Bücher von Paul Copan

Until relatively recently, vegetarianism was considered a positive dietary alternative for Christians. Often considered a preference for those seeking better spiritual awareness for a season, biblical tradition still acknowledged that a plant-based diet wasn't any more spiritual or moral than eating meat, therefore meat-eating was considered legitimate for humans; not prohibited and was even blessed by God. But, increasingly, and especially in light of the current Green movement that wants to at least limit the eating of meat, alongside the relentless calls by other secular organizations and activists to end meat-eating altogether, it is now more important than ever for people to know what the Bible and biblical tradition have to say about the subject. Within Christian circles, well-meaning people have been pressuring fellow Christians to turn from eating meat- a practice once historically understood as a Christian freedom- and are now asking them to embrace abstinence, but what many are calling "e;just a new bondage."e; Christian leaders are warning the Christian community not to adopt a false commandment that is mostly based on secular activist's personal convictions. Familiar choruses are now resonating throughout Christian communities: "e;Meat-eating isn't compassionate."e; "e;Animals have rights too."e; "e;Aren't you concerned about animal suffering?"e; "e;We should include animals into the moral community."e; "e;Would you kill and eat your dog Lassie?"e;In response to this clamor, Castle Quay Books has brought together a broad group of scholars who have applied their expertise in a wide range of fields including biblical studies, theology, philosophy, resource management, communication, and generational animal farming, to write an accessible response for all Christians. Contributors to the discussion cover both sides of the debate with their host of important views. Writers include well known authors such as Dr. Walter Kaiser, Dr. Wes Jamison, and Dr. Paul Copan, as well as other well-known authors.

Despite its name, ';naturalism' as a world-view turns out to be rather unnatural in its strict and more consistent form of materialism and determinism. This is why a number of naturalists opt for a broadened version that includes objective moral values, intrinsic human dignity, consciousness, beauty, personal agency, and the like. But in doing so, broad naturalism begins to look more like theism. As many strict naturalists recognize, broad naturalism must borrow from the metaphysical resources of a theistic world-view, in which such features are very natural, common sensical, and quite ';at home' in a theistic framework. The Naturalness of Belief begins with a naturalistic philosopher's own perspective of naturalism and naturalness. The remaining chapters take a multifaceted approach in showing theism's naturalness and greater explanatory power. They examine not only rational reasons for theism's ability to account for consciousness, intentionality, beauty, human dignity, free will, rationality, and knowledge; they also look at common sensical, existential, psychological, and cultural reasonsin addition to the insights of the cognitive science of religion.

Origins turns much of what Christians learned in Sunday School on its head in a revealing comparison of the Genesis narrative to the competing pagan narrative of the day.

In our relativistic society, Christians more than ever are bombarded by tough questions about their faith. Author Paul Copan has observed that many of these questions emerge as "anti-truth claims" that are part of today's skeptical mind-set. Christians defending their faith often hear slogans and questions such as:Ž It's all relativeŽ Everything is one with the Divine; all else is illusionŽ The Gospels contradict each otherŽ Why would a good God create hell?This book provides incisive answers to slogans related to truth and reality; theism, pantheism/Eastern religion, and naturalism; and doctrinal issues such as the incarnation and truth of Scripture. Each of the twenty-two chapters provides succinct answers and summary points for countering the arguments. Copan's book is accessible for all Christians who want to defend the plausibility of Christianity in the marketplace of ideas. It also includes helpful summary sections, additional resources, and additional documentation in the endnotes for review and discussion.