Atheism.

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 1^st 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