On today’s podcast, Gary discuss presuppositional apologetics and Dr. Greg Bahnsen and the trio of his books recently published by American Vision.
Biblical apologetics means “to offer a defense” and is practiced in different ways by Christians. Some Christian apologists try to appeal to skeptics by presenting a boatload of facts. With this evidential method, the claim is made that facts are neutral and “speak for themselves.” Others believe that reason alone, devoid of any prior presuppositions (an impossibility), is the best way to defend the faith. These are not only ineffective apologetic methods, but they do not follow the biblical model.
Even scientists admit that factual neutrality and reason-alone approaches are impossible because “the practice of science …rests upon a number of presuppositions about the nature of reality” that “we usually take for granted.” [1] Certain operating assumptions are assumed, otherwise, no science or communication can take place. The issue, however, is how to account for these prior assumptions and how they fit within the context of a biblical worldview. That’s what Greg L. Bahnsen’s Apologetic Trilogy does from start to finish.
The Bible shows that apologetics and worldviews in general deal with fundamental assumptions that guide reason and give meaning to facts. For example, the first verse of the Bible states without equivocation or defense, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). The necessary operating assumption is that God exists and without His existence nothing makes sense. Unless we begin by establishing certain preconditions, we will never establish a valid and workable apologetic methodology, and attacks on the Christian faith will go unanswered.
Gary is interviewed by his friend Jerry Bowyer on his own podcast, Meeting of Minds. Jerry and Gary discuss presuppositional apologetics and Dr. Greg Bahnsen and the trio of his books recently published by American Vision. These three books are foundational to understanding the necessity of the Christian worldview. Logic and reason have no basis without first assuming the God of the Bible, His truth, and His moral declarations and definitions of reality.
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[1] John D. Barrow, The World Within the World (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988), 24