Final Flashcards
1 Peter 3:15
“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”
1 Peter 3:15 ESV
John 21:24
This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.”
Classical view of apologetics?
It begins with the premise that Christianity is rationale.
What is unknown or unseen can be demonstrated through what is known.
I.e. the effect is known
Anselms ontological and Aquinas’ 5 ways are examples of classical apologetics.
What does 1 Peter 3:15 teach about apologetics?
Always be prepared To make a defense For anyone who asks For a reason for the hope With gentleness and respect Without the gospel there is no hope before God.
An example in John’s gospel how he uses testimony:
John 21:24
John 1:19
What can we learn about apologetics from Acts 17?
Paul had an acute spiritual sense for the lost (v.16)
Paul observes (v.16 & 22)
Paul is familiar with the audiences (v.17)
Gods aseity (being within himself) - acts 17:25 Sovereign (v. 26) Paul finds common ground to work with. He goes from aseity to the resurrection.
What are the big 3 charges against the early church?
Cannibalism: the lords supper
Incest: brothers & sisters in Christ
Atheism: Christian’s denied the Roman gods.
Anselm’s ontological argument:
The idea moves from the idea of the being of God to the actual being of God.
1. The idea of a being that is greater than can be thought
2. To exist in reality is greater than existing in the mind.
3. Therefore, God must exist.
The concept is within us. Because it actually exists.
Defends against gradation.
Aquinas’ 5 Ways:
5 ways are connected, interrelated arguments to fill in causation.
- Motion - whatever is in motion is put in motion by another.
- Causality - there is no cause known which the thing itself is found to be the cause of itself. There must be a first cause.
- Necessity- must be a necessary being since if everything were possible not to exist nothing could exist.
- Gradation - there must be a perfect being as the cause to every other perfection or goodness.
- Design - natural things which lack intelligence have purpose.
Kalam cosmological argument:
That which begins to exist must have a cause.
If the universe is real, did it have a beginning?
If it had a beginning then it had a cause.
If the cause itself is an effect it has its own preceding cause.
The cause is separate from the effect.
For causality to exist, it must begin, which requires a single uncaused cause.
Aristotle’s unmoved mover and law of infinite regress.
Argument for reliability of scripture - internal consistency
Bible is dynamic - 39 authors - 1,450 years - 3 languages - 3 continents - yet one book with one message Fulfilled prophecy Accuracy of stories/events Ordinary and uniquely beautiful
Argument for reliability of scripture - external corroboration
Archaeology
- Merneptah Stele, 13th century BC contains reference to Israel.
Cyrus Cylinder, records cyrus’ decision to release Jews back into land.
Biblical authors mention eye-witness testimony which invites scrutiny.
- many witnesses were still alive.
5 Pillars of Islam:
Shahada: reciting the creed. Salat: ritualistic prayer - pray 5 times per day toward Mecca - prostrate, imitating Muhammad Zakat: almsgiving - 2.5% of income to poor/religion Sawn: fasting - during month of Ramadan nothing is to be swallowed from sunrise to sunset. Haji: pilgrimage to Mecca
What do Muslims believe about Jesus?
Jesus (Isa) is called the word of God in Quran.
Quran speaks of Jesus as the light of the world.
Isa is a prophet not God.
-God could not have a son because how could he have relationship with a woman.
Jesus only appeared to be crucified.
What is the Muslim creed (Shahada)?
“I bear witness that there is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet.”
4 types of inclusivism:
- Faith principle - what matters most is sincerity of faith.
- Salvation through direct revelation
- Amos young’s proposition
- Holy Spirit can save whoever, whenever it wants. - Primitive religion- there’s a small nugget of purity in all religion that is pleasing to God.
Christian response to faith principle of inclusivism?
What matters most is the sincerity of faith not the content.
- it is not faith that saves. It is faith in Christ that saves.
(Blind faith vs faith in Christ)
Christian response to direct revelation form of inclusivism?
Biblical view is faith through hearing (Roman’s 10).
It is not just faith in Christ but God has ordained human agency for the preaching of the gospel.
- dreams and visions bypass Gods need for humans.
Christian response to Amos Young’s inclusivism proposition?
In response to the Holy Spirit saving whoever and whenever he wants:
Problem with this is the Holy Spirit works in conjunction with the word of God.
God is the one who declared this way of salvation. The HS cannot contradict this.
Christian response to primitive religion form of inclusivism?
The belief that at the core of all religions is a nugget of purity pleasing to God:
This belief stems from wanting to help God out of “tight situations.” We are doing God a favor by making him more appealing.
God doesn’t need us to fix anything for him.
Pluralism vs inclusivism?
Pluralism says many gods many ways.
Inclusivism says one god many ways.
How is pluralism self-defeating?
Pluralism is many gods many ways.
The law of noncontradiction says that a trinitarian God and a nontrinitarian god cannot both be true.
Attempting to respect all religions pluralism offends all.
Bible verses teaching the exclusivity of Jesus?
John 14:6
Acts 4:12
What is privatized religion?
What you believe works for you.
“Neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg.” - TJ
Disestablishmentarianism
Beliefs don’t ultimately matter. If so, then beliefs aren’t about ultimate reality.
David Wells tells us secularism strips life of the divine by relocating the divine to that part of life that is private.
How does historicism attempt to make the Bible a cultural relic?
Ernest Troeltsch argues “we are at every moment purely historical beings.”
Meaning everything is historically located.
All truth claims are necessarily culturally conditioned.
What does Charles Taylor mean when he says belief in God is no longer axiomatic?
There are alternatives.
People no longer have to look beyond themselves for norms, their good, and ultimate standards of value.
It used to be difficult to not believe in God where now belief is difficult since it will encounter challenges to daily living and relationships.
What is Aristotle’s law of infinite regress?
States that there cannot be regress infinitely, but rather there must be a beginning.
Define notitia, assensus, and fiducia.
The question is what kind of faith saves?
The reformers spoke of faith in three aspects.
Notitia: knowledge, correct understanding.
- the proposition of the gospel.
- before we can actually call people to saving faith, we have to give them the information/content.
Assensus: mental assent and affirmation that the propositions are true.
-we are saying yes to the propositions/gospel.
Fiducia: the full and entire trust in the proposition and person of Christ.
- trust and reliance that involve a genuine affection for Christ.
- notitia and assensus are necessary conditions of saving faith, but they are not sufficient to save us.
What are the four essential principles of knowledge?
- The law of noncontradiction
- The law of causality
- Basic reliability of the senses
- Analogical language
What is the law of noncontradiction?
Fundamental to all logic and rational discourse.
It says ‘A’ cannot be ‘A’ and not ‘A’ at the same time and the same sense.
What is the law of causality?
For every effect there is a cause.
- motion: things in motion were set in motion.
- there are no self-generating effects.
- when we see an effect we know there was a beginning of that effect.
What is basic reliability of the senses?
Our senses can and do deceive us.
But when we have a conglomerate of senses they are reliable.
What is analogical language?
Words or things have an analogical relationship when they are partly alike and partly different.
The analogy of being- because we are in the image of God we can be rational creatures and we can engage in intelligible communication.
Why is imputation important to the gospel?
The doctrine of imputation at its center is justification. It means to declare righteous.
Once a person sins, a perfect record is impossible.
Forgiveness does not undo sin.
The cross alone does not justify us.
We need not only a substitute to pay our penalty but also a positive righteousness.
- we are justified by the death of Christ and also the life of Christ.
Without imputation of our sins there is no atonement.
Without the imputation of Christs righteousness, we still fall short.
What is the difference between secular and secularism?
We are all secular. We all live in a time and place.
Christians should be concerned with the secular as well as the eternal.
Secularism:
Limits us to this place and this time.
Sees no need for God.
We are exalted. As we build, create, and educate we see no need for God.
Religion should have nothing to do with public life.
What is the difference between plurality and pluralism?
Plurality is simply saying there are diverse ideas or peoples or backgrounds.
Pluralism says plurality is all there is. There is nothing that brings ultimate coherence.
- no access to ultimate unity.
- no way to bring the diverse things of our experience into a coherent whole.
- there are particulars but no universals.
- we have relatives but no absolutes.
The transcendent realm is the place of the absolute. We live on the side of relative.
How is the Christian church affected by pluralism?
In the church pluralism allows contradictory views of Christ, God, and the very essence of the Christian faith.
Pluralism says not only are all views equally tolerable, but all views are equally valid.
What is our response to secularism as citizens?
We need to understand the church and state relationship.
RC Sproul said, “the church does not call the state to be the church, but the church has an obligation to call the state to be the state.”
We can also distinguish between common morality and true virtue.
- secularism makes a night makes right morality. It is utility and contribution.
What are the opposing secular spectrum of beliefs?
Hostility/opposition: says I don’t like what you believe and it’s bad and dangerous. I will make it hard for you to influence others.
Indifference/apathy: says believe whatever you want; knock yourself out.
What does David Wells tell us about secularism and not having to look outside of ourselves?
Our public life finds neither it’s justification nor it’s direction from a divine or supernatural order. It finds its life and direction only from itself.
The here and now justifies the here and now.
What are Charles Taylor’s three senses of secularism?
- Secularism is part of the emptying of public spaces of God and religion.
- It is also the emptying of God from the places where we find fullness and meaning.
- fullness within vs fullness in God. - Belief in God is no longer axiomatic. There are alternatives.
How do we respond to secularism as disciples?
We should enjoy the world, but… (1 Tim 4:1-4)
We are called to be salt & light.
- distinct and in the open.
The temporal is a token, it points us to the eternal.
- the goodness in this world is just a foretaste of goodness to come.
How do we respond to secularism as an apologist?
Evolution: chance + time= everything
(Nothing + nothing)
Morality and destiny gives us a place to stand that makes sense.
We then have justice and purpose (telos) to all that we do.
-An account of fullness is found in God.
Beyond the secular there is the eternal. - Sproul
