Voices of todayFrank Turek

Frank Turek

Christian apologist, author of 'I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist'; founder of CrossExamined.

ApologistPodcasterWriterborn 1961 United States

13 videos analysed · 63 quotes checked word for word · updated 2026-10-18

In 30 secondsTurek is a Christian apologist and a former US Navy aviator. He argues that Christianity is the best explanation of reality, and that atheists rely on things only God can explain, such as causes, reason and objective morality. He says that truth is objective and that 'all truth is relative' defeats itself. He explains evil through free will, and he supports intelligent design. He debated Christopher Hitchens twice.
Key facts

Positions

click a row to see the evidence
Does God exist?God
AtheismTheism
Stated explicitly
Position

He argues that atheists 'steal from the Christian worldview' to argue against God. In debate he says the evidence leads to a timeless, immaterial, personal, powerful and moral Creator, and that atheism needs more faith than theism. His case for Christianity rests on two points: a theistic God exists, and Jesus rose from the dead.

Why
What is objected, and the reply

The universe is full of waste and cruelty: planets too hot or too cold, galaxies on a collision course. Who designed that?

Turek

He answers that flaws do not show there is no design, because we do not know the designer's purpose.

Evil and suffering are a problem for a good God: an all-powerful, loving God would not allow so much of it.

Turek

He says evil cannot disprove God: there is no evil without good and no good without God, and calling the universe unjust presupposes a standard of justice. He adds that the freedom to do good includes the freedom to do evil.

See 1 more objections
O

If God wanted us to know him, he would not hide: a loving God would make his existence plain to everyone.

Turek

He suggests that God stays somewhat hidden so that people remain free to say no, and that we know him by his effects: creation, design, the moral law and reason.

Defends : The moral law points to a lawgiver, Freedom has a price: evil does not contradict God, Whatever begins has a cause: the universe too, The fine-tuning of the universe: too perfect a coincidence?, If our reason comes from blind evolution, can we trust it?Criticizes : The problem of evil, Against miracles, The wasp that devours the caterpillar

Can we reach certain truths?Certainty
SkepticismCertainty attainable
Interpretation
Position

With Norman Geisler he argues that truth is objective and that claiming 'all truth is relative' or 'there are no absolutes' refutes itself.

Is the mind more than matter?Mind and body
MaterialismDualism
Stated explicitly
Position

He says 'you are a soul with a physical body'. For him the brain is like a router that transmits a mind it does not fully produce. He argues that if we were only 'molecular machines', we could not reason.

Why
What is objected, and the reply
O

If you damage the brain, the mind is damaged too: so the mind is simply what the brain does.

Turek

He answers that damaging a router also cuts the Wi-Fi signal, yet the router and the signal are two different things: the brain is the instrument through which the mind is transmitted, not its complete source.

Are we truly free?Freedom
Determinism (no free will)Free will
Interpretation
Position

He says free will requires an immaterial realm, which theism can explain and atheism cannot. He also says materialism leaves no free will and no responsibility.

Why
What is objected, and the reply
M
Michael Shermer

A soul would not solve the problem: if a spirit entity made your decisions, it would still not be you choosing. Choices in a material universe can still be real and make us accountable.

No known reply from them.
Do good and evil exist objectively?Status of morality
Anti-realism (morality is human-made)Moral realism (objective moral truths)
Stated explicitly
Position

He argues that objective morality cannot be explained without God. He defines it as values that stay true whatever people think: the Nazis would still be wrong if they had won. He grants that atheists can know right from wrong; his claim is about where morality comes from, not how we know it.

Why
What is objected, and the reply
M
Michael Shermer The Euthyphro dilemma

If right and wrong are what God commands, then anything God decreed would be moral. Morality can be known without God: ask the person who is harmed.

Turek

He answers that God's nature is the standard: God neither looks up to another standard nor invents rules at will. He is the standard, and the book has to stop somewhere.

M
Michael Shermer

Science and evolution can ground morality: we cooperate because society needs it, and moral values change and progress over time.

Turek

He says science cannot give morality because it presupposes it, and that evolution describes what survives, not what ought to survive. If morals change, rape may one day be considered good.

Can reason judge everything, faith included?Faith and reason
Primacy of faith / the heartReason alone judges
Stated explicitly
Position

He says Christianity is 'a worldview built on reason': first you find evidence that it is true, then you trust in it. It is not blind faith.

Why
What is objected, and the reply
O
Objection

Real people like Pilate appear in the Gospels, but that does not make the accounts true; the eyewitnesses are second-hand and people have died for other religions too.

Turek

He answers that the first disciples were not predisposed to believe in a resurrection and suffered greatly for what they saw. He adds that they witnessed an empirical event, which he says has no equivalent in Islam.

Miracles are only trivial stories told by shepherds and peasants in Bronze Age Palestine; no testimony can establish one.

Turek

He argues that if the universe began from nothing, miracles are possible; whether one actually happened is then a historical question.

No sourced position yet on: Source of knowledge, Meaning of life, Human nature.

On the big questions

Does God exist?Theism

He defends theism, and Christianity in particular, in debates, books and a weekly podcast. He calls the "I lack a belief in God" stance a cop-out.

Why
What is objected, and the reply

The universe is full of waste and cruelty: planets too hot or too cold, galaxies on a collision course. Who designed that?

Turek

He answers that flaws do not show there is no design, because we do not know the designer's purpose.

Evil and suffering are a problem for a good God: an all-powerful, loving God would not allow so much of it.

Turek

He says evil cannot disprove God: there is no evil without good and no good without God, and calling the universe unjust presupposes a standard of justice. He adds that the freedom to do good includes the freedom to do evil.

See 1 more objections
O

If God wanted us to know him, he would not hide: a loving God would make his existence plain to everyone.

Turek

He suggests that God stays somewhat hidden so that people remain free to say no, and that we know him by his effects: creation, design, the moral law and reason.

Defends : The moral law points to a lawgiver, Freedom has a price: evil does not contradict God, Whatever begins has a cause: the universe too, The fine-tuning of the universe: too perfect a coincidence?, If our reason comes from blind evolution, can we trust it?Criticizes : The problem of evil, Against miracles, The wasp that devours the caterpillar

The question on the site: all the arguments
Are we free?Free will

He says free will requires an immaterial realm, which theism can explain and atheism cannot. He also says materialism leaves no free will and no responsibility.

Why
What is objected, and the reply
M
Michael Shermer

A soul would not solve the problem: if a spirit entity made your decisions, it would still not be you choosing. Choices in a material universe can still be real and make us accountable.

No known reply from them.
The question on the site: all the arguments
What makes something right?God's will

He argues that objective moral values need God.

Why
What is objected, and the reply
M
Michael Shermer The Euthyphro dilemma

If right and wrong are what God commands, then anything God decreed would be moral. Morality can be known without God: ask the person who is harmed.

Turek

He answers that God's nature is the standard: God neither looks up to another standard nor invents rules at will. He is the standard, and the book has to stop somewhere.

M
Michael Shermer

Science and evolution can ground morality: we cooperate because society needs it, and moral values change and progress over time.

Turek

He says science cannot give morality because it presupposes it, and that evolution describes what survives, not what ought to survive. If morals change, rape may one day be considered good.

The question on the site: all the arguments
Is the mind the brain?The mind is not matter

He says 'you are a soul with a physical body'. For him the brain is like a router that transmits a mind it does not fully produce. He argues that if we were only 'molecular machines', we could not reason.

Why
What is objected, and the reply
O

If you damage the brain, the mind is damaged too: so the mind is simply what the brain does.

Turek

He answers that damaging a router also cuts the Wi-Fi signal, yet the router and the signal are two different things: the brain is the instrument through which the mind is transmitted, not its complete source.

The question on the site: all the arguments
Should we believe without proof?Faith and reason agree

He says Christianity is 'a worldview built on reason': first you find evidence that it is true, then you trust in it. It is not blind faith.

Why
What is objected, and the reply
O
Objection

Real people like Pilate appear in the Gospels, but that does not make the accounts true; the eyewitnesses are second-hand and people have died for other religions too.

Turek

He answers that the first disciples were not predisposed to believe in a resurrection and suffered greatly for what they saw. He adds that they witnessed an empirical event, which he says has no equivalent in Islam.

Miracles are only trivial stories told by shepherds and peasants in Bronze Age Palestine; no testimony can establish one.

Turek

He argues that if the universe began from nothing, miracles are possible; whether one actually happened is then a historical question.

The question on the site: all the arguments

In their words

if the universe exploded into being out of nothing then Miracles are possible because the greatest Miracle of all has already occurred
let's suppose that the Nazis had won World War two and brainwashed everybody to believe that murdering Jews was right it would still be wrong
you can't get morality from a test-tube science presupposes and uses morality
it's not a matter of the intellect it's a matter of the will it's not a matter of God's existence it's a matter of his resistance

How the ideas evolved

Click a step for details
  1. 1998Legislating Morality

    With Norman Geisler he publishes a book on morality; it wins a Gold Medallion Book Award in 1999.

  2. 2004I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist

    His best-known book, written with Geisler, argues that atheism takes more faith than Christianity.

  3. 2006CrossExamined starts

    His non-profit apologetics ministry begins, with seminars on campuses, in churches and in high schools.

  4. 2008First debate with Hitchens

    On 9 September 2008, at Virginia Commonwealth University, he debates Christopher Hitchens on 'Does God exist?'. A second debate follows in 2009.

  5. 2009Second debate with Hitchens

    At the College of New Jersey he debates Hitchens again, on whether atheism or theism better explains reality.

  6. 2014Stealing from God

    He publishes a book arguing that atheists need God to make their case: causes, reason, information, morality and science.

  7. 2017Debate with Alex O'Connor on evil

    He argues that evil does not disprove God: 'if evil exists, God exists', since evil needs a moral standard. He grants that this argument alone leads to a moral God, not yet the Christian one.

    In their words
    « evil doesn't disprove God because there be no such thing as evil unless there was good there'd be no such thing as good unless God existed »He says evil cannot disprove God, since there is no evil without good and no good without God. watch
    « my main point is is that if if evil exists God exists »His thesis: the existence of evil implies a moral standard, so God exists. watch
    « a man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line »He quotes C.S. Lewis: calling the universe unjust presupposes a standard of justice. watch
  8. 2018Two debates with Michael Shermer

    On morality, he grounds it in God's nature, which he says answers the Euthyphro dilemma. On reality, he argues that materialism makes reason impossible and that atheism takes extraordinary faith.

    In their words
    « let's suppose that the Nazis had won World War two and brainwashed everybody to believe that murdering Jews was right it would still be wrong »He defines objective morality as values true and binding whatever human opinion says. watch
    « God's nature is the standard of morality he doesn't look up at another standard he doesn't arbitrarily make things up he is the standard »He grounds morality in God's nature, which answers the Euthyphro dilemma: God neither obeys nor invents the standard. watch
    « you can't get morality from a test-tube science presupposes and uses morality »He says science cannot give morality; it presupposes it. watch
  9. 2020Evil as an argument for God

    On his podcast he answers the problem of evil with free will: the freedom to do good includes the freedom to do evil. He adds that only the Christian worldview explains evil.

    In their words
    « it had a beginning if it had a beginning seems it must have had a beginner a spaceless timeless and material beginner »Among the assumptions behind the question of evil, he lists a universe that began and so needs a beginner outside space and time. watch
    « God has given us the free choice to do good but also it gives us the free choice to do evil as well »He answers the problem of evil with free will: the freedom to do good includes the freedom to do evil. watch
    « only the Christian worldview can explain evil only the Christian worldview can explain what's going on with regard to the the virus »He claims that evil does not refute God: atheism cannot ground moral categories, and only the Christian worldview explains evil. watch
  10. 2021Hollywood Heroes

    He publishes a book on how popular movies reveal God.

  11. 2025Why God may stay hidden; the soul

    He suggests God stays somewhat hidden so that people remain free to say no, and that unbelief is a matter of the will, not of the intellect. The same year he discusses scientific evidence for the soul with a neurosurgeon.

    In their words
    « if there's a creation that's an effect we reason back to a cause a Creator if there's design that's the effect we reason back to a cause a designer »He says we know God by his effects: creation, design, the moral law and reason each point back to a cause. watch
    « if there's a moral law written on the heart that's the effect we reason back to a cause a moral lawgiver »He lists the moral law among the evidence for God that divine hiddenness does not defeat. watch
    « it's not a matter of the intellect it's a matter of the will it's not a matter of God's existence it's a matter of his resistance »Of people who say no evidence could convince them, he says unbelief is a matter of will, not intellect. watch

The arguments 8

The site's arguments they defend or criticize, and why. Click a title to see the full argument.

Defends · 5
The moral law points to a lawgiverC. S. Lewis · Does God exist?

He quotes C.S. Lewis: a man does not call a line crooked unless he has an idea of a straight line. He grants that the moral argument alone leads to a moral God, not specifically the Christian one.

Freedom has a price: evil does not contradict GodAlvin Plantinga · Does God exist?

In a campus talk he said the Christian answer to suffering starts with free will: freedom allows love, but also evil.

Whatever begins has a cause: the universe tooWilliam Lane Craig · Does God exist?

In his 2008 debate with Hitchens he argued that the universe had a beginning, 'so it had a beginner'. He also argues that time cannot be infinite, or today would never have arrived.

The fine-tuning of the universe: too perfect a coincidence?Robin Collins · Does God exist?

He cites the fine-tuning of gravity (one part in 10^40) and says he does not have enough faith to believe it is chance. In 2026 he calls it the hardest argument for atheists to answer.

If our reason comes from blind evolution, can we trust it?Alvin Plantinga · Does God exist?

He argues that if we are only 'moist robots', we cannot trust our reasoning, atheism included. He reads C.S. Lewis: 'unless I believe in God, I can't believe in thought'.

Criticizes · 3
The problem of evilHume · Does God exist?

He denies that evil disproves God: he says evil actually points toward God.

Against miraclesHume · Does God exist?

He says that if the universe began from nothing, miracles are possible, 'because the greatest miracle of all has already occurred'. Whether one happened is then a historical question.

The wasp that devours the caterpillarCharles Darwin · Does God exist?

He answers the argument from bad design: you cannot call a design suboptimal unless you know the purpose of the designer.

Allies and opponents

Close, influences
NNorman GeislerClose

Co-author of Legislating Morality (1998) and I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (2004).

JJosh McDowellInfluence

Turek turned from Catholicism to Protestantism as a Navy officer after reading McDowell's apologetics books.

CC. S. LewisInfluence

He quotes Lewis often, on the moral law and on the limits of reason under materialism.

MMichael EgnorClose

The neurosurgeon argues with him for the non-material part of the mind (2025).

Disagree
Christopher HitchensDisagrees

They debated twice, in 2008 and 2009. Turek says he likes Hitchens and agrees with him on much, 'obviously not the issue of God'.

Alex O'ConnorDisagrees

They debated whether evil proves or disproves God (2017).

MMichael ShermerDisagrees

Two debates in 2018, on morality and on theism versus atheism.

Do you agree with Turek?

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All sources (73)
  1. Frank Turek - Wikipedia Wikipedia · 2026
  2. Dr. Frank Turek - CrossExamined CrossExamined.org · 2026
  3. Books - CrossExamined CrossExamined.org · 2026
  4. What if atheism is not the most reasonable position after all? Impact 360 Institute · 2026
  5. God's existence debated at VCU The Commonwealth Times · 2008 *
  6. Stealing from God: Why Atheists Need God to Make Their Case Stand to Reason store · 2014 *
  7. Campus talk coverage (The College Fix) The College Fix · 2026 *
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  9. Does God Exist? (Turek vs Hitchens): bad design YouTube (republication) · 2008
  10. Frank Turek Answers Atheist's 3 Objections to Christianity YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2013
  11. Does Evil Prove God Exists? (Frank Turek vs Alex O'Connor) YouTube · 2017
  12. Does Evil Prove God Exists? (Turek vs O'Connor): Lewis YouTube · 2017
  13. Is Morality Better Explained By God Or Science? (Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer) YouTube · 2018
  14. Is Morality Better Explained By God Or Science? (Turek vs Shermer): Euthyphro YouTube · 2018
  15. Debate: What Best Explains Reality: Theism or Atheism? (Frank Turek vs Michael Shermer) YouTube · 2018
  16. Turek vs Shermer: fine-tuning YouTube · 2018
  17. Turek vs Shermer: the acorn YouTube · 2018
  18. Evil is a powerful argument FOR God [PODCAST] YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2020
  19. Evil is a powerful argument FOR God [PODCAST]: Lewis on reason YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2020
  20. Why do you think God exists and Christianity is true?: lack of belief YouTube · 2021
  21. Atheist questions Frank about morality YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2022
  22. [PODCAST] 3 BIG Reasons Why God May Choose to Hide Himself YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2025
  23. [PODCAST] 3 BIG Reasons Why God May Choose to Hide Himself: free will YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2025
  24. Scientific Evidence for the Soul with Neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2025
  25. Is Atheism Dead? 3 Scientific Arguments for God They Can't Explain YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2026
  26. Does God Exist? (Frank Turek vs Christopher Hitchens) YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2011
  27. Frank Turek Answers Atheist's 3 Objections to Christianity YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2013
  28. Debate: What Best Explains Reality: Theism or Atheism? (Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer) YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2018
  29. Is Atheism Dead? 3 Scientific Arguments for God They Can’t Explain with @DrStephenMeyer YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2026
  30. Debate: What Best Explains Reality: Theism or Atheism? (Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer) YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2018
  31. Does Evil Prove God Exists? (Frank Turek vs Alex O'Connor) YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2017
  32. Why do you think God exists and Christianity is true? | Paul Burtwell interviews Frank Turek YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2021
  33. Why do you think God exists and Christianity is true? | Paul Burtwell interviews Frank Turek YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2021
  34. Is Morality Better Explained By God Or Science? (Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer) YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2018
  35. Atheist questions Frank about morality YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2022
  36. Is Morality Better Explained By God Or Science? (Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer) YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2018
  37. Is Morality Better Explained By God Or Science? (Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer) YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2018
  38. Scientific Evidence for the Soul with Neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor @Discovery Science YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2025
  39. Debate: What Best Explains Reality: Theism or Atheism? (Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer) YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2018
  40. Scientific Evidence for the Soul with Neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor @Discovery Science YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2025
  41. Scientific Evidence for the Soul with Neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor @Discovery Science YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2025
  42. Evil is a powerful argument FOR God [🎙 PODCAST] YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2020
  43. How to Give Evidence of the Resurrection WITHOUT Using the Bible with Allen Parr @THE BEAT by Allen Parr YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2025
  44. "Heaven? No Thanks..." Atheist Student Challenges Frank YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2026
  45. Does God Exist? (Frank Turek vs Christopher Hitchens) (at 49:20) YouTube · 2008
  46. Does God Exist? (Frank Turek vs Christopher Hitchens) (at 60:40) YouTube · 2008
  47. Is Morality Better Explained By God Or Science? (Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer) (at 30:00) YouTube
  48. Is Morality Better Explained By God Or Science? (Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer) (at 90:20) YouTube
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  50. Debate: What Best Explains Reality: Theism or Atheism? (Frank Turek vs Michael Shermer) YouTube · 2018
  51. Does God Exist? (Frank Turek vs Christopher Hitchens) YouTube (republication) · 2008
  52. Is Morality Better Explained By God Or Science? (Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer) YouTube · 2018
  53. Why do you think God exists and Christianity is true? (Paul Burtwell) YouTube · 2021
  54. Is Morality Better Explained By God Or Science? (Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer) YouTube · 2018
  55. Why do you think God exists and Christianity is true? (Paul Burtwell) YouTube · 2021
  56. Evil is a powerful argument FOR God [PODCAST] YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2020
  57. Is Morality Better Explained By God Or Science? (Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer) YouTube · 2018
  58. Is Morality Better Explained By God Or Science? (Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer) YouTube · 2018
  59. Is Morality Better Explained By God Or Science? (Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer) YouTube · 2018
  60. Is Morality Better Explained By God Or Science? (Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer) YouTube · 2018
  61. "Heaven? No Thanks..." Atheist Student Challenges Frank YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2026
  62. "Heaven? No Thanks..." Atheist Student Challenges Frank YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2026
  63. "Heaven? No Thanks..." Atheist Student Challenges Frank YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2026
  64. "Heaven? No Thanks..." Atheist Student Challenges Frank YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2026
  65. Does God Exist? (Frank Turek vs Christopher Hitchens) YouTube (republication) · 2008
  66. Does Evil Prove God Exists? (Frank Turek vs Alex O'Connor) YouTube · 2017
  67. [PODCAST] 3 BIG Reasons Why God May Choose to Hide Himself YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2025
  68. Does God Exist? (Frank Turek vs Christopher Hitchens) YouTube (republication) · 2008
  69. Debate: What Best Explains Reality: Theism or Atheism? (Frank Turek vs Michael Shermer) YouTube · 2018
  70. Why do you think God exists and Christianity is true? (Paul Burtwell) YouTube · 2021
  71. Evil is a powerful argument FOR God [PODCAST] YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2020
  72. Is Atheism Dead? 3 Scientific Arguments for God They Can't Explain YouTube (CrossExamined) · 2026
  73. Is Morality Better Explained By God Or Science? (Turek vs Shermer): science YouTube · 2018