Apologetic's Crash Course Part 1: Traditional Arguments

Introduction

Apologetics vs. Evangelism

It is quite common to confuse apologetics and evangelism. Put simply, evangelism is proclaiming the good news of the gospel whereas apologetics is defending the truth claims of Christianity.

What is the task and means of apologetics?

1 Peter 3:15 says, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect”. Therefore the task of apologetics is not necessarily to share the gospel but to defend it as rational and true. That being said, your apologetics must lead to the gospel in order to be coherent but the sharing of the gospel is in the realm of evangelism not apologetics. The means by which this is conducted is with “gentleness and respect” lest we contradict the content of our message with the delivery of that message.

Traditional Arguments for the Existence of God

Ontological Argument – Proposed by St. Anselm in the 11^th century, rejected by Thomas Aquinas and reformulated by Rene Descartes then refuted by Immanuel Kant.

Syllogism:

·         Premise A: God by his definition is perfect

·         Premise B: Existence is a pre-condition for perfection. If something exists it is more perfect than if it didn’t exist.

·         Conclusion: God exists because God is perfect and existing is more perfect than not existing.

Objections:

·         One objection was that you could talk about a “perfect island” that must exist somewhere as I describe it because existing would make the island more perfect than not existing.

·         The premise mandates the conclusion and it is therefore a tautology.

·         By this logic one could prove that unicorns exist if you simply define the “perfect” unicorn.

Thomas Aquinas’ Arguments – In the 13^th century Thomas Aquinas in his work “Summa Theologica” asserted 5 arguments that he thought to be sufficient proof and ultimately better than the ontological argument.

1)     Argument from Motion - sometimes casually referred to as the “first push” argument.

a.      Our senses prove that some things are in motion.

b.      Things move when potential motion becomes actual motion.

c.       Only an actual motion can convert a potential motion into an actual motion.

d.      Nothing can be at once in both actuality and potentiality in the same respect (i.e., if both actual and potential, it is actual in one respect and potential in another).

e.      Therefore nothing can move itself.

f.        Therefore each thing in motion is moved by something else.

g.      The sequence of motion cannot extend ad infinitum.

h.      Therefore it is necessary to arrive at a first mover, put in motion by no other; and this everyone understands to be God.

2)     Argument from Efficient Causes – Everything has a cause but there must be a first cause or an uncaused cause that can account for everything that is caused.

a.      We perceive a series of efficient causes of things in the world.

b.      Nothing exists prior to itself.

c.       Therefore nothing is the efficient cause of itself.

d.      If a previous efficient cause does not exist, neither does the thing that results.

e.      Therefore if the first thing in a series does not exist, nothing in the series exists.

f.        The series of efficient causes cannot extend ad infinitum into the past, for then there would be no things existing now.

g.      Therefore it is necessary to admit a first efficient cause, to which everyone gives the name of God.

3)     Argument from Possibility and Necessity (Reductio argument) – If there was ever a time when nothing existed then nothing could possibly exist now so there must be an incontingent being.

a.      We find in nature things that are possible to be and not to be, that come into being and go out of being i.e., contingent beings.

b.      Assume that every being is a contingent being.

c.       For each contingent being, there is a time it does not exist.

d.      Therefore it is impossible for these always to exist.

e.      Therefore there could have been a time when no things existed.

f.        Therefore at that time there would have been nothing to bring the currently existing contingent beings into existence.

g.      Therefore, nothing would be in existence now.

h.      We have reached an absurd result from assuming that every being is a contingent being.

i.        Therefore not every being is a contingent being.

j.        Therefore some being exists of its own necessity, and does not receive its existence from another being, but rather causes them. This all men speak of as God.

4)     Argument from Gradation of Being – There must be an ultimate standard of good by which we measure all that is good.

a.      There is a gradation to be found in things: some are better or worse than others.

b.      Predications of degree require reference to the “uttermost” case (e.g., a thing is said to be hotter according as it more nearly resembles that which is hottest).

c.       The maximum in any genus is the cause of all in that genus.

d.      Therefore there must also be something which is to all beings the cause of their being, goodness, and every other perfection; and this we call God.

5)     Argument from Design – The world shows evidence of design therefore it must be designed.

a.      We see that natural bodies work toward some goal, and do not do so by chance.

b.      Most natural things lack knowledge.

c.       But as an arrow reaches its target because it is directed by an archer, what lacks intelligence achieves goals by being directed by something intelligence.

d.      Therefore some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to their end; and this being we call God.

Cosmological Argument – This is the modern hybrid version of Aquinas’s argument from cause and motion.

Syllogism:

·         Whatever begins to exist has a cause.

·         The Universe began to exist.

·         Therefore, the Universe had a cause.

Objection:

·         If everything must have a first cause then God must have had a cause

·         If God had a cause then he cannot be the uncaused cause

·         If God didn’t have a cause then not everything needs a cause and the universe can be considered “uncaused” or its own cause.

Teleological Argument – This is the modern and revised version of Aquinas’s design argument.

Syllogism:

	Weak Version	Strong Version
Premise A:	The world shows evidence of a design	The world shows evidence of a design
Premise B:	If the world is designed then it must have a designer.	If the world is designed then it must have a designer.
Conclusion:	Therefore a designer exists.	God is that designer and God must exist.

Objection:

·         If the world is so well designed that it requires a designer then God is even more well designed and must have a designer greater than himself.

·         If God didn’t need a designer than neither should a less wonderful thing (the universe).

Moral Argument – This is crudely based on the gradation argument of Aquinas but was refined by C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity.

Syllogism:

·         All people have moral values

·         The existence of these values cannot be explained unless they were implanted in people by God.

·         Morals exist, therefore God exists.

Objection:

·         There is a simpler way to explain morality.

AND

·         If moral values came from God then everyone would have the same moral values

·         People do not have the same moral values

·         Therefore morality did not come from God

Other Arguments

Pascal’s Wager – We can’t know if God exists but if I live as if he does and it turns out that he actually doesn’t exist then I haven’t lost anything. If I live as if he doesn’t exist when he actually does exist then I’ve lost everything. Therefore I should live as if he does exist in case he actually does.

Religious Experience – People claim to have personal experience with God therefore God must exist.

Miracles – Miracles show the presence of a supernatural force (God). Miracles exist therefore God exists.

Conclusion

Many of these arguments have served the church well for centuries. Many are still helpful, insightful, biblical, wise and still hold water. However the primary opponent to Christianity in our day and age is naturalism. Naturalism assumes an anti-theistic worldview that does not allow for supernatural explanations of anything. Many of these arguments are ineffective against this type of thinking because of the pre-determined bias of the opposition. Without addressing that bias the issue is not really being addressed.

Furthermore these arguments, although some of them relatively sound, never point necessarily to Christ. They are arguments for general theism not the God of Christianity (which is our task). A Jew, Muslim or Buddhist could use the cosmological, teleological, moral or ontological argument and simply insert their definition of God so we need to search for an approach to apologetics that will lead us to Christ.