Elevator Apologetics part 3: Broken World

This week's image for apologetics may seem obvious and too simple. Yet, that's precisely what makes it effective.

I should know, since I use it constantly. The image is:

Broken world.

College students ask me why earthquakes wipe out nations.

Broken world.

Why a tsunami killed 250,000 people.

Broken world.

Why a mother or best friend was afflicted with a terminal disease.

You know my reply.

What do we mean by broken world? 

The classic "problem of evil" isn't very hard for Christians to explain. Humankind turned its back on God and then turned on each other. That's the story of the Fall, recorded in Genesis 3. It's called moral evil.

But "natural evil" is a bit tougher to deal with. Why doesn't God just stop the tidal waves or freeze the tectonic plates or destroy the cancer cells? It would take only a snap of the divine finger, a wave of the omnipotent hand.

Instead, God allows the twisted story of a runaway people to play itself out. The consequences of the Fall extend to the cosmos itself ("the ground is cursed because of you" -- Gen 3:17).

In summary, humanity is fallen, the world is broken. And bad things happen to good people.

So when someone asks why a tornado destroyed a small town or why babies are born with birth defects . . .

You know what to say.

Elevator Apologetics 2: Elephant Traps

A few weeks ago I sat in the student union of Santa Rosa Junior College with a cool young atheist (let's just call him CYA).

He told me he would never believe in God, even if God appeared to him personally.

To CYA's thinking, a supposed appearance by God would be more rationally explained by his own hallucinations than by a deity actually showing up.

You may wonder if CYA employs a certain method or set of guidelines for discerning truth. Of course:

Science.

Most of us think of science as a tool for studying natural phenomena. But this student thinks of it as a complete worldview -- which is sometimes called scientism. One of the enormous implications of this view is that anything not found within the boundaries of science doesn't even exist.

To me, scientism doesn't sound very scientific.

Here's an analogy I often use: Thinking that science (by itself) is the right tool for detecting God is like setting mouse traps for elephants. When the mouse traps come up empty, are we to conclude that elephants don't exist?

What we need are elephant traps.

Christian philosophers set elephant traps -- that is, God traps -- by weaving together arguments and evidence from a variety of disciplines (including science).

By the way, when we pointed out to CYA that his worldview sounded very close-minded to us, he actually agreed. "Yes, I'm very uncomfortable with that," were his very words.

Elevator Apologetics Part 1: Don't blame the hammer.

Starting today, a new series: apologetic material you can use in a short conversation (even on an elevator).

I will try to give you a single crisp image, a kind of "go-to" card you can play in various situations.

note: "Apologetics" as I am using the word means to make a case for Christian faith.

First image: Don't blame the hammer.

This is not original with me. I use it all the time on college campuses (and other places as well).

It responds to the objection that the church's history has been characterized by hypocritical, sometimes violent acts such as the Crusades, the Inquisitions, the Salem witch hunts, and contemporary clergy sex and financial scandals.

The objector rightly says, "I thought Christians were supposed to be different. I thought they were supposed to be holy, honest, loving people. Why would I want to be part of an institution that's been guilty of so many crimes?"

My response: "Good point. No excuses. But think of it this way: If I go out and pound dents into your car with a hammer, would you blame the hammer or blame me?

Dude, the hammer is 'not guilty'!"

******

As a believer, I am often embarrassed at reading media accounts of Christians behaving badly. Doing harm to others in the name of God is one of the worst forms of abuse.

But the guilty party here is the person who misuses religion, not religion itself. Just as you wouldn't blame the hammer, don't blame religion.

Just to round off the point, I might say, "The proper use of a hammer would be to pound nails for Habitat for Humanity, a Christian organization that recently completed its 500,000th home for low income people.

Now THAT'S how to use a hammer!"