Doesn’t Science Disprove Miracles?

Unit 10 Handout: “Doesn’t Science Disprove Miracles?”

1.        Please Listen to the Wayne State Debate Prior to 3/31/2015

a.        Archived at http://wayne.edu/live and on YouTube at http://tinyurl.com/l43qufj

i.        Refer to Bruce Russell “God Debate” Handout as you listen and take notes

b.        Last class in this course (April 7, 2014): The Problem of Evil (Introduced 3/31)

i.        Final Exam (Take-Home) is due at 7 pm April 7.

2.        Shortened Class Today: Visit with MCREST guests after class and help clean up.

3.        Course Evaluation: Please complete and turn in to Jeff Mantei.

4.        Questions and Answers from Last Week’s Discussions and the Readings for This Evening

5.        Quiz and Review of Quiz

6.        Discussion: Holman text: Chapter 09: Do Miracles Happen?

a.        Existential Questions:

i.        Is God there?                      ii.       Does God hear me?

iii.      Does God interact with me?

iv.      Where do I Look for the Answers?

(1)      In the Bible?                       (2)      Outside of the Bible?

b.        What is a Miracle?

c.        Does natural science disprove miracles?

d.        Does our experience show that miracles cannot happen?

e.        What is the purpose of miracles?

i.        Credit to God;          ii.       Authenticate claims            iii.      Benevolent

f.        What about miracles that appear cruel?

g.        John Warwick Montgomery, “Science, Theology and the Miraculous,”

i.        http://tinyurl.com/pv4he9m, or

http://www.asa3.org/ASA/PSCF/1978/JASA12-78Montgomery.html

7.        Some Additional Considerations

a.        Miracles: Three Different Questions

i.        The Semantic Question: “What is a miracle?”

ii.       The Epistemic Question: “When should we believe in a miracle/miracles?”

iii.      The Apologetics Question: “Whether/when should the argument from miracles support religious belief/faith?”

b.        Testimony: The reliability of miracles and religious experiences

i.        Symptoms of Scientism in Christianity

ii.       Compare: The Possibility of Miracles

(1)      The miracle of the Gospel

(2)      The miracle of faith

iii.      The Data Supporting Miracles

(1)      Craig S. Keener, Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011)

iv.      Religious experience, true conversion, and personal witness

8.        Introduction for Next Week: Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?

a.        1 Corinthians 15, versus other theories (swoon, twin, stolen body, hallucination, wrong tomb, alien, legend, Quran account, etc.)

9.        For Next Week:

a.        Read Holman text: Chapter 11: The Resurrection?

b.        Gary Habermas, “The Case for Christ’s Resurrection”, http://tinyurl.com/nyycu7g