Post by
Michelle Dowell, Contributor
The topic of loving others includes some of the most important things in life: family, friends, and evangelism. Here are six posts describing what loving others looks like:
1. Love Is Active. Love compels us to act.
2. Love for Others. "Love for others includes caring about what they care about."
3. How To Help a Friend in Need. I write about the best way to show love to others when they are in a time of need.
4. Love as the Apologetic. "One of the few truly interesting apologetics Christians have is love. Love in the Christian sense is interesting because it is so counter cultural to the world."
5. True Love is Unconditional. "True love is unconditional. Often we find in the world and church love which has a condition."
6. Liberty in the Christian Life. "... Love also does not insist on its own way. We might prefer certain things in the the church be this way or that way, but we cannot insist on preference or infringe upon the liberty of others because certain things displease us."
Watch for more posts on this topic in the future.
Showing posts with label apologetic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apologetic. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Friday, June 27, 2014
Love as the Apologetic
One of the few truly interesting apologetics Christian's have is love. Love in the Christian sense is interesting because it is so counter cultural to the world.
Christian love differs from love in the world in that it is beyond reason. We love not because of what is, but what could be or because of what Jesus has done.
You see Christian love is not without reason but its base is in an event in the past or in future possibility. Christian love often ignores what is.
That is why the early church spread so quickly. There was something very distinctive about their love.
Argumentation or debate are apologetics with little use. Most debates are ended emotionally long before the intellect is engaged. You see that man does not like the Christian message about himself because he must first accept his nature.
It is good for man to accept his nature. But he does not like the message.
Ultimately the solution of free grace through faith is dependent on the realization of need. The good news of salvation is only good when we realize the actual state we are in.
Christian love differs from love in the world in that it is beyond reason. We love not because of what is, but what could be or because of what Jesus has done.
You see Christian love is not without reason but its base is in an event in the past or in future possibility. Christian love often ignores what is.
That is why the early church spread so quickly. There was something very distinctive about their love.
Argumentation or debate are apologetics with little use. Most debates are ended emotionally long before the intellect is engaged. You see that man does not like the Christian message about himself because he must first accept his nature.
It is good for man to accept his nature. But he does not like the message.
Ultimately the solution of free grace through faith is dependent on the realization of need. The good news of salvation is only good when we realize the actual state we are in.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Pascal's Wager
Pascal's Wager is a thought provoking argument for Christianity. I'm not sure it is even an argument for Christianity, but considering Christianity carefully.
The argument is basically the question "what is the cost if I am wrong?" Being wrong about Christianity (i.e. rejecting it and being wrong) carries a very high cost: an eternal separation from God.
For a position like atheism being wrong about atheism (basically believing in the Christian God for example) has relatively negligible cost. The cost is that a lot of people will consider you an inferior intellect for believing in God.
Pascal's wager does not even seem to be an argument for Christianity, rather a suggestion that we consider it very carefully.
Being wrong about Christianity is akin to being wrong whether the road we are about to drive down dead ends in a hundred foot drop. It is a call to carefully look at the claims of Jesus to see if they are true.
The argument is basically the question "what is the cost if I am wrong?" Being wrong about Christianity (i.e. rejecting it and being wrong) carries a very high cost: an eternal separation from God.
For a position like atheism being wrong about atheism (basically believing in the Christian God for example) has relatively negligible cost. The cost is that a lot of people will consider you an inferior intellect for believing in God.
Pascal's wager does not even seem to be an argument for Christianity, rather a suggestion that we consider it very carefully.
Being wrong about Christianity is akin to being wrong whether the road we are about to drive down dead ends in a hundred foot drop. It is a call to carefully look at the claims of Jesus to see if they are true.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Because God
I recently was flipping through a fairly interesting book on human psychology in a book store which made many interesting points. Of course one section was interesting and I thought I'd object to the book without naming it.
It basically contained a few sample dialogues of hypothetical situations in which people were asked to give their opinion on a topic and then explain why their rational.
A few of the people said "because it is wrong" as an answer and they were pressed for a rational. The specific issues are irrelevant to my point. Often Christians today are being pressed by non believers to give reasons why things are wrong past "God says it is."
It is certainly good if the Christian can give an apologetic for his beliefs, but ultimately we see many Christians discouraged because they don't have an answer past "God said." Ultimately if God says it is then we can feel confident in our position.
You see if it is God who said it the argument is over if we truly understand the situation. An apologetic is useful to have of course, but the apologetic or the rational is far less important than the point that it is God's will not ours that matters.
Often as Christians we get pressed for reasons we don't have at the moment. It is often very unfair the way debates go. You might press an atheist for a reason for something and they simply say you should go read such and such a scientist and that scientist has the answer.
Of course if I tell them you should go read this or that theologian and I know they can answer your question, then the atheist will become quite upset. You see we are often unfairly held to the standard of master theologian/apologist in debate by the atheist who refuses to be held to the level of professional physicist/astronomer.
Needless to say the point is often in debate or discussion we can feel discouraged. And we need not feel so. The world often holds the church to standards of evidence it does not hold itself to.
It basically contained a few sample dialogues of hypothetical situations in which people were asked to give their opinion on a topic and then explain why their rational.
A few of the people said "because it is wrong" as an answer and they were pressed for a rational. The specific issues are irrelevant to my point. Often Christians today are being pressed by non believers to give reasons why things are wrong past "God says it is."
It is certainly good if the Christian can give an apologetic for his beliefs, but ultimately we see many Christians discouraged because they don't have an answer past "God said." Ultimately if God says it is then we can feel confident in our position.
You see if it is God who said it the argument is over if we truly understand the situation. An apologetic is useful to have of course, but the apologetic or the rational is far less important than the point that it is God's will not ours that matters.
Often as Christians we get pressed for reasons we don't have at the moment. It is often very unfair the way debates go. You might press an atheist for a reason for something and they simply say you should go read such and such a scientist and that scientist has the answer.
Of course if I tell them you should go read this or that theologian and I know they can answer your question, then the atheist will become quite upset. You see we are often unfairly held to the standard of master theologian/apologist in debate by the atheist who refuses to be held to the level of professional physicist/astronomer.
Needless to say the point is often in debate or discussion we can feel discouraged. And we need not feel so. The world often holds the church to standards of evidence it does not hold itself to.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Prophecy as Apologetic
The Old Testament is full of imagery of Jesus. Much of the temple imagery is based upon what would later be fulfilled by Jesus.
All through the Old Testament the bible is filled with prophecy of Jesus.
I have heard some people say that the most powerful apologetic for Christianity is explaining the Old Testament prophecy related to Jesus. I agree with this point.
It is often a far more helpful apologetic to unfold the Old Testament prophecy regarding the coming Messiah than to argue solely by reason. You see reason is heavily influenced by emotion. We often only accept what pleases us.
The Old Testament prophecy regarding the Messiah is more powerful for various reasons. First it bypasses human reason in the sense that we meet something we cannot explain by human reason. We meet God telling us what will happen if we have ears to hear.
Also we meet in the bible an appealing reason to accept God. If we truly understand who God is then we will desire to accept him.
All through the Old Testament the bible is filled with prophecy of Jesus.
I have heard some people say that the most powerful apologetic for Christianity is explaining the Old Testament prophecy related to Jesus. I agree with this point.
It is often a far more helpful apologetic to unfold the Old Testament prophecy regarding the coming Messiah than to argue solely by reason. You see reason is heavily influenced by emotion. We often only accept what pleases us.
The Old Testament prophecy regarding the Messiah is more powerful for various reasons. First it bypasses human reason in the sense that we meet something we cannot explain by human reason. We meet God telling us what will happen if we have ears to hear.
Also we meet in the bible an appealing reason to accept God. If we truly understand who God is then we will desire to accept him.
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