If Christianity is True, Why Does it Need to Be Defended?
by Josh Hickok
I must say first and foremost that it isn’t a necessary condition of your Christianity to be able to spout of all the intricacies of the various arguments for you to be doing your job - any more than a grocery shopper needs to be bothered by Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorems when calculating the cost of bananas. With that said, Christianity needs so much defending because it’s an all-encompassing worldview. There is not one area of life that it is not connected to in some way. Keeping that in mind, it is also very hard, if not pragmatically impossible, to be correct on every minute point.
Christianity can also seem confusing sometimes. Take, for instance, all the different teachings on the nature of Christ; Nestorianism teaches that divine and human persons remained separate in the incarnate Christ, Christian Science teaches Christ was one of many rays of light, and now the Jesus Seminar people would have us believe an entirely different account of the events recorded in the Bible. Should we throw our hands in the air at such blatant inconsistencies? Absolutely not. Though there are many contenders for the “truth,” only one can and will come out victorious - it is a matter of thorough study coupled with a bit of faith. The Bible has certainly stood the test of time. Give it the upper hand until proven otherwise.
This brings us to our last point, which is very much like the first - just how much about our faith do we need to know? We don’t need to know much, in the strict sense, to be a Christian. However, the Bible is very clear that we need to constantly be growing into a spiritually mature person. Here are a few verses that could help us understand what exactly our faith requires of us:
Isaiah 1: 18 -
"Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
1 Peter 3: 15 -
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear...”
Acts 17: 22 - 34 -
“And Paul standing in the midst of Areopagus said, Athenians, in every way I see you given up to demon worship; for, passing through and beholding your shrines, I found also an altar on which was inscribed, To the unknown God. Whom therefore ye reverence, not knowing him, him I announce to you. The God who has made the world and all things which are in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is served by men’s hands as needing something, himself giving to all life and breath and all things; and has made of one blood every nation of men to dwell upon the whole face of the earth, having determined ordained times and the boundaries of their dwelling, that they may seek God; if indeed they might feel after him and find him, although he is not far from each one of us: for in him we live and move and exist; as also some of the poets amongst you have said, For we are also his offspring. Being therefore the offspring of God, we ought not to think that which is divine to be like gold or silver or stone, the graven form of man’s art and imagination. God therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, now enjoins men that they shall all everywhere repent, because he has set a day in which he is going to judge the habitable earth in righteousness by the man whom he has appointed, giving the proof of it to all in having raised him from among the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, and some said, We will hear thee again also concerning this. Thus Paul went out of their midst. But some men joining themselves to him believed; among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman by name Damaris, and others with them.”
These verses, though just a small sample, show how important it is to not only learn what you believe, but also must be able to relate to other people. We at Midwest Apologetics feel that not only will you be able to communicate your faith with others more effectively; you will feel more complete in your walk with God. In relation to the original question- “why are there so many alternatives?”- I think that judging between them strengthens us, just like working out our body will make us healthier. I’ll end with a quote from the New Testament:
2 Corinthians 10: 4, 5 -
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
(02/07/06)