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Norman L. Geisler (born 1932) is a Christian systematic theologian, philosopher, and apologist. He is the co-founder of two non-denominational Evangelical seminaries (Veritas Evangelical Seminary[1] and Southern Evangelical Seminary[2]). He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Loyola University and is well known for his scholarly contributions to the subjects of classical Christian apologetics, systematic theology, the history of philosophy, philosophy of religion, the creationism and evolution debate, Calvinism, Roman Catholicism, biblical inerrancy, Bible difficulties, ethics, and more. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of over 90 books[3] and hundreds of articles.[4]
Geisler's education includes a Th.B. (1964) from William Tyndale College, B.A. in philosophy (1958) and M.A. in theology (1960) from Wheaton College, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Loyola University. He had additional graduate work at Wayne State University, the University of Detroit, and Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.[5]
Norman Leo Geisler was born in 1932 in the Detroit area (Warren, Michigan, USA). He attended a nondenominational Evangelical church from age nine to age seventeen before he committed his life to Jesus Christ. He immediately began attempting to share his faith with others in various evangelistic endeavors—door-to-door, street meetings, and jail service, rescue missions, and Youth for Christ venues. Some of his conversations with forced him to realize that he needed to find better answers to the objections he was hearing. This was the start of earning two Bachelor's degrees, two Master's degrees, and a Doctorate.[6]
In 1981, Geisler testified in "the Scopes II trial" (McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education). Duane Gish, a creationist, 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. 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."[7]
Geisler was formerly a president of the Evangelical Theological Society but left the ETS in 2003, after it did not expel Clark Pinnock, who advocated open theism.[8] Geisler also founded and was first president of The Evangelical Philosophical Society. 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.[9] He contributed to The Counterfeit Gospel of Mormonism.[10]
In 2008, Geisler co-founded Veritas Evangelical Seminary located in Santa Ana, California. The seminary offers master's degrees in theological studies, apologetics, biblical studies, and Divinity. Geisler currently serves as Chancellor, Distinguished Professor of Apologetics and Theology and occupant of the Norman L. Geisler Chair of Christian Apologetics.[11]
Geisler is married to Barbara Jean and together they have six children, fifteen grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.[12][13]
Geisler is known first and foremost as a classical Christian apologist. Between 1970 and 1990 he participated in dozens of public debates and gained a reputation as a powerful defender of the theism, biblical miracles, the resurrection of Jesus, and the reliability of the Bible. 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 the holistic system of classical apologetics he had been developing over the years. The first outline contained fourteen points of argument:[14]
The overview of his system was later streamlined slightly into a 12-point schema. As of 1999 it could be summarized as follows:[15]
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[16] in 2004 and for Geisler's 2012 e-book Twelve Points that Show Christianity is True.[17]
Geisler is a conservative evangelical scholar who has written a four-volume systematic theology.[18]
He is a strong defender of the full inerrancy of the Bible, being one of the co-founders and framers of the “Chicago Statement of Biblical Inerrancy" (1978) and editor of the book Inerrancy (Zondervan, 1978). More recently co-authored Defending Inerrancy with William Roach (Baker, 2013). He also co-authored (with William Nix) General Introduction to the Bible (Moody Press, 1986)[19] and From God to Us, revised (Moody, 2012).
Geisler considers himself a “moderate Calvinist," as expressed in his book Chosen but Free (Harvest House, 2001) and Systematic Theology, in One Volume (Harvest House, 2012). On the Five Points of Calvinism, he believes (1) Total depravity extends to the whole person but does not destroy the image of God in fallen human beings; (2) Election is unconditional from the standpoint of God’s giving it and only one condition for human’s receiving it—faith; (3) Election is unlimited in its scope—Christ died for all mankind—but limited in its application to only the elect; (4) Grace is irresistible on the willing but does not force the unwilling; (5) All those who are regenerate will, by God’s grace, persevere to the end and be saved.[20]
Geisler has written two significant books on ethics: Christian Ethics[21] and The Christian Love Ethic.[22] He provides his perspective on ethical options, abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, biomedical issues, capital punishment, war, civil disobedience, sexual issues, homosexuality, marriage and divorce, ecology, animal rights, drugs, gambling, pornography, birth control, and more.
Of the six major ethical systems (antinomianism, situationalism, generalism, unqualified absolutism, conflicting absolutism, and graded absolutism), Geisler advocates graded absolutism, which is a theory of moral absolutism which affirms that in moral conflicts we are obligated to perform the higher moral duty.[23] 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. 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[24] (see also prima facie right.)
Geisler believes the American Revolution was not justified by the standards of either the Bible or Just war theory. However, he is not a pacifist, believing that defensive wars are justified but revolutions are not.[25]
Logic, Epistemology, Ethics, Metaphysics, Aesthetics
Rome, Chicago, Illinois, Society of Jesus, National Collegiate Athletic Association
Aesthetics, Philosophy, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Existentialism
Christianity, Calvinism, Christian theology, Thomas Aquinas, Bible
Christian theology, Christology, John Calvin, Philosophy of religion, Ecclesiology
Quran, Muhammad, Islam, Criticism of Islam, Voltaire
Bible, Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Christian Science, Anti-cult movement
Charlotte, North Carolina, Davidson College, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Richard Land, Norman Geisler
Quran, Science, Pseudoscience, Alternative medicine, Technology