This is a good summary of why I am a presuppositional teacher. Some evidence helped lead me to Christ, but I understood it took a change in how I thought. (Roman’s 12:1-2) This was seven years before even hearing the term “apologetics” for the first time (that I can recall)!
I hear too often people say Presuppositional apologetics don’t believe in evidence. That’s not true. Presuppositional apologetics does believe there’s a role for evidence in Christian apologetics.
Yet if Presuppositional Apologetics believes there’s a place for evidence how is a distinctly Presuppositional Apologetics’ approach different than the typical Evidentialism?
My fellow blogger ApoloJedi has been doing a thorough debunking of Dr. Hugh Ross’s book A Matter of Daysrecently. Having never read the book, I’ve been following his review with great interest. His most recent review article brought up Ross’s critique of the young-earth view of speciation. While Ross’s view is laughably out of date, it got me thinking about how the Reasons to Believe (RTB) (Ross’s ministry) handles speciation. So I started digging into their website. Here is their view of speciation and why it does not work.
It is important to understand upfront that Dr. Ross and RTB do not accept the Bible as written. Rather they must eisogete the text to insert millions of years into the Scripture. They do this by claiming that the days in Genesis 1 are not literal twenty-four hours days. Instead, these days are supposed to be undefined long periods…
Especially when hard times hit – such as the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic – people begin asking difficult questions about God, the Church, and our world.
Here are some questions to ask ourselves:
Has anyone ever ignored me? How did it feel?
What if I had something very important to say, but they still would not listen?
Am I patient enough to keep trying, or do I figure “They don’t want to listen anyway, so why bother?”
Now, to the big question of the day:
Why would God send people to Hell who have never heard the gospel? What happens to those who have never heard?
“The heavens declare the glory of God …” – Psalm 19:1
The rest of Psalm 19 speaks to all of Creation crying out “There is a God! He is powerful! Seek Him!”
Likewise, Paul tells us in Romans that:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 1:18-21, ESV
People are without excuse. All of Creation declares there is a God who exists, but people choose to ignore Him.
But still, not all people have heard the Gospel, so what about them?
Well, we see from passages such as Acts 10, when Cornelius has a dream to go talk to Peter, and Peter himself has a vision from God. The two talk, and Cornelius comes to salvation in Christ.
Likewise, Mary and Joseph had visions and dreams, as did the Patriarchs (i.e. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) as well as so many others throughout our Old Testament. Even today we hear reports of people around the world who had dreams of Jesus saying “Go talk to this person” or “You will meet someone who will tell of you me.” I have even met some of them, during my time in Morocco in 2005!
It also seems that some people flat out reject God. Look at Joshua 2:9-11, when Rahab tells the Israelite spies that the people in the land know what their God did to the Egyptian army and how He parted the Red Sea, and they were terrified. Yet, they did not choose to believe in this God, rather they wanted to get rid of Israel and ignore their God!
We know God is omniscient. He knows our hearts and our minds. He knows how we will react in any and every circumstance. Including how we will respond to His message of the cross.
If you were ignored, you probably would not want to talk too much with those people.
If God knows people will reject Him regardless of the evidence, the call, and the need, why should He call out to them by sending His Church to share the Gospel message?
And yet, we live in the age of the internet, printed Bibles, and apps that can connect us like never before to God’s truth.
They are without excuse.
So what happens to those who have never heard the Gospel?
They have already rejected God in their hearts.
Therefore, do not turn from God, but make sure you have received the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Do your part to tell others the good news of His live, death, and resurrection for their redemption, as well.
Will you share the gospel with those who may not have heard?
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 1 Chronicles 16:24, ESV
Whether Creation, parting seas and rivers, making food last far longer than it should, or – most importantly – saving us from our sins and raising back to life, we should want to tell everyone about our amazing God and the wonders He does!
To reiterate: these are not claims that Hugh Ross and others who deny a young Earth are not Christians. All of us have wrong/misguided beliefs about God, Creation, salvation, human nature, etcetera. There is a dispute about what the Bible says and what science says. Faith in the atoning work of Christ for our sins is what one must have to be saved, not believe the world is a certain age. This is a serious matter to be sure, as are several other things, but dialogue and discussion must happen. As is with this review series.
I just want to take a moment at the “halfway-point” in this book review to remind folks that I do not want to condemn the man, Hugh Ross. I believe he is a Christian is ripe for correction because of his false hermeneutical methodology. With that, let’s look at ch 12
Some young-earth creationist leaders have persuaded large segments of the Christian community to believe that a link exists between belief in an old Earth and a slide into immorality.
This is not an unfounded warning. As has been consistently shown in the previous chapters of this book review, old earthism elevates the modern academic paradigm as an authority over biblical interpretation. While the modern academic paradigm in-and-of-itself does not constitute a slide into immorality, elevating ANYTHING as an authority over biblical interpretation is dangerous. It’s the…
Our church is meeting (unless many people in the congregation contract COVID-19 suddenly!) My wife and I are traveling today from her brother’s (wonderful and beautiful) wedding, so we will not be there.
But Jimmy’s advice here is great, and not just because our church made the same suggestions to our little flock.
And may I suggest reading 1 Thessalonians 5, a chapter full of reminders to encourage each other.
For months now we’ve been doing “This Sunday at Church” every Sunday. I realize that some churches today are not open though they will be live-streaming because of the Corona Virus situation. So today’s I want to encourage you to do something different: This Sunday BE the Church in light of the Corona Virus.
When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. Psalm 94:19, ESV
In the craziness, hatred, sinfulness, and difficulties of this world, it is unfathomabley wonderful how great God’s love, mercy, grace, and promises are at calming and reassuring our weary hearts, souls, and minds.
Do we truly love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths? Maybe I can help with the mind part, at least! This is Daniel M. Klem, apparent poet, reluctant yet passionate Disciple (Peter?), and foolish man attempting to understand theology!
Photo by Chelsea Cook on 
a simple man of God 