Exorcism stories

Although scholars from various disciplines and worldviews explain the experiences differently, there are many firsthand accounts of exorcism experiences around the world. This 10-minute video excerpts material from a larger discussion on spirit possession experiences reported around the world.

It comes from a larger series available for free at: http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/DigitalCourses/00_DigitalBiblicalStudiesCourses.html#Matthew_Keener.

Miracles lecture at Missouri State University

The religion department at Missouri State University, along with the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, welcomed Craig to give a lecture about miracles at MSU on Feb. 5, 2015.
This lecture was videotaped by the Assemblies of God Seminary and can be viewed at the following address (which will also eventually post Craig’s lectures on a different subject offered at AGTS the same week):
https://www.agts.edu/news/news_archives/2015_01horton_lecturesafter.html
This vimeo for this particular lecture is toward the bottom of the page.

The full lecture is about an hour, followed by questions, but viewers can sample different parts of it if they wish. (Craig readily admits that he is a better writer than speaker. But just in case you like hearing or watching more than reading, or want the free version …)

Rumors of miracles

The United Methodist renewal magazine Good News recently published an article by Craig that they titled, “Rumors of miracles.”
You can read it at: http://goodnewsmag.org/2014/12/rumors-of-miracles/ (Note: this link will take you there automatically.)
Other articles in the same issue, such as Wendy Deichmann’s excellent “Lessons from Mozambique” (http://goodnewsmag.org/2014/12/lessons-from-mozambique/) are also well-worth reading (especially if you have read too many of my articles on the subject!)

Josephus about Jesus

The first-century historian Josephus reports that Jesus was a sage who performed wonders. This is a non-Christian source from Jesus’s era. This is treated briefly in the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGxRQDXq-o0
Some internet detractors demand eyewitness reports from the first century before they will believe, but such a demand displays historiographic ignorance–by this standard we would know almost nothing about ancient history. We have the next-best thing: sources from the first generation, including some who consulted eyewitnesses (Luke 1:1-2). I have addressed these issues elsewhere (including in http://www.craigkeener.org/gospel-truth-luke-11-4/; http://www.craigkeener.org/the-real-historical-jesus/; for videos: http://www.craigkeener.org/gospels-as-ancient-biographies-part-1/http://www.craigkeener.org/gospels-as-ancient-biographies-part-2/http://www.craigkeener.org/can-we-trust-the-disciples-to-have-remembered-jesus-teachings-correctly/), but suffice it to say that unless critics invent special standards for Jesus that we do not apply to the rest of ancient history, we know quite a lot about him. (As for eyewitness testimonies of miracles, we not only have sources from within a generation of Jesus’s ministry, but we do have eyewitness accounts of his followers performing miracles, such as in Acts’ “we” section, Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians’ eyewitness experience of his miracles, eyewitness accounts in the church fathers, and millions of eyewitness claims today. But that is, again, another story. See e.g., http://www.craigkeener.org/divine-action-presentation-at-oxford-video/; http://www.craigkeener.org/medical-evidence-of-miracles/; and other material filed at http://www.craigkeener.org/category/current-issues/miracles/)

Divine Action presentation at Oxford—video

At a conference on special divine action in July, Craig gave a plenary paper concerning miracle reports for the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion at Oxford University. Lenn Goodman, professor of philosophy at Vanderbilt (and a friend with whom Craig has been privileged to share Shabbat and attend synagogue), introduced Craig’s paper; Western Michigan University philosophy professor Timothy McGrew gave the response, followed by some give-and-take academic discussion with scholars in the audience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYBnJF2P_WQ&list=UUcw1IwzRhh9jJtGwF3X-CQg.
The historical context of modern skepticism about miracles is an important element alongside what Craig addressed (and may be even more interesting, though this website is mainly for Craig’s research): note the paper by Alister McGrath, professor of science and religion at Oxford, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXqhB_RqEzI&list=UUcw1IwzRhh9jJtGwF3X-CQg; also Tim McGrew, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMjg86wlGU0&list=UUcw1IwzRhh9jJtGwF3X-CQg (the shortest of these videos, for those in a hurry). Some of you may also be interested in the other papers, including Graham Twelftree (to whom Craig responded briefly in the same video; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AJfNBuOIpY&list=UUcw1IwzRhh9jJtGwF3X-CQg); Oxford philosophy professor Richard Swinburne (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUnMqtymfoU&list=UUcw1IwzRhh9jJtGwF3X-CQg); and many others, from a variety of perspectives, both theists and nontheists.