If there can be no assumed starting point for a demonstration, then no demonstration can get started – or finished, depending upon how you look at it.
If an unbeliever considers Christianity to be irrational simply on the basis that it allows for something to be accepted without independent demonstration, then the unbeliever in question is unrealistic and must be pressed to see that he ends up refuting himself (not simply Christians) in terms of such values and demands. Thus his unbelieving attitude turns out to be the truly irrational attitude, for it inconsistently requires something of its opponents which it does not live up to itself. Such an attitude would make knowledge of anything whatsoever impossible for finite and faulty creatures – and thus shows itself to be supremely unreasonable.
So says Dr. Greg Bahnsen* and I agree with him. Thus, you should be careful to not let yourself get trapped in the unreasonableness of skeptics. They are by their very nature and ignorance terribly inconsistent with even their own thinking. Rather, faithfully share with them God’s truth and trust that the Holy Spirit will give them eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mind to understand. Without faith no man shall please God.
Jason Robertson is a husband and a father and a pastor. He is dedicated to leading and equipping his generation of Christians and church leaders with God’s word and biblical theology for life ministry, using a combination of pastoral, church planting and evangelism experience. He holds a Master of Divinity. He is experienced in church planting, evangelism, missions, and the training of pastors and Bible teachers.
Jason graduated Central Private School (Central, LA) in 1990. He attended Liberty University for two years and graduated with a BGS from William Carey Univeristy (Hattiesburg, MS) in 1994. Jason earned his MDIV at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1998.
Jason has been preaching the gospel since 1985, serving the first ten years of ministry as a Southern Baptist itinerant evangelist out of Milldale Baptist Church in Zachary, LA which ordained him in 1993. He has preached in hundreds of churches in over 30 States and 4 countries. He planted churches in Siberia, Russia in the summers of 1993 and 1994. He planted Murrieta Valley Church in California, which he planted in cooperation with the SBC NAMB in 2001. He also teaches ministry students at California Baptist University.
You can hear his sermons and read his manuscripts on sermonaudio.com. Just follow the link to "sermons" at the top of this page.
Following that advice would save many headaches.
Perhaps I should have said prevent many headaches.
This is easier said than done. In my experience, unbelieving skeptics will hardly let you press them to the point where they have to admit their inconsistency. But, what other option do we have?
I once had a skeptic tell me he didn’t believe an object could be in only once place at a given time. I asked him how drove his car on the highway thinking that a car could literally appear out of nowhere and hit him head on. He wouldn’t even consider the folly of his “belief.”
Good post and I agree although I also agree that some skeptics are not even reasonable enough to be able to reason anything out. I’ve been trapped in endless debate with some skeptics who think I’m closed minded because I disagree with them and yet they are open minded because they think differently than me. I’ve since taken the line that sometimes it’s best just to state ones case and leave them to it. All this calls for people with wisdom I think.