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171 pages

English

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In our relativistic society, Christians more than ever are bombarded by tough questions about their faith. Author Paul Copan has observed that many of these questions emerge as "anti-truth claims" that are part of today's skeptical mind-set. Christians defending their faith often hear slogans and questions such as:Ž It's all relativeŽ Everything is one with the Divine; all else is illusionŽ The Gospels contradict each otherŽ Why would a good God create hell?This book provides incisive answers to slogans related to truth and reality; theism, pantheism/Eastern religion, and naturalism; and doctrinal issues such as the incarnation and truth of Scripture. Each of the twenty-two chapters provides succinct answers and summary points for countering the arguments. Copan's book is accessible for all Christians who want to defend the plausibility of Christianity in the marketplace of ideas. It also includes helpful summary sections, additional resources, and additional documentation in the endnotes for review and discussion.

Sujets

Christianity

Philosophy of religion

Comparative religion

Christian theology

Philosophie et théologie

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Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 novembre 2001
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441211200
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0634€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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A number of criticisms of Christianity loom large in our day, hindering many people from participating in the Good News. Paul Copan offers a powerful, wonderfully lucid antidote. He manifests the conceptual skills of a fine philosopher and theologian as well as the heart of a sincere Christian. This combination is potent indeed, illuminating a wide range of pressing issues about the Christian faith. Attentive readers will benefit immensely from Copan s outstanding work.
- P AUL M OSER , PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF PHILOSOPHY AT L OYOLA U NIVERSITY OF C HICAGO
That s Just Your Interpretation has something for everyone. The topics are wide ranging, important, and relevant; the presentation is powerful and clear; and the conversational style is engaging. The book is accessible to non-specialists, yet Copan clearly brings to each subject careful research and scholarly reflection, and the notes provide a rich resource for graduate students and professors. The chapter summaries are worth the price of the book. The book is a must-read for those in campus ministry, and I cannot think of another book that covers so many topics while maintaining a high degree of quality.
- J. P. M ORELAND, PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY , T ALBOT SCHOOL OF T HEOLOGY , B IOLA U NIVERSITY
Paul Copan is a reliable, engaging, philosophically astute critic of contemporary philosophy and theology. He writes with clarity, force, and insight about the credibility of Christianity. He is as at home with challenging popular cultural misperceptions and critiques of Christianity as he is with addressing some of the most sophisticated and subtle scholarly debates.
- C HARLES T ALIAFERRO , PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY , S T. O LAF C OLLEGE
Beneath the clich s of our culture lie some unsettling questions about God. Paul Copan, with genius and simplicity, uncovers the struggle and constructs his answers on a firm foundation.
- R AVI Z ACHARIAS, AUTHOR AND SPEAKER
Paul Copan holds graduate degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (M.A. and M.Div.) and Marquette University (Ph.D.). He is on staff with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and is visiting associate professor at Trinity International University. His books include True for You, but Not for Me and Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?
THAT S JUST YOUR INTERPRETATION
R ESPONDING TO S KEPTICS W HO C HALLENGE Y OUR F AITH
PAUL COPAN
2001 by Paul Copan
Published by Baker Books a division of Baker Book House Company P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Copan, Paul. That s just your interpretation : responding to skeptics who challenge your faith / Paul Copan. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-8010-6383-3 (pbk.) 1. Apologetics. 2. Skepticism. I. Title. BT1212.C67 2001 239-dc21
2001037381
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified NASB are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE . Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
For current information about all releases from Baker Book House, visit our web site:
http://www.bakerbooks.com
To Jacqueline, my excellent wife and sign of the Lord s favor, and our five children-Johanna, Peter, Valerie, Erica, and Jonathan: May you prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach, shining as lights in the world.
C ONTENTS
Introduction
P ART 1 C HALLENGES R ELATED TO T RUTH AND R EALITY
1 It s All Relative
2 That s Just Your Interpretation
3 That s Just Your Reality
4 Reality Is Shaped by Forces beyond Our Control
P ART 2 C HALLENGES R ELATED TO W ORLDVIEWS
5 Everything Is One with the Divine; All Else Is an Illusion
6 Why Not Believe in Reincarnation?
7 If God Made the Universe, Who Made God?
8 If God Knows What We re Going to Do, Then We Don t Have Free Will
9 If God Predestines Some to Be Saved, What Choice Do I Really Have?
10 The Coexistence of God and Evil Is a Logical Contradiction
11 Why Would a Good God Send People to Hell?
12 Religion Is Nothing More Than the Human Wish for a Father Figure
P ART 3 C HALLENGES R ELATED TO C HRISTIANITY
13 How Can God Be Three and One?
14 Isn t the Idea of God Becoming a Man Incoherent?
15 If Jesus Is God, How Could He Really Be Tempted?
16 The Genesis Creation Account Contradicts Contemporary Science (Part 1)
17 The Genesis Creation Account Contradicts Contemporary Science (Part 2)
18 How Could a Loving God Command Genocide?
19 Doesn t the Bible Condone Slavery?
20 The Gospels Contradict Each Other
21 Old Testament Prophecies Are Taken out of Context in the New Testament
Conclusion
Notes
I NTRODUCTION
W hen my earlier book True for You, but Not for Me was published, 1 I was gratified to hear that it had met an important need of, among others, high school and university students (and their parents) who were regularly bombarded with relativistic and pluralistic challenges: Who are you to impose your morality on others? or, It doesn t matter what you believe as long as you re sincere. As far as I could see, there were plenty of analyses of relativism and its harmful effects on society, but there was no step-by-step guide that unpacked and responded to specific criticisms that might dumbfound Christians. Since then, other books have come along to offer similar practical assistance, although varied in approach. 2
Whether at work, in the university, around the neighborhood, or at a party, believers are confronted with one-liners or criticisms attacking truth, morality, or belief in God. My previous book was intended to be a kind of handbook for this general Christian audience with short, easy-to-read chapters centered around commonly heard challenges. In that book, I tried to get behind the criticisms to discern their underlying assumptions. This follow-up volume is similar in format and offers responses to a new-and wide-ranging-set of commonly heard challenges by skeptics and critics of belief in God and Christianity in particular. It is my hope and prayer that this book will be an accessible tool to help Christians deal with these criticisms in the context of caring relationships-although I trust the serious-minded non-Christian will also read this book with profit.
This introduction serves as both (1) an introduction to the themes in this book as well as (2) a response to the question of whether we can even find truth. But here we must be careful: Finding truth is not just about getting a hold on facts out there. Getting to the truth-and especially truth about God-is an internal and deeply personal matter. God-that Hound of Heaven -seeks us lovingly and sufferingly that we might become his children. But such a God doesn t let us get off easily with belief that he exists; he wants us to know and love him personally. Such a love demands a radical reorientation of our lives around the reality of God; it demands relating to him on his terms. So we can expect defenses and smoke screens to go up when we talk about God-but also earnest, searching questions from seekers intrigued about the idea of God s love in Christ.
But that s not all. As Christians, we attest to the truth not merely by the coherence or the explanatory power of the biblical faith. We also show the truth through an authentic, loving community of believers and the integrity of individual Christians. Truth about the God who has lovingly revealed himself in Christ can indeed be found.
First, a three-tiered approach to apologetics can serve as a useful grid when defending the Christian faith in the marketplace of ideas.
In the final chapter of True for You, I suggested a simple guide for believers seeking to persuade their non-Christian friends about the credibility of the Christian faith. Such a strategy involves three areas of emphasis:
1. truth
2. worldviews
3. Christian apologetics
Why use this strategy? It creates a simple, logical progression. (1) We begin with the bare minimum necessary for a coherent intelligent conversation- namely, truth-guided by unavoidable logical laws and everyday experiences and observations. If a person doesn t believe in truths that apply to all people, then we can t meaningfully communicate the significance of God s love in Christ for him. What I believe is seen as just true for me but not for him! But once we show that objective truth is inescapable (to deny it is to affirm the truth that it doesn t exist), then we can move to the next area: (2) Which worldview is true? Although many worldviews exist, we can reduce them to three:
1. naturalism (all that exists is nature; there is no God or supernatural realm)
2. monism/pantheism (all reality is ultimately One-as in many Eastern philosophies and religions)
3. theism (a personal Creator exists and is distinct from the created order; we have been made in the image or likeness of this Creator, thus resembling him in certain important ways) 3
Perhaps the serious-minded skeptic or seeker will come to see-by God s grace and through our loving concern-practical inconsistencies and intellectual flaws in naturalism and monism and that theism does a better job answering questions regarding:
where we came from (origins)
who we are (identity)
what life is about (meaning) and why we are here (purpose)
and what is our end (destiny)
If such a seeker sees theism as a more pl