“Christianity is NOT true!”

Tim

Stratton

(The FreeThinking Theist)

|

December 9, 2014

“Christianity is NOT true!”

I have been astonished that a growing number of pastors, Sunday school teachers, and Christians in general are affirming this very statement quite often. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is not a direct quote, but the types of things exclaimed behind the pulpits in many evangelical churches today are sure implying that Christianity is not true. To be clear, this is an inadvertent implication that these well-intentioned Christians are offering, but, nonetheless, although this message is not deliberately taught, it is being caught by many young listeners.

These implications are easy to “catch.” In fact, when I was a young Christian I asked a pastor a question that I thought he could easily answer. Instead of getting a good answer, my faith was slightly shaken (not stirred). I asked, “If God is in control of all things, doesn’t that include our thoughts and actions? If so, then how are humans responsible for anything we do?” I continued and asked, “Why would God send people to hell for choices they are powerless to make?” The answer I received was troubling. I’ll never forget hearing him say, “We have to let some things rest in logical tension.” It would have been better for him to simply say “I don’t know,” than to respond as he did because to me, his answer was synonymous with: “Christianity doesn’t make logical sense.” This rocked me because I was under the belief that Christianity was true!

You see, if we deny logic, we are undermining our ability to discover and know truth!

Let’s consider the laws of logic. All scientific hypotheses, conclusions based on the historical method, and reasonable conversation in any field of scholarship (including theology), entail the reality of logical laws. It would be impossible to engage in any of these disciplines if there were not logical absolutes providing parameters to help us reach conclusions that follow from given premises. Here are three fundamental Laws of Logic that are always required in rational interaction:[1]

The Law of Identity: 
Something is what it is. ‘A’ is ‘A’. Things that exist have specific properties that identify them

The Law of Non-Contradiction: 
‘A’ cannot be both ‘A’ and ‘Non-A’ at the same time, in the same way and in the same sense

 The Law of Excluded Middle: 
A statement is either true or false. There is no middle position. For example, the claim that “A statement is either true or false” is either true or false.

You may have never heard of the laws of logic before; however, you use them every day whether you realize it or not. These laws are just as necessary to keep us grounded in rationality, as the law of gravity is necessary to keep us grounded on the earth. These laws are the bedrock of reason and rationality and these laws must apply to everyone, including Christians.

Many churchgoers today tell me that we don’t need to use logic because we have the Bible. My response is to simply ask, “Why do we start with the Bible as opposed to Logic?” At that point, I am hoping to receive a logical answer, instead of an unintelligible one. Now, some have countered and asked, “Why do you start with logic as opposed to the Bible” (or science)? The answer is simple, because logic is the bedrock of reason and to argue that logic is not our starting point, one must provide a logical reason as to why we should use another discipline. This would be self-refuting (a logical fallacy) and actually affirm the fact that logic is our foundation of reason to discover and know truth.

When pastors, Sunday school teachers, and Christians in general reject logic and provide incoherent answers about our faith, we might as well be exclaiming, “Christianity is not true!” The skeptical world hears this loud and clear, and so do our young students growing up in the church listening to these sermons void of critical thinking. As teachers, we are held to a higher standard (James 3:1).

The Bible actually has an extremely high view of logic. John 1:1 states, “In the beginning was the Word.” The Greek word for “Word,” is “Logos.” The word “logos” is used synonymously with Jesus in the text. What’s interesting is that logos in Greek means, “the principle of reason.”  This is where we get the term “logic.” The Bible is clear that Jesus is God and suggests that he is essentially the ground of logic itself. In fact, John goes as far as to label Jesus, “The Logic!”

 Just as computers function correctly when programmed to work according to the laws of logic, humans can choose to behave correctly (in an objective sense) when approximating to “The Logos” (Jesus)! When humans freely choose to think and behave logically, we simultaneously think and behave in a godly manner. Isaiah seems to agree: “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord…” (Isaiah 1:18)

Moreover, the Apostle Paul serves as a model to all Christians. He exemplified a ministry committed to logical interaction with non-believers as he went on his evangelistic journeys. Paul exclaims: “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone…” (Philippians 4:5), and he goes on to state: “We destroy every argument raised against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). What I love about this particular passage is that Paul tells us that we should destroy the bad and evil arguments that are raised against Christian theism. An argument is simply a series of propositions (statements) that should lead to a logical conclusion. If it does not lead to a logical conclusion, then the argument is invalid and false.

Paul says we are to “destroy arguments,” well, if arguments are based on logic, how should we destroy arguments? Physical force won’t work; the loudest voice doesn’t do the trick either. To destroy an argument, one must demonstrate how the argument is logically unsound. Therefore, we destroy arguments raised against God with logic (“The Logos”).

Paul clearly used logic and reason quite often. In fact, in Acts 17, it describes this method as “his custom.” It says,  “Paul reasoned with them” and moreover, that “Some were persuaded” (therefore, it has evangelistic significance). Paul argued that Christianity was true as it is based on nothing but the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:12-19). Jesus said that he was the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Based on the logical law of the excluded middle, these biblical statements are either true or false. If we are going to state that these propositions are true, then, we will simultaneously be affirming the laws of logic as well.

I have committed my life to examining all religions and worldviews. I have investigated science, the historical method, metaphysics, and philosophy. After scrutinizing  the data, I can confidently say that Christianity is the only worldview that makes logical sense of all the data. Why is Christianity the only logical worldview to choose from? Because it’s true!

The statement: “Christianity is true,” is either true or false. This is based on the laws of logic. If pastors, Sunday school teachers, and Christians in general make logically incoherent statements, we will essentially be shouting, “Christianity is not true!” If logic is grounded in the nature of God, then Christians ought to be the most logical people on the planet!

Stay reasonable,

Tim Stratton


NOTES

[1] If these logical laws are confusing we can reformulate them strictly in terms of statements:

The Law of Identity: If a statement is true, then it is true.

The Law of Noncontradiction: If a statement is true, then it cannot be false.

The Law of the Excluded Middle: A Statement is either true or false.

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About the Author

Tim

Stratton

(The FreeThinking Theist)

Timothy A. Stratton (PhD, North-West University) is a professor at Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary. As a former youth pastor, he is now devoted to answering deep theological and philosophical questions he first encountered from inquisitive teens in his church youth group. Stratton is founder and president of FreeThinking Ministries, a web-based apologetics ministry. Stratton speaks on church and college campuses around the country and offers regular videos on FreeThinking Ministries’ YouTube channel.

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