Directions In groups of two or three, write on a blank sheet of paper all the possible objections a person might have towards believing in Jesus Christ/God/Creator. these may be doubts or questions you yourself might have experienced or someone you know or have heard.

Lecture 2: Case for Creator Take notes

Christian Apologetics (write this) Sound reasoning (mental process using arguments to draw conclusions from facts) in support of the Biblical claims of Christ. Specifically we will deal with the major apologetic issues of: 1. Existence of God 2. Reliability of the gospel accounts concerning Christ. 3. Common Objections to Christianity

Christian Apologetics (Write Scripture reference only) Why is apologetics important? 2 Timothy 4:2-4 “…be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

God exists? (if there is no indication not to write, copy it in notes) The existence of God: How do you know God exists? Write one or two arguments that help convince you God exists.

Negative Evidence Play chapter 2 of Case for Creator

Negative Evidence

The existence of God: Ontological argument God is the greater than the greatest thing we can think of. Things can exist only in our minds or in our minds and reality. It would be greater if God existed in our minds and reality than in our minds only. Therefore, God exists in reality.

Show crash course St. Anselm.

The existence of God: The First-cause Argument The first cause argument (or “cosmological argument” or “Kalam Argument”)

The existence of God: The First-cause Argument The first cause argument (or “cosmological argument” or “Kalam Argument”) Everything that begins to exist has a cause.

The existence of God: The First-cause Argument The first cause argument (or “cosmological argument” or “Kalam Argument”) Everything that begins to exist has a cause. The Universe began to exist.

The existence of God: The First-cause Argument The first cause argument (or “cosmological argument” or “Kalam Argument”) Everything that begins to exist has a cause. The Universe began to exist. Therefore the Universe has a cause. God is by definition the First Cause.

Show clip of Lee Strobel video. Case for Creator http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5880769103467938524#

St Thomas Aquinus Lived in 1200s AD He was colossally fat one huge eye dwarfed his other. One of most important philosophers of the church.

The existence of God: The First-cause Argument The first cause argument (or “cosmological argument” or “Kalam Argument”) Everything that begins to exist has a cause. The Universe began to exist. Therefore the Universe has a cause. That “first cause” is assumed to be God.

The existence of God: Argument from Motion Everything that moves is moved by another. There must thereby exist an Unmoved Mover. This is the definition of God.

The existence of God: Necessary Being argument Since all existent things (contingent being) depend upon other things for their existence, There must exist at least one thing that is not dependent (contingent) and so is a Necessary Being. God is by definition the “Necessary Being.”

The existence of God: Argument from gradation Since all existent things can be compared to such qualities as degrees of goodness, there must exist something that is an Absolutely Good Being (otherwise such comparisons would be meaningless) God is by definition an Absolutely Good Being

The existence of God: The Argument from Design… The world ... shows amazing teleological order. Objects exhibiting such order ... are products of intelligent design. It is more likely the world is a result of intelligent design than of random processes. Probably, an intelligent designer (God) made the world.

The existence of God: The Argument from Design… The odds of life in any universe are astronomically small – virtually zero, based on chance; intelligent design is more probable. (don’t write all this) Focuses on the fact that the universe is fit for human habitation. There are many ways that the universe might have been—it might have had different laws of physics; it might have had a different arrangement of planets and stars; it might have begun with a bigger or a smaller big bang—and the vast majority of these universes would not have allowed for the existence of life. We are very fortunate indeed to have a universe that does.

Natural Laws Play ch 4, Case for Creator

Argument from Design Show Case for Creator, chapter 5-8

Argument from Tradition Most peoples in the history of the world have believed in a Creator. The likelihood of nearly everyone believing wrongly is small; Therefore it is likely a Creator exists (or existed).

Show clip from Expelled

The existence of God: The Moral Arguments for Deity The moral argument appeals to the existence of moral laws as evidence of God’s existence. According to this argument, there couldn’t be such a thing as morality without God; to use the words that Sartre attributed to Dostoyevsky, “If there is no God, then everything is permissible.” Because there are moral laws, and not everything is impermissible, God exists.

The Moral Arguments for Deity Morality cannot exist without God establishing it. Morality does exists. Therefore it is necessary that God also exists [or did exist].

Christian Apologetics Pascal, and the Wager The possibility that God exists is greater than zero. If you assume that God exists, and he does, then you have gained everything -- an eternity in Heaven. If God does not exist, then you have lost nothing. The Bible is in error. God, Heaven, Hell etc. don't exist. Therefore, the better bet is to assume that God does exist.

Can you explain all these?

Can you explain all these? The First-cause Argument

Can you explain all these? The First-cause Argument Argument from Tradition

Can you explain all these? The First-cause Argument Argument from Tradition The Argument from Design…

Can you explain all these? The First-cause Argument Argument from Tradition The Argument from Design… Pascal, and the Wager

Can you explain all these? The First-cause Argument Argument from Tradition The Argument from Design… Pascal, and the Wager The Moral Argument for God’s Existence

Can you explain all these? The First-cause Argument Argument from Tradition The Argument from Design… Pascal, and the Wager The Moral Argument for God’s Existence The Natural-law Argument