OBJECTIONS TO CHRISTIANITY RELATIVISM

1. OBJECTIONS TO CHRISTIANITYRELATIVISM

2. TOP 10 OBJECTIONS • How could a good all powerful God allow evil? • How can you prove God exists? • Evolution disproves Christianity • Miracles are not possible so Christianity is false • Truth is relative • All Christians are hypocrites so Christianity is false • How could a loving God send people to hell? • The Bible is just a book filled with errors • Jesus was just a man • Jesus can’t be the only way

3. Creator – creature Distinction •  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Col 1:16-17 (ESV) • One Triune Creator Personal Sovereign God • Independent Infinite Authority • Creation • Dependent Finite Submissive

4. UNBELIEVER’S WORDS • Autonomous • Independent • Self-sufficient • Chance • Luck • Serendipity • Random • Purposeless • Relative

5. “ERAS OF TRUTH” • The objective foundation for truth, morals, meaning, purpose, and value: • Premodernism – is found in God • Modernism – is found in man, nature, reason, and science (humanism, naturalism, empiricism, evolution) • Postmodernism – does not exist (relativism)

6. TWO WRONGSTWO RIGHTS • Rational wrong – irrational • Correct the error • Moral wrong – immoral • Correct (or punish) the person • Personal preference – subjective • “Chocolate ice cream is the best” • Absolute truth – objective • Mathematics • Morals

7. TRUE TRUTHETHICS: MORAL VALUES & DUTIES • Objective vs. Subjective • Absolute vs. Relative • Universal vs. Local • Knowable vs. Unknowable • Prescriptive vs. Descriptive • Discovered vs. Invented • From God vs. From man

8. TYPES OF MORAL RELATIVISM • Conventional Cultural descriptive relativism • Society/Culture does relativism • Conventional Cultural ethical relativism • Society/Culture says relativism • Subjective individual ethical relativism • I say relativism

9. 2 PART APOLOGETIC • The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalms 53:1 (ESV) • Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Prov 26:4 (ESV) • Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. Prov 26:5 (ESV)

10. APOLOGETIC METHOD“THE CERTAINTY OF THE FAITH”R.B. RAMSAY • Demonstrate interest • Explain your faith • Furnish answers • Expose their presuppositions – worldview • How do you know that? • Why do you believe that? • “Ask Them Why”, Jay Lucas • Navigate through his errors: A – I – P • Direct him to Christ

11. UNBELIEVER’S ERRORS • Arbitrary – unjustified belief • Opinion • Unargued worldview bias • Prejudicial conjecture • Inconsistent – cannot live their worldview • Behavioral • Logical • Preconditions for knowledge – no justification • Uniformity of nature • Laws of logic • Reliability of our senses • Reliability of our memory • Universal moral standard

12. PRECONDITIONS FOR KNOWLEDGEUNIVERSAL, ABSOLUTE, IMMATERIAL • Justified only by the Christian worldview • Uniformity of nature: operational science • Laws of logic: rational reasoning • Reliability of our senses: reliable observation • Reliability of our memory: useable knowledge • Universal moral standard: moral values and duties • Impossibility of the contrary • If the Christian worldview was not true, you could not know anything.

13. CONVENTIONAL CULTURAL DESCRIPTIVE RELATIVISM FLAWS • Wrongly assumes no universal set of moral values and duties • “The Abolition of Man” C. S. Lewis • Different cultural morals proves nothing about the nature of morality • Wrongly assumes that cultural bias prevents objectivity – self defeating • The blind men and the elephant

14. CONVENTIONAL CULTURAL ETHICAL RELATIVISM FLAWS • Morality is reduced to power • No immoral societies/cultures • No immoral laws • No moral reform • Moral reformers are unethical criminals • Which society/culture is primary?

15. SUBJECTIVE INDIVIDUALETHICAL RELATIVISM FLAWS • Pleasure and personal preference = morality • No one and nothing is wrong • Evil doesn’t exist • Cannot place blame or accept praise • Cannot make charges of unfairness or injustice • Cannot make moral improvement • Cannot have moral discussions or disputes • Cannot obligate tolerance

16. RELATIVISM’S ERRORS • Arbitrary – unjustified belief • Opinion • Unargued worldview bias • Prejudicial conjecture • Inconsistent – cannot live their worldview • Behavioral: relativize their hot button • Logical: self defeating, listen for moral words, tolerance • Preconditions for knowledge – no justification • Uniformity of nature • Laws of logic • Reliability of our senses • Reliability of our memory • Universal moral standard

17. MORAL RELATIVISM • The denial of truth does not remove it. • “We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.” • The Abolition of Man, C. S. Lewis

18. APOLOGETIC GOALS • Defend the Christian faith – your words and life • Pray for persuasion – HOLY SPIRIT • And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor 2:13-14 (ESV)

19. DIRECT THEM TO CHRIST • “I amthe way, andthe truth, andthe life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (ESV) • For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (ESV) • if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 (ESV) • For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9  not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Eph 2:8-9 (ESV)