Isaiah Roman

Hath God Said?

As a fan of apologetics, I occasionally peek around the web to see what people like William Lane Craig and Ravi Zacharias are doing. It seems to me that watching either of these two dismantle an opponent is entertaining, but the real meat of the event is not found in the debate, but rather the discussion of the debate. Below each video, or within each blog that discusses these issues there are people who take up ether side of the argument. Sometimes these persons are very eloquent, polite and thought provoking. Sometimes they’re just down right idiotic.

Whichever the case, it is always entertaining to watch some well-meaning Christian attempt to convince a skeptic, or Atheist of the Christian world view. More often than not this effort is futile, but we are commanded to make the attempt, regardless of the result.

It seems to me that as I observe more and more, a pattern begins to develop. The Christians take on new and interesting arguments for the veracity of the Christ, while the opposition hoists up the same old tired arguments. There really are only a few oppositions to God, most of which do more to appeal to one’s emotions than expound on the truth. Christopher Hitchens the renowned Atheist is particularly adept at this approach. So are those who follow him.

The Atheist’s arguments all boil down to one simple statement; “hath God said…?” I’ve written on this subject before, but it just now strikes me that all of this ballyhoo is about this one phrase, and this one phrase alone. Our enemy has only a few tactics to use. Don’t get me wrong, they are very powerful arguments and he uses them to great effect. But, all in all there are really only a small few. The first argument is always about whether or not something really happened the way it’s reported.

In fact, all of relativism is based upon this premise. I see things one way, you see them another. Who’s to say which one is right? Remove the eternal standard and there’s room for argument. Once an unwavering standard is introduced, all of these arguments begin to melt away. So, what do we do about all of this?

For my part, I have decided that there really is only one formulae for answering a skeptic’s arguments; be brief, be at peace, be Christ-like.

Your authority is derived entirely from the Bible; no where else. Take some time to strip your words down to the bare essentials. A good sword master will parry and thrust with speed, accuracy and determination. They will expend only as much energy as necessary to achieve their goal. You never know how long the fight is going to last. That’s how you should use your Sword. Don’t make the mistake of using a club when a scalpel will do.

Your emotions will not persuade, and might deter. What ever you do, don’t attack your opponent personally. It’s not them you’re fighting against, it’s the spirit that drives them.

Your passionate rhetoric might be well calculated, but completely wrong-headed. Take a lesson from the Christ. Ask a question to clarify the topic. Challenge the root of the question, not the peripheral. Don’t beat around the bush or sugar coat things. When possible, use a parable to bring things down to a level that a physical nature can understand. The difficult part is balancing brevity with thoroughness. The only answer for that is practice, and divine intervention… mainly divine intervention. For that you need prayer; lots and lots of prayer.

I wish I could take back a few conversations I’ve had in the past and replace them with the results of learning this formulae. I hope it helps you in the future.