Christian Beginnings
Wed, May 1st

Read:
-Blomberg by Friday
-Borg by Monday

Miller was a former fundamental Catholic.
Apologetics: defending a point of view.
Apologia(Greek): means defense in court.

Christian Apologetics: defending the Christian faith against the skeptics. Providing a rational foundation for believers. Try to prove Christianity is the truth.
Ex: Conservatives say -you should believe in Christianity because it’s true.
Liberals say - all religions have some truth..christianity is no more than the others, truth is relative or subjective.

Did early church embrace apologeticism?
Jesus says to disciples to all nations.
1 Peter 3:15 - be ready always to give a defense (apologia) to anyone who asks for reason of the hope within you.
John 14:6 - I am the way, the truth, and the light- no one gets to the Father except through me.
Acts-early disciples “reasoned from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.”

Counter arguments to skeptics.. Gospel say the Pharisees bribed guards at tomb, started a rumor that disciples stole the body.

Miller’s view about Apologetics: “Preaching to the choir” means that only insiders are convinced, rarely convinces anyone(outsiders).

-C.S. Lewis, Walter Martin, Craig, Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell.
They all started as Skeptics and from Apologetics they converted to Christianity