"Pilate said to Jesus, "Are You a King then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"
What is truth? In our world today many seem to have decided "truth" is whatever they want it to be. Even when individuals are presented with strong and undisputed evidence, if it is not to their liking, they will not accept it as true for them. But for Christians this is not an option. However, there is powerful and convincing proof that Christianity is the one true religion, that the triune God who reveals himself in the Bible is the one and only God of the universe, and Jesus Christ died for our sins so that we may live. Yet many choose to ignore the evidence and instead hold to other beliefs.
We will use the book "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist" by Norman L Geisler and Frank Truek to explore the topic of Christian Apologetics. We will study together and discuss the reasons for our faith as believers in Jesus Christ and we will equip ourselves to help skeptics who are open to the truth to see the real truth.
1. Does AbsoluteTruth Exist?
A Basic Guide to Christian Apologetics
First Presbyterian Adult Sunday School
DoesTruth Exist? A Basic Guide to
Christian Apologetics
Sundays April 12th thru May 24th
Led by Kirk J .Rogers
2. Thesis Statement
“Once one looks at the
evidence, it takes more faith
to be a non-Christian than it
does to be a Christian”
10. Catechism
Wed. Afternoon & Saturday Morning
Catechism (Greek) is a summary or exposition of
doctrine and served as as learning introduction to the
Sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church.
16. What is Christian Apologetics?
Christian apologetics is a field of
Christian theology which attempts to
present a rational basis for the
Christian faith, defending the faith
against objections.
17. What is Christian Apologetics?
Apologists have based their
defense of Christianity on historical
evidence, philosophical arguments,
and arguments from other
disciplines.
19. FaithTrumps Apologetics
Christian apologetics, proof, historical evidence is
not a substitute for faith. Faith in the Creator God
(Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is essential to our
salvation.
You can still be saved (by having a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ) without knowing
any Christian apologetics.
So why should we be concerned with Christian
apologetics?
20. So why should we be concerned
with Christian Apologetics?
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone
who asks you to give the reason for the hope that
you have, but do this with gentleness and respect..”
1 Peter 3:15
Help fellow believers be prepared to give reasons for
their Faith in Jesus Christ
Help skeptics who are open to listening and
evaluating the historical evidence of Christianity.
21. Religion and the (jigsaw puzzle) BoxTop
Could you put this puzzle together?
What would help you?
24. Five Most Consequential
Questions in a Person’s Life
1. Origin:Where did we come from?
2. Identity:Who are we?
3. Meaning:Why are we here?
4. Morality: How should we live?
5. Destiny:Where are we going
25. Answers to the Big Questions of Life
Depends on the existence of God.
If God exists, there is ultimate meaning and
purpose to your life.
If God exists, life has a real purpose – real
right and wrong way to live your life.
Choices affect the here & now and eternity.
26. Answers to the Big Questions of Life
No God.
Life ultimately means nothing,
no purpose, no right or wrong
way to live it.
27. World Religions –Answer BoxTop
???Three Major Religious Worldviews
Theism: God Made All
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Pantheism: God is All
Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, New Age
Atheism: No God At All
Religious Humanism
31. “One, who claims to be a skeptic of one set of beliefs
is actually a true believer in another set of beliefs.”
Every religious worldview requires faith. Even the
worldview that says there is No God! Atheism.
Refer back to our thesis statement: “Once one
looks at the evidence, it takes more faith to be a
non-Christian than it does to be a Christian”
Phillip E. Johnson. UC Berkeley law professor and
author, father of the intelligent design movement.
32. Religious Worldviews
Truth Claims
Many truth claims can be evaluated through
scientific and historical evidence.
Theists: Claim the Universe had a beginning.
Pantheists: Universe is eternal. Always existed.
Mutually exclusive claims.They can’t both be right.
Investigating nature, science, and history of the
universe, we can conclude one view is right and one
is wrong.
33. All Religious Worldview Require
Faith – Even Atheism
Limited human beings, we do not possess the type
of knowledge that will provide us with absolute
proof of God’s existence or nonexistence.
Apologetics try to reach conclusions that are true
beyond a reasonable doubt.
Empirical, forensic, and philosophical evidence
strongly supports conclusions consistent with
Christianity and inconsistent with atheism.
35. Class Sessions
Introduction: Finding the BoxTop to the
Puzzle of Life
CanWe Handle theTruth?
Why Should Anyone BelieveAnything at
All?
In the BeginningThere was a Great SURGE
36. Class Sessions
Divine Design
The First Life: Natural Law or Divine
Awe?
New Life Forms: From Goo toYou via
the Zoo?
MotherTeresa vs. Hitler
37. Class Sessions
Miracles: Signs of God or Gullibility?
D0We Have EarlyTestimony About Jesus?
DoWe Have EyewitnessTestimony About
Jesus
TheTopTen ReasonsWe Know the New
TestamentWritersTold theTruth
38. Class Sessions
Did Jesus Really Rise From the Dead?
Who is Jesus: God? Or Just a Great Moral
Teacher
What Did JesusTeach About the Bible?
Conclusion:The Judge, the Servant King,
and the BoxTop
39. TheTwelve PointsThat Show
Christianity isTrue
Truth about reality is knowable.
The opposite of true is false.
It is true that the theistic God exists.This is
evidenced by the :
a. Beginning of the universe
(Cosmological Argument)
b. Design of the universe
(Teleological Argument / Anthropic Principle
c. Design of Life (Teleological Argument)
d. Moral Law (Moral Argument
40. TheTwelve PointsThat Show
Christianity isTrue
If God exists, then miracles are possible.
Miracles can be used to confirm a message from
God.
The NewTestament is historically reliable.This
is evidenced by:
a. Early testimony
b. Eyewitness testimony
c. Uninvented (authentic) testimony
d. Eyewitnesses who were not deceived
41. TheTwelve PointsThat Show
Christianity isTrue
The NewTestament says Jesus claimed to be God.
Jesus claim to be God was miraculously confirmed
by:
a. His fulfillment of many prophecies about himself
b. His sinless life and miraculous deeds
c. His prediction and accomplishment of his
resurrection
Therefore, Jesus is God.
42. TheTwelve PointsThat Show
Christianity isTrue
Whatever Jesus (who is God) teaches is true.
Jesus taught that the Bible is theWord of God.
Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word
of God (and anything opposed to it is false).
44. TheTwelve Points :That Show Christianity isTrue
Please Note Five Points
1.Twelve Points are not true by
definition. Most points will need to be
justified by evidence.
2. Our starting point is complete
skepticism.We will try to start at the
point where a person might not even
believe in truth.
45. TheTwelve Points :That Show Christianity isTrue
Please Note Five Points
3. If our reasoning is sound it will
disprove other religions where they
differ with the Bible.This does not mean
all other religions are completely false or
have no truth. However, if the Bible is
true, then any specific claim that
contradicts the Bible must be false.
46. TheTwelve Points :That Show Christianity isTrue
Please Note Five Points
4. Christians should not be afraid to
live their lives based on the truth.
Christians do not get credit for being
uninformed.
“Love the Lord, your God with all
your heart, with all your soul and
with all your mind” Matthew 22:37
47. TheTwelve Points :That Show Christianity isTrue
Please Note Five Points
5. If the Bible presents evidence
beyond a reasonable doubt , than
why don’t more people believe it?
No amount evidence can compel
anyone to believe it. Belief requires
assent of the mind and the will.
48. TheTwelve Points :That Show Christianity isTrue
Please Note Five Points
There is a difference between
proving a proposition and accepting
a proposition. Moral creatures are
allowed free will.That includes the
will to accept or reject Christianity.
49. TheTwelve Points :That Show Christianity isTrue
Please Note Five Points
Evidence alone cannot convince someone
to become a Christian. Some choose not to
believe not because the evidence in lacking
but because they don’t want to accept it.
“We humans have a fatal tendency to try to
adjust the truth to fit our desires rather than
adjusting our desires to fit the truth.”
53. “ Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most
pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.”
-Winston Churchill
NextWeek:
CanWe Handle
theTruth?