Michael Patton has posted a really humorous and helpful piece on bad approaches to apologetics. Here is the list without commentary.
1. “I believe Christianity is true because I read this book where someone died, went to heaven, and came back.”
2. “I believe Christianity is true because there are secret codes found in the Scriptures.”
3. “I believe Christianity is true because the lost day of Joshua has been found by NASA.”
4. “I believe Christianity is true because we had a special speaker come to our class and show how the Gospel was written in the stars.”
5. “I believe Christianity is true because I have seen pictures of Noah’s Ark.”
6. “I believe Christianity is true because I heard that this guy’s pancake was miraculously in the shape of Jesus.”
7. “I believe Christianity is true because God spoke to me and told me ______”
8. “I believe Christianity is true because there are no better options and I have nothing to lose.”
9. “I believe Christianity is true because I saw a photograph of a cloud which was shaped like Jesus.”
10. “I believe Christianity is true because there was a statue of Mary crying.”
11.“I believe Christianity is true because my friend was healed of cancer after praying.”
12. “I believe Christianity is true because I spoke in tongues.”
13. “I believe Christianity is true because my church says it is.”
14. “I believe Christianity is true because my right leg grew two inches.
Patton summarizes as follows:
I believe the starting point for all apologetics, personal or evangelistic, should be the resurrection of Christ. “I believe Christianity is true because Christ rose from the grave.” If Christ rose from the grave, Christianity is true—period. If Christ did not rise from the grave Christianity is false—period. All the legs growing and pancake visions in the world, while nice, will add little to your faith. As well, lack of such events will be unable to shake your faith. The resurrection of Christ is the historic foundation of the Christian faith. Paul said as much:
1 Corinthians 15:17
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”
For a Pattin’s post, including his full explanation of the 14 approaches, you can go here.
These were rather funny. The difficulty however is that Patton is a cessationist and thus you have what he wrote at 1, 7, and 11. I actually have a friend who got saved because he started to have dreams and visions. Granted they stopped after he got saved, but they caused him to read the Bible and he got saved as a result. As for miracles, if you hang out with enough missionaries (I went to a Pentecostal College in So. Cal and took an anthropology class with a former missionary to Papua New Guine) thre are cases of people having dreams or visions and seeing miracles, and that being a reason in why they got saved. A reason, not THE reason. Something to ponder.
By: Frank! on February 18, 2009
at 9:05 am
Frank, thanks for the comment. However, the type of visions and dreams reported my our brothers and sisters (particularly in the east) really don’t seem to fall under the categories Patton mentions.
The above categories are divorced from revelational-reality (I think I might have just made that up). The dreams and visions I have heard about are always tied to the living or resurrected Jesus. That seems to transcend the typical Benny Hinn revelation-less charismatic experience that does not seem to emphasize the triumphant Christ and that we hear too much about today.
By: jeffmooney on February 18, 2009
at 10:09 am
Fair enough. I have heard of the Presbytarian”s who had visions and such mentioned in the book “Men of the Covenant”. I’ve heard it called non-canonical extrabiblical revelation. Though I like your phrase better. It’s short.
By: Frank! on February 18, 2009
at 5:54 pm