Norman Leo Geisler (July 21, 1932 – July 1, 2019) was an American Christian systematic theologian, philosopher, and apologist. He was the co-founder of two non-denominational evangelical seminaries (Veritas International University and Southern Evangelical Seminary).
Geisler held a Ph.D. in philosophy from Loyola University and made scholarly contributions to the subjects of classical Christian apologetics, systematic theology, the history of philosophy, philosophy of religion, Calvinism, Roman Catholicism, Biblical inerrancy, Bible difficulties, ethics, and more. He was the author, coauthor, or editor of over 90 books and hundreds of articles.
One of the primary architects of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, Geisler was well noted within the United States evangelical community for his stalwart defense of Biblical inerrancy.
Biography Norman Leo Geisler was born on July 21, 1932, in Warren, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. He attended a nondenominational, evangelical church from age nine; and converted into Christianity at age of eighteen. He immediately began attempting to share his faith with others in various evangelistic endeavors—door-to-door, street meetings, jail services, rescue missions, and Youth for Christ venues.
Some of Geisler's conversations during this period forced him to realize he needed to find better answers to the objections he was hearing. He subsequently earned two bachelor's degrees, two master's degrees, and a Doctorate. These included a B.A. in philosophy (1958) and M.A. in theology from Wheaton College, a Th.B. (1964) from William Tyndale 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. Throughout his life, Geisler also served in various pastoral roles in Michigan, Illinois, Texas, and North Carolina.
Geisler's decades of degree work overlapped a professorial and academic career begun at Detroit Bible College (1959–66) and continued at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (1969–70), and Trinity College (1970–71). Beginning in 1970, he served as the Chairman of Philosophy of Religion at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (1970–79), and later as Professor of Systematic Theology at Dallas Theological Seminary (1979–88).
Beginning in the 1970s, Geisler began engaging in formal public debates on various subjects, starting with a debate at the College of Lake County in 1973 with Milton J. Rosenberg on the question of God's existence. In 1974, Geisler debated Michael Scriven at the University of Calgary on the question "Is Christianity Credible?"
Geisler was a key figure in founding the Evangelical Philosophical Society, serving as its first President from 1976-77 as well as the first editor of its journal, which was then called the Bulletin of the Evangelical Philosophical Society.Geisler, Norman (March 1977). "Announcements" (PDF). Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. 20 (1): 96. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
From 1977-87, Geisler served as the General Editor and Director of Publications for the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (ICBI), where he also served as the Member of the Drafting Committee. Geisler was the author of the official ICBI Commentary on the Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics. In 1981, Geisler debated Norman A. Beck on the issue of Biblical inerrancy.
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."Geisler, Norman. Creation & the Courts: Eighty Years of Conflict in the Classroom and the Courtroom. (Crossway Books, 2007) From 1982-83, Geisler engaged in multiple debates regarding the Creation/Evolution controversy, including with Paul Edwards and Steven Schafersman.
In 1984, Geisler debated Harold Kushner on the John Ankerberg Show on the question "Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?" He would return in 1986 to debate Paul Kurtz on the subject of Christianity versus secular humanism. In 1988, Geisler debated John B. Cobb on the topic of process vs. classical theism.
From 1989-91, Geisler served as the Dean of Liberty Center for Research and Scholarship at Liberty University. In 1992, Geisler co-founded Southern Evangelical Seminary & Bible College with Ross Rhoads in Charlotte, North Carolina. At its founding, Geisler was appointed as the first Dean of the seminary, a position he held until 1999, and which he would hold again from 2006-07. Geisler served as President of Southern Evangelical Seminary from 1999-2006. In 1994, Geisler engaged in his final public debate with Farrell Till on the question "Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?" In 1997, Geisler co-authored When Cultists Ask: A Popular Handbook on Cultic Misinterpretation. He contributed to The Counterfeit Gospel of Mormonism.
While acting as the Dean of Southern Evangelical, Geisler served as the President of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) in 1998, but left in 2003 after the Society did not expel Clark Pinnock, who had advocated in favor of open theism.. Additionally, he was a co-founder and first president of the International Society of Christian Apologetics (ISCA), acting as the first President of the Society from 2006-08. In 1999, Geisler and his co-author and student Frank Turek won the Gold Medallion Award for their book Legislating Morality.
In 2008, Geisler co-founded the Veritas Evangelical Seminary (now Veritas International University) in Murrieta, California alongside Joseph M. Holden. Geisler served as Chancellor, Distinguished Professor of Apologetics and Theology, and occupant of the Norman L. Geisler Chair of Christian Apologetics. He retired from this post in May 2019. Before retiring from teaching and writing in 2019, Geisler served as the General Editor of Defending Inerrancy from 2014-19.
Personal Geisler was married to Barbara Jean Cate for 64 years, and together they had six children: Ruth, David, Daniel, Rhoda, Paul, and Rachel. He died of cerebral thrombosis at a hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 1, 2019, 20 days before his 87th birthday. Geisler's funeral was held at Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ravi Zacharias gave the eulogy.
Apologetics 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 defender of theism, biblical miracles, the resurrection of Jesus, and the reliability of the Bible.
Outline of Geisler's Apologetic Method 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 presents a high-level view of the holistic system of classical apologetics Geisler had been developing over the years. The first outline contained fourteen points of argument:Geisler, N. L., & Brooks, R. M. (1990). When skeptics ask (p. 289). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
There are self-evident truths (e.g., "I exist," "Logic applies to reality"). Truth corresponds to reality. Truth is knowable (all other views are self-defeating). One can proceed from self-evident truths to the existence of God. The argument from Creation (proceeds from "I exist") The argument from morals (proceeds from "Values are undeniable") The argument from design (proceeds from "Design implies a designer") God is a necessary Being (argument from being). My existence is not necessary (evident from the definition of a necessary Being). Therefore, theism is true (there is a necessary Being beyond the world who has created the contingent things in the world and intervenes in the world). The objection from the problem of evil can be solved. The objection to miracles can be solved. The Bible is a historically reliable document. History is an objective study of the past. There is great historical, archaeological, and scientific evidence to confirm the reliability of the Bible. (Corollary: The Bible gives a reliable record of the teaching of Jesus Christ.) Jesus claimed to be both fully human and fully God. He gave evidence to support this claim. The fulfillment of prophecy His miraculous and sinless life His resurrection Therefore, Jesus is both fully human and fully God. Whatever God teaches is true. Jesus (God) taught that the Old Testament was the inspired Word of God and He promised the New Testament. Therefore, both the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God.
The overview of his system was later streamlined slightly into a 12-point schema. As of 1999, it could be summarized as follows:Geisler, N. L. "Apologetics, Argument of", in The Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. 1999
Truth about reality is knowable. Opposites cannot both be true (The Law of Noncontradiction). It is true the theistic God exists. If God exists, then miracles are possible. Miracles performed in connection with a truth claim are acts of God to confirm the truth of God through a messenger of God. The New Testament is historically reliable. As witnessed in the New Testament, Jesus claimed to be God. Jesus's claim to divinity was proven by miracles, especially the Resurrection. Therefore, Jesus is God. Because Jesus is God, whatever Jesus affirmed as true, is true. Jesus affirmed that the Bible is the Word of God. Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God and whatever is opposed to any biblical truth is false.
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 (co-authored with Frank Turek and published in 2004), and in Geisler's 2012 book Twelve Points that Show Christianity is True.Geisler, N. L., & Turek, F. I Don't have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books. 2004
Geisler's Philosophical Argument for the Existence of God (Theism) As an evangelical Thomist, Norman Geisler contributed the following Thomistic argument for God's existence, which was described as "his own unique contribution to the cosmological class of argument for the existence of God," and which "he developed and refined over sixty years (1956 to 2015)."
The Argument Outlined in Seven Points Something exists (e.g., I do). Nothing cannot produce something. Therefore, something exists eternally and necessarily. It exists eternally because if ever there was absolutely nothing, then there would always be absolutely nothing because nothing cannot produce something. It exists necessarily because everything cannot be a contingent being because all contingent beings need a cause of their existence. I am not a necessary and eternal being (since I change). Therefore, both God (a Necessary Being) and I (a contingent being) exist (= theism).
The Argument in Eighteen Points The longer form of the argument, presented in eighteen points, is as follows: Being is. That is, something exists. Being is being. A thing is identical to itself. Being is not non-being. Either being or non-being. Something cannot both exist and not exist at the same time. Non-being cannot cause being. Nothing cannot cause something. A caused being is similar to its Cause. A being is either necessary or contingent but not both. A necessary being cannot cause another necessary being to come to be. A contingent being cannot be the efficient cause of another contingent being.