Question of the Week: Witness of the Holy Spirit and Defeasibility of Christian Belief
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From: William Lane Craig <[email protected]> Subject: Question of the Week - Witness of the Holy Spirit and Defeasibility of Christian Belief Date: December 19, 2011 8:35:43 PM GMT+08:00 To: [email protected] Reply-To: William Lane Craig <[email protected]> #244 Scholarly Articles Popular Articles Debates Audio-Visuals Open Forum Podcasts Blog Calendar Donate Witness of the Holy Spirit and Defeasibility of Christian Belief Question: Dear Dr Craig I think that I have found quite a major contradiction in your beliefs as a christian. Here it is You say many times that how you know christianity is true is through the witness of the holy spirit; this implies that it can't be disproved as god has revealed himself to you and so validate your belief. Here is where the contradiction lies As well as this, you and many other evangelicals, say that what christianity hinges on is the resurrection. Moreover you say (on faith under fire with Lee Strobel) that if they found the bones of Jesus then this would 'completely falsify christianity'. How can you believe christianity is true because god told you, as well as believing that christianity could made false Could you please explain how you would reconcile these two very contradictory views Thanks, Zach United Kingdom Dr. Craig responds: No need to worry, Zach! The beliefs you mention aren't even apparently contradictory. Indeed, I wouldn't have chosen to answer this question apart from the fact that there seems to be some confusion in certain circles in this regard that deserves to be cleared up. On the one hand, we have the factual claim that the fundamental way in which we know that Christianity is true, including the belief that Jesus rose from the dead, is through the self-authenticating witness of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, I've defended the view that the witness of the Holy Spirit is an intrinsic defeater-defeater for anyone who attends to it. On the other hand, we have the counterfactual claim that if the bones of Jesus were to be discovered, then Christianity would be falsified. This is because the resurrection of Jesus is essential to the truth of Christianity. So if Jesus did not rise from the dead, Christianity would be false. So if the bones of Jesus were discovered, that would entail that he did not rise from the dead and so Christianity would be falsified. Now, as I say, Zach, this factual claim and this counterfactual claim are not even apparently contradictory. Of course, if Jesus' remains were to be found, Christianity would be falsified! But we can be confident that no such discovery will ever be made because we have the self-authenticating witness
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Transcript of Question of the Week: Witness of the Holy Spirit and Defeasibility of Christian Belief
From: William Lane Craig <[email protected]>Subject: Question of the Week - Witness of the Holy Spirit and Defeasibility of Christian Belief
Date: December 19, 2011 8:35:43 PM GMT+08:00To: [email protected]
Reply-To: William Lane Craig <[email protected]>
#244
Scholarly Articles Popular Articles Debates Audio-Visuals Open Forum Podcasts Blog Calendar Donate
Witness of the Holy Spirit and Defeasibility ofChristian Belief
Question:
Dear Dr Craig
I think that I have found quite a major contradiction in your beliefs as a christian.
Here it is
You say many times that how you know christianity is true is through the witness of the holy spirit; thisimplies that it can't be disproved as god has revealed himself to you and so validate your belief.
Here is where the contradiction lies
As well as this, you and many other evangelicals, say that what christianity hinges on is the resurrection.Moreover you say (on faith under fire with Lee Strobel) that if they found the bones of Jesus then thiswould 'completely falsify christianity'.
How can you believe christianity is true because god told you, as well as believing that christianity couldmade false
Could you please explain how you would reconcile these two very contradictory views
Thanks,
ZachUnited Kingdom
Dr. Craig responds:
No need to worry, Zach! The beliefs you mention aren't even apparently contradictory. Indeed, I wouldn'thave chosen to answer this question apart from the fact that there seems to be some confusion incertain circles in this regard that deserves to be cleared up.
On the one hand, we have the factual claim that the fundamental way in which we know that Christianityis true, including the belief that Jesus rose from the dead, is through the self-authenticating witness ofthe Holy Spirit. Moreover, I've defended the view that the witness of the Holy Spirit is an intrinsicdefeater-defeater for anyone who attends to it.
On the other hand, we have the counterfactual claim that if the bones of Jesus were to be discovered,then Christianity would be falsified. This is because the resurrection of Jesus is essential to the truth ofChristianity. So if Jesus did not rise from the dead, Christianity would be false. So if the bones of Jesuswere discovered, that would entail that he did not rise from the dead and so Christianity would befalsified.
Now, as I say, Zach, this factual claim and this counterfactual claim are not even apparentlycontradictory. Of course, if Jesus' remains were to be found, Christianity would be falsified! But we canbe confident that no such discovery will ever be made because we have the self-authenticating witness
of the Spirit that Jesus is risen.
Such a situation is commonplace. Pick any belief that you hold confidently and then imagine a state ofaffairs in which that belief would be false if that state of affairs obtained. For example, I am absolutelysure that I am alive; but if someone were to discover a grave containing my bones, then that beliefwould be falsified. Should I worry?
I'm sure, Zach, that you've confused the counterfactual claim that if the bones of Jesus were to bediscovered, then Christianity would be falsified with the quite different claim that if we were to findbones which are purported to be those of Jesus, then we might have sufficient evidence to falsifyChristianity. I do deny that latter claim because, given the witness of the Spirit, no such evidence couldbe forthcoming. But obviously, there's no inconsistency there at all.
So, yes, if the bones of Jesus were to be found, then he did not rise and Christianity would be false; butgiven the Spirit's witness we will never be justified in thinking that any bones discovered were those ofJesus. You may disagree with this view, but there's no contradiction.
Have a Question for Dr. Craig? Submit it here. To read more questions / answers, visit the Q & A Archive.
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