A couple years ago when I was preparing a curriculum for use in high school religious education about this topic, I wrote Norman Geisler Ministries for some suggestions. I was referred to Geisler's summary of the truth of Christianity, 'Reasoning from ground zero', in Wikipedia.
Geisler contended:
The first outline contained fourteen points of argument:
Is this too difficult to comprehend? Do I need to break it down into a series of simpler points?
Oz
Geisler contended:
The first outline contained fourteen points of argument:
- There are self-evident truths (e.g., "I exist," "Logic applies to reality").
- Truth corresponds to reality.
- Truth is knowable (all other views are self-defeating).
- One can proceed from self-evident truths to the existence of God.
- The argument from Creation (proceeds from "I exist")
- The argument from morals (proceeds from "Values are undeniable")
- The argument from design (proceeds from "Design implies a designer")
- God is a necessary Being (argument from being).
- My existence is not necessary (evident from the definition of a necessary Being).
- Therefore, theism is true (there is a necessary Being beyond the world who has created the contingent things in the world and intervenes in the world [chap. 3]).
- The objection from the problem of evil can be solved.
- The objection to miracles can be solved.
- The Bible is a historically reliable document.
- History is an objective study of the past.
- There is great historical, archaeological, and scientific evidence to confirm the reliability of the Bible. (Corollary: The Bible gives a reliable record of the teaching of Jesus Christ.)
- Jesus claimed to be both fully human and fully God.
- He gave evidence to support this claim.
- The fulfillment of prophecy
- His miraculous and sinless life
- His resurrection
- Therefore, Jesus is both fully human and fully God.
- Whatever God teaches is true.
- Jesus (God) taught that the Old Testament was the inspired Word of God and He promised the New Testament.
- Therefore, both the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God.
- Truth about reality is knowable.
- Opposites cannot both be true (The Law of Noncontradiction).
- It is true the theistic God exists.
- If God exists, then miracles are possible.
- Miracles performed in connection with a truth claim are acts of God to confirm the truth of God through a messenger of God.
- The New Testament is historically reliable.
- As witnessed in the New Testament, Jesus claimed to be God.
- Jesus' claim to divinity was proven by miracles, especially the Resurrection.
- Therefore, Jesus is God.
- Because Jesus is God, whatever Jesus affirmed as true, is true.
- Jesus affirmed that the Bible is the Word of God.
- Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God and whatever is opposed to any biblical truth is false.
Is this too difficult to comprehend? Do I need to break it down into a series of simpler points?
Oz
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