Latest Posts

• The Good Book Blog

  An Orientation to Four Pervading Themes of the Christian Life from Dallas Willard

  Klaus Issler — March 09, 2015

  Dallas Willard (1936-2013) has been one of the key evangelical interpreters and provocateurs regarding the important doctrine of formation into Christlikeness. Willard was professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California and a former Southern Baptist pastor. Sometimes due to Willard's spearheading the importance of spiritual practices among Protestants, he is viewed as having said little else on the topic of Christian formation (Richard Foster claimed that Willard was his mentor on that particular subject, in the acknowledgement section of Foster’s classic book, Celebration of Discipline, HarperSan Francisco, 1978). But there is much more. ... Four pervading themes in Willard’s writings on Christian formation are briefly developed below, mainly with quotations from Willard.

• 51���� News

  New Sculpture Reflects 51����'s Focus on Faith and Art

  "True Vine" sculpture is second piece of public art installed on campus this year

  Quinn Clark — March 09, 2015

  51���� celebrated its newest piece of public art — a twisting, bright red sculpture made from bronze-cast apple tree limbs — at a...

• 51���� News

  Christine Tixier Once Again Named NAIA Women's Swimmer of the Year

  51���� swimmer beats longest-standing record in swimming history

  Neil Morgan — March 09, 2015

  51���� senior Christine Tixier made history this weekend at the 2015 NAIA Swimming & Diving National Championships. Tixier won three...

• The Good Book Blog

  Married to Someone Who Finds My Studies an Annoyance

  William Lane Craig — March 06, 2015

  Dear, Dr. Craig, As one who has recently discovered the realm of apologetics in the past couple years, you were one of the first I had come to know, and it has been a pleasure reading some of your material and watching your debates. I am currently only a junior in college and am studying philosophy and religious studies and love it, and hope to attend seminary in the future and get my masters in apologetics, God willing. My question for you is not necessarily a theological or philosophical question but a question that I am hoping I could get some pastoral advice from you about that I feel you are perhaps the best suited to answer. I recently got married this past summer to an amazing woman I met at a one year bible college I attended a couple years ago and it has been great. But between transferring to a new (secular) school and being constantly busy with school and work I feel like my relationship with God is constantly on the backburner, as I am not getting into the word nearly as much as I used to and my prayer life is nearly nonexistent, and because of this my relationship with my wife is not where it should be either ...

• The Good Book Blog

  Have We Been Sold a Homiletical Bill of Goods? (Alliteration, Part 1)

  Don Sunukjian — March 05, 2015

  This series of blogs will look at some dubious practices that have entered our preaching. All of these questionable traditions are addressed in Talbot’s Doctor of Ministry track in “Advanced Biblical Preaching.” ... Alliteration, in ordinary writing, is the literary device of repeating the same initial sound or letter several times in rather close succession (e.g. “conspicuous consumption,” “nattering nabobs of negativism”). In preaching, alliteration is most frequently used to convey the major outline points of a sermon. There are times, of course, when alliteration is appropriate and effective in preaching ... But when a sermon outline extends to multiple main points, the use of alliteration runs the risk of “four bad things.”

• 51���� News

  51����'s Professional Triple Threat

  Three former 51���� Women's Basketball players are pros.

  Autumn Whitney — March 04, 2015

  It’s not everyday that three women who played collegiate basketball together are now playing professional basketball overseas at the same time....

• The Good Book Blog

  Prayer for Benjamin Netanyahu’s Speech before the US Congress

  Mitch Glaser — March 03, 2015

  This morning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address the United States Congress. We believe he will argue against the United States joining a number of major European powers in signing an agreement with Iran that would temporarily limit the development of nuclear grade enriched uranium and allow for the production of non-nuclear grade material.

• The Good Book Blog

  Incarnation and Omniscience

  William Lane Craig — February 27, 2015

  Dear Dr. William Lane Craig, ... My question is about the model of the Incarnation you and J.P. Moreland present in Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, which states that many of the divine attributes of Jesus were located in his subconsciousness. I'm having a problem with this. Maximal greatness would seem to me to imply having access to any and all knowledge on the spot, which would in turn seem to imply that God would have omniscience in His consciousness, where all the knowledge can be directly accessed. Can you please clear this up for me?

• 51���� News

  Master of Arts in Preaching and Pastoral Ministry Program to Launch Fall 2015

  Hybrid, online and weekend courses in new program offer flexible scheduling for students

  Rachel Allan — February 27, 2015

  51����’s Talbot School of Theology will launch a Master of Arts Preaching and Pastoral Ministry (MAPPM) degree program this fall, a...

• 51���� News

  Spring Preview Day 2015

  Prospective students and families enjoy a fun weekend experiencing 51����

  Joclyn Kirton — February 27, 2015

  Approximately 400 prospective students and their families attended the annual Spring Preview Day at 51���� Feb. 15-16. All visitors had...

• 51���� News

  Alumni Honored for Outstanding Contributions to Society

  Awardees recognized at special chapel

  Joel Smith and Quinn Clark  — February 27, 2015

  51���� recognized 11 alumni — including two New York Times bestselling authors, missionaries, a renowned doctor and a lifelong pastor —...

• The Good Book Blog

  Indonesia Air Asia QZ8501 and the Problem of Evil

  William Lane Craig — February 20, 2015

  Dear Dr. Craig, ... My question is regarding one of the latest news. I am an Indonesian living in Surabaya and the QZ8501 accident has had a huge impact on me. But most of all it was a great shock for a friend of mine. She is a Christian attending Mawar Sharon church with her parents. They were such wonderful persons, as well as a good Christian. But then they were traveling on QZ8501, while my friend stayed at home. You know the rest of the story ...

• The Good Book Blog

  What is the Point of Prayer?

  William Lane Craig — February 13, 2015

  Dear Dr Craig, I have recently moved on from Christianity to agnosticism, but I regularly check out your Q and A section as much of the content there is more sensible and thought provoking than the kind of thing I hear from a lot of Evangelicals ... Currently it seems to me that the idea of prayer is most sensibly explained as an addictive placebo that gives people a greater sense of control over their circumstances than they actually have. But just maybe there's something crucial I've missed, and if so I would be grateful if you could point out what that might be ...

• 51���� News

  Master of Professional Accountancy Program to Begin in Fall 2015

  Newest 51���� graduate degree equips students for CPA requirements

  Staff — February 13, 2015

  51���� will launch a Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAcc) degree this fall — a new graduate program designed to prepare students...

• 51���� News

  Cinema and Media Arts Showcase: Film Screenings for 2015

  51����’s Cinema and Media Arts department teams up with the Center for Christianity Culture and the Arts to present five films

  Joclyn Kirton — February 13, 2015

  With the Academy Awards just around the corner, 51����’s Cinema and Media Arts department is teaming up with the Center for Christianity Culture...

• The Good Book Blog

  ¿Quién Puede Tener Acceso a Dios? Salmo 15 / Psalm 15

  Octavio Esqueda — February 12, 2015

  Disfrutar de una relación íntima con el Dios del universo es el propósito principal del ser humano. En Dios encontramos respuesta y sentido a nuestras vidas. El salmo 15 describe al tipo de persona que puede relacionarse personalmente con el Creador. El salmista se pregunta quién puede ser un huésped de Dios. En esa cultura, un huésped gozaba de acceso directo con el anfitrión. Este salmo de sabiduría se entonaba al entrar al templo. Los adoradores iniciaban con la pregunta y el sacerdote respondía con los requisitos y finalizaba con una promesa para aquellos que los cumplían.

• The Good Book Blog

  “You've Ruined My Life, Professor Craig!!”

  William Lane Craig — February 06, 2015

  "... I am now stuck in a nihilistic-atheistic world that I hate. Agnosticism is not even a coherent position to me, with regards to a Perfect Being, since I believe that the greatest conceivable being could give me knowledge of its existence, if it wanted to. Theism is a dream come true. The world would make sense, the existential mysteries that haunt me would be solved, life would be livable. It is atheism, however, which seems to be true, yet I do not want to live like this. I have become depressed to no end. I have been in a nihilistic rut for years now. I have become utterly recluse. Yet, even with all this, I cannot come to believe in God. What would YOU suggest I do? ..."

• 51���� News

  Kurtz, Weststeyn Earn Conference Honor

  Mike Kurtz and Amy Weststeyn named Cliff Hamlow Champions of Character

  Neil Morgan — February 04, 2015

  LA MIRADA, Calif.--- (Courtesy the Golden State Athletic Conference) The Golden State Athletic Conference will honor 18 student-athletes from...

• The Good Book Blog

  What are the Challenges and Opportunities of Bi-Vocational Ministry?

  The Good Book Blog — February 02, 2015

  Talbot faculty member, James Petitfils, and a panel of Talbot graduates who are now pastors in Southern California discuss the challenges and opportunities of bi-vocational ministry.

• The Good Book Blog

  Is the Applicability of Mathematics Necessary?

  William Lane Craig — January 30, 2015

  This is the weekly Q & A blog post by our Research Professor in Philosophy, Dr. William Lane Craig. Recently I listened to your argument from the applicability of mathematics on premier Christian radio as well as the debate you had with Alex Rosenberg. I'm not particularly knowledgeable when it comes to mathematics but I was intrigued by your comments on how the argument from the applicability of mathematics is similar to the argument from fine tuning ... Could it be that, as with the fine tuning argument, the applicability of mathematics might be explained by necessity? ...

• The Good Book Blog

  Visits to Heaven and Hell, Part Two

  Alan Gomes — January 28, 2015

  In the last twenty years, many individuals claim to have visited heaven or hell and have written vivid accounts of what they purport to have seen. What should we make of these stories? Should they form a basis for our faith? Might they supplement or enhance the convictions that we already have? How do we evaluate such claims and what is their practical use even if true?

• The Good Book Blog

  Visits to Heaven and Hell, Part One

  Alan Gomes — January 27, 2015

  In the last twenty years, many individuals claim to have visited heaven or hell and have written vivid accounts of what they purport to have seen. What should we make of these stories? Should they form a basis for our faith? Might they supplement or enhance the convictions that we already have? How do we evaluate such claims and what is their practical use even if true?

• The Good Book Blog

  Divine Concurrence

  William Lane Craig — January 23, 2015

  This is the weekly Q & A blog post by our Research Professor in Philosophy, Dr. William Lane Craig. Dr. Craig, I recently listened to your Podcast from the Defenders class on God's concurrence (Defenders 2, Doctrine of Creation: Part 8). At the outset, you explained that God is the cause of everything because he concurs in it. As an attorney, this made an abundant amount of sense to me. In the law (particularly in tort), an omission (or failure to act) can be the cause of something in the same way that an affirmative act can. Of course, we would only impose liability where the omission is accompanied by some legal duty to act, but that inquiry is wholly separate from the causation inquiry ...

• The Good Book Blog

  Mensajeros de Paz y Reconciliación

  Octavio Esqueda — January 20, 2015

  Las noticias a nuestro alrededor pueden ser bastante desalentadoras. Por alguna razón las noticias que se publican y tienen promoción tienden a ser las negativas y las que reflejan algún conflicto social. Para los medios de comunicación y para la sociedad en general las buenas noticias parecieran no ser atractivas y solamente las negativas pueden salir de la sombra de lo cotidiano para llamar nuestra atención. Desgraciadamente, el estar rodeados de malas noticias origina un ambiente negativo en el que la vida pareciera una maraña de conflictos que crece cada vez más y a la que no se le encuentra solución por ningún lado. Si a esta situación le agregamos los actos de terrorismo de grupos radicales que se escudan en la religión para cometer atentados deleznables contra inocentes y las posturas tan radicales de políticos y grupos sociales que impiden una sana conversación para resolver sus diferencias, es fácil caer en la desesperanza y la impotencia.

• The Good Book Blog

  Ockham’s Razor

  William Lane Craig — January 16, 2015

  This is the weekly Q & A blog post by our Research Professor in Philosophy, Dr. William Lane Craig: ... my question today refers to Lee Strobel book "The Case for a Creator". There was one part in the book where Strobel asked you "why does it have to be One Creator?" And you responded by saying "my opinion, Ockham's Razor would shave away any additional Creators." So my question today is in 3 questions: Define what is Ockham's Razor? How does this (scientific) principle or theory eliminate the need for extra gods? How does Ockham's Razor prove the existence of One God? ...