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Baker Publishing Group - L. Geisler Norman

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119 pages

English

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Description

Trusted Theologian Presents a Case for Christian Faith in Easy-to-Understand LanguageSeminary professor and bestselling author teams with a seminary-trained apologist and teacher to give readers basic, solid evidence for the Christian faith. This book is ideal for both teens and adults. Lay leaders and teachers as well as students will be equipped to explain the basics of Christianity to unbelievers and new believers. The accessible and topically organized book is easy to understand and use.

Sujets

Philosophie et théologie

Christian theology

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	15 février 2013
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441261168
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0461€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

© 2013 by Norman L. Geisler and Patty Tunnicliffe
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2013
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.
ISBN 978-1-4412-6116-8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV® Copyright © 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
All italics in Scripture are added for emphasis by the authors.
The internet addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers in this book are accurate at the time of publication. They are provided as a resource. Baker Publishing Group does not endorse them or vouch for their content or permanence.
Cover de sign by Gearbox
“Geisler and Tunnicliffe have hit a grand slam with this little book. For compressing so many vital Christian truths into so few pages, I’m not sure this book has a rival. I heartily recommend it to all young people who have started to doubt their Christian faith. Better yet, read this book before such doubts appear it provides an incredible amount of ammunition to deal with the assaults on faith that our culture and educational system constantly throw at us. Here is Christian apologetics at its best!”
William A. Dembski, Senior Fellow, Discovery Institute, author of The Design Inference
“ Reasons for Belief is vintage Geisler crisp, correct, concise, and courageous. Written for the Christian who needs answers, not encyclopedias.”
Paige Patterson, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 2
Copyright Page 3
Endorsements 4
1. A Basic Question in Need of an Answer 7
“Why Are You a Christian?”
2. Truth 15
Challenge #1: “Real Truth Does Not Exist. ‘Truth’ Is Just Truth to You”
3. God (Part I) 25
Challenge #2: “God Does Not Exist”
4. God (Part II) 43
Challenge #2: “God Does Not Exist”
5. Which God? 63
Challenge #3: “If God Exists, He Isn’t Necessarily the God of the Bible”
6. Miracles 79
Challenge #4: “Miracles Don’t Happen”
7. The New Testament 93
Challenge #5: “The New Testament’s Many Errors Make It Unreliable. It’s More Like a Collection of Myths and Legends”
8. Is Jesus God? (Part I) 119
Challenge #6: “Jesus Never Claimed to Be God”
9. Is Jesus God? (Part II) 135
Challenge #7: “Jesus Didn’t Prove He Is God”
10. Jesus’ Resurrection 151
Challenge #8: “Jesus Did Not Rise From the Dead”
11. Other Religious Books 171
Challenge #9: “The Bible Isn’t the Only True Religious Book”
12. Is Jesus the Only Way to God? 193
Challenge #10: “Christianity Is Too Narrow. There Are Many Ways to God Besides Jesus”
13. How Should the Truth Impact My Life? 211
What Does the Evidence Mean for Me?
Resources 227
Notes 231
About the Author 237
Other Books by Authors 238
Back Ads 239
Back Cover 241
1 A Basic Question in Need of an Answer
“Why Are You a Christian?”
Has anyone ever asked you this? It’s a fair question, and also a pretty simple one. The inquirer wants to know why you believe in Jesus rather than in someone or something else.
It’s like being asked why you’re a fan of a certain team. Maybe you like the quarterback or one of the other players. Maybe you’re loyal to your area or hometown or school. Maybe you’re related to the coach. Whatever your reasons, you do have them for why you support and root for that team, and you’d gladly, probably even proudly, list them if someone wanted to know.
In the same way, if someone wants to know why you’re a Christian, they want to know why you have chosen to follow Jesus instead of Muhammad or Buddha or somebody else. Why are you a believer instead of an atheist or an agnostic? What are your reasons for being a Christian?
Whether or not you’ve yet been asked, sooner or later this question will come up. People are curious about religion, and many talk openly about their own ideas. Many celebrities promote some form of Buddhism. Tom Cruise and John Travolta are well-known to be Scientologists. Madonna has advocated her Kabbalist beliefs; Demi Moore, Paris Hilton, Ashton Kutcher, and others have dabbled with or delved into Kabbalah. Various organizations promote seminars designed to develop the different aspects of “spirituality.” There are lots of other examples in almost as many different directions.
If you have been asked why you are a Christian, what was your answer? Do you think your response made sense to the person who asked it? Did it seem to satisfy their curiosity? Were you comfortable with what you said?
Many struggle with this, often feeling they can’t come up with a straightforward, concise response. “Because Christianity is true” or “Because I believe the Bible” or “Because I love Jesus” (for example) might not be helpful or even make sense to the person asking.
Suppose you had only a moment to answer. How would you reply? Every believer should be, and can be, prepared with a response.
Our Culture Itself Is a Challenge
Not too long ago, most Americans accepted the basic claims of Christianity, even if they weren’t Christians. Most believed there is a God. Most respected the Bible. Most were convinced Jesus was an actual historical person. And most generally accepted the biblical moral code: Don’t use God’s name as a curse word; respect your parents; don’t commit murder, lie, steal, or covet your neighbor’s spouse or possessions.
This is no longer true. Many reject Christianity’s core principles. Virtually everything Christians have always believed is being challenged or opposed. These challenges come from schoolteachers, college professors, commentators, writers seemingly from every walk of life.
These are some of the allegations: There is no God. The New Testament is unreliable. Though it may have some good moral teaching, it contains fables and errors. If Jesus existed at all, he was not God; he certainly did not rise from the dead. The Bible is no different from any other religious book. All religions have their own truth. Many paths lead to God; Jesus is not the only way. Being good and being sincere about what you believe is what matters.
Many Christians don’t know how to respond to these claims. They may believe they’ve found the truth but can’t explain why it’s true or why contrasting or contradictory beliefs are false. So they keep quiet. They love God, yet they hope no one asks “Why are you a Christian?”
Why Is This Important?
Today people from all over the world are living in the United States. Many know little about Christianity. Some have never considered the evidence for faith in Christ. Some have sincere and substantial questions about the Bible, God, or Jesus. Some only know what they see on TV or read online. Many young people only know what they hear from their parents, friends, or teachers.
People are right to ask questions about Christianity. They’re right to ask how we can know that it’s true; it’s unreasonable to believe something unless there’s evidence that it’s correct. Anyone searching for God will want to find believable evidence that he exists. Anyone thinking of committing their life to anything will want to know why they should do so. What’s the evidence that Jesus is God or that he died to forgive our sins?
Evidence does not save us, but many have turned to God when presented with the facts. God can and will use evidence to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul offered evidence for the faith when he “reasoned” with people about its foundational claims (Acts 17:16–34). Many who heard him “were persuaded” (Acts 17:4) and became believers.
Everyone who’s ever become a Christian had some reason to believe that doing so made sense. For example, they believed that there is a God, that Jesus is God, and that he died on the cross for their sins.
The Bible encourages everyone to seek God. It promises:
If you seek him, he will be found by you. (1 Chronicles 28:9)
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)
Christianity provides honest answers backed up by evidence for the questions people ask. We need to know how to respond, though. We need to prepare ourselves to provide a biblical answer to life’s biggest questions.
God has provided the current generation with more verification for the truth than at any previous time. Evidence substantiating the truth of the Bible has expanded rapidly in the past century. More than in any other era, we have access to powerful evidence for the God of the Bible, for the reliability of the Old and New Testaments, and for the deity and resurrection of Jesus.
The fact that God has sovereignly provided all this, now, is no accident. He expects us to know it and use it, and this isn’t optional the Bible directs us to be ready to defend our faith, so we’re to be able to use facts and good reasoning to support what we believe.
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have . . . with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)
The question is, can we do this? Are we equipped and ready to respond when someone asks, “Why are you a Christian?”

Key Term: Apologetics
Apologetics doesn’t mean to say you’re sorry for something but rather to defend something, to give reasons that support what you believe is true. Apologetics is what we’re doing through this book; its goal is to assist you in becoming a strong defender of your faith.

Ten Challeng