Step 2: Gather the evidence
For since the creation of the world
His invisible attributes are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made,
even His eternal power and Godhead,
so that they are without excuse …
--Romans 1:20
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal
but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
casting down arguments and every high thing
that exalts itself against the knowledge of God …
--2 Corinthians 10:4-5a
Salvation is of the Lord, of course. No one comes to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ apart from the Holy Spirit of God transforming his heart.
But I’m convinced that many of us have spent our lifetimes erecting intellectual and emotional obstacles to belief – obstacles that can delay our accepting the gift of faith, or maybe prevent it altogether (I’m sitting solidly on the fence on this particular issue).
That’s why Christian apologetics may be so important. It seems to me that they can be like bulldozers capable of destroying “every high thing that exalts itself again the knowledge of God,” as the apostle Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 10 – bulldozers capable of clearing the way for the faith that’s prerequisite to eternal life.
Here’s a high-level overview of the evidences that convinced this feminist atheist of the truth of biblical Christianity. Maybe one or more of these subjects will help you make the case to the lost feminist baby boomer in your life.
Bulldozer #1: Science
It was just after the turn of the millennium that I started my personal journey from atheism to faith. For me, a technical copywriter with an interest in science and a long-held conviction that science had proven God at best unnecessary, perhaps the most important leg of my journey was the scientific path.
It was here that I learned about the Darwinism-busting truth of the anthropic principle and irreducible complexity. Here, that I learned that additive genetic mutations are only a myth, incapable of providing evolution with that raw material it would need to transform one sort of creature into another.
Once I’d taken off the blinders and looked at the facts, I quickly came to the only logical conclusion: Even a fairly superficial study of the issue would show any objective observer that there’s no way this universe, or life itself, came into being through time plus chance. There has to have been an intelligent designer – AKA God.
The question then became: Which God?
I spent a year on this question, searching far and wide for evidence that might prove any of the non-Christian religions true. (I did not want to become one of those dreary Christians, you see; I did not want my good times permanently put to rest.) But I discovered no such evidence – just a bunch of statements like “Buddhism is true because there are so many of us” and “Hinduism is true because we have a sacred book.” These statements didn’t even approach truth.
At last, there was only one religion left standing: biblical Christianity. Once again, science came to my rescue, showing me the rock-solid proof I’d been looking for over the past 12 months.
The vehicle was my realization of the Bible’s stunning scientific accuracy. While it’s not a science book, its enemies have yet to point out a single biblical passage related to science (or anything else, for that matter) that’s inaccurate. What’s more, the Bible contains scores of scientific that could not possibly have been known by any of its 40-some writers -- many of them confirmed only in recent centuries or recent decades. Just to cite a couple: the fact that the earth hangs on nothing (Job 26:7, written about 4000 years ago) and that the sun has an orbit of its own (Psalm 19:6, written about 3000 years ago and confirmed in 1999).
These evidences took me very close to having absolute confidence in the existence of a Creator God, and the Bible as His infallible revelation of Himself to us. And I’m not the only one; I’ve heard testimonies from many other scientifically minded people who took this route to the Lord. Perhaps some of the lost people you know would find this line of reasoning persuasive; for an overview of the proofs I found most persuasive, see chapter 18 of Heaven Without Her. And for much much more, visit http://www.answersingenesis.org/ and http://www.icr.org/ .
Bulldozer #2: History
Like many of my contemporaries, I was quite the history buff when I was younger. Even though I’d always had a totally human-centered view of world history, this was what ultimately closed the case for me.
Here’s what happened.
When I finally started reading the Bible at the turn of the millennium, I was surprised to learn that it’s all based on history. I was amazed when I found out that not one spec of its history has ever been proven inaccurate, and that every year more and more of it is instead confirmed. And I was astonished when I eventually discovered that it purports to be the history of the universe from first day to last – and that Genesis and Revelation are as historically reliable as the accounts of Moses, King David and Jesus Himself.
That’s the big picture. What was really shocking to me was the close-up view of the Bible’s prophetic accuracy – especially when I learned several things that put these truths into perspective:
First, that only the Bible among sacred books even offers prophecies.
Second, that there’s nothing to Nostradamus’s predictions, which were mostly vague and have been artfully re-arranged and re-interpreted to mimic prophetic accuracy.
Third, that the “psychics” of our day have been largely abysmal at soothsaying, wrong more than half the time even about events in the near future.
Not so with the Bible, which contains thousands of detailed and specific prophecies. As the Lord said via the prophet Isaiah, recorded in Isaiah 42, “I will tell you the future before it happens.” And that is exactly what He did: About 80% of these prophecies have already been fulfilled with 100% accuracy; the rest refer to the end of time.
Take, for example, the Old Testament predictions about the Messiah – there are hundreds written over many centuries, and Jesus fulfilled every last one. Mathematicians have calculated the likelihood of one man fulfilling just 48 of those prophecies at a number beyond our imaginations. In a word: Impossible – unless those prophecies were written about Jesus, by Someone outside of time who knew exactly what would transpire.
Or consider the prophecies about the nation of Israel – how the children of Israel would be scattered all over the world, but would ultimately have their land restored to them along with their ancient language. Every last one has come to pass, down to the smallest detail.
Bulldozer #3: Logic
Logic has never been my strong suit. When I try to follow it personally, I tend to take the long way around logical deductions and then forget how I got there, which doesn’t make for very confident conclusions. Or, when I read someone else’s solid argument, I wind up doubting their conclusions, not being confident in my ability to detect logical fallacies.
Still, most people are clearer thinking than I am in this area, so don’t neglect logic as a witnessing tool.
Consider C. S. Lewis’s argument about Jesus’ claims to deity: He was either:
A liar, falsely proclaiming Himself to be the Son of God and God the Son.
A lunatic, believing Himself to be the Son of God and God the Son.
(If either of these explanations were true, then just about every other religion has joined in the charade, too, by calling Him a great teacher or a prophet.)
Or He really was the Son of God and God the Son.
Or think about what I consider the best argument for Jesus’ resurrection: His apostles spent a great deal of time with Him after He rose from the grave. They couldn’t have been fooled. Nor could they have been lying: All but John died martyrs, proclaiming to the end that Jesus had risen from the grave. People will die for a lie when they think it’s the truth; but they will not die for a lie if they know it’s a lie.
Prepare your defense
There are no doubt many other areas of investigation that might help a feminist baby boomer find her way to the truth. There’s manuscript evidence, for instance. Biblical responses to today’s psychobabble. And great analogies and explanations for the toughest questions, such as those beginning, “How could a good God …?”
I think it’s important for us all to have at least this top-level understanding of such logic … and then know where to look for the details that can help clear away the obstacles standing between a lost feminist baby boomer and God’s truth.
But I’m convinced that many of us have spent our lifetimes erecting intellectual and emotional obstacles to belief – obstacles that can delay our accepting the gift of faith, or maybe prevent it altogether (I’m sitting solidly on the fence on this particular issue).
That’s why Christian apologetics may be so important. It seems to me that they can be like bulldozers capable of destroying “every high thing that exalts itself again the knowledge of God,” as the apostle Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 10 – bulldozers capable of clearing the way for the faith that’s prerequisite to eternal life.
Here’s a high-level overview of the evidences that convinced this feminist atheist of the truth of biblical Christianity. Maybe one or more of these subjects will help you make the case to the lost feminist baby boomer in your life.
Bulldozer #1: Science
It was just after the turn of the millennium that I started my personal journey from atheism to faith. For me, a technical copywriter with an interest in science and a long-held conviction that science had proven God at best unnecessary, perhaps the most important leg of my journey was the scientific path.
It was here that I learned about the Darwinism-busting truth of the anthropic principle and irreducible complexity. Here, that I learned that additive genetic mutations are only a myth, incapable of providing evolution with that raw material it would need to transform one sort of creature into another.
Once I’d taken off the blinders and looked at the facts, I quickly came to the only logical conclusion: Even a fairly superficial study of the issue would show any objective observer that there’s no way this universe, or life itself, came into being through time plus chance. There has to have been an intelligent designer – AKA God.
The question then became: Which God?
I spent a year on this question, searching far and wide for evidence that might prove any of the non-Christian religions true. (I did not want to become one of those dreary Christians, you see; I did not want my good times permanently put to rest.) But I discovered no such evidence – just a bunch of statements like “Buddhism is true because there are so many of us” and “Hinduism is true because we have a sacred book.” These statements didn’t even approach truth.
At last, there was only one religion left standing: biblical Christianity. Once again, science came to my rescue, showing me the rock-solid proof I’d been looking for over the past 12 months.
The vehicle was my realization of the Bible’s stunning scientific accuracy. While it’s not a science book, its enemies have yet to point out a single biblical passage related to science (or anything else, for that matter) that’s inaccurate. What’s more, the Bible contains scores of scientific that could not possibly have been known by any of its 40-some writers -- many of them confirmed only in recent centuries or recent decades. Just to cite a couple: the fact that the earth hangs on nothing (Job 26:7, written about 4000 years ago) and that the sun has an orbit of its own (Psalm 19:6, written about 3000 years ago and confirmed in 1999).
These evidences took me very close to having absolute confidence in the existence of a Creator God, and the Bible as His infallible revelation of Himself to us. And I’m not the only one; I’ve heard testimonies from many other scientifically minded people who took this route to the Lord. Perhaps some of the lost people you know would find this line of reasoning persuasive; for an overview of the proofs I found most persuasive, see chapter 18 of Heaven Without Her. And for much much more, visit http://www.answersingenesis.org/ and http://www.icr.org/ .
Bulldozer #2: History
Like many of my contemporaries, I was quite the history buff when I was younger. Even though I’d always had a totally human-centered view of world history, this was what ultimately closed the case for me.
Here’s what happened.
When I finally started reading the Bible at the turn of the millennium, I was surprised to learn that it’s all based on history. I was amazed when I found out that not one spec of its history has ever been proven inaccurate, and that every year more and more of it is instead confirmed. And I was astonished when I eventually discovered that it purports to be the history of the universe from first day to last – and that Genesis and Revelation are as historically reliable as the accounts of Moses, King David and Jesus Himself.
That’s the big picture. What was really shocking to me was the close-up view of the Bible’s prophetic accuracy – especially when I learned several things that put these truths into perspective:
First, that only the Bible among sacred books even offers prophecies.
Second, that there’s nothing to Nostradamus’s predictions, which were mostly vague and have been artfully re-arranged and re-interpreted to mimic prophetic accuracy.
Third, that the “psychics” of our day have been largely abysmal at soothsaying, wrong more than half the time even about events in the near future.
Not so with the Bible, which contains thousands of detailed and specific prophecies. As the Lord said via the prophet Isaiah, recorded in Isaiah 42, “I will tell you the future before it happens.” And that is exactly what He did: About 80% of these prophecies have already been fulfilled with 100% accuracy; the rest refer to the end of time.
Take, for example, the Old Testament predictions about the Messiah – there are hundreds written over many centuries, and Jesus fulfilled every last one. Mathematicians have calculated the likelihood of one man fulfilling just 48 of those prophecies at a number beyond our imaginations. In a word: Impossible – unless those prophecies were written about Jesus, by Someone outside of time who knew exactly what would transpire.
Or consider the prophecies about the nation of Israel – how the children of Israel would be scattered all over the world, but would ultimately have their land restored to them along with their ancient language. Every last one has come to pass, down to the smallest detail.
Bulldozer #3: Logic
Logic has never been my strong suit. When I try to follow it personally, I tend to take the long way around logical deductions and then forget how I got there, which doesn’t make for very confident conclusions. Or, when I read someone else’s solid argument, I wind up doubting their conclusions, not being confident in my ability to detect logical fallacies.
Still, most people are clearer thinking than I am in this area, so don’t neglect logic as a witnessing tool.
Consider C. S. Lewis’s argument about Jesus’ claims to deity: He was either:
A liar, falsely proclaiming Himself to be the Son of God and God the Son.
A lunatic, believing Himself to be the Son of God and God the Son.
(If either of these explanations were true, then just about every other religion has joined in the charade, too, by calling Him a great teacher or a prophet.)
Or He really was the Son of God and God the Son.
Or think about what I consider the best argument for Jesus’ resurrection: His apostles spent a great deal of time with Him after He rose from the grave. They couldn’t have been fooled. Nor could they have been lying: All but John died martyrs, proclaiming to the end that Jesus had risen from the grave. People will die for a lie when they think it’s the truth; but they will not die for a lie if they know it’s a lie.
Prepare your defense
There are no doubt many other areas of investigation that might help a feminist baby boomer find her way to the truth. There’s manuscript evidence, for instance. Biblical responses to today’s psychobabble. And great analogies and explanations for the toughest questions, such as those beginning, “How could a good God …?”
I think it’s important for us all to have at least this top-level understanding of such logic … and then know where to look for the details that can help clear away the obstacles standing between a lost feminist baby boomer and God’s truth.
No comments:
Post a Comment