True and Reasonable Faith Theistic Proofs Dr. Richard Spencer June, 2015
Our Purpose Theistic proofs and other evidence help to solidify our faith by confirming that Christianity is both true and reasonable. They are NOT the basis for our faith, but show that it is completely consistent with human reason, including science and history "I am not insane, most excellent Festus," Paul replied. "What I am saying is true and reasonable. Acts 26:25 In addition to strengthening our faith, proofs are of use in pre-evangelism; listen to Machen
J. Gresham Machen wrote in 1913, it would be a great mistake to suppose that all men are equally well prepared to receive the gospel. It is true that the decisive thing is the regenerative power of God. That can overcome all lack of preparation, and the absence of that makes even the best preparation useless. But as a matter of fact God usually exerts that power in connection with certain prior conditions of the human mind, and it should be ours to create, so far as we can, with the help of God, those favorable conditions for the reception of the gospel. False ideas are the greatest obstacles to the reception of the gospel. We may preach with all the fervor of a reformer and yet succeed only in winning a straggler here and there, if we permit the whole collective thought of the nation or of the world to be controlled by ideas which, by the resistless force of logic, prevent Christianity from being regarded as anything more than a harmless delusion. Under such circumstances, what God desires us to do is to destroy the obstacle at its root. as Christians we should try to mold the thought of the world in such a way as to make the acceptance of Christianity something more than a logical absurdity. J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Culture, The Princeton Theological Review, Vol. 11, 1913
J. Gresham Machen wrote in 1913, it would be a great mistake to suppose that all men are equally well prepared to receive the gospel. It is true that the decisive thing is the regenerative power of God. That can overcome all lack of preparation, and the absence of that makes even the best preparation useless. But as a matter of fact God usually exerts that power in connection with certain prior conditions of the human mind, and it should be ours to create, so far as we can, with the help of God, those favorable conditions for the reception of the gospel. False ideas are the greatest obstacles to the reception of the gospel. We may preach with all the fervor of a reformer and yet Common succeed beliefs only in in our winning culture: a straggler here and there, if we permit the whole collective thought of the nation or of the world to be controlled by Spiritual ideas which, matters by the are resistless strictly personal force of and logic, whatever prevent works Christianity for from you being is fine, regarded but don t as bring anything it into more the public than a marketplace harmless delusion. of ideas Under All religions such circumstances, are equally valid what (or God invalid), desires we just to need do is to to avoid destroy the the obstacle radicals at its in any root. religion as Christians (i.e., those we who should truly try believe to mold it!) the thought Modern of science the world is in the such only a reliable way as methodology to make the acceptance for finding truth of Christianity about our something physical world more than a logical absurdity. All of life can be J. explained Gresham by Machen, some set Christianity of natural and processes Culture, The Princeton Theological Review, Vol. 11, 1913
Epistemology Outline How do we decide what is true? Faith and reason Rationality; belief, knowledge and warrant When does belief become knowledge? Is belief in Christianity reasonable? What is the foundation of proper Christian faith? What good are theistic proofs? Classic Theistic Proofs Other Theistic Proofs Modern evidence for the Christian worldview Apologetics
How Do We Decide What is True? Everyone has an ultimate standard for deciding what is true There are only two possible standards: Human reason (individual or collective) Divine revelation You can only defend your choice of ultimate standard by reference to that standard (although you obviously use human reason to do so in both cases more on that in a moment)
Human Reason or Divine Revelation? Human reason is, by all accounts, fallible and based on limited knowledge and understanding Divine revelation is based on the perfect and exhaustive knowledge of God Divine revelation is obviously the most rational standard, but that assumes that we are convinced that we have such revelation and can tell which one of the different proposed sources to believe, which necessarily uses human reason Therefore, it is impossible to escape using our reason, it just shouldn t be the ultimate standard
Thomas Aquinas and Reason Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was the greatest of the Scholastics (sometimes called the Schoolmen) The Schoolmen were frequent targets of Calvin s attacks in The Institutes of the Christian Religion, but Aquinas also wrote much that is good He distinguished between things that man can determine from nature by the use of reason and those things that must be accepted by faith in divine revelation
Thomas Aquinas and Reason Aquinas wrote It was necessary for man s salvation that there should be a knowledge revealed by God, besides the philosophical sciences built up by human reason. Even as regards those truths about God which human reason can discover, it was necessary that man should be taught by a divine revelation, because the truth about God such as reason could discover would only be known by a few, and that after a long time, and with the admixture of many errors. Although those things which are higher than man s knowledge may not be sought for by man through his reason, nevertheless, once they are revealed by God they must be accepted by faith. Sum. Th., First Part, I, Q1
Thomas Aquinas and Reason Aquinas properly recognized that: 1. There is ample evidence (e.g., miracles, fulfilled prophecy, internal consistency) that the Scriptures are God s revelation to man 2. God s revelation is authoritative 3. Therefore, we must accept on faith the doctrines presented in the Bible So we use our reason in order to confirm that the Bible is God s revelation, but then we submit to the Bible and obey it; our reason is then used only to understand and apply what it teaches
Faith and Reason All worldviews are based on a combination of faith and reason In this case I am using the word faith to mean to believe something without proof, but it implicitly includes trust since all decisions depend on our worldview Reason simply means to draw conclusions based on the proper use of logic and evidence, all of which is subject to our presuppositions Gödel showed that provability is a weaker notion than truth Douglass Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, pg. 19
An Example Worldview Rudolf Bultmann s said it is impossible to use electrical light and the wireless and to avail ourselves of modern medical and surgical discoveries, and at the same time to believe in the New Testament world of spirits and miracles. Kerygma and Myth, Harper and Row, 1961, pg. 5 What can we conclude? Bultmann assumed, by faith, that modern science is, or would soon be, able to explain all of existence without reference to God and, therefore, the physical world is all that really exists He still spoke of salvation, but it is hard to know how he held such a view given his materialistic assumptions. He needed to hear Paul, Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? (Acts 26:8)
Belief and Knowledge We can believe things to be true, and we can have what we call knowledge; what is the difference? A belief may be true or false, but even if it is true it does not necessarily constitute knowledge (e.g., I may believe that a particular stock is going to go up, but that is not knowledge even if it turns out to be true) For a belief to reasonably be called knowledge, it must have warrant, i.e., there must be good reason to think it is true, not just probable
Is Belief in Christianity Reasonable? Philosophers speak of properly basic beliefs A properly basic belief is a belief which is not derived inferentially from any more foundational belief but which is rationally justified by being formed in appropriate circumstances. W.L. Craig In general, properly basic beliefs are still subject to defeaters ; that is, opposing arguments so strong that it would be irrational to ignore them But, Craig, Plantinga and others argue that Christian belief grounded in the witness of the Holy Spirit has such strong warrant that it simply overwhelms any proposed defeater (it is a defeater for all defeaters)
Examples of Properly Basic Beliefs Examples of properly basic beliefs: Solipsism is false The world is more than five minutes old But not everyone will agree about which beliefs are properly basic The issue is one of rationality; are you irrational to hold a particular belief? The answer is not based on whether or not you can prove the belief, either to yourself or to someone else
Example of a Properly Basic Belief William Lane Craig wrote about a Christian college professor at Wheaton who told the class that if he were persuaded that Christianity were unreasonable, he would abandon it. Craig responded: Now that frightened and troubled me. For me, Christ was so real and had invested my life with such significance that I could not make the confession of my professor if somehow through my studies my reason were to turn against my faith, then so much the worse for my reason! Thus, I confided to one of my philosophy teachers, I guess I m not a true intellectual. If my reason turned against Christ, I d still believe. My faith is too real. Five Views on Apologetics, pg 27
Don t be Bullied or Intimidated! You need to know the true Triune God of the Bible personally, and then be firm in your understanding that such a belief is entirely rational; in fact, all other worldviews are irrational! Let s consider a simple example of how you shouldn t let supposed proofs sway you from what you know to be true
Consider the Following Proof 20 = 20 16 36 = 25 45 4 2 4 9 = 5 2 5 9 4 2 4 9 + 81 4 = 52 5 9 + 81 4 2 2 4 2 2 4 9 2 + 9 2 = 5 2 2 5 9 2 + 9 2 2 2 4 9 2 = 5 9 2 4 9 2 = 5 9 2 4 = 5 0 = 1 Is anyone convinced?
Unshakable Faith We should have the same unshakable faith in God and his Word; if evidence or argument is presented that contradicts it, we should simply be able to say that we know it is wrong even if we can t see how or why But, we should also strive to learn as much as we can and think as carefully as we can so that we are prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks [us] to give the reason for the hope that [we] have. (1 Peter 3:15)
A Fully Warranted Belief To see another example of a fully warranted belief (one that you can believe with absolute intellectual integrity independent of any opposing evidence), consider being accused of a crime you didn t commit, like Richard Kimble No amount of evidence would shake your belief in your innocence, and your belief is fully warranted and, in fact, constitutes true knowledge
Proper Use of Reason We are made in God s image His Word implicitly and explicitly assumes and demands that we use the reason he gave us, but we are to use it in the service of truth to understand God s Word (ministerial), not to stand over God s Word and judge whether or not it is true (magisterial) Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18
Proper Use of Reason We are made in God s image His Word implicitly and explicitly assumes and demands that we use the reason he gave us, but we are to use it in the service of truth to understand God s Word (ministerial), not to stand over God s Word and judge whether or not it is true (magisterial) Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is his good, pleasing and perfect will. Rom 12:2
Proper Use of Reason R. C. Sproul lists four essential principles of knowledge R.C. Sproul, Defending your Faith, Crossway, 2003 These are NOT part of some standard of truth to which God s revelation is submitted, but they are God-given tools to understand his revelation The Bible itself (and therefore God) presupposes these four principles in communicating truth to us Sproul argues that virtually all atheists at some point attack one or more of these principles
The Four Principles of Knowledge The law of noncontradiction A cannot be A and non-a at the same time and in the same sense or relationship The law of causality Every event has a cause (every effect must have a cause is a tautology) It is NOT that everything must have a cause! In fact, something, or someone, must be eternal and uncaused (self existent) The basic (not infallible) reliability of sense perception The analogical use of language We are made in God s image and can understand some things about God, albeit imperfectly, by analogy It is NOT pious to say that God transcends logic and then embrace contradictions; God defines logic
The Law of Noncontradiction While not truly post-modern in the fullest sense, much of our modern culture, especially in academia, accepts some degree of relativism Something can be true for me, but not for you The Swiss theologian Emil Brunner went so far as to say that contradiction is the hallmark of truth Sproul responds: If contradiction is a hallmark of truth, then there is no way we can differentiate between right and wrong, good and evil, obedience and disobedience.
The Law of Noncontradiction The Bible clearly assumes this law of logic to be true If In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, then certain truths necessarily follow: e.g., the universe is not eternal, but contingent In arguing for the importance of the historical resurrection of Christ in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul assumes this law: If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. (v 13) Paul argues that to believe that which is contradictory to fact is to believe in vain We could give innumerable other examples In fact, any real communication assumes this law
The Law of Causality Everything (or everyone) that is not eternal and self existent (i.e., not eternally dependent on someone or something else), must have a cause David Hume attacked our ability to discern the real causes behind particular effects he was certainly right that it can be difficult, but the law still stands whether we find the right cause or not The Bible again assumes this law universally God tells us many times that HE created the universe Miracles are used as signs precisely because we know everything must have a sufficient cause, and some events cannot be naturally caused
The Basic Reliability of Sense Perception We are all aware that our senses can deceive us any good illusionist can confirm that But the idea that our senses provide basically reliable information if we are careful is an essential belief to function in life and is as much a tenet of modern science as it is of the Bible The Bible assumes it universally: The use of miracles as signs assumes that we aren t just deceived The evidence given of Christ s resurrection assumes the reliability of our sense perception
The Analogical Use of Language We are concerned with knowledge of God is he somehow beyond human language? Can we make intelligible, true, statements about him? Logical positivism is dead: If only those statements that can be empirically verified have meaning, then this statement itself is meaningless We are made in God s image and can understand much by way of analogy, for example: We understand power, even though we are not omnipotent We understand being, even though we are not eternal and self existent We understand love, truth, and other attributes of God even though we do not possess any of them to the ultimate degree
What is the Proper Foundation of Christian Faith? The proper foundation of our faith is not evidence and arguments, it is the transforming work and inner witness of the Holy Spirit confirming in our hearts that God s Word is true The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Romans 8:16 If rational argument and evidence are the foundation of your faith, it will be shaken every time someone more clever or knowledgeable than you questions your faith!
Set Your Feet on Solid Ground Jesus said everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. Matt 7:24-25 So put God s words into practice sin is the cause of much doubt! Assurance depends on obedience Increase your love for God, his Word and his church, participate in the life of the body and walk in holiness
So What Good are Theistic Proofs? To summarize things we have said: Theistic proofs strengthen our faith and witness by giving us confidence that the Christian faith is both true and reasonable Theistic proofs help us to think carefully and logically, which pleases God By thinking clearly and then speaking and writing in the public domain Christians can influence the world and, in particular, create an environment in which people are more receptive to the gospel These proofs can be used themselves in pre-evangelism
Classic Theistic Proofs We will begin with Anselm and Aquinas, but will also give more modern versions of their proofs We will then move on to discuss many other types of evidence for the truth of the Bible and the Christian worldview Not all of these arguments have equal weight for all of us! But it is good to use our minds One good summary of much of the information we will cover is: Reasonable Faith by William Lane Craig, Crossway, Revised Ed., 1994