Learning To Think Like God How do we respond to the challenges of new testament Christianity?...

Learning To Think Like GodLearning To Think Like GodHow do we respond to the

challenges of new testament Christianity?

•atheism•agnosticism•skepticism•naturalism/materialism•evolutionary theory•moral relativism

•denominationalism•world religions•pluralism•solipsism•nihilism•existentialism

Learning To Think Like GodLearning To Think Like God

child like faith ≠ child like reasoning

to counter error we need to think like God

•atheism•agnosticism•skepticism•naturalism/materialism•evolutionary theory•moral relativism

•denominationalism•world religions•pluralism•solipsism•nihilism•existentialism

The Biblical ClaimThe Biblical Claim

• universal |ˌyoōnəˈvərsəl| adjectiveof, affecting, or done by all people or things in the world or in a particular group; applicable to all cases : universal adult suffrage | the incidents caused universal concern.

• Logic denoting a proposition in which something is asserted of all of a class. Contrasted with particular .• Logic a universal proposition.• Philosophy a term or concept of general application.

The Biblical ClaimThe Biblical Claim•All knowledge proves God’s existence.

•All knowledge proves biblical inspiration.

•All biblical revelation proves one God.

•All humanity is amenable to one God.

•All saved people are in Christ’s body.

The Biblical ClaimThe Biblical Claim•Universal affirmative: All crows are black

•Universal negative: No crows are black.

•Particular affirmative: Some crows are black.

•Particular negative: Some crows are not black.

The Biblical ClaimThe Biblical ClaimUniversal affirmative: All crows are black

•The biblical claim is a universal claim.•The biblical claim is an “all or none” claim.•The biblical claim can be disproven by “showing that one crow is not black.”


Universal Affirmative: All knowledge proves inspiration

•biblical inspiration = all data proves it•biblical inspiration = no data disproves it•biblical inspiration = each datum proves it•biblical inspiration = no datum disproves it


Universal Affirmatives (general):All evidence proves that ...

•God exists.•the Bible is the word of God.•Jesus is the Christ, the son of God.•God created man in His image.•all men are amenable to the will of God.•Christ died for, and saves, only those in His church. •baptism is the means of entrance into His body.


Universal Affirmatives (particular):

•All historical data confirms biblical claims.•All scientific data confirms biblical claims.•All biblical data is consistent with the world.•All world data is consistent with the biblical record.


Disproving Universal Affirmatives

•The universal claim: “all X are Y”•The biblical claim: “all knowledge proves inspiration.”•All biblical data is consistent with all knowledge.

•To disprove “all crows are black” show one non-black crow. •To disprove universal claim show one real error.•To disprove biblical claim show one real error.


Disproving Universal Affirmatives

•To disprove biblical claim show one real error.•show one false scientific fact•show one false historic fact•show one false principle•show one intended deception•show one instance of contradicting reality

What we should not do ...

•ignore the challenges•admit God/Bible is at least 97% true•be agnostic - “we don’t/can’t know”•maintain “faith with doubt” •accept the faith vs. knowledge divide•accept a presuppositional apologetic•admit defeat


The Rules

"And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless

he competes according to the rules." (2 Tim 2:5)


The Rules

In order to face the challenges of Christianity all must admit that ...

•there is a really existing world of facts, data, evidence, etc.•this really existing world is subject to human cognition•this really existing world yields communicable information about itself and its contents•that information logically yields conclusions consistent with the data and the really existing world


The Rules

In order to face the challenges of Christianity all must admit that ...

•this really existing world cannot simply, because someone claims it, comport with just any theory on the basis of the claim itself•this really existing world is understood not only via immediate sensations and impressions, but also via principles and laws•facts, data, evidence are determinate - they lead somewhere


Things We Should Know ...

•philosophy of language - hermeneutical theory•philosophy of religion - nature, origin, principles of faith•philosophy of science - nature of matter, theories, proofs•biological sciences - nature, origin, purpose of life•physical sciences - laws, theories, predictability, nature of matter•cosmogony/cosmology - study, origin, purpose of the cosmos•psychology of faith - why we believe, testing faith & faith claims•epistemology of faith - testing truth claims•religious/historical/cultural connections - church history•world religions - origin, history, principles, practices


Why this is possible ...

•we can think God’s thoughts after him (J. Kepler?)•this assumes ...•that God thinks•that man thinks•that man’s thoughts can follow God’s (in time and in order)•that man is made to do so•that the nature of thought intrinsic to man was first so to God•that God can communicate to man (imp. man can understand)


Why this is possible ...

•God made man in his image (Gen 1:26ff)•the faculties of soul (reason, emotion, will, consience, behavior)•significance of mind/reason•reflects God’s own nature (1 Sam 2:3)•reflects God’s own thought (content - cf. Is 55)•reflects God’s own thought (processes - 1 Cor 2)•reflects God’s own will (Jn 4:34; Rom 12:2)•reflects God’s own purpose (2 Pet 1:3-4)


Why this is practical - Emmaus Walkers

•they failed to understand the Messiah’s death•Jesus opened (dianoigo) their eyes and their minds-Lk 24:31-32•he did so by teaching•it worked because they were created in the image of God•with the ability to think the way God made them to think


Why this is practical - the lawyer

•challenged/tested Jesus (Lk 10:25)•what do I do to inherit eternal life•Jesus held him responsible to know what the law said•Jesus held him responsible to know what the law meant•Jesus’ parable - given to answer his attempt at self-justification •it could be understood•because the adversarial lawyer was created in God’s image•with the ability to think the way God made them to think•to know what God intended regarding “neighbor”


Why this is practical - John’s baptism

•religious leaders challenged Christ’s authority (Mt 21:23)•Jesus responded with a question of his own•Jesus presented a simple, exclusive, disjunction•they reasoned (dialogidzomai) “through” the alternatives•they saw the logical conclusion of each disjunct•they said they could not answer•they failed, not because of their inability to reason

•but because of their will•and because of their emotion


Why this is practical - the Athenians

•Paul encountered the “unknown” God (Acts 17:22ff)•Paul reasoned from their own poets•“gods” are greater than you (you are their offspring)•but you worship objects less than you•that cannot be your God•the true God•made everything - even you•cannot be confined/relegated to any physical object•created the world so that he can be found

• in finding him we change to become more like him•and thus have life


Why this is true - Jesus’ claim•Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? (Jn 10:34)•context:•Jews understood Jesus to make a claim to “make yourself God”•violated their concept of God•violated their concept of humanity•Jesus response:•lesser to greater (save donkey > save man)•if you are “gods” (like God, created in his image, to be like him)•then you can grasp that someone (Jesus) can be more like him


“It is important that you should perceive that the whole superstructure of

personal godliness rests upon knowledge. True conversion is

emphatically called coming to a knowledge of the truth ...The reason

why so many turn back and others go on so slowly is because they do not

study to make themselves acquainted with divine truth.”

(J.A. James, The Anxious Enquirer in Metcalfe, The Bible and The Human Mind, p. 10)


“... it applies the same word (nous-jla) for ‘reflective consciousness’ to both

God and man, showing that this reasoning faculty is a part of God’s own

nature imparted to the creature.”

(Metcalfe, The Bible and The Human Mind, p. 15)


Learning To Think Like God How do we respond to the challenges of new testament Christianity?...

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