Evangelism and Apologetics
Evangelism and Apologetics are the two sides of the same Christian gospel. They are both different and complimentary. While evangelism defines what the gospel is, apologetics explains why the gospel is necessary. In order for Christians to effectively reach the minds and hearts of people with the truth claims of the gospel of Jesus Christ, they must be equipped with a culturally relevant apologetic that will enable them to contend for the Christian faith in arenas of resistance.
Attacks on the Authority of the Bible
How do you know that Bible is God’s Word? How can someone in the 21st century say that it is without error? Besides, how do you know it has the right books? Weren’t there other books just as scriptural, but rejected? What about all the contradictions found in the bible and all the legends and myths about Jesus? Do you really believe such a person rose from the dead? Get real!
The attacks on the authority of the Christian Bible are indeed numerous.
Postmodern Relativism
The crux of postmodernism is that there is no ultimate truth. Postmodernism claims that “truths” are merely human constructs derived from cultural conditioning and traditions, or through an insulated evolutionary process. At its heart are three concepts—relativism, pluralism, and a suspicion or rejection of any claims to possess ultimate truth.
Relativism is the idea that any truth claim is actually relative to other truth claims. It is subjective, a matter of personal or cultural preference. Common expressions include: “Well that’s your truth, but this is my truth,” or “That’s what is true for you, but it is not true for me.” There is no truth that is objectively true for everyone.
Pluralism and those who have never heard
Religious Pluralism claims that ‘God is like the center or hub of the wagon wheel’ and the spokes from the outside rim leading to the hub are all the different religions of the world that led to God. If this is true, Jesus lied when he said “I’m the way, the truth, and the life-no one comes to the Father, except through me” (Jn. 14:6) If religious pluralism is true he would have said, “I’m a way, a truth, a life, and anyone can come to the god of his choice because it really doesn’t mater!” …The reason why there are so many different religions in the world is religions are different!…someone might say that it isn’t fair for God to send someone to hell because they haven’t heard that Christ is the only way, but that’s not why people go to hell. They go to hell because of sin. We die of diseases not ignorance of its cure!
Atheism and Agnosticism
True atheism would say that if one were to make a list of all things which exist, God would not be on the list. Also, one should only believe in that which has a physical existence…after all, seeing is believing. No one can see God, so he doesn’t exist. However, to make such claims (which are somewhat self-defeating), atheists would have to have the same amount of intelligence as God (infinite/perfect) to know for certain that no such being as God exists.
Even if the agnostic says that God is unknowable, where does the agnostic get the knowledge that God is unknowable?
God’s Sovereignty yet evil and suffering
Why did my mother die when I was so young and needy? Why did a tsunami kill almost a quarter million helpless people, including innocent children, in Indonesia? If God is all powerful and all good then He could stop evil and would want to stop evil. So, why do bad things continue to happen? But does an all-good and all-powerful God have to desire to do away with all evil?
Is hell real?
Is there only one sure way to find out? What does the Bible say or not say about Hell? Can a loving God send people to Hell? What about annihilation-ism? What about people who have never even heard about Jesus?
Resurrection of Christ
Are the stories of Christ’s rising from the dead taken from pagan myths? Is there any historical evidence that Jesus even lived? Is there outside evidence that Jesus rose from the dead? If there were proof that Jesus lived, that he was crucified (and unexplained things happened at his crucifixion) and that he rose again from the dead after three days, this would force you to radically reconsider him wouldn’t it?
Evolution and Creation
Does Creation Reveal Gods Existence?
The Bible claims there is a supernatural Creator God and that He can be known from His Creation. Apart from the Bible, scientific discovers from examining our physical universe confirms the existence of the supernatural. The Bible’s existence and revelation are consistent with the existence of a Creator.
Considering all this, the existence of the supernatural Creator God described in the Bible is the best explanation for the universe we live in, especially compared to the answer of its existence as a result of a random accident.
Epistemology – How does anyone know anything?
Should something be believed just for the sake of believing? Should something be accepted as true without investigation or scrutiny? Quite often circular reasoning takes over because people don’t like to take the time to search for the truth. Is Christianity true? How do you know? How what basis and what criteria? If Christianity is true, it should be intellectually defensible.
Why believe in miracles?
A believer in miracles makes a very simple claim, namely, that an omnipotent God has acted directly inside of the world that he created. Whether there actually are instances of such divine actions depends on the evidence and on what God has revealed to us. However, the critic who denies the possibility of miracles needs to go beyond the evidence and make claims to which he would be entitled only if he actually were omniscient. It seems more reasonable to say that, since we’re not omniscient, we should retain an open mind to what God may have done in the world he created.