As Sproul, John Gerstner, and Art Lindsley argue, "Miracles cannot prove God. Your gift today fuels gospel outreach tomorrow. It is sometimes argued that the order of the two steps in classical apologetics is essential: Before one can discuss historical evidences meaningfully, one has to have established God’s existence. Options in Evangelical Apologetics: How are we to defend the faith? Myths were translated into facts by later commentators. The Case for Christianity book. 4:4). The data that the cumulative-case advocate seeks to explain include the existence and nature of the cosmos, the reality of religious experience, the objectivity of morality, the existence of consciousness, certain other historical facts such as the Resurrection of Jesus, etc. The list of contemporary Reformed epistemologists includes Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, George Mavrodes, William Alston, and Kelly James Clark. Many Christians don’t know where to even begin to do this. Presuppositionalists include Cornelius Van Til, Gordon Clark, Greg Bahnsen, John Frame, and (perhaps) Francis Schaeffer. Sproul begins the monumental task of making the case for God. We differ, that is, over the question of apologetic methodology. It begins by using natural theology (rational arguments for God's existence) to establish theism as the correct worldview. Anthony Bennett. Volume 21, Issue 31 (August 4, 2019). 15:3–8). There Is a God: Making the Case for Belief By Steve Wolfgang. Brian Fraga February 7, 2020. They put more emphasis on the “noetic effects of sin” (i.e., the detrimental effects of sin on the mind; cf. Today, R.C. We differ, that is, over the question of apologetic methodology. Were the stories just myths? Contemporary Evangelicals who take this approach include R. C. Sproul, Norman Geisler, William Lane Craig, and J. P. Moreland. Family Center-LCP. Scientists can only … There are a number of circumstantial lines of evidence pointing to the existence of God, and the diverse, collective nature of this evidence is most reasonably explained by the existence of a Creator. Instead, the case is more like the brief that a lawyer makes in a court of law or that a literary critic makes for a particular interpretation of a book. The two methods in this school of thought are less optimistic than the evidentialist school about the ability of human reason to prove the truth of Christianity to unbelievers. A set of premises are offered from which either a deductive or inductive conclusion is drawn. Texts include the writings of Hume, Descartes, Bacon, Berkeley, Newton, Locke, Mill, Edwards, Kant, Leibniz, Malebranche, Spinoza, Hobbes, and Reid. To answer this question, the cumulative-case apologist will appeal to certain rational criteria such as logical consistency, empirical fit, comprehensiveness, simplicity, etc. What is a vocation? The reason is that historical facts (including alleged miracles) are said to be interpreted through the framework of one’s worldview. Lee Patrick Strobel (born January 25, 1952) is an American Christian author and a former investigative journalist. Cumulative-case apologists include Basil Mitchell, Paul Feinberg, C. Stephen Evans, and C. S. Lewis. For evidentialists, miracles do not presuppose God’s existence but serve as evidence for God and for the whole Christian worldview. . But, according to advocates of cumulative-case apologetics, the case for Christianity is not best presented as a formal proof. The cumulative case for God’s existence is similarly powerful. Does God exist? Though the five apologetic methods discussed above do not constitute an exhaustive list of apologetic approaches, they do represent the most well known strategies in the Evangelical apologetic community. View Wishlist Cart. Movies Like God's Not Dead: Making the Case for Religion . Well, not entirely. It covers the history of religion, from the paleolithic age to the present day, with a focus on the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and on apophatic theology in various religions. But some scholars have pointed out that there are elements of his philosophy that would appear to make him more amenable to the Reformed epistemology view discussed below; see, for example, the discussions in Linda Zagzebski, ed. Learning what Jesus claimed about himself (primarily from the book of John), and the evidence to support those claims. $3.99; $3.99; Publisher Description. What is the right or best method for giving a reason for the hope that we have in Christ? Steven B. Cowan is the associate director of the Apologetics Resource Center (www.apologeticsresctr.org) in Birmingham, Alabama. Intelligent design, anyone? Making the case for marriage. Making the case for God Posted: 01 May 2012 William Lane Craig is Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California and is … The evidentialist methods assume that unbelievers and believers share common rational principles (logic, rules of evidence, etc.) She then applies this to all foundational religions, particularly monotheism. It is an informal argument that pieces together several lines or types of data into a hypothesis or theory that comprehensively explains that data and does so better than any alternative hypothesis. Both of the previous two methods, despite their differences, see the case for Christianity as involving the presentation of a formal argument or proof. The Case for God is an entire semester at college packed into a single book—a voluminous, dizzying intellectual history. She argues that ancient explanations of reality were understood by those who created them to be mythological. 3:15). I would like to outline the five major methods that Evangelicals have developed for making the case that Christianity is true. For evidentialists, miracles do not presuppose God's existence but serve as evidence for God and for the whole Christian worldview. Thus evidentialists argue both for theism and Christian theism at the same time without recourse to natural theology. It is also important to mention that the advocates of these various methods, though they have significant differences, all agree on the importance of offering a rational defense of the Christian faith. A stimulating, hopeful work. In a quiet revolution in thought and argument that hardly anyone could have foreseen only two decades ago, God is making a comeback. And it might be said with some force that many of the differences in these various methods are more matters of emphasis than differences in substance. . It is argued that the Christian worldview best accounts for the data of experience in light of these criteria, and thus it is the worldview most likely to be true. 1 Cor. We have been told that if a belief is unsupported by evidence of some kind, it is irrational to believe it. That is, only on the prior evidence that God exists is a miracle even possible” (Classical Apologetics: A Rational Defense of the Christian Faith and a Critique of Presuppositional Apologetics, 146). He cannot offer arguments with premises that could be accepted consistently by unbelievers. And it might be said with some force that many of the differences in these various methods are more matters of emphasis than differences in substance. The Reformed-epistemology apologist will not necessarily eschew making positive arguments in defense of Christianity, but he will argue that such arguments are not necessary for rational faith. This item 6358 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org. The Case For God is characteristic of Armstrong's approach. Liberalism & Individualism: the true cause of doubts about religion and God - an Islamic RESPONSE - Duration: 1:13:18. Critiques Of God is the only collection of writings to present, in a comprehensive way, the case against belief in God. 4:4). In this scenario, the apologist must simply presuppose the truth of Christianity as the proper starting point in apologetics. God, as a matter of fact, alone can prove miracles. Unleashing God’s Truth, One Verse at a Time Since 1969. It tends to focus chiefly on accumulating various historical and other empirical data for the truth of Christianity. That is, he argues that all meaning and thought — indeed, every fact — logically presupposes the truth of Scripture and the existence of the God it reveals. March 25, 2015. Moreover, through the “internal witness of the Holy Spirit,” a person may be prompted rightfully to accept the specific truths of Christianity without the aid of apologetic arguments. Unless one knows that there is a God who can do miracles, then it makes no sense to talk about a historical event (even a very strange one) as an act of God. News, analysis & spirituality by email, twice-weekly from CatholicCulture.org. Most strikingly, they argue that belief in God and the truths of the Christian faith do not require the support of evidence or argument in order for it to be rational. Those who advocate this view hold that it can be perfectly reasonable for a person to believe many things without evidence (e.g., that there is a mind-independent external world, that there are other minds, that I had toast for breakfast, etc.). Minimize . A selection of philosophy texts by philosophers of the early modern period, prepared with a view to making them easier to read while leaving intact the main arguments, doctrines, and lines of thought. (Classical apologists usually claim the support of Aquinas because many.aspects of his apologetic method—not least of which is his use of natural theology—seem to fit the classical approach. Read 65 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Last week, Eric Metaxas wrote a piece for the Wall Street Journal entitled “ Science Increasingly Makes the Case for God.” In it, he argues that the parameters for human life are so precise that they are indicators of God’s existence. This study will help you know why you believe what you believe, and instill in you a deeper confidence in the truth of God as revealed in His Word. Making the Case for God: Psalm 19 7 The law of the LORD is perfect,reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rulesof the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. Sproul begins the monumental task of making the case for God. The cumulative-case method does “not conform to the ordinary pattern of deductive or inductive reasoning” (Basil Mitchell, The Justification of Religious Belief, Oxford University Press, 35). It is sometimes argued that the order of the two steps in classical apologetics is essential: Before one can discuss historical evidences meaningfully, one has to have established God's existence. 15:3-8). On the positive side, the Reformed epistemologist will, in the words of Clark, “encourage unbelievers to put themselves in situations where people are typically taken with belief in God” (ibid., 279), attempting to awaken in them their latent sense of the divine. The list of contemporary Reformed epistemologists includes Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, George Mavrodes, William Alston, and Kelly James Clark. For the sake of clarity, it will prove helpful to divide these apologetic methods into two broad schools of thought. The discipline in which Christians fulfill this obligation is called apologetics (from Greek apologia, “defense”). "A Classical Apologist's Closing Remarks" in Five Views on Apologetics, ed. Reformed epistemology challenges this assumption. For this reason, evidentialism may be characterized as the “one-step” approach. It is also important to mention that the advocates of these various methods, though they have significant differences, all agree on the importance of offering a rational defense of the Christian faith. The data that the cumulative-case advocate seeks to explain include the existence and nature of the cosmos, the reality of religious experience, the objectivity of morality, the existence of consciousness, certain other historical facts such as the Resurrection of Jesus, etc. What is the right or best method for giving a reason for the hope that we have in Christ? Christians are commanded to defend the faith, to give an “account for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. “A Classical Apologist’s Closing Remarks” in Five Views on Apologetics, ed. 3:15). For the Reformed epistemologist, the focus tends to be on negative apologetics, simply responding to challenges to one’s Christian belief as they are encountered. William Lane Craig, for example, argues that miracles may be cited as evidence for God's existence but that miracles are best used against the background of a theistic worldview as evidence for the historical claims of Christ (cf. They look for inspiration to examples in the Bible in which the apostles and others used evidence to persuade others to believe (e.g., Acts 2:22; 17:2-3; 22-31; 1 Cor. Classical Method. It is an answer to the recent claims that God does not exist from Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett. On the positive side, the Reformed epistemologist will, in the words of Clark, "encourage unbelievers to put themselves in situations where people are typically taken with belief in God" (ibid., 279), attempting to awaken in them their latent sense of the divine. As Sproul, John Gerstner, and Art Lindsley argue, “Miracles cannot prove God. There are three approaches to apologetics in this school. Catholic Answers, Inc., San Diego, CA, October 2004. A set of premises are offered from which either a deductive or inductive conclusion is drawn. Evangelical Christians like myself, at least those who are not captivated by the anti-intellectualism of our postmodern age, are united in a commitment to the apologetic task. That is, only on the prior evidence that God exists is a miracle even possible" (Classical Apologetics: A Rational Defense of the Christian Faith and a Critique of Presuppositional Apologetics, 146). This type of reasoning is called "adductive" reasoning. Stiff-necked theologians attended to God’s •greatness at the expense of his •goodness, while more relaxed ones have done the opposite. It is an informal argument that pieces together several lines or types of data into a hypothesis or theory that comprehensively explains that data and does so better than any alternative hypothesis. In books this Sunday, we look at God. But how are we to defend the faith? The classical method may be called the “two-step” approach. Continuing the series “Defending Your Faith,” Dr. Sproul looks at some of the different approaches to apologetics and how each of them attempts to show God’s existence as he embarks on the Herculean task of making “The Case for God.” There are three approaches to apologetics in this school. This type of reasoning is called “adductive” reasoning. The evidentialist methods assume that unbelievers and believers share common rational principles (logic, rules of evidence, etc.) As he phrases it: After God's existence has been shown, the classical method moves to a presentation of the historical evidences for the Resurrection and deity of Christ, the trustworthiness of Scripture, etc., in order to show that Christianity is the best version of theism as opposed to, say, Judaism and Islam. There are no neutral premises or facts that the apologist may appeal to in formulating an argument. That is, he argues that all meaning and thought—indeed, every fact—logically presupposes the truth of Scripture and the existence of the God it reveals. Today, R.C. The two methods in this school of thought are less optimistic than the evidentialist school about the ability of human reason to prove the truth of Christianity to unbelievers. There are no neutral premises or facts that the apologist may appeal to in formulating an argument. He is the editor of the book Five Views on Apologetics (Zondervan). Did not Darwin drive him out of the empirical world? They look for inspiration to examples in the Bible in which the apostles and others used evidence to persuade others to believe (e.g., Acts 2:22; 17:2–3, 22–31; 1 Cor. Here is an outline of the five major methods that Evangelicals have developed for making the case that Christianity is true. But, due to the noetic effects of sin, presuppositionalists hold that there is no such common ground between believers and unbelievers. For this reason, evidentialism may be characterized as the "one-step" approach. Delete. Evangelical apologists who follow the evidential method include Gary Habermas, John W. Montgomery, and Josh McDowell. This method has a long pedigree, hence the name. Our earthly and eternal happiness depends on following our vocation without faltering. In other words, the cumulative-case apologist takes the whole of our experience in this world and asks: Which worldview best explains all of this data taken together? The methods in this school of thought have an optimistic attitude toward the ability of natural human reason to prove (or at least make highly probable) the truth of Christianity. Rev. It was followed by many … As Kelly James Clark explains, "Since the Enlightenment there has been a demand to expose all of our beliefs to the searching criticism of reason" (ibid., 267). 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