MSI Press Blog

Recently released: Audiobook edition of  How to Argue with an Atheist  by Professor TL Brink . Book description Up against the wall in "arguing" with an atheist or challenged by your own inner atheist? TL Brink proposes a simulated discussion, a heuristic for a conversation with an acquaintance, in a formal debate, or with your inner voice. Considering that faith is a commitment to serve God, Brink posits that atheists have refused to participate in the spiritual side of life-and helps them recover by leading them, in a 12 step program, to an exploration of the spiritual dimension. Remember, the goal is to win FOR, not against, that atheist. This book shows you how. Keywords arguing with atheists, d ebating atheism, f aith vs. atheism, t heist vs. atheist debate, r eligion and reason, s piritual discussions, w inning debates on faith, s imulated religious debate, i nner atheist struggles, c onversational apologetics,  12-step spiritual journey, g uiding atheists to faith,...

STEP #1:   I affirm that people are values-centered. STUDENT: Dr. Brink? Do you remember me? I came by last week and we talked about religion. BRINK: Of course, but as I said last time, to give you the entire answer as to why I am religious, or why you should be religious, is not something that we should attempt all at once. We need to approach this topic advancing slowly but surely, one step at a time. STUDENT: So, where do we start? BRINK: My first point is that humans are values-oriented beings. They seek values, uphold values, and when they are not oriented by values, they fall into alienation. STUDENT: That sounds like Chapter 13 on social psychology. BRINK: My, you have read ahead in your psychology textbook. STUDENT: So, what’s the next point? BRINK: Don’t be so quick to agree with me. If we have not fully established step #1, then we do not have a good footing for the next step. We need to break down step #1 into several sub-steps. In order for y...

  Excerpt from How to Argue with an Atheist available online and from msipress.com/shop INTRODUCTION: Arguing in Circles               It is not how long the book is, but how long the book sticks in the mind of the reader.  My contention is sure to be controversial: atheism is an addiction. According to the national opinion polls, between two and twenty percent of American adults identify themselves as atheists (depending upon how the question is phrased). The fact that there are so many millions of atheists (or so few, if you look at it proportionately) says nothing about the existence of God, but only about human nature.               I am going to suggest a broader, more sweeping definition of atheism: behaving as if God does not exist . Since the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, all of us have, at least on occasion, behaved in this way. In that sen...

  This week's book back story features How to Argue with an Atheist by TL Brink. from the editor -- TL Brink is a professor beloved by his students, winning best professor awards. With a profession based on logic and fact-finding (and at the same time a Christian), TL found a new way to talk to atheists (and he had many students who fell into that group) that differed from the traditional emotional and mystical approach: through logic. His book is a tour-de-force clearly based on countless successful conversations with atheist students. Through his book, he hoped to reach a larger audience. I believe he has. Purchase the paperback 25% discount with coupon code FF25 at the MSI Press webstore . For more posts about Jeremy and his book, click  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Inter...

  From the publisher --  The story behind How to Argue with an Atheist   by TL Brink -  Professor Brink, a popular professor at a southern California university, sent me a query out of the blue. I had never met him. But, his proposal was intriguing in that it provided a counterbalance to a book we had published earlier, Blest Atheist (Mahlou). The previous book had provided argumentation through experienced emotion. Professor Brink offered a parallel, leading to the same conclusion, through logical argumentation. Interestingly, I never got to know the popular professor as well as most of our authors because there were no snafus. (Yes, most books have a snafu here or there.) Copyediting was quick; he had provided clean copy, well organized, well written, well edited, something that warms the cockles of every editor's heart. Of several proposed cover designs, he actually liked the one shown here without modification.  What a breeze! The book was produced in ...

  excerpt from How to Argue with an Atheist (Brink) -  STEP #1: I affirm that people are values-centered.   STUDENT: Dr. Brink? Do you remember me? I came by last week and we talked about religion.   BRINK: Of course, but as I said last time, to give you the entire answer as to why I am religious or why you should be religious is not something that we should attempt all at once. We need to approach this topic one step at a time.   STUDENT: So, where do we start?   BRINK: My first point is that humans are values-oriented beings. They seek values, uphold values, and when they are not oriented by values, they fall into alienation.   STUDENT: That sounds like Chapter 13 on social psychology.   BRINK: My, you have read ahead in your psychology textbook.   STUDENT:  So, what's the next point?   BRINK: Don't be so quick to agree with me. If we have not fully established step #1, then we do not have a good footing for the next step. We ne...