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Part One
(How to Make a Case for Christianity)
John Stewart, B.A., M.A., J.D.International Director, Ratio Christi
www.RatioChristi.org
Reaching Our Brave New Secular World
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important.
C.S. Lewis, Cambridge Professor,former atheist
What’s the Big Deal?
Love God with your heart, soul & mind (Mt 22:27) Love others (John 13:35) Learn from Jesus (Matthew 11:29) Let other people know about Jesus (Mt. 28:19)
Challenge to Christians
Open your mindRecognize your biases and misconceptions Consider the evidenceMake a decision
Challenge to Non‐Christians
Jesus asks:“Who do you say that I am?”
Christianity provides answers to Job’s question and Jesus’ question
Profound Questions(Ultimate Issue #2)
Our Appointment as Ambassadors Advocates, Attorneys and Apologists for Christianity
Understand what “Apologetics” is Preparing to make a case for ChristianityMissionaries and Apologists
Part 1, Preliminariesto Making a Case for Christianity
Commissioned to disciple all nationsAppointed to represent Christ (Ambassadors)Appointed to defend the Gospel
Our Appointment as Ambassadors for Christ
Christians are called to be Advocates for Jesus
Advocate—one who argues a caseAttorney—one appointed to represent Apologist—one who appointed to make a case
A Christian’s appointment is to “make a case” for Jesus, i.e., show that Christianity is true
Christians as Advocates, Attorneys and Apologists
Christians are appointed for the defense (apologia) of the Gospel (Philippians 1:16)
Christian Apologetics—”To make a case for Christianity” (1 Peter 3:15, apologia) using evidence, reason and persuasion
Christian Apologetics
Listen to the problem/issue Find out what the goal isAccept the appointmentDetermine how to make the case (reach the goal)
Preparing to Make a Case—the Client Interview
“As your ambassador/attorney/advocate/apologist, what
would you like me to do?”
Believe in Me (John 6:29) Learn from Me (Matthew 11:29) Follow Me (Matthew 16:24)Make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19)
The Appointment—To Reach the Jury (world) with the Message of Jesus
Research the factsOrganize the evidence Practice presenting the evidenceBe ready to “think on your feet”Keep the goal in mind—win the jury (nations)
Prepare the Case for Christianity
Proclaim truth“How shall they hear [the good news] without someone to make it known?” (Romans 10:14)Defend truth“…be ready at all times to make a defense to anyone who asks you about the hope within you.” (1 Peter 3:15)
How to make disciples of all nations
What does Apologetics involve? EvidenceReason Persuasion
(the human effort in evangelism)
Defending the Faith‐‐Apologetics:A Species of Evangelism
learn the natives’ language learn the culture and values understand their world view refute false beliefs present a positive message of truth
The Task of the Missionary
Therefore, we need missionaries who can reach 21st century secular people
What do these missionaries look like who are in a position to reach the 21st century secular mind?
The “heathen” are more likely to be next door than in Africa
You and Me
The Christian Apologist is the 21stCentury Missionary
learns the language, culture, and worldviews of secularists to reach them with the Gospel
needs only cross the street, not the ocean, to find people who embrace a different worldview.
Is Cedar Rapids/Waterloo a welcoming place for discussing the Bible and Christianity?
It should be easy to reach Cedar Rapids, right? (it’s not Las Vegas)
1. Birmingham, Alabama 2. Chattanooga, Tennessee 3‐‐94 …….. 95. Las Vegas 96. Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, Iowa 97. San Francisco, California 98. Boston, Massachusetts 99. Albany, New York 100.Providence, Rhode Island/New Bedford, MA*Barna Research Group, America’s Most Bible‐Minded Cities, 2015
Cedar Rapids is near the bottom of the list of America’s “Bible friendly” cities*
What do we need to know about the world we live in, in order to reach it with the Gospel?
Part Two –Understanding the Jury
William Shakespeare (ca 1610)O wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in't.
The Tempest, Act V, Scene I, ll. 203–206
Aldous Huxley, 1931 Novel Brave New WorldA.D. 2540, dystopia; mind manipulation and drugs replace Christianity
Brave New World—Shakespeare and Huxley
Three words that describe 21st century:GlobalPluralisticSecular
21st CenturyA Brave New Secular World
family re‐definedmarriage re‐defined gender re‐definedmorality has no fixed meaning what is next?
“...without God…everything is permitted.”*The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoyevsky
Effects of Secularism
World War I,“the war to end all wars” Humanist Manifesto I World War II, the rise of Nazism Abortion on demand Terrorism Morality and truth become relative Sexual confusion Redefinition of family, marriage, parent, gender
The legacy of abandoning the Bible and God—the Descent of Humanity
Comparison of How Humanity is seen in 2015
Christianity
Made in image of God(imago dei)Fearfully, wonderfully made to know God
Secularism
Upright mammalian weedsLucky survivors of evolution
Welcome to the 21st Century‐‐A Brave New Secular World
same‐sex marriage a pregnant transgendered “man”
“It is not difficult to anticipate a time in the near future when cohabitation by persons of the same sex will be afforded the same legal status as traditional, heterosexual marriage.”
God in the Chaos, Harvest House, 1991, p. 36
It was not hard to see it coming
“It is not difficult to anticipate a time in the near future when cohabitation by persons of the same sex will be afforded the same legal status as traditional, heterosexual marriage.”
John Stewart, God in the Chaos, Harvest House, 1991, p. 36
It was not hard to see it coming
Modernism and Post‐Modern assumptionsMoral relativity SkepticismHatred of God Secular assumptions and values dominate
This describes many in the jury that we hope to reach with the truth of Christianity
21st CenturyA Post‐Christian World
Consider the jury’s worldview
Expose bias
Challenge jury to be open‐minded
Preparing to Reach the Jury in a Brave New Secular World
Liberals– “If you can’t beat them, join them” (they have become adept at identifying with secularists, so you can’t tell them apart)
The Response of the Churchto Growing Secularism
Evangelicals/Conservatives‐‐“If you can’t beatthem, separate from them” Christians abandoned the public square Prophecy conferences replace evangelism Exclusively reading the Bible devotionally Failure to obey 1 Peter 3:15, Jude 3, etc.
Results of the Holy Huddle
Parents don’t know how to train kids Churches don’t know how to train parents Pastors weren’t taught apologetics Seminaries glossed over apologetics Campus ministries geared toward fellowship and devotions, not intellectual challenges
Multiple Levels of Fumbles
Graduate degrees in apologetics offeredApologetics material available onlineBooks, CDs, DVDs, MP3s availableApologetic conferences springing upDebates between apologists and skeptics New campus apologetics clubs (Ratio Christi) emerging worldwide
Good News—A Renaissance in Christian Thinking has Emerged
We can win the battle and the war: “we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
(Romans 8:37)
We must equip the saints to do the work of the ministry, and that includes apologetics
(Eph 4:11‐12)
For the Church
Study the ScripturesKnow what you believe, and why you believe itDevelop your critical thinking skills Learn to use evidence, reason and persuasion in presenting the gospel
Do your homework, and you won’t have to worry about engaging skeptics
For the Individual Christian
“we did not follow cleverly invented stories… but we were eyewitnesses...” 2 Peter 1:16
And as Peter reminds us:
Reaching Our Brave New Secular World, Part Two
“How to Make a Case for Christianity”
Coming Tomorrow
www.RatioChristi.org www.RollingStoneMinistries.org www.RZIM.org www.STR.org www.Reasons.org www.ReasonableFaith.org www.Apologetics315.com www.CrossExamined.org www.ColdCaseChristianity.com
Resources
Craig, William Lane. On Guard. David C. Cook, 2010 Evans, Craig A. Fabricating Jesus (How Modern Scholars
Distort the Gospels). InterVarsity, 2006 Geisler, Norman & Frank Turek. I Don’tt Have Enough
Faith to Be an Atheist. Crossway, 2004 Habermas, Gary R. & Michael R. Licona. The Case for
the Resurrection of Jesus. Kregel, 2004
Bibliography
Kinnaman, David. You Lost Me (Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church and Rethinking Faith). Baker, 2011
Kinnaman, David. unChristian. BakerBooks, reprint 2012 Lennox, John C. God’s Undertaker—Has Science Buried
God? Lion Hudson, 2nd ed, 2009 McDowell, Sean, Gen Ed. Apologetics for a Newe
Generation. Harvest House, 2009.
Bibliography (continued)
Ross, Hugh. Why the Universe is the Way It Is. BakerBooks, 2008
Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ. Zondervan, 1998 Strobel, Lee. The Case for Faith. Zondervan, 2000 Wells, Jonathan. Icons of Evolution—Science or Myth?
Regnery, 2000
Bibliography (continued)
I Peter 3:15 be ready to defendJude 3 strive for the faithPhilippians 1:16 appointed to defendPhilippians 1:7 defend and confirmColossians 2:4, 8 understand arguments2 Corinthians 10:4‐5 refute arguments
The Biblical Mandate for the Believer
Be ready (“prepared”)On every occasion To make a defense (apologia) To all who ask you To account for the hope in you
I Peter 3:15
I felt compelled to write to you To appeal to you To fight (struggle, strive) For the faith once for all delivered
Jude 3
In the defense (apologia)And confirmation of the gospel You are partakers of grace with me
Philippians 1:7
I say this so that no one may delude youWith persuasive argument
See that no one takes you captive Through philosophy and empty deceit
Colossians 2:4, 8
The weapons of our warfare (are) for destroying argumentsWe are destroying sophistriesRaised up against the knowledge of God
2 Corinthians 10:4‐5