“Is God Real?” was the subject of the recent debate between William Lane Craig and Michael Tooley at the University of North Caroline on 24 March 2010. Whilst it is not available for free anywhere online, you can purchase it here, find reviews here, a pre-debate radio interview between the two here and of course the transcript of the first debate between these two back in 1994 is here.
Hat Tip: I am Jonny King
Dr Craig has written his own thoughts as to how the debate went in his Reasonable Faith newsletter:
By contrast my debate the following evening at UNCC generated a lot of light but very little heat! My opponent for this debate on “Is God Real?” was Michael Tooley, a well-respected philosopher from the University of Colorado (Boulder). He has recently published a very complex argument against God based on examples of certain evils in the world. In preparation for the debate I worked through his argument carefully and prepared a four-point response. To read my critique of his argument click here. (I’m indebted to Timothy McGrew and Matt Flanagan for very helpful interaction!) Tooley also came well-prepared to the debate. Indeed, this was his undoing, for he had all four of his speeches (including “rebuttals”!) canned in advance. As a result, he was utterly inflexible and so didn’t respond to virtually anything I said in my rebuttals. It was as if I didn’t even need to be there! So the debate turned out to be pretty one-sided, with me replying to each of his relevant points and him just ignoring me and plugging ahead with his prepared speeches. While Dr. Tooley would, of course, disagree, I think Christian theism came away looking eminently reasonable and credible. [Emphasis added]
Matt had emailed Dr Craig a modified version of his Tooley, Plantinga and the Deontological Argument from Evil Part I and Part II blog series prior to the debate. Matt’s piece criticises the main line of argument Michael Tooley used in his recent debate with Alvin Plantinga and he is currently seeking its publication.
Tags: Alvin Plantinga · Debates · Michael Tooley · Problem · William Lane Craig15 Comments
A common objection to belief in the God of the Bible is that a good, kind, and loving deity would never command the wholesale slaughter of nations. In the tradition of his popular Is God a Moral Monster?, Paul Copan teams up with Matthew Flannagan to tackle some of the most confusing and uncomfortable passages of Scripture. Together they help the Christian and nonbeliever alike understand the biblical, theological, philosophical, and ethical implications of Old Testament warfare passages.
You know what this means, Hew?
We are all looking forward to “your” next debate, as you have been and still clearly are, up for the challenge.
I am even prepared to help you out… water boy!
Dr. Matt Flannagan, assistant to William Lane Craig…
Seems that Matt Flannagan from MandM has hit the big time. Well, for a moment anyway. Check out the following snippet from William Lane Craig’s April 2010 newsletter…Well done Matt. People like you are desperately needed in New Zealand, to engage the c…
[…] to Madeline, Take a look at this… By contrast my debate the following evening at UNCC generated a lot of […]
[…] to Madeline, Take a look at this… By contrast my debate the following evening at UNCC generated a lot of […]
Well done! Keep up the good work.
It would certainly be interesting, both are very accomplished philosophers.
[…] Thinking Matters sends their congratulations on to Matt and the Flanagan household. For more information on the debate, visit the MandM blog. […]
Would you look at the titles of the trackbacks?
“Dr. Matt Flannagan, assistant to William Lane Craig…”
“Matt Flanagan Plays the Intellectual Floozy with W.L.C.”
“This months Bragging Rights Award goes to Matthew Flanagan”
What is with these kiwi apologetics groups? What must our international friends think?
LOL!
What must they think? I’d say they’d think we’re rather chuffed that a fellow Kiwi is so good that William Lane Craig himself takes his advice before debating Michael Tooley.
Well done Matt and it is a great article you wrote too. Part two was especially good.
Thanks everyone but I’m not sure I did that much. I simply emailed Bill Craig an article I’d written before the debate.
[…] go out to Matt Flannagan. For those who don’t subscribe to William Lane Craig’s newsletter from Reasonable […]
“Is God Real?”, heh, reminds me of this :
http://beebo.org/smackerels/yes-virginia.html
Interpret that however you like.
Matt should not belittle their merit. Interest and interesting for me such materials are rare. Accidentally got to your blog and am very glad that I found here! I will follow with interest your posts.
While researching various views on “conscience,” I read “Jung on Evil” (Princeton University Press 1995). He offers an unimpassioned view of evil which is totally dependent on humans.
The editor, Murray Stein, summarizes Carl Jung: When humans adopt a more disinterested viewpoint, they transcend the categories of good and evil to an extent and view human life, human behavior and human motivation from a vertex that sees it all as “just so.” Human beings love each other and we hate each other. We sacrifice for each other and destroy each other. We are noble and base. And all of this belongs to human nature. The judgments we make about good and evil are bound to be biased by our own interests and tilted if favor of our pet tendencies and traits.
In my e-book at http://www.suprarational.org I wrote a short paragraph: Evil and deliverance. Many orthodox religions personify evil as Satan, the Devil, Iblis, Mara, or other demonic forces. Most mystics hold us responsible for our own evils, not an external source. Some say that evil exists only in rejection or lack of awareness of good, or to balance good in the apparent dualities of this life…not in unitive eternal life. Mystics have to eliminate personal wrongs to realize divine oneness. Deliverance comes by overcoming the selfishness of our egos, ignorance of our minds and stubbornness of our senses.
[…] William Lane Craig and his Debate with Michael Tooley […]