Faith & Christianity Thesis Faith is an active trust in
what you have good reason to believe is true.
Slide 2
Faith & Christianity Point #1 Popular view of faith: Faith
is blind faith devoid of reason. Examples: 1) Upper story leap 2)
Sam Harris
Slide 3
Faith & Christianity Tell a devout Christian that his wife
is cheating on him, or that frozen yogurt can make a man invisible,
and he is likely to require as much evidence as anyone else, and to
be persuaded only to the extent that you give it. Tell him that the
book he keeps by his bed was written by an invisible deity who will
punish him with fire for eternity if he fails to accept every
incredible claim about the universe, and he seems to require no
evidence whatsoever. -Sam Harris, The End of Faith
Slide 4
Faith & Christianity Point #2 Faith is an active trust in
what you have good reason to believe is true. Examples: 1) Everyday
life 2) Scripture Exodus 3-14 Exodus 3-14 Mark 2:1-12 Mark 2:1-12
John 10:38 John 10:38 Acts 1:1-3 Acts 1:1-3 Romans 1:20 Romans 1:20
1 Corinthians 15 1 Corinthians 15
Slide 5
Two-Minute Review 1)Bringing Christianity to Our Culture 2)
Goals of the Class To help others have a better understanding of
Christianity. To help us to become more like Christ. 3) Class #1
Religion is Nothing More Than Blind Faith Faith is an active trust
in what you have good reason to believe is true.
Slide 6
Bringing Christianity to Our Culture Class #2 There is no proof
that God exists. Main Point The Biblical view of God provides the
best explanation for the various features of the universe and human
experience. Theism vs. Naturalism Our Method/Approach Abductive
Reasoning Inference to the Best Explanation
Slide 7
Things We Recognize, Observe, or Experience: Christianity vs.
Naturalism 1)The Universe 2)Life 3)Consciousness, Truth &
Reason 4)Humans are special; humans are broken 5)Evil 6)Goodness
& Beauty 7)Purpose & Meaning 8)Free Will & Moral
Responsibility
Slide 8
Things We Recognize, Assume, or Experience #1) The universe
exists. #2) Life exists. Genesis 1:1 Genesis 1:1 Psalm 104 Psalm
104 Job 38-41 Job 38-41 The Universe is unlikely. Very unlikely.
Deeply, shockingly unlikely. The Universe is unlikely. Very
unlikely. Deeply, shockingly unlikely. -Brad Lemley, Why is There
Life?, Discover Magazine, November 1, 2000.
Slide 9
Things We Recognize, Assume, or Experience #3) Consciousness,
Truth, & Reason Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind. -Matthew 22:37 Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your mind. -Matthew 22:37 "The curiosity of Man, and the
cunning of his Reason, have revealed much of what Nature held
hidden. The structure of space-time, the constitution of matter,
the many forms of energy, the nature of life itself; all of these
mysteries have become open books to us. To be sure, deep questions
remain unanswered and revolutions await us still, but it is
difficult to exaggerate the explosion in scientific understanding
we humans have fashioned over the past 500 years. "The curiosity of
Man, and the cunning of his Reason, have revealed much of what
Nature held hidden. The structure of space-time, the constitution
of matter, the many forms of energy, the nature of life itself; all
of these mysteries have become open books to us. To be sure, deep
questions remain unanswered and revolutions await us still, but it
is difficult to exaggerate the explosion in scientific
understanding we humans have fashioned over the past 500 years.
Despite this general advance, a central mystery remains largely a
mystery: the nature of conscious intelligence. -Paul Churchland,
Matter and Consciousness -Paul Churchland, Matter and
Consciousness
Slide 10
Things We Recognize, Assume, or Experience #4) Human beings are
special... and broken. Genesis 1-3 Genesis 1-3 Imago Dei Imago Dei
The Fall The Fall "It is an unbroken torture to me that I am still
so far from Him, Who as I fully know, governs every breath of my
life, and Whose offspring I am. I know that it is the evil passions
within that keep me so far from Him, and yet I cannot get away from
them. "It is an unbroken torture to me that I am still so far from
Him, Who as I fully know, governs every breath of my life, and
Whose offspring I am. I know that it is the evil passions within
that keep me so far from Him, and yet I cannot get away from them.
-Mahatma Gandhi
Slide 11
Things We Recognize, Assume, or Experience #5) Evil God saw all
that He had made, and behold, it was very good. -Genesis 1:31 God
saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. -Genesis
1:31 #6) Goodness & Beauty For I am the Lord who brought you up
from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for
I am holy. -Leviticus 11:45 For I am the Lord who brought you up
from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for
I am holy. -Leviticus 11:45 One thing I have asked from the Lord,
that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all
the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to
meditate in His temple. -Psalm 27:4 One thing I have asked from the
Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to
meditate in His temple. -Psalm 27:4
Slide 12
Things We Recognize, Assume, or Experience #7) Purpose &
Meaning And He said to him, . This is the great and foremost
commandment. The second is like it, . On these two commandments
depend the whole Law and the Prophets. And He said to him, Y OU
SHALL LOVE THE L ORD YOUR G OD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL
YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. This is the great and foremost
commandment. The second is like it, Y OU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR
AS YOURSELF. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the
Prophets. -Matthew 22:37-40 #8) Free Will and Moral Responsibility
Revelation 20-21 Revelation 20-21
Slide 13
The Absurdity of Life Without God Modern man thought that when
he had gotten rid of God, he had freed himself from all that
repressed and stifled him. Instead, he discovered that in killing
God, he had also killed himself. For if there is no God, then man's
life becomes absurd. If God does not exist, then both man and the
universe are inevitably doomed to death. Man, like all biological
organisms, must die. With no hope of immortality, man's life leads
only to the grave. His life is but a spark in the infinite
blackness, a spark that appears, flickers, and dies forever.
Therefore, everyone must come face to face with what theologian
Paul Tillich has called "the threat of non-being." For though I
know now that I exist, that I am alive, I also know that someday I
will no longer exist, that I will no longer be, that I will die.
This thought is staggering and threatening: to think that the
person I call "myself" will cease to exist, that I will be no
more!
Slide 14
The Absurdity of Life Without God I remember vividly the first
time my father told me that someday I would die. Somehow as a child
the thought had just never occurred to me. When he told me, I was
filled with fear and unbearable sadness. And though he tried
repeatedly to reassure me that this was a long way off, that did
not seem to matter. Whether sooner or later, the undeniable fact
was that I would die and be no more, and the thought overwhelmed
me. Eventually, like all of us, I grew to simply accept the fact.
We all learn to live with the inevitable. But the child's insight
remains true. As Jean-Paul Sartre observed, several hours or
several years make no difference once you have lost eternity.
-William Lane Craig
Slide 15
Why Dont We Believe in God? I want atheism to be true and am
made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-
informed people I know are religious believers. It isnt just that I
dont believe in God and, naturally, hope that Im right in my
belief. Its that I hope there is no God! I dont want there to be a
God; I dont want the universe to be like that. -Thomas Nagel
Slide 16
For Further Study 1) Total Truth (Nancy Pearcey) 2) The
Universe Next Door (James Sire) 3) Mind Your Faith (David Horner)
(David Horner) 4) A World of Difference (Kenneth Samples) 5)
Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
(Greg Koukl) www.reasonablefaith.org www.paulcopan.com www.str.org
www.bethinking.org www.apologetics315.com
Slide 17
Christianity & Culture Class #1 Religion is nothing more
than blind faith. Class #2 There is no proof that God exists. Class
#3 All religions lead to God.
Slide 18
C.S. Lewis: The Weight of Glory ...to remember that the dullest
and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a
creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to
worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if
at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree,
helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in
the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe
and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all
our dealings with one another, all loves, all play, all
politics.
Slide 19
C.S. Lewis: The Weight of Glory There are no ordinary people.
You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts,
civilizationsthese are mortal, and their life is to ours as the
life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with,
marry, snub, and exploitimmortal horrors or everlasting
splendors.
Slide 20
Class #3 All religions lead to God. All religions lead to God.
Religious Pluralism Religious Pluralism
Slide 21
Point #1 Religious Pluralism is false Religious Pluralism is
false The law of noncontradiction The law of noncontradiction
Slide 22
Point #2 Four Reasons Christianity is a Wise Choice When
Choosing a Worldview Reason #1 Christianity is testable.
Christianity is testable. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 1 Corinthians
15:12-19
Slide 23
Point #2 Reason #2 In Christianity, Salvation is a Free Gift
from God. In Christianity, Salvation is a Free Gift from God.
Romans 1-6 Romans 1-6
Slide 24
Point #2 Reason #3 In Christianity, You Get an Amazing
Worldview Fit. In Christianity, You Get an Amazing Worldview Fit.
1)The Universe 2)Life 3)Consciousness, Truth & Reason 4)Humans
are special; humans are broken 5)Evil 6)Goodness & Beauty
7)Purpose & Meaning 8)Free Will & Moral Responsibility
Slide 25
Point #2 Reason #4 Christianity Has Jesus at the Center.
Christianity Has Jesus at the Center.
Slide 26
Christianity & Science: Friends or Enemies? What this class
will not be: 1)Bashing science 1)Debate: Young-Earth Creationism
vs. Old- Earth Creationism
Slide 27
Christianity & Science: Friends or Enemies? Conclusion:
Friends! Reasons for this conclusion: 1)The history of science
Nicolaus Copernicus, astronomer (1473-1543) Nicolaus Copernicus,
astronomer (1473-1543) Galileo Galilei, astronomer (1564-1642)
Galileo Galilei, astronomer (1564-1642) Johannes Kepler, astronomer
(1571-1630) Johannes Kepler, astronomer (1571-1630) Blaise Pascal,
mathematician/physicist (1623-1662) Blaise Pascal,
mathematician/physicist (1623-1662) Robert Boyle, chemist
(1627-1691) Robert Boyle, chemist (1627-1691) John Ray, biologist
(1627-1705) John Ray, biologist (1627-1705) Isaac Newton,
mathematician, physicist (1642-1727) Isaac Newton, mathematician,
physicist (1642-1727) Carl Linnaeus, botanist/zoologist (1707-1778)
Carl Linnaeus, botanist/zoologist (1707-1778) Georges Cuvier,
zoologist/paleontologist (1769-1832) Georges Cuvier,
zoologist/paleontologist (1769-1832) Michael Faraday,
chemist/physicist (1791-1867) Michael Faraday, chemist/physicist
(1791-1867) Gregor Mendel, biologist (1822-1884) Gregor Mendel,
biologist (1822-1884) Louis Pasteur, chemist/microbiologist
(1822-1895) Louis Pasteur, chemist/microbiologist (1822-1895)
Slide 28
Christianity & Science: Friends or Enemies? Conclusion:
Friends! Reasons for this conclusion: 1)The history of science
1)The arguments from science 2)The philosophy of science 1)The
limits of science ultimate questions ultimate questions Aunt
Matildas cake Aunt Matildas cake Ford Focus Ford Focus the truth
box the truth box miracles miracles
Slide 29
Christianity & Science: Friends or Enemies? For Further
Study: The Case for a Creator (Lee Strobel) The Case for a Creator
(Lee Strobel) Understanding Intelligent Design (McDowell &
Dembski) Understanding Intelligent Design (McDowell & Dembski)
Gods Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? (John Lennox) Gods
Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? (John Lennox) Signature in the
Cell (Stephen Meyer) Signature in the Cell (Stephen Meyer) Darwins
Doubt (Stephen Meyer) Darwins Doubt (Stephen Meyer)
www.discovery.org www.discovery.org www.answersingenesis.org
www.answersingenesis.org www.icr.org www.icr.org
Slide 30
The Problem of Evil & Suffering 1) 1)We will not be able to
cover all of the bases. 2) 2)The problem spelled out, specifically
3) 3)Not complete answers, but rather insights... 4) 4)The
philosophical problem vs. the emotional problem... 5) 5)Its
everybodys problem. 6) 6)Evil as evidence for Gods existence... 7)
7)The free will defense & the 12:01 argument... 8) 8)Suffering
makes more sense in a Biblical worldview. 9) 9)Evil in light of the
full scope of the evidence. 10) 10)The final answer to evil and
suffering is the Answerer.
Slide 31
The Emotional Problem Christianity is the only major religion
to have as its central event the humiliation of its God. - Bruce
Shelley - Bruce Shelley
Slide 32
The Emotional Problem For whatever reason God chose to make man
as he islimited and suffering and subject to sorrows and deathHe
had the honesty and the courage to take His own medicine. Whatever
game He is playing with His creation, He has kept His own rules and
played fair. He can exact nothing from man that He has not exacted
from Himself. He has Himself gone through the whole of human
experience, from the trivial irritations of family life and the
cramping restrictions of hard work and lack of money to the worst
horrors of pain and humiliation, defeat, despair and death. When He
was a man, He played the man. He was born in poverty and died in
disgrace and thought it well worth while. -Dorothy Sayers
Slide 33
The Emotional Problem Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the
sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold,
the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and
they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their
God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall
be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain
anymore, for the former things have passed away. -Revelation
21:1-4
Slide 34
For Further Reading Making Sense of Suffering by Peter Kreeft
Where is God When It Hurts by Philip Yancey When God Weeps by Joni
Eareckson Tada & Steven Estes The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel
If God, Why Evil? by Norman Geisler Walking With God Through Pain
and Suffering by Timothy Keller