Dec. 7, 2009 | By Gary D. Myers
NEW ORLEANS - The brightest minds in Christian apologetics and philosophy gathered on the campus of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) Nov. 19-21 with one common goal - teaching believers how to defend the Christian faith.
The seventh annual Evangelical Philosophical Society's Apologetics Conference drew a who's who lineup of Christian thinkers skilled in presenting a positive case for Christianity to a skeptical world. The theme was "Come, Let Us Reason." Sessions were led by scholars such as Gary Habermas of Liberty University, Ben Witherington III of Asbury Theological Seminary, Doug Geivett of Talbot School of Theology, James Walker of Watchman Fellowship and others - 21 speakers in all.
The apologetics conference is held in conjunction with the annual Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) and Evangelical Philosophical Society (EPS) meetings each year. This year's ETS and EPS meetings were held New Orleans Nov. 18-20.
J.P. Moreland, distinguished professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in Mirada, Calif., began the event Nov. 19 with a discussion of why Christian knowledge matters. Much of his talk centered on the competing worldviews and differences between "belief" and "knowledge." He challenged believers to learn the importance of defending Christianity.
"We have to know why believe what we believe," he said. "And we have to be able to defend our faith in an increasingly secular culture. It is no longer an option; it has now become an obligation given the situation we're in."
According to Moreland, three worldviews now dominate Western Culture. These worldviews are scientific naturalism, postmodernism and Christianity. Each offers a different understanding of knowledge.
Those who hold to scientific naturalism think that knowledge of reality comes only from science, Moreland said. For something to be known, it must be proven empirically. Moreland said that scientific naturalism is the most prevalent worldview today.
Postmorderns believe that truth is relative to individual cultures, Moreland said. They believe that something can be "true" for one culture and not true to another.
The third worldview is Christianity. And while scientific naturalism and postmodernism enjoy wide acceptance, the Christian worldview has not been completely marginalized.
"Christianity is a vibrant worldview in this culture and it is still having an impact throughout society," Moreland said.
Some proponents of scientific naturalism and postmodernism deny any possibility that Christianity might be true. Still others argue that even if Christianity is true, it cannot be known to be true. Moreland argued that not only is Christianity true, but its truthfulness can also be known.
Moreland said that the words "know" and "believe" carry different authority. People in Western culture are given authority based on knowledge rather than belief.
"It is very, very important for you and for me to recapture this idea that there is knowledge of God, there is knowledge of the afterlife," Moreland said. "We can actually know that Jesus Christ has risen from dead."
In his discussion on knowledge, Moreland focused on propositional knowledge or knowledge by thought.
"Knowledge by thought can be defined as a true belief based on adequate reasons," Moreland said. "There is a difference between a true belief and knowledge."
Moreland said that knowledge based on adequate reasons does not imply complete certainty. Christianity is a true belief backed by adequate reasons, he said.
"The main purpose of this conference is to give you reasons for that belief," Moreland said.
Some Christians focus more attention on faith than on knowledge, Moreland said. Much of the time these believers focus on blind faith. Moreland warned against this view.
"My view is that faith is trusting what we know to be true," Moreland said. "Faith is based on knowledge, not a substitute for it. So, we can actually know God is there and have great confidence in Him."
During the second plenary session, Timothy McGrew, professor of philosophy at Western Michigan University, encouraged Christians to read works of early apologists such as William Paley, Richard Whately and Thomas Cooper.
According McGrew, Richard Dawkins and other vocal atheists are borrowing centuries-old arguments from atheists and freethinkers of the past. Because they refuted the same arguments years ago, the ideas of Paley, Whately and Cooper are helpful in dismantling the arguments of current atheists, he said.
McGrew presented a brief overview of the three apologists' major works. Many works by these and other apologists are available through the Library of Historical Apologetics website (www.historicalapologetics.org), McGrew said.
The apologetics conference featured presentations by three NOBTS faculty members -- Michael Edens, professor of theology and Islamic studies; Steve Lemke, provost and professor of philosophy and ethics; and Robert Stewart, associate professor of philosophy and theology. Mike Licona, apologetics coordinator for the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, also led a breakout session during the conference.
Conference organizers developed a youth track to help younger believers develop apologetics skills. Sean McDowell, a high school teacher, trained apologist and son of noted apologist Josh McDowell, was a featured speaker in the youth track.
In the opening session of the youth track, McDowell played the role of an atheist and challenged members of the audience to respond to his arguments against Christianity. Several youth and children participated in the discussion, offering arguments for Christianity. At the end of his presentation, McDowell said he started the conference in this manner to illustrate the sophistication of many atheistic arguments and to encourage youth and youth workers to develop skills in defending Christianity.
Before the main conference, organizers hosted a local pastor's for a luncheon meeting focusing on the importance of apologetics training in the local church. New Orleans Seminary President Chuck Kelley and Tony Merida, teaching pastor at Temple Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, Miss., were the featured speakers for the pastor's conference. J.P. Moreland was featured in a question and answer session during the event.
"The most important apologist in America is the pastor a local church," Kelley told the pastors and church leaders.
The local church, from mega churches to small rural congregations, must be the "cradle" of defenders of the faith, Kelley said. "Everything that happens in the Kingdom of God happens in, around, through and for the benefit of, the local church."
Merida, who serves as a ministry-based faculty member at NOBTS in addition to his work at Temple Baptist, outlined how apologetics can look in a local church setting.
At Temple, Merida said, a church that draws 3,000 to Sunday worship, "a good number" are not prepared to defend the faith "But we are working toward that, working very hard at equipping them and training them."
Apologetics, Merida said, should be part of every aspect of discipleship.
The EPS Apologetics Conference served as a preview for two other apologetics events to be held at New Orleans Seminary in the coming months.
"Confronting the Culture," sponsored by the Institute for Christian Apologetics at New Orleans Seminary will be held on campus Jan. 3-8, 2010. The apologetics training event is open to ministers, lay leaders and students. Seminary credit is available. For more information about "Confronting the Culture," visit www.nobtsapologetics.com.
The second event is the annual Greer-Heard Point-Counterpoint Forum Feb. 26-27, 2010. This year's forum features noted evangelical scholar Ben Whitterington III and John Dominic Crossan. The forum will center on the theme "The Message of Jesus: What Did He Really Teach?" For more information about the Greer-Heard Forum, visit www.greer-heard.com.
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With reporting by Paul F. South