Category Archives for "Christian Apologetics"

Why Belief in God is as Easy as A B C

Christian Apologetics , Essays

 

Belief in God is as Easy as A-B-C!

 

Creator GodIf God does exist, then the study of God is by definition the most important endeavor a person can undertake.  And for Christians required by God to provide a reason for our faith, it is essential for us to understand and be able to explain a clear basis for our faith in God’s existence.

So lets begin an active study of the existence of God, and what it means for us.  Here we will study the REASONS FOR BELIEF in the CHRISTIAN GOD.  In a different area we will contrast that with the beliefs in other Gods before we are done with our study.  

SO TO BEGIN, I believe that there are three clear witnesses to the fact that the CHRISTIAN GOD exists, which are in front of us each day.  For starters, by remembering that the belief in God is a BASIC belief, it is easy to start with the basics.  So we need to…

 

Remember our ABC's: 

Our AWARENESS, the BIBLE, and the CREATION

AWARENESS – Our own human nature (consciousness, moral fiber, etc) suggests to us that there must be something beyond ourselves.  – we just ‘know’ in our ‘hearts’ that there is more to life than what we can see and touch.  Many of us are good at putting this feeling aside or trying to fulfill the need with outside influences, philosophies, etc., but it always stays there, perpetually unfulfilled.  No ‘purpose’ on this earth (money, sex, power) ever seems to fill that vacuum.  Many people spend their entire lives striving to fulfill this need, but it always stays there, even after the accumulation of wealth or the fulfillment of personal goals.  This ‘God shaped vacuum’ (as described by the eminent scientist Blaise Pascal) can only be filled by the relieving purposeful existence discovered when we understand our position with God, and when we become reconciled back to Him.  Could it be that this longing within us is the result of God pulling us to Himself?  Because this feeling is universal, it is the first of what is considered ‘general revelation’ from God.  

The BIBLE – Our awareness leads us to look for God.  The Bible is the evidence that God has left us, as a self-autographed documentation of His nature and His plans (this is the first of the ‘special revelations’ from God.)  More than just any other book, even any other 'religious' book, the Bible is singularly unique.  It is neither a single book, nor is it written by one person, as are most 'religious' texts.  It is a collection of 66 books that were written by 40 or more different authors in three different languages, in 3 different continents.  These books were written over a period of about 1600 years.  The authors represent society at large.  They were not just scholars and preachers, but they also ranged from common folk such as shepherds, doctors, government officials, fishermen, and tax collectors, to Kings.  There are many styles of journalistic method involved, including history, poetry, government records, dialogue, parables, sermons, prophecy, letters and religious instruction. 

The Bible has been translated into over 1200 different languages or dialects.

Despite this huge diversity of history, there is one central theme of the whole collection of writings:  that God loves us and has a plan for our lives.

The Bible is most unique in its claim of Divine inspiration.  Is it likely that the above facts of the Bible could have occurred by accident, or by some 'religious conspiracy?'  Or must Divine inspiration and purpose must have occurred for the previously mentioned points to come together and to survive for thousands of years.  Divine  inspiration is a most outrageous claim, and it leaves no room for a gray area.  Either the book is of God and deserves our careful study, or it is not and is an incredible and monumentally improbable hoax.  Was it by accident that it has become the most influential book in the history of mankind?

The CREATION demands a Creator – One of the ‘general revelations’ about God surrounds us each day, as we see the miracles of creation and the evidence of a creator everywhere.  Science can only explain or predict what might happen, but not why things happen (what exactly is an electron anyway and how did it get here?)  Contrary to popular belief, evolution and the thought that the cosmos began from nothing are simply theories.  They are not fact, and they are not as widely believed in academic circles as the general public thinks that they are.  To the average non-believer struggling to get through each day, it is convenient (it fits into our self-worldview) to believe that there is a logical explanation for the creation so we don’t have to believe in a creator.  But make no mistake, it was all placed here, with a purpose, by a Personal Creator. 

Think about it for a minute, which makes more sense?  1) Everything in the cosmos either existed forever or came from NOTHING, that gasses evolved into light elements, and then into heavy elements.  Next came the evolution of 'dead' elements into something alive, which finally mutated into a person who has the capability to eat, see, think, procreate and know right from wrong.  (None of these steps, by the way, have been observed in nature, and in fact are contrary to known natural law – they are simply what 'must' have happened in an anti-theistic worldview.)  OR is it perhaps easier to believe:  2) That Something created everything and shows us the evidence of its authorship in the amazing details, synergies and complexities of the cosmos and of life?  Certainly both take an active choice (faith?) to believe, since there were no eyewitnesses (but would we believe the eyewitnesses anyway?)  The answer to the question is usually based upon a person's pre-conceived notions, and sometimes upon a misinterpretation of scientific 'facts.'  We must however use ALL of our faculties, our intuition and senses, to answer the question truthfully.  It does not relieve our minds to accept mere scientific fact if we don't also answer the questions why and how.  Between the choices above (and there are no other choices) I believe it is much easier to believe in a Creator.

To Summarize – With all the evidence for God that we’ve reviewed, we have seen that it is certainly not illogical to believe in God.  In fact, It is clearly reasonable to believe that God exists, and has placed all the evidence needed within our reach for us to believe in Him, and to cause us to pursue Him.  But the final commitment is ours – this is our free will.  We know that FAITH is not blind, but informed and rational, indeed a PART of us, leading us (complemented by our emotion and desires) to acknowledge the existence of the Creator, and inflame the desire to know more about Him and His plans for us.  And Thank God, He has revealed these to us as well!!

Isn’t Christianity a Crutch for Weak People?

Christian Apologetics , Essays

 
 
Isn't Christianity Just a 'Crutch' for Weak Minded People?
 
 

The argument goes something like this:

The world is a scary place!  When we are born, we have people that take protect us from this.  As we grow, we realize that the world is indeed quite harsh, although we (hopefully) have the benefit of loving parents taking care, making decisions, and sheltering us from the evil and pain for as long as they can.  Once we get out on our own, it is natural for us to long for that childhood protection we once enjoyed, so we CREATE for ourselves an all-powerful loving God, from whom we can 'ask' for help, and have 'hope' that we will someday meet and be delivered from the misery and unfairness we experience in the world.

Sigmund Freud called this condition 'wish fulfillment'.  Napoleon credited Christianity as the 'opiate of the masses' – which is useful to those in power as a means to keep the people suppressed, as they look forward to 'pie in the sky in the bye and bye' while they suffer under tyranny in the present.  Are these proofs against the truth of Christianity?

First of all, these kinds of discussions commit what is known in Logic 101 class as the 'genetic fallacy'.  This means that just because the 'accusation' may be true, it doesn't mean that the underlying assertion is not true.  For example, I believe that interest rates will fall next year so I could afford to purchase a house.  That sounds like a classic case of wish fulfillment, but you would be foolish to say that they will not come down just because of my wishes!  They will or will not come down irregardless of my wishes – my wishes neither make it true NOR false!

The same is true with Christianity.  In order to prove, or simply to believe, that Christianity is false, its critics will have to do MUCH more work than simply denigrate the 'motives' of the believers!  Indeed, if Christianity is true, then we would expect that people would be longing for it!  If we are truly separated from our Creator and He is the ultimate expression of our purpose, it makes sense that we WOULD desire Him!  And if the Creator is actively searching for us and also longing for our reconciliation, it is not beyond belief that the needs within us would be left there by Him, to be used to draw us toward Him!  

And finally – this particular criticism actually works against the critic!  

Is it not possible that a person may project their 'wish' for autonomy and their 'fear' or 'dislike' of a righteous God by projecting (wising) that He does not exist?  So, if religious belief can be seen as a kind of 'wish projection', so can religious unbelief!

 

Consider the Skeptic

Christian Apologetics , Essays

 
Since We Can't Know 'For Sure', Should I Just Remain a Skeptic?

 

First of all, logically there can be no atheists.  Much more than simply believing that one cannot know God, an atheist makes the irrational claim that ‘There IS NO God.’   

"An atheist, like a Christian, holds that we can know whether or not there is a God.  The Christian holds that we can know there is a God; the atheist, that we can know there is not."  Bertrand Russell; Religions of America; pg 285

All believers believe, but no believer makes the assertion that proof of God is tangible.  This is the essence of faith – why ‘believers’ are called ‘believers.’  Evidence for God is everywhere, if we're looking for it, but there does not exist direct, indisputable 'proof.'  But for an atheist to say ‘There is NO God’ assumes, in the absence of proof or knowledge, that the atheist is in fact ‘all-knowing!’ He has just disagreeing with himself, since he just made an omniscient (all knowing) claim by claiming to KNOW this ‘unknowable’ fact!  

Since there can be no atheists, what remains in the world of skeptics are agnostics, or those who have no-knowledge (a-gnostic).  There are two kinds of agnostics, those who are seeking for the answers, and those who are content in their not-knowing.  

What are the consequences of not believing?  Consider Pascal's Wager.  Blaise Pascal was an eminent scientist who invented the thermometer, and was highly noted for his scientific reasoning.  He postulated that seeking and serving God has benefit in this life and the next if there is a God.  So, serving God in this life has no cost.  But if you were to wager that there is no God and you choose to ignore him, you may lose everything if He does exist.  In this position you've lost your wager and there is no recovery.  In other words, the atheist is making a large bet in which he could pay a terrible price if he is wrong

But what if the atheist is right?  Taking atheism to its logical conclusions, life is meaningless.  There would be no absolute truth, no basis for morals, and no reason to survive.  The atheist will declare that he does in fact have basis for these items, but it seems that everything is relative if everything is based upon chance.  How can we even be sure we are in control of our own thoughts if there is no design?  Who is to say that evil is not ok as long as someone 'wants' it – who are we to say it's wrong?  If the majority rules everything, or if the strongest survive, we may not complain when we are crossed, for it was meant to be.  

Dr. Ravi Zacharias has described the lot in life to be expected in a free-for-all worldview, and is called The Atheist's Creed:

We believe in Marx, Freud, and Darwin.  We believe that everything is ok, as long as you don’t hurt anyone, to the best of your definition of hurt, and to the best of your definition of knowledge.  We believe in sex before, during and after marriage, we believe in the therapy of sin.  We believe that adultery is fun, we believe that sodomy is ok, we believe that taboo’s are taboo.  We believe that everything is getting better despite evidence to the contrary.  The evidence must be investigated and you can prove anything with evidence.  We believe there is something in horoscopes, UFO’s and bent spoons.  Jesus was a good man just like Buddha, Muhammad and ourselves.  We believe he was a good moral teacher although we think his good morals were really bad.  We believe that all religions are basically the same, at least the one that we read was.  They all believe in love and goodness, they only differ in matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.  

We believe that after death comes nothing because when you ask the dead they say nothing.  If death is not the end then there is heaven for all except maybe Hitler, Stalin, and Khan.  We believe in Masters and Johnson, what is selected is average, and what is average is normal and what is normal is good.  We believe in total disarmament, we believe there are direct links between warfare and bloodshed, and that the Americans should beat their guns into tractors and the Russians will be sure to follow.  We believe that man is essentially good, it is only his behavior that lets him down.  This is the fault of society, society is the fault of conditions, and conditions are the fault of society.  If man does what is right for him, then reality will adapt accordingly.  The universe will re-adjust, history will alter.  We believe there is no absolute truth except that there is no absolute truth.  We believe in the rejection of creeds and the flowering of individual thought.  

If chance is the father of all flesh, then disaster is his rainbow in the sky.  When in a state of emergency the sniper kills the child, the youth go looting, or bomb blasts rock the school, it is nothing more than the sound of man worshiping his maker.  

The evils in the world as a result of this type of belief system are tremendous.  If the strong survive (and rule), what are the consequences?  The 'goodness of man' has been proven to be a fantasy.  In that great period of ‘enlightenment,’ the Twentieth Century, over 6 million Jews were murdered, over 20 million Ukrainians, 50 million Chinese, roughly one third of the population of Cambodia, countless Hutu’s and Tutsi’s, etc etc etc, all in the name of man's pursuit of unbridled power resulting from the belief in no absolute truth.  Easily over 100 million people have been murdered in the 20th century alone in the name of someone’s progress toward utopia.  

Is Atheism a serious worldview, or is it a means to something else?  Not all atheists would agree with this position, but consider the words of one prominent atheist:

"For myself, as, no doubt, for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation.  The liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain political and economic system and liberation from a certain system of morality.  We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom…The supporters of these systems claimed that in some way they embodied the meaning of the world.  There was one admirably simple method of confuting these people and at the same time justifying ourselves in our political and erotic revolt: we could deny that the world had any meaning whatsoever."  Aldous Huxley; Ends and Means; pg 269-70

So before 'religion' is allowed to be ridiculed by atheism, one must remember that "the basic function of religion in culture is to supply people with truth and meaning."  Clarke Pinnock, Four Views of Salvation in a Pluralistic World, pg 115.  This is the result of serious and real life contemplation.

With all the evidences for God that we will investigate, and the awful alternative to God's existences, It is easy to see why David said that  "The fool has said in his heart there is no God." 
 

 

Isn’t Faith Just a Blind Leap?

Christian Apologetics

 
Don't I Have to Take a 'Blind Leap of Faith'?
 
Faith?  YES!!  Blind?  NO!!

Christians are to FULLY use their brains!Faith has received a bad rep lately.  In modern times faith has come to be synonymous with belief, or even worse, with ‘blind acceptance.’  It is now usually accepted that 'having faith' is something a person does in the absence of evidence, or even despite evidence of to the contrary.  People 'with faith' are ridiculed as having less intelligence than those who accept beliefs based upon 'evidences.'  

But when all is said and done, all knowing requires faith.
 

“Faith is an inescapable element of all human understanding, not excluding that of scientists who may be tempted to categorize it as unpardonable ignorance.”    Carl F. H. Henry

The fact remains that all methods of knowing ultimately rely on certain assumptions.   Therefore, everything we think we know relies on certain assumptions, just like all the decisions we make.  

For example, we assume that the restaurants we choose are going to provide us with healthy food, or that we will all wake up in the morning ready for the next day.  None of these (and countless other decisions and assumptions we make every day) are provable, or are assured.  We take them ON FAITH!  Sure, we make 'educated' assumptions, which takes away the 'blindness.'  We can and do, every day, rely on intuitive statements backed up by logical evidences and philosophies and experiences, all which may or may not be 'known beyond the shadow of a doubt.'  But they get us by in our day to day lives.  So, a 'properly placed faith' is not blind!

The implication then, is correct.  Is there logical evidences for Christianity, and to confirm our experiences with Jesus?  That is one of the purposes of Christianity.  And as we have reviewed elsewhere, Christianity is not only A REASONABLE faith, it is the ONLY REASONABLE faith!

What is a properly functioning faith in God and in Christianity?  It begins with a proper understanding, and place in our lives for faith, as described above.  Then, we 'work out' our faith in our actions.  If our faith is not evident in our actions, then what good is it?  

So the description of The Christian Faith as simply an 'unfounded belief' is flatly wrong.  The Christian Faith is a living, experiential substance that is clearly logical and is only fulfilled when based in the truths of God and Christ.

John Keats said “Nothing ever becomes real until it is experienced.”  Things that have no evidence as to their cause or function, such as our longing for the infinite, are things that can only be explained by a properly functioning faith.  An Evidentialist is on shaky ground in these arenas, even if some day a chemical or protein is discovered to ‘cause’ these longings in the brain.  All this will do is prove that we are ‘hard wired’ for a need for faith, not answer the question ‘Why do we believe it?’  

Once we have a proper understanding and respect for the role of faith in our lives, we will more easily accept the faith aspect of a believe and relationship with God.

Is Faith Blind

Christian Apologetics

         

Do I Have to Take a 'Blind Leap of Faith?'

Faith?  YES!!  Blind?  NO!!   


Faith has received a bad rep lately.  In modern times faith has come to be synonymous with belief, or even worse, with ‘blind acceptance.’  It is now usually accepted that 'having faith' is something a person does in the absence of evidence, or even despite evidence of to the contrary.  People 'with faith' are ridiculed as having less intelligence than those who accept beliefs based upon 'evidences.'  

 

But when all is said and done, all knowing requires faith.

“Faith is an inescapable element of all human understanding, not excluding that of scientists who may be tempted to categorize it as unpardonable ignorance.”    Carl F. H. Henry

The fact remains that all methods of knowing ultimately rely on certain assumptions.   Therefore, everything we think we know relies on certain assumptions, just like all the decisions we make.  

For example, we assume that the restaurants we choose are going to provide us with healthy food, or that we will all wake up in the morning ready for the next day.  None of these (and countless other decisions and assumptions we make every day) are provable, or are assured.  We take them ON FAITH!  Sure, we make 'educated' assumptions, which takes away the 'blindness.'  We can and do, every day, rely on intuitive statements backed up by logical evidences and philosophies and experiences, all which may or may not be 'known beyond the shadow of a doubt.'  But they get us by in our day to day lives.  So, a 'properly placed faith' is not blind!

The implication then, is correct.  Is there logical evidences for Christianity, and to confirm our experiences with Jesus?  That is one of the purposes of Christianity.  And as we have reviewed elsewhere, Christianity is not only A REASONABLE faith, it is the ONLY REASONABLE faith!

What is a properly functioning faith in God and in Christianity?  It begins with a proper understanding, and place in our lives for faith, as described above.  Then, we 'work out' our faith in our actions.  If our faith is not evident in our actions, then what good is it?  

So the description of The Christian Faith as simply an 'unfounded belief' is flatly wrong.  The Christian Faith is a living, experiential substance that is clearly logical and is only fulfilled when based in the truths of God and Christ.

John Keats said “Nothing ever becomes real until it is experienced.”  Things that have no evidence as to their cause or function, such as our longing for the infinite, are things that can only be explained by a properly functioning faith.  An Evidentialist is on shaky ground in these arenas, even if some day a chemical or protein is discovered to ‘cause’ these longings in the brain.  All this will do is prove that we are ‘hard wired’ for a need for faith, not answer the question ‘Why do we believe it?’  

Once we have a proper understanding and respect for the role of faith in our lives, we will more easily accept the faith aspect of a believe and relationship with God.

What is Apologetics?

Christian Apologetics

We're not 'Apologizing' for being a Christian!  In fact, it's completely opposite of that!  ‘An apologetic’ is just a fancy way to say ‘a defense.’  Christians are clearly expected to be prepared to give this defense of their faith in any situation.  The most obvious command for an apologetic (a defense of our faith) is 1 Peter 3:15b:  

"…ALWAYS be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…do this with gentleness and with respect."   1 Peter 3:15b

So, the study of Apologetics is the study of the defenses of the Christian faith.  One can hardly imagine the multitude of reasons that may emerge that will require this defense.  We may be drawn into a debate over worldviews, or be asked to explain our perspectives on various life situations when we are counseling others who are craving for our (and God’s) help.  Therefore the study of apologetics is clearly a very important and serious endeavor, and a requirement for all Christians.

One does not study Apologetics, however, just to win arguments.  Although many famous apologists are involved with other highly trained philosophers debating atheism, creationism, and a million other –ism’s, the main purpose of apologetics is not to convince but to confirm.  The Master Himself tells us in an explanation of ‘the greatest commandment’ that our faith is an exercise of the mind as well:  

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment."  Matthew 22:37-38

The heart will not accept that which the mind cannot.  God never says that our faith is to be based upon things we cannot rationalize in our minds, despite what non-believers would have us believe.  In fact, Christianity is the most rational of all world beliefs.  When one considers some of the wild things that pass for conventional wisdom these days, and compares them against the clear evidences for and the realities of Christianity, one can take comfort in the faith and worldview of the Christian.  And the Christian need not be bothered by the some of the things that world takes for granted, because a Christian by definition thinks differently from the rest of the world:

"Do not deceive yourselves.  If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a 'fool' so that he may become wise.  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight."  1 Corinthians 3:18-19a

 ‘Presuppositional’ apologetics assumes that life begins to make sense when it is considered with a Christian perspective in mind.  Once you ‘pre-suppose’ that Christianity is true, everything else begins to fall in line and make sense.  This does not imply however that an apologetic defense cannot confirm the truth for someone who ‘pre-supposes’ that there is no God or Christ.  In this case it is God bringing around the heart of the hardened to Him, and through us (thus the command for the defense preparation!)  In the study of Apologetics we confirm our faith both for ourselves, and for others who are truly searching for the truth.  

Therefore, Apologetics is an essential evangelism tool.  A basic understanding of our faith will enable us to be used by the Spirit of God, when the Spirit moves within someone and draws him or her to you to explain the reasons for your faith in Christ:

"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage…discharge all the duties of your ministry."  2 Timothy 4:2a, 5c

We must be ready to accomplish the commands of God upon us:

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…"  Matthew 28:19a, 20

What a glorious purpose and incredible incentive for the study of apologetics, to be the hands and feet of the Lord in His plan of salvation for the world!  

But ultimately, the reasons alone are not enough for anyone to accept the Christian Faith.  It is our intuition, our spirit that leads us to accept the evidence as true, because it satisfies our longing and searching.  It is

“…not philosophy (or logic) but religious experience that propels anyone through the door.  The appropriate apologetic is thus not an argument directly for the existence of God, but an argument for the rationality of forming beliefs on the basis of experience, including religious experience."    John Hick, Four Views of Salvation in a Pluralistic World.  Pg 248

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