Kenneth Samples serves as senior research scholar of philosophical and theological apologetics at Reasons to Believe, a Christian apologetics organization located in southern California.  An experienced teacher and educator, he has taught courses in philosophy and religion at several different colleges and universities, and presently serves as an adjunct instructor in apologetics at Biola University.

Professor Samples taught adult Sunday School at Christ Reformed Church and was a Lecturer at our Friday night Academy until January 2015, when he left to pursue a broader teaching ministry.

Audio files of Professor Samples' lectures are available below.  Click on the lecture title to listen or right click to download the MP3 audio file.

Table of Contents

  • If I Had Lunch With St. Augustine
  • A Christian Response to the Religion of Islam
  • Are You a Renaissance Christian?
  • Clear Pointers to God: How Belief in the God of Christian Theism Best Explains Reality
  • Christianity's Magnificent Seven Apologetic Truths, Dangerous But Good
  • Historic Christianity's Seven Dangerous Ideas
  • Learning Skills 101
  • In Memory of Walter Martin (1928-1989)
  • Jesus and the Other Religious Faces in the Crowd
  • A Little Lower Than the Angels
  • A World of Difference
  • A Christian World View
  • St. Augustine
  • Islam and Christianity

If I Had Lunch With St. Augustine

If you had lunch with the bishop, what would you ask him? What would you want to know about a man who was a great sinner who became a great saint? This series of lectures will examine some of the key events in Augustine’s extraordinary life as well as explore his most important books, ideas, and accomplishments.

"Augustine's Intellectual and Spiritual Pilgrimage"
Academy 10/17/2014

"Augustine's Most Influential Book"
Academy 10/24/2014

"Augustine's Most Significant Spiritual Insight"
Academy 10/31/2014

"Augustine's Most Important Theological Contribution"
Academy 11/07/2014

"Augustine's Most Enduring Philosophical Idea"
Academy 11/14/2014

"Augustine's Alleged Blind Spot and Negative Influence"
Academy 11/21/2014

A Christian Response to the Religion of Islam

What Does Historic Christianity Offer the World That Islam Cannot?

"Introduction: The Islamic Culture and Worldview"
Academy 10/18/2013

"Theology: Where Can I Find a God of Love?"
Academy 10/25/2013

"Do I Need a Prophet or a Savior?"
Academy 11/01/2013

"Which Holy Book Can I Trust?"
Academy 11/15/2013

"How Do We Win the War of Ideas?"
Academy 11/22/2013

Are You a Renaissance Christian?

"What It Means to be a Renaissance Christian: The Pursuit of the Life of the Mind to the Glory of God"
Academy 2/10/2012

"A Renaissance Christian Reads Intelligently"
Academy 2/17/2012

"A Renaissance Christian Reads Intelligently (Continued)"
Academy 2/24/2012

"A Renaissance Christian Thinks Logically"
Academy 3/02/2012

"A Renaissance Christian Thinks Logically (Fundamental Principles of Reasoning)"
Academy 3/09/2012

"A Renaissance Christian Thinks Logically (Recognizing Logical Fallacies)"
Academy 3/16/2012

"A Renaissance Christian Reflects on Worldviews (What is a World View?)"
Academy 3/23/2012

"A Renaissance Christian Reflects on Worldviews (Tests of World Views)"
Academy 3/30/2012

Clear Pointers to God: How Belief in the God of Christian Theism Best Explains Reality

"Abductive Reasoning - An Inference to the Best Explanation"
Academy 09/30/2011

"The Explanatory Power and Broader Scope of Christian Theism"
Academy 10/07/2011

"God of the Gaps or Best Explanation"
Academy 10/14/2011

"A Meaningful Life"
Academy 10/21/2011

"Putting Abductive Thinking Together - CLEAR"
Academy 11/04/2011

"Scientific Cosmology and the Christian Worldview"
Academy 11/11/2011

"Is Jesus a Man, Myth, Madman, Menace, Mystic, Martian, or the Messiah?"
Academy 11/18/2011

"Summary - God is the Best Explanation of Reality"
Academy 12/02/2011

Christianity's Magnificent Seven Apologetic Truths, Dangerous But Good

"Introduction"
Academy 01/28/2011

"God's Existence"
Academy 02/04/2011

"The Incarnation"
Academy 02/11/2011

"Creation"
Academy 02/18/2011

"Clear Pointers and Signposts to God"
Academy 03/04/2011

"Salvation by Grace"
Academy 03/11/2011

"The Image of God"
Academy 03/18/2011

"The Mystery of Evil and Suffering"
Academy 03/25/2011

Historic Christianity's Seven Dangerous Ideas

"Dead Men Don't Stay Dead: The Resurrection of Jesus"
Academy 04/16/2010

"God Walked the Earth: The Incarnation of Jesus"
Academy 04/23/2010

"The Cosmos Had a Beginning: The Creation ExNihilo"
Academy 04/30/2010

"Faith Makes Sense: The Compatibility of Faith and Reason"
Academy 05/07/2010

"Not By Human Works: The Gift of Salvation"
Academy 05/14/2010

Learning Skills 101: Learning How to Learn

"The Life of the Mind / Intelligent Reading - Introduction"
Academy 08/28/2009

"The Life of the Mind / Intelligent Reading - The Academic 10 Commandments"
Academy 09/04/2009

"The Life of the Mind / Intelligent Reading - The Renaissance Christian"
Academy 09/11/2009

"The Life of the Mind / Intelligent Reading - IDEAS"
Academy 09/18/2009

"The Life of the Mind / Intelligent Reading - Introduction to Logic"
Academy 11/06/2009

"The Life of the Mind / Intelligent Reading - What Makes a Good Argument"
Academy 11/13/2009

"The Life of the Mind / Intelligent Reading - Three Types of Arguments: Deductive, Inductive, and Abductive"
Academy 11/20/2009

"The Life of the Mind / Intelligent Reading - Logical Fallacies"
Academy 12/04/2009

In Memory of Walter Martin (1928-1989)

"The Original Bible Answer Man"
Academy 08/21/2009

Jesus and the Religious Faces in the Crowd

"Jesus Christ"
Academy 01/09/2009

"Gautama (Buddha)"
Academy 01/16/2009

"Krishna and Mahavira"
Academy 01/23/2009

"Confucious and Lao-Tzu"
Academy 01/30/2009

"Muhammad"
Academy 02/06/2009

"Zoroaster, Nanak and Baha'ullah"
Academy 02/13/2009

A Little Lower Than the Angels

"The Imago Dei: A Reflection of God"
Academy 03/30/2008

"The Imago Dei: The Fall, Redemption, and Ethics"
Academy 04/11/2008

"The Imago Dei: A Meaningful Life"
Academy 04/18/2008

"Man and Animals, Part 1"
Academy 04/25/2008

"Man and Animals, Part 2"
Academy 05/02/2008

"Man and Animals, Part 3"
Academy 05/09/2008

"The Enigma of Man"
Academy 05/16/2008

A World of Difference: Putting Christian Truth-Claims to the Test

"A World View Model for Christian Theism"
Academy 11/02/2007

"Christian Theism's Logical Consistency"
Academy 11/09/2007

"Christian Theism's Explanatory Power and Cumulative Support"
Academy 11/16/2007

"Christian Theism's Correspondence and Verification"
Academy 11/30/2007

"Christian Theism's Practicality and Existential Livability"
Academy 12/07/2007

A Christian World View

"What in the World is a World View?"
Academy 05/11/2007

"Naturlism: A Secular Worldview Challenge"
Academy 05/18/2007

"Postmodernism: A Skeptical Worldview Perspective"
Academy 05/25/2007

"Pantheistic Monism: An Eastern Mystic Point of View"
Academy 06/01/2007

St. Augustine

"St. Augustine's Spiritual Quest"
Academy 03/02/2007

"Apologetic Factors in Augustine's Conversion"
Academy 03/09/2007

"Augustine as Bishop and Theologian"
Academy 03/16/2007

"Augustine: Philosopher and Saint"
Academy 03/23/2007

Islam and Christianity

"Islam: Growth, Influence and Diversity"
Academy 09/15/2006

"Islam: Five Core Beliefs"
Academy 09/22/2006

"Islam: The Five Pillars and Jihad"
Academy 09/29/2006

"Islam's Revelatory Achille's Heel"
Academy 10/20/2006

"Islam: Unknowable and Unfathomable"
Academy 11/03/2006

"Why Can't Islam and Christianity Both Be True"
Academy 11/17/2006