12. Unapologetic Apologetics

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense (apologia) to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect...

How do we use what we have learned when evangelizing unbelievers?

Objectivism

Moral Relativism

“Moral relativism is the view that moral judgments are true or false only relative to some particular standpoint (for instance, that of a culture or a historical period) and that no standpoint is uniquely privileged over all others.”

Emrys Westacott, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://iep.utm.edu/moral-re/

What are some of the ways that moral relativism shows up when you’re talking with unbelievers in our culture?

“That’s your truth, but...” “I’m glad that works for you, but...”

“All roads lead to heaven...”

What does the Bible say?

John 14:6 ESV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus claimed to be the source and definition of truth, not merely one expression of it.

Jesus’ claims are blatantly contradictory to those of Muhammed’s; they can’t both be true.

There’s either one true God, or there’s no God, or there are more than one God, but all three of those can’t be true simultaneously.

Acts 17:22–31 ESV

22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ 29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Moral Objectivism is the belief that there is a universal, unchanging, transcendent standard of right and wrong, truth and falsehood.

How do we respond when people dismiss the Bible’s truth claims and argue from a relativistic position?

You can try to challenge their relativism itself:

“How do you know that all religions are valid?”

Show contradictory truth claims between religions

You can simply bypass the relativism and show them truth.

God’s word is powerful

Focus on passages that speak truth they already intuitively know (a Creator exists, they have sinned, judgement is necessary for sin)

Share Jesus Without Fear Method: “If what you believed was wrong, would you want to know?”

Theism

The Moral Argument

Mere Christianity 1. The Law of Human Nature

...human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it...They know the Law of Nature...

The existence of a Natural Law implies the existence of a Supernatural Law-Giver.

Romans 2:14–16 ESV

14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

How can we use the truths of Natural Law when evangelizing unbelievers?

Use their own internal moral compass as an illustration

People feel bound by “right” and “wrong” even when there are no consequences or they won’t be found out.

The Cosmological Argument

Everything that exists must have a cause; therefore, there must be a first cause

Appeals to the obvious truth that something does not come from nothing.

Psalm 19:1–2 ESV

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

Romans 1:19–20 ESV

19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Institutes of the Christian Religion 1. The Character of This Natural Endowment

There is within the human mind, and indeed by natural instinct, an awareness of divinity.

How can we use the Cosmological argument when evangelizing unbelievers?

Even proclaimed atheists have an internal sense that there is something greater out there. (This probably accounts for the increase in extraterrestrial interests in the past 20 years, corresponding with growing secularization.)

The Teleological Argument

From the Greek word telos, meaning goal, end, or purpose.

Revelation 22:13 ESV

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (telos).”

Basic argument is that the Creation seems to have been designed with a purpose or goal in mind. Its order and complexity are inconsistent with cosmic chance.

Isaiah 43:7 ESV

7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Examples: Intelligent Design, Irreducible Complexity

How can we use the teleological argument when evangelizing unbelievers?

"Have you ever wondered what the purpose/meaning of life is?”

The Three Circles Evangelism method—when people reveal brokenness in their lives, they are often searching for purpose and meaning. Point them to Christ!

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers 1.1: The Confessions and Letters of St. Augustin with a Sketch of His Life and Work Chapter I

Thou movest us to delight in praising Thee; for

All evangelistic arguments for God must eventually progress from general revelation (creation) to special revelation (Scripture).

Scripture

How do we know our Bibles are accurate?

Tremendous quantity of manuscripts allows scholars to reconstruct the originals with confidence.

(Hebrew MSS: 252)

(LXX MSS: 2,263)

(NT MSS: 5,808)

That is an absurd number of MSS, especially when you compare it to what we have for other ancient documents.

(Other Ancient MSS: Homer’s Iliad—650 Euripides’ Tragedies—330 Works of Demosthenes—200 Josephus—55 Plato—7 Gospel of Thomas—4)

How do we know we have the right books?

The Jewish Tanakh contains the same books as our Old Testament.

The Apocryphal books were written during a period in which there were no prophets.

The Apocrypha was not established as canonical by the Roman Catholic church until 1546.

Our New Testament books were all authored either by apostles or their known close associates.

Other “gospels” present historical inaccuracies and contradictory accounts.

Our canonical books are internally consistent and factually true.

How do we defend Scripture to unbelievers when we are evangelizing?

Read it and have them read it.

Scripture helps us to live a better life.

2 Timothy 3:14–17 ESV

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Scripture has supernatural insight into the human condition; it reveals our hearts and thoughts.

Hebrews 4:12 ESV

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Open the door and let the lion out!

Theodicy

Epicurean Paradox:

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.

Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.

Is he both able and willing? Then evil would not exist.

False Dilemma—forces you to choose between one of only two options when other options exist.

The existence of “evil” assumes the existence of an objective “good” with which to compare it, which suggests that God exists.

The Bible asserts that God is omnipotent and good, but that he permits evil and has good reasons for doing so.

Romans 8:28 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

How do we respond to people who are struggling with the problem of evil?

Logical arguments are not likely to be helpful here.

Ask questions, draw them out, sympathize with their suffering.

Affirm that God loves them and understands their suffering.

Avoid diminishing God’s sovereignty, but also be cautious in trying to explain why God allows suffering.

Pray with/for them.

The Resurrection

Jesus’s life, ministry, and teachings as recorded in the Gospels can be verified by external sources.

Josephus and Roman historians verify his historicity and the general contours of his life, ministry, death, and impact.

Jewish writings confirm he was known as a miracle worker.

Jesus’ death by crucifixion is beyond doubt.

No historical accounts posit a “swoon theory”

Most modern historians dismiss any such theory as well

The tomb was empty three days later.

Multiple eyewitnesses confirm this

Even his opponents didn’t deny this fact.

The eyewitnesses to his resurrection lacked motive for deception.

Jewish converts to Christianity were cast out of synagogues and their own families and support networks.

Greek and Roman converts to Christianity were excluded from trade guilds, denied political and social advancement, and frequently forced to choose between being a respected Roman (a pagan) and being a dedicated Christian.

Christianity would not gain political support for almost 300 years after Christ’s resurrection. There simply is NO LOGICAL MOTIVE for crafting and maintaining such a deception.

You might say, “Many people have died for false beliefs.” That is absolutely true. But how many would willingly die for a false testimony?

The disciples were eyewitnesses of everything that happened. They claimed to have actually seen the risen Christ. Faced with torture and death, not to mention all the other costs of following Jesus that Christians underwent, there is no logical motive to maintain such deception.