True Vine Apologetics I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist Curriculum – Session Two
Review Session 1 and Introduction Session 2 – I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist
**Please note the presentation will move along very quickly.
r Fill in the answer to these questions:
1. What does Apologetics mean? The word Apologetics is derived from the Greek word, Apologia, which means to defend. Christian apologetics is a defense of the Christian worldview.
2. In today’s increasingly secular culture, teaching apologetics has become of the utmost importance, because of the mass exodus of our young people from the church.
3. How many kids walk away from the Christian faith? Once they leave home, 75% of our kids are walking away from the church. (Research shows only 30% ever return.)
4. The culture will challenge their faith from every direction.
5. They need to have an evidential faith. They need to know, intellectually, why Christianity is true.
6. We need to teach them that just because the majority believes something doesn’t make it true.
7. We need to actively teach them from their earliest youth that God is real, the bible is true, and that scripture is our starting point for learning about ourselves, life, and the world around us.
8. Do not ever take it for granted that our older friends and relatives are saved!
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Question 2. DOES GOD EXIST? (Continued from Session 1)
Lesson 5. “What About Evolution?”
Microevolution; variations within the species - Yes
Macroevolution; changes across species, life from common ancestor – No
Even if macroevolution was true, it wouldn’t mean God doesn’t exist – we still need an explanation for the origin of life and the universe
“For You formed my inward parts, You wove me together in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:13-14
According to this verse of scripture, and many, many others, it is God who is responsible for the creation of each human being. We are not the results of a blind, evolutionary process.
r Fill in the answer to these questions:
1. When you hear the evolution objection, the first thing you need to do is ask the person, “What do you mean by evolution?” It’s important to define our terms.
2. Find out if the person is talking about microevolution, which is defined as observable, limited, adaptations within a species, and refers to genetic variations within the species.
3. Is the person talking about macroevolution, which is defined as the belief that all life forms have descended from a common ancestor – by natural processes – without intelligent intervention?
4. If they’re talking about microevolution – changes within the type, as in dog breeding, then yes. There’s good evidence to support that.
5. If they mean macroevolution – changes across the type, from one species to another, then no. There’s no evidence to support that.
6. There are two central arguments for macroevolution. The first argument is “Micro to Macro.” This argument says that small adaptations lead to new life forms, that given enough time, microevolution gives way to macroevolution.
7. Homology is the concept that similarities in structure and DNA are evidences of a common ancestor.
8. Do humans and apes share 96% of their DNA? No. This is a misleading comparison because the similarity is in the 2% of the genome that codes for proteins.
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9. A genome is the complete set of genetic material in an organism. What they are really telling us is that there is a 96% similarity in only 2% of the genetic material.
10. DNA similarity could be evidence of a common designer rather than a common ancestor. Because a designer denotes an intelligent source.
11. While it’s true that all living things possess a genetic code, Darwinists must explain the vast dissimilarity between living things. Examples: The bee, the octopus, the Venus fly trap, mildew, the peacock, the porcupine, the human, etc.
12. Using DNA and homology as arguments for macroevolution results in circular reasoning. (Circular Reasoning Example: How do you know evolutions is true? Because of DNA and Homology. We come from a common ancestor. Why do we not come from a common Designer? Because evolution is true. How do you know evolution is true? Begin again from the beginning.)
13. Natural selection refers to the fact that traits that assist in the survival of a species will tend to be dominant within that species. These traits are generally related to the environment and explain why we don’t see Chihuahuas in Alaska or Huskies in Mexico! Natural selection is a key component of the micro evolutionary process.
14. Natural selection provides absolutely no evidence for macroevolution.
15. Natural selection can help to explain the survival of a species, but not the arrival of a species.
16. The evolutionary theory relies heavily on data from the fossil record.
17. Fossils are data, and all data needs to be interpreted. Science doesn’t say anything, Scientists do.
18. Stephen J. Gould said, “The evolutionary trees that adorn our textbooks have data only at the tips and nodes of their branches; the rest is inference, however reasonable, not the evidence of fossils.
19. Quote from National Geographic, Was Darwin Wrong? “Illuminating but spotty, the fossil record is like a film of evolution from which 999 of every 1,000 frames have been lost on the cutting-room floor.” (NG, Nov. 2004, 25.)
20. Even if macroevolution was true, it wouldn’t mean God doesn’t exist--we still need an explanation for the origin of life and the universe.
21. “For You formed my inward parts, You wove me together in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:13-14
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Lesson 6. “The Moral Law”
Evil is an argument for the existence of God
Something can’t be truly evil unless there is an objective standard of good with which to compare it
The only thing that qualifies as an objective moral standard is God
“For when the Gentiles who do not have the Law, do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law unto themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them.” Romans 2:14-15
This verse tells us that all people are aware of an objective, moral law. People don’t need the bible to know basic right and wrong.
r Fill in the answer to these questions:
1. If there is no God, no standard for morality beyond humanity, then everything just becomes a matter of opinion.
2. We all know intuitively that there are things objectively right and objectively wrong, so there must be an objective standard.
3. God’s unchanging moral nature is the standard of measurement for right and wrong.
4. There would be no such thing as evil without a standard of good, and there’s no such thing as a standard of good without God.
5. We can’t live up to the perfect, unchanging moral standard that is the very nature of God! That’s why we need a Savior.
6. “For when the Gentiles who do not have the Law, do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law unto themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written on their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them.” Romans 2:14-15
7. This verse tells us that all people are aware of an objective, moral law. People don’t need the bible to know basic right and wrong.
8. We can now safely say that the most reasonable inference, based on the evidence, is that a theistic god does indeed exist.
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9. From the three arguments we know that God is: A. Timeless, spaceless and immaterial. Is extremely powerful. He created everything out of nothing. (Cosmological Argument: The Beginning) B. Extremely intelligent. Sustains creation and has purpose. (Teleological Argument: Design) C. Absolutely morally perfect. Is personal. (Moral Argument: Morality)
10. Since theism is true, what does that do to pantheism and atheism? They can’t be true. That would violate the law of non-contradiction.
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Question 3. ARE MIRACLES POSSIBLE?
Lesson 7. “Signs of God or Gullibility?”
Creating the entire universe out of nothing is the greatest miracle in the bible
Since God created the universe, He can do anything logically possible within the universe
Philosophically ruling out miracles in advance is not good philosophy
“How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.” Hebrews 2:3-4
The writer of Hebrews is confirming that God used miracles to give credibility to the Gospel message and the messengers.
r Fill in the answer to these questions:
1. Miracles authenticate the messenger. Miracles meet the seal criteria. They are both unique and difficult to forge. That’s what miracles in the Bible are – they are a seal from God.
2. What is the greatest miracle in the Bible? It’s the very first verse. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
3. “It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes… for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.” (Quote by Richard Lewontin: Atheist, Marxist Professor at Harvard.)
4. Darwinism is morally comfortable. As long as we are all descended from green algae I can continue to sleep with whomever I want. (Response given to Ron Carlson from biology professor.)
5. Science doesn’t say anything, Scientists do.
6. “People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.” (Quote by Blaise Pascal)
7. Just the fact that the universe exists is proof that, miracles are possible!
8. Creating the entire universe out of nothing is the greatest miracle in the Bible.
9. Since God created the universe, He can do anything logically possible within the universe.
10. Philosophically ruling out miracles in advance is not good philosophy.
11. In a genuine search for the truth a person should be dedicated to examining the evidence and following the truth wherever it may lead them.
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12. “How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.” Hebrews 2:3-4
13. Absolute truth does exist! A theistic God does exist! Miracles are possible!
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Question 4. IS THE NEW TESTAMENT TRUE?
Lesson 8. “Do We Have an Accurate Copy?”
With the Greek New Testament copies at about 5,700, we can reconstruct the texts with great accuracy
Over 36,000 quotations of the scriptures from the early church fathers assist with the reconstruction
Variations are primarily spelling and word order differences, do not affect a single doctrine
Atheist and skeptical scholars agree we have an accurate copy of the New Testament documents
“For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner.” Acts 26:26
Paul is confirming the accuracy of his claims to the king by appealing to the king’s own knowledge about local, recent, events that are later recorded in the pages of New Testament scripture. Obviously Paul could not have made that appeal if he weren’t speaking the truth. Similarly, we appeal to known facts in order to conclude that we have an accurate copy of the original New Testament.
r Fill in the answer to these questions:
1. Forty three percent of 8,000 New Testament verses are in manuscripts earlier than 225 A.D.
2. We have 5700 manuscript copies in Greek and 19,000 copies in other languages such as Coptic and Syriac. Total Greek manuscripts stack over a mile high compared to 4 feet for classical Greek authors.
3. “ … what the New Testament has in its favor, especially when compared with other ancient writings, is the unprecedented multiplicity of copies that have survived.” (Quote by Bruce Metzger: Renowned New Testament scholar.)
4. The New Testament has been corroborated in extra biblical documents. Over 36,000 quotations from the early church fathers can be found in documents other than the Bible. Over half the New Testament can be reconstructed from these documents.
5. All of these early, many, and corroborated manuscripts were copied with a 99.5% accuracy. None of the variants affect any significant Christian doctrine!
6. There are no original manuscripts for any of these classical Greek or Roman authors. (Examples: Homer, Plato, Caesar, etc.)
7. The New Testament documents enjoy an extensive number of copies at over 5,000 copies compared with Homer at only 2200 as the second best offering.
8. Only 25 years from the timing of the original New Testament documents until the first copies, versus 500 years for Homer or as many as 1400 years for Demosthenes!
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9. Scholars who are involved in the field of study known as textual criticism have no doubt that the documents we now possess by these Greek and Roman authors are accurate copies of the originals. The very same scholars, many of whom are not Christians, also have no doubt that the New Testament documents we now possess are accurate copies of the originals.
10. Paul spoke these words while on trial before King Agrippa: “For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner.” (Acts 26:26) Paul is confirming the accuracy of his claims regarding Jesus by appealing to the king’sown knowledge about local, recent, events that were later recorded in the pages of New Testament scripture.