 As an exercise, assume that Jesus did survive the crucifixion and his resurrection appearances were just the man Jesus meeting his followers. What problems are left unanswered by this theory?

 If you spoke to someone who believed in a naturalistic explanation for the empty tomb, what strategy would you take to convince them that the disappearance of the body of Jesus could only be explained by the Biblical account?

 Of the three evidences for the resurrection of Jesus that we mentioned in class, which is the most powerful to you? Can you think of any other evidences to support the resurrection of Jesus?

The Problem with Moral Relativism

 Truth is valuable (Prov. 23:23)  A world without truth is fallen (Is. 59:14, Jer. 7:28)  Our eternity depends on truth (John 8:32, 14:6)  There are those who challenge truth (John 18:37-38)

 Objective “not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts” Ex. 1+1=2, Washington DC is the US capital  Subjective “based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions” Ex. coffee tastes bad, favorite colors

 All morality is subjective, there is no true “right” or “wrong”  situational ethics  Morality and values are a product of culture, not a higher power or eternal truth  There is no reason or need to observe any standard of morality over any other  Judges 21:25, Jer. 10:23

 Meaningless Definitions Ex. “Love”  Inherent Inconsistencies Logical and in practice  Counterexamples by Experience Everyday life, Biblical examples

 No basis for discussion Ex. Measure the table  Appeals to pseudo-standards Love—no standard definition Rights Hurt

 Relativism is self-refuting “All things are relative” is not relative “There is no absolute truth” is an absolute statement If there is no absolute truth, we cannot believe that there are no absolute truths  Begs the question

 “Imposing” moral standards Saying it’s wrong to impose moral standards is imposing a moral standard  Relativists don’t practice relativism Actions and speech based on objective moral values in spite of relativism

 Personal experience Mistreatment Tolerance Feeling wronged  Social experience Racism

 Historical experience Ex. WWII Nazi practices Ex. Slavery Ex. Inquisition, Crusades  Biblical example Rom 2:14-15

 Proponents of moral relativism sometimes point to John 8:1-11 as an example of Jesus practicing moral relativism. How would you respond to this?

 Support for situational ethics is claimed in the story of Rahab in Joshua 2 (a similar example is used of sheltering Jews in Nazi Germany). What would you say to this?

 When trying to establish objective morality, one might object that “God did many evil acts” in the Old Testament. How do you handle this situation?