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God vs Science

This is an edited extract from Can Science Explain Everything? by John C Lennox (January 2019). The book is the first of a series in a joint venture with the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, Zacharias Institute, and The Good Book Company. “Surely you can’t be...

Objection Overruled

By William A. Dembski & Sean McDowell This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 31, number 5 (2008). For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: http://www.equip.org. Synopsis The controversy...

A “Sign” of the Times

So sorry rabbi… Recently a friend of mine gave me a short clip out of a local newspaper to read (see below) and asked my opinion about what it said.  My friend knows that I’m a Christian and where I stand on issues of faith, but I think he was trying to get me to see...

Starting a Grassroots Apologetics Ministry

Starting an Apologetic Ministry I had the privilege of speaking with Chris Arnzen of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio about the birth of New York Apologetics and how to start an apologetics ministry.  We know that "unless the Lord builds it, it's laborers labor in vain", so...

Beware the Hebrew Roots Movement

Hebrew Roots is dangerous! In my recent radio interview with Chris Arnzen on the Iron Sharpens Iron Radio Show, I was asked a question about the Hebrew Roots movement.  Although I've heard about the movement and knew some basic information, I promised to post some...

Who was Jesus? | NY Minute

We're using the "Handbook of Apologetics" by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli to go over the arguments for the existence of God.  Today, we will be covering the above referenced subject in relation to the existence of God. Dr. Kreeft teaches logic in two major...

The Deity of Jesus: the alternative | NY Minute

We're using the "Handbook of Apologetics" by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli to go over the arguments for the existence of God.  Today, we will be covering the above referenced subject in relation to the existence of God. Dr. Kreeft teaches logic in two major...

Jesus’ Divinity leads to Trustworthiness | NY Minute

We're using the "Handbook of Apologetics" by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli to go over the arguments for the existence of God.  Today, we will be covering the above referenced subject in relation to the existence of God. Dr. Kreeft teaches logic in two major...

Divinity of Jesus Difficulties | NY Minute

We're using the "Handbook of Apologetics" by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli to go over the arguments for the existence of God.  Today, we will be covering the above referenced subject in relation to the existence of God. Dr. Kreeft teaches logic in two major...

Evolution: Science Fable, or fact?

This hilarious video on evolution illustrates the absurdity of the Theory of Evolution and the consequences that follow.  On evolution, you have no significant value or meaning.  

Written by David Robertson

 

The young man at the University of Stirling made an astonishing statement, “OK, you have destroyed my atheism, but what do YOU believe? And why?” It is one of the few times that I have been floored by a question. What would I tell him? What would you say if one of your friends asked you that? Earlier in this series we looked at issues like evidence and proof, God and science, the God of the Bible and we will look at other key issues. But at the end of the day you can’t argue someone into the kingdom and to be honest, many ‘apologetic’ discussions seem to go round and round in circles. No sooner do you answer one accusation/question than another one comes along. So do we have one knock down reason why we are Christians? I think we do.

Even asking that question indicates a key part of the problem.

It is the use of the term ‘Christian’ as a means of self-identification. To the unbeliever it sounds religious, tribal and a bit self-righteous. When we bring the good news of Jesus it sounds to them like we are asking them to change tribes, or become ‘like us.’ And yet the early followers of Jesus did not often refer to themselves as Christians – the term Christian was a nickname first given to the followers of Jesus at Antioch (Acts 11:26) and quickly caught on. Nowadays the term Christian can have a great variety of meanings – it can mean a ‘good’ person in the sense that someone might say “that’s not very Christian of you,” or it can be a term of contempt usually followed by the words ‘nutter’ or ‘extremist.’ It can be an ethnic or tribal identification, but it seems to me that it is not often used in the original sense of the word, a ‘follower of Christ.’

The risk is that we speak about Christianity and have courses such as Christianity Explored and Alpha, which are in danger of presenting Christianity as a system, or a philosophy or just another religion. Of course their intention is to present Christ and this they often do in a wonderful way, but it’s the impression that is often given. Sometimes, as Burns prayed, God gives us ‘the gift to see ourselves as others see us.’ Alex Preston in his novel The Revelations, which is a thinly disguised attack on The Alpha Course and yuppie church in London, portrays Christianity as primarily being about ‘The Course.’

Although we are not often as extreme and cultish as Preston’s caricature, there is a real danger that we do present the course rather than Christ. You do the course and you pass the exam or go through the initiation ceremony at the end. We have Christian organizations, clubs and even political parties. We listen to Christian music, read Christian books and even have Christian holidays. The term Christian is now used as much as an adjective as it is a noun. And that’s not very Christian.

Even in Christian circles and media it is surprising how many speak about Christianity and few speak about Christ – except as the ultimate referee (‘my Jesus would not say this or would do this’) or good luck figure (equivalent to ‘may the force be with you’). For those seeking to communicate the gospel our concern is not to ‘Christianise’ people but to bring Christ to them and them to Christ. It is a question of identity. I am not a Christian so much as I am ‘in Christ.’ That is the language of the New Testament we need to recapture if we are to be effective in our communication of the Gospel. We can only share what we have. We can only share ‘who’ we have.

The late, great Christopher Hitchens wrote a book provocatively titled God is not Great. One of the main responses was entitled What’s so Great about Christianity? In my view it was the wrong title and the wrong answer. Christianity is not great. Christ is. Being a ‘Christian’ is not great. Being ‘in Christ’ is. Far too often we are so busy defending Christianity, or the Church, or the actions and words of some self-professing Christians (including ourselves), that we forget about Christ. And yet He is the ultimate apologetic. Truth is not a set of propositions. It is a Person.

Having written a response to Richard Dawkins, I had planned to write a response to Hitchens, when I received the question from the student mentioned above. I told him that there were many reasons I believed in God, but the ultimate reason was Jesus Christ. His response was revealing “Yes, but who is Jesus?” He was not ignorant. He had the usual general knowledge and cultural awareness of Jesus (a kind-of first century hippie who spoke of peace, love and understanding and then got killed), but his question was spot on. How could I respond?

I honestly could not think of a book about Jesus to give a post-modern 21st Century western secularist. So I wrote one. Magnificent Obsession (this week’s recommended book!) I gave it that title because of a BBC programme I watched as a teenager entitled How to Get to Heaven in Montana. It was the story of a Mennonite community where some of the younger members had become ‘born-again’ Christians, which had resulted in some tensions in the community. The pastor had died and his son became the leader of the ‘born agains.’ At one point the interviewer asked this young bearded man, “What does Jesus Christ mean to you?” I will never forget the look on his face, as his eyes filled with tears and he passionately and quietly explained, “Jesus? Jesus? He is my everything. He is beautiful. He is my Magnificent Obsession.”

That is who we are asking people to believe in. Not the system. Not the Church. Not the philosophy. Not the apologetic arguments. But Christ. Not ‘your own personal Jesus’ as so often portrayed, but rather the real flesh and blood Jesus, who really did exist, who really did teach, who really did die, who really did rise from the dead, and who really will return. (For the reality of the historical Jesus have a look at John Dickson’s wonderful Life of Jesus.)

The Good News is first of all about Jesus. Not us. To use theological language our apologetic must be Christological. Christ centred. Everything is about the beauty, love, humanity, divinity, will, teachings, death, life, resurrection, promises, warnings, character and works of Christ. If we want to know God, it is not enough to be theists, we need to know Christ. “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:1-3)…

 

To Read More Click Below..

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/jesus.the.ultimate.reason.to.believe/81207.htm?print=1

 

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