ARGUMENTATIONARGUMENTATION

A Christian Apologetic

ApologeticsApologetics

“Lays before the watching world such a winsome embodiment of the Christian faith that for any and all who are willing to observe there will be an intellectually and emotionally credible witness to its fundamental truth”

(James Sire. A Little Primer on Humble Apologetics.)

Six QuestionsSix Questions

What Are You Arguing? ◦ (Debatable Statement)

What Is Your Objective? ◦ (Powerful Persuasion)

Who Is Your Audience? ◦ (Focused Audience)

What Is Your Evidence? ◦ (Credible Evidence)

What is Your Structure? ◦ (Logical Sequence)

What Are the Presuppositions?◦ (Specific Worldview)

What Are You What Are You Arguing?Arguing?

Is Christianity rational?Is There a God?Is Jesus Christ God?Did Christ rise from the dead?Is the Bible God’s word?Are the Bible documents reliable?Are Miracles Possible?Why Does God allow suffering and evil?

What Is Your What Is Your Objective?Objective?

Logos

Pathos

Ethos

Who Is Your Who Is Your Audience?Audience?

Easy AdaptorsOpen AdaptorsMiddle AdaptorsLate AdaptorsNever Adaptors

What Is Your What Is Your Evidence?Evidence?

ObservationsStatisticsStudiesAnalogiesExpert TestimonyPrimary SourcesSecondary SourcesThe College Writer / VanderMay / Houghton Mifflin / 2004

Misuse of the Evidence/ FallaciesMisuse of the Evidence/ Fallacies

YEAR 1981 Prince Charles got married. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe. Australia lost the Ashes tournament. Pope died. YEAR 2005 Prince Charles got married. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe. Australia lost the Ashes tournament. Pope died.In the future, if Prince Charles decides to remarry,please warn the Pope.

BandwagonBandwagon

“It doesn’t matter if I copy a paper off the Web because everyone else does.”

Either/OrEither/Or

“Either this community develops light-rail transportation or it will be impossible to grow in the future.”

False AnalogiesFalse Analogies

“Japan quit fighting in 1945 when we dropped nuclear bombs on them. We should use nuclear weapons against other countries.”

Hasty GeneralizationsHasty Generalizations

“We have been in a drought for three years; that’s a sure sign of a climate trend.”

Name CallingName Calling

“Candidate Smith is a tax-and-spend liberal; candidate Jones is a right-wing reactionary.”

Non SequiturNon Sequitur

“A university that can raise a billion dollars from alumni should not have to raise tuition.”

OversimplificationOversimplification

“No one would run stop signs if we had a mandatory death penalty for doing it.”

PolarizationPolarization

“Feminists are all man-haters”

Post HocPost Hoc

“The stock market goes down when the AFC wins the Super bowl in an even year.”

RationalizationRationalization

“I could have finished my paper on time if my printer had been working.”

Slippery SlopeSlippery Slope

“If we grant citizenship to illegal immigrants, no one will bother to enter the country legally.”

Begging the QuestionBegging the Question“People should be able to say anything they want to because free speech is an individual right”

What Is Your Structure?What Is Your Structure?

InductiveDeductiveA1 A2 A3 A4A1 O1 C1 A2 O2 C2 A3 O3 C3O1 A1 O2 A2 O3 A3

What Are the Presuppositions?What Are the Presuppositions?

CHRISTIAN THEISMDEISMNATURALISMNIHILISMEXISTENTIALISMTHEISTIC EXISTENTIALISMPANTHEISMNEW CONSCIOUSNESS POSTMODERNISM

AtheismAtheism

NO GOD

AgnosticismAgnosticism

GOD ?

DeismDeism

GOD

PolytheismPolytheism

GOD GOD GOD GOD GOD

PantheismPantheism

GOD

JudaismJudaism

GOD

Israel

IslamIslam

GOD

Muhammad

ChristianityChristianity

GOD

Jesus Christ

Biblical WorldviewBiblical Worldview

Absolute moral truths existTruth is defined by the Bible Jesus Christ lived a sinless lifeGod is the all-powerful and all-knowing CreatorSalvation is a gift form God and cannot be

earnedSatan is realChristians should share their faithBible is accurate in all of its teachings

George Barna (National Survey 2003)

2033 Adults9% born again Christians have a

biblical worldviewProtestants 7%Catholics 2%Non-denominational 13%Pentecostal 10%Baptist 8%

Biblical Worldview vs. No B. Biblical Worldview vs. No B. WorldviewWorldview

Living together 2% 62%Drunkenness 2% 36%Gay sex 2% 31%Profanity 3% 37%Adultery 4% 44%Pornography .5% 39%Abortion -.5% 46%

WorldviewsWorldviews SireSire

What does the author consider to be prime reality?

What does the author consider to be the nature of the external universe?

According to the author, what is the nature of humanity?

According to the author, what happens to a human being at death?

According to the author, what is the basis for morality?

According to the author, what is the basis for human knowledge?

According to the author, what is the meaning of history?