God's Second Book

Many of the various religions that have come out of Christianity claim authority of a second revelation of God's word aside from the Bible. Islam has the Bible plus the Qur'an. Mormons, the Bible plus the Book of Mormon. For Jehovah's Witnesses, Bible and Watchtower literature. These second books are often the root of the controversy and contradictions that separate these religions from the doctrines of traditional Christianity. Although no one within true Christianity will dispute that the Scriptures attest themselves as the true Word of God Psalm 18:30, it may surprise people to know that God has indeed given us a second book with which to teach, correct edify and train. 2 Timothy 3:16

Special Revelation and General Revelation
Before you start branding me a heretic, note that this is not a new concept I'm proposing. This is one of the Church's historical doctrines, and the Bible itself speaks frequently of it. When we speak about the Old and New Testament manuscripts, these are what's often referred to as God's "Special Revelation." However, the second "book" I'm speaking of is what many theologians refer to as God's "General Revelation," or as many apologist refer to it, the Book of Nature. "God reveals himself to everyone, everywhere through general revelation. General revelation includes creation, common grace and conscience.... Through creation - the heavens and earth, flower and fly, galaxy and quark - God has made himself and his power, love and glory known. 1 " Many scriptures attest to the grandeur and order of nature along with the revelation of God Himself that can be drawn from it's careful study. Psalms 19:1 Psalms 104 Romans 1:19 Acts 14:17 What this means is that even though we use Scripture to gain a specific understanding of God's plan and what He wants from us, by looking at creation we can in many ways gain a deeper, more appreciative understanding of God and His nature.

Why is this important?
There are several reasons that knowing and understand General Revelation (Nature) is important and helpful to knowing Special Revelation (Bible). For one, it provides the background context for the specific Word to rest in. It's easy to believe in a God of beauty, order and mystery when these concepts are firmly made aware to us in a world that is also beautiful, orderly and in many ways still being discovered. We understand concepts of what's right versus what's wrong (and therefore sin and righteousness) because of the innate moral compass within us. Romans 2:15 By giving us a world that reflects His character, God has provided everyone with a glimpse of Himself so that everyone in the whole world can gain an understanding of Him. Romans 1:20 As the 4th century theologian Saint Augstine states, "It is the divine page that you must listen to; it is the book of the universe that you must observe. The pages of Scripture can only be read by those who know how to read and write, while everyone, even the illiterate, can read the book of the universe. 2 "

Why can the Book of Nature be trusted?
By giving us another revelation outside of the Bible, we are provided with a second revelation that can then be used to validate and support what is claimed within the Bible. The reason we can be confident that the Book of Nature can be trusted is a matter of authorship. Both books come to us from God and come out of His character. Therefore, it's easy to see that both nature and scripture properly understood (more on this shortly) will always match up with one another. General revelation is itself a gift of God and thus is a good and perfect thing. James 1:17 The physical world is not something intrinsically evil or to be avoided. This is evidenced by the fact Jesus Christ chose to adopt of form of physical flesh in order to be part of creation and dwell among us. John 1:14 It is for this reason that Christianity is a religion that accepts and embraces the physical world and seeks to understand it. It's often said that the sciences were birthed in a Christian worldview and it's easy to see why. Unfortunately, many people see these two as being opposites in a debate for the true nature of things. So, the question then remains of what do you do when these two books seem to contradict eachother?

Hermeneutics of Scripture and Nature
The most important thing to understand when looking at both Nature and Scripture is that the basic rules of Hermeneutics (how to translate or interpret) apply to both. We must be very careful to understand what the true meaning of the message is, rather than interpreting data and the Bible to say what we want them to say. Although the Word of God is sufficient for us to understand the gospel and God's plan for us, it is not a comprehensive book. Many of the specific details of science, philosophy or day to day events are not expressly stated in it's pages. Likewise, God's creation can inform us of his order and nature, yet does not provide specific notions of salvation or purpose. It is therefore important to respect each book for the purpose it was given. As stated, both books are gifts of God and therefore will never contradict each other. The problems of "Science vs. God" that arise today are often due to the fact that people read into these books something that the books themselves are not precisely stating.

When push comes to shove, ultimately, I have to side with Scripture as being more authoritative, being the specified revelation and therefore more easily understood and properly concise. However, there are still many things in the Bible that are not crystal clear and can be interpreted in different ways. When this is the case, I have no problem reading from science and nature in order to understand what scripture may be vague or even silent on. God is truth and therefore cannot lie. He is the author of both the Word and the World. If both are read with the authorship of God in mind, we will never see them at odds with one another and we can trust that our understanding of Him will therefore be even more robust and grounded in truth. For this reason we can be confident that any true understanding of the world will lead us to God and His word. When Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created the world, we therefore have no reason to be afraid of what future discoveries science may bring us. As Robert Jastrow stated "For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountain of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries. 3 "

1 - Doctrine, Driscoll & Breshears, pg. 38
2 - c.354-430: Saint Agustine
3 - Robert Jastrow,  9/7/1925-2/8/2008 Astronomer and Physicist. 


Today's Recommendations

Recommended Reading
More Than A Theory, Hughe Ross
Again I'm recommending a book that I have not yet read. Shouldn't make a habit out of that, but again it's one whose author I really appreciate and hear great reviews about. This book expounds a scientific, testable theory of the world and it's creation that lines up with what can be understood from Scripture. 

Recommended Listening
Doctrine of Revelation (Part 2), Defenders Podcast, William Lane Craig
It's William Lane Craig on the Doctrine of Revelation.... Need I say more?

Recommended Research
Two Books : Historic Harmony of Bible and Nature 
A list of quotes from theologians through out history about the two books of God.


Today's Challenge
Go outside, enjoy nature. Look at the stars, take a hike or just spend time with friends. See what you can read in God's book of nature and appreciate what He's given. Just take some time this week to lose yourself in the grandeur of creation. See what aspects of God's character you can understand from general revelation and compare them to your favorite Bible verses. 

Four Misconceptions About Apologetics

If you've ever been afraid of Apologetics, unclear of it's role in evangelism or just unsure of what it even looks like to be Apologetic for Christ, I encourage you to keep reading. If you're unfamiliar with the word, it may help you to know that it's not about being sorry for your beliefs. Quite the opposite, really. The field of Apologetics derives it's name from 1 Peter 3:15, "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, (ESV)" The word "defense" in this verse comes from the Greek Apologia, which means to give a reply or a reasonable accounting. It's actually a term from the legal system of early Greece to denote the responsive statement given by a defendant. It therefore stands that as the verse implies, Apologetics is simply giving the reasoned response and defense for why you believe what you believe. This simple explanation however often brings up many responses and rebuttals on it's own, often times from within Christianity itself. In this post, I'd like to take a quick look at four misconceptions that people may have about Apologetics and it's role for the everyday follower of Christ. 

1. You can't reason someone into the kingdom of God

This is often one of the first things that will be brought up from within the modern church to avoid the topic of Apologetics. In a simple reply, the best response is "Yes, you can." Though this needs to be clarified somewhat, the main point is that many, many people have indeed been "argued into the kingdom." These include some well known Christian authors and apologists such as Lee Strobel, J Warner Wallace and even C.S. Lewis, who came to Christ (quite reluctantly 1 ) after an examination of the claims of the Bible. In fact, the Apostle Paul himself often used reason as the core of his evangelism. Acts 17:2 There is however, another side of the response that must be understood, which is that without the Holy Spirit, no amount of reason, defense or even acts of love will bring someone to Christ. That last statement may be controversial,  but please realize that I'm not saying "You can't love someone into the kingdom of God," any more than the statement that "You can't reason someone into the kingdom." As Greg Koukl states "Simply put, you can argue someone into the kingdom. It happens all the time. But when arguments are effective, they are not working in a vacuum. 2 " These are all tools used by the Holy Spirit that can then work through us to bring about a regenerate heart. It's important to realize that we are all created differently and seek understanding in different ways. For some, it may take a more intellectual understanding of the word of God in order to accept Him. Do we not owe it to God and the world to use every available tool given to us to accomplish this task?

2. Apologetics is not for everyone

Like so many things in scripture, God doesn't so easily let us off the hook for things we may find uncomfortable or wish to avoid. 1 Peter 1:13 and 1 Peter 3:15 are a clear instructions to everyone who claims to be a born again believer.  We are all called to be ready to give a defense for why we hold to our faith and to prepare our minds for action. This does not mean that everyone needs to become a strict Apologist and be able to articulate deep philosophical arguments such as Alvin Pantinga's Modal Ontological Argument 3 or the scientific particulars of Molecular Biology's Y-Chromosomal Adam 4. Some may be called to this deeper level of study, but not everyone is required to pursue it to that level. This is much in the same manner that not everyone is called to the office of a Preacher or a Historical Theologian, however, we are all still commanded to preach God's word and study the bible to some degree. As J Warner Wallace states, "We don't need another one-million dollar apologist; we need one-million one dollar apologists." If the word of God would be defended on a simple scale by so many, it would become a tidal wave on today's society and how they look at the Christian faith. On this more practical side, anyone who is an outspoken believer in Christ will be called upon at some point to explain their faith. It's inevitable. As Jesus told us "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (ESV)." Matthew 10:16

3. You must be an intellectual to be an Apologist

After the previous misconception, I hope you see by now that everyone is, or will be, an apologist at some point. But if you're someone who doesn't feel very intellectual or has trouble studying, there may be a lingering fear that you won't be able to meet the challenge ahead. I would like to encourage you not to be afraid, however, as any sincere believer can be equipped with the tools for Apologetics. Like many other fields of study, Apologetics is a blanket term that covers a wide range of subjects. It's not about forcing you into an area of study that you're uncomfortable with, but rather finding the things you like and gearing them towards a defense in the faith. If you like history, spend some time studying the early church and it's development. If you like to write, create a story that conveys some truth about God's word in an easily understood fashion (think Lion, Witch and Wardrobe). If you're someone who just likes to talk and make conversation with someone, focus on how those conversations can be used to really understand another individual, which will always aid in presenting the gospel when needed. There will, of course, be some level of development and study to improving any of these areas, but they don't need to feel like a chore. If it's an area you enjoy, learning to share God's word within that area will only make it that much more rewarding and deepen your love for the subject.

4. Apologetics is just argumentative fact-finding separate to the Word of God.

Of all the statements about Apologetics I've heard, this one is probably the most false. Where argumentation (in a philosophical sense) and a presentation of facts may indeed be part of the apologetic process, they are not the goal. At it's heart, Apologetics is a theology. This may surprise many people, but by studying the defense of scripture and God, you have to understand and develop your knowledge in a very deep way. Much as the phrase "the best way to learn is to teach," when you attempt to defend Biblical truths, they becomes that much more real and relevant to you. Apologetics, like many other areas of theology, have their foundation in the resurrection of Christ. As Paul expounds "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins (ESV)." 1 Corinthians 15:17 As stated, Apologetics is a tool for evangelism, to aid people in their understanding and acceptance of the Gospel, and if the resurrection of Jesus is not at it's core then it's worthless. "Apart from the resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is no savior, no salvation, no forgiveness of sin, and no hope of resurrected eternal life. Apart from the resurrection, Jesus is reduced to yet another good but dead man and therefore is of no considerable help to us in this life or at it's end. Plainly stated, without the resurrection of Jesus, the few billion people today who worship Jesus as God are gullible; their hope for a resurrection life after this life is the hope of silly fools who trust in a dead man to give them life. Subsequently, the doctrine of Jesus' resurrection is, without question, profoundly significant and worthy of the most careful consideration and examination. 5 "

Final Encouragement

If at this point, you feel overwhelmed... don't. We have many allies on our side to help you with your quest into Apologetics, and not just the many "million dollar" apologists out there who have done the arduous research and study and written many books to make it clearer for us. We also have two, even more important allies on our side. The first is Truth. In John 14:16 Jesus tells us that he is the Truth. Because of this, anything contrary to Jesus claims is going to have some problem or flaw. It's up to us to find it and expose it (with gentleness and respect). The second ally is the Holy Spirit.  The bible tells us that we don't go into battle alone. Isaiah 54:17 Proverbs 2:6-11 Although the Holy Spirit will not do all the work for us (after all, He's referred to as the Helper, not the Do-er), He will be right there with you nonetheless. Apologetic's role is that we help another individual see and understand the gospel. At that point, the Holy Spirit picks up where we can't finish. In summary, I'll let R.C. Sproul wrap up these thoughts on Apologetics with a quote from the end his book, Defending your Faith. "As we have seen, denying any one of these foundations leads to absurdity while following them to their ultimate end can only point to a rational Creator. We are all created in the image of this God; at the very least we have that in common with the unregenerate person. For this reason, the starting point in our apologetic task will be nothing less than exploring those commonalities - and then letting the Holy Spirit do his work. 6 " 

1 - C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy, pg 266
2 - Greg Koukl, Tactics, pg 35
3 - Video Explanation of the Plantinga's Modal Ontological Argument
3 - Who Was Adam?, article, Reasons to Believe
4 - Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, Doctrine : What Christians Should Believe, pg. 279
5 - R.C. Sproul, Defending Your Faith, pg. 193

Today's Recommendations

Recommended Reading
Tactics, Greg Koukl 
Probably one of the best books out there on how to deal with everyday conversations and Apologetics without needing to know any deep scientific or philosophical knowledge. 

Recommended Listening
Five Questions to Ask Skeptics, Come Let Us Reason Together Podcast, Lenny Esposito
Again, another great resource for engaging in Apologetics right away without needing to know all the answers. 

Recommended Research
Why Apologetics Has a Bad Name, Sean McDowell
I saw a friend post this article recently and had to share it here as well. Some great points on what not to do as an Apologist. 


Today's Challenge
Engage someone in Apologetics. That simple. Doesn't have to be anything big or profound. You don't even have to go beyond the first question. Just get a conversation started. It could be as simple as asking "Why do you believe what you believe?" Most people have not really stopped to think about this question. Have you?

Stealing Science?

"Science tells us... " It's an easy way to win an argument. In many respects, our culture is so enamored with this notion that it's often easy to believe the only way to trust anything is because of the thorough scrutiny and support of the scientific enterprise. Often, it's brought into arguments about God or other transcendent notions in order to illustrate the foolishness or blind faith of any worldview contrary to a scientific one. There's just one problem with this approach though. Science is not a worldview. In a continuation of my previous post, I'd like to take a closer look at some of the prevailing misconceptions of science and it's role in worldview development, as well as the specific worldview gripping tightly to this monopoly on truth.

Science!
As stated before, science itself is not a worldview. If that's the case, then you may be wondering "What is it?" Well, first off, the word "science" is derived from the Latin scientia, which simply means knowledge.  As J. L. Heilbron put it, "It was a discovery that nature generally acts regularly enough to be described by laws and even by mathematics; and required invention to devise the techniques, abstractions, apparatus, and organization for exhibiting the regularities and securing their law-like descriptions. 1 " At it's core, science is an established method  for collecting knowledge about the natural world. That's it. All science can do, is provide us with a collection of information that we must then interpret. As such, the scientific method itself is rather neutral as a means for collecting this knowledge. This is great as far as it goes, however often times, this tool gets confused as the only way to know about the world. Once this stance has been adopted however, we've moved beyond the mere collection of data and into a worldview commonly referred to as Scientism.

Fallacy of Scientism
Scientism has many forms, but for the purpose of this post, I'll focus on what's commonly known as Hard Scientism, or the belief that science alone can give us knowledge. By holding to the view that science is the only way to understand something, you start to create a worldview that can't support it's own weight. For one, this stance is what's known in logic as a "self refuting" statement. An example would be the phrase "There are no words in this sentence." By using words to state the fact that there are no words, the statement defeats itself and thus cannot true. Now look at the statement "Science is the only way we can know the truth." Though this one may not be as immediately obvious, it still falls apart by offering a claim that science itself cannot support. Science will not, and indeed can not, make such a philosophical claim for itself about the truth and how we know it (this is primarily a branch of Philosophy known as Epistemology). Upon further reflection, it's easy to see that there are in fact many things we all claim justifiable knowledge of without the use of the scientific method,  such as aesthetic, mathematical, ethical and logical truths. Some of these must be presupposed and accepted before you can even start a scientific inquiry!

Science, or Naturalism
The main reason Scientism falls apart is on the grounds that science itself needs another worldview in which to operate. As a tool, it can't operate on it's own, but needs someone to operate it. Enter the worldview of Naturalism. Many people who claim that science is the best and only way to ascertain knowledge really fall under this worldview. The worldview of Naturalism states that the material, natural world is all there is and that nothing beyond it exists or is of any importance. Hopefully by now, you're catching on and can see that this view falls into some of the same problems that Scientism does.  For instance, the same claims of aesthetic, mathematical and logical truths all exists outside of the material world. In fact, ideas and propositions themselves have no grounding in Naturalism. The very words running through your head as you read this sentence do not exist in the physical world, but nonetheless you know them and hold them as true. Ironically, the scientific method does not exist as a natural state, but rather a prescribed method for which to study the natural world. Despite the case against it, many people still grasp onto the fact that material world is all there is. To hold to this philosophy is one thing, but often the only support provided for such a claim is "Science tells us..."

Why do they get science?
If you're following along, it should be clear to you that science, by it's very definition and nature, merely collects information about the natural world. If one starts with such a premise, they are excluding anything beyond nature and then using science to support their claim. This then becomes a circular logical fallacy known as begging the question. One merely assumes that Naturalism and the physical world is all there is and then uses a tool that can only bring information about physical nature to support it. The opposite of this claim, however, is not true. If you open yourself up to the idea that there can be knowledge and information beyond the material universe, you don't necessarily disregard science all together. What this does is aid you in seeing the purpose of science and how it fits withing the overall context. I hope this post hasn't given you the wrong idea, I love science! Within my own christian worldview, I have no problem with studying the physical, material world and understanding all there is and how it works. However I also look beyond that and see how the very existence of nature and it's parts reflect an amazing intelligence's handiwork.

Because of this, it's important to realize that science is not the sole property of the Naturalistic worldview, or that science alone is the sole arbiter of knowledge. This is where the importance of understanding a persons worldview comes into play. It could be that scientific data lends support to a claim, however, most often the core of the belief is really one's own presuppositions about the world. This can easily lead to a faulty worldview that has succumbed to circular reasoning and contradictions. If you accept the fact that science can only tell us part of what can be understood, this opens up the possibilities of where scientific data can actually lead you. So the next time someone tries to persuade you with "Science tells us..." stop and think about what the person is actually stating. Is it really science that's making a statement, or has that person's worldview stolen the cultural seal of approval provided by the scientific enterprise to assert a claim he can't really ground?

1 - J. L. Heilbron,(2003, editor-in-chief). The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science

Today's Recommendations

Recommended Reading
Kingdom Triangle, By J.P. Moreland
A great book discussing the importance of worldviews and focusing on the major schools of thought pervading our culture, Scientific Naturalism and Post Modernism.

Recommended Listening 
Does Science Offer Evidence Based Creation Story, Thinking Out Loud Podcast, Alan Shlemon
Quick podcast with a great illustration of how naturalism often lays claim to science as it's own worldview. 

Recommended Research
Best Explanation Apologetics - The Poached Egg
An article on Abductive reasoning and how to interpret data correctly.     

Why Science is Not the Only Path to Knowledge - Please Convince Me Blog
Updated this post to add this great blog post that continues this same subject of how there are other paths to knowledge and how comfortable still sits in a Christian worldview. 

Today's Challenge
Check out an article on a new scientific discovery. See what conclusions are drawn in the article. Are these conclusions unbiased, or do they lean heavily on presuppositions outside of the date collected? Draft an argument that points out the self-contradictions (if any) or exposes the real worldview at work behind the information.