Apologetics

Front matter
Connections List
 * Against Christianity
 * For Christianity
 * Theological Inconsistencies
 * Atheism Explains
 * Atheist Inconsistencies
 * Christianity Explains
 * References - Apologetics
 * For Atheism
 * Against Atheism
 * Arguments and Qs
 * God metaphysics
 * Christian thought
 * Keep the faith
 * Theology
 * Constructivism

Scope
 * This category covers all argumentation for salvation-issue topics, as oriented towards unbelievers.
 * Does not include fine hair arguments inside the scope of salvation
 * Does not include reasoning around potential roadblock issues which are not salvation critical.

Topics Origin/Definition
 * Etymology
 * Mech
 * Verses, guidance and heart and methods
 * Methods/paradigms
 * View models
 * Apologia. Strongs 627. 8 occurences. Defense with an audience in mind.
 * Interestingly, Phil 1:7 also has "bebaiosei", confirming, which is probs vs. false
 * "Natural Theology" does apologetics and theo using science/natural world

Effectiveness

 * Is it possible to prove God's existence? In excess of 50% yes. E.g. Acts 18:28 and Heb 11:1. Can't prove 100% due to matrix.
 * G plerophoria = confidence. Col 2:2, 1 Thess 1:5, Rom 4:21,14:5, Col 4:12
 * Isaiah 54:17 "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,”


 * Many see strong evidence and don't believe (e.g. Pharisees)
 * Luke 16:31 - since person not listen to the Torah (history) they would not listen to someone raised from the dead.
 * John 20 doubting Thomas. His friends tell him the truth, testimony, and he refuses. Blessed are those who believe on testimony and don't need direct.
 * Should an ill-educated Christian try to spread the gospel? I guess they at least have their own testimony, plus whatever HS wants to do in the moment.

Appropriate / When to use

 * 1 Cor 2:1-7 did not use arguments, but instead power, so that your faith not rest on human wisdom. Hm... but v6 we do speak wisdom among the mature, theology
 * Used more for internal church than for evang (so says Kyle Whitaker)
 * John 6 Jesus says "eat my flesh" and many are confused. He does not try to clear things up. This may be a kind of filtering so only that seek will bother to try and follow him.
 * Pearls to swine.

Scripture about defending the faith:

 * Approx 50% of epistles are vs. heresy
 * Acts 18:28 Apollos "proving from the scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah"
 * Pauline arguments
 * Acts 17:2,17, 19:8,28:23-24 Pauls practice of reasoning from the scriptures
 * Acts 14:17 rational argument from created things, Rom 1:20
 * 1 Peter 3:15 always be prepared to give an answer, in context of suffering for doing good, with gentleness and respect
 * Acts 17:11 Bereans testing Pauls message by the scriptures
 * 1 Corinthians 1-2 wisdom of the world, 2:4-5 demonstration of power, not wisdom or rhetoric (though paul uses plent of wisdom in his letters).
 * Luke 1:1-4 careful investigate, 1 John 1:1-2 we see, touch, testify
 * 1 Cor 15:6-8 early mantra cites many witnesses
 * 2 Cor 10:3-5 we wage war with weapons that have divine power to demolish strongholds - which are arguments and pretension vs. knowledge of God.
 * 2 Tim 2:25 opponents gently instructed in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth
 * Psalm 14:1 the fool says in his heart there is no god (this verse applies more to evang and tactics than methodology)
 * James 3:17-18 wisdom from above is (among other things), open to reason, impartial, sincere
 * Acts 6:10 Stephen uses wisdom

Major argumentation methods
From Kyle Whitaker at BrewCityChurch, online video, between 2011-2017 sometime
 * Classic - descartes ground up. Also C.S. Lewis
 * Evidential - miracles
 * Presuppositional - all humans believe the same fundamentals, they just have not constructed properly due to darkening
 * Reformed - epistemology, HS reliance, Avlin Plantinga
 * Fideism - arbitrary, unbased belief. "My way of life is more fun"

View model:

 * Driver vs. Probability vs. Preference vs. Explanatory
 * God/supernatural (spirtualists) > creation (deism) > involved (broad JC) > caring (genocidal) > bible > JC and specific
 * No God > bang > cosmo + constants > life > evolution > humans
 * For vs. Against
 * Atheist vs. Christian
 * Internal/logic,terms vs. External/data