Last week, I had the opportunity to hear Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr. speak on apologetics to the Christopher Newport University InterVarsity Fellowship. Here is a summary of the talk. (This is to best of my note deciphering and recall.)
Since the garden of Eden, there has been a war between Satan and God. The devil's attack began through his own rebellion and subsequent enlistment of the human race into his army. He deceived Adam and Eve into doubting God and His Word, an outright rejection of His rightful authority. But God made a declaration of war right back - the proto gospel where the seed of the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman, but He, in turn, would crush his head. Since that time, God has rescued men and women from Satan's army into His own, to fight in the battle until Jesus returns.
But there is a war going on in the hearts of each side. On God's side, our new nature is at war with the old. On the devil's side, it is a war between the fallen nature and the vestiges of the image of God.Every unbeliever experiences this tension. Deep down they know there is a God. Deep down they know they have broken His laws. Deep down they know they are guilty and are left with the question, "What do I do about my guilt?"
To lull people into a false sense of security and prevent them from dealing with that question, Satan continues to craft ways of deceiving mankind. He works on people through their minds to expunge God or make Him "safe". Thus the world thinks in line with the craftiness of the serpent. When believers begin to do the same, we are seduced.
Dr. Sproul, Jr. discussed three deceptions:
1. Logical positivism - Only those statements which can be empirically verified can have meaning. This is based on our senses. The statement "Only those statements which can be empirically verified can have meaning" can't be empirically verified. You can't taste, smell, touch that statement.This school of thought lies on the ash heap of other bygone philosophical ideas. No one in academia believes this anymore, but we do. "Seeing is believing". Our eyes often lie, but God and His Word are true.
2. Pragmatism - That which works is what is true. But pragmatism doesn't work because it doesn't have a system to define what working is. When searching for a cure for cancer, pragmatism can't tell you that cancer is bad and people are good. Likewise, Hitler sought to exterminate the Jews. He wanted to find a practical solution for achieving that goal. What "works" is not good enough because working for one may mean saving lives and for the other, destroying them. Without a transcendent law giver, we do not know what is good. We cannot distinguish between cultural evolution and cultural devolution.
3. Postmodernism - Anti-epistemological. It's not how you know truth, but there is no truth. We all make our own truth. We don't believe in right /wrong, true/false. Each person can believe what he wants to believe.
Dr. Sproul, Jr. then shared a little story from teaching a freshman philosophy class. A student declared that there is no right and wrong. He told this student that he would then give him an "F" in the class and then ignored him. Of course, the student's immediate response was, "It's not fair.". Dr. Sproul, Jr. then said he would fail the student not for disbelieving in right or wrong but because he felt like it. This made the student angrier who uttered threats of bringing him before the administration. He told the student, "So you are going to bring me before the administration for failing to meet a standard when you believe there are no standards at all?" The student then muttered "Okay, I guess there is right and wrong."
Another typical response from postmodernists is "You are so arrogant to believe there is one set of truth." To which he responded, "I believe I am born into this world. There is something out there, a Creator who I know and must submit to. But you decide you are going to create your own reality, and then you tell me I am arrogant?"
There is one way to disarm those who say there is no absolute truth with a single question - "Are you sure?" To affirm is to deny it and to deny it is to affirm. This position is self-referentially absurd.
But denying absolute truth is the only way that will keep them safe. We rationalize our sin and relativize our own disobedience. But this does not keep them safe from others doing the same thing to them.The only solution is to run to God - not run away from Him. We have the one solution to the question that won't go away, "What do I do with my guilt?" We have this solution because it's the answer to our own problem. So we should not be intimidated in the classroom or afraid in the dorm. The gospel is the only answer.
Since the garden of Eden, there has been a war between Satan and God. The devil's attack began through his own rebellion and subsequent enlistment of the human race into his army. He deceived Adam and Eve into doubting God and His Word, an outright rejection of His rightful authority. But God made a declaration of war right back - the proto gospel where the seed of the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman, but He, in turn, would crush his head. Since that time, God has rescued men and women from Satan's army into His own, to fight in the battle until Jesus returns.
But there is a war going on in the hearts of each side. On God's side, our new nature is at war with the old. On the devil's side, it is a war between the fallen nature and the vestiges of the image of God.Every unbeliever experiences this tension. Deep down they know there is a God. Deep down they know they have broken His laws. Deep down they know they are guilty and are left with the question, "What do I do about my guilt?"
To lull people into a false sense of security and prevent them from dealing with that question, Satan continues to craft ways of deceiving mankind. He works on people through their minds to expunge God or make Him "safe". Thus the world thinks in line with the craftiness of the serpent. When believers begin to do the same, we are seduced.
Dr. Sproul, Jr. discussed three deceptions:
1. Logical positivism - Only those statements which can be empirically verified can have meaning. This is based on our senses. The statement "Only those statements which can be empirically verified can have meaning" can't be empirically verified. You can't taste, smell, touch that statement.This school of thought lies on the ash heap of other bygone philosophical ideas. No one in academia believes this anymore, but we do. "Seeing is believing". Our eyes often lie, but God and His Word are true.
2. Pragmatism - That which works is what is true. But pragmatism doesn't work because it doesn't have a system to define what working is. When searching for a cure for cancer, pragmatism can't tell you that cancer is bad and people are good. Likewise, Hitler sought to exterminate the Jews. He wanted to find a practical solution for achieving that goal. What "works" is not good enough because working for one may mean saving lives and for the other, destroying them. Without a transcendent law giver, we do not know what is good. We cannot distinguish between cultural evolution and cultural devolution.
3. Postmodernism - Anti-epistemological. It's not how you know truth, but there is no truth. We all make our own truth. We don't believe in right /wrong, true/false. Each person can believe what he wants to believe.
Dr. Sproul, Jr. then shared a little story from teaching a freshman philosophy class. A student declared that there is no right and wrong. He told this student that he would then give him an "F" in the class and then ignored him. Of course, the student's immediate response was, "It's not fair.". Dr. Sproul, Jr. then said he would fail the student not for disbelieving in right or wrong but because he felt like it. This made the student angrier who uttered threats of bringing him before the administration. He told the student, "So you are going to bring me before the administration for failing to meet a standard when you believe there are no standards at all?" The student then muttered "Okay, I guess there is right and wrong."
Another typical response from postmodernists is "You are so arrogant to believe there is one set of truth." To which he responded, "I believe I am born into this world. There is something out there, a Creator who I know and must submit to. But you decide you are going to create your own reality, and then you tell me I am arrogant?"
There is one way to disarm those who say there is no absolute truth with a single question - "Are you sure?" To affirm is to deny it and to deny it is to affirm. This position is self-referentially absurd.
But denying absolute truth is the only way that will keep them safe. We rationalize our sin and relativize our own disobedience. But this does not keep them safe from others doing the same thing to them.The only solution is to run to God - not run away from Him. We have the one solution to the question that won't go away, "What do I do with my guilt?" We have this solution because it's the answer to our own problem. So we should not be intimidated in the classroom or afraid in the dorm. The gospel is the only answer.
Thanks, Persis, for this outline. I will be sharing it with a young college student.
ReplyDeleteExcellent notes, Persis. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete