DEFENDING YOUR FAITH A Basic Course in Christian Apologetics.
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Transcript of DEFENDING YOUR FAITH A Basic Course in Christian Apologetics.
DEFENDING YOUR FAITHA Basic Course in Christian Apologetics
“Science expert”?
Interest ≠ expertise
What is apologetics?
Greek “Apologia”
Speaking in defense
A story
Reasoned arguments
What is apologetics?
Does God exist?
There are good reasons to believe God exists.
If God exists, it matters.
What is apologetics?
Did Jesus rise again?
There are good reasons to believe Jesus rose again.
If Jesus rose, it matters.
What is apologetics?
Is the Bible reliable?
There are good reasons to believe the Bible is reliable.
If the Bible is reliable, it matters.
Why do apologetics?Because it matters for everyone.
We are made to reasonImago Dei (Gen. 1:27)
“Come, let us reason” (Is. 1:18)The Great Commission
“Make disciples” (Mat. 28:18-20)Preach the Word
“Be prepared” (2 Tim. 4:2)
Why do apologetics?
“…both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel all of you became partners in God’s grace together with me. …I am placed here for the defense of the Gospel.”(Phil. 1:7,16)
Who does apologetics?
Jesus(Jn. 14:10-11; Mat. 22:37)
Paul (Acts 17:16-34)Peter (Acts 2, 1 Pet. 3)
Isaiah (Is. 8:11-22)Prophets (OT)Apostles (NT)
Christians (History)
How to do apologetics
"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." (1 Pet. 3:15)
How to do apologetics
“…in your heartsrevere Christ as Lord.”
The Gospel is the goal.
How to do apologetics
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the
hope that you have.”
Reason for hope(for you as well as others)
How to do apologetics
“But do this withgentleness and respect…”
Speak the truth in love.Fruit of the spirit.
Argue not with a fool.Arguing ≠ quarreling
Leave the results to God.
Where does faith fit in?
Where does faith fit in?
Faith is the foundation of our belief, so it has to come first.
Where does faith fit in?
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)
Where does faith fit in?
"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Hebrews 11:3)
By faithwe understand
Where does faith fit in?
”The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…" (Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 9:10)
By faithwe understand
Where does faith fit in?
He’s the loftiest idea in literature
He’s the highest personality in philosophy
He’s the supreme problem in higher criticism
He’s the fundamental doctrine in true theology
(S.M. Lockredge)
Where does faith fit in?
God is “that than which nothing greater can be conceived.”(St. Anselm’s Ontological Argument)
God is, for the Christian…• Properly Basic • Ultimate Commitment
• Deepest Conviction • Highest Authority
• Most Fundamental Presuppositions
• First Principal • Axiomatic
• A Priori Assumption
Where does faith fit in?• God is our most important belief.• Our most important beliefs require
faith. Why?• We can’t prove our most important
belief (God) by anything greater, so He must be held by faith.
Where does faith fit in?
CHRISTIANITY
THE GOD OF THE BIBLE
Where does faith fit in?
ISLAM
ALLAH OF THE QUR’AN
Where does faith fit in?
BUDDHISM
TEACHINGS OF BUDDHA
Where does faith fit in?
ANY BELIEF SYSTEM
YOUR MOST BASIC BELIEF
Where does faith fit in?
ATHEISM
LAWS OF LOGIC
“I believe in logic and reason.”
“I’m a person of science.”
“There’s no evidence for
God.”
Where does faith fit in?
MOST BASICBELIEF
MOST BASICBELIEF
CIRCULARREASONING
(ALL BELIEFS)
Where does faith fit in?
CIRCULAR REASONING
“When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for Him to swear by, He swore by Himself…”(Hebrews 6:13)
Where does faith fit in?
CIRCULAR REASONING
“I am One who testifies for Myself; My other witness is the Father, who sent Me.”(Jesus in John 8:18)
Where does faith fit in?
This is “Christian apologetics”??
What sets Christianity apart from other belief systems?
Our faith in what we CAN’T see makes sense of what we CAN.
Where does faith fit in?
True or False:
FAITH and REASONare INCOMPATIBLE
False!
Where does faith fit in?
"By faith we understand…”
FAITH vs. REASON?
Where does faith fit in?
"By faith we understand…”
FAITH vs. REASON?
Faith vs. Reasonis a False Dichotomy
Where does faith fit in?
"By faith we understand…”
FAITH vs. REASON?
Faith vs. Reasonis a Straw Man
Where does faith fit in?
"By faith we understand…”
FAITH vs. REASON?
Faith vs. Reasonis a Red Herring
Where does faith fit in?
FAITH REASON
"By faith we understand…”
The Argument from Reason
The Argument from Reason
THE CHRISTIAN CLAIMS BY FAITH:
1. Logic and reason come from God
WE ALL OBSERVE:
2. Logic and reason are Laws we follow
3. Laws of Logic are universal & unchanging
4. You can’t NOT know the Laws of Logic
The Argument from Reason
Our faith in what we CAN’T see(The God of the Bible)
makes sense of what we CAN(Universal laws of logic)
The Argument from Reason
NATURALISTS CLAIMS BY FAITH:
1. Laws of Logic come from a mindless universe
WHAT WE OBSERVE:
2. Laws don’t come from mindlessness
3. Laws of Logic aren’t personal preference
4. We would need logic to invent logic
The Argument from Reason
THE LAWS OF LOGICAND REASON
THE LAWSOF LOGIC AND REASON
CIRCULARREASONING
The Argument from Reason
Christian faith makes sense
of what we can observe.
Faith in Naturalism does not make sense
of what we can observe.
The Argument from Morality
The Argument from Morality
THE CHRISTIAN CLAIMS BY FAITH:
1. Morality (right & wrong) comes from God
WE ALL OBSERVE:
2. Moral obligations are Laws we follow
3. Moral Law are universal & unchanging
4. You can’t NOT know about Moral Law
The Argument from Morality
Our faith in what we CAN’T see(The God of the Bible)
makes sense of what we CAN(Universal, unchanging moral law)
The Argument from Morality
NATURALISTS CLAIMS BY FAITH:
1. Morality is a product of human evolution
WHAT WE OBSERVE:
2. Morals/Ethics are Law-like
3. Moral obligation is not subjective/relative
4. We would need morality to invent morals
The Argument from Morality
THINGS ARE RIGHT OR WRONG
THINGS ARERIGHT OR WRONG
CIRCULARREASONING
The Argument from Morality
Christian faith makes sense
of what we can observe.
Faith in Naturalism does not make sense
of what we can observe.
Moral Argument Gospel
More reading on these topics
The Allure of Gentleness by Dallas Willard
A Reason for God by Timothy Keller
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Cold Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace
God Breathed: The Undeniable Power and Reliability of Scripture (2015) by Josh McDowell
Is The Bible True…Really? (2011) by Josh McDowell
When Skeptics Ask (2008 version) by Norman Geisler
How We Got the Bible by Rose Publishing
How The Bible Came To Us by Meryl Doney
Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
Basic Theology by Charles Ryrie
www.GodAndNeighbor.net (Mike Johnson’s blog)
