Take Home Verses and Quotes

1 Peter 3:15 and always be ready to give a defense [or answer in some translations] to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you ! Defense/Answer: is the "reek apologia# from whi$h we get our word apologeti$s#! meaning the $areful# logi$al defense of the %hristian faith showing its validity as the true saving gospel of "od# our %reator and &avior 'n effe$t (eter is admonishing believers to be always prepared to give an apologeti$ for the faith# espe$ially when $onfronted by those who deny it and would destroy it if they $ould Jude 3 although ' was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share# ' felt ' had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was on$e for all entrusted to the saints ! Contend: &hould be earnestly $ontend ! The "reek# epagoni)omai# refers to athletes intensely agoni)ing in the grueling training for a $oming $ontest Thus *ude graphi$ally stresses the urgen$y of defending the faith The defense of the gospel is no indifferent matter to be left to a few spe$ialists# but one to whi$h all believers should be trained and $ommitted Philippians 1:7 whether ' am in $hains or defending and $onfirming the gospel# all of you share in "od+s gra$e with me ! Defending: , legal term referring to a formal defense as in a $ourtroom -any modern evangeli$als think the gospel does not need to be defended . /ust prea$hed (aul and Timothy are saying different here ' suspe$t that most of the individuals who have religious faith are $ontent with blind faith They feel no obligation to understand what they believe They may even wish not to have their beliefs disturbed by thought 0ut if "od in whom they believe $reated them with intelle$tual and rational powers that impose upon them the duty to try to understand the $reed of their religion 1ot to do so is to verge on superstition! 2-orimer * ,dler# , (hilosopher+s 3eligious 4aith#! in# 5elly *ames %lark# ed # Philosophers Who Believe: The Spiritual Journeys of 11 Leading Thinkers [6owners "rove# '78 'nterVarsity (ress# 9::;]# <=>? 9? ,pologeti$s helps with $orre$t belief 2truth? and in this regard is very important8 0elievers may not fully $omprehend or may have genuine misunderstandings or even limited e@posure to and about %hristian truth# but there are do$trinal parameters outside of whi$h a person $annot $ross without suffering apostasy and divine /udgment Ambra$ing a false %hrist andBor a false+ gospel leads to dire $onseCuen$es (aul+s warning to the "alatia $hur$h $on$erning a different gospel dramati$ally unders$ores the importan$e of sound 2bibli$al? do$trine8 0ut even if we or an angel from heaven should prea$h a gospel other than the one we prea$hed to you# let him be eternally $ondemnedD 2"al 98E? <? %hristianity as a truth position# a worldview# ne$essitates an apologeti$ response8 %hristian apologists must take the religions of the world seriously The effe$tive apologist will $ome to know other religions and their adherents with an insider+s mastery Fnly then $an he or she gra$iously e@pose a given religion+s flaws in light of essential %hristian truth 1ot an easy task for the apologist for sure# however# a wellGdone e@pose $an have a powerful effe$t This endeavor seems to be what &$ripture $alls for in terms of the apologeti$s enterprise He demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of "od# and we take $aptive every thought to make it obedient to %hrist! 2< %or 9=8I? ;? ,pologeti$s offers (eople# deservedly# the proper respe$t8 ,s $reatures of "od# all people bear the imago 6ei and therefore have inherent dignity and moral worth Avery person $onseCuently deserves respe$tful treatment regardless of ra$e# se@# so$ial $lass# politi$al# or religious belief %hristians are $alled by "od to guard the individual right of others to believe what they $hoose# whether their parti$ular beliefs are wrong# absurd# or $ontrary to %hristian truth This regard basi$ally amounts to respe$ting human personhood# volition# and individual moral responsibility %hristians should even tolerate the pra$ti$es 2religious and otherwise? of others# so long as those pra$ti$es are legal# moral# and prudential However# respe$ting another person+s beliefs must not be mis$onstrued as approving those beliefs %hristians are responsible to use their powers of persuasion to $onvin$e others of truth# espe$ially the ultimate truth of# *esus %hrist Hhile being so$ially tolerant# %hristians must at the same time be intelle$tually intolerant of $onfli$ting truth $laims Js 9G; are from8 5enneth 3i$hard &amples# Without a Doubt: Ans ering the !" Toughest #aith $uestions 2"rand 3apids# -'8 0aker 0ooks# <==K?# 9>EG9E=

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Take Home Verses and Quotes

They offered no 0ible Cuotes 1o sharing of how M"od had worked in their lives 1o appeal to my happiness or pea$e of mind Hhat# thenN (hilosophy 'deas 6ialogue The upshot was that# right there in that noisy# neonGglittering $asino $offee shop# ' e@perien$ed a radi$al turnaround from my previous perspe$tive on all things "odGrelated ,s yet ' didnMt know if the idea of "od were true or false# but ' dis$overed that OfaithO wasnMt anything like ' thought it was 't $ould be based on 3eason ' swiftly dis$overed that *osh knew what he was talking about8 whenever ' $hallenged a point# he had solid information and $lear reasoning to ba$k up what heMd said HhatMs more# he respe$ted my intelle$t by not letting me get away with vague generali)ations or un$hallenged assumptions That was refreshing 't was# in fa$t# the same kind of giveGandGtake as in my fen$ing lessons8 he knew what ' was $apable of# and so he wouldnMt permit la)y thinking any more than heMd permit sloppy te$hniCue 0ut also.again# /ust as in my fen$ing lessons.he $hallenged me e@a$tly at the limits of my $omfort )one# where ' had enough to work with that ' wasnMt lost# yet was stret$hing myself past where ' was really $omfortable [ ] ,s we wrestled with these ideas# *osh answered my CuestionsGnot the Cuestions that an evangelist might think ' ought to have# but the ones ' a$tually did have Though a lot of %hristians probably havenMt thought of it that way# talking about *esus as &avior involves many assumptions.for instan$e# that you already believe in a %reator# not /ust an imper sonal for$e but an a$tual (erson# who is wholly good and who intera$ts with humanity -iss one of those links# and the whole thing falls apart ' needed to start at sCuare one 4or me# the term O"odO was heavily loaded# so we used a safer term.the neutral# philosophi$al O4irst %auseOGand began with a basi$ Cuestion8 $an we even know# reasonably# that there is a 4irst %ause of the universeN 'Md always held to the belief that the universe /ust Ohappened O ' knew that ' $ouldnMt ba$k up that assertion# but ' also thought that the religious take was simply to assert the opposite ' say no "odP you say "odP great# weMre done Holly Frdway# %ot &od's Type: A (ational A)ade*i) #inds (adi)al #aith 2%hi$aCgo# '78 -oody# <=9=?# KIGKQ

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG Fther verses8 John 20:30-31 A!ts 2:1"-1# and $% 22-2" A!ts 17:22-31 1 Corinthians 3:&-10

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