Definitions:

Naturalism = the belief that everything that exists is physical in nature (consequentially, immaterial things like God, souls, spirits, etc. do not exist).

Evolution = the proposition that we originated and evolved according to contemporary evolutionary theory.

Plantinga argues that if naturalism is true and evolution is true, then the probability that our cognitive faculties are reliable is low. This is because evolution rewards ‘survival’ behavior, not accurate beliefs. So, this argument depends largely on the relationship between beliefs and behavior. For example, if you believe that a tiger will eat you (and do not want to be eaten), you will run. But you may also believe that the tiger is playing a game of tag with you (and since you want to win), you will run as a result. There are numerous incorrect beliefs that illicit ‘survival’ behavior for every one correct belief that accurately reflects the actual state of affairs. So, you can see why there is little evolutionary advantage for a species whose cognitive faculties are reliable.

This is especially true for abstract beliefs such as the propositions that God exists, that courage is a virtue, or that our mind and our brains are distinct entities. This of course is also true of the proposition that naturalism is true-it is an abstract concept. If you believe that naturalism is true, then you should also believe that the very cognitive faculties you used to arrive at that belief are unreliable. In other words, if naturalism is true, then we are all stupid. Or as Plantinga states naturalism creates its own defeater; naturalism is self-defeating.

Plantinga explains his argument much more eloquently and in a much more rigorous fashion. I have paraphrased and left out quite a few steps for the sake of summary. You can read Plantinga’s own words here: Naturalism Defeated. I just hope that anyone who reads this takes it seriously.

Malachi 3:10

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

Obedience to God is worthwhile.

Here is a partial list of the things God has given me and my wife in the past year, since we started giving ten percent of our gross income to the church (less than $200 a month):

-         I thought I needed a job in Santa Barbara. I had two interviews at one job and they turned me down. We ended up moving to Sacramento. I got good a good job in the field I hoped for after a couple weeks. It pays the rent, the car insurance, the gas, and the groceries every month.

-         My wife thought she was going to lose her temp job this May. The new person that was supposed to take her spot fell through. Now she has a job for the summer.

-         We got into a good apartment when we moved and we pay $300 a month less than the neighbors next to us because we got in when management changed and they ran a discount deal.

-         I got a flat tire and an oil leak on my Vespa. The repair cost less than expected.

-         Both of our computers broke. Dell sent my wife a brand new computer ($1000+). My computer was fixed. So was my ipod.

-         We’re getting a great tax return ($2000+).

-         Saving the best for last, Pepperdine offered me a full ride scholarship to their law school for the next three years ($150,000+). I didn’t even pray for a full scholarship. I thought it was too bold, but my in-laws prayer for it. And God answered.

If you are not obedient to God, what are you waiting for? I’m not guaranteeing that you’ll prosper financially, but you will be blessed exceedingly and far beyond your expectations. It will happen time and again. Each time you will ask yourself, “why didn’t I trust God?”

If some scientific project or theory assumes as a basis that God does not exist, as naturalistic evolutionists suggest that science must, and God does in fact exist, then the whole scientific project comes into question. It is nearly worthless. The project would have start completely over from the beginning without assuming the non-existence of God. This false assumption would be the weakness of the project.

For those who do believe that science presupposes that God does not exist or that supernatural explanations must be ruled out as impossibility do a great disservice to science. The occurrence or acknowledgement of one single supernatural event would undermine all of science. As a house is build upon a foundation, so our beliefs rest upon their presuppositions.

Science is a wonderful, irreplaceable, and important means for discovering truth about the universe in which we live. Without it we would have zero insight into the structure of the cell, the behavior of the subatomic particles, and the nature of bacterial infection. Thankfully, practicing science does not require an assumption of the non-existence of God. In fact, without belief in God the scientific enterprise would not have begun when it did because it does require a belief that there is order in the universe. One need not assume, for example, that God does not exist in order to determine that plant cells have a cell wall. So, we can keep that.

My admonition is this. Let the evidence take you wherever it leads. Don’t let the dogmas of scientism, or of other religions, prevent you from believing the truth. Otherwise you will live in fear of the truth.

Bumper Sticker: God is not a Republican. Or a Democrat.

Here is another pointless bumper sticker. Liberals who believe in the traditional concept of God are increasingly marginalized by their secular counterparts and they’re frustrated that the majority of religious people, especially Christians, in America are conservative. So the Sojourners came up with an advertisement in 2004 with this lovely heading. Fortunately, illogic doesn’t matter to conservatives and the Sojourner’s ad collects dust in the dust bin of election history. George Bush isn’t your president? Well, John Kerry isn’t anyone’s president.

The principle their trying to convey is something that John Kerry said at the DNC in 2004, “It is not about who’s side God is on, it is about whether or not we are on God’s side.” Of course, the liberals clapped hysterically when he said this. Many of them don’t believe in God but they believe that God is on their side none the less. I don’t have a problem with that. I believe that God is on my side, as a conservative. And now that I think of it, I would agree. God is not a Republican. He is a conservative.

Back to the principle, it could be stated, “God doesn’t take sides.” First off, we would agree that God would take the side of the truth. For example, God takes sides on the issue of murder. Some people apparently think it is okay to murder, because they do it. God takes the side that murder is wrong, immoral, evil, unethical, whatever right? Good, we agree. So, there you go it is done. God does take sides. Now, I gave you a counter example. However, there is a better argument that shows the fatal flaw in this liberal logic, Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason has already debunked this principle. All I can do is to reiterate his argument. Consider this:

Person A says: God doesn’t take sides.

Person B says: God does take sides.

Who’s side is God on? You can’t say God isn’t on either side. God is on the side of the truth. Whichever one is true, God is on that side. So, it is a self-defeating statement.

You know, rationality is a God-given faculty. I wish liberals would exercise it once in a while. It really is a gift to be sane.

As an afterthought, liberals often complain about the separation of church and state. That is really a red herring. Liberals want to remove religious people from the public arena because we have competing agendas. Liberals know they can’t win, so they try to silence those with whom they disagree. Maybe that’s why they look up to the communist Soviet Union, Fidel Castro, and Hugo Chavez so much. But really folks, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against racism because he was a Christian. He invoked God and religion constantly. Liberals did not cry out for separation of church and state then. “Separation of church and state” is just a disguise for the liberal attack on the freedom of speech in this great nation.

 As an argument regularly leveled against Christianity, some say that Christianity is responsible for a great number of deaths fought in religious wars namely the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, and the Salem Witch Trials. Well, I like Dinesh D’Souza’s response in reply to Christopher Hitchens that Christian’s will take responsibility for these evil deeds committed in the name of Christ, if Atheists take responsibility for deaths committed in the name of their ideologues Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Jong Il, Guevara, Chavez, and others. (I would even lump in Hilter. Although Hilter used some religious rhetoric, he was largely and directly influenced by the writings of Nitchze who proclaimed, “God is dead.”) While I believe that this argument ultimately wins the day. I also found this illustration from history supports the classic Christian response and provides an important lesson.

Many of the Crusaders would get baptized by the church with their swords before going off to battle. They would, however, symbolically hold their swords out of the water during the baptism.

You see, these soldiers understood that their actions were not within the will of God. They knew that their behavior was not supported by Christ’s teaching; it was just the opposite in many cases.

The classic response, then, to the argument against Christianity cited above has historical support. The response, or rebuttal, is that those rapists, murders, and pillagers were not acting in accordance with Christianity, but in moral opposition to it. The atheists mentioned above acted in logically consistent ways with their atheistic beliefs.

The lesson to learn is something that the non-Christians are right about. We must not carry the name of God in vein. That is, we must not go to war in God’s name against the will of God. To do so is a violation of the second of the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God. It is morally destructive to the victim, the perpetrator, and to the cause of Christianity as a whole.

  1 Chronicles 29:11-12 (New International Version)

11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
       and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
       for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
       Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
       you are exalted as head over all.

 12 Wealth and honor come from you;
       you are the ruler of all things.
       In your hands are strength and power
       to exalt and give strength to all.

This lesson is emphasized in Crown Ministries’ financial studies. I just wanted to pass it on as a reminder. Our attitudes can become so negative when we focus on the bad things that happen. Stuff gets stolen. Our cars get wrecked or towed. Someone ruins your shirt. The food takes too long at the restaurant.

It all belongs to God. God owns you, your things, your time, your money, your life, your family, and your friends. So, don’t get mad.

“I don’t know why God wanted a big dent in his brand new car, but there it is and it is big.”

God promises to take care of us. Don’t worry. (Matthew 6:25-34)

Also, we are stewards. That means we should spend wisely. This is one reason why Christians shouldn’t support liberal Democrats or liberal Republicans. Also, we must take care of our environment and conserve our resources and take care of the animals. This is one reason why Christians should support responsible, conservationist policy in Congress. Unfortunately, liberals are rarely responsible and conservatives rarely live up their name as conservationists. The environment belongs to God. Let's take good care of God's green earth.

Honestly, I think the Hummers and the mansions are a little excessive. And it is hurting the conservative cause. I’m not saying it should be taxed or worse, illegal. I am saying, Christians should think about where our hearts are. Give to charities that benefit the poor and don’t take part in excess, be it material or otherwise. Store up treasures in heaven.

I have found in day to day conversations that many people who believe the following are totally comfortable with blurting out the following. They don’t seem to worry about offending anyone and no one should be offended by what they say. It is their opinion.

-“All religions are basically the same.”

-“We all have a little of God inside us and so humans have great potential beyond our imagination.”

-“All religions are good as long as they promote love and compassion.”

When someone says this I automatically know two things about them. They are very concerned with being compassionate towards and accepting of others. Also, they are not very deep and/or rationally minded people.

On the other hand, Christians are often afraid to say something because they don’t want to offend anyone and they don’t think it is allowed. I say to you Christian, if someone blurts out their opinion, you are totally entitled to a response.

Here are my recommended responses:

-“All love-promoting religions may be good. However, they also make truth claims that cannot all be true. Such as Hinduism teaches that everything is god, and Judaism teaches that there is only one God and that Creator and creation are distinct and different from one another.”

Christians have a responsibility to say something.

2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction.”

1 Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

You do not have a responsibility to prove to someone that Christ is the only savior. You do have a responsibility to give a reason. And at worst, if someone asks you something you don’t know, get their number, tell them you will find an answer and you will call them back.

Here are some reasons you might give:

-“God has changed my life and has given me salvation and grace.”

-“God has always been faithful to me. I choose to be faithful to Him.”

-“The message of Jesus Christ makes sense to me.”

-“I have learned through my studies and my experience that the truth claims made by Jesus and those found in the Bible are true.”

-“I know that as an imperfect/sinful person, I need a perfect savior to restore my relationship with God. The only perfect savior is Jesus Christ.”

You have a constitutional right to share your beliefs and express your religion.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The laws may change (as with the ways in which public school teachers are allowed to share their beliefs), but your constitutional right remains the same.

Separation of church and state is a right for individuals. So, individuals will not be forced to practice a particular religion by the governmental powers that be. Also, individuals retain the right to practice any peaceful religion. Practice, for Christians, means sharing and proselytizing. That’s the fact.

Appendix: I want to address one more common set of statements I often hear.

-“The Bible has been translated so many times that we don’t really know what it says.”

-“The Bible has been changed over the years through transmission and translation.”

The one thing educated scholars never say about the Bible is that we don’t know what the original Bible said. The Bible is in fact the best documented collection of books in all of antiquity.

-We have possession of over 5000 ancient manuscripts. Many date within 40 years of the life of Christ.

-We can piece together the entire New Testament just from quotations in other first and second century books.

-Every time a new translation is written, the translators are able to go back to the original text, which for the New Testament is in Greek.

When a person says the statements above, they have revealed a great weakness. They clearly have not bothered to study or research the truth for themselves. Politely correct them and encourage them to do a little research. I beg you, take these truth claims seriously. Your neighbor in uttering these statements is trying to either discourage your belief in the Bible, justify their own disbelief, or both. Love your neighbor as yourself and share with them the truth of the gospel as passed down to us very carefully through history in a collection of books called the Bible.

Sin separates us from God. Jesus died to save us from our sin. Trust in Him and be reconciled to a loving God! That’s it. That’s the good news!