Proof as Moral Obligation

by Douglas Wilson

What does it mean to prove something to someone?

Flipping the question around, what does it mean to believe—to accept something as having been satisfactorily proven?

In Proof as Moral Obligation, Douglas Wilson argues that the act of attempting to prove something is a moral exercise. When something is proven, it creates a moral obligation to accept it. and to act on that acceptance.

Christians ought to confess together that God has given us a sure word in a slippery world. But we like it slippery. Where the prophets said, “Thus saith the Lord,” we would prefer to say, “It seems to me.” How would our preaching and witnessing change if we really believed what we believe and believed that our hearers were required to believe it too?

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Philosophy

102 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2024

About the author

I write in order to make the little voices in my head go away. Thus far it hasn't worked.

Reviews

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ain't technology grand? I finished copyediting this book an Friday, sent it to Doug, got back his final comments, did the interior layout, and it was live on Amazon on Saturday. The book is pretty good stuff, too. If I were Johnny Cochran, I'd say something like If there's proof, you must believe the truth!

I was flummoxed on a cover idea till I got to a chapter that used an illustration from Narnia, then I decided the book had a rather Aslany flavor to it, and I hunted up this seventeeth-century engraving of Aslan having a chat with Jill Pole. She's off-screen, of course. Proof requires belief, and belief requires obedience, and He just might eat you up either way, but your best bet is to come along quietly.

[Gloriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best ways we can witness to the joy of the Lord in everyday life is to live with a visible gratitude. It's far more convincing to walk with a smile than to go around grouching.
The apologist ought to speak with assurance, because he ought to have it. He ought to speak with authority and trust that God has given him that.
Nice, short book. 😂

[Caleb M. Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good.

[Will Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really makes you think. Would be immensely edifying and clarifying for anyone looking to do any kind of apologetics or evangelism, no matter the scale.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does he manage what he went in for - to prove that proof is an moral obligation? No. The book is a mess. I was expecting a clean proof, and irrefutable argument for that I have a moral obligation to believe what someobody apparently prove, but Wilson goes on many tangents and messy examples and the bad writing is sometimes rushed(falling back to stuff he knows, rather than investigating what needs to be known - meaing he finds the answers in Lewis fiction rahter than logic and phiosophical thinking), and the resulting short book is as medicore as one would expect because of that. When one writes a short book like this, one has the moral obligation to only include the essentials - this is my thesis. Wilson fails.

I am probably on the same page as Wilson here on most points, but he is a bit bastant and his approach is not exactly humble. My hopes from the first chapters where kind of crushed - as he never vent anywhere and never landed from that. In between he said some good stuff, some interesting stuff, some stuff to squint at, but this is not the work of a renowed thinker - it reads more like the work of a hobby theologian with and idea he wants to explore.

[Joshua Cartwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly lifechanging

First, I wish this book were 100 times longer. It's that good.

It basically argues in different ways that when you believe God you have a moral obligation to obey. And if you have seen the Truth and do not obey there's no wiggle room. You are disobedient and judged as such. Lastly, never let an unbeliever judge the Scriptures. The Scriptures judge Him - they are your authority and you must weald it. He argues this better than me (and I will have to read it again) but if you want to be reasonable about your faith - this is not the book for you (and you need it!)

[Rick Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book to be read and reread.

This little book is a profound, but readable and practical look at the nature of proof. We cannot adequately argue for the truth if we misunderstand what it means to prove something. His thesis is “To prove something is assert moral obligation on the hearer’s part.” The way Douglas Wilson shows us this is fascinating.
Having read this book only once, I feel like I have only eaten a small crumb of a delicious cake and then been asked to review it. I’ve tasted enough to recommend, more reading are required to do it justice.

[Ted Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot here that is accessible and a lot that could use a second reading. I got the feeling through this book that I was missing something deeper. I plan to return to this one after I have time to think.

[Jason Garwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s good.

[Matthew Huff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little volume on epistemology, the last 30 pages worth the price of admission as a whole. Only wish it were longer.

[Stegokitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly the easiest-to-understand Doug Wilson book (and I've read a bunch of 'em). A well-argued premise, irrefutable IMHO.

[Nancy Kendall]

(no audio)

[Timothy Benefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good. As someone with a lifelong interest in apologetics, I encountered some new points that I've never heard before. Worth a read for every Christian.