Christian Apologetics - Evidences by Windmill Ministries

Am I supposed to hate the world?

In Chapter 12 of Frequently Avoided Questions Smith and Whitlock ask "Am I Supposed to Hate the World?" In order to answer that question we need to ask did Jesus hate the people in the world? Like Jesus Christ we should establish authentic friendships with unbelievers with no agenda.

In discussing the relationship of our faith to the culture and society around us, Chuck Smith states that "There is an inherent tension between Christianity and culture." (p. 190) We must seek out whatever good God is doing in our culture. Like Christ Himself, we must understand and engage culture. Spiritual purity is not maintained by non-engagement. The church must serve God as He redeems humans within their culture. If we withdraw from culture non-Christians will not have opportunities to perceive Christ. We belong in culture as salt and light. We are advertisements for Jesus. There is no place in contemporary society and culture that does not need Christ's presence and an influence for good. Our society, without realizing it, cries out for Christ.

God gave us culture and placed us in society. Involvement in society is the way believers honor God and conform to His will. Believers need to do more than live in society. We need to critically engage the culture around us. Critically engaging culture means that we ask a lot of questions. We need to interrogate our culture and discern what God is doing. What are some aspects of popular culture that we can engage? How about music, art, movies? Or the internet with its facebook, twitter and you-tube? Try to find the deeper issues of popular culture. What questions are being asked? By analyzing and engaging popular culture we can determine how we can most effectively participate in society.

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.

Christian Apologetics - Evidence for Christianity

Does God exist?

Are YOU Prepared to Answer?

Am I supposed to hate the world?

Christian Apologetics and Evidences