Download Apologetics: Preparing A Proper Defense

Apologetics:
Preparing A Proper Defense
1 Peter 3:8-17
Your View Matters
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What is a “Worldview”?
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A world view is the lens through which you view the world. It
determines how you define your life.
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A recent nationwide survey completed by the Barna
Research Group determined that only 4 percent of
Americans had a "biblical" worldview.
What is a “Biblical Worldview”?
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You define your life according to the principles and laws of
the Bible.
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The Bible is the filter through which all of your life is lived.
Biblical Worldview
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Do absolute moral truths exist?
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Is absolute truth defined by the Bible?
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Did Jesus Christ live a sinless life?
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Is God the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe,
and does He still rule it today?
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Is salvation a gift from God that cannot be earned?
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Is Satan real?
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Does a Christian have a responsibility to share his or her faith in
Christ with other people?
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Is the Bible accurate in all of its teachings?
Biblical Worldview
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In order to say you truly have a Biblical Worldview
you need to have answered yes to all of those
questions.
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According to Barna only 9% of “born again”
believers that were surveyed answered yes to all.
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If we don’t live the TRUTH we say we believe why
would anyone else want to?
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Why should our children just blindly follow what we
say is right?
Know What You Believe
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In his book, Understanding The Times, David
Noebel looks at 6 worldviews and compares them
in 10 different areas.
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Theology
Sociology
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Philosophy
Law
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Ethics
Politics
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Biology
Economics
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Psychology
History
Theology
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Let’s start with an easy one. What is theology?
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The study of the nature of God
What is Biblical Theology?
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The understanding of who God is through the revelation of the Bible.
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Theism - belief in the existence of a god or gods, especially belief in
one god as creator of the universe, intervening in it and sustaining a
personal relation to his creatures.
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Trinitarian - there is only one God in all existence and that God
exists in three distinct, simultaneous, co-eternal, co-powerful
persons known as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Trinitarianism is strictly monotheistic (there is only one God in all
existence).
Philosophy
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Philosophy - the study of the fundamental nature of
knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when
considered as an academic discipline.
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Biblical worldview:
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Supernaturalism - refers to any belief system with
supernatural forces
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Faith and Reason
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every philosophy requires a measure of faith
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Hebrews 11:1
Ethics
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Ethics - the study of good and evil, right and wrong.
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Biblical world view:
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Moral absolutes - the ethical belief that there are
absolute standards against which moral questions can
be judged, and that certain actions are right or wrong,
regardless of the context of the act.
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God himself is absolute and unchanging (Malachi 3:6;
Hebrews 13:8). Because he is absolute, the morals
which he reveals to us are also absolute since they are
based on his character.
Biology
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Biology - a natural science concerned with the
study of life and living organisms, including their
structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution,
identification and taxonomy.
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Creationism: the belief that the universe and living
organisms originate from specific acts of divine
creation, as in the biblical account
Psychology
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Psychology - the scientific study of the human mind and its
functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given
context.
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The world is full of sinful psychology
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Freud, Skinner, Pavlov, Carl Rodgers, Erich Fromm, etc
Biblical worldview:
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Mind / Body Dualism - The mind (soul) and body exist as
separate entities
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Man lives in a fallen state because of sin
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Free will
Sociology
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Sociology - the study of the development, structure,
and functioning of human society.
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Biblical worldview:
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Three God ordained institutions:
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Traditional family (Mother & Father - 1 woman, 1
man)
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Church
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State
Sociology
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Biblical worldview:
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Free will - we are responsible for our decisions and
actions
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“It is God’s will that there shall be labour, marriage,
government and church in the world; and it is His will
that all these, each in its own way, shall be through
Christ, directed towards Christ, and in Christ.” -Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, Ethics. Law
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Biblical worldview:
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Natural law: physical and moral laws which are revealed in
general revelation
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Our inherent sense of right and wrong Romans 2:14
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Divine law: any law that comes directly from the character of
God via special revelation
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Rights and Duties
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Micah 6:8 - He has shown you, O mortal, what is good and
what does the Lord require of you to act justly and to love
mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Politics
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Biblical worldview:
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Justice
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Freedom
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Order
Economics
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Economics: the branch of knowledge concerned with the
production, consumption, and transfer of wealth.
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Capitalism vs Socialism
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socialism in a humanist society is the bridge that leads from
capitalism to communism
Biblical worldview:
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stewardship of property
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Private property
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Free enterprise
History
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History - the study of humanity from the past
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Biblical worldview:
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Creation
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Fall
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Redemption
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The Bible is historical, accurate, and relevant
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Purpose is found in Christ