Norman Leo Geisler (July 21, 1932 – July 1, 2019) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
systematic theologian
Systematic may refer to:
Science
* Short for systematic error
* Systematic fault
* Systematic bias, errors that are introduced by an inaccuracy inherent to the system
Economy
* Systematic trading, a way of defining trade goals, risk control ...
,
philosopher
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
, and
apologist
Apologetics (from Greek ) is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and recommended their fa ...
. He was the co-founder of two
non-denominational
A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination.
The term has been used in the context of various faiths, including Jainism, Baháʼí Faith, Zoro ...
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
seminaries
A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clerg ...
(
Veritas International University
Veritas International University (VIU) is a non-profit accredited Christian university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 2008, the university began as a seminary before transitioning to a university with the addition of undergraduate and po ...
and
Southern Evangelical Seminary
Southern Evangelical Seminary is a Christian college and seminary that started in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1992, United States. In April of 2025, the schools moved to Rock Hill, SC.
History
The seminary was established in 1992 by Norman Gei ...
).
He held a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in
philosophy
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
from
Loyola University Loyola University is one of several Jesuit Universities named for St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Loyola University may refer to:
Democratic Republic of the Congo
*Loyola University of Congo, Kinshasa, Congo
Spain
* Loyola University Andalusia, Sevilla ...
and made scholarly contributions to the subjects of classical
Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics (, "verbal defense, speech in defense") is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity.
Christian apologetics have taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul the Apostle in the early church and Pa ...
, systematic theology, the
history of philosophy
The history of philosophy is the systematic study of the development of philosophical thought. It focuses on philosophy as rational inquiry based on argumentation, but some theorists also include myth, religious traditions, and proverbial lor ...
,
philosophy of religion
Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known Text (literary theo ...
,
Calvinism
Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...
,
Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
,
Biblical inerrancy
Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible, in its original form, is entirely free from error.
The belief in biblical inerrancy is of particular significance within parts of evangelicalism
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelic ...
, Bible difficulties, ethics, and more. He was the author, coauthor, or editor of over 90 books and hundreds of articles.
One of the primary architects of the
Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy is a written statement of belief formulated by more than 200 evangelical leaders at a conference convened by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy and held in Chicago in October 1978. The statem ...
, Geisler was well noted within the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
evangelical community for his stalwart defense of Biblical inerrancy.
Education
Geisler's education included a
Th.B. (1964) from
William Tyndale College
William Tyndale College was a Private university, private nondenominational Christianity, Christian college located in Farmington Hills, Michigan, United States. Named after 16th-century Protestant scholar William Tyndale, the college was founded ...
,
B.A.
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...
in philosophy (1958) and
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
in theology (1960) from
Wheaton College, and a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in philosophy from
Loyola University Loyola University is one of several Jesuit Universities named for St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Loyola University may refer to:
Democratic Republic of the Congo
*Loyola University of Congo, Kinshasa, Congo
Spain
* Loyola University Andalusia, Sevilla ...
. He had additional graduate work at
Wayne State University
Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...
, the
University of Detroit
The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catho ...
, and
Northwestern University
Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
in
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...
.
Biography
Norman Leo Geisler was born on July 21, 1932, in
Warren, Michigan
Warren is a city in Macomb County, Michigan, Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Warren borders Detroit to the north, roughly north of downtown Detroit. The population was 139,387 at the ...
, a suburb of
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
. He attended a
nondenominational
A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination.
The term has been used in the context of various faiths, including Jainism, Baháʼí Faith, Zoro ...
,
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
church from age nine; and converted into Christianity at age of eighteen. He immediately began attempting to share his faith with others in various
evangelistic
Evangelism, or witnessing, is the act of sharing the Christian gospel, the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is typically done with the intention of converting others to Christianity. Evangelism can take several forms, such as persona ...
endeavors—
door-to-door
Door-to-door is a canvassing technique that is generally used for sales, marketing, advertising, evangelism or campaigning, in which the person or persons walk from the door of one house to the door of another, trying to sell or advertise a pr ...
, street meetings, and jail service, rescue missions, and
Youth for Christ
Youth For Christ (YFC) is a worldwide Christian movement working with young people, whose main purpose is evangelism among teenagers. It began informally in New York City in 1940, when Jack Wyrtzen held evangelical Protestant rallies for teenager ...
venues. Some of his conversations forced him to realize that he needed to find better answers to the objections he was hearing. He subsequently earned two bachelor's degrees, two master's degrees, and a Doctorate.
Geisler's decades of degree work overlap a professorial career begun at
Detroit Bible College (1963–66) and continued at
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) is the divinity school of Trinity International University, an evangelical Christian university headquartered in Bannockburn, Illinois. The divinity school was founded in 1897.
In April 2025, Trinit ...
(1969–70) and
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to:
Australia
* Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales
* Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
(1970–71). He was later Chairman of Philosophy of Religion at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (1970–79) and Professor of
Systematic Theology
Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topics ...
at
Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an evangelical theological seminary in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system of dispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C., as well as extension ...
(1979–88).
In 1981, Geisler testified in "the Scopes II trial" (''
McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education'').
Duane Gish
Duane Tolbert Gish (February 17, 1921 – March 5, 2013) was an American biochemist and a prominent member of the creationist movement. A young Earth creationist, Gish was a former vice-president of the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) ...
, a
creationist
Creationism is the religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of divine creation, and is often pseudoscientific. Gunn 2004, p. 9, "The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary' ...
, remarked: "Geisler was... the lead witness for the creationist side and one of its most brilliant witnesses. His testimony, in my view (I was present during the entire trial), effectively demolished the most important thrust of the case by the
ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million.
...
. Unfortunately, in my opinion, no testimony, and no effort by any team of lawyers, no matter how brilliant, could have won the case for the creationist side."
Geisler was formerly a president of the
Evangelical Theological Society
The Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) is a professional society of Biblical scholars, educators, pastors, and students "devoted to the inerrancy and inspiration of the Scriptures and the gospel of Jesus Christ" and "dedicated to the oral ex ...
but left the ETS in 2003, after it did not expel
Clark Pinnock
Clark H. Pinnock (February 3, 1937 – August 15, 2010) was a Canadian theologian, apologist, and author. He was Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at McMaster Divinity College.
Education and career
Pinnock was born in Toronto, Ontario, ...
, who advocated
open theism. Geisler also was a key figure in founding the
Evangelical Philosophical Society
The Evangelical Philosophical Society (EPS) is an organization devoted to the study of philosophy, philosophy of religion, philosophical theology, apologetics, and ethics from an evangelicalism, evangelical perspective. Membership is open to profes ...
. He served as its first president as well as the first editor of its journal, which was then called the
Bulletin of the Evangelical Philosophical Society
Bulletin or The Bulletin may refer to:
Periodicals (newspapers, magazines, journals)
* ''Bulletin'' (online newspaper), a Swedish online newspaper
* ''The Bulletin'' (Australian periodical), an Australian magazine (1880–2008)
** Bulletin Deb ...
. Additionally, he was the founder and first president of the International Society of Christian Apologetics.
In 1997, Geisler co-authored ''When Cultists Ask: A Popular Handbook on Cultic Misinterpretation''. He contributed to ''The Counterfeit Gospel of Mormonism''.
In 2008, Geisler co-founded the Veritas Evangelical Seminary (now
Veritas International University
Veritas International University (VIU) is a non-profit accredited Christian university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 2008, the university began as a seminary before transitioning to a university with the addition of undergraduate and po ...
) in
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana (Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, California, United States. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census. As ...
. The seminary offers master's degrees in theological studies,
apologetics
Apologetics (from Greek ) is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and recommended their f ...
,
biblical studies
Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible, with ''Bible'' referring to the books of the canonical Hebrew Bible in mainstream Jewish usage and the Christian Bible including the can ...
, and
Divinity
Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a single ...
. Geisler served as Chancellor, Distinguished Professor of Apologetics and Theology, and occupant of the Norman L. Geisler Chair of Christian Apologetics.
[ He retired from this post in May 2019.]
Personal
Geisler was married to Barbara Jean Cate for 64 years, and together they had six children: Ruth, David, Daniel, Rhoda, Paul, and Rachel.[ He died of ]cerebral thrombosis
A thrombus ( thrombi) is a solid or semisolid aggregate from constituents of the blood (platelets, fibrin, red blood cells, white blood cells) within the circulatory system during life. A blood clot is the final product of the blood coagulatio ...
at a hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
on July 1, 2019, 20 days before his 87th birthday. Geisler's funeral was held at Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ravi Zacharias
Frederick Antony Ravi Kumar Zacharias (26 March 194619 May 2020) was an Indian-born Canadian and American Christianity, Christian Evangelicalism, evangelical Pastor, minister and Christian apologetics, Christian apologist who founded Ravi Zacha ...
gave the eulogy
A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person, especially one who recently died or retired, or as a term o ...
.
Apologetics
Geisler is known first and foremost as a classical Christian apologist
Christian apologetics (, "verbal defense, speech in defense") is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity.
Christian apologetics have taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul the Apostle in the early church and Pa ...
. Between 1970 and 1990 he participated in dozens of public debates and gained a reputation as a defender of theism
Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of at least one deity. In common parlance, or when contrasted with '' deism'', the term often describes the philosophical conception of God that is found in classical theism—or the co ...
, biblical miracles, the resurrection of Jesus
The resurrection of Jesus () is Christianity, Christian belief that God in Christianity, God Resurrection, raised Jesus in Christianity, Jesus from the dead on the third day after Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion, starting—or Preexis ...
, and the reliability of the Bible.
Outline of Geisler's Apologetic Method
The first attempt to publish an outline of his apologetic method showed up in an appendix of his 1990 book ''When Skeptics Ask''. The appendix is titled "Reasoning to Christianity from Ground Zero" and in it we see a high-level view of the holistic system of classical apologetics he had been developing over the years. The first outline contained fourteen points of argument:
# There are self-evident truths (e.g., "I exist," "Logic applies to reality").
# Truth corresponds to reality.
# Truth is knowable (all other views are self-defeating).
# One can proceed from self-evident truths to the existence of God
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
.
## The argument from Creation
Creation or The Creation or Creations, may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Creation'' (1922 film), a British silent drama
* ''Creation'' (unfinished film), 1931
* ''Creation'' (2009 film), about Charles Darwin
Literature
* ''Creation ...
(proceeds from "I exist")
## The argument from morals (proceeds from "Values are undeniable")
## The argument from design (proceeds from "Design implies a designer")
# God is a necessary Being (argument from being).
# My existence is not necessary (evident from the definition of a necessary Being).
# Therefore, theism is true (there is a necessary Being beyond the world who has created the contingent things in the world and intervenes in the world).
## The objection from the problem of evil
The problem of evil is the philosophical question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an Omnipotence, omnipotent, Omnibenevolence, omnibenevolent, and Omniscience, omniscient God.The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ...
can be solved.
## The objection to miracles can be solved.
# The Bible is a historically reliable document.
## History
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
is an objective study of the past.
## There is great historical, archaeological
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
, and scientific evidence to confirm the reliability of the Bible. (Corollary: The Bible gives a reliable record of the teaching of Jesus Christ
Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
.)
# Jesus claimed to be both fully human and fully God.
# He gave evidence to support this claim.
## The fulfillment of prophecy
## His miraculous and sinless life
## His resurrection
# Therefore, Jesus is both fully human and fully God.
# Whatever God teaches is true.
# Jesus (God) taught that the Old Testament
The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
was the inspired Word of God and He promised the New Testament
The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
.
# Therefore, both the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God.
The overview of his system was later streamlined slightly into a 12-point schema. As of 1999, it could be summarized as follows:
# Truth about reality is knowable.
# Opposites cannot both be true (The Law of Noncontradiction
In logic, the law of noncontradiction (LNC; also known as the law of contradiction, principle of non-contradiction (PNC), or the principle of contradiction) states that for any given proposition, the proposition and its negation cannot both be s ...
).
# It is true the theistic God exists.
# If God exists, then miracles are possible.
# Miracles performed in connection with a truth claim are acts of God to confirm the truth of God through a messenger of God.
# The New Testament is historically reliable.
# As witnessed in the New Testament, Jesus claimed to be God.
# Jesus's claim to divinity was proven by miracles, especially the Resurrection.
# Therefore, Jesus is God.
# Because Jesus is God, whatever Jesus affirmed as true, is true.
# Jesus affirmed that the Bible is the Word of God.
# Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God and whatever is opposed to any biblical truth is false.
These same twelve steps served as the framework for the chapters of the highly popular book ''I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist'' in 2004 and in his 2012 book ''Twelve Points that Show Christianity is True''.
Geisler's Philosophical Argument for the Existence of God (Theism)
As an evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
Thomist
Thomism is the philosophical and theological school which arose as a legacy of the work and thought of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), the Dominican philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church.
In philosophy, Thomas's disputed questions ...
, Norman Geisler contributed the following Thomistic argument for God's existence, which was described as "his own unique contribution to the cosmological class of argument for the existence of God," and which "he developed and refined over sixty years (1956 to 2015)."
The Argument Outlined in Seven Points
Source:
# Something exists (e.g., I do).
# Nothing cannot produce something.
# Therefore, something exists eternally and necessarily.
# It exists eternally because if ever there was absolutely nothing, then there would always be absolutely nothing because nothing cannot produce something.
# It exists necessarily because everything cannot be a contingent being because all contingent beings need a cause of their existence.
# I am not a necessary and eternal being (since I change).
# Therefore, both God (a Necessary Being) and I (a contingent being) exist (= theism).
The Argument in Eighteen Points
The longer form of the argument in eighteen points is as follows:
# Being is. That is, something exists.
# Being is being. A thing is identical to itself.
# Being is not non-being.
# Either being or non-being. Something cannot both exist and not exist at the same time.
# Non-being cannot cause being. Nothing cannot cause something.
# A caused being is similar to its Cause.
# A being is either necessary or contingent but not both.
# A necessary being cannot cause another necessary being to come to be.
# A contingent being cannot be the efficient cause of another contingent being.
# A necessary being is a being of Pure Actuality with no potentiality.
# A Being of Pure Actuality cannot cause another being with Pure Actuality to exist.
# A being that is caused by a Being of Pure Actuality must have both actuality and potentiality.
# Every being that is caused by a being of Pure Actuality must be both like and dislike its Cause.
# I am a contingent being.
# But only a necessary being can cause a contingent being to exist.
# Therefore, a Necessary Being (of Pure Actuality) exists who caused me (and every other contingent being there may be) to exist.
# This Necessary Being of Pure Actuality (with no potentiality) has certain necessary attributes:
## It cannot change (= is ''immutable'')
## It cannot be temporal (= is ''eternal'')
## It cannot be material (= ''immaterial'')
## It cannot be finite (= ''infinite'')
## It cannot be divided or divisible (= ''simple'')
## It must be an ''uncaused'' being since it is a necessary being
## It must be only ''One'' being
## It must be infinitely knowing (= ''omniscient'') Being
## It must be all-powerful (''omnipotent'') Being
## It must be an absolutely ''morally perfect'' Being
## It must be a ''personal'' Being
## This being is appropriately called "God."
# Therefore, one infinite, uncaused, personal, morally perfect, all-knowing, all-powerful Being who caused all finite being(s) to exist exists. This is what is meant by a theistic God. Hence, a theistic God exists.
Geisler's Argument for Biblical Miracles
Geisler addressed the debate over biblical miracles in multiple works, including ''Miracles and the Modern Mind'', ''Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics'', and ''Twelve Points Which Show Christianity is True''. In ''I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist'', Geisler along with his student Frank Turek
Frank Turek (born November 20, 1961) is an American Christian apologist, author, public speaker, and radio host. He is best known as the founder and president of Christian apologetics ministry CrossExamined.org. Turek has co-authored two books (' ...
claim "since we know that God exists, miracles are possible. Any argument against miracles that can be concocted, including that of David Hume
David Hume (; born David Home; – 25 August 1776) was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist who was best known for his highly influential system of empiricism, philosophical scepticism and metaphysical naturalism. Beg ...
, is destroyed by that one fact. For if there is a God who can act, there can be acts of God (miracles)." This claim is reiterated in Geisler's work ''Miracles and the Modern Mind'', where he claims "If a theistic God exists, then there is no reason to rule out the possibility of miracles."
Geisler argues in ''Miracles and the Modern Mind'' that miracles are possible, credible, rational, not unscientific, identifiable, not mythological, historical, not antinatural, distinguishable, and actual. Geisler further argues miracles are essential to Christianity and are definable. Concerning whether miracles are actual, Geisler makes the claim that " e very cosmological argument, by which we know God exists, also proves that a supernatural event has occurred. For if the universe had a beginning and, therefore, a Beginner ..then God brought the universe into existence out of nothing ..But ex nihilo creation out of nothing is the greatest supernatural event of all. ..So, the surprising conclusion is that, if the Creator exists, then the miraculous is not only possible but actual."
In ''Twelve Points That Show Christianity is True'', Geisler presents the following criteria for a valid miracle which confirms a truth claim is genuinely from God:
# The events must be truly supernatural.
# There must be multiple miracles.
# The miraculous events must be connected with some truth claim in the name of God.
# The miraculous events must be unique.
# A predictive element is helpful in confirming a divine claim.
In ''Miracles and the Modern Mind'', Geisler takes the above criteria and presents the following argument:
# Only Christianity has unique miracle claims confirmed by sufficient testimony.
# What has unique miraculous confirmation of its claims is true (as opposed to contrary views).
# Therefore, Christianity is true (as opposed to contrary views).
Criticism of C. S. Lewis
Geisler was a critic of C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...
' higher critical view of the miracles recorded in the Old Testament, claiming Lewis " elegatedmany Old Testament miracles to the realm of myth." In ''Is Man the Measure?'' Geisler provides C. S. Lewis' writings as an example of Christian humanism
Christian humanism refers to two intellectual movements: the anti-paganizing wing of sixteenth century Renaissance humanism (the scholarly movement and worldview that recovered the classical humanities and ideals of citizenship and human dignity; ...
, in which Lewis' views on the Old Testament and its miracles are also subject to criticism.
Theology
Geisler was a conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
scholar who wrote a four-volume systematic theology
Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topics ...
which was later condensed into a 1,660 pag
one-volume tome
Biblical Inerrancy
He defended the full inerrancy of the Bible
Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible, in its original form, is entirely free from error.
The belief in biblical inerrancy is of particular significance within parts of evangelicalism, where it is formulated in the Chicago Statement ...
, being one of the co-founders and framers of the "Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy is a written statement of belief formulated by more than 200 evangelical leaders at a conference convened by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy and held in Chicago in October 1978. The statem ...
" (1978) and editor of the book ''Inerrancy'' (Zondervan
Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). It is a part of HarperCollins, Ha ...
, 1978). Hi
notoriety as a defender of the Bible
started to grow after co-authoring (with William Nix) ''General Introduction to the Bible'' (Moody Press
Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have identified it as n ...
, 1968, 1986) and ''From God to Us'', revised (Moody, 1974, 2012). He co-authored ''Defending Inerrancy'' with William Roach (Baker
A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery.
History
Ancient histo ...
, 2013) and proceeded to start the blogsite https://defendinginerrancy.com with William Roach and others. He wrote the foreword to the boo
''Explaining Biblical Inerrancy'' (Bastion Books, 2013)
a compilation of all of the Chicago Statements on Biblical Inerrancy, Biblical Hermeneutics, and Biblical Application, the official ICBI commentary on the first statement by R. C. Sproul, and the official ICBI commentary on the second statement by Norm Geisler. The last book Norm wrote was ''Preserving Orthodoxy'' (Bastion Books 2017), which explains how to "maintain continuity with the historic Christian faith on Scripture" and gives Norm's perspective on the inerrancy-related controversies he had been engaged in with Robert Gundry, Clark Pinnock, and Michael Licona.
Calvinism
Geisler considered himself a "moderate Calvinist
Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
", as expressed in his book ''Chosen but Free'' (Harvest House
Harvest House Publishers is a Christian publishing company founded in 1974 in Irvine, California, United States, and is now located in Eugene, Oregon. It publishes Christian fiction and non-fiction books, coming out with over 160 new books a y ...
, 2001) and ''Systematic Theology, in One Volume'' (Harvest House, 2012). Geisler in his book ''Chosen but Free'' distinguishes his moderate Calvinism in many ways from more extreme views of Calvinism, he summarises his view of the five points of Calvinism thus:
This form of moderate Calvinism has been taught by multiple Dispensational Calvinists such as Lewis Sperry Chafer
Lewis Sperry Chafer (February27, 1871August22, 1952) was an American theologian. He co-founded Dallas Theological Seminary with his older brother Rollin Thomas Chafer (1868–1940), served as its first president, and was an influential proponent ...
, John Walvoord
John Flipse Walvoord (May 1, 1910 – December 20, 2002) was a Christian theologian, pastor, and president of Dallas Theological Seminary from 1952 to 1986. He authored over 30 books, focusing primarily on eschatology and theology, including '' ...
and Charles Ryrie
Charles Caldwell Ryrie (March 2, 1925 – February 16, 2016) was an American Bible scholar and Christian theologian. He served as professor of systematic theology and dean of doctoral studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and as president and pr ...
. Norman Geisler argued that his view of election strongly resembles also that of Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...
.
Election
Norman Geisler spoke of election being "in according with" God's foreknowledge instead of being "based on" his foreknowledge, along with being unconditional for God, but conditional for man. To explain how he understood his doctrine of election, Geisler used the illustration of a young man contemplating on if he would propose to one of two ladies. This man then chooses to propose to the first one because he knew that she would respond to the action, while he does not propose to the second woman because he knew that she would not respond. Geisler thus believed that God effectually calls those whom he knows will respond to this call.
Perseverance of the Saints
Geisler also distinguished his view of the perseverance of the saints from the extreme Calvinist view. Geisler believed that an elect person would not be lost even if they die in sin, he strongly protested against the view that one cannot be sure that he is one of the elect until he gets to heaven. Unlike some Calvinists, Geisler understood warnings in the New Testament such as that in Hebrews 10 as pertaining to a loss of eternal rewards, instead of speaking of false believers.
Dispensationalism
Norman Geisler believed in dispensational premillennialism
Dispensationalism is a theological framework for interpreting
Interpreting is translation from a spoken or signed language into another language, usually in real time to facilitate live communication. It is distinguished from the transla ...
, however he criticized progressive dispensationalism
In Evangelicalism, Evangelical Christian theology, progressive dispensationalism is a variation of traditional dispensationalism. All dispensationalists view the Dispensation (period), dispensations as chronologically successive. Progressive dis ...
, ultradispensationalism and hyperdispensationalism. Geisler disagreed with the rejection of the human author's meaning in biblical exegesis taught by progressive dispensationalists, saying that although God knows more about the topic and sees more implications in any given text, the text cannot mean more than the human author intended.
Philosophy
Geisler was a self-described evangelical Thomist as it pertained to his philosophical commitments. In the first volume of his ''Systematic Theology'', Geisler affirms Thomism as superior to atomism
Atomism () is a natural philosophy proposing that the physical universe is composed of fundamental indivisible components known as atoms.
References to the concept of atomism and its Atom, atoms appeared in both Ancient Greek philosophy, ancien ...
, Platonism
Platonism is the philosophy of Plato and philosophical systems closely derived from it, though contemporary Platonists do not necessarily accept all doctrines of Plato. Platonism has had a profound effect on Western thought. At the most fundam ...
, and Aristotelianism
Aristotelianism ( ) is a philosophical tradition inspired by the work of Aristotle, usually characterized by Prior Analytics, deductive logic and an Posterior Analytics, analytic inductive method in the study of natural philosophy and metaphysics ...
as it pertains to their respective responses to the Parmenidean dilemma of the one
The One may refer to:
Buildings
* The One (shopping centre), a shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
* The One (Toronto), a mixed-use skyscraper under development in Toronto, Canada
* The One, a residential skyscraper under constru ...
and the many. Geisler further evaluated Thomism in light of evangelical Christianity as well as the compatibility between the two in his work, ''Thomas Aquinas: An Evangelical Appraisal''. When interviewed by ''Christianity Today'' in 2002, Geisler gave his evaluation of Thomas Aquinas which was juxtaposed by ''Christianity Today'' against Ronald Nash's previous 1974 article wherein Nash described Aquinas as "unsuitable for a biblically centered Christian philosophy." Geisler also held that a consistent Thomist need not be a Roman Catholic, and that Thomism did not necessarily lead to Catholicism, a claim which Geisler's contemporaries, (such as R. C. Sproul), also held.
Ethics
Geisler wrote two significant books on ethics
Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...
: ''Christian Ethics'' and ''The Christian Love Ethic''. He provided his perspective on ethical options, abortion
Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
, infanticide
Infanticide (or infant homicide) is the intentional killing of infants or offspring. Infanticide was a widespread practice throughout human history that was mainly used to dispose of unwanted children, its main purpose being the prevention of re ...
, euthanasia
Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering.
Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...
, biomedical issues, capital punishment
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...
, war
War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
, civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizenship, citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be cal ...
, sexual issues, homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...
, marriage and divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...
, ecology
Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...
, animal rights
Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...
, drug
A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via insufflation (medicine), inhalation, drug i ...
s, gambling
Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...
, pornography
Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...
, birth control
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
, and more.
Of the six major ethical systems (antinomianism
Antinomianism ( [] 'against' and [] 'law') is any view which rejects laws or Legalism (theology), legalism and argues against moral, religious or social norms (), or is at least considered to do so. The term has both religious and secular meaning ...
, situationalism, generalism, unqualified absolutism, conflicting absolutism, and graded absolutism
Graded absolutism is a theory of moral absolutism (in Christian ethics) which resolves the objection to absolutism (i.e., in moral conflicts, we are obligated to opposites). Moral absolutism is the Ethics, ethical view that certain actions are a ...
), Geisler advocated graded absolutism, which is a theory of moral absolutism
Moral absolutism is a metaethics, metaethical view that some or even all action (philosophy), actions are intrinsically right or wrong, regardless of context or consequence.
Comparison with other ethical theories
Moral absolutism is not the same ...
which affirms that in moral conflicts we are obligated to perform the higher moral duty. Moral absolutism is the ethical view that certain actions are absolutely right or wrong regardless of other contexts such as their consequences or the intentions behind them. Graded absolutism is moral absolutism but clarifies that a moral absolute, like "Do not kill", can be greater or lesser than another moral absolute, like "Do not lie". Graded absolutism is also called "contextual absolutism" but is not to be confused with situational ethics
Situational ethics or situation ethics takes into account ''only'' the particular context of an act when evaluating it ethically, rather than judging it only according to absolute moral standards. With the intent to have a fair basis for judgmen ...
. The conflict is resolved in acting according to the greater absolute. That is why graded absolutism is also called the "greater good view", but is not to be confused with utilitarianism
In ethical philosophy, utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for the affected individuals. In other words, utilitarian ideas encourage actions that lead to the ...
(see also ''prima facie'' right).
Geisler believed the American Revolution
The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
was not justified by the standards of either the Bible or just war theory
The just war theory () is a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics that aims to ensure that a war is morally justifiable through a series of #Criteria, criteria, all of which must be met for a war to be considered just. I ...
. However, he was not a pacifist
Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...
, believing that defensive war
A defensive war () is one of the causes that justify war by the criteria of the Just War tradition. It means a war where at least one nation is mainly trying to defend itself from another, as opposed to a war where both sides are trying to invade ...
s are justified but revolution
In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
s are not.
Works
The following is a list of books authored, co-authored or edited by Norman Geisler.
* ''A General Introduction to the Bible'' (Moody, 1968)
* ''Christ the Theme of the Bible'' (Moody, 1968 , Bastion Books, 2012)
* ''Ethics: Alternatives and Issues'' (Zondervan, 1971)
* ''The Christian Ethic of Love'' (Zondervan, 1973)
* ''Philosophy of Religion'' (Zondervan, 1974)
* ''From God to Us'' (Moody, 1974)
* ''* To Understand the Bible Look for Jesus'' (1975, reprint and retitle of ''Christ: The Theme of the Bible'')
* ''Christian Apologetics'' (Baker, 1976)
* ''A Popular Survey of the Old Testament'' (Baker, 1977)
* ''The Roots of Evil '' (Zondervan, 1978) (Second edition, Zondervan, 1981)
* ''Inerrancy'' (Zondervan, 1979)
* ''Introduction to Philosophy: A Christian Perspective '' (Baker, 1980)
* ''Options in Contemporary Christian Ethics'' (Baker, 1981)
* ''Biblical Errancy: Its Philosophical Roots'' (Zondervan, 1981 , Bastion Books, 2013)
* ''Decide for Yourself: How History Views the Bible'' (Zondervan, 1982)
* ''The Creator in the Courtroom “Scopes II'' “: The 1981 Arkansas Creation-Evolution Trial (Baker, 1982)
* ''What Augustine Says'' (Baker, 1982 , Bastion Books, 2013)
* ''Is Man the Measure?'' ''An Evaluation of Contemporary Humanism'' (Baker, 1983)
* ''Cosmos: Carl Sagan's Religion for the Scientific Mind'' (Quest, 1983)
* ''Religion of the Force '' (Quest, 1983)
* ''To Drink or Not to Drink: A Sober Look at the Problem'' (Quest, 1984)
* ''Perspectives: Understanding and Evaluating Today's World Views'' (Here's Life, 1984)
* ''Christianity Under Attack'' (Quest, 1985)
* ''False Gods of Our Time : A Defense of the Christian Faith '' (Harvest House, 1985)
* ''A General Introduction to the Bible'', Second Edition, Revised and Expanded (Moody, 1986)(Third Edition with revisions and expansion underway as of 2019 with projected publish date in 2021.)
* ''Reincarnation Sensation'' (Tyndale, 1986)
* ''Origin Science'' (Baker, 1987)
* ''Philosophy of Religion'' (Expansion and Revision of #5. Baker, 1988, Bastion Books, 2021?)
* ''Signs and Wonders'' (Tyndale, 1988 , Bastion Books, 2019)
* * ''Worlds Apart'' : ''A Handbook on World Views'' (Baker. Reprint and retitle of #22)
* ''Knowing the Truth About Creation'' (Servant, 1989 , Bastion Books, 2013)
* ''The Infiltration of the New Age'' (Tyndale, 1989)
* ''The Battle for the Resurrection'' (Thomas Nelson, 1989 , Bastion Books, 2013)
* ''Apologetics in the New Age'' (Baker, 1990)
* ''Come Let Us Reason: An Introduction to Logical Thinking'' (Baker, 1990)
* ''When Skeptics Ask: A Handbook on Christian Evidences'' (Baker, 1990, 2013)
* ''Gambling: A Bad Bet'' (Fleming H. Revel, 1990 , Bastion Books, 2013)
* ''The Life and Death Debate'' (Greenwood, 1990)
* ''In Defense of the Resurrection'' (Quest, 1991 , Bastion Books, 2015)
* ''Thomas Aquinas: An Evangelical Appraisal'' (Baker, 1991)
* ''Matters of Life and Death: Calm Answers to Tough Questions'' (Baker, 1991)
* ''Miracles and the Modern Mind: A Defense of Biblical Miracles'' (Baker, 1992 , Bastion Books, 2012)
* ''When Critics Ask: A Handbook on Bible Difficulties'' (Victor, 1992)
* ''Answering Islam'' (Baker, 1993)
* ''Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences'' (Baker, 1995)
* ''Love is Always Right'' (Word, 1996)
* ''Creating God in the Image of Man?'' (Bethany, 1997)
* ''When Cultists Ask '' (Baker, 1997)
* ''The Counterfeit Gospel of Mormonism'' (Harvest House, 1998)
* ''Legislating Morality'' (Bethany, 1998)
* ''Baker's Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics'' (Baker, 1999)
* ''Chosen But Free : A Balanced view of God's Sovereignty and Free Will '' (Bethany, 1999)
* ''Unshakable Foundations'' (Bethany, 2001)
* ''Why I Am a Christian'' : ''Leading Thinkers Explain Why they Believe'' (Baker, 2001)
* ''The Battle for God: Responding to the Challenge of Neotheism'' (Kregel, 2001)
* ''Living Loud: Defending Your Faith'' (Broadman & Holman, 2002)
* ''Answering Islam'', Updated and Revised (Bethany, 2002)
* ''Who Made God?'' (Zondervan, 2003)
* ''Is Your Church Ready? Motivating Leaders to Live an Apologetic Life'' (Zondervan, 2003)
* ''I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist'' (Crossway, 2004)
* ''Systematic Theology, Vol. 1'' (Bethany, 2002)
* ''Systematic Theology, Vol. 2'' (Bethany, 2003)
* ''Systematic Theology, Vol. 3'' (Bethany, 2004)
* ''Systematic Theology, Vol. 4'' (Bethany, 2005)
* ''Bringing Your Faith to Work: Answers for Break-Room Skeptics'' (Baker, 2005)
* * ''Correcting the Cults: Expert Responses to Their Scripture Twisting '' (Baker, 2005, reprint of #….)
* ''* Why I Am a Christian'' : ''Leading Thinkers Explain why They Believe'' (revised for Baker, 2006)
* ''Integrity at Work'' : ''Finding Your Ethical Compass in a Post-Enron World '' (Baker, 2007)
* ''Creation and the Courts: Eighty Years of Conflict in the Classroom and the Courtroom '' (Crossway, 2007)
* ''A Popular Survey of the New Testament'' (Baker, 2007)
* ''Love Your Neighbor: Thinking Wisely about Right and Wrong '' (Crossway, 2007)
* ''Reasons for Faith: Making a Case for the Christian Faith '' (Crossway, 2007)
* ''Conviction Without Compromise: Standing Strong in the Core Beliefs of the Christian Faith'' (Harvest House, 2008)
* ''The Apologetics of Jesus: A Caring Approach to Dealing with Doubters '' (Baker, 2008)
* ''Conversational Evangelism'' (Harvest House, 2008)
* ''Is Rome the True Church?'' (Crossway, 2008)
* * ''The Big Book of Bible Difficulties'' (Baker 2008, reprint of #43)
* * ''Making Sense of Bible Difficulties'' (Baker, 2009, abridgement of #43)
* ''Chosen But Free: A Balanced View of God's Sovereignty and Free Will '' (third edition, revised and expanded, Bethany, 2010)
* ''Christian Ethics'', Second Edition (Baker, 2010)
* ''If God, Why Evil?'' (Bethany, 2011)
* ''Systematic Theology in One Volume'' (Bethany, 2011)
* ''Defending Inerrancy: Affirming the Accuracy of Scriptures for a New Generation'' (Baker, 2012)(Revision and expansion underway as of 2019 by Bill Roach will include much of Norm's thought and writings on the defense of inerrancy between 2011 and 2019.)
* ''Reasons for Belief : Easy-to-Understand Answers to 10 Essential Questions '' (Bethany, 2012)
* ''Reasons for Belief Study Guide'' (Bastion Books, 2014)
* ''A Popular Handbook of Biblical Archaeology: Discoveries that Confirm the Reliability of Scripture '' (Bethany, 2012)
* ''The Big Book of Christian Apologetics'' (Baker, 2012) (Minor revision of ''The Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics'')
* ''* Christian Apologetics'' (revised, Baker, 2012)
* ''Twelve Points that Show Christianity is True '' (NGIM, 2012)
* ''Explaining Biblical Inerrancy: The Chicago Statements on Biblical Inerrancy, Hermeneutics, and Application with Official ICBI Commentary'' (Bastion Books, 2013)
* * ''The Christian Ethic of Love'' (2012, a minor revision of #4)
* ''From God to Us'' (Moody, 2012) (a major revision and update of #6 with some additions from #25.)
* ''Is the Pope Infallible: A Look at the Evidence'' (Bastion Books, 2012)
* * ''The Roots of Evil'', Third Edition (Bastion Books, 2013. A Minor revision of #4)
* ''Should Believers Make Ashes of Themselves? Cremation, the Burning Question '' (Bastion, 2013)
* * ''Should Old Aquinas Be Forgotten?'' (Bastion Books, 2013. Revision and expansion of #37)
* ''The Atheist's Fatal Flaw '' (Baker, 2014)
* ''The Jesus Quest: the Danger from Within'' (Xulon, 2014)
* ''The Bible's Answer to 100 of Life's Biggest Questions '' (Baker, 2015)
* ''The Shack: Helpful or Hurtful?'' (Bastion Books, 2011)
* ''Teacher's Guide to Twelve Points That Show Christianity is True'' (NGIM, 2012).
* ''Beware of Philosophy'' (Bastion Books, 2012)
* ''A History of Western Philosophy: Vol 1: Ancient and Medieval'' (Bastion Books, 2012)
* ''A History of Western Philosophy: Vol 2: Modern and Contemporary'' (Bastion Books, 2012)
* * ''A Handbook on World Views: A Catalogue for Worldview Shoppers'' (Bastion Books, 2013) (A minor revision of ''Worlds Apart'')
* * ''Biblical Inerrancy: The Historical Evidence'' (Bastion Books, 2013)(A minor Revision of #15)
* * ''What in Cremation is Going On?'' (Bastion Books, 2014) (Abridgement of # 86)
* ''The Official Study Guide to I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist'' (Xulon Press, 2014)
* ''The Religion of the Force'' (Bastion Books, 2015) (Update and expansion of #19)
* ''God: A Philosophical Argument '' (Bastion Books, 2015)
* ''Evidence of an Early New Testament Canon'' (Bastion Books, 2015)
* ''Romans in Logical Form'' (Bastion Books, 2015)
* ''Vital Issues in the Inerrancy Debate'' (Wipf & Stock, 2016) (review)
* ''How to Know God '' (Bastion Books, 2016)(In English and Spanish)
* ''A Prolegomena to Evangelical Theology'' (Bastion Books, 2016)
* ''A Popular Survey of Bible Doctrine'' (Bastion Books, 2015)
* ''A Prolegomena to Evangelical Theology'' (Bastion Books, 2016)
* ''The Bible: Its Origin, Nature and Collection: NGIM Guide to Bible Doctrine, Book 1'' (NGIM.org, 2015)
* ''The Doctrine of God: NGIM Guide to Bible Doctrine, Book 2'' (NGIM.org, 2015)
* ''The Doctrine of Christ: NGIM Guide to Bible Doctrine, Book 3'' (NGIM.org, 2016)
* ''The Doctrine of Creation: NGIM Guide to Bible Doctrine, Book 4'' (NGIM.org, 2016)
* ''The Doctrine of Angels & Demons: NGIM Guide to Bible Doctrine, Book 5'' (NGIM.org, 2016)
* ''Preserving Orthodoxy: Maintaining Continuity with the Historic Christian Faith on Scripture'' (Bastion Books, 2017)
* ''Somewhere Under the Rainbow: A Christian look at Same-Sex “Marriage”'' (Bastion Books, 2017)
* ''Having Fun Under the Sun: A Study of Ecclesiastes'' (Bastion Books, 2018)
* ''The Collected Work of Norm Geisler'', Volumes 1-5 (Bastion Books, 2019) Vol. 1 (1964-1979) , Vol. 2 (19xx-19xx), Vol. 3 (19xx-19xx), Vol. 4 (19xx-19xx), Vol. 5 (19xx-19xx)
* ''*Conviction without Compromise: Standing Strong in the Core Beliefs of the Christian Faith'' (NGIM.org, 2021)(An unrevised republishing of #73)
* ''Is Man the Measure? An Evaluation of Contemporary Humanism and Transhumanism'' (Bastion Books, 2021? – Forthcoming)(A major update to and expansion of #18)
Notes
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External links
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Bastion Books
is the book publishing wing of Geisler Enterprises, LLC. Created by Norm Geisler and Christopher Haun in 2014 to republish Norm's out-of-print books and publish some of his newest books.
Norman Geisler International Ministries
is a non-profit ministry founded by Norm Geisler and David Geisler in 2014.
Defending Inerrancy
is a blogsite started by Norm Geisler and Shawn Nelson (with William Roach, F. David Farnell, Joe Holden and others) in 2014 to defend the standards of inerrancy in the ICBI's Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and the Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics.
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Course Christian Apologetics by Norman Geisler
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geisler, Norman
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