Episode 103 – Interview with Patrick Prill 1

Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God.

Script Notes:

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue

you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Psalm 139, verses 1 through 6. New International Version

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VK: Hello! Welcome to another episode of Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K in the studio and today we’re going to hear from Patrick Prill who has written a fascinating book entitled Things Atheists Say that Simply Make No Sense. Patrick is joining us remotely today. We wanted to bring him on because we believe that some of the observations he has made in his book could help listeners who often hear declarations by non-believers and are uncertain about whether those declarations actually make any sense.

As long time Anchored by Truth listeners know, we believe that there are four lines of evidence that demonstrate that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. First, the Bible is historically reliable. Second, the Bible displays a remarkable unity for a book that was composed by over 3 dozen human authors who wrote over a span of 1,500 years. Third, the Bible gives evidence of supernatural origin especially through a large body of fulfilled prophecy. And the 4th line of evidence is that the Bible has resulted in an untold number of lives that have been positively changed by its transcendent message. We also strongly believe that the Christian faith is a faith that is grounded in evidence, logic, and reason. Contrary to the refrain that you hear from some people that – “you have faith, but I have reason” – we believe that a proper use of logic, reason, and evidence actually demonstrates that the Christian faith is true.

So today we’re going to hear from someone who has taken a close look at some of the declarations that are made by atheists and see how those declarations stack up when they are analyzed carefully. As I mentioned, Patrick has recorded his observations in a recently released book Things Atheists Say that Simply Make No Sense. One of the great things about Patrick’s book is that his observations are packaged in a very convenient way. It’s easy to read what he has to say about a particular atheistic declaration in a few minutes and his style is very reasonable and informative for the average lay believer. So let’s welcome Patrick Prill to Anchored by Truth. Patrick would you like to say a word of greeting to the Anchored by Truth audience and maybe tell us a little about your background?

Patrick: Thanks for inviting me to join you on Anchored by Truth.

- Introductory comments -

VK: Well, as the listeners heard, Patrick has a very impressive background. It’s particularly impressive that Patrick took the time during his working career to get two masters degrees to help him understand his faith better. Now we can all benefit from the fruit of Patrick’s study and devotion. Well, before we get too much farther into our interview we’d like to take a few minutes to meditate on one of the most important aspects of living victoriously – knowing that our savior not only saves us but also continues to make intercession for us every day. We’re going to do that by using a devotional extract from RD Fierro’s book on prayer entitled Purposeful Prayers. This happens to be day number 10 from the 30 day devotional study.

----------- Purposeful Prayers Devotion, Day Number 10, Christ’s Intercessory Ministry

Patrick, can you tell us a little about why you decided to write the book Things Atheist Say that Simply Make No Sense?

Patrick: Comments about reason for writing book.

Question List:

1. Patrick, you address observations made by some of the most well-known atheists of our age, people like Stephen Hawking, Peter Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and others? But one of the great things about your book is that you are only addressing their ideas and not them as people. Well, let’s get into some of the specific things atheists say that you have addressed in your book. In your first chapter you address the observation that “the universe looks designed but it is not.” So, would you care to help us understand why that observation doesn’t make good sense?

2. You also address the assertion that “life looks designed, but it is not.” Why doesn’t this observation pass intellectual muster?

3. You have an entire section in your book that addresses various atheistic assertions about God. So, let’s take a look at some of those assertions. What do you have to say about the assertion that “there is no God?”

4. What comments would you like to make about the assertion that “science disproves God?”

5. You also address the comment by some atheists that they just don’t want there to be a God. How do you respond to this comment?

6. What do you have to say about the assertion by some atheists that they deny God and accountability?

7. You also take on what is sometimes termed “the problem of pain.” What do you have to say to those who believe that the existence of pain is an impediment to a reasonable belief in God?

8. Some atheists claim that there is no such thing as right or wrong. How do you respond to this assertion?

9. Similarly, some atheists say that there is really no reason for us to live. This is a very common nihilistic perspective among those who reject the existence of God. Why does this observation make no sense?

10. We live in an age where utilitarianism is a very common worldview. This is the worldview that says that our “worth is based on our usefulness.” You have a chapter in your book that addresses this misconception. Please elaborate on your thoughts about this problem.

VK: Well, we’ve covered a lot of ground today. We’ve seen that even world class scientists – in the words of Professor John Lennox – “can sometimes speak nonsense.” This is by no means to demean the contributions of those scientists to their relevant fields. I think it’s simply an acknowledgment by Professor Lennox that we are all human and capable of making errors. We’ve also seen that even atheists acknowledge that when they look at nature and out into the cosmos there is an incredible amount of design and intelligence evident. The atheists may classify this appearance of design as being an illusion. But as Christians we know better. We know that the universe and life appear designed because they are. This observation is not only Biblical. It is also logical. Occam’s razor is the principle that the simplest explanation is usually the right one. The simplest reason for appearance of design in life and the universe would be that they were designed by an omnipotent Being who had the power not only to design but to create. We’ve also learned today that many of the objections hurled against Christianity don’t actually hold water when they are examined closely. For instance, the presence of pain in our lives can serve a beneficial purpose if it used to help us cling more tightly to the true source of comfort. And it is very hard to find a basis for an objective morality unless there is a sovereign, just God that could establish a basis for true ethics and morality.

But, while we’ve been able to discuss a lot today, we haven’t quite been able to get to all the questions we want to ask Patrick. So, we’re hoping Patrick won’t mind joining us on the next episode of Anchored by Truth also. But before we close with prayer Patrick would you like to offer a few final thoughts for today?

Patrick: Final thoughts

VK: We’d really like to thank Patrick Prill for being our guest on Anchored by Truth today. I think we can all be inspired by the kind of reasoned approach that Patrick uses to address objections that are lodged against Christianity. Patrick’s story is just one more example of how sacred scripture –the Bible – continues to demonstrate its supernatural nature through lives that are changed for the better for all eternity by its saving power. Today, for our closing prayer, how about if we pray for renewal of the church in our nation? 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us that the Lord says that “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

---- PRAYER FOR RENEWAL OF THE CHURCH

VK: We hope you’ll be with us next time when we’ll continue our discussion with Patrick. And we hope you’ll take some time to encourage some friends to tune in too, or listen to the podcast version of this show.

If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not famous but our Boss is!”

(Bible Quotes from the New International Version)

Psalm 139, verses 1 through 6. New International Version

Christ’s Intercessory Ministry

In the previous reflection, we discussed how Christ paid the debt we owe to God by living a sinless life and dying a sacrificial death. Christ’s resurrection validated that man’s account had been settled and his penalty had been paid in full. This is good news for those who put their trust in Him. The good news, however, does not end here.

Hebrews 7:25 tells us that, “[Christ] is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Thus, we know that in addition to being our Mediator with the Father, Christ also acts as our Intercessor. Normally we think of intercessors as those who intercede on another’s behalf, taking up another’s cause as if it were their own.

The Bible contains a wonderful account of such intercession in the brief letter of the Apostle Paul to Philemon, a believer in Colossae. Paul wrote Philemon on behalf of a runaway slave (or some commentators think servant) named Onesimus who had become a Christian through Paul’s ministry. Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon, asking that he receive Onesimus back as a Christian brother rather than as a slave. The letter is a masterpiece of persuasion, stopping short of a demand but containing no small hint that Philemon owed Paul a great deal and ought not to lightly refuse his request.

Paul acted as Onesimus’ intercessor, and in doing so, behaved in the same manner as other human intercessors. Human intercessors generally interpose themselves as requestors, rather than as decision makers. This is certainly the situation when we undertake intercessory prayer on behalf of another, for God owes us nothing.

Intercessory prayer is commendable and commanded by the Bible. It is important, however, that we not impute our limitations as intercessors to Christ in His intercessory role on our behalf. While it is true that Christ was fully human, He is also fully divine. No less so than the Father or the Holy Spirit, Christ participates in all the attributes of divinity. Christ is infinite, all-knowing, all-powerful, and sovereign. When He acts, Christ does not leave His divine nature behind or forgo any of His divine prerogatives.

When Christ acts as our intercessor He is not limited to merely adding His voice to ours as a petitioner. While man only has the power to propose, Christ has the power to dispose. Therefore, when the Bible tells us that Christ is our Intercessor, this is an observation that goes well beyond merely reporting that Christ is an additional supplicant on our behalf. The Bible teaches us that Christ is actively working on behalf of His people.

When Christ lived as a man and walked among the people of Palestine, He did not just instruct them about the things of God. He fed people, healed their sicknesses, raised the dead, drove out demons, comforted children, and attended to the needs of those around Him. As a final demonstration of His great love for mankind Christ took our place on the cross and became the object of God’s righteous wrath. Christ’s love and concern for His people should cause us to praise Him effusively in our prayers, and the fact that He continues to work actively on our behalf should be a source of comfort and encouragement to every believer

Understanding that Christ is our intercessor as well as our mediator is important because it illuminates our understanding of His character, roles, and relationship with His people. Our prayer life deepens as we grow in the knowledge and understanding of the One to whom we pray. Knowing that Christ is our intercessor expands our knowledge about Him, increases our appreciation of Him, and should animate us to spend more time with Him in prayer.