Posted: 11/13/08

Evidentialist Apologetics

By Israel Wayne

One of the major branches of Christian Apologetics is called, "Evidentialism." The basic concept is that the skeptic can be convinced of the truth of Christianity if he or she has access to proper evidence.

Evidentialism can take on different forms. Many creationist ministries use evidential arguments in defending a literal interpretation of Genesis. Groups like the "Institute for Creation Research" or "Answers in Genesis" may talk about fossil evidence that supports the Biblical account of a global flood, or the fact that there are so many flood legends in ancient writings.

Authors like Bob Cornuke promote treks to find the Ark of the Covenant, or a possible location for the original Mount Sinai. Archeology also plays a hand in Evidential Apologetics. Organizations like the Biblical Archeology Society report on finding of ancient artifacts that reveal names, dates and places that have connections to the Bible. Even physics, mathematics and astronomy can be used to provide evidence for a universe that has an Intelligent Designer.

Some of the leading Christian apologists who have become associated with an Evidentialist approach include: Josh McDowell, author of Evidence that Demands a Verdict and More Than a Carpenter and Lee Strobel, author of The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith. William Lane Craig and Gary Habermas are also well-known for leaning towards an evidential approach.

On the fringes of the Evidentialist camp are those who would promote the Shroud of Turin, or the Ossuary of Jesus' brother, James, as being examples of "proofs" that Jesus was an historical person.

The problem with evidence is that it can be subjective. Some evidence is hard to validate as authentic, and even then it is often interpreted in contradictory ways by scholars with competing worldviews.

An Inductive Argument

Ultimately, Evidentialism is a form of Inductive Reasoning. It argues from particular pieces of evidence back towards a universal truth. For example, an evidential argument may go something like this:

Premise A: Because of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947, we know that the Old Testament texts we have in recorded in our Bibles are accurate.

Premise B: In the last century, coins have been found bearing the inscription of Pontius Pilate, a Biblical character that skeptics previously claimed was fictitious.

Premise C: In 1994, a stone was discovered that referred to the "house of David," giving credence to the fact that King David was not a mere invention of folklore and myth.

Conclusion: The Bible is accurate, historical and trustworthy.

The downside to Inductive arguments is that they cannot PROVE with absolute certainty what they set out to prove. They can show probability, which is very useful, but these arguments cannot, in a strict sense, be said to "prove" the truth of Christianity

The Use of Evidence

Nearly every Christian apologist will use evidence of some kind at some point. Even Classical and Presuppositional Apologists will use evidential arguments at times (as will atheists and skeptics). The real question is what is the motivation of the apologist in the use of the evidence? Is the problem merely that the unbeliever has not seen ample evidence to convince him or her that the Christian faith is true? In my experience this is rarely the case. In fact, I have often asked someone who disbelieves the claims of Christianity, "What evidence would you need to convince you that the Bible is true?" Oftentimes the unbeliever will reply, "There is no amount of evidence that you could ever show me that would make me believe!"

At this point, I know that I'm wasting my breath to continue showing them evidence. The problem isn't a lack of information; it is a lack of sincerity on their part. They don't WANT to know the truth. They want to believe what they have convinced themselves is true; namely that there is no God.

Romans 1:20 declares, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities --His eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

The overwhelming wait of historical evidence supports the claims of Christianity. The problem isn't that God hasn't provided ample evidence for skeptics; the problem is that people reject and refuse the truth. Ultimately our goal is to help the sinner to see his sin and need for repentance and reconciliation with God. If an unregenerate person is convinced into believing in a global flood or a historical King Solomon, that will not change his eternal destiny. Only a humbled and contrite heart of submission to King Jesus will do that, and that must be the ultimate purpose for any evidential arguments we may use.

Copyright 2008, by Israel Wayne. All Rights Reserved.

Israel Wayne was home educated and currently serves as Marketing Director for the national publication Home School Digest, and the site editor for www.ChristianWorldview.net. He is the author of the book, Homeschooling from a Biblical Worldview, published by Wisdom's Gate. Israel and his wife Brook (also a homeschool graduate) have five young children. Write to: Wisdom's Gate, P.O. Box 374, Covert, MI 49043. 1-800-343-1943 or www.WisdomsGate.org

By Israel Wayne Click here for bio and archived articles