Final

Question 1

1 Peter 3:15

Answer 1

“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Question 2

John 21:24

Answer 2

This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.”

Question 3

Classical view of apologetics?

Answer 3

It begins with the premise that Christianity is rationale.
What is unknown or unseen can be demonstrated through what is known.
I.e. the effect is known
Anselms ontological and Aquinas’ 5 ways are examples of classical apologetics.

Question 4

What does 1 Peter 3:15 teach about apologetics?

Answer 4

Always be prepared
To make a defense
For anyone who asks 
For a reason for the hope
With gentleness and respect
Without the gospel there is no hope before God.

Question 5

An example in John’s gospel how he uses testimony:

Answer 5

John 21:24

John 1:19

Question 6

What can we learn about apologetics from Acts 17?

Answer 6

Paul had an acute spiritual sense for the lost (v.16)
Paul observes (v.16 & 22)
Paul is familiar with the audiences (v.17)

Gods aseity (being within himself)
- acts 17:25
Sovereign (v. 26)
Paul finds common ground to work with.
He goes from aseity to the resurrection.

Question 7

What are the big 3 charges against the early church?

Answer 7

Cannibalism: the lords supper
Incest: brothers & sisters in Christ
Atheism: Christian’s denied the Roman gods.

Question 8

Anselm’s ontological argument:

Answer 8

The idea moves from the idea of the being of God to the actual being of God.
1. The idea of a being that is greater than can be thought
2. To exist in reality is greater than existing in the mind.
3. Therefore, God must exist.
The concept is within us. Because it actually exists.
Defends against gradation.

Question 9

Aquinas’ 5 Ways:

Answer 9

5 ways are connected, interrelated arguments to fill in causation.

1. Motion - whatever is in motion is put in motion by another.
2. Causality - there is no cause known which the thing itself is found to be the cause of itself. There must be a first cause.
3. Necessity- must be a necessary being since if everything were possible not to exist nothing could exist.
4. Gradation - there must be a perfect being as the cause to every other perfection or goodness.
5. Design - natural things which lack intelligence have purpose.

Question 10

Kalam cosmological argument:

Answer 10

That which begins to exist must have a cause.
If the universe is real, did it have a beginning?
If it had a beginning then it had a cause.
If the cause itself is an effect it has its own preceding cause.
The cause is separate from the effect.

For causality to exist, it must begin, which requires a single uncaused cause.
Aristotle’s unmoved mover and law of infinite regress.

Question 11

Argument for reliability of scripture - internal consistency

Answer 11

Bible is dynamic
- 39 authors
- 1,450 years
- 3 languages
- 3 continents
- yet one book with one message
Fulfilled prophecy
Accuracy of stories/events
Ordinary and uniquely beautiful

Question 12

Argument for reliability of scripture - external corroboration

Answer 12

Archaeology
- Merneptah Stele, 13th century BC contains reference to Israel.
Cyrus Cylinder, records cyrus’ decision to release Jews back into land.
Biblical authors mention eye-witness testimony which invites scrutiny.
- many witnesses were still alive.

Question 13

5 Pillars of Islam:

Answer 13

Shahada: reciting the creed.
Salat: ritualistic prayer
- pray 5 times per day toward Mecca
- prostrate, imitating Muhammad
Zakat: almsgiving
- 2.5% of income to poor/religion
Sawn: fasting
- during month of Ramadan nothing is to be swallowed from sunrise to sunset.
Haji: pilgrimage to Mecca

Question 14

What do Muslims believe about Jesus?

Answer 14

Jesus (Isa) is called the word of God in Quran.
Quran speaks of Jesus as the light of the world.
Isa is a prophet not God.
-God could not have a son because how could he have relationship with a woman.
Jesus only appeared to be crucified.

Question 15

What is the Muslim creed (Shahada)?

Answer 15

“I bear witness that there is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet.”

Question 16

4 types of inclusivism:

Answer 16

1. Faith principle - what matters most is sincerity of faith.
2. Salvation through direct revelation
3. Amos young’s proposition
   - Holy Spirit can save whoever, whenever it wants.
4. Primitive religion- there’s a small nugget of purity in all religion that is pleasing to God.

Question 17

Christian response to faith principle of inclusivism?

Answer 17

What matters most is the sincerity of faith not the content.
- it is not faith that saves. It is faith in Christ that saves.
(Blind faith vs faith in Christ)

Question 18

Christian response to direct revelation form of inclusivism?

Answer 18

Biblical view is faith through hearing (Roman’s 10).
It is not just faith in Christ but God has ordained human agency for the preaching of the gospel.
- dreams and visions bypass Gods need for humans.

Question 19

Christian response to Amos Young’s inclusivism proposition?

Answer 19

In response to the Holy Spirit saving whoever and whenever he wants:
Problem with this is the Holy Spirit works in conjunction with the word of God.
God is the one who declared this way of salvation. The HS cannot contradict this.

Question 20

Christian response to primitive religion form of inclusivism?

Answer 20

The belief that at the core of all religions is a nugget of purity pleasing to God:
This belief stems from wanting to help God out of “tight situations.” We are doing God a favor by making him more appealing.
God doesn’t need us to fix anything for him.

Question 21

Pluralism vs inclusivism?

Answer 21

Pluralism says many gods many ways.

Inclusivism says one god many ways.

Question 22

How is pluralism self-defeating?

Answer 22

Pluralism is many gods many ways.
The law of noncontradiction says that a trinitarian God and a nontrinitarian god cannot both be true.
Attempting to respect all religions pluralism offends all.

Question 23

Bible verses teaching the exclusivity of Jesus?

Answer 23

John 14:6

Acts 4:12

Question 24

What is privatized religion?

Answer 24

What you believe works for you.
“Neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg.” - TJ
Disestablishmentarianism
Beliefs don’t ultimately matter. If so, then beliefs aren’t about ultimate reality.

David Wells tells us secularism strips life of the divine by relocating the divine to that part of life that is private.

Question 25

How does historicism attempt to make the Bible a cultural relic?

Answer 25

Ernest Troeltsch argues “we are at every moment purely historical beings.”
Meaning everything is historically located.
All truth claims are necessarily culturally conditioned.

Question 26

What does Charles Taylor mean when he says belief in God is no longer axiomatic?

Answer 26

There are alternatives.
People no longer have to look beyond themselves for norms, their good, and ultimate standards of value.

It used to be difficult to not believe in God where now belief is difficult since it will encounter challenges to daily living and relationships.

Question 27

What is Aristotle’s law of infinite regress?

Answer 27

States that there cannot be regress infinitely, but rather there must be a beginning.

Question 28

Define notitia, assensus, and fiducia.

Answer 28

The question is what kind of faith saves?
The reformers spoke of faith in three aspects.
Notitia: knowledge, correct understanding.
- the proposition of the gospel.
- before we can actually call people to saving faith, we have to give them the information/content.

Assensus: mental assent and affirmation that the propositions are true.
-we are saying yes to the propositions/gospel.

Fiducia: the full and entire trust in the proposition and person of Christ.
- trust and reliance that involve a genuine affection for Christ.

• notitia and assensus are necessary conditions of saving faith, but they are not sufficient to save us.

Question 29

What are the four essential principles of knowledge?

Answer 29

1. The law of noncontradiction
2. The law of causality
3. Basic reliability of the senses
4. Analogical language

Question 30

What is the law of noncontradiction?

Answer 30

Fundamental to all logic and rational discourse.

It says ‘A’ cannot be ‘A’ and not ‘A’ at the same time and the same sense.

Question 31

What is the law of causality?

Answer 31

For every effect there is a cause.

• motion: things in motion were set in motion.
• there are no self-generating effects.
• when we see an effect we know there was a beginning of that effect.

Question 32

What is basic reliability of the senses?

Answer 32

Our senses can and do deceive us.

But when we have a conglomerate of senses they are reliable.

Question 33

What is analogical language?

Answer 33

Words or things have an analogical relationship when they are partly alike and partly different.

The analogy of being- because we are in the image of God we can be rational creatures and we can engage in intelligible communication.

Question 34

Why is imputation important to the gospel?

Answer 34

The doctrine of imputation at its center is justification. It means to declare righteous.

Once a person sins, a perfect record is impossible.
Forgiveness does not undo sin.

The cross alone does not justify us.
We need not only a substitute to pay our penalty but also a positive righteousness.
- we are justified by the death of Christ and also the life of Christ.

Without imputation of our sins there is no atonement.
Without the imputation of Christs righteousness, we still fall short.

Question 35

What is the difference between secular and secularism?

Answer 35

We are all secular. We all live in a time and place.
Christians should be concerned with the secular as well as the eternal.

Secularism:
Limits us to this place and this time.
Sees no need for God.

We are exalted. As we build, create, and educate we see no need for God.

Religion should have nothing to do with public life.

Question 36

What is the difference between plurality and pluralism?

Answer 36

Plurality is simply saying there are diverse ideas or peoples or backgrounds.

Pluralism says plurality is all there is. There is nothing that brings ultimate coherence.

• no access to ultimate unity.
• no way to bring the diverse things of our experience into a coherent whole.
• there are particulars but no universals.
• we have relatives but no absolutes.

The transcendent realm is the place of the absolute. We live on the side of relative.

Question 37

How is the Christian church affected by pluralism?

Answer 37

In the church pluralism allows contradictory views of Christ, God, and the very essence of the Christian faith.

Pluralism says not only are all views equally tolerable, but all views are equally valid.

Question 38

What is our response to secularism as citizens?

Answer 38

We need to understand the church and state relationship.

RC Sproul said, “the church does not call the state to be the church, but the church has an obligation to call the state to be the state.”

We can also distinguish between common morality and true virtue.

• secularism makes a night makes right morality. It is utility and contribution.

Question 39

What are the opposing secular spectrum of beliefs?

Answer 39

Hostility/opposition: says I don’t like what you believe and it’s bad and dangerous. I will make it hard for you to influence others.

Indifference/apathy: says believe whatever you want; knock yourself out.

Question 40

What does David Wells tell us about secularism and not having to look outside of ourselves?

Answer 40

Our public life finds neither it’s justification nor it’s direction from a divine or supernatural order. It finds its life and direction only from itself.

The here and now justifies the here and now.

Question 41

What are Charles Taylor’s three senses of secularism?

Answer 41

1. Secularism is part of the emptying of public spaces of God and religion.
2. It is also the emptying of God from the places where we find fullness and meaning.
   - fullness within vs fullness in God.
3. Belief in God is no longer axiomatic. There are alternatives.

Question 42

How do we respond to secularism as disciples?

Answer 42

We should enjoy the world, but… (1 Tim 4:1-4)

We are called to be salt & light.
- distinct and in the open.

The temporal is a token, it points us to the eternal.
- the goodness in this world is just a foretaste of goodness to come.

Question 43

How do we respond to secularism as an apologist?

Answer 43

Evolution: chance + time= everything
(Nothing + nothing)

Morality and destiny gives us a place to stand that makes sense.
We then have justice and purpose (telos) to all that we do.
-An account of fullness is found in God.

Beyond the secular there is the eternal. - Sproul