How did I get interested in Apologetics?
I never imagined I’d be interested in apologetics, but then again, I never imagined my life would turn out this way at all.
Several years ago, I came to a crisis point in my faith. My marriage was in a dark place, and I knew that I couldn’t fix it. Everything I knew how to do was not only failing, but making things worse. I was desperate to save my marriage.
I knew I had to turn to God. If there was any hope at all, it would have to come from Him.
But my faith wasn’t really my own yet. It was borrowed: borrowed from my parents, my church, and my Christian community.
I had lived the stereotypical suburban Evangelical upbringing. We attended church as a family every Sunday morning & evening, and many Wednesday nights, plus Awanas and Pioneer Girls. If the doors were open, there was a good chance one of us was there for something. I was active in youth group, spent a couple of seasons on the quiz team, and I even attended Christian summer camp every summer until college.
I thought my faith was real and perhaps it was, but it was untested.
And I was unprepared for the cruel evils of this world. During high school and college, events conspired against me to test my trust in God’s goodness, which began a long, slow descent away from any genuine personal faith into lukewarm cultural Christianity bolstered by a massive influx of liberalism from my very secular, progressive college.
If Christianity was just a manufactured tool to control the masses, and clearly proven false by science, I didn’t have to live by it anymore. I was finally free to not just live in the world, but snuggle up to it and cavort in it. I could revel in earthly pleasures free of the stodgy Biblical rules my parents had used to restrain me.
But God never fully let me walk away. No matter how hard I tried to intellectualize my way out of believing, I never quite could.
I had a few earth shaking moments in which God impressed Himself on me, driving me to the floor in tears, reminding me that I was His and had a tremendous purpose.
And yet, I had never fully surrendered my life to God.
The day that changed I was pacing through my house praying ferociously, telling God that I was going to follow Him no matter what, no matter what it cost me, no matter who believed my faith was real. I would not be shaken.
And the world transformed in an instant.
I couldn’t get enough of my Bible. I was diving into learning about God for myself more and more everyday. My whole life centered around learning as much as I could and sharing my faith with friends and family.
Soon, I was leading Bible studies in my home and at church. God had started such a wondrous work in my heart and life, I wanted everyone to know the true freedom and love I had found in Christ.
My life finally felt like I was where I imagined I should be.
But it wasn’t too long before a very important person in my life declared God wasn’t real and began making some pretty convincing arguments.
All of a sudden, this newly minted atheist shook my newly powerful faith. Despite seeing how quickly and clearly God was transforming me and healing my marriage, I had doubts. What if this was all just a feel good illusion and tricks of the mind?
I had to know the truth.
I began listening to every apologetics podcast or YouTube channel I could find, hoping to find the one piece of evidence that would prove God beyond a shadow of a doubt, but I never did.
There was not a single piece of evidence that sealed the deal . . .
Instead, I found a mountain of evidence that points to God’s existence and Jesus’s resurrection, not beyond a shadow of a doubt, but beyond all probable ones.
Atheists have to have a different explanation to answer every question. Christians only need one.
Each argument against my faith began to fall away as I learned that Christianity is the only worldview that explains it all, from the creation of the world to the formation of Christianity.
And I realized that many Christians don’t know how much good evidence supports our faith or are even certain of what they believe.
I couldn't find one single piece of evidence to prove Christianity . . . instead I found a mountain of evidence that points to it overwhelmingly. #Apologetics #WomeninApologetics Share on XI may not be a world-renowned scholar like Dr. William Lane Craig. And I may not even have a seminary degree (although I’m considering it), but I can be a voice for people like me, average people who want extraordinary faith.
I am only one, but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. – Helen Keller
Christians like me want to do more than raise good people. We want to raise warriors for the Kingdom. But we can’t do that if they walk away from the faith in droves.
Why did I walk away in my youth?
Partially, my sinful nature and partially because I didn’t know there are good answers for atheists. Answers that might have helped me cling to my faith when life got rough instead of running from it.
I don’t have to have every answer to share the ones I do have. Nor do I have to know everything in order to share some things.
I can be the light of a single candle that is enough to stave off the darkness for one soul who finds me and through me all the great apologists I follow and study.
Claiming to be an apologist takes bravery in this fierce internet landscape, but I pray you’ll be gentle with me as I learn. I’m an external processor, so writing about what I’m learning helps me organize my thoughts. If it helps one person, I will be thankful I did my processing online instead of squirreled away in a notebook no one will ever see.
I won’t always have all the answers. I’m not an expert, but by God’s grace, I hope to share what I’m learning with you.
And maybe bring apologetics to people who might never have considered it before, but will join me in raising up a new generation of disciples, whether they’re your biological, adopted, or spiritual children, the kids next door, or just the people in your life.
45 Comments
Tina Truelove
This is wonderful! I have been aching to dig deeper into apologetics myself. I started reading the Case for Christ but there is so much in there. I want to saver all that information so I keep rereading the first few chapters. LOL This is going to be an awesome blog and I’m so happy to be here from the very beginning. I am so looking forward to following every post you create here. I’m actually excited!
themamapologist
I’m terrified! There is SO MUCH to know! But I hope that if I keep it simple what I know will grow with this blog.
Jenni
I love this. I can relate on so many levels as a recent college graduate and new mother. I wish I had a resource like this in my years at university. Excited about this blog and future posts! God is so faithful.
themamapologist
I hope I can live up to all the excitement!
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clubschadenfreude
What evidence do you think is the strongest for God? I’m an atheist but was a Christian (Presbyterian).
themamapologist
Like I said in this article, it wasn’t one thing, but all the evidence when stacked up. The Resurrection of Christ is probably where I would hang my hat. Look up Gary Habermas and the minimum facts argument on YouTube
clubschadenfreude
Mama, there are many claims of this supposed resurrection. There is no evidence for it. I’ve debated Habermas myself and his claims are hilarious. We have the gospels making claims of a resurrection but we have no evidence at all. We have no evidence of the events claimed during the cruxifiction. No massive earthquake, no darkening of the sky, and no dead Jews wandering around Jerusalem. We also have contradictory claims from the Gospels. Did the apostles hide or did they go back to the temple in Jerusalem to celebrate?
Habermas’s argument is generally this: “The half-dozen facts we usually use are these: 1) that Jesus died by crucifixion; 2) that very soon afterwards, his followers had real experiences that they thought were actual appearances of the risen Jesus; 3) that their lives were transformed as a result, even to the point of being willing to die specifically for their faith in the resurrection message; 4) that these things were taught very early, soon after the crucifixion; 5) that James, Jesus’ unbelieving brother, became a Christian due to his own experience that he thought was the resurrected Christ; and 6) that the Christian persecutor Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus) also became a believer after a similar experience.”
We have no evidence that Jesus Christ existed, so we have no evidence he died by crucifiction. We also only have that some people may have had experiences that they attributed to Jesus. However, those experiences are contradictory, for example can people touch Jesus Christ after he is risen? One gospel, John, has Mary unable to touch JC, and Matthew has that they touched him with no problem at all.
Then Habermas tries the claim of people would only die for a true belief. So, Mama, were the people who died at Jonestown in possession of a true belief since they were willing to die for it? Were the people of Heaven’s Gate believing in the truth if they were willing to die becuase they believed in aliens would save them?
We also have no evidence that James existed or converted, but again, people convert all of the time, Christians to Islam, Islam to Chrisitanity, Wicca to Christianity, Christianity to Wicca, Christianity to Judaism or Buddhism, etc. Conversion is no evidence unless you want to admit all of those other religions are just as true as yours. As for Paul, it makes a great story, a bad guy becoming a good guy. But even Paul can’t keep his supposed conversion story straight, and contradicts Jesus many times, claiming he should be called father when JC said no one was but God, claiming he knew when end times where, etc. Paul makes a great anti-christ.
all you have are claims made from the bible. There is no evidence to support them. No one noticed an exodus and the destruction of the entire Egyptian army. No one noticed Jesus wandering around with a literal legion’s worth of men (plus women and children) in a Roman occupied land. No one noticed the events of the supposed crucifiction. No one noticed a world-wide flood nor the supposedly wisest man in the world. What we do have is evidence for entirely different things happening in any of the times that Christians claim these things happened.
and Christians don’t agree on those times.
These facts and evidence are why I am not a Christian anymore. I no more believe these myths than i do the myths of other religions.
themamapologist
Man, that is a lot to respond to. And I can’t do all that justice, but I will say if you throw out the Bible as any kind of historical record, you have to discard all historical documents from the same time period. Are you conceding that no historical account of anything from that time is reasonable? Virtually no scholars, atheists included, believe Jesus did not exist. A recent article corroborated the earthquake/dark sky not too long ago. Also, there were other men claiming to be the messiah. They had larger, more committed followers. When they were executed, their movements stopped. Why did this one group perpetuate a resurrection story? Why did this one group who did not believe in bodily resurrection claim to have seen one when it would have gotten them excommunicated and persecuted. What did they have to gain? People will die for a lie when they don’t know it’s a lie. People won’t make something up and die for it when it gains them nothing in this life either. Even if one person was mentally ill, all the disciples certainly weren’t. I’ve got answers for much of the rest but need to clean up from dinner. And will definitely address these in upcoming posts. Thank you for the civil dialogue.
clubschadenfreude
No, one doesn’t have to throw out any other books at all, Mama. Those books are supported by evidence. The bible is not.
The jesus that scholars do indeed think existed wasn’t a magical man, just an itinerant rabbi. Which version do you worship?
Mentioning articles and not showing them doesn’t help your case. Perpetuating a resurrection story is nothing new, plenty god are resurrected.
themamapologist
What ancient historical text has more evidential support than the Bible?
clubschadenfreude
Mama, the problem is that the bible has no evidental support for its claims. Where is the evidence for the flood? The exodus? The cruxifiction? We have nothing. What we have are reports of what Christians believed, not contemporary reports of the events themselves. The Gallic Wars by Julius Caesar can be considered valid since we know we have had wars, we have had a Roman empire and we have had Gauls. Compare this to the bible. We have claims that the entire army of Egypt was destroyed, along with all of the first born, all of the food animals, all of the grain, etc. Why did none of Egypt’s enemies notice this? There was widespread trade in the area. Why did no one notice 600,000 men, plus women children and animals, wandering around for 40 years on an area half the size of my home state, Pennsylvania? why has not one latrine from those people been found?
Why has no one found anything from the fabulous palaces and temples? The tons of gold that Moses supposedly stole from the Egyptiansto make a huge leather tent with temple furnishings? Where’s the ark of the covenant?
themamapologist
A few articles on the historicity of the scripture which are historically accurate in overwhelming ways. https://www.theblaze.com/contributions/the-bible-is-the-most-historically-accurate-document-of-all-time
https://www.str.org/articles/is-the-new-testament-text-reliable#.XRu6BpNKgWo
On the corroboration of the darkness at noon: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/thallus-on-the-darkness-at-noon
And on the Earthquake and darkness: https://www.christianevidence.net/2017/12/historical-evidence-darkness-earthquake.html
clubschadenfreude
The “blaze” is a conservative website and it lies to you. I know it’s very hard to imagine that christians lie to you but they do. The bible is not reliable. We have no evidence of the claims in it, the massacre of the innocents, the supposed census, the flood, the exodus, the tower of babel, the battles of hundreds of thousands of warriors, the palaces or temples of Israel, etc.
Thallus, who we don’t have any of the originals, was quoted by Africanus. We have a claim of a dark sky but only as what Christians believed, not as a witnessed event. You’ll find that to be a problem with most of the claims of evidence from the ancient world. They are reporting what people believed, not what they saw. And if you take that as evidence, then most gods in the world are just as real as yours since we are only taking the word of beleivers. Amen Ra, Isis, Athena, are all as real as Chrisitan god.
There is no evidence of a major earthquake at any time claimed as the “right” time by christians. your last link tries to claim that there are two mentions of the sky darkening, Thallus and Africanus, but Africanus is using Thallus as a source, so there is really one. Tertullian is only reporting what Christians believe, he has no idea if it happened or not.
You also have the problem with the earthquake. The bible claims it tore stones apart and ripped the curtain in the temple. A 5.5 earthquake doesn’t do that. Earthquakes are measured on a logarithmic scale, where each number is a tenfold increase in power. I’m a geologist so most people don’t know that and they get caught in lies. When someone tries to claim that an earthquake had to have happened at the time of JC’s cruxifiction, they are making the facts fit the story. The story doesn’t fit the facts.
It is very hard ot realize that fellow Christians will lie to you. I had a rought time with that too.
themamapologist
These are historical references which would be enough to corroborate any other ancient historical document. Much of the Bible has been document archaeologically. Not all. It’s enough for me. I will keep digging and researching. I understand the bias is possible doesn’t mean there is one. You are biased clearly, so can I trust what you say? We all have bias. That doesn’t prevent being honest and genuine.
clubschadenfreude
No, they aren’t, Mama. None of the bible has been documented archaeologically. What we have are archaeological proof that some of the cities and people that are mentioned in the bible are real, but none of the bible’s essential events have been documented archaeologically. If you want to claim that mentions of real people and cities are evidence for your god and the events, then you would have to admit that the mentions of real cities in Greek, Roman and Egyptian myths are evidence that those gods are real too or that Spiderman is real since the comic books mention New York City.
You falsely accuse me of bias, that is not nice. You can indeed trust what I say. The only reason you appear to not want to is that what I say and can show you indicates that your religion and your god don’t exist.
How many atheist books that are responses to Christian apologists have you read? I have some to recommend: Faith Vs. Fact by Dr. Jerry Coyne, The Outsider’s Test For Faith By John Loftus, How Jesus Became God and Jesus, Interrupted by Bart Ehrman. I also recommend that you watch this video about the flood story that demonstrates how it could not have happened and that other things happened instead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5ElhX38w3Q&t=24s I’m a geologist and find the bible’s claims unsupportable. We also have the problem that Christians don’t agree on what is literal and what is metaphor in the bible, including that flood story.
themamapologist
I appreciate your feedback and will add those books to my reading list. I have read some Ehrman and Flew and Dawkins. And I will do my research and write posts responding to your critiques.
clubschadenfreude
Okay. I’ll be watching.
themamapologist
Also, https://kenboa.org/apologetics/how-accurate-is-the-bible/
clubschadenfreude
Mama, what part of this to you find most compelling? I don’t want to address everything unless you want me to.
clubschadenfreude
Mama, what do you find most compelling?
and if one of the ancient writers mentioned said that other people did miracles, would you accept that those people actually did miracles?
themamapologist
There is too much to debate here. A conversation in comments is not conducive to clarity or productivity. You’ve shared your views and I will contend with them in posts as they apply.
clubschadenfreude
Mama, you claim to want to be an apologist but then you don’t to actually listen to people who have questions or have points you don’t seem to be able to answer. A discussion in comments perfectly fine to clarity and productivity. What are your reasons to support your claims about comments?
Angela
I could have written much of you your background. We have been traveling on very similar journeys. I too am new to the apologist world but am quickly growing in my knowledge and passion toward truth. I look forward to following!
themamapologist
Glad to be walking with you!!
Arkenaten
This is misguided at the very least.
As/If you are a Trinitaian Christian (yes?) one can presume you consider the biblical character Jesus of Nazareth to be your god.
There is no evidence to support this claim.
And , of course, such a claim differs substantially from those of claimants from every other religion.
The primary (only?) source document is the bible.
Therefore, your first task is to demonstrate its veracity.
To this end, what evidence can you provide?
Regards.
Ark
themamapologist
Ark, I will write posts about different subjects and why I feel like the substantive evidence points to a creator of the universe and why I believe that to be the Christian God and believe the Resurrection of Christ occurred.
Arkenaten
What substantive evidence are you referring to?
I have never encountered a single piece of such evidence.
In fact everything has been merely claims.
Can you be specific – say , one or two examples?
themamapologist
Ark, that is a really broad question. I will address specific topics in upcoming posts, but I would challenge you to read Cold Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace. He has done more intellectual “heavy lifting” than I have at this point. His take on the New Testament is pretty unique.
Arkenaten
Wallace is a fundamentalist and does not provide evidence.
He even believes the gospels are eyewitness testimony. He is a waste of time.
And please don’t come back and suggest Strobel either. Or Craig or Evans or Licona.
Again, you claim to have substantive evidence. All I asked for were a couple of examples.
You obviously have such examples otherwise you wouldn’t believe, am I correct?
Just a couple of examples will do just fine.
themamapologist
If you don’t think any of them have any evidence, I’m not going to be worth your time. I would suggest that you follow their references. Don’t take their word for it. But you are welcome to follow me and see if I find something you haven’t examined.
Arkenaten
I Have. While you may be new to apologetics, I’m not.
I am not asking about the claims of other apologists, I am asking for a couple of examples of the mountains of evidence you claim to have.
You obviously are very familiar with this evidence so surely this is not a difficult request?
themamapologist
What would you consider reasonable evidence?
Arkenaten
Evidence is evidence. Everything else is a claim.There is no need to equivocate.
You come across as an intelligent woman so I am presuming you committed to Christianity based on sound evidential grounds.
Just two examples from the mountain.
themamapologist
You have already rejected a mountain of what I believe is reasonable evidence to corroborate the claims of the Bible. The issue is then what you believe is evidence. On that we likely do not agree. Do miracles occur? 75% of modern physicians believe in supernatural miracles and many attest to them. Craig Keener’s book Miracles contains many reasonable accounts with evidence. If not one of his accounts reflect evidence for you, then we are at an impasse.
Arkenaten
But it is not evidence, merely unsubstantiated claims, as has been pointed out to you numerous times.
No, the real issue is your failure to recognise what evidence is.
Unsubstantiated claims in a text riddled with errors that cover almost every known discipline does not count as evidence.
Unsubstantiated nonsense! How on earth can you make such an outrageous claim without providing anything to support such a statement.
Let’s try a different tack. Please present evidence for the virgin birth and the resurrection of Lazarus.
themamapologist
My memory of the exact statistic was off, but here is the link to the article. http://204.12.61.19/news/MediacurvesRelease.cfm?M=228 And I never claimed to have external evidence to support those particular claims. I will happily research any specific objections you have on posts but will not debate in the comments. Go read Keener. If you still cannot believe in the supernatural, then you are too skeptical to be swayed by me.
Arkenaten
Okay read the link and several others on the same topic.
It would be advantageous to our discussion if we established exactly what you consider to be a miracle.
If miracle is understood as some unexpected good outcome that actually happens and pleases us yet is hard to explain, then, yes, why not – it’s a MIRACLE!
If you are asserting that this is an intercessory act by Yahweh/Jesus of Nazareth, then you will need to provide evidence.
themamapologist
A miracle is not simply Providence, but a supernatural event. And while some of Keener’s accounts have been debunked, many have not. He includes photographic/x-Ray evidence to support some of his claims. I am researching Lazarus for you and will write a post on it if I can find enough good evidence to support a post. I’ve never researched that particular issue.
Arkenaten
I don’t mean to be pedantic, but when you say supernatural are you asserting that Yahweh/Jesus of Nazareth has interceded?
If (as you state) some of Keener’s accounts have been debunked why did he include them as evidence in the first place?
And do you think that the ones that for the time being remain outside of current medical understanding could also be debunked in the future?
Re: Lazarus:
I look forward to the results of your search for evidence. However, I am curious to know that if you are currently unaware of any evidence on what basis do you accept the veracity of the story?
themamapologist
I think I would separate that issue into two separate questions. Did something happen that the natural world cannot explain? And what caused that event? Because before we can decide on God’s actions, we have to agree on that supernatural events occur. I’m not sure I can speak to the veracity of Keener’s research. I haven’t looked closely enough at those who have claimed to debunk him for objectivity or veracity. He may have had information come to light after publishing. I simply don’t know. And I believe that sufficient circumstantial, philosophical, logical evidence exists to give credence to the Biblical accounts. But always willing to research.
Arkenaten
Query: Do comments not appear until they are approved?
themamapologist
Correct. To keep down spam.
Arkenaten
Fair enough.
Rob Haufman
Mama, ClubS has done a good job patiently explaining why your “mountain” of evidence is actually an illusion. Two things for you to consider as you try to present your apologetic…
No amount of weak arguments or flimsy evidence adds up to a convincing case. That’s not the way this works, especially when we are talking about what you believe to be the most important events in human history, revealed by the creator who wants to be known by his creation.
The plural of anecdote is not “data”. That applies to the uncorroborrated stories in the many holy books humans have written, miracle claims, personal testimonies of changed lives, etc. A story is just a story, and many stories do not = fact.