William Lane Craig | The Ben Shapiro Show Sunday Special Ep. 50 

0:23 *Welcome Dr. William Lane Craig* 1:37 _Why is there such a decline in religious belief in The West?_ 3:03 “Why should you get up in the dark and the cold to worship someone you don’t think is there?” 4:06 Nietzsche, “God is Dead”, Enlightenment sweeps away The Church 5:25 Faith backed by reason • A Renaissance of Christian Belief In Philosophy 7:40 What is the most reasonable proof of God? *The Cosmological Argument* (8:18) 1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause 2. The Universe began to exist 3. Therefore, The Universe has a cause *The Moral Argument* (9:18) (1) If God does not exist, then objective moral values do not exist (2) Objective moral Values exist (3) Therefore, God Exists 10:12 Objections/Response to The Cosmological Argument 11:55 Objections/Response to The Morality Argument 13:32 What are the strongest objections to God? Build a Steelman. Where are your objectors the strongest in their objections? 14:46 _ZipRecruiter_ 15:46 Bertrand Russell *The External Transcendent Cause Argument* (16:03) 1. Everything that exists has an explanation of its existence either in necessity of its own nature or an external cause 2. If the Universe has an explanation of its existence, then its explanation is a Transcendent external cause 3. The Universe Exists Cn: Therefore, The Universe has a Transcendent external cause 17:25 Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Vaccum *The Ontological Argument* (19:13) 1. That than which nothing greater can be thought not only exists in the mind but in the real world 2. God is that than which nothing greater can be thought Cn. God Exists 21:22 Maximally Great Island 23:12 What makes God a Constant vs a Clockmaker (Deism) God necessarily exists. Can’t cease to exist. 25:23 Aquinas and Aristotle. _Athens And Jerusalem_ 26:00 Monotheism. *_Who Was Jesus?_* 28:47 Judaism On Jesus 32:00 Religio-Historical Context (1) Jesus tomb was discovered empty (2) Seen walking around after (1) (3) The Disciples believed he had been risen from the dead 36:15 Babba turabi (?) 37:17 “Good evidence doesn’t become bad evidence just because of the lapse of time” 38:25 The Necessity for Judaeo-Christian Revelation. Why a Personal God? - Atonement For Sin - Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for Mankind 42:45 Craig’s 1st Debate. Craig’s rematch debate 44:03 *Problem of Evil* 😈 Intellectual and Emotional Suffering 46:00 The Evils of The Bible Indentured Servitude/Slavery, an Anti-Poverty program 49:10 _Divine Command Theory_ Divorce? 51:55 It is grounded in The Creation Story. 54:00 Relativism and Objectivity 55:25 Jordan Peterson 57:20 Reeducating Religion 58:49 What made you religious William?

Ben: It feels like the resurrection is not interesting to me. WLC: Facts don't care about your feelings.

Ben- when you asked him to tell his personal conversion story- My heart jumped. Thank you for being a man of integrity. Giving him that platform, though you don't agree that Jesus was the promised Messiah, was a class move and did a good that you can't yet imagine.

I can't believe that one of Ben's strongest responses to the evidence being revealed/explained to him was that it "doesn't interest him" 😂😂😂that's hilarious

Love Dr. Craig!!! His ministry played an important role in my conversion to Christianity.

This is unbelievable. What a win for the Kingdom having this man on.

I love the glow in William Lane Craig’s face when he begins talking about the love of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ words still stagger me today as much as they did when I first read them. His words are so wise, convicting and loving. I’m still blown away by his great love for a sinner like me. I’m very thankful that Ben Shapiro would be so welcoming.

This is one of the first times I have ever seen Ben Shapiro get genuinely bested in a debate (and I'm specifically referring to when they were talking about Jesus of Nazareth, and the evidence for His resurrection). Craig is truly exceptional.

Woah Ben, thank you so much for having WLC on. He is largely responsible for my conversion to Christianity.

I instantly clicked on this when I saw it. William Lane Craig is a fascinating person; I'm so grateful Ben got him on.

One thing I really appreciate with Ben's show he allows people to actually talk and express their views. As a follower of Christ Dr. Craig's personal testimony touched my soul!

I love how chill and respectful Craig is in this conversation. He has a conviction but he’s not so overly passionate that it puts anyone off.

Theological Sunday specials are my favorite because Ben does a good job of covering politics throughout the week.

The most ambitious crossover event since infinity war

36:05 -37:10 was so brilliant. Craig : “I doubt this man’s tomb was empty!” Haha Craig always has the best way of dominating. So gentle but so witty. Ben was completely unable to answer it and dismisses that and any of there arguments for the historical Jesus. That being said, I truly respect Ben for having Craig on who disagrees with him and is very competent in defending Christ. Ben is extremely uncomfortable discussing Christ because he is very satisfied with the common ground he has with Christians. I believe it would be so difficult for him to actually consider these arguments given his entire family life and culture he was raised in. I applaud him for having the conversation and hope one day he will consider the historical arguments for Jesus. Craig is certainly the best person to plant the seed. Great conversation.

Lol, you can tell how happy Craig is to be talking to someone who actually understands him and knows the language of his philosophical work

Wow... thank you very much Ben for having William Lane Craig!!!

Finally! Been waiting for this!

Wow The Daily Wire is hardcore stepping up it's game lately with who they are getting on, William Lane Craig is awesome! Keep it up Daily Wire!!!!

This has been such a refreshing listen. More talks on Jesus and the Bible is what is needed in this time that we are living. Thanks for doing this interview Ben Shapiro!

I salute Ben Shapiro for interviewing good spokespersons for Christianity, including Dr. Craig. Ben asks intelligent and relevant questions, making his program credible and enjoyable.

Nearly crapped myself when I saw the notification

I am very excited to see WLC on this show. He is awesome.

THIS WAS BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!! Dr. Craig's testimony of salvation made my spirit rejoice and my eyes tear up. Oh how our God is good and mighty to save!!!!!!

I gasped, I gasped when I saw William Lane Craig name alongside Ben. I can die now. Bye bye

This is good stuff! Please have Ravi Zacharias on.

Wow! WLC... great pick Ben

Ben, I doubt you will ever see this comment, but you are truly an incredible thinker and talk show host. Your ability to stay calm and collected and to let Dr. Craig speak, and finish his thoughts, is absolutely unheard-of in this day and age. I'm entirely of Dr. Craig's viewpoint here, but I'm just incredibly thankful for your professionalism and thoughtfulness in this discussion.

I would looooove to see you do one with John Lennox. Ben I'm sure you have heard of him, if not dig into him.

I've been wanting Rogan to have a respected Christian on and specifically thought about Craig. Hopefully, being on Shapiro might open that pathway up...

Respect to Ben for letting Craig share his views and evidences for Jesus on his show even though he disagrees with them

Thank you Ben for introducing me to Bill Craig. What an amazing human. And I enjoyed Ben’s hosting and interview skills on display in this interview. Great stuff

Wonderful. A Jewish commentator and a Christian philosopher sitting casually and having a conversation about life, the universe, and everything. I wish we had this sort of civility in American politics, where fellow earthlings could sit in love and compassion and understanding and just converse with patience and with an ear, mind, and heart aimed at understanding each other. Great discussion, thank you gentlemen.

Major Kudos to Ben as well for "going in there". Many people simply just avoid the conversation.

Found a friendly comment section for once :)

This was an erudite, meaningful conversation. I’m an Orthodox Jew, this is the first time listening to Dr Craig and I found him interesting and knowledgeable. It’s good to listen to intelligent, articulate people even if we don’t agree with some of their views.

As much as I love Ben Shapiro...boy oh boy...he met his match with William L Craig. As a Messianic Jew I was so proud of Dr. Craig.

My head just blew off my shoulders!!

Now THIS is how two people with differing beliefs and opinions have a dialog. Absolutely beautiful. Thank you.

What a beautiful interview. Here are two of my favourite thinkers in one interview.

I never clicked something so fast in my life.

WLC is shockingly bright and truly a blessing to Christians. All glory to Jesus Christ...God Bless

Of the many amazing attributes of Dr. Craig, I am more impressed everyday with his demeanor - he is ALWAYS a gentleman

William Lane Craig is a brilliant man, someone to be really admired

Very nice interview. Praise God. Respect to Mr. Ben Shapiro for interviewing people he disagrees with i.e. Christians.

I'm praying that you come to faith in Christ Mr. Shapiro! Thank you for having Christians on your show.

Bring Ravi Zacharias on the show, please!

Love Dr. Craig and Ben, truly love that Dr. Craig doesn’t shy away from the evidence for Christ to Ben. I pray that Ben one day accepts Jesus as the Christ.

Thanks for inviting WLC Ben.... Great to see a civil conversation between two giants from different spectrums

What blessing it would be if Ben accepted Jesus Christ into his heart and came to know this personal God. His pride in his knowledge prevents it at this point, but we remember Saul/Paul and know God can intervene in anyone's life, and will.

1:00:07 Great job Sandy! You speaking about Jesus Christ to W.L.C. has changed the entire world! Imagine that!

Love the way Craig shares the gospel and his own testimony; calm, confident, friendly. Admire the mutual respect they show each other even when they don't agree on certain things. Prayers for Ben's salvation :)

I love how he shared his testimony! Definitely the most powerful part of the interview

Thank you for getting the best Christian philosopher in the world on the show!!!!

I've listened to all of Ben's podcasts and this one is the best so far

Ben's ability to politely listen to a viewpoint he disagrees with is very admirable

The Old Testament speaks of Jesus all the time...

As a former atheist, I pretty much fell for all the common New Atheist slogans about religion. “There’s no evidence for the supernatural”, or “science has refuted God”, or whatever other stuff you read about in books like The God Delusion. There was a time when I was a major proponent of Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris and all them. But after encountering the rich, intellectual tradition within the Christian faith - People like Bill Craig and Ed Feser, both of whom Ben have had on - all these New Atheists began to look intellectually paltry in comparison; not to mention, they were all very angry. They’re arguments didn’t hold up, and they began to appear more like children in a temper than sincere seekers of truth. I’ve mentioned this in a previous comment, but I’ll say it again. The real debate is not between religion and atheism. The real debate is between religion 1 and religion 2, etc; between Judaism and Christianity and Islam, and so on; specifically, not over whether religion is true, but *which* religion is true. RU-vid conversations like these are only the beginning. If anybody here hasn’t read the published work of Dr. Craig - especially the Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology - I highly recommend doing so. Dr. Craig is scholarly, honest, and convincing. It might surprise him to hear that his work in large part lead me to the Catholic Faith, since he is not himself a Catholic. But still, I hold Dr. Craig in high regard as a philosopher and theologian, and value his contributions to the study of religion enormously. He changed my life.

Love this. I saw him debate Hitchens at Biola back in 2008.

My favorite part of Craig's argument, the mic drop moment, for me is 37:03 when he says: "I doubt this man's tomb is empty." (responding to argument that another Messianic figure has followers who claim he's still alive) 😁 BOOM! (Craig's smile is his confidence.) The best argument for Jesus's divinity is his resurrection from the dead because it proved he was Who he said he was! It's not just that He claimed to be Messiah, but that He ALSO claimed to be Son of Man prophesied by Daniel, and God vindicated him by His resurrection! The empty tomb is the validation. That POWER is in no other name but Jesus of Nazareth

Never thought I'd see the day. So glad Shapiro finally got Craig on here. Ravi Zacharias and John Lennox next pleeease!

Love it - Ben asks WLC to take the role of an atheist-😆😆😆. Interesting interaction- Ben does talk fast- WLC looks extremely excited when Ben asks the right questions-- ❤️ it.

Best Sunday special thank you for having Dr Craig on

Love it! Finally someone speaking, the actual gospel and putting out the truth. There’s only one way and one solution to our worlds problems, and that is through Jesus!

Shapiro doesn't get owned often, but Craig is Craig.

Ben needs to interview Dr Gary Habermas.

WLC helped me return to my faith. I was almost atheist until I heard the debate w Christopher Hitchens

I'm a Christian, have been watching Ben and the Daily Wire crew for years now. I'm grateful that they not only have guests like Mr Craig on but they engage in respectful and insightful conversations with them.

Before there is a William Lane Craig, there must be a Sandy. We never know beforehand the impact that sharing our faith with just a single person might have on the entire world.

WLC looks absolutely delighted at Ben's questions

What an interview ! I almost cried when Prof. Craig spoke about Jesus and the evidence.

I have never heard of Dr Craig. But listening to this conversation, he seems like such a wholesome person. Loved listening to him. Praying the Father uses him mightily.

29:00 Ben debating Christian apologetics with WLC. Oh boy Ben, know your limits.

Love WLC, Powerful Joe Rogan Experience next!

By far the best Sunday special yet! Have him back for round two and get more into the historical argument and talk about Paul! Great job you guys!

Jesus is the ONLY one who rose from the dead. Buddha, Muhammad, Darwin are still dead in their graves. There is an empty tomb in Jerusalem and it's historical proof! John 14:6 " I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father EXCEPT through ME."

*Question: Is William Lane Craig incompetent or dishonest?* That's an easy no for this double doctorate philosopher, and here's the proof: a ton of atheist philosophers and academics verify his brilliance. Here are examples: . . . In atheist philosopher Graham Oppy's "Arguing About Gods", Craig is cited 23 times in the references; more times than anyone save Oppy himself. He has a huge section in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy dedicated to his KCA (about a 4th of the article on the cosmological argument). --- *DANIEL DENNETT* (Atheist Philosopher) - After he heard Craig speak, said _"That was a virtuoso job! A stunning amount of careful articulation and structure of some dauntingly difficult issues."_ --- *QUENTIN SMITH* (Atheist Philosopher) - On Time and Eternity, _“William Lane Craig is one the leading philosophers of religion and one of the leading philosophers of time…It is a rewarding experience to read through this brilliant and well-researched book by one of the most learned and creative thinkers of our era" _ _"a count of the articles in the philosophy journals shows that more articles have been published about Craig’s defense of the Kalam argument than have been published about any other philosopher’s contemporary formulation of an argument for God’s existence."_ --- *MICHAEL RUSE* (Agnostic Philosopher) - On his book debate with Walter Sinott Armstrong _"This is a wonderful exchange about the existence of God--fast, fair, informative, intelligent, sincere, and above all terrific fun." _ --- *KEITH PARSON* (Atheist Philosopher) - _“Having debated Craig twice face to face and once in print (in the Dallas Morning News,of all places, June 13, 1998) let me weigh in on Jeff [Jay Lowder]'s side. In these debates only once did I feel that Craig said anything that even sounded like a cheap shot. This was at the debate at Prestonwood Baptist Church near Dallas with 4500 people in attendance, about 4450 of whom were on Craig's side. Craig asked whether anything would convince me that he was right. I responded, as Norwood Russell Hanson did in "What I do not Believe" that some huge display that everyone would see would convince me. Earlier, I had rejected Craig's appeal to the "500" witnesses mentioned by Paul in I Corinthians XV and noted that mass hallucinations do sometimes occur. Craig then asked whether I would not also dismiss ANY display as a hallucination, prompting much braying laughter from the highly partisan audience. _ _Now whether Craig was intentionally playing to the audience or not, I don't know, but this was a legitimate question and I obviously had left myself open to the rejoinder. When the laughter died I explained...Craig had no response, so I think I took the point.” _ _“Now if you are looking for nasty, there are people like Steve Hays, Holding/Turkel, and Ed Feser. Ad hominem, character assassination, straw man, and vituperation are their stock-in-trade. I would not at all put Craig in their sleazy category.” _ --- *KEVIN SCHARP* (Atheist Philosopher) - _"In assessing his arguments, I will talk as I would to any other professional philosopher whose system I’ve managed to work my way into. That is, I don’t pull punches, but I also never attack character, so it isn’t personal. Professor Craig knows this; I know this; I’m saying it for the benefit of the audience. In part, because *I respect the guy.* He’s got some great philosophical skills, he’s a talented system builder, which I admire, and he’s done a tremendous service to the atheist movement by trouncing most of our heroes and raising the bar on both sides. [Audience laughter] I’m serious! That’s a major benefit, a major thing that we can say thank you for." _ --- *PETER MILICAN* (Atheist Philosopher) _"'The Cosmological Argument for Plato to Leibniz' - that's actually my own copy, dated 1980. I got it when I when studying the B Phil here [Oxford], studying philosophy of religion under Bazil Mitchell. And it was clear, even then, that Bill's book was a new landmark in the discussion of the cosmological argument."_ --- *DANIEL CAME* (Atheist Philosopher) _"Given that there isn't much in the way of serious argumentation in the New Atheists' dialectical arsenal, it should perhaps come as no surprise that Dawkins and Grayling aren't exactly queuing up to enter a public forum with an intellectually rigorous theist like Craig to have their views dissected and the inadequacy of their arguments exposed.'_ --- *LAWRENCE KRAUSS* (Atheist Physicist) At first we notice the very reason that Krauss went to Australia, and had the “discussions”, was to expose William Lane Craig as dishonest. In an interview before the event, he is asked the question, “What’s the point of debates like this?” Here is part of his reply: _“In this particular case, I also do it because I happen to think William Lane Craig abuses science and says many, many, many things that are not only disingenuous but untruthful, but recognizes that his audience won’t know that. So one of the reasons I like to do these, and certainly why I agreed to allow the first one to be videotaped, is to demonstrate explicitly examples of where he says things that he knows to be manifestly wrong, but also knows that the audience won’t have access to the information.” _ _But after more discussion with Craig, surprisingly Krauss changes his mind. He says, “I’ve listened to Dr. Craig over the days, and I’ve changed my opinion. I’m much more charitable. I came here convinced, based on my past interactions and his writings, that Dr. Craig is a dishonest charlatan. But I don’t believe that. I think Dr. Craig earnestly believes deeply, in the issues he is talking about -- so deeply, and as a man of great intelligence, he is convinced that there must be a reason" _ --- *CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS* (Atheist Journalist) - _“But I can tell you that my brothers and sisters and co-thinkers in the unbelieving community take him [Dr. Craig] very seriously. He’s thought of as a very tough guy -- very rigorous, very scholarly, very formidable. And I say that without reserve; I don’t say that because I’m here.” _ --- *JEFF JAY LOWDER* (Well known, Atheist Blogger) - _“As a freethinker, I think it’s important to follow the evidence wherever it leads and avoid sloppy thinking….I take the charge of dishonesty extremely seriously. Anyone who levels the accusation of dishonesty has the burden of proof, and they had better make sure they attempt to get the other person’s side of the story before publicly concluding that dishonesty is the best explanation. If Craig has been dishonest, I have yet to see any evidence of that.” _ _“A second allegation is that Craig is dishonest in his public debates because he uses arguments which he “knows” are false. Really? I do wonder how these people “know” what Craig thinks.” _ --- *JOHN W. LOFTUS* (Atheist Blogger with a Master’s in Theology, plus some PhD level study) - _“From personal knowledge my testimony is that Bill sincerely believes and is not being dishonest with himself. Unless someone knows him better than I do then my testimony should be taken seriously. He does not think he is wrong even though he is. This is emphatically not the case as much as some atheists would like to think. He is delusionally dead wrong. But he sincerely believes. I know him personally and have talked with him on several occasions even after deconverting.”_ . . . . So, who do you believe? RU-vid commenters opinions or professional atheist academics, who have a clear reason to say otherwise?

Not ONE church would exist today if Jesus remained dead.

Ben was sweating when WLC was shooting Facts about the resurrection.

I don’t believe in God however i stayed, listened and learned and really enjoyed and appreciated this discussion and respect you both.

Those watching for study purposes: 08:07 = Cosmological argument 09:15 = Moral argument 10:20 = Rebuttal and response (Cosmological argument) 11:55 = Rebuttal and response (Moral argument) 13:35 = WLC Steelmanning (playing the atheist to) the arguments he made 15:46 = Response to Bertrand Russel's Cosmological argument from 'Unintelligible brute fact' 17:24 = Response to David Hume's Epicurean Hypothesis 19:18 = Ontological argument 21:13 = 'Guanillo's Island' response to the Ontological argument 22:23 = Justifying the existence of a personal God * 23:10 = * a God who is present in the universe 'now' 25:50 = Justifying a Christian God 26:48 = Who Jesus thought he was (moving into Theology) 28:47 = Examining how Jesus is (or was) different from any other messianic figures 31:50 = Examining whether the resurrection of Jesus is proof of divinity 32:44 = Historical argument against the validity of the Bible rebuttal 39:16 = The importance of a personal God for Christianity 40:35 = WLC's best debate he has had (in his opinion) 42:33 = Whether or not WLC has questioned his own beliefs in debates 44:09 = Discussion about the problem of evil in religion (back to philosophy) 46:00 = The controversies of the Bible in modern society and Jesus' views on these in the Bible 53:48 = Utilising the moral argument in debate 55:34 = Psychology VS Religion in objective moral values

Great way to close out....WLC sharing the gospel with Ben. He's now heard directly from John MacArthur AND WLC. Jesus is trying to get Shapiro's attention:)

Dr. Michael Brown would be an ideal guest for Shapiro.

I hope Ben Shapiro comes to know Jesus as Savior.

Ben points out that the gospels were written a few decades after the events. He's avoiding the centuries that passed from Adam to Noah to Abraham to Moses. Yet he doesn't dispute their validity.

What a time to be alive So much love for these guys Truly happy with the fact that most of the discussion centred on the person of Christ. William Lane Craig was just superb. May God bless you

This might just be the most educational and inspirational Sunday Special that I've ever watched. I love this and I thank you for your dedication to open dialogue, Ben, and your amazing preaching/teaching, William Lane Craig!!!

I love that with all the big words, thoughts, and questions that Dr. Craig's testimony was at it highest level of childlike understanding and joy. It made me cry because when God places His joy inside our hearts we all as His children experience that same feeling it is like a birth, a rebirth, a being born again by the power of the Holy Spirit! Hallelujah!!!❤

Ben is very respectful of Christianity. Very nice discussion

Oh yes, It happened! Been waiting for this crossover for so long. Thank you!

William Lane Craig is simply awesome. Ben, great interview!

Masterful interview by Ben Shapiro and a brilliant interviewee in William Lane Craig...thank you guys!

THE TWO MEN WHO HAVE CHANGED MY MIND AND HEART MORE THAN ANY OTHER TWO MEN ARE HAVING A CONVERSATION. THANK YOU JESUS :D

Best interview.....EVER!!!! William Lane Craig is top drawer!

Very good debate. seeds are being planted in Ben for him to believe in the Messiah Jesus.

CT and disposition between these two men is amazing I love the fact that they both have in unwavering beliefs in contrast of each other but can still enjoy each other's runs. Ben was honestly setting with royalty and he knew it! Much respect

Dr. Craig is absolutely incredible. It’s awesome that Ben was able to host him.

WLC is the legend of legends!!! So happy that he is getting this exposure to another audience!

“Before you answer what weaknesses exist in the cosmological argument...Policy Genius saves u money”

I do not think there was an arguement, but rather a sincere part on both, Ben to ask questions and William on sincerely attempting to answer the questions. Ben was very gracious to have W.L.C. on his show and i think they both enjoyed this conversation. .ay more people Jew and Gentile come to God the Father and God's Kingdom.