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APOLOGETICS

APOLOGETICS. PLURALISM. What can be known about God through general revelation?. God exists Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

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APOLOGETICS

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  1. APOLOGETICS PLURALISM

  2. What can be known about God through general revelation? • God exists • Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. • Romans 1:18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

  3. What can be known about God through general revelation? • God is transcendent, uncreated and universal Lord • Acts 17:24The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. • God is immanent • Acts 17:26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

  4. What can be known about God through general revelation? • God is wise • Psalm 104:24 How many are your works, O LORD ! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. • God is Creator • Acts 14:15Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. • God is eternal • Psalm 93:2 Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.

  5. What can be known about God through general revelation? • God is good • Acts 14:17Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. • God is righteous • Romans 1:32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

  6. What can be known about God through general revelation? • God is self-sufficient • Acts 17:25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. • God has a sovereign will • Acts 17:26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.

  7. What can be known about God through general revelation? • God is the standard of goodness • Romans 2:15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them. • God should be worshiped • Acts 14:15"Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.

  8. What can be known about God through general revelation? • God should be worshiped • Acts 17:23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. • God will judge evil • Romans 2:15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them. 16This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

  9. What can be known about God through general revelation? • Humans should perform what is good • Romans 2:15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.

  10. Since all humans can know so much about God, • It is clear that there is much common ground to stand on. • It is also clear that the belief systems of no two humans are mutually exclusive.

  11. More Common Ground • Logos Spermatikos: The Seed of Reason • Sensus Divinitatis: The Intuitive Awareness that there is a God • Imago Dei: Created in His Image • Begin by knowing these three things are true of every single person • You will then be seen as looking for agreement, and not disagreement

  12. Pluralism: “Each Religion is True and Valid” “All paths lead to the same destination.” Why? • It’s intolerant to assert that one religion is true and the others false • No religion possesses all the truth, but bits and pieces of the truth • There is an ethical core all religions share in common

  13. Claims of Pluralists • The world’s religions are basically equal. As the spokes of a wheel all lead to the hub, each religion represents a different approach to the same Reality. • Each religion’s capacity to redeem humanity is equal to that of every other religion. • No one religion has “the truth.” All religions have truth.

  14. Claims of Pluralists • Jesus did not teach that he was unique. People who believe the Christian religion is the one way to God are dangerously narrow-minded, arrogant, and badly mistaken. • There is a set of moral laws common to all religions which did not originate in any one of the religions in particular. • We cannot know the truth about God.

  15. Claims of Pluralists • All religious experiences, occurrences, and phenomena can be explained. • The only hope to approach the truth is through dialogue between those of other religions. • Pluralism is neutral and not aligned to the teachings of any one religion. • All truth is relative.

  16. Some Questions To Consider • Can there be such a thing as equality of truthfulness? • In answering the ultimate questions, the truth claims of the major world religions differ.

  17. Some Questions To Consider • Do all religions possess an equal degree of moral worthiness? • Non-Christians cannot behave morally in the manner specified by the highest requirements of Christianity (agape love, fruits of the Spirit). • Comparison of the highest moral teachings of each of the world’s major religions shows Christianity to possess the highest. • The universality of the law of reciprocity is insufficient to show that all the religions are morally equal.

  18. Some Questions To Consider • Do all religions possess an equal degree of moral worthiness? • Comparing examples of people who exemplify moral behavior is insufficient to demonstrate the truthfulness of their beliefs. • The moral superiority of Christianity is not dependent on the character of Christians but rather on the character of Christ.

  19. Some Questions To Consider • Do all religions possess an equal degree of redemptive power? • Belief in this assumes each religion has a proper relation to what is really Ultimate. • Belief in this assumes an anti-supernaturalistic view of religion, that each religion is merely a human response to the Ultimate. See 2 Corinthians 10:12 for a warning about this.

  20. Some Questions To Consider • Is the truth content of each religion equal to that of every other religion? • Denying that any single religion is objectively true is also a form of exclusivism, favoring pantheism. • Sincere believing does not render a truth claim to be true. • Opposing truth claims of religions cannot each be true. Truth claims are essentially either/or, and not both/and. • Pluralism waters down the truth claims of the major religions in order to make them serve their thesis, that each religion is an equally legitimate, valid, correct, and moral way to reach the Ultimate.

  21. Some Questions To Consider • Is exclusivism too dangerous a position to hold? • Pluralists are no more accepting of non-pluralists than exclusivists are to other exclusivists. • The attitude of an exclusivist does not render the truth claims s/he holds true or false. • All truth is narrow. It is the nature of a truth claim to exclude falsehood. Those who are mistaken about truth cannot help but feel excluded while remaining in their mistaken mindset. • Truth is not decided by majority vote, and is therefore not inherently democratic in nature.

  22. Some Questions To Consider • Must you hold your beliefs loosely enough so you can pluralistically dialogue with those of other faiths? • Perfecting an attitude of humility and grace does not require one to relinquish one’s firm grasp of one’s beliefs. • Example: Jesus. • Pluralists hold on to their own pluralism tightly, yet most hope to be able to dialogue with other pluralists and with exclusivists. There is no need to loosen your grip.

  23. All paths do not lead to the same destination. Why? • Pluralism does not take into account the conflicting truth claims of different religions • Pluralism ignores the fact that founders intended to contradict prior religious teachings • Pluralism endorses revisionism.

  24. When we take the teachings of other religions seriously, we learn that A. THE WORLD’S WISDOM TRADITIONS DIFFER IN IMPORTANT WAYS • WHO/WHAT GOD IS/ GODS ARE • WHAT GOD HAS SAID / GODS HAVE SAID • HOW TO VIEW THE PHYSICAL WORLD • WHAT THE ESSENTIAL HUMAN PREDICAMENT IS • WHAT THE WAY OF SALVATION IS

  25. When we take the teachings of other religions seriously, we learn that • FOUNDERS OF RELIGIONS … • …KNEW THEIR TEACHINGS CONTRADICTED PRIOR TEACHINGS IN SOME WAYS • …BELIEVED THEY WERE TEACHING TRUTH THAT WAS ETERNAL AND ABSOLUTE • …INTENDEDFOR FOLLOWERS TO CHANGE THEIR BELIEFS TO THE NEW TEACHINGS • …EXPECTEDBELIEFS TO INFLUENCE CONDUCT, FOR THE BETTER

  26. BECAUSE OF A. AND B., • PLURALISM IS BASED ON FLAWED THESES, SUCH AS • “RELIGIONS AGREE ON THE BASICS” • “ALL RELIGIONS POINT THEIR ADHERENTS IN THE SAME DIRECTION” • “THE ACT OF BELIEVING ANYTHING IS REDEMPTIVE IN ITSELF, SO CONTENT DOESN’T MATTER” • “THE MAJOR RELIGIONS TEACH THESE THINGS” • THUS, PLURALISM SHOULD BE REJECTED AS A VALID APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF RELIGION

  27. Most religions agree that • ETHICS EXIST • MINIMUM OBJECTIVE STANDARDS OF CONDUCT EXIST • VIRTUES ARE NEEDED • HUMILITY, CHARITY AND TRUTHFULNESS TOP THE LIST • OBSTACLES TO VIRTUE EXIST • HATRED, GREED, AND DELUSION BLOCK ACCESS TO VIRTUE

  28. Most religions agree that • THERE IS MEANING TO LIFE • A GRAND DESIGN EXISTS • LIFE IS BETTER THAN OUR MERE SENSES CAN DISCERN • REALITY IS MYSTERIOUS • THE LARGER THE ISLAND OF KNOWLEDGE, THE LONGER THE SHORELINE OF WONDER SO, WE MUST LISTEN UNDERSTANDING RESPECT GOOD WILL

  29. To reach those of other religions, one must • Value objective truth • Become allergic to postmodernism • Beware of pluralism’s influence on modern comparative religion studies • Remember C2C

  30. C2C • Three mandates to remember for people of other religions • “Comprehend” • “Communicate” • “Convert” • The first two we must do • The third we must leave to the Holy Spirit

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