This week
we were challenged by Mr. Sean McDowell. I will admit that I was
extremely intimidated and humbled when he opened up class on Tuesday morning by
role-playing as an atheist in an open debate against 'us Christians.'
After about 45 minutes of question after question asked by students who
thought they could confidently defend their faith, Mr. McDowell took off his
'atheist' jacket, and helped us to reflect on what had been said.
Granted,
Mr. McDowell is probably more well educated than any atheist we will ever
encounter in real life, it was extremely humbling to hear his arguments, and
his input on what we can do better. He asked us to step back and look at
what really went on during our debate...
"How
did you treat me?" Well, we didn't ever really take time to understand his
point of view. We never listened to what he had to say. We were too focused on
getting him to say what we knew how to respond to. The bible says in 2
Timothy 4 to be ready in season and out of season. And now I understand why!
"What was going on in your heart?" Honestly, I was so focused
on proving him wrong; I didn't care about his feelings. Instead, we should
think, 'how can I truly show love to this person?" It's important to
keep in mind that if you don't have a heart for the lost, evangelism can be
more harmful than helpful. Think of it like putting a stone in someone's
shoe. When there's even a small stone stuck in your shoe, every step you take
you're reminded of the rock by the discomfort it causes you. Likewise, we
should give people reason to question their beliefs.
Next, we
moved on to Truth. Truth is a belief
that aligns with reality. In the words
of Aristotle, “Truth is telling it as it is.”
There are two different types of truths; subjective and objective. Subjective truths are true to the subject,
however since the subject can change, so can the truth. These truths are often opinions or preference
claims that internal to the person who makes them. Objective truths are true to the object. These are truths that cannot change unless
the object itself changes. These truths
are true to all people, because it is factual information. Just because an objective claim is made about
something does not necessarily mean that it is true. For instance, Christianity may or may not be
true, but it is not only true to SOME people and not to others. If the option were between believing in
Christianity and knowing what lies on the other side of eternity, and not
accepting Christianity and living with only the expectation to die and rot in a
box for the rest of eternity, why would you not choose the obvious better
option?
On
Wednesday, we talked about the reliability of the New Testament. There are three key tests to know whether or
not we can trust the New Testament.
First off is the honesty test.
Does the document claim to be reporting truth? All throughout the New Testament, scriptures
point to the fact that it is the inspired word of God. Especially in the Gospels and the book of
Acts, we see the apostles claiming to be eyewitnesses of the truth they are
proclaiming. Fictional stories are not
realistic, but the New Testament is very specific and lines up perfectly with
history. It’s also important to look at
the criterion of embarrassment. Does the
document contain embarrassing material?
Authors wouldn’t make up embarrassing stories about themselves. But all throughout the New Testament we see
embarrassing stories about the way the apostles lived. Peter denies Jesus three times. Jesus calls Peter satan. James and John bicker about who will sit next
to Jesus in heaven. The disciples don’t
understand Jesus’ teachings. Women
discover the empty tomb, not men. In my
opinion, one of the most significant signs of the truth of the Gospel is the
fact that the apostles were willing to die for the cause of Jesus Christ. They were eyewitnesses. They lived when he did. They walked with him, talked with him, heard
him speak, and saw him perform miracles.
If this was all a joke…a story they made up one day, would they die for
it? Would someone go to such lengths as
to die for something they knew to be a lie?
No.
The second
test is the Telephone Game. What is the
time gap between when the event happened and the earliest manuscript of the
copies we have today? As far as the New
Testament as a whole, we currently have copies that date back somewhere between
120 and 130 AD. Less than a century
after Jesus left the Earth. However,
recently, a portion of the book of Mark has been found that dates back to the 1st
century; probably only 30 or 40 years after Jesus’ time. How many manuscripts do we have? 23,000 copies, with less than 1% of any
discrepancies being meaningful or viable errors. And even if there are slight differences,
they are not anything that changes any form of Christian doctrine. Differences between “the Gospel of God” and
“the Gospel of Christ,” or “let us have peace” and “we have peace.” There is more evidence today for Jesus Christ
than there is for either Julius Ceaser or Alexander the Great.
The third
and final test is the Corroboration Test.
Do other historical materials confirm or deny the testimony provided by
the document themselves? There has been
innumerous archaeological finds that confirm the accuracy of biblical stories all
throughout the bible. Remains from the
city of Jericho, which was destroyed by the Israelites in the book of
Joshua. Remains of people crucified
with nails in their wrists and broken shins.
There are so many finds; it’s incredible to think that so many people
still reject the word of God.
Information like that cannot be faked.
This week
was challenging; as most weeks here are.
It was so good to see how much we still have to learn, and hear about
the ways we can further our knowledge in order to be able to better defend our
faith. There are so many resources out
there available to help us learn ways we can better relate with people who have
different worldviews from us; we just must desire to learn these things. It’s a discipline we must work on because
while we’re here on earth, we’re called to be about God’s business; not our
own.
“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given
me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I
am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” - Ephesians 6:19-20
