I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist Read Online Free PDF Page B

progression:
    1. Truth about reality is knowable.
    2. The opposite of true is false.
    3. It is true that the theistic God exists. This is evidenced by the:
    a. Beginning of the universe (Cosmological Argument)
    b. Design of the universe (Teleological Argument/ Anthropic Principle)
    c. Design of life (Teleological Argument)
    d. Moral Law (Moral Argument)
    4. If God exists, then miracles are possible.
    5. Miracles can be used to confirm a message from God (i.e., as acts of God to confirm a word from God).
    6. The New Testament is historically reliable. This is evidenced by:
    a. Early testimony
    b. Eyewitness testimony
    c. Uninvented (authentic) testimony
    d. Eyewitnesses who were not deceived
    7. The New Testament says Jesus claimed to be God.
    8. Jesus’ claim to be God was miraculously confirmed by:
    a. His fulfillment of many prophecies about himself;
    b. His sinless life and miraculous deeds;
    c. His prediction and accomplishment of his resurrection.
    9. Therefore, Jesus is God.
    10. Whatever Jesus (who is God) teaches is true.
    11. Jesus taught that the Bible is the Word of God.
    12. Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God (and anything opposed to it is false).
    Before we begin presenting this line of reasoning, please note five points:
    First, we are not suggesting that the above points are true by definition. Most of these points are premises that need to be justified by evidence. For example, point 3 claims, “It is true that the theistic God exists.” That claim isn’t true just because we say so. It needs to be backed up by good evidence, by good reasons. We’ll give those good reasons when we get to that point in the book.
    Second, notice that we are starting at the point of complete skepticism. That is, we are starting with a person who says he doesn’t even believe in truth. We need to start there because if the prevailing view of the culture is right—that there is no truth—then it can’t be true that a theistic God exists or that there is a true word from that God. However, if there is truth, and that truth can be known, then we can go on to investigate the truth of God’s existence and the other points that follow (e.g., miracles are possible; the New Testament is historically reliable; and so forth).
    Third, if this line of reasoning is sound (and that’s a big “if” that this book will attempt to show), it necessarily disproves other religions where they differ from the Bible. (This sounds incredibly arrogant and presumptuous, but we’ll address that later.) This would not mean that all other religions are completely false or that they have no truth. Nearly all religions have some truth. We are simply saying that if the Bible is true, then any specific claim that contradicts the Bible must be false. For example, if the Bible is true, and it says that there is a God beyond the universe who created and sustains the universe (theism), then any claim that denies theism (e.g., atheism) must be false. Likewise, if the Bible is true, and it claims that Jesus rose from the dead, then the Qur’anic denial of that fact must be false. (By the way, the reverse would also be true. If the evidence showed that the Qur’an was true, then the Bible would be false wherever it contradicted the Qur’an.)
    Fourth, we give evidence for Christianity because we ought to live our lives based on truth. Socrates once said that the unexamined life is not worth living. 3 We believe that the unexamined faith is not worth believing. Furthermore, contrary to popular opinion, Christians are not supposed to “just have faith.” Christians are commanded to know what they believe and why they believe it. They are commanded to give answers to those who ask (1 Pet. 3:15), and to demolish arguments against the Christian faith (2 Cor. 10:4-5). Since God is reasonable (Isa. 1:18) and wants us to use our reason, Christians don’t get brownie points for being stupid. In fact, using reason is part of the greatest