Anyhow, I saw this video over at Pastor Segers’s place earlier this week. While Sye was in the area, he attended the evangelism academy put on by Way of the Master. He also had the opportunity to be on the program, On the Box, with Tony Miano, who happens to live in our home town. In fact, I saw Tony a few days ago in my neighborhood about a block from my house.
The discussion is on presuppositionalism, or what I believe to be biblical apologetics, and its application in evangelical encounters. I spoke with Sye yesterday over the phone, and I have to say he is probably the most impassioned of teachers when it comes to Christians knowing biblically how to share their faith. I went away from our conversation deeply encouraged. I exhorted him to work up his thoughts into a book and maybe some video teaching material. The book, as I understand it, is in the works.
hipandthigh 
I am currently reading "Pushing the Antithesis: The Apologetic Methodology of Greg L. Bahnsen" by Bahnsen and I highly recommend it. It refers to other books on Presuppositional Apologetics like "Always Ready" also by Bahnsen and "Every Thought Captive" by Richard L. Pratt Jr., and of course, many works by Cornelius Van Til.I, like a lot of others, spent much time trying to memorize “evidences” for the God of the bible and, although I still find that all very interesting, it assumes a neutral ground with the unbeliever that simply doesn’t exist. I also believe that Presuppositional Apologetics is simply more God honoring than any other apologetic method. IOW, if you study Presuppositional Apologetics correctly, you will study scripture!Thanks for the video Fred, good stuff.
Thanks for the post, Fred. Enjoyed it immensely.
Really terrific. Glad you put me on to him, Fred. I love this little video. I found the Unbelievable programs and DLed them. Just finished the first. I do not have the patience to be an apologist, clearly. Sye's discussion-partner was not up to any part of the exchange; he's simply an opinionated idiot in a very literal sense of the word, a solipsist.I had a similar encounter with someone in some meta, my blog or Pyro. Could not even get the fellow to say "IF A is true, does not B follow?" Just kept getting "A isn't true."
Ron,'Pushing the Antitheses', edited by Gary Demar on the presuppositional apologetics of Greg Bahnsen is excellent my friend, just as 'Always Ready' by Bahnsen himself. Excellent tools.Fred,Thanks for this video clip and an introduction to Sye T. Will check out his blog, and hope to see a book from him in the not to distant future.
Dan,“I do not have the patience to be an apologist”Amen brother and for me… low enough blood pressure.“I had a similar encounter with someone in some meta, my blog or Pyro. Could not even get the fellow to say…”I remember once arguing with a guy about just the potential that the unborn could be human beings (and therefore shouldn’t be aborted) and the next thing I knew we were debating the value of a big toe (yes… a big toe) because of it also having 100 percent human DNA. Next we moved to a discussion of moles (like a mole on your skin). I couldn’t (still can’t) believe how foolish a person was/is willing to sound in order to avoid God.Steve,I also recently enjoyed the book "The Battle Belongs to the Lord: The Power of Scripture for Defending Our Faith" by K. Scott Oliphint who is a Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology at Westminster. Just in case you, like me, hadn't heard of him before.
@DJP & Fred: The only thing that disturbed me a little about Sye's site was some statement about how he wont try to justify unjust wars. Makes me concerned about his theology a bit.@Ron: The abortion debate is not at all helped by many Jewish Rabbis who claim that Exodus 21:22-23 support the concept that a baby isn't alive until it takes its first breathe (as if that makes abortion perfectly acceptable).
Ron,Thanks for the recommendation for the book by Oliphant. I'll check it out. Not to take away from Fred's excellent blog here or Phil and Dan and Frank's blog at TeamPyro, but sure could use some help with this on blogs such as 'ThinkingChristian.net, and 'FirstThings.com/blogpost. It's as if they've never heard of Presuppositional Apologetics.
Next time stop and say hello! :-)
Sye was kind enough to contact me regarding my 7:00PM post. I was both shocked that he'd contact me and amazed by the graciousness he extended to me. I want to say publically, that I'm 100% on board with the goal of his ministry and his website (see my 10:48AM post).I had a twinge of concern over some language on the website, that in my experience, was often used by pacifists and rabid conspiracy theorists. I think my 7:00PM post made a mountain out of a molehill and I apologize.