaism shares with Christianity an appeal […]
The Apologist Who Wrote About the Atheist Who Didn’t Exist: My Interview with Andy Bannister
Here is my new guest interview at Bold Cup of Coffee speaking with Christian apologist Andy Bannister about his popular 2015 book The Atheist Who Didn’t Exist: Or the Dreadful Consequences of Bad Arguments.
An Evening of Christianity and Islam in Dialogue
Here is the Taylor Seminary / Wahl Centre Crucial Conversations Dialogue that I moderated in April between Christian apologist Andy Bannister and Muslim Imam Sherif Ayoup. It’s a fascinating exchange with two very intelligent and articulate individuals:
93. Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? A conversation with Andy Bannister
In December 2015, Wheaton College Professor Larycia Hawkins expressed her support for Muslim Americans in a Facebook post. She wrote: “I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.” The impact of Professor Hawkins’ […]
Christianity and Islam: A Bold Cup Conversation
Islam is the second largest religion on earth. And these days it is the religion most likely to occupy the headlines. From ISIS and Al-Qaeda to burqas and immigration bans, some worry about a clash of civilizations. But Islam is not simply a religion of political and cultural controversy. It is also increasingly the religion of […]
91. Andy Bannister on Atheism, Morality, and the Meaning of Life
In his famous essay “A Free Man’s Worship,” Bertrand Russell describes the plight of our species in a godless universe with a haunting eloquence that ranks among the most memorable passages of twentieth century philosophy. As Russell puts it, man’s “origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome […]
A busy weekend of dialogue on Islam and atheism
On Friday night I had the privilege of serving as the moderator in the second installment in the Taylor Seminary/Wahl Centre “Crucial Conversations” series. (The first installment was my dialogue with atheist Justin Schieber which you can watch here.) This time the dialogue featured Christian apologist Andy Bannister and local Muslim Imam Sherif Ayoup discussing the […]
Islam and Christianity in Dialogue
In two weeks (April 8th) Taylor Seminary in Edmonton will be hosting an evening of dialogue between Christian apologist Andy Bannister and Muslim Imam Sherif Ayoup. (And I’ll be moderating!) In an age of increased fear, misunderstanding, and polarization, dialogue is more important than ever, so I’m delighted to be participating in this event. The time for building […]
Is Life Meaningless without God? A Look at Andy Bannister’s Arguments
Andy Bannister is the director and top apologist of RZIM Canada and author of The Atheist Who Didn’t Exist. In the following 3 minute video (part of a lengthy series of similar videos) he argues that life is meaningless without God. So what should we say about Andy’s argument? To begin with, Andy opens with […]
Human value revisited: Could divine attachment contribute to human value?
In “Human value and the atonement: A Reply to Andy Bannister” I provided a critique of Bannister’s claim that human value is “determined by what God was willing to pay for you in the life of Jesus Christ, his Son.” I noted that my fifth and final objection was decisive: “Bannister’s theory seems to have […]
