Gregory Koukl's Blog, page 108
January 13, 2014
Sub-Optimal Design?
Bill Pratt responds to atheists who claim that the sub-optimal design of biological organisms argues against the existence of the Christian God:
I am an electrical engineer who has been designing integrated circuits (IC) for 20 years, either personally or through managing other engineers. I am extremely familiar with IC design. Over the years, I have often heard young engineers, who did not design a particular IC, criticize the design of that IC by saying it is sub-optimal, that they could do a better job. I have then seen these same engineers eat crow when they finally talk to the original designer and discover the constraints that original engineer was under when he designed the IC and the purposes for which he designed the IC.
It is impossible to judge a design as optimal or sub-optimal without knowing the purposes of the designer and without knowing the constraints the designer faced during the design. Young engineers just assume that they know both when they look at somebody else’s design. After being embarrassed a few times, they usually drop this approach and gain some humility.
I see the atheist who uses the argument from poor design in the same light. Biological organisms are incredibly complex and they operate in an environment that is massively complex. Our current knowledge of biological organisms and of all the earth’s diverse ecosystems is in its infancy….
Here is the problem for the atheist. Like the young IC designer, they are in a very poor position to judge whether biological organisms are optimally designed or not. Each year, scientists discover new purposes, or functions, for biological organisms, and each year scientists discover more constraints within which biological organisms must function.
Read more from Pratt about why this move by atheists is really just “atheism of the gaps.”
January 11, 2014
Cultivate the Moral Imagination to Develop Character
If you’re trying to teach your children moral virtues (or you’re being intentional about developing them in yourself), here’s some good advice from Hillsdale College professor Daniel Coupland:
[T]he issue of “character education” goes much deeper than the latest “techniques.” Character education is really about cultivating the moral imagination, a process that takes time, patience, and the right kinds of experiences.
In his book Tending the Heart of Virtue, Vigen Guroian describes the moral imagination this way:
The moral imagination is not a thing, not even so much a faculty, as the very process by which the self makes metaphors out of images given by experience and then employs these metaphors to find and suppose moral correspondences in experience. . . . The richness or the poverty of the moral imagination depends on the richness or the poverty of experience.
But can’t we just explain virtuous behavior? Guroian says no.
Mere instruction in morality is not sufficient to nurture its virtues. It might even backfire, especially when the presentation is heavily exhortative and the pupil’s will is coerced. Instead, a compelling vision of the goodness of goodness itself needs to be presented in a way that is attractive and stirs the imagination. A good moral education addresses both the cognitive and affective dimensions of human nature.
Guroian then makes a compelling case for cultivating the moral imagination through children’s literature.
The great fairy tales and fantasy stories capture the meaning of morality through vivid depictions of the struggle between good and evil, where characters must make difficult choices between right and wrong, or heroes and villains contest the very fate of imaginary worlds.
The best way to begin the cultivation of moral character is to immerse children in great stories where virtues are rendered attractive — not in a sticky-sweet or preachy sort of way, but in a way that captures and feeds their imagination.
Teaching children what moral virtues are isn’t enough. You need to let them taste those virtues so they can see they’re desirable. (Of course, never do any of this outside the context of God’s grace, the cross, and our need for the Holy Spirit.) And since God is the foundation and standard of goodness, every time you teach your child to love something good, you will be molding his or her desire towards God Himself.
For more on this, see “Discipled by Narnia” and Greg’s interview with Joe Rigney.
January 10, 2014
We Need Ambassadors
I came across a disturbing article in The Atlantic about Frank Luntz, a political consultant working with focus groups, who is going through a personal crisis and considering leaving politics altogether.
Though Luntz speaks specifically about the state of political discourse, his observations are disturbing to me as an apologist, because the trend he sees among Americans likely applies to religion and ethics as well as to politics:
It was what Luntz heard from the American people that scared him. They were contentious and argumentative. They didn't listen to each other as they once had. They weren't interested in hearing other points of view. They were divided one against the other, black vs. white, men vs. women, young vs. old, rich vs. poor. "They want to impose their opinions rather than express them," is the way he describes what he saw…. Haven't political disagreements always been contentious, I ask? "Not like this," he says. "Not like this."
If you’re interested in apologetics, then you’re likely engaging in discussions with atheists and others who disagree with you. Now more than ever, we need to be intentional about being good ambassadors, even when to do so seems more difficult than ever. Even when we don’t think the other side is playing fair. Even when we appear to “lose” because of it.
It’s not a bad time to review STR’s Ambassador’s Creed:
READY –An Ambassador is alert for chances to represent Christ and will not back away from a challenge or an opportunity.
PATIENT – An Ambassador won’t quarrel, but will listen in order to understand, then with gentleness seek to respectfully engage those who disagree.
REASONABLE – An Ambassador has informed convictions (not just feelings), gives reasons, asks questions, seeks answers, and will not be stumped by the same challenge twice.
TACTICAL – An Ambassador adapts to each unique person and situation, maneuvering with wisdom to challenge bad thinking, presenting the truth in an understandable and compelling way.
CLEAR –An Ambassador is careful with language and will not rely on Christian lingo, nor gain unfair advantage by resorting to empty rhetoric.
FAIR –An Ambassador is sympathetic and understanding towards others and will acknowledge the merits of contrary views.
HONEST – An Ambassador is careful with the facts and will not misrepresent another’s view, overstate his own case, or understate the demands of the Gospel.
HUMBLE – An Ambassador is provisional in his claims, knowing that his understanding of truth is fallible. He will not press a point beyond what the evidence allows.
ATTRACTIVE –An Ambassador will act with grace, kindness, and good manners. He will not dishonor Christ in his conduct.
DEPENDENT – An Ambassador knows that effectiveness requires joining his best efforts with God’s power.
January 9, 2014
January 7, 2014
Challenge: Christians Are Unlike Christ
Who hasn't seen this bumper sticker?
How would you start a good conversation about Jesus with a friend who had this bumper sticker? I think the quote (though it's unclear whether or not it actually came from Gandhi) can be used to express the deepest and most beautiful truth of the Gospel, our union with Christ, and His role as our priest, so it's a perfect opening. What would you say?
Give us your thoughts below, and then we'll hear from Brett on Thursday.
January 6, 2014
How Do You Love Your Enemy When Your Enemy Hasn't Repented?
Greg shares how you can love your enemy even if he or she has not asked for forgiveness.
January 4, 2014
Testing the Gospels From John to Hippolytus
I am confident the Gospels were written early and were not corrupted or altered over time. As a new investigator of the claims of Christianity, I examined the case for early dating and became convinced the Gospels were written within the generation of the eyewitnesses. But how do we know whether or not the early accounts were corrupted over the years? One way to test the content of the Gospels as they were passed down from generation to generation is to simply compare what was written about the Gospels by those who had direct contact with the eyewitnesses. I’ve written about the New Testament Chain of Custody in Cold-Case Christianity; when testing the validity of a piece of evidence in a particular case, we need to establish who handled the evidence from the time it was first collected to the time it is presented in trial. When it comes to the Gospel eyewitness accounts, we must examine what the students of the Gospel authors said about the text, then what their students said, then what the next generation said, and continue this examination down through history, comparing the statements and quotes to determine if the message of Scripture has changed. Today, I’ll provide an example with the Chain of Custody from the Apostle John (additional “chains” can be found in Cold-Case Christianity).
John (6-100 AD) was the youngest of Jesus’ disciples. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome and the brother of James. While a young man, John witnessed the life of Jesus and saw firsthand many of the amazing miracles Jesus performed. John also witnessed the Resurrection. John wrote his Gospel as an eyewitness account, accurately reflecting the truth related to what he observed as a disciple of Jesus. This Gospel is a critical piece of evidence from the “crime scene” and John taught three important students and passed his Gospel into their trusted hands. These three men (Ignatius, Papias and Polycarp) became important early Church leaders in their own right and wrote about what they learned from John.
John Taught Ignatius, Papias and Polycarp
Ignatius (35-117 AD) also called himself “Theophorus” (which means “God Bearer”). Church tradition describes Ignatius as one of the children that Jesus blessed in the Gospel accounts. Ignatius was a student of John and eventually became Bishop at Antioch (Turkey), following the Apostle Peter. He wrote several important letters to the early Church and seven of them survive to this day. These letters are important because they demonstrate the New Testament documents were already written and familiar to the early Christians. Ignatius quoted or alluded to many New Testament books (including Matthew, John and Luke, and several, if not all, of Paul’s letters). Ignatius provides us with a link in the Chain of Custody related to the original eyewitness accounts, demonstrating they were written very early and entrusted directly to key disciples who guarded them as Scripture.
Papias (60-135 AD) was described by Irenaeus as a “hearer of John, and companion of Polycarp, a man of old time.” He eventually became the Bishop of Hierapolis (now known as Pamukake in Turkey). He was quite familiar with the oral testimony of the eyewitnesses during the early documentation of their Gospel accounts. These documents were still being written and circulated during Papias’ early lifetime. Papias wrote a lengthy five-volume treatise called “Interpretations of the Sayings of the Lord,” but this text has been lost to us. Papias’ work (as quoted later by Eusebius), alludes to many Gospel passages and stories. Papias represents another link in the chain of custody, learning from John and the other eyewitnesses and passing this information down to the next generation.
Polycarp (69-155 AD) was a friend of Ignatius and a student of John. Irenaeus later testified that he once heard Polycarp talk about his conversations with John, and Polycarp was known to have been converted to Christianity by the eyewitness Apostles themselves. Polycarp eventually became the Bishop of Smyrna (now known as Izmir in Turkey) and wrote a letter to the Philippians that references fourteen to sixteen New Testament books (including Matthew, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 1 Peter and 1 John, with some scholars observing additional references to 2 Timothy and 2 Corinthians). Polycarp’s letter demonstrates the early texts were in circulation and familiar to the Philippians, making Polycarp’s references in his letter all the more meaningful.
Ignatius, Papias and Polycarp Taught Irenaeus
Irenaeus (120-202 AD) was born in Smyrna, the city where Polycarp served as Bishop. He was raised in a Christian family and was a “hearer” of Polycarp; he later recalled hearing Polycarp talk about his conversations with the Apostle John. He eventually became a priest (and then the Bishop) of Lugdunum in Gaul (presently known as Lyons, France). Irenaeus matured into a theologian and apologist and wrote an important work called “Adversus Haereses” (Against Heresies). This refined response to the heresy of Gnosticism provided Irenaeus with the opportunity to address the issue of Scriptural authority and he identified as many as twenty-four New Testament books as Scripture (including Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, 1 Peter, 1 John, 2 John and Revelation). Irenaeus provides us with another link in the chain of custody, affirming the established eyewitness accounts and faithfully preserving them for the next generation.
Irenaeus Taught Hippolytus
Hippolytus (170-236 AD) was born in Rome and was a disciple of Irenaeus. As he grew into a position of leadership, he opposed Roman Bishops who modified their beliefs to accommodate the large number of pagans who were coming to faith in the city. In taking a stand for orthodoxy, he became known as the first “anti-pope” or “rival pope” in Christian history. He was an accomplished speaker of great learning, influencing a number of important Christian leaders such as Origen of Alexandria (who heard him preaching while he was a presbyter under Pope Zephyrinus). Hippolytus wrote a huge ten-volume treatise called, “Refutation of All Heresies.” In this expansive work, Hippolytus identified as many as twenty-four New Testament books as Scripture (including Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 Peter, 1 John, 2 John and Revelation). Unfortunately, Hippolytus was persecuted under Emperor Maximus Thrax and exiled to Sardinia where he most likely died in the mines.
As a result of Hippolytus’ exile and martyrdom, this particular chain of custody ends without a clear “next link,” although it is certain Hippolytus had many important students who preserved the Scripture with the same passion he had as a student of Irenaeus. One thing we know for sure: the Canon of Scripture was already established in the early 2nd Century, as eyewitness accounts were recorded by the Apostles and handed down to their disciples who wrote about them, described them, and identified them for later generations. The following facts about Jesus were affirmed from the earliest “links” in the New Testament Chain of Custody:
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary
A star announced His birth
He was baptized by John the Baptist, taught and had a “ministry” on earth
He was humble, unassuming and sinless
He spoke the words of God and taught the Sermon on the Mount
Ointment was poured on Jesus’ head
He was unjustly treated and condemned by men
He was whipped, suffered and was crucified
This all took place under the government of Pontius Pilate and Herod the Tetrarch was king
Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected
He had a physical resurrection body
He appeared to Peter and the others after the resurrection
He encouraged the disciples to touch and He ate with the disciples
The disciples were convinced by the resurrection appearances and were fearless after seeing
the risen Christ
Jesus returned to God the Father
He is our only Master and the Son of God
All things are subject to Jesus and all creation belongs to Him
He is the “Door,” the “Bread of Life” and the “Eternal Word”
Jesus is our “Savior,” “Lord” and “God”
Faith in Christ’s work on the cross saves us
This salvation and forgiveness are gifts of grace from God
Jesus will judge the living and the dead
The facts about Jesus were written early and repeated often; they haven’t changed over time. We can be confident we have an accurate, unaltered record of Jesus’ life because it was written early enough to be fact-checked by those who were actually there (as Paul claimed in 1 Corinthians 15:6), and faithfully transmitted (and cited) by those who had direct contact with the eyewitnesses.
January 3, 2014
Updated Numbers for Ancient Manuscripts
Because of all the recent discoveries of copies of ancient texts, many Christian apologists may be working with outdated numbers. From Clay Jones:
The bibliographical test examines manuscript reliability, and for more than a generation Christian apologists have employed it to substantiate the transmissional reliability of the New Testament. The bibliographical test compares the closeness of the New Testament’s oldest extant manuscripts to the date of its autographs (the original handwritten documents) and the sheer number of the New Testament’s extant manuscripts with the number and earliness of extant manuscripts or other ancient documents such as Homer, Aristotle, and Herodotus….
However, although apologists have stayed abreast of the dates of the earliest extant manuscripts and latest New Testament Greek manuscript counts, we haven’t kept up with the increasing numbers of manuscripts for other ancient authors that are recognized by classical scholars. For example, although apologists rightly claim that there are well over five thousand Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, they have reported the number of manuscripts for Homer’s Iliad to be 643, but the real number of Iliad manuscripts is actually 1,757.
Dr. Jones has attempted to bring the numbers up to date in this article posted at CRI. I’m sure they’ve changed even since the article was published, but his numbers should be close.
To learn more about textual criticism and the existing New Testament documents, I recommend this free course by Dan Wallace on iTunes U.
January 2, 2014
Energy, Reason, and a Twinkle in Her Eye
In her lifetime, she counted among her friends T.S. Eliot, Charles Williams, and C.S. Lewis, and after her death, she still holds the devotion of millions of mystery fans, as well as Christians who want the faith explained with energy, reason, and a twinkle in the eye.
Dorothy Sayers was an Oxford-educated apologist, a mystery writer, an ad woman, and translated Dante. Now that's quite a varied resume.
She created a successful ad campaign for Colman's mustard by writing stories about the fictional members of the "Mustard Club." She created the wonderful character Lord Peter Wimsey, an aristocratic crime solver. (One of my cats is named after the character Wimsey eventually married, Harriet Vane – who was modeled autobiographically.)
Sayers wrote about the value of classical education in "The Lost Tools of Learning," which has influenced many classical schools today. She wrote about theology and apologetics in a very down-to-earth way.
She wrote in terms that were at once uncompromising, learned, and humorous. Concerning the problem of evil, one of the thorniest theological dilemmas, for example, she refused to get swallowed up in vague abstractions:
"'Why doesn't God smite this dictator dead?' is a question a little remote from us," says one of the characters in The Man Born to Be King. "Why, madam, did he not strike you dumb and imbecile before you uttered that baseless and unkind slander the day before yesterday? Or me, before I behaved with such cruel lack of consideration to that well-meaning friend? And why, sir, did he not cause your hand to rot off at the wrist before you signed your name to that dirty little bit of financial trickery?"
She drew a line under the tendency to frame the problem of evil in terms of evil out there, rather than why God doesn't stop us from the evil we're happy to commit. In her essay "The Greatest Drama Ever Staged," she wrote about God's final answer to evil – in Jesus, through the Incarnation, God "took His own medicine." Jesus suffered and then triumphed over evil to deal with it for good.
Finally, after falling in love with Dante's Divine Comedy, she translated it "to help more readers delight in his great work."
January 1, 2014
The Harvest Is Waiting
Michael Sherrard of Ratio Christi has some good words for 2014:
Christians living in an age of skepticism and individualism without the knowledge of the essential truths of their faith is a recipe for sure disaster. In response, Christian education should be, perhaps, the highest priority for the church in 2014. Christians must be taught and not just given opportunities to experience God. Indeed, they must be given a right understanding of who God is so that they might know Him rightly, experience Him truly, and, therefore, serve Him faithfully.
This observation does not put knowing God on a higher plane than experiencing Him. For one cannot know God unless they experience Him, and one cannot experience God unless He is known. Knowledge and experience are different sides of the same coin. They need not be pitted against one another. They are not opposites. They are each a part of one thing: being in communion with God.
Christians need, and, interestingly enough, desire to know God deeply with their mind. Let us satisfy that desire. Let us train them. Let us teach them. Let us show them that their faith is not placed in a cleverly invented story. Let us equip them with the knowledge of God, the reasons for Christian faith, and the relational skills needed to proclaim the gospel and defend the faith. A passionate army is waiting to be trained. Diligent laborers are ready to go. Let us put them to work. The harvest is waiting.
Amen. Happy New Year!
