What Is The Purpose Of Christian Apologetics

Founded by Jesus Christ over 2000 years ago, Christianity has been a highly influential instrument in the play out of history, but today Christianity does not hold the authority it once had. Christianity is a religion based on the personal and teachings of Jesus Christ and the golden rule “Love one another as I have loved you”, or its beliefs and practices. Chrisitanity once held complete dominance over every aspect of society including politics and its advocates, but because of the developments in science and technology Christianity’s control disconnected from its audience the constant changing the world’s view on religion, it not longer does. The Scientific Revolution led by Galileo, Newton and Darwin is one to hold liable for the tip of

What is now called science, emerged around 4 centuries ago. The hard work of scientists brought new ways of interpreting the world. They no longer relied on the deliberate word of God. The scientific revolution put individual curiosity, inquiry, reason, and experiments above religion. Throughout the Renaissance, the increased advancements in science forced the Catholic church to execute “rebellious” researchers who opposed their religious views. When scientists were sentenced to death they were charged by the church for denying the divinity of Jesus Christ and questioning the church’s authority. The 19th century, also known as the Age of Reason, had brought many new great minds who challenged Christianity, forcing the church to step down. Great thinkers such as Darwin removed the argument for God’s main existence. All making science the biggest challenge Christianity will ever have to face. If this ongoing revolution of science

In Chapter 4 of Groothuis’s Christian Apologetics, he describes the Christian worldview using several major categories of belief. For this section of your paper, you will describe the worldview you have selected to write about using these same categories of belief. For example, what does the worldview you have selected believe about ultimate reality? What do they believe about the source of morality?

Beilby, James. Thinking about Christian apologetics: what is is and why we do it. Downers Gove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011.

Jesus, a name known by billions throughout the world. To each, this name means something different; savior, friend, philosopher, prophet, teacher, fraud, fake, liar. Some even believe that He is just an imaginary character from the minds of those who wrote about Him. The Westminster Dictionary of Theology describes apologetics as, "Defense, by argument, of Christian belief against external criticism or against other worldly views" (Apologetics 31-32). Though there are still many mysteries that surround the ongoing debate about Christianity, evidence can now prove some of what Christians took by faith before. Now, more than ever, there is information to prove the existence of this man that walked

In regards to Christology from above, I agree that Faith in Christ is not contingent on rational proof. It seems absurd to me that theologians have tried to isolate and separate the proclamation of Christ from the historical account of His life as well as regarding the Book of John over the Synoptic Gospels for study. (Erickson, 608) Christology from below asserts the need to study the kerygma with the historical record and to approach them in the same way as ordinary history and Wolfhart Pannenberg’s conclusion of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ had enough proof to be considered historical fact. Erickson’s Augustinian approach purports this model begins with faith, but it does not remain autonomous of reason. He proposes that faith and reason can work in conjunction on the concept that the more understanding the researcher receives toward the kerygmatic Christ, the more he will appreciate and incorporate additional historical research. (Erickson 614-615)

“Rocks of Ages” is Stephen Jay Gould’s commentary on the conflict between secular scientists and religious believers who reject scientific theory when in it is disagreement with religious teachings about nature and origin of the natural world. Certain aspects of his argument hold true, but the application is impossible and still gives one magisteria a dominance over the other. While it is an accurate account of historical disagreements and critical views of well-known people, his argument is flawed by human nature. He repeatedly contradicts himself and maintains a bias in favor of scientific theory.

Groothuis, Douglas R.. Christian apologetics: a comprehensive case for biblical faith. Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic ;, 2011.

From Augustine of Hippo to Theodosius Dobzhansky, Christians have a strong intellectual heritage. At one point, we stood on ethical and intellectual high-ground. Unfortunately, throughout recents years, we have stripped the Gospel of much of its power, and without realizing, have fallen into the abyss of today’s naturalistic and empirically subjective society. As Moreland claimed, in this new age society, progress has replaced wisdom. Progress is not measured in a moral or purposeful sense, but in the increase of technology and freedom from natural restraints. It has become assumed that scientific knowledge is the only type of knowledge, or at least the most superior form. According to secular sources, the only knowledge we can have about reality is empirical knowledge gained by the hard sciences.

In order for a person to accurately use the scientific method to gather knowledge and truth from the Bible a person should have a general Christian worldview. A Christian worldview is "any ideology, philosophy, theology, movement or religion that provides an overarching approach to understanding God, the world and man's relations to God and the world.” (Noebel, D, 1995). In a biblical worldview the word of God is infallible. The Bible is the foundation of everything Christians say and do. A person who is living in a secular worldview has beliefs filled with selfish, fallen-world ideas that seductively appeal to the desires of one’s flesh. A person with a Christian worldview already has the answer within their heart. So a person with a Christian worldview is led to look for truth within the Bible which is revealed to them through revelation. Without the proper worldview, people will be unable to find truth and knowledge within the Bible. In looking through a lens it is important to consider the lens that the material was originally created from and intended for. The scientific method will continue to remain valid, only if analogous worldviews are shared.

Historical examples are given of times when the sciences and faith have interacted such examples include the Roman Catholic Church and Darwinism (Entwisle, 2010). The purpose of these examples was to show that back then the church either would either change scripture to accommodate the science or completely reject it. The author

Unlike Francis Collins, I grew up in a very religious family. My paternal grandfather is a Pentecostal preacher, so my siblings and I grew up in the church for the first decade or so of my life. Even at a young age, I was fascinated with science, especially paleontology. Despite growing up in an environment that held firmly to the literal interpretation of Genesis, my parents encouraging me to learn as much as I could about things that interested me. Of course, this led to some strange questions and answers about the origins of dinosaur fossils. Just because I had questions, though, did not mean that I thought I had to choose between my faith and science. Until I came to JBU, I categorized fossils as a mystery that I would eventually understand. I may have felt threatened by my own attempts at trying to explain what I believed about God and science, but even before Francis Collins’ talk, I realized that no matter what science discovers, it cannot threaten God. He gave us the ability to discover things that He made. Why should He feel threatened by the things He made with love and pride?

Therefore, Christians are conflicted about how to live in a secular culture. Pearcey asserts that truths found in the bible should have a huge influence on us, and we have a duty to follow them. Her main thesis is that today we view science as binding, while faith is not, and that God can be whatever we want him to be. However, Pearcey aims to prove that the total and absolute truth of reality is Christianity, hence the title of her book, and there is no reality that disproves Christianity.

In definition, Apologetics is to argue, or better said, justify your beliefs. Typically, it follows up with religious topics that people, for whatever reason, feel the need to scuffle over what they believe to be right or wrong. As we all know, religion has been the main topic in most fights for eons and has yet to even falter over time. From observations, I’ve noticed that individuals tend to get rather heated over the subject, and have even been known to cause harm to one another if so inclined to do so. Personally, I don’t believe Apologetics is necessary under most circumstances. If one feels so powerless in their faith to have to fight about it, they probably shouldn’t bother having one at all. This comes to the main question

Despite claims that scientific discovery and methods have never really ‘challenged’ Christian belief, I personally feel that Christians have responded well to any attacks.