DEFENDING YOUR FAITH A Basic Course in Christian Apologetics

“Science expert”? Interest ≠ expertise

What is apologetics? Greek “Apologia” Speaking in defense A story Reasoned arguments

What is apologetics? Does God exist? There are good reasons to believe God exists. If God exists, it matters.

What is apologetics? Did Jesus rise again? There are good reasons to believe Jesus rose again. If Jesus rose, it matters.

What is apologetics? Is the Bible reliable? There are good reasons to believe the Bible is reliable. If the Bible is reliable, it matters.

Why do apologetics? Because it matters for everyone. We are made to reason Imago Dei (Gen. 1:27) “Come, let us reason” (Is. 1:18) The Great Commission “Make disciples” (Mat. 28:18-20) Preach the Word “Be prepared” (2 Tim. 4:2)

Why do apologetics? “…both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel all of you became partners in God’s grace together with me. …I am placed here for the defense of the Gospel.” (Phil. 1:7,16)

Who does apologetics? Jesus (Jn. 14:10-11; Mat. 22:37) Paul (Acts 17:16-34) Peter (Acts 2, 1 Pet. 3) Isaiah (Is. 8:11-22) Prophets (OT) Apostles (NT) Christians (History)

How to do apologetics "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." (1 Pet. 3:15)

How to do apologetics “…in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.” The Gospel is the goal.

How to do apologetics “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Reason for hope (for you as well as others)

How to do apologetics “But do this with gentleness and respect…” Speak the truth in love. Fruit of the spirit. Argue not with a fool. Arguing ≠ quarreling Leave the results to God.

Where does faith fit in?

Faith is the foundation of our belief, so it has to come first.

Where does faith fit in? "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)

Where does faith fit in? "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Hebrews 11:3) By faith we understand

Where does faith fit in? ”The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…" (Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 9:10) By faith we understand

Where does faith fit in? He’s the loftiest idea in literature He’s the highest personality in philosophy He’s the supreme problem in higher criticism He’s the fundamental doctrine in true theology (S.M. Lockredge)

Where does faith fit in? God is “that than which nothing greater can be conceived.” (St. Anselm’s Ontological Argument) God is, for the Christian… Properly Basic Ultimate Commitment Deepest Conviction Highest Authority Most Fundamental Presuppositions First Principal Axiomatic A Priori Assumption

Where does faith fit in? God is our most important belief. Our most important beliefs require faith. Why? We can’t prove our most important belief (God) by anything greater, so He must be held by faith.

Where does faith fit in? CHRISTIANITY THE GOD OF THE BIBLE

Where does faith fit in? ISLAM ALLAH OF THE QUR’AN

Where does faith fit in? BUDDHISM TEACHINGS OF BUDDHA

Where does faith fit in? ANY BELIEF SYSTEM YOUR MOST BASIC BELIEF

Where does faith fit in? ATHEISM LAWS OF LOGIC “I believe in logic and reason.” “I’m a person of science.” “There’s no evidence for God.”

Where does faith fit in? MOST BASIC BELIEF MOST BASIC BELIEF CIRCULAR REASONING (ALL BELIEFS)

Where does faith fit in? CIRCULAR REASONING “When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for Him to swear by, He swore by Himself…” (Hebrews 6:13)

Where does faith fit in? CIRCULAR REASONING “I am One who testifies for Myself; My other witness is the Father, who sent Me.” (Jesus in John 8:18)

Where does faith fit in? This is “Christian apologetics”?? What sets Christianity apart from other belief systems? Our faith in what we CAN’T see makes sense of what we CAN.

Where does faith fit in? True or False: FAITH and REASON are INCOMPATIBLE False!

Where does faith fit in? "By faith we understand…” FAITH vs. REASON?

Where does faith fit in? "By faith we understand…” FAITH vs. REASON? Faith vs. Reason is a False Dichotomy

Where does faith fit in? "By faith we understand…” FAITH vs. REASON? Faith vs. Reason is a Straw Man

Where does faith fit in? "By faith we understand…” FAITH vs. REASON? Faith vs. Reason is a Red Herring

Where does faith fit in? FAITH REASON "By faith we understand…”

The Argument from Reason

THE CHRISTIAN CLAIMS BY FAITH: 1.Logic and reason come from God WE ALL OBSERVE: 2. Logic and reason are Laws we follow 3. Laws of Logic are universal & unchanging 4. You can’t NOT know the Laws of Logic

The Argument from Reason Our faith in what we CAN’T see (The God of the Bible) makes sense of what we CAN (Universal laws of logic)

The Argument from Reason NATURALISTS CLAIMS BY FAITH: 1.Laws of Logic come from a mindless universe WHAT WE OBSERVE: 1.Laws don’t come from mindlessness 2.Laws of Logic aren’t personal preference 3.We would need logic to invent logic

The Argument from Reason THE LAWS OF LOGIC AND REASON THE LAWS OF LOGIC AND REASON CIRCULAR REASONING

The Argument from Reason Christian faith makes sense of what we can observe. Faith in Naturalism does not make sense of what we can observe.

The Argument from Morality

THE CHRISTIAN CLAIMS BY FAITH: 1.Morality (right & wrong) comes from God WE ALL OBSERVE: 2. Moral obligations are Laws we follow 3. Moral Law are universal & unchanging 4. You can’t NOT know about Moral Law

The Argument from Morality Our faith in what we CAN’T see (The God of the Bible) makes sense of what we CAN (Universal, unchanging moral law)

The Argument from Morality NATURALISTS CLAIMS BY FAITH: 1.Morality is a product of human evolution WHAT WE OBSERVE: 2. Morals/Ethics are Law-like 3. Moral obligation is not subjective/relative 4. We would need morality to invent morals

The Argument from Morality THINGS ARE RIGHT OR WRONG THINGS ARE RIGHT OR WRONG CIRCULAR REASONING

The Argument from Morality Christian faith makes sense of what we can observe. Faith in Naturalism does not make sense of what we can observe. Moral Argument  Gospel

More reading on these topics The Allure of Gentleness by Dallas Willard A Reason for God by Timothy Keller Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis Cold Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace God Breathed: The Undeniable Power and Reliability of Scripture (2015) by Josh McDowell Is The Bible True…Really? (2011) by Josh McDowell When Skeptics Ask (2008 version) by Norman Geisler How We Got the Bible by Rose Publishing How The Bible Came To Us by Meryl Doney Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem Basic Theology by Charles Ryrie (Mike Johnson’s blog)