Equipping University

Over the last several years, we have heard the word "billion" used too many times in the news. We keep hearing of billions of dollars being spent on the war against terror and the hundreds of billions of dollars given in the bailout. DO we know what that number means? A million seconds in the past was twelve days ago. A billion seconds in the past was 331 years ago. A trillion seconds in the past was 31,688 years ago. It's almost hard to comprehend a billion of anything. We also use the term "billion" when we talk about the number of people on this planet who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are approximately six billion people on this planet at any given moment and that number continues to increase by a net gain of about 200,000 each day. Of this incredible mass of people, it is estimated that as many as 1/3 of the total are completely ignorant of the name of Jesus Christ. What is the eternal destiny of these 2 billion souls? Are these people really headed for a place called hell? A person's viewpoint ��� and, indeed, a church's understanding ��� of this issue "throws a searchlight on their understanding of the nature of sin, the content of the gospel and the task of global missions."

Non-theists have argued for years for several propositions that Christians have historically denied and have denied propositions that Christians affirm. Now, some Christians are joining them. Some argue that there is a second-chance after death for those who have never heard the gospel. Some argue that salvation can be attained through non-Christian religions like Islam or Buddhism. Beliefs about these subjects fall into three categories: pluralism, inclusivism, and exclusivism. While Christianity has historically been exlcusive, there is a noticeable increase in both pluralism and inclusivism. The Christian cannot agree with the first two categories. Christians should be unashamed to state unequivocally that there is but one God. Furthermore, there is only way to approach God and that is through the person and work of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. As you can imagine, these are "fighting words." Are believers justified in saying these words? Do Christians have ample reason to make such exclusive and restrictive statements? I believe we do on both theological and philosophical grounds.

There is a wide range of answers to the question "Does God exist?" The spectrum of belief can rest anywhere between "There is no God" to "There probably is no God" to "God probably exists" to "The God of the Bible exists." Tim Keller wisely insists that we look at all the evidence given not as "proofs" but as "clues." A proof is able to stand alone with no room for disagreement. A true proof for the existence of God would end all debate. There is no such proof for the existence of God. The Christian should also realize that God has not revealed Himself in this way. As Dawkins points out, God could end all discussion about his existence very quickly, very visibly, and very loudly. Instead, God has called on people to live by faith. However, this does not mean that God is entirely silent or hidden. There are a multitude of clues all around us that point towards God. The power of the clue is in their cumulative effect. Once this new viewpoint was adopted, the clues for God's existence are seen to provide a very strong cumulative force.

Our presuppositions determine how we view our world and how we live in that world. We interpret everything according to our worldview or presuppositions. It is wrong to think that facts are neutral (or "brute facts") because facts do not "speak for themselves." People do not evaluate facts apart from their biases or assumptions made beforehand (pre-assumptions, or presuppositions). Presuppositions are not assumptions that we make but a personal commitment to the most basic level of understanding. They have the greatest authority in your life and are therefore the least negotiable (if only non-negotiable) belief that you have. The goal in apologetics is to approach a person on the level of his presuppositions. Therefore, the best way to deal with an atheist or any other non-believer is to discover the antithesis and then push the antithesis between the competing presuppositions or worldviews. To "push the antithesis" is to force the unbeliever to live consistently with his rationalistic and materialistic presuppositions. In other words, once you discover what a person bases his idea upon (naturalism, materialism, atheism), you then get him or her to see the inconsistency between that belief and the way they actually live life.