Apologetics
Evaluating the Usefulness of Apologetics
Jul 3rd
The first iteration of this site began primarily as a foray into apologetics. As I became more and more passionate about my faith, I found myself wanting to express an intelligent faith. I had always found apologetics interesting. My first taste of defending the faith, ironically, came from a book that in and of itself was not an apologetic. At least, that was not its primary aim. The book was Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. The way in which C.S. Lewis explained Christianity opened my eyes to an aspect of Christianity that I did not know previously. And yet, ironically, I had read Mere Christianity two times before I was even a Christian. It was a powerful book, but it was not (at least for me) something that led me to salvation. I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I still have an interest in apologetics, but I wonder if it is useful? Does it edify the body, or is it a system founded primarily on a secular foundation of thought? I would like to evaluate these questions in this post.
First and foremost, we need to understand what the practice of apologetics actually aims to do. At its most basic form, an apologetic is simply a defense of the Christian faith. It aims to defend the claim of truth by Christianity. So, in that sense, it would be strange and difficult for me to claim that apologetics are not useful. However, as with all thought systems, apologetics as a system of thought is subject to the corruption of man. Apologetics in the hands of an unsaved purely religious person is no more useful than a science textbook in the hands of Richard Dawkins. In both cases, you will find many truthful statements and a system of thought that in many ways is intelligent, but in the end, both systems are utterly bankrupt of moral authority. Further, as a system of thought or an overarching philosophy, both are tragically destructive and build up human pride rather than making the person more endeared to Christ.
It would seem that the only way to truly evaluate apologetics is to categorize it rightly. As I see it, there are two categories that are relevant to this discussion. The first is apologetics whose aim is foremost about proclaiming the need for salvation in Christ alone. The second is more general and simply aims to defend the intellectual truths claimed by Christianity. Now both systems ultimately run alongside one another and have many commonalities. However, the thread that holds each one together is very different and is what is most important for this evaluation that I am doing here.
Intellectual Ascent
John MacArthur wrote a book called The Gospel According to Jesus some years ago, which was strongly criticized by many within the greater evangelical world. The reason it was criticized is that it challenged the prevailing winds of evangelicalism and ultimately claimed that a large portion of visible Christianity is delusional in upholding mere religion as opposed to true saving faith. What John MacArthur argued was that many people have an intellectual ascent to the facts of Christianity, but have not surrendered their lives to Jesus. I had never read the Gospel According to Jesus until recently. When I did, it solidified something I had already known. For most of my life, despite claiming to be, I was not really a Christian. I conformed to a faith that was an intellectual ascent to the facts of Christianity. The first time I read Mere Christianity, I actually became more religious and further embedded in false religion. Of course, I didn’t know it at the time.
In evaluating apologetics in a very general sense, I would ask that Christians be ever mindful of the gospel. I believe that anything we endeavor to do as Christians should ultimately come back to the gospel. There is a quote that I am fond of from a sermon by Reverend Al Martin that is relevant to what I am trying to convey. He said, “The cross does not give us a minor shift or two with regards to a few of our ethical and religious values. The cross radically disrupts the very center and citadel of your life from self, to Christ.” If you are a Christian, everything flows from and to Christ. Thus, as I would evaluate anything we do, I would evaluate the usefulness of apologetics. If the apologetic aim does not center on Christ, it is not useful. Of course, God in His magnificence may still use it, so please do not misunderstand. However, it is not in and of itself what we should seek to do in apologetics. It is not God honoring. Instead, it is merely man centered and aimed at the proclamation of religion.
Gospel Centered
As I have stated, I believe apologetics must be gospel centered and flowing from and to Christ. But what does that look like? I wish I could say it was an easy thing to distinguish, but I can’t. It can be a challenge many times to rightly divide the truth. I have read and followed an apologetics ministry, sometimes for years, before realizing that it was simply not gospel centered. And yet, there are some telltale signs that I believe we should watch for. They are as follows:
- When is Christ brought into the argument? There are some apologetics ministries that almost never get to actually proclaiming Christ.
- What is the general tone of the ministry? Is it bitter and argumentative? Or, is it humble and heartbroken over the lost? Make no mistake, proclaiming Christ will get people upset. However, are people getting upset because the person proclaiming the truth is simply mean and argumentative, or are they getting upset because of an accurate proclamation of the gospel? Is it hatred for the messenger because of the message, or hatred for the messenger because of the way it is delivered? We should be heartbroken and humble when we venture to proclaim these truths, issuing the proclamation in love, not anger.
- Is the ministry aimed ultimately at proclaiming the gospel, and bringing lost souls to Christ? Or, is it simply defending truths as a means of intellectual superiority? Our arguments should not be about our intellect, but should at some point draw in on the gospel.
- Is the ministry proclaiming Biblical centered truths, regardless of their secular support, or is it simply seeking to prop the Bible up by secular means? The Bible has stood the test of time, not by human might, but by it being the very Word of God. It is great when our human systems of thought offer support to the Bible, but we should not be confused into thinking that the Bible actually needs that support. Even if every secular system went against the Bible, it does not make it any less true.
These are just some general aspects of an apologetics ministry that might help in evaluating whether it is gospel centered. In the end, the usefulness of apologetics is found in the fruit it bears. For that aim, I believe that the best apologetic is always the one that is within the context of the gospel.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Poof! An Explanation of Our Existence
Jun 27th
In the world of secular science, evolution is king. You cannot watch a single program about life, and the cause of life, without being drenched in evolutionary dogma. And yet, at its core, evolution rests on one primary claim: somewhere, eons of time ago, where there was nothing came something – poof! The Christian is mocked for utilizing faith as his primary foundation for truth. The scientist is championed for the same faith in an event that if true can only be explained in the supernatural. Imagine for a moment a world that comes into being with men and women fully grown. A world like that cannot be explained outside of the existence of God. However, if you can reduce the world down to a process that occurs over billions of years, you have a chance of explaining away God. Still, that chance is dependent upon a point in time when everything popped into being out of nothing. There is no scientific foundation for such a hypothesis. It just simply has to be, or else you are left with God.
I am not a scientist. I am nothing really. And yet, I am not a fool. I am reasonably intelligent and at one time, I had almost bought into the evolutionary bag of tricks. However, one thing kept me from falling hook line and sinker. Sin. Deep down inside I knew that I was sinful. I knew that there was such a thing as right and wrong. And while I could not argue the basic tenants of science on evolution, what I did know is what we all know. There are things, acts of the human flesh, which despite our best efforts to argue otherwise, are simply wrong. It was those acts that brought me to my knees before a holy God. It may seem strange to say I walked away from evolution based on sin, but it is nonetheless true. As I placed my utter faith in Christ, as I threw myself at the feet of mercy, I also submitted to the One who claimed to be the truth. And if that One is the truth, then everything contrary is a lie. Thus, I was left with a dilemma: do I merge the two opposing views so as not to look silly, or do I place my full faith in Christ and follow where He leads? Clearly I chose the latter.
The point I am making is this: science makes a claim that is nothing more than intellectual hubris akin to the gambling addict seeking just one more turn of the cards. Common sense dictates that cells do not simply go poof! Where there was no life, there does not suddenly become life. Instead of buying the evolutionary lie, spend some time thinking about your own behavior. Are there not things in your life, thoughts and behaviors, which you would describe as sinful? Those acts are acts of rebellion against God. They are acts of a lawbreaker. Now, either your conscience is some evolutionary mishap, or your conscience is a signpost pointing you to God. Consider the possibility today and if you find your heart broken over how you have offended God, then repent and place your trust in Christ.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Ray Comfort’s Book ‘Ranked Bestselling ‘Atheist’ Item’
Feb 15th
From The Christian Post:
A new book by a leading Christian evangelist on how believers can prove God’s existence to an atheist ironically became Amazon’s bestselling book in the Atheist category on the first day of its release.
On Thursday, You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence but You Can’t Make Him Think soared to the top of Amazon.com’s sales charts, nabbing top spots in the Atheist category and Apologetics category.
Here’s the book burning up the athiest charts:
Popularity: 5% [?]
Why are you a Christian?
Nov 15th
Here is a fantastic video challenging the typical answer people give to the question, “Why are you a Christian?” As Christians, we have to take 1 Peter 3:15 a little more seriously and proclaim the truth, proclaim Christ as the risen messiah, and proclaim the good news!
Popularity: 3% [?]
Christianity as a Prescription for the Condition of Man
Sep 2nd
If you look at the themes of the many religions, it is possible to generalize enough so that Christianity seems similar. We have all heard the comment’s that inevitably follow: “All the religions are basically the same.” “They all believe in god.” ”It is just faith.” I have heard these comments and many more. Each time, I shriek at the thought. The truth is that this logical error couldn’t be more false. The only thing in most cases that Christianity has in common with other religions, but for the lone exception of Judaism, is that they all involve the belief in god in some format. Beyond this agreement on the most basic of themes, which by the way is not even a complete agreement, Christianity has very little in common with most of the other religions. And one specific area where it differs is important for our understanding of its’ validity.
More than any other religion, Christianity focuses on one aspect of human nature in such a way that it indicts all of man into the same helpless pile of depravity. While many of the religions offer ways to earn your way into an afterlife, even going so far as what seems to be a cosmic point system in the form of Karma, Christianity tells us that “all have fallen short of the glory of God.” In fact, the very foundation of Christian orthodoxy is built upon the notion that man is depraved, incapable of living up to the standard of God, and in utter need of a savior. And it is this fact about Christianity that truly sets it apart. While other religions serve up platefuls of pride, preying on man’s worst penchant for sin, Christianity makes clear that it is this very pride that is our undoing.
The question that we have to ask ourselves is which worldview has the accurate portrayal of man? Is it the one that utilizes our penchant for pride as a belief system? Or, is it the one that describes that pride as one of the fundamental problems of man? If we are being honest, we must admit that it is the latter. What is clear is that the prideful man is a dreadful man. Let me state clearly then what I mean to say by observing this. First, any worldview that desires to be taken seriously must accurately portray the conditions of man. Second, that very worldview must also prescribe solutions to the conditions of man that legitimizes its standing as a valid worldview. As I survey the landscape of religious and non-religious worldviews, Christianity is the only one that is able to achieve both of these principles with any validity. While it does not make it true in and of itself, what we can say is that it keeps the door open to that conclusion. The other worldviews cannot say the same.
Popularity: 4% [?]
Is there ever enough evidence to refute Christianity?
Aug 6th
William Lane Craig has written an interesting article in regards to answering the question of whether there is ever a time when evidence could lead someone away from Christianity. This article was in response to a couple of reader’s questions. As a starter, here is a quote from him:
What is true is that evidence, as it is defined in these discussions, plays a secondary role compared to the role God Himself plays in warranting Christian belief. Should we, then, ignore strong evidence if it shows that our faith is probably false? Of course not! My work as a philosopher exemplifies the effort to confront objections to Christian belief squarely and to answer them. But most Christians in the world don’t have that luxury. For them they may have to hold to their Christian belief even though they lack an answer to the alleged defeater. What I insist on is that, given the witness of the Holy Spirit within them, they are entirely rational in so doing.
It is a rather interesting article and one I believe is important for both Christians and non-Christians to consider. In both cases, people are confronted with challenges on a daily basis to their belief system. As Dr. Craig explains, most people simply do not have the time to fully investigate these questions or challenges. Though I would argue that people need to make more of an effort in this area, I believe Dr. Craig does nonetheless have a point. Take for instance the argument of evolution. As much as I have read on evolution, I have no means to become a true expert on the subject. Instead, I try to stay informed enough to be cognizant of the different developments on evolution, but if individuals with an expertise in this subject came to a forum such as this to argue evolution with me, I could not do so.
The point that Dr. Craig is making, and I believe quite credibly, is that the belief in Christianity is completely valid, regardless of the amount of evidence that the believer may or may not be aware of. In fact, if we were to operate solely on those ideas that we have complete evidence of, we would cease to function.
Popularity: 6% [?]
