So many Christians I know are too comfortable in their sphere of knowledge, and unfortunately, that sphere is getting too small. If we are to fulfill the great commission, we’ve got to learn more about our faith, especially in today’s culture. Now, in Western culture (all cultures that are directly influenced by Europe from the Americas to Australia to South Africa, etc.), ideas are spreading that God is a moral monster, that science has disproven God, that evil makes God’s existence unlikely, and that there are many paths to God.
I used to be one of the average Christians who didn’t know how to answer these harsh claims, or defend the accusations mounted against Christianity. I got tired of saying, “I am not sure, but you just need to believe!” Simply because I had the gift of faith didn’t mean others did. That’s why I am currently earning a Master’s degree in Apologetics. I feel called by God to help Christians realize that we need to regroup. We need to train ourselves in the area of right thinking.
Too many of us are guided by mere feelings, which is not entirely wrong, but feelings alone are not enough. Famous Greek Philosopher, Aristotle, recognized way back in 350 BC, that human beings are rational animals. So, being driven by emotions in this entertainment-saturated culture—with mindless sensual experiences—we’re actually betraying our God-given identity! We’re created in His image, and that includes both feelings and intellect.
Christ regularly challenged the thinking in His time, aimed primarily at assumptions of religious leaders (Pharisees), but also at His followers. He taught us about the heart through the head! Never, in Jesus’ mind or in Scripture, is there a splitting of head and heart; they’re meant to go together. (Matt. 22:37.) Believers to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” (Rom. 12:2). True knowledge about God, the world, and self is the beginning of wisdom, and provides guidance for faithfully serving the kingdom in a fallen world.
We need to stop being intellectually lazy, and instead, persevere by continually learning. This will help prevent us from becoming too easily tossed to and fro by the winds of popular culture, base appetites, or short memories. We need to take the long view—the BIG picture—God’s grand narrative, and how we fit into His story.
Start by learning the evidences of historical Christianity. One of the best reads I’ve come across lately is by a retired cold-case detective, J. Warner Wallace, who applied his skills to the Resurrection. He wrote a book called, “Cold Case Christianity,” and explains why the eyewitness testimonies of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ are valid. Here is a link to his site for more information: http://coldcasechristianity.com. There are many excellent internet resources out there for you to learn more about defending the Christian worldview, but this one is a good start!
No one ultimately comes to faith by mere knowledge. It is God’s grace that draws us into salvation. Nevertheless, we need to defend Jesus in a world that is denying Him, and keep our minds sharp for Christ. This honors Him, and also strengthens our confidence to fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20).
Good thoughts! Thanks for sharing.
I have a similar themed post “So You Want To Be An Intellectual?” Maybe you’ll like it. http://intelligentchristianfaith.com/2014/09/28/so-you-want-to-be-an-intellectual/
Hi John! Thanks for your comments and sharing your post. It appears we share the same insight, and it’s my prayer that more Christians rise to the call of using their intellect for God’s glory. Bless you!
Not just thinkers. There are good Christian thinkers out there and their arguments, though poor are sophisticated. What’s really needed is honest thinkers. People who have made the decision to identify as non-believers or atheists generally care about honesty, and it is the route of their decision. Without honest reasons to think gods exist then nobody inclined to truth is going to be convinced.
Well, I should hope truly Christian thinkers would be honest. If they are not, then they should not call themselves a Christian. Honesty is a moral trait, one that comes with its root in a belief of a transcendent God. If you do not believe in God, than why be honest? What is your moral objective for doing so? Because it’s “nice,” or the “right thing to do?” Okay, but where does that feeling of right and wrong come from? Did it merely evolve in social structures? If that is true, then why are there so many people today who are dishonest? Why didn’t that “evolve” out of mankind? It didn’t because of a flaw in our humanity – sin. Sin is something that is apparent in all of humanity, and it doesn’t “evolve” away. You can get better at being honest when you experience the divine Love of God, and then you want to be honest, and try to get better with time.
Hi Lisa, thanks for your response.
Honesty is not something I’ve found in apologetics or theology, perhaps I can give you an example.
Let’s take the moral argument you allude to. This argument rests on the premise that there is no way a person can make a moral judgement without an objective standard. If this premise isn’t sound the whole argument is rendered toothless.
So all that needs to be shown is that there is another way that moral judgement can be made. This seems trivial, a person can make a moral judgement based on their own personal or cultural standard. (Not to mention that these shifting and varied standards are exactly what we see when looking out at reality.)
What would be the honest thing to do if,cwhen deploying the moral argument, one is confro withconfronted this? It seems to me that the honest thing to do would be to stop using this flawed argument.
Is that what we see? Certainly not in my experience, the objection is met with a blank stare and repetition of the flawed argument. This behaviour can’t be described as honest, and it is all too common.
Apologists appear not to be in the business of providing good reasons to believe in God, and certainly not on providing arguments to convince non-believers. They seem to be providing subtly flawed arguments to bolster the faith of believers.
In my opinion, if a Christian thinker were to be fully honest, then they would need to retreat all the way back to faith as all arguments (design, cosmological, moral, ontological etc etc) are flawed.
A theology graduate friend of mine, when pushed on these facts, said to me the most honest thing I have heard anyone in “the business” say, she said; “I believe because I want to believe”. And that was very refreshing.
Hey Joe,
I can’t argue anyone into faith, nor is that my intent. My blog is geared specifically towards those who already believe in God. I am not sure what you are looking for? It sounds as if you’ve heard all the arguments and they have not helped you come to a faith that there is a God. All I can tell you from my gut is that I’ve had personal experiences, “God moments,” you might call them, that convinced me beyond a shadow of a doubt, or any apologetic, that not only is there a God who loves me, but He knows me personally. I believe in the prophetic gifts, and have had some “not just a coincidence” words spoken over me. Since then, I have also been more in tune with the Spirit – “Mr. Holy Spirit” – the 3rd person of the Trinity. I came to faith through my heart, and after decades of this, it is only now that I am studying faith with my mind and learning apologetics, etc. I want to love God with all my heart, soul AND mind. That is why I am here, chatting to you, a perfect stranger.
All I can tell you from a truly honest attempt, is that you sometimes need to disconnect your “reasoning mind,” and engage in your imagination, your heart and soul. Let go of trying to figure it all out. I think there are good reasons to believe God exists, but I also know that the Spirit transcends our reasoning, and that there is more to reality than our finite thinking. I know this is unprovable, and but nonetheless, this is what I know. If you truly want to know God, and are not coming to Him with an attitude of entitlement as in “prove it to me,” but with a humility that honestly seeks truth, you will find Him. Don’t put qualifiers on it – just let go in your imagination, and feel with your soul.
May you find what it is you’re looking for. In deepest sincerity, Lisa Q.
Joe,
I think there’s a gap in your logic. You said the theistic “moral objectivism” argument can be defeated if “there is another way” besides an objective moral reference point where by “that moral judgement can be made.”
The problem is that the relativist, the position you are taking, makes a universal negative claim, and: “No morality is objective.” And universal negatives are notoriously hard to establish. To prove that no moral claims are objective and, in turn, all moral values are relative, you’d need to have knowledge of all moral claims. But only a god would have such knowledge. Meanwhile, the moral objectivist is not making a universal negative claim, but instead is asserting merely that at least some morality is objective in nature. For example, “raping babies is just plain evil.” If evolution made it such that raping babies was desirable, natural, and normal; it would still be evil to rape babies because evolution is not the kind of thing that is morally charged. Nor does it make a lot of sense to suggest that evolution “imparts” moral value. Evolution is value neutral. And anything that comes through it has been filtered through a system that is “red in tooth and claw.” That filtering force is so vicious and brutal that there’s no strong guarantee that anything which survives it’s gauntlet is thereby “good.”
You cannot disprove objectivism by showing some cultural conventions, such as “red” being an evil color according to the honor code of some street gang, or by pointing to how some carnivorous cult deems vegetarianism as “evil.” Those aren’t necessarily “evil” in any ultimate sense, but neither does their existence as relative values disprove ALL OTHER OBJECTIVE values. You need to disprove moral objectivism, not just assert that some sheen of relativistic morality exists. Objectivists can grant this “layer” of moral relativism as it is wholly non-threatening to the deeper claim that some things, like raping babies, are just plain evil (objectively).
Lisa, Nice article 🙂 Fulfilling what it says has been my passion for many years. That has manifested in books, DVDs, presentations, media appearances, debating athiests and making TV shows. And I’ll be doing all of that until the day I die. There is nothing better on this planet. Check out my website and tell me what you think. Thanks 🙂 Dennis
Hi Dennis! Thanks for the comment, and good for you on your quest to do the best!
Here’s an example of your erroneous dogma of original sin, total depravity and irresistible grace.
“No one ultimately comes to faith by mere knowledge. It is God’s grace that draws us into salvation.”
Try reading the Bible and thinking about it yourself before calling others on the carpet to think critically.
Hey David – so sorry that you feel this way about my blog. It is not my intention in writing this to imply this is the path of salvation. What I am addressing is simply the fact that many in in today’s culture are not thinking critically about the issues that affect their lives and what they believe. I am not too sure what you are implying about reading the Bible myself? In some ways, aren’t you calling me out on the carpet by your comment? You call God’s grace “erroneous dogma,” and wow – ouch – that is surely not a kind statement to make regarding the greatest gift given.