I believe that a basic understanding of apologetics is helpful for every Christian, but let me clarify something at the outset. At its basic level, apologetics is about starting a conversation, not winning an argument. Furthermore, it doesn’t require a great amount of technical knowledge – at least not at the everyday, conversational level. Basic apologetics is not about cornering someone in a debate, but about gently challenging unexamined assumptions and showing that Christian faith rests upon solid intellectual and evidential ground. Let me explain.
I find that the overwhelming majority of non-believers I encounter don’t propose any kind of detailed, evidential argument for their unbelief but simply repeat slogans that they have heard from others. The classic is, “There is no evidence for God’s existence.” Of course, some sceptics have thought deeply about these issues, but in everyday conversations many non-believers simply repeat broad claims they have heard from others without examining them carefully.
This kind of statement is often presented as an established, self-evidential fact that is meant to shut down arguments for faith. And, sadly, many Christians struggle to respond to this kind of statement because they don’t have a clear understanding of the major evidence and arguments for God’s existence.
In my experience, the claim that there is a complete absence of evidence for God’s existence is easily challenged by simply and briefly listing the major areas of evidence. I often start by simply expressing incredulity and stating that there is extremely convincing evidence for God’s existence. This almost always prompts a reply along the lines of, “Really? Like what?” This opens the door for me to briefly list the major areas of evidence, which include the following:
1. The existence of God is the best explanation of why there is something rather than nothing.
2. The fact that the material universe came into existence from nothing (which almost all cosmologists now concede) points to an immaterial cause that exists beyond space and time. It points to a timeless, spaceless, immaterial cause of immense power and intelligence. Sounds like God to me!
3. The astounding fine-tuning of the universal forces and constants points to an intelligent designer – Someone who has created our universe with incredibly precise, interdependent forces that could not possibly have arisen by chance. Mathematicians have long pointed out the statistical impossibility of these finely tuned values arising by chance.
4. The origin of biological life from non-living matter cannot be explained by natural mechanistic processes. You can mix all the right chemicals in a blender for a trillion years and you’ll never get a living cell.
5. The hugely complex information system (DNA) built into every living cell defies naturalistic explanation for its origin. In the case of humans, our operating code of 3.2 billion bits of information arranged in precisely the right order and which programs every cell of our body, instructing them how to function, points to an intelligent Creator. Intelligent information can only come from intelligence, not from blind chance.
6. Human consciousness defies all naturalistic explanations. Non-conscious matter cannot give rise to consciousness. There is an immaterial element to consciousness that requires an immaterial cause.
7. God is the most reasonable explanation for the existence of moral absolutes. If there is no moral lawgiver who builds basic morality into our world and into human consciousness, then there is no objective basis for absolute moral values. Right and wrong simply don’t exist. Yet, almost everyone concedes that right and wrong do exist objectively.
8. The historical and miraculous life, death and resurrection of Jesus provides compelling evidence for God’s existence.
In my discussions with non-believers, I often find that all I have to do when presented with an unsupported slogan like, “there is no evidence for God’s existence”, is express surprise and then briefly list the major areas of evidence. I often don’t even have to explain them in detail because most non-believers have no substance to back up their slogan of unbelief. Most people have not bothered to investigate the evidence for God and are surprised to discover that Christians are able to propose a solid evidential defence of their faith.
You might struggle to articulate these above arguments as clearly as I have, but even a simplified list of these arguments is extremely effective. In everyday conversations, simply identifying the key problem areas for unbelief is often enough to change the tone of the discussion.
I propose that every Christian should at least be able to verbalise a simplified list of some of the major areas of evidence. Even just a select few will be extremely powerful in demonstrating that faith in God is not contrary to science or logic. A brief list like the following is very helpful to have tucked away in your mind, ready for use:
1. The origin of the universe from nothing.
2. The origin of biological life from dead matter.
3. The origin of extremely complex information in DNA.
4. The origin of human consciousness.
5. The origin of moral absolutes.
6. The historical life of Jesus.
You can soften the expression of these areas of evidence by introducing them with questions rather than proposing bold statements. Here are some examples:
“What do you think caused the universe to begin?”
“Where do you think moral right and wrong come from?”
“How do you explain consciousness if we are just matter?”
Why don’t you try memorising a simple list of some of these areas of evidence? If someone wants to ask for more details or debate you on any one of those issues and you don’t have all the necessary facts to hand, you can always say you will gather more information and get back to them. You have started a conversation and, at the very least, have indicated a strong evidential basis for your faith which challenges their stated unbelief or doubt.
If you get in a pickle and can’t answer deeper questions about these issues, please have a browse around my SmartFaith website which has many articles and resources that will help you understand these issues in greater detail. Check out Smartfaith.net for more details.