10 Most Common Objections to Christianity , livre ebook

2007 Alex McFarland
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
Bethany House Publishers edition published 2014
ISBN 978-1-4412-6661-3
Previously published by Regal Books
Ebook edition originally created 2011
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version . Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Other versions used are:
KJV — King James Version. Authorized King James Version.
KJ21 —Scripture quotations marked ( KJ21 ) are taken from the Holy Bible, 21 st Century King James Version . Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.
NIV —Scripture quotations marked ( NIV ) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
NLT —Scripture quotations marked ( NLT ) are taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
With love, prayers and much appreciation, this book is dedicated to:
Marianne K. Hering, Tom Neven and Focus on the Family’s Teen Ministries staff
Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreword
By Lee Strobel
Preface
A Clue for Those in the Search
Introduction
The Questions of Life
_________________________
Objection No. 1: God Is Not Real
“I don’t believe God exists. How can anybody know for sure?”
Objection No. 2: Creation Is a Myth
“What about evolution? Couldn’t God have created us but used evolution to do it?“
Objection No. 3: The Bible Is Not Completely Authentic
“How do I know the Bible is really true?”
Objection No. 4: The Bible Is Not Completely Accurate
“What about all those errors in the Bible?”
Objection No. 5: Jesus Was Just a Man
“What makes Jesus so different from other great men of history?”
Objection No. 6: Jesus Is Not the Only Way to Heaven
“Aren’t there many roads to heaven? Don’t all paths lead to the same place?”
Objection No. 7: A Loving God Wouldn’t Send People to Hell
“Is hell for real? If so, how can a loving God send people there?”
Objection No. 8: People Are Basically Good
“I don’t think I’m a sinner. I’m not so bad.”
Objection No. 9: Christians Are All Hypocrites
“I’d be interested in Christ if it weren’t for the Christians. Why would I want to become one of them?”
Objection No. 10: A Merciful God Wouldn’t Allow Suffering
“Why is there evil in the world? What about suffering?”
_________________________
Conclusion
Ending the Search, Beginning the Journey
Appendix I
“You’ve Decided to Believe What?!” Instilling a Biblical Worldview in Teens Through Apologetics
Appendix II
A 12-Week Apologetics Study Guide for Small Groups and Sunday School Classes
Endnotes
Further Reading
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The following people have not only helped to make this book a reality but have also shaped my life deeply.
Special thanks are due to the wonderful team that makes up Gospel Light/Regal Publishing. This includes Bill Greig III, Alex Field, Mark Weising, Kim Bangs, Josh Talbot, Rob Williams and Marlene Baer, to name but a few. Theological editor Bayard Taylor also deserves special mention for his insights and assistance. I thank the Lord for each of you.
To Warren Smith, a gifted journalist, brother and friend, who helped me format and clarify this work. His editorial help was vitally important in the final stages of this book. I am grateful for your help.
Deepest appreciation goes out to Norman Geisler, Ph.D., whose books on apologetics changed the trajectory of my life from 1985 through today. Thanks also go out to the dynamic faculty, staff and students of the institution he founded—Southern Evangelical Seminary and the Veritas Graduate School of Apologetics. When Dr. Geisler and the Board of SES/Veritas asked me to become president, my wife and I were welcomed with open arms. Special appreciation is also due to Mrs. Barbara Geisler, Bob and Lynn Westra, and to Christina Woodside. What a help and blessing you all are!
Special thanks are due to several friends who have mentored me and who have given continual encouragement and inspiration. These include: Lee Strobel, who graciously took time to write the foreword; Mark Mittelberg, who is a role model in the area of apologetics-based evangelism; Gary R. Habermas, Ph.D., who, besides being an expert on the resurrection of Christ, is a role model, friend and continual encourager; Mike Licona, whose head for truth is matched only by his great heart for people; Jon Robberson and the staff of Spirit West Coast—it is such an honor to be a part of the work you do for Christ; the bold, brilliant staff of Wheatstone Academy and their leader, Brian Nick; John Mark Reynolds, Ph.D., of Biola University (if Edison had not invented the light bulb, not to worry, John Mark Reynolds would have provided illumination enough); and Dr. Harold Willmington, who is the personification of what it means to know, love and live the Bible. Finally, I extend heartfelt thanks to my former professor and Sunday School teacher, Dr. Elmer Towns, who graciously recommended me to Bill Grieg III and Gospel Light/Regal.
Very, very special thanks are due my wife, Angie. Angie does much for the Savior and for me, her spouse. She made many contributions to the completion of this book and also to my betterment. Finally, I am thankful for the Bible, which for 20 years has been an ever-present friend. Most of all, I am grateful for the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
FOREWORD
I’m a skeptic by nature, which probably explains why I studied journalism and law and worked as a reporter and legal editor at The Chicago Tribune . At a young age, my skepticism drove me to atheism. Even though I had never taken the time to thoroughly examine the evidence, I figured it was ridiculous to believe in an all-loving, all-powerful Creator. My opinion was that God didn’t create people, but that people created God out of their own fear of death.
My agnostic wife’s conversion to Christianity, and the subsequent positive changes in her character and values, prompted me to embark on a serious investigation of the claims of Christianity. All kinds of questions blocked my path: Does the Bible stand up to scrutiny? Doesn’t evolution disprove the need for a Creator? Aren’t Christians arrogant when they say Jesus is the only ticket to heaven? What about the issues of evil and hell, and the hypocrisy I saw all too often among Christians? These are legitimate questions that deserve thoughtful and insightful responses. And that’s what my friend Alex McFarland provides in this excellent new resource.
I’ve grown to trust Alex as a smart, passionate and persuasive defender of Christianity. His life’s mission is to help spiritual seekers find satisfying answers to the sticking points that are holding up their journey toward God. Alex’s mission is also to help Christians better communicate the evidence for their faith to their friends, neighbors, colleagues and family members. So whether you’re investigating Christianity for the first time or whether you’re a Christian who’s wondering how to respond to objections your skeptical friends raise, you’re going to get a lot of helpful guidance in Alex’s new book.
As for me, I tried to keep an open mind as I studied everything from cosmology and genetics to archaeology and ancient history. My personal conclusion was that a raft of discoveries in half a dozen scientific disciplines over the past 50 years point powerfully toward the existence of a Creator. And I also found that there are convincing historical reasons for believing that the New Testament accurately depicts Jesus of Nazareth as the unique Son of God who proved His divinity by rising from the dead. Based on the evidence, I became a follower of Jesus—and ever since then I’ve been on the most incredible and fulfilling adventure of my life.
Who knows what awaits you? Begin the adventure now by turning the page and considering the factual foundation that undergirds Christianity. I hope you’ll decide at the outset to go wherever the evidence takes you—even if it’s to the astounding conclusion that Jesus is who He claimed to be.
Lee Strobel
Author, The Case for a Creator and The Case for Christ
www.leestrobel.com
PREFACE
A Clue for Those in the Search
I was in jail a few years ago. The Guilford County Jail, about 70 miles north of Charlotte, North Carolina. A mere block from where the infamous 1979 Nazi-Klan shootout left a trail of blood.
Okay, so I wasn’t exactly the one being incarcerated. I was preaching there on an icy Saturday morning to a hallway packed with prisoners. Some were leaning against the inside metal of their cell blocks, others were given permission to venture into the common area. Some were sitting on chairs or the floor; others were standing in the back. But all of them, on that memorable morning, were captivated by the words of a young preacher.
After a sermon and a brief Q&A session, I asked if anyone would like to pray with me to ask Jesus into their life. To my amazement, virtually every hand went up. I prayed with them and afterward shook hands with most of the guys. But as I was meeting the inmates, I noticed a guy standing off in th