Gateways for Apologetics. Opening the Door to Faith

Transcription

1 Gateways for Apologetics Opening the Door to Faith

2 Establishing Gateways Opening doors Drawing curtains aside Turning on a light Using the roper lens Building bridges Key Note: There is something necessary for life which we cannot see correctly unless put under proper conditions.

3 Wane of Rationalism Since the onset of post-modernity, the public desire for rationality has taken a back seat. People often do not have the patience for careful reasoning anymore, they rely on the emotions which narratives can more readily foster. Reliance upon narratives is based on common desire for instant gratification and more susceptible in particular ways to deceptions.

4 What is the Postmodern Worldview? The epitome of sentiments such as: To each their own. Everyone has a perspective/narrative on how they experience life. One s personal narrative influences their concept of the meta-narrative or worldview which they adhere to. In the end, it s just a story. No one narrative has any merit over another because individual perspectives cannot be universally verified.

5 How Does an Apologist Approach someone with a Postmodern Worldview? The use of narratives. From one s personal life From the Bible From history The use of imagery. From the Bible From Nature From art

6 Dismantling Misconceptions Christianity is largely misrepresented due to prevalent false narratives. A hallmark of postmodernism is its claims of extreme tolerance for any and all worldviews. Yet, there remains a general hostility towards Christianity in particular. As a result of the postmodern agenda many people have obstacles placed between them and an honest view of what Christianity represents.

7 Cont. An apologist is charged with the removal of these barriers, to open the shutters. The opening of the shutters doesn t really cause the room to become warm and light. It just removes a barrier to a force that is able to achieve this. The real cause of the change is the Sun. (p. 129)

8 Evidence vs. The Narrative Example used in book: Dying of blood poisoning. Doctor with knowledge of conditions and cure. Evidence based approach Friend with personal experience. Based on personal narrative which the story teller deems relevant.

9 Each approach acts as a gateway. How? They each help you see things in a different way, the way things really are. They enable you to know what can be done to effect change. They then encourage you to make the choice of actually seeking and implementing what it is that can effect change.

10 Explanation This should be the apologist s first line of action in any attempt to bring someone to faith. The best defense of Christianity is its explanation. Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis. If you haven t read it yet, do it. It is an unparalleled, concise exposition on the core tenants of Christianity.

11 Augustine of Hippo What was the initial condition which enabled him to be open to the truth? He wanted to learn. He was actually seeking the truth despite the fact that he had been previously misunderstanding the Christian perspective. How do we reach those who aren t seeking the truth?

12 Argument This has already been covered quite well previously in this book. Argument from Design The argument from origination The argument from cohesion The argument from morality.

13 Argument Cont. Furthermore, arguments can be leveled against other worldview s logical consistency. Other worldviews can be methodically dismantled with the meticulous exposition of their various and inevitable logical conclusions. But this method is tedious, despite its effectiveness with those possessing patience, and tends to lose the attention of the average person.

14 Stories MacIntyre argues that our life decisions are shaped and ordered by our sense of how they fit within a larger story (or tradition). He famously asserts that I can only answer the question, What am I to do? if I can answer the prior question, of What story do I find myself a part? As we shall see these approaches shall be of enormous value to Christian apologetics.

15 The apologist must challenge the narratives of other worldviews. It must be shown how other worldviews fall short of explaining the reality in which we live. The story of the Bible answers four fundamental questions which nearly all people ask during their lives: Who are we? Where are we? What is wrong? What is the solution?

16 Images We live in an age of visual stimulation. Images have a powerful effect on us. Images have the ability to bring up emotions immediately without the need for rationalization to get to those emotions. The televised world and advertisement riddled habitat in which we live fosters the desire for instant gratification.

17 The Cave This is a famous and familiar image imagined long ago by Plato. This familiar image can be used to show correlations to the Christian worldview. How can the people in the cave be made privy to the outside world?

18 Cave Cont. 1: Someone from outside the cave comes and gives them information about the existence of an exterior. 2: There is indication, through observations and deduction, that there is more to reality than the interior. 3: The people in the cave have a natural intuition that there is more than what they see.

19 The Image of Adoption This can be more effective than all the others depending upon the audience. It is more and more common for people to relate to the internal desire to be loved, to be a part of a community. This is becoming more prevalent due to the rise in fatherless homes and the like. People are attracted to the notion of a peaceful and inclusive family envirenment.

20 What To Take Away The only way to know which approach to take, is to know who your audience is. How can we know what our audience needs? Relationship. We must establish a relationship with the people we hope to help or we won t know how to help them.