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11. PRESUPPOSITIONAL APOLOGETICS
How to Uncover Basic Flaws and Hidden Lies in Attacks against the Christian Faith
PART 3 - THE METHOD OF PRESUPPOSOTIONAL APOLOGETICS
18. Nowhere to hide (Job 34:22) -- Or: The impossibility of being neutral in discussions with unbelievers
We can see, then, that it’s impossible to be neutral in discussions with unbelievers. We have a complete different outlook of life and we must always have a distinctive Christian commitment to Christ and His word. Is there any common ground then for us to even begin a discussion with unbelievers?
If we are to understand the Biblical requirement that we be committed to God’s thoughts, since fear of Him is the beginning of wisdom and since unbelievers are committed to a completely different and opposing way of thinking, how shall we proceed?
The following table shows the results of a questionnaire conducted in the UK among teachers and students, which aimed to map out people’s beliefs. (See: W. Shipton, Worldviews and Christian Education, p. 92-93) You will note there is almost no area of agreement in worldviews.
| Naturalism Secular Humanism | Biblical Christianity | Pantheism New Age | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimate reality | Inanimate matter and energy that have always existed | An infinite, transcendent God, who acts in the universe and is knowable by human beings | The spiritual universe, which is god/mind/one/all |
| Nature of God | There is no such thing, because God is a myth | A personal (triune), creatively active, omniscient, sovereign being, who is the source of morality | An impersonal and amoral god/mind/one/all |
| Origin of the universe and life | The universe is eternal and operates as a uniformity of cause and effect in a closed system. Or, according to the Big Bang Theory, the universe appeared suddenly and inexplicably | Created by God by the power of his word, to operate with a uniformity of cause and effect in an open system | Manifestations of the eternal god/mind/one/all |
| Means of knowing truth | Human reason and intuition working through and confirmed by the scientific method | God’s self-disclosure in Jesus Christ and through the Bible, human conscience and reason as a tool illuminated by God the Holy Spirit, and confirmed by experience | Trained introspection plus channelled revelations of god/mind/one/all |
| Nature of human beings | Complex “machines”; highly evolved animals | Physical-spiritual beings with personality, created in God’s image, capable of free moral decisions, now in a fallen condition | Spiritual beings, a part of god/mind/one/all, temporarily residing in material bodies which are illusory |
| Purpose of human life | Self-fulfillment, pleasure, service and betterment of the next generation | Establishing a loving relationship with God, realizing personal potential, serving fellow humans, enjoying this life and preparing for eternal life | Transition toward progression (or regression) until union with god/mind/one/all is achieved |
| Basis of morality | Majority opinion, contemporary mores, the best traditions, particular circumstances, or individual conscience | Unchanging character of God (just and merciful), revealed in Christ and in the Bible | Inner impulses and inclinations; there is no “right” or “wrong” behavior |
| The Human predicament | Ignorance of reality and true human potential; bad laws; incompetent government; lack of human understanding and cooperation; polluted environment | Sin is a conscious rebellion against God and his principles; an attempt to enthrone humans as autonomous and self-sufficient creatures; as a result, the image of God became defaced and the entire world suffered | Ignorance of reality and of true human potential; lack of comprehension of supernatural communications; inattention to environmental balance |
| Solution to the human predicament | Better education, more support to science, technological progress, just laws, competent government, improved human understanding and cooperation and care of the biosphere | Spiritual rebirth involves faith in divine redemption through Jesus Christ. It leads to a new life of loving obedience to God, adequate self-understanding, proper human relationships and care of created order | Change in consciousness, which leads to better self-understanding, human relations, and self-redemption |
| Death | The final end of existence in its entire dimension | A beginning of another conscious state | An illusion; entrance into the next stage in cosmic life |
| Human history | Unpredictable and without overarching purpose, guided both by human decisions and by forces beyond human control | A meaningful sequence of events, guided by free human decisions, but also supervised by God; moving toward the fulfillment of God’s overall plan | An illusion and/or a cyclical process |