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Christian
Apologetics and Evidences |
Christian Apologetics and Evidences
Christianity is grounded in facts and evidence, both historical and
scientific. Its claims about God, God’s creation, God’s plan of
redemption, the Bible, the ministry, miracles and above all – the
resurrection of Jesus can be objectively verified through evidences by studying
astronomy, physics, molecular biology and genetics, archaeology,
history, the Bible and ancient non-Biblical documents. These claims
are not merely imposed as “truth” by one person through some
revelation. Therefore Christianity (and Judaism) stands on a
foundation of evidence completely different from other religions. In comparison,
Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and all the other religions of the world
largely rely upon a revelation to one “prophet.” This prophet
subsequently writes a book of his revelations, which becomes the
“bible” on which the faith of his followers rests.
Jesus taught his apostles,
who after His resurrection took the gospel message throughout the
world. That message is still spread by Christians today. Unlike the
approach of most other religions, non-believers are invited to hear
the Word, assess the evidence themselves and by exercising their free
will, choose to become (and remain) a believer. Unlike Islam,
Christianity does not try to insulate its believers against the
influence of other religions; rather it trains its followers to
distinguish the evidence between true and false teachings. To do this
the Christian believer must research and challenge, then verify and assess these
first principles, the basic truths of the faith. A Christian needs to make up
one’s own mind about this. As a Christian do not accept something as true just
because someone tells you so. Accept only those truths that YOU, after
careful consideration,
believe to be TRUTH.
The study of the evidences for the Christian
faith is called Christian Apologetics. The word apologetics comes from the Greek
απολογία (“apologia,”
which means a verbal defense, answer, or reply). Therefore, Christian
apologetics deals with all critics who oppose or question the
revelation of God in Christ and the Bible. Christian apologetics includes
complex subjects such as Biblical manuscript transmission, philosophy,
biology, mathematics, evolution, and logic. Christian apologetics can also consist of
simple answers to questions about Jesus or a Bible passage.
It is important to approach these questions and issues related
to Christian apologetics with an
open mind. Try to be objective and judge the information in such a
manner. It is essential in apologetics to seek to avoid the bias of preconceived ideas. Presume
innocence until guilt is proved. In Christian apologetics, position yourself to be the jury in a
trial and insist upon objective evidence. Remember that the faith of a
Christian is not afraid of open, honest inquiry; no truth fears
investigation.
Read more: Christian
Apologetics
and Truth
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