The Reason for God
The issue of apologetics and defending the Christian faith is crucial for Christians to understand in today’s world. Christian arguments and beliefs come under attack frequently, so it is important that Christians be able to defend their faith in light of this. Tim Keller, in the book The Reason for God describes many practical points that show rational reasons for the belief in God and the Christian religion.
1. The first point Keller describes is the notion of Christianity as the one true religion. One of the most basic criticisms of the Christian faith is its exclusivity. Christianity says that it is the only true religion and the only way to obtain eternal life. Only through Jesus can anyone be saved. This is a basic …show more content…
A second common criticism of Christianity is the concept of suffering, and God allowing evil to exist within the world. There appears to be pointless evil that occurs within the world, and this appears to speak against an all-good, supremely powerful being. However, Keller does not see the issue this way. Keller believes that all this suffering is evidence for God, especially in His plan for salvation and redemption. Suffering, when viewed in the perspective of Jesus’ death and resurrection makes more logical sense, considering the sinful state of humanity. Furthermore, Keller argues that even labeling something as “evil” means that a person holds to certain supernatural standards of right and wrong, which effectively point back to …show more content…
Keller spends the second section of his book defending many of the common Christian doctrines, such as God, sin, and the resurrection. To support the existence of God, Keller uses a prepositional idea to show how without God, there can be no standard for anything, and knowledge itself cannot exist. The rational view of the world fails to explain why anyone should trust what his or her brains have concluded since there is no higher standard. Furthermore, the fact that most people agree that freedom, life, and love, are good things, speaks to some universal moral standards. Without God, this would not be the case and there would be no foundation for anything to be wrong or right.
8. Keller addresses the issue of the resurrection and the historical proof for this event. Keller admits there will never be conclusive proof, like in a science lab, to manifest the resurrection. However, given the Biblical accounts and the events that occurred afterwards, there is solid evidence of the resurrection. There were documented witnesses who saw Christ after he had risen, and there were actual people testifying years after Jesus’ ascension. Keller relies a lot on Paul’s account of these matters to prove his
The issue of apologetics and defending the Christian faith is crucial for Christians to understand in today’s world. Christian arguments and beliefs come under attack frequently, so it is important that Christians be able to defend their faith in light of this. Tim Keller, in the book The Reason for God describes many practical points that show rational reasons for the belief in God and the Christian religion.
1. The first point Keller describes is the notion of Christianity as the one true religion. One of the most basic criticisms of the Christian faith is its exclusivity. Christianity says that it is the only true religion and the only way to obtain eternal life. Only through Jesus can anyone be saved. This is a basic …show more content…
A second common criticism of Christianity is the concept of suffering, and God allowing evil to exist within the world. There appears to be pointless evil that occurs within the world, and this appears to speak against an all-good, supremely powerful being. However, Keller does not see the issue this way. Keller believes that all this suffering is evidence for God, especially in His plan for salvation and redemption. Suffering, when viewed in the perspective of Jesus’ death and resurrection makes more logical sense, considering the sinful state of humanity. Furthermore, Keller argues that even labeling something as “evil” means that a person holds to certain supernatural standards of right and wrong, which effectively point back to …show more content…
Keller spends the second section of his book defending many of the common Christian doctrines, such as God, sin, and the resurrection. To support the existence of God, Keller uses a prepositional idea to show how without God, there can be no standard for anything, and knowledge itself cannot exist. The rational view of the world fails to explain why anyone should trust what his or her brains have concluded since there is no higher standard. Furthermore, the fact that most people agree that freedom, life, and love, are good things, speaks to some universal moral standards. Without God, this would not be the case and there would be no foundation for anything to be wrong or right.
8. Keller addresses the issue of the resurrection and the historical proof for this event. Keller admits there will never be conclusive proof, like in a science lab, to manifest the resurrection. However, given the Biblical accounts and the events that occurred afterwards, there is solid evidence of the resurrection. There were documented witnesses who saw Christ after he had risen, and there were actual people testifying years after Jesus’ ascension. Keller relies a lot on Paul’s account of these matters to prove his