1. OBJECTIONS TO CHRISTIANITY RELATIVISM

2. TOP 10 OBJECTIONS How could a good all powerful God allow evil?
How can you prove God exists?
Evolution disproves Christianity
Miracles are not possible so Christianity is false
Truth is relative
All Christians are hypocrites so Christianity is false
How could a loving God send people to hell?
The Bible is just a book filled with errors
Jesus was just a man
Jesus can’t be the only way

3. Creator – creature Distinction
 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Col 1:16-17 (ESV)
One Triune Creator Personal Sovereign God
Independent Infinite Authority
Creation
Dependent Finite Submissive

4. UNBELIEVER’S WORDS Autonomous Independent Self-sufficient Chance Luck
Serendipity
Random
Purposeless
Relative

5. “ERAS OF TRUTH”
The objective foundation for truth, morals, meaning, purpose, and value:
Premodernism – is found in God
Modernism – is found in man, nature, reason, and science (humanism, naturalism, empiricism, evolution)
Postmodernism – does not exist (relativism)

6. TWO WRONGS TWO RIGHTS Rational wrong – irrational
Correct the error
Moral wrong – immoral
Correct (or punish) the person
Personal preference – subjective
“Chocolate ice cream is the best”
Absolute truth – objective
Mathematics
Morals

7. TRUE TRUTH ETHICS: MORAL VALUES & DUTIES
Objective vs. Subjective
Absolute vs. Relative
Universal vs. Local
Knowable vs. Unknowable
Prescriptive vs. Descriptive
Discovered vs. Invented
From God vs. From man

8. TYPES OF MORAL RELATIVISM
Conventional Cultural descriptive relativism
Society/Culture does relativism
Conventional Cultural ethical relativism
Society/Culture says relativism
Subjective individual ethical relativism
I say relativism

9. 2 PART APOLOGETIC
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalms 53:1 (ESV)
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Prov 26:4 (ESV)
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. Prov 26:5 (ESV)

10. APOLOGETIC METHOD “THE CERTAINTY OF THE FAITH” R.B. RAMSAY
Demonstrate interest
Explain your faith
Furnish answers
Expose their presuppositions – worldview
How do you know that?
Why do you believe that?
“Ask Them Why”, Jay Lucas
Navigate through his errors: A – I – P
Direct him to Christ

11. UNBELIEVER’S ERRORS Arbitrary – unjustified belief
Opinion
Unargued worldview bias
Prejudicial conjecture
Inconsistent – cannot live their worldview
Behavioral
Logical
Preconditions for knowledge – no justification
Uniformity of nature
Laws of logic
Reliability of our senses
Reliability of our memory
Universal moral standard

12. PRECONDITIONS FOR KNOWLEDGE UNIVERSAL, ABSOLUTE, IMMATERIAL
Justified only by the Christian worldview
Uniformity of nature: operational science
Laws of logic: rational reasoning
Reliability of our senses: reliable observation
Reliability of our memory: useable knowledge
Universal moral standard: moral values and duties
Impossibility of the contrary
If the Christian worldview was not true, you could not know anything.

13. CONVENTIONAL CULTURAL DESCRIPTIVE RELATIVISM FLAWS
Wrongly assumes no universal set of moral values and duties
“The Abolition of Man” C. S. Lewis
Different cultural morals proves nothing about the nature of morality
Wrongly assumes that cultural bias prevents objectivity – self defeating
The blind men and the elephant

14. CONVENTIONAL CULTURAL ETHICAL RELATIVISM FLAWS
Morality is reduced to power
No immoral societies/cultures
No immoral laws
No moral reform
Moral reformers are unethical criminals
Which society/culture is primary?

15. SUBJECTIVE INDIVIDUAL ETHICAL RELATIVISM FLAWS
Pleasure and personal preference = morality
No one and nothing is wrong
Evil doesn’t exist
Cannot place blame or accept praise
Cannot make charges of unfairness or injustice
Cannot make moral improvement
Cannot have moral discussions or disputes
Cannot obligate tolerance

16. RELATIVISM’S ERRORS Arbitrary – unjustified belief
Opinion
Unargued worldview bias
Prejudicial conjecture
Inconsistent – cannot live their worldview
Behavioral: relativize their hot button
Logical: self defeating, listen for moral words, tolerance
Preconditions for knowledge – no justification
Uniformity of nature
Laws of logic
Reliability of our senses
Reliability of our memory
Universal moral standard

17. MORAL RELATIVISM The denial of truth does not remove it.
“We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.”
The Abolition of Man, C. S. Lewis

18. APOLOGETIC GOALS Defend the Christian faith – your words and life
Pray for persuasion – HOLY SPIRIT
And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor 2:13-14 (ESV)

19. DIRECT THEM TO CHRIST
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me John 14:6 (ESV)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (ESV)
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 (ESV)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9  not a result of works, so that no one may boast Eph 2:8-9 (ESV)