Category: Apologetics Weekly Notes

How Great Thou Art https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBP8Nhb4bHU

HOW GREAT THOU ART (Joshua Aaron & Aaron Shust) LIVE at the Garden Tomb, Jerusalem

Faith and Reason

Definitions matter.  Our culture assumes that faith is the OPPOSITE of reason, that faith is blind and doesn’t care about evidence at all.

People can reason intelligently or poorly, whether they are Christians, atheists, or other.

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  ~Hebrews 11:1.

Faith is a commitment to a belief that we have good reason to believe is true based on the evidence.

Crain uses the example of flying.  “You get on an airplane without checking the pilot’s license, reviewing the mechanic’s log, or checking the cargo for explosives.  Do you know with absolute certainty that people have done those things for you and have done them correctly?  Do you have good reason to trust that they have?  Yes.  That’s faith.”

Crain also provided statements by four atheists that Crain recorded that reveal what they think about Christians’ faith and reasoning.  They generally believe that we operate on blind faith with no care for evidence.  One insinuated that we are insane.  The four atheists quoted are Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, William Harwood, and Bertrand Russell.

The fact of the matter is that both faith AND reason are necessary for the level of trust required for real faith.

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.  ~Hebrews 11:6

God’s Argument for His Existence

The argument from GENERAL REVELATION

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,^[g] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools…   ~Romans 1:18-22

The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ ~Psalm 14:1a

Pascal’s Wager

Pascal’s wager is a philosophical argument presented by the seventeenth-century French mathematician, philosopher, physicist and theologian Blaise Pascal (1623–1662). It posits that human beings wager with their lives that God either exists or does not.

Pascal argues that a rational person should live as though God exists and seek to believe in God. If God does not exist, such a person will have only a finite loss (some pleasures, luxury, etc.), whereas if God does exist, he stands to receive infinite gains (as represented by eternity in Heaven) and avoid infinite losses (an eternity in Hell).

Wikipedia.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_wager

The Cosmological argument

The argument from CREATION (Gk. cosmos, “universe, world”).

Two forms:

1. The cosmos needed a cause at its beginning.
2. The universe had a beginning.  Why do we believe that?

Second Law of Thermodynamics – Increased Entropy

The Second Law of Thermodynamics is commonly known as the Law of Increased Entropy. While quantity remains the same (First Law), the quality of matter/energy deteriorates gradually over time. How so? Usable energy is inevitably used for productivity, growth and repair. In the process, usable energy is converted into unusable energy. Thus, usable energy is irretrievably lost in the form of unusable energy.

“Entropy” is defined as a measure of unusable energy within a closed or isolated system (the universe for example). As usable energy decreases and unusable energy increases, “entropy” increases. Entropy is also a gauge of randomness or chaos within a closed system. As usable energy is irretrievably lost, disorganization, randomness and chaos increase.

Second Law of Thermodynamics – In the Beginning…

The implications of the Second Law of Thermodynamics are considerable. The universe is constantly losing usable energy and never gaining. We logically conclude the universe is not eternal. The universe had a finite beginning — the moment at which it was at “zero entropy” (its most ordered possible state). Like a wind-up clock, the universe is winding down, as if at one point it was fully wound up and has been winding down ever since. The question is who wound up the clock?

The theological implications are obvious. NASA Astronomer Robert Jastrow commented on these implications when he said, “Theologians generally are delighted with the proof that the universe had a beginning, but astronomers are curiously upset. It turns out that the scientist behaves the way the rest of us do when our beliefs are in conflict with the evidence.” (Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers, 1978, p. 16.)

Jastrow went on to say, “For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.” (God and the Astronomers, p. 116.) It seems the Cosmic Egg that was the birth of our universe logically requires a Cosmic Chicken…

~AllAboutScience.org.  https://www.allaboutscience.org/second-law-of-thermodynamics.htm.

The Rest of the Cosmological Argument

• Anything that had a beginning must have been caused by something else
• Therefore, the universe was caused by something else – a Creator.

The cosmological argument depends upon the Principle of Causality:

The principle of causality is a first principle.  First principles are self-evident or may be reduced to the self-evident, although perhaps not to all.  The vast majority of philosophers have all agreed on the validity of the principle of causality, which simply stated says that:

1. Every effect has a cause
2. Everything that begins has a cause
3. Everything that changes has a cause
4. Everything that is finite has a cause
5. Everything that is limited has a cause

Even the famous skeptic, David Hume, when questioned about causal relationships such as these, confirmed the necessity of the Principle of Causality:  “I never asserted so absurd a proposition as that anything might arise without a cause.”

The Argument from Scripture:  God said, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  ~Genesis 1:1

• The cosmos needs a cause to continue existing.

The Argument from Scripture:  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  ~Colossians 1:17

Beginning of Universe and 2^nd Law of Thermodynamics Disputed

In recent years, some scientists have come up with new theories about the universe that they believe could indicate that it did NOT have a beginning.  Bruno Bento, a physicist who studies the nature of time at the University of Liverpool in the UK, has used a new theory of quantum gravity called the theory of causal sets  to explore the beginning of the universe. They believe that it is entirely possible that the universe did not have a beginning – it always existed in the infinite past and only recently turned into what we call the Big Bang.  Here is an article for more information on this subject:

https://www.europeantimes.news/2022/04/the-universe-has-no-beginning-physicists-refute-the-big-bang-theory/

“As for the 2^nd law of thermodynamics…The laws of thermodynamics are some of the most important principles in modern physics, because they define how three fundamental physical quantities – temperature, energy, and entropy – behave under various circumstances.

But now physicists say they’ve found a loophole in one of these laws, and it could create scenarios in which entropy – or disorder – actually decreases with time.

Here is an article for more information on this subject:

https://www.sciencealert.com/physicists-say-they-ve-found-a-way-to-break-the-second-law-of-thermodynamics.

Scientific “facts” and theories change over time.  What is put forth as indisputable fact at one point, in time is disproven and replaced by other “facts” and theories as new information is discovered.  The truth is that we do not know all there is to know, and importantly, we do not know what we do not know.  We are ignorant of the extent of our ignorance.   ~Carolyn Wilson

The Teleological Argument

The argument from DESIGN (Gk. Telos, “end, purpose”).

1. All complex design implies a designer.
2. There is complex design in the universe.
3. Therefore, there must be a Designer of the universe.

William Paley’s watchmaker analogy:  In 1802, theologian William Paley stated that if you were to find a watch in an open field, you would naturally conclude that the watch had a designer because of the complexity of the object.  The universe is far more complex than a watch, thus it is logical to conclude that the universe had a Designer – God.

Examples from science: 

1. Design in Biology – DNA.  Every cell of our bodies contains DNA.  DNA is composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. DNA carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of all known organisms and many viruses.  Human DNA contains as much information as 12 sets of The Encyclopedia Britannica!

• Design in Physics – The fine-tuning of the earth and universe.  Earth has been uniquely designed to support human life.  The sun and other planets in our galaxy have numerous precise properties that must exist in order for human life to exist.  If the Earth were tilted a little more or less, temperatures would vary too much to support life.  There are many other factors that if they varied even slightly would preclude life on earth.

The Ontological Argument

The idea of a perfect BEING (Gk. ontos, “reality, being”).

The ontological argument claims that God exists because if he did not exist, he would not be the most perfect being, and if he were not the most perfect being, then he would not be God.  What makes the ontological argument unique as an argument for God’s existence is that it is entirely a priori, or an argument from reasoning, and requires no empirical evidence about our world.

Perfect, as Anselm meant it, was a property of something that had been completed.  Later it came to mean the absolute best possible.

A priori means relating to or derived by reasoning from self-evident propositions.

The argument says that if we can conceive of God, then God exists, thus it is thus self-contradictory to state that God does not exist.  This is a controversial position, and the ontological argument has had both detractors and defenders since its inception.

Many philosophers have attempted to modify Anselm’s ontological argument in light of objections.  Contemporary philosopher Alvin Plantinga offers a version of that uses modal logic, which is a collection of formal systems that use the language of necessity and possibility.

The Ontological Argument explained:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBmAKCvWl74

The Moral Argument

1. Moral laws imply a Moral Law Giver.
2. There is an objective moral law.
3. Therefore, the is a Moral Law Giver.

Objections: 

Objection 1:  Cultures have different ideas of right and wrong so there must not be objective morality.

Objection 2:  Morals are just a matter of personal opinion.

The Moral Argument According to Scripture

¹² All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. ¹³ For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. ¹⁴ (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 

~Romans 2:12-15

The Argument from Religious Need/EXPERIENCE

This is related to the Anthropological Argument.

Many people claim not to need God and that seems to be true based on how they live.  But even many atheists have had experiences and/or made statements that indicate that this is true.

The Anthropological Arguments says that we are created with the need to worship and this is born out by human history. 

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  ~Jeremiah 29:13

Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.  ~Matthew 4:4 and Deuteronomy 8:3

The heart is restless until it finds its rest in God. ~St. Augustine

The Argument from Joy (CS Lewis)

If I find that I have a desire for something that nothing in this world can satisfy, that is an indication that I was made for another world.

1. Every natural innate desire has a real object that can fulfill it.
2. Human beings have a natural, innate desire for immortality.
3. Therefore, there must be an immortal life after death.

The Axiological Argument

The argument from making VALUE JUDGMENTS (Gk. axios, “value, worth”).

The Anthropological Argument

(read the Blue Letter Bible doc)

Bibliography

AcademicKids.com.  https://academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Ontological_argument.

Academy4sc.org. https://academy4sc.org/video/the-ontological-argument-existence-as-perfection/#:~:text=Definition%20of%20the%20Ontological%20Argument,he%20would%20not%20be%20God.

AllAboutScience.org.  https://www.allaboutscience.org/second-law-of-thermodynamics.htm.

BlueLetterBible.com.  https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/stewart_don/faq/does-the-god-of-the-bible-exist/07-what-is-the-anthropological-argument-for-gods-existence.cfm.

ColdCaseChristianity.com https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/how-the-principle-of-causality-points-to-the-existence-of-god/

Crain, Natasha.  Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side.

Geisler, Norman.  The Big Book of Apologetics.

Wikipedia.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page.

1.   What is Apologetics and why study it?

WHAT IS APOLOGETICS?

Apologetics is a defense of something.  In the case of Christian apologetics, it is the defense of orthodox, biblical Christianity.

1 Peter 3:15 “…Always be prepared to give an answer¹ to everyone who asks you to give the reason² for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

¹Greek apologia: a speech in defense

Original Word: ἀπολογία, ας, ἡ

Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine

Transliteration: apologia

Phonetic Spelling: (ap-ol-og-ee’-ah)

Definition: a speech in defense

Usage: a verbal defense (particularly in a law court).

from Strong’s Concordance on Biblehub.com

WHY STUDY APOLOGETICS?

²The purpose of learning about apologetics is to EQUIP you as a witness of Jesus Christ.  The arguments and information we will learn in this Apologetics class are a SUPPLEMENT to YOUR STORY.

No one can dispute YOUR STORY about what Jesus means to you, how he has worked in your life, how life is different FOR YOU as a result of your relationship with Jesus.

But it will be helpful to have answers to the most common objections to Christianity, the Bible, etc.  And it will likely build your own faith to learn more about these subjects, as well.

In a later class, we will each write our own 1-minute faith story with the objective of being able to share it with others.

Youth need reasons to believe.  J. Warner Wallace in the forward of the book Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side by Natasha Crain explained that after his first year as a youth pastor, the kids he had throughout their entire senior year all gave up on their faith by the end of their first semester at university.  He had focused on building the group and helping them form friendships, entertaining them, and ensuring that the kids liked him.  But he hadn’t “given them sufficient reason to believe that Christianity is true.”   He quickly changed his approach to provide evidence for the truth of Christianity, the kind of evidence that convinced him, as a cold case homicide detective and former atheist, to believe.

Loss of Catechism as a normal practice.  Christians used to always have to go through a process of “catechesis” prior to baptism or confirmation.  Catechism taught the basics of Christian doctrine, often in a question/answer format.  Catechisms usually included explanations of God’s redemptive story of creation, the fall, and redemption as well as the 10 Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer.  Catholics still do this.

Apologetics of other belief systems.  Nabeel Qureshi was a devout Muslim who read the entire Quran in Arabic and memorized the last seven chapters of the Quran by the time he was 5 years old.  Nabeel explained the pattern of prayers for devout Muslims and also that he was taught Muslim apologetics that he used to convince Christians to convert to Islam in school.  He even learned how to use specific Bible verses.  The Muslim emphasis on prayers and education makes Christian training, especially in the family, look extremely anemic.

His testimony can be found here:  https://youtu.be/k0D8Uz4oQck and begins at 12:23.

2.   Four Functions of Apologetics

1. PROOF/MAKE A CASE:  Using philosophical arguments and scientific and historical evidences of the Christian faith.  Goal is to develop a positive case for Christianity as a belief system.  Show that Christianity is reasonable.
2. DEFENSE:  Defending Christianity against misunderstandings, misrepresentations; answering objections, criticisms or questions from non-Christians; clearing away any intellectual difficulties that nonbelievers claim stand in the way of their coming to faith.  Show that Christianity is credible. 
3. REFUTATION:  “Offense.”  Refutation of opposing beliefs.  Show that non-Christian thought is unreasonable – show the irrationality of the non-Christian position.
4. PERSUASION:  Bringing non-Christians to a commitment to Christ – evangelism.  Show that Christianity is not known by reason alone – faith to trust Christ.

(Notes from Faith Has Its Reasons by Ken Boa and Robert Bowman, Jr.)

3.   Brief History of Apologetics

Christian apologetics has developed over the entire course of Christian history, beginning in the Bible.  There have been/are MANY apologists and apologetic writings through the centuries.  Books and articles continue to be written on this subject and no doubt will until Christ returns.  The ones noted here are meant to provide just a few examples.

Apologetics in the Bible

Though the New Testament writings are not classified as formal apologetic treatises, most of them include arguments for believing in Jesus Christ, attempts to convince Jews that Jesus is the Messiah described by Old Testament prophets, that the resurrection is real, etc. 

Many New Testament writings provide arguments against false teachings in order to defend the gospel against perversion from within the church.  Some examples include:

• Luke 1:1-4, John 20:31
• Acts 17:16-32:  Paul’s speech to the Athenians (Acts 17) is a model of Christian apology.  Notice how Paul connects the Gospel to something the Athenians are familiar with – their “unknown God.”
• Many of the writings of Paul in his epistles.

EARLY CHURCH FATHERS:  Opposition to early Christianity:  Rabbinic Judaism, various heresies such as Gnosticism and Arianism, persecuting paganism, Hellenistic culture.  Just a few early apologists

JUSTIN MARTYR (c. 100-165) – convert from Platonism. 

• First Apology
• Second Apology
• Discourse to the Greeks
• On the Resurrection
• On the Sole Government of God
• Hortatory Address to the Greeks
• Fragments from the Lost Writings of Justin
• Dialogue with Trypho

Origen – Book Contra Celsum one of the classics of apologetics. 

St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (354-430) – most important for the first millennium.  The City of God widely regarded as one of the five or ten most important books in the history of Western thought.

“In his approach, faith and reason are interactive in coming to know the true God in Jesus Christ. Reason precedes faith in that a rational mind and recognition of the truth of what is to be believed must exist if we are to believe anything.”   

Middle Ages – Most Important Apologists

Anselm of Canterbury (1033/4–1109)  Anselm was an Italian Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher and theologian of the Catholic Church, who held the office of Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109.  He was a philosopher as well as a theologian and presented the Christian faith as a rational system of belief.  He is best known for the well-known “ontological argument” for the existence of God which he describes in the Proslogion, one of his major works.  The other is the Monologion.

Thomas Aquinas (ca. 1225–1274)  Perhaps the greatest figure of thirteenth-century Europe in philosophy and theology. His Summa Theologica is a collection of all of the main theological teachings of the Catholic Church.  It’s purpose was to be an instructional guide for theology students, including seminarians and laity who were literate.  The Summa presents step by step logic regarding the doctrines of God, Creation, Man, Christ, and the Sacraments.  You can read it here:  https://www.ccel.org/a/aquinas/summa/home.html.

Post-Reformation

Three influential apologists post-reformation were:

Blaise Pascal (1623 – 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic writer.

• “Pascal sought to strike a balance between faith and reason.  He did not want to abandon reason altogether, but he also did not want its importance or value in knowing Christ to be over-emphasized.
• He believed that God has given enough evidence of the truth of Christianity that those who want to know the truth will see it, but he has not shown himself in a way that would compel faith in those who don’t care or don’t want to believe.
• Pascal was especially concerned about those who don’t give serious thought to the issue. He urged them to realize that if Christianity is true and they fail to believe, they are in most serious danger.”  (Faith Has Its Reasons, p.47, emphasis mine).

Charles Hodge:  the most famous Calvinist theologian at Old Princeton,

• maintained that although reason must submit to God’s revelation in Scripture, reason must first discern whether Scripture is indeed a revelation from God.
• The non-Christian must therefore be invited to use reason and “common sense” to evaluate the evidences (miracles, fulfilled prophecy, etc.) for Christianity.  (Faith Has Its Reasons, p.50).

Abraham Kuyper:  developed the notion of the antithesis.

• There is, said Kuyper, an absolute antithesis between the two sets of principles to which Christians and non-Christians are fundamentally committed, (for example, God as sovereign versus man as autonomous).

Modern Apologists

There are many great apologists around today.  Here is one website’s list of the top 20 along with links to their websites:

1. Norm Geisler:  normangeisler.com
2. William Lane Craig:  Reasonable Faith.org
3. J. Warner Wallace: ColdCaseChristianity.com
4. John Lennox: John Lennox.org
5. Greg Koukl: STR.org
6. Paul Copan: PaulCopan.com
7. Ed Feser: http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/
8. Lee Strobel:  Lee Strobel.com
9. Josh McDowell:  Josh.org
10. Discovery Institute  (Dembski, Meyer, Richards, Luskin, Wells): www.Discovery.org
11. C.S. Lewis: CSLewis.org
12. Gary Habermas:  GaryHabermas.com
13. Timothy McGrew:  http://historicalapologetics.org/
14. Dr. Michael Brown:  AskDrBRown.org
15. Richard Howe: Richardghowe.com
16. Tim Keller:  TimothyKeller.com
17. J. Budziszewski:  Undergroundthomist.org
18. Hank Hanegraaff:  Equip.org
19. Hugh Ross: Reasons.org
20. R. C. Sproul: Ligonier

from https://crossexamined.org/top-20-apologists/

4.   Apologetical Approaches

In reality, as witnesses of Jesus Christ and the Gospel, we will likely use a mix of these approaches.

Classical Apologetics refers to an apologetic approach that emphasizes the use of logical criteria for example, the law of noncontradiction, self-consistency, comprehensiveness, coherence) in determining the validity of competing religious philosophies.  These criteria are used to refute the truth claims of non-Christian worldviews and to establish the existence of God through theistic proofs.

Evidentialism seeks to ground the Christian faith primarily on empirically and historically verifiable facts. Evidentialists often draw a parallel between the scientific method of testing theories and theological verification. 

Reformed Apologetics argues that we ought to ground reason and fact on the truth of the Christian faith, rather than trying to prove or defend the faith on the basis of reason or fact.  Most Reformed apologists seek to show that while non-Christian belief systems cannot account for the validity of reason, fact, and truth, Christian theism can.   This approach was inspired by the theology of John Calvin.

Fideism maintains that human knowledge of truth (including, and especially, religious truth) is at bottom a personal matter of the heart or the will rather than of the intellect.  Personal, existential experience with God cannot be grounded in rational analysis or scientific and historical evidences, since it is a matter of the heart.  Fideism argues from humanity’s basic existential needs to the fulfillment of those needs in Christianity.

(from Faith Has Its Reasons)

Expository Apologetics uses Scripture to defend tenets of the Christian faith and to refute misuse of and erroneous beliefs about the Bible and Christianity.  Promoted by Dr. Voddie Baucham, Jr. in his new book by the same name.

Narrative Apologetics is an approach to explain and defend the Christian faith by telling stories.  New approach described in a book by Alistair McGrath by the same name.  Telling stories is the hot button du jour so it is no surprise that someone has come up with this approach to apologetics. 

Apologetics Bibliography

(A work in progress.)

Baucham.  Expository Apologetics.

Boa. Faith Has Its Reasons.

Boa.  I’m Glad You Asked.

Brumby.  Do You Still Think God is Good?

Childers.  Another Gospel?

Clayton.  The Source.

Colson.  How Now Shall We Live?

Craig. Reasonable Faith.

Crain.  Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side.

CrossExamined.org.  https://crossexamined.org/top-20-apologists/#

Geisler. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist.

Geisler.  The Big Book of Christian Apologetics.

Groothuis.  Truth Decay.

Keller.  The Reason for God.

Koukl.  Tactics.

Lewis.  Mere Christianity.

Markos.  Apologetics for the 21^st Century.

McDowell.  Answers.

McDowell.  Evidence that Demands a Verdict.

McFarland. The 10 Most common Objections to Christianity.

Schaeffer.  He is There and He is Not Silent.

Strobel.  The Case for Christ.

Strobel.  The Case for the Resurrection.

Zacharias.  Jesus Among Other Gods.