The resurrection is the keystone of the arch on which our faith is supported. If Christ has not risen, we must impeach all those witnesses for lying. If Christ has not risen, we have no proof that the crucifixion of Jesus differed from that of the two thieves who suffered with him. If Christ has not risen, it is impossible to believe his atoning death was accepted.
In Modernism, miracles also are suspect if not “impossible.” Forced to deny plain words of the Scriptures that expose and condemn all natural man’s selfish actions, the Modernist has to question ALL Scripture that does not agree with his life. The God’s Divine Directory becomes a book “written by man” full of “mistakes.” Its plain demands become “Misinterpretations.” Modernism joins Satan by asking, “Has God said?” when He very plainly HAS! (Genesis 3:1). This philosophy tries to take the supernatural from Scripture and society, undermining faith in God and His Word. Here, the Bible is not our absolute guide for life under the light of God’s Holy Spirit. A Modernist rethinks truth in a way that clouds Christ’s clear commands. He makes darkened reason, not intelligent trust in the Word of a wise and holy God, his rule. Subtle changes in understanding of truth, double-thinking, and silence on issues that clarify sin are all marks of Modernism.
Tell me how it is that in this room there are three candles and but one light, and I will explain to you the mode of the divine existence.
A sign of the security of your beliefs is that you welcome hard questions and scrutiny; a sign of their insecurity is when you shut down and censor discussion.
While stating or implying that religion is the cause of these and other wars, some liberal professors talk as if atheists would never engage in such evils. Yet, let’s not forget the atrocities of atheistic communism. Stalin was responsible for about 20 million deaths and Mao Zedong’s regime for approximately 70 million. Pol Pot, who led the Communist Party faction known as the Khmer Rouge, killed over 1.5 million of his own Cambodian people. Add to these numbers the atrocities committed by Soviet dictators like Lenin, Khrushchev, and Brezhnev.
For many people, apologetics is one of the biggest things that God has used to strengthen their faith and help them grow in their relationship with Him. Learning about the various ways that science, history, and philosophy cohere with God and how apparent conflicts can be resolved is exciting and edifying. Like Jacob struggling with God and refusing to let go until God blessed him, apologetics allows us to struggle with God over the deep philosophical and theological questions of our time. There’s a blessing for us in that struggle!
Leadership should expound strongly on the truth instead of focusing on that which is false. Deceit cannot stand against the authority, strength, and wisdom of prayerful, godly leadership.
Christians are not supposed to “just have faith.” Christians are commanded to know what they believe and why they believe it. They are commanded to give answers to those who ask (1 Pet. 3:15), and to demolish arguments against the Christian faith (2 Cor. 10:4-5).
It is not the objective proof of God’s existence that we want but the experience of God’s presence. That is the miracle we are really after, and that is also, I think, the miracle that we really get.
If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.