Secular scholars, especially those who attack the historicity of the New Testament, claim it is difficult to establish historical knowledge that is valid and reliable because of the infallibility of the human memory. People do not recall information accurately, especially if the account is written years after the event. However, historians and archaeologists have been able to make strong cases for their accounts considering several factors, such as the closeness of the written document to the event, multiple attestations to the incident, and so on.
In this article, I will discuss the factor of oral tradition communities, how literate people recorded their history, and whether their methodology is reliable or not. Western and advanced societies might not realize that there is a pattern that oral communities usually follow to preserve their history and pass it on to the next generation. The first-century Middle Eastern people were no exception, and we can today trust their recordings despite the minor variations we have in the written accounts of the New Testament.
The Secular Theory of Oral Tradition
Secular philosopher Paul Ricoeur describes the reference modes of history and fiction as interweaving. He believes that when historians try to make sense of an artifact to understand the historical event, their imagination imposes itself making them come up with their own fiction about history. [i] Schröter explains that “the narration of history represents a fictionalizing of the past, whereas the fictional narrative imitates the historical narrative.”[ii] Therefore, the final product is never accurate. It is a mixture of the history and imagination of the writer.
Bart Ehrman generally agrees with this view accusing the writers of the NT of not being reliable and the Gospel accounts being recorded as people were playing a telephone game. He states,
“Nearly all of these storytellers had no independent knowledge of what really happened [to Jesus]. It takes little imagination to realize what happened to the stories. You are probably familiar with the old birthday party game ‘telephone.’ A group of kids sits in a circle, the first tells a brief story to the one sitting next to her, who tells it to the next, and to the next, and so on, until it comes back full circle to the one who started it. Invariably, the story has changed so much in the process of retelling that everyone gets a good laugh. Imagine this same activity taking place, not in a solitary living room with ten kids on one afternoon, but over the expanse of the Roman Empire (some 2,500 miles across), with thousands of participants.”[iii]
Ehrman’s analogy might seem appealing to some people; however, the question that we should investigate is whether preserving history in an oral culture is like a telephone game, as Ehrman claims.
What Is Oral Culture?
Oral culture is a term that refers to preliterate cultures to characterize the thought and expressions that carry over into manuscript and print culture. People talk to one another about certain events until these events are written. Robert Cochran makes a distinction between oral culture and oral history. He states, “Oral culture is culture based on the spoken rather than the written word; oral history is a record of the past based on spoken accounts.” [iv] In our times, an estimated one billion people do not know how to read or write any language, and so they live in what we call oral culture. [v]
It is important to explain also what oral tradition is not. According to Lynne Kelly, oral tradition is “not teaching how to hunt or how to gather during daily excursions. It is not about stories casually told around the campfire at night – these are more folk tale than myth and are usually for children. Oral tradition is about formal knowledge, about the way oral cultures store, maintain and transmit knowledge which is central to their physical and social worlds.” [vi] In other words, oral cultures are not a bunch of savages uneducated societies. They are people whose lack of written language and advanced education forced them to find alternative ways to remember and record their history accurately and reliably.
How Do Oral Cultures Save Their Knowledge?
Literate cultures record their knowledge on paper, books, or electronically. If they cannot write, then the knowledge must be committed to memory—practiced, repeated, and saved for future use in human memory. According to Kelly, the way formal knowledge is stored in literate culture is similar to oral culture,
We can assume that the individuals within oral cultures have the same range of intellectual potential, physiology and memory ability that has been typical of all humans for at least the last few millennia. We need to look beyond superficial differences and accept our similarities. It is only when the complexity of oral tradition is acknowledged that the control of knowledge can be seen as a tool for power. [vii]
People who lived under oral culture were also human beings with the same abilities to find accurate ways to record and pass on their knowledge.
Different elements were used to save knowledge in oral cultures, such as repetitions, rhythm, poetry, narratives, and stories that were transmitted in social gatherings. De Costa adds that “in oral cultures many constructions are aggregative rather than analytic, that is to say, remembered information is not systematized individually but in groups or series of related groups by means of parallelisms, antitheses, and epithets.” [viii]
So, oral cultures created and used different methods to repeat information and learn it. Basic knowledge is acquired in daily interaction to learn what is appropriate and how someone should act in a certain circumstance, and Specialized knowledge is acquired by participating in ceremonies and discussions with elders. [ix] This is why early Christians formed liturgy and creeds. The whole purpose was to keep repeating the basics of their faith over and over so it is not forgotten.
Is All Oral History Mixed with Myths?
The ancient Near Eastern civilization left one of the oldest writings (cuneiform), which included different information, such as migrations of people, chronology of political states, foreign relations, internal governance, legal institutions, and official acts. [x] Moreover, a variety of inscriptions from different places in the world distinguish between mythical, folklore, historical, political, and religious. Wiessner notes that the Enga of Papua New Guinea distinguishes clearly between myth and historical traditions. [xi] Historical information includes news about “wars, migrations, agriculture, the development of cults and ceremonial exchange networks, leadership, trade, environmental disasters, and fashions in song and dress.” [xii] In other words, because of inscriptions, historians are able to differentiate between myths and other genres, which is a piece of evidence that not all oral tradition is mixed with myths.
Were The Gospels Written According to the Telephone Game?
The majority of first-century Middle Easterners were literate people who lived in oral cultures. The New Testament was written within the first century after the death of Christ. The first written book of the NT was the First Letter to the Corinthians, which Paul wrote AD 53-55. The Gospels were written between AD 70-95, about 40-65 years after the death of Jesus. According to Bart Ehrman, this period of time is enough for people to forget what Jesus had said and done, and consequently, corrupt the Gospels.
The Purpose of the Telephone Game vs. Written Oral History
As per the previous information about oral tradition, it seems that Bart Ehrman has not done a good job investigating the culture of the first-century Middle East; otherwise, he would not have depicted the process of writing the NT books to the telephone game. The purpose of the telephone game is totally different from the purpose of written oral history. The purpose of the telephone game is to have fun, so people purposely disrupt the process of communication to laugh at the end results. Writing the Gospels tradition was precisely the opposite. The men of God wrote purposely to preserve the words and deeds of Jesus from disruption (Luke 1:1-4).
One-Way Chain of Communication
I am not sure if first-century people played the telephone game; however, this game represents a single one-way chain of communication, whereas, oral tradition is like a web or network. It does not pass information from one person to another person, but it passes information from many people to many people. When Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians, there were many people alive who witnessed and testified Jesus resurrected and ascended to heaven, and there were multiple opportunities for skeptics to investigate: “Did this really happen?” (1 Cor 15:6).
Liberal scholars who support Ehrman’s theory believe that “oral history reveal that cultures do not tend to remember events over much more than two generations and that memories ‘become increasingly inaccurate until they are so corrupt that they can hardly be distinguished from myth.”[xiii] If a generation lives for 20-30 years, and information is corrupted after the second generation, then it is reasonable to conclude that the NT books are reliable by secular standards because they were written within the first two generations after the death of Jesus.
Conclusion
It is simply impossible for any culture to retain all their knowledge without some formal information system. Therefore, literate cultures came up with ways to retain information, such as repetition in special ceremonies, conversations with elders, and social gatherings to pass on their knowledge. If Western culture found different ways to store information, that does not mean Eastern and Middle Eastern cultures have never done so. Further study of oral culture tradition shows that depicting the process of writing the NT books with telephone games is emphatically wrong.
References:
[i] Paul Ricoeur, Time and Narrative, Trans. K. McLaughlin and D. Pellauer, vol. 3, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984– 1988), 190-192.
[ii] Jens Schröter, From Jesus to the New Testament: Early Christian Theology and the Origin of the New Testament Canon, (Waco: Baylor University Press, 2013), 34.
[iii] Bart Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, 5th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), pp. 72-74.
[iv] Robert Cochran, “Oral History and Oral Culture,” In The Encyclopedia of Literary and Cultural Theory, ed. Michael Ryan, 2011.
[v] Thomas Farrell, J. “Oral Culture,” in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the Language Sciences, ed. Patrick Colm Hogan, (Cambridge University Press, 2011).
[vi] Lynne Kelly, Knowledge and Power in Prehistoric Societies: Orality, Memory and the Transmission of Culture (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015), 15.
[vii] Ibid.
[viii] Elena De Costa, “Orality,” in Concise Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature, ei. Verity Smith, ed. Routledge, 2000.
[ix] J. Goody, The Interface Between The Written And The Oral (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,1987), 156-7.
[x] J. Puhvel, “epigraphy,” Encyclopedia Britannica, accessed, July 28, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/topic/epigraphy.
[xi] P. Wiessner, “The vines of complexity: egalitarian structures and the institutionalization of inequality among the Enga,” Current Anthropology, vol. 43, no. 2, (2002): 233–69
[xii] Ibid, 237.
[xiii] Richard Bradley, “The Translations of Time,” in RM, Van Dyke & SE Alcock, eds., Archaeologies of memory, Blackwell, (2003): 221–7.
Recommended Resources:
Why We Know the New Testament Writers Told the Truth by Frank Turek (mp4 Download)
The Top Ten Reasons We Know the NT Writers Told the Truth mp3 by Frank Turek
The New Testament: Too Embarrassing to Be False by Frank Turek (DVD, Mp3, and Mp4)
Cold Case Resurrection Set by J. Warner Wallace (books)
Sherene Khouri was born into a religiously diverse family in Damascus, Syria. She became a believer when she was 11 years old. Sherene and her husband were missionaries in Saudi Arabia. Their house was open for meetings, and they were involved with the locals until the government knew about their ministry and gave them three days’ notice to leave the country. In 2006, they went back to Syria and started serving the Lord with RZIM International ministry. They traveled around the Middle Eastern region—Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and United Arab Emirates.
Sherene was also involved in her local church among the young youth, young adults, and women’s ministry. In 2013, the civil war broke out in Syria. Sherene and her husband’s car was vandalized 3 times and they had to immigrate to the United States of America. In 2019, Sherene became an American citizen.
Sherene is an Assistant Professor at Liberty University. She teaches Arabic, Religion, and Research classes. Additionally, she holds a Ph.D. in Theology and Apologetics, M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Liberty University, and B.S. in Biblical Studies from Moody Bible Institute. Currently, Sherene is also working on a Master of Theology in Global Studies at Liberty University and M.A. in Arabic and linguistics from PennWest University.
Original Blog Posting: https://bit.ly/3ZQetUT
What If I Don’t Like Either Candidate?
PodcastIs not voting in the 2024 presidential election a wise option for Christians who don’t like either of the candidates? When George Barna recently appeared on The Charlie Kirk Show, he revealed some troubling data indicating that as many as 41 million Christians are choosing not to vote this year because they don’t like Harris or Trump. If politics isn’t your thing or you’ve lost your enthusiasm to vote, you REALLY need to tune in!
With the election just around the corner, Frank dedicates this podcast episode to focusing on the top three questions that Christians need to consider when it comes to “religion and politics” and what history has taught us when Christians disengage from the world of politics. He also summarizes some of the helpful information you’ll find available at VoteYourFaith.net by answering questions and issues like:
As you’ll be reminded during this episode, Christians have the responsibility to be involved in what’s going on in our society, and that means loving our neighbors through politics by enacting laws that protect them from evil. God calls us to be ambassadors for His kingdom and we don’t stop just because we’re not over the moon excited about our choices. God has used both righteous and unrighteous leaders all through the Bible to accomplish His good purposes, so get informed, go vote, and leave the results to God!
Did you enjoy this episode? HELP US SPREAD THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY BY SUPPORTING THE PODCAST HERE.
Resources mentioned during the episode:
Helpful Resources and Local Voting Guide: VoteYourFaith.net
George Barna on The Charlie Kirk Show: https://apple.co/4eQeAEk
David Daleiden & Planned Parenthood video: https://bit.ly/3BFt6jQ
New York Post article on Kamala Harris & Planned Parenthood: https://bit.ly/483XgcC
New York Post article on FEMA “Disaster Equity”: https://bit.ly/3zT22Nr
The Heritage Foundation Explains The Equality Act: https://herit.ag/3Y07Z31
The Washington Stand: For the 41 Million Christians ‘Unlikely’ to Vote: https://bit.ly/3BItiPh
Do Oral Cultures Operate the Same as the Telephone Game?
4. Is the NT True?Secular scholars, especially those who attack the historicity of the New Testament, claim it is difficult to establish historical knowledge that is valid and reliable because of the infallibility of the human memory. People do not recall information accurately, especially if the account is written years after the event. However, historians and archaeologists have been able to make strong cases for their accounts considering several factors, such as the closeness of the written document to the event, multiple attestations to the incident, and so on.
In this article, I will discuss the factor of oral tradition communities, how literate people recorded their history, and whether their methodology is reliable or not. Western and advanced societies might not realize that there is a pattern that oral communities usually follow to preserve their history and pass it on to the next generation. The first-century Middle Eastern people were no exception, and we can today trust their recordings despite the minor variations we have in the written accounts of the New Testament.
The Secular Theory of Oral Tradition
Secular philosopher Paul Ricoeur describes the reference modes of history and fiction as interweaving. He believes that when historians try to make sense of an artifact to understand the historical event, their imagination imposes itself making them come up with their own fiction about history. [i] Schröter explains that “the narration of history represents a fictionalizing of the past, whereas the fictional narrative imitates the historical narrative.”[ii] Therefore, the final product is never accurate. It is a mixture of the history and imagination of the writer.
Bart Ehrman generally agrees with this view accusing the writers of the NT of not being reliable and the Gospel accounts being recorded as people were playing a telephone game. He states,
Ehrman’s analogy might seem appealing to some people; however, the question that we should investigate is whether preserving history in an oral culture is like a telephone game, as Ehrman claims.
What Is Oral Culture?
Oral culture is a term that refers to preliterate cultures to characterize the thought and expressions that carry over into manuscript and print culture. People talk to one another about certain events until these events are written. Robert Cochran makes a distinction between oral culture and oral history. He states, “Oral culture is culture based on the spoken rather than the written word; oral history is a record of the past based on spoken accounts.” [iv] In our times, an estimated one billion people do not know how to read or write any language, and so they live in what we call oral culture. [v]
It is important to explain also what oral tradition is not. According to Lynne Kelly, oral tradition is “not teaching how to hunt or how to gather during daily excursions. It is not about stories casually told around the campfire at night – these are more folk tale than myth and are usually for children. Oral tradition is about formal knowledge, about the way oral cultures store, maintain and transmit knowledge which is central to their physical and social worlds.” [vi] In other words, oral cultures are not a bunch of savages uneducated societies. They are people whose lack of written language and advanced education forced them to find alternative ways to remember and record their history accurately and reliably.
How Do Oral Cultures Save Their Knowledge?
Literate cultures record their knowledge on paper, books, or electronically. If they cannot write, then the knowledge must be committed to memory—practiced, repeated, and saved for future use in human memory. According to Kelly, the way formal knowledge is stored in literate culture is similar to oral culture,
We can assume that the individuals within oral cultures have the same range of intellectual potential, physiology and memory ability that has been typical of all humans for at least the last few millennia. We need to look beyond superficial differences and accept our similarities. It is only when the complexity of oral tradition is acknowledged that the control of knowledge can be seen as a tool for power. [vii]
People who lived under oral culture were also human beings with the same abilities to find accurate ways to record and pass on their knowledge.
So, oral cultures created and used different methods to repeat information and learn it. Basic knowledge is acquired in daily interaction to learn what is appropriate and how someone should act in a certain circumstance, and Specialized knowledge is acquired by participating in ceremonies and discussions with elders. [ix] This is why early Christians formed liturgy and creeds. The whole purpose was to keep repeating the basics of their faith over and over so it is not forgotten.
Is All Oral History Mixed with Myths?
The ancient Near Eastern civilization left one of the oldest writings (cuneiform), which included different information, such as migrations of people, chronology of political states, foreign relations, internal governance, legal institutions, and official acts. [x] Moreover, a variety of inscriptions from different places in the world distinguish between mythical, folklore, historical, political, and religious. Wiessner notes that the Enga of Papua New Guinea distinguishes clearly between myth and historical traditions. [xi] Historical information includes news about “wars, migrations, agriculture, the development of cults and ceremonial exchange networks, leadership, trade, environmental disasters, and fashions in song and dress.” [xii] In other words, because of inscriptions, historians are able to differentiate between myths and other genres, which is a piece of evidence that not all oral tradition is mixed with myths.
Were The Gospels Written According to the Telephone Game?
The majority of first-century Middle Easterners were literate people who lived in oral cultures. The New Testament was written within the first century after the death of Christ. The first written book of the NT was the First Letter to the Corinthians, which Paul wrote AD 53-55. The Gospels were written between AD 70-95, about 40-65 years after the death of Jesus. According to Bart Ehrman, this period of time is enough for people to forget what Jesus had said and done, and consequently, corrupt the Gospels.
The Purpose of the Telephone Game vs. Written Oral History
As per the previous information about oral tradition, it seems that Bart Ehrman has not done a good job investigating the culture of the first-century Middle East; otherwise, he would not have depicted the process of writing the NT books to the telephone game. The purpose of the telephone game is totally different from the purpose of written oral history. The purpose of the telephone game is to have fun, so people purposely disrupt the process of communication to laugh at the end results. Writing the Gospels tradition was precisely the opposite. The men of God wrote purposely to preserve the words and deeds of Jesus from disruption (Luke 1:1-4).
One-Way Chain of Communication
I am not sure if first-century people played the telephone game; however, this game represents a single one-way chain of communication, whereas, oral tradition is like a web or network. It does not pass information from one person to another person, but it passes information from many people to many people. When Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians, there were many people alive who witnessed and testified Jesus resurrected and ascended to heaven, and there were multiple opportunities for skeptics to investigate: “Did this really happen?” (1 Cor 15:6).
Liberal scholars who support Ehrman’s theory believe that “oral history reveal that cultures do not tend to remember events over much more than two generations and that memories ‘become increasingly inaccurate until they are so corrupt that they can hardly be distinguished from myth.”[xiii] If a generation lives for 20-30 years, and information is corrupted after the second generation, then it is reasonable to conclude that the NT books are reliable by secular standards because they were written within the first two generations after the death of Jesus.
Conclusion
It is simply impossible for any culture to retain all their knowledge without some formal information system. Therefore, literate cultures came up with ways to retain information, such as repetition in special ceremonies, conversations with elders, and social gatherings to pass on their knowledge. If Western culture found different ways to store information, that does not mean Eastern and Middle Eastern cultures have never done so. Further study of oral culture tradition shows that depicting the process of writing the NT books with telephone games is emphatically wrong.
References:
[i] Paul Ricoeur, Time and Narrative, Trans. K. McLaughlin and D. Pellauer, vol. 3, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984– 1988), 190-192.
[ii] Jens Schröter, From Jesus to the New Testament: Early Christian Theology and the Origin of the New Testament Canon, (Waco: Baylor University Press, 2013), 34.
[iii] Bart Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, 5th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), pp. 72-74.
[iv] Robert Cochran, “Oral History and Oral Culture,” In The Encyclopedia of Literary and Cultural Theory, ed. Michael Ryan, 2011.
[v] Thomas Farrell, J. “Oral Culture,” in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the Language Sciences, ed. Patrick Colm Hogan, (Cambridge University Press, 2011).
[vi] Lynne Kelly, Knowledge and Power in Prehistoric Societies: Orality, Memory and the Transmission of Culture (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015), 15.
[vii] Ibid.
[viii] Elena De Costa, “Orality,” in Concise Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature, ei. Verity Smith, ed. Routledge, 2000.
[ix] J. Goody, The Interface Between The Written And The Oral (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,1987), 156-7.
[x] J. Puhvel, “epigraphy,” Encyclopedia Britannica, accessed, July 28, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/topic/epigraphy.
[xi] P. Wiessner, “The vines of complexity: egalitarian structures and the institutionalization of inequality among the Enga,” Current Anthropology, vol. 43, no. 2, (2002): 233–69
[xii] Ibid, 237.
[xiii] Richard Bradley, “The Translations of Time,” in RM, Van Dyke & SE Alcock, eds., Archaeologies of memory, Blackwell, (2003): 221–7.
Recommended Resources:
Why We Know the New Testament Writers Told the Truth by Frank Turek (mp4 Download)
The Top Ten Reasons We Know the NT Writers Told the Truth mp3 by Frank Turek
The New Testament: Too Embarrassing to Be False by Frank Turek (DVD, Mp3, and Mp4)
Cold Case Resurrection Set by J. Warner Wallace (books)
Sherene Khouri was born into a religiously diverse family in Damascus, Syria. She became a believer when she was 11 years old. Sherene and her husband were missionaries in Saudi Arabia. Their house was open for meetings, and they were involved with the locals until the government knew about their ministry and gave them three days’ notice to leave the country. In 2006, they went back to Syria and started serving the Lord with RZIM International ministry. They traveled around the Middle Eastern region—Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and United Arab Emirates.
Sherene was also involved in her local church among the young youth, young adults, and women’s ministry. In 2013, the civil war broke out in Syria. Sherene and her husband’s car was vandalized 3 times and they had to immigrate to the United States of America. In 2019, Sherene became an American citizen.
Sherene is an Assistant Professor at Liberty University. She teaches Arabic, Religion, and Research classes. Additionally, she holds a Ph.D. in Theology and Apologetics, M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Liberty University, and B.S. in Biblical Studies from Moody Bible Institute. Currently, Sherene is also working on a Master of Theology in Global Studies at Liberty University and M.A. in Arabic and linguistics from PennWest University.
Original Blog Posting: https://bit.ly/3ZQetUT
The Eclipse of God with | Dr. Erwin Lutzer
PodcastIs the American Church still shining as the light of Christ, or have we made too many compromises in the name of “tolerance” and “inclusion”? As darkness in our nation grows, it’s becoming clear that the faith of many has become cloudy and confused, leading to the rise of secularism and threats to the freedoms once rooted in the Christian worldview. Where are we headed, and what lessons from the past should serve as warnings for our future?
This week, Frank sits down with the one and only Dr. Erwin Lutzer about his brand new book, ‘The Eclipse of God: Our Nation’s Disastrous Search for a More Inclusive Deity (and What We Must Do About It)‘, which explores how America is attempting to redefine God, replacing Him with one made in our image. Dr. Lutzer will challenge listeners to count up the cost of being a true follower of Christ in the face of growing cultural persecution as well as expose how the redefining of God has crept into the American Church. They’ll answer tough questions like:
This podcast episode also touches on the rise of Marxism, the gender pronoun craze, and the naivety of some Christians today when it comes to the importance of getting involved in politics. Listen as Frank and Dr. Lutzer reflect on the Church’s biblical mandate to stand against evil, and how history has shown the inevitable consequences that have occurred when the Church remained silent. Be sure to grab your copy of ‘The Eclipse of God‘ to dig deeper into this urgent call to the American Church!
Did you enjoy this episode? HELP US SPREAD THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY BY SUPPORTING THE PODCAST HERE.
Resources mentioned during the episode:
DR. LUTZER’S BOOK: The Eclipse of God
RESOURCES BY DR. LUTZER: https://www.moodymedia.org/
SERMON PREP MADE SIMPLER: https://www.moodymedia.org/blog/2021/10/sermon-prep-made-simpler/
Prioritizing FAT Christians: A Practical Theology for Pastors
Theology and Christian ApologeticsSeveral weeks ago, I was listening to the podcast “Wise Disciple” with Nate Salah ( “Is Voddie Wrong about Churches?”). He was discussing the need for pastors to focus on finding FAT Christians in their congregations. (Don’t worry. FAT is an acrostic.) This is to say, pastors need to prioritize their time and efforts upon Christians who are Faithful, Available and Teachable. There are multiple reasons why this principle ought to be followed by pastors. But before addressing those reasons, we need to understand what exactly a FAT Christian is.[i]
What are F.A.T. Christians?
FAT Christians are not just interested in Jesus but are committed to him as true disciples. Specifically, these are believers who are faithful in many things in the local church, such as attendance to Sunday worship, small group studies, and Sunday school. They are available to serve in the local church whether as elders, deacons, teachers, or just servants who are consistently available to do the work of ministry. Such believers are also teachable: they can be further trained and discipled in the ways of Jesus. They have an attitude of openness to instruction, realizing they lack in knowledge and wisdom. I would add that FAT Christians also have a passion to spread the Gospel and shine the light of Jesus wherever they go. FAT Christians, in short, are true disciple of Jesus, attempting to live out the faith in every corner of their life. They have Jesus as their priority, not their jobs, trips, vacations, or celebratory events (although these can be important endeavors).
Pastors, however, need to realize that not every person who proclaims the name of Christ is FAT. If you serve as a pastor or leader in a local church, you know this too well. Faithfulness, availability, and a teachable spirit are often like apocalyptic blood moons: rare. One person is faithful but lacks availability and a teachable spirit, and another may be teachable but is not faithful or available. Some may not be any of these. As numerous studies have shown, Millennials and Gen Z are especially challenged in the areas of faithfulness (commitment) and availability.
It should be no surprise that FAT Christians are rare. Jesus stated that “the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it . . . and the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt 7:13-14; NASB). If the path to destruction is wide and the way of Christ is so narrow, it should be expected for true discipleship to be just as difficult to find. Perhaps even more difficult than finding the narrow way of life. It is unfortunate that so many in the local church who proclaim the name of Jesus remain so lean (the opposite of FAT). And some often remain lean with no intention of becoming FAT.
Pastors, Find the FAT Sheep
As difficult as it may be to hear or accept, shepherds of a local flock ought to let the lean sheep graze in the farther corners of the pasture and prioritize focusing upon the FAT sheep. One reason pastors ought to adopt this principle is because the lean ones often detract from the divine work of the church: evangelism and discipleship. Those who continually reject [and waste] the meals offered to them by pastors often take away precious time and food from those who are hungry. As a result, evangelism and discipleship suffer. Don’t allow the sheep who spit out the food, or turn about-face with just one whiff of a meal, to detract from the mission of the church, thereby starving the hungry ones. Consider, too, that God himself does not continually attempt to force feed acceptance of his Son or his will. He gave humans the freedom to accept or reject him (of course, this assumes that freedom of the will is truly real). Sure, God continues to call out to the same sinners, working on them perpetually. He desires all to be saved. Pastors should do the same but not to the detriment of the church’s mission.
Another reason to focus upon FAT Christians is because they desire to be fed with food that truly fills. They want to focus upon God, the Scriptures, and other valuable studies, like theology and apologetics. Those who do not distract others from the feasts of learning. Like a child who consistently is distracted by the birds outside the window, so-called lean Christians continually draw attention to things that have no relevance or importance to true discipleship—the color of the carpet, style of worship music, whether the pastor called every sick person in the congregation, what specific word was used in a prayer or sermon, or how a person dresses. All these things are distractions, and if a pastor gives any attention to these, the FAT Christians will starve.
One other reason pastors ought to focus upon FAT Christians is because the lean ones mostly discourage pastors (and the other sheep for that matter). Because they spend an inordinate amount of time majoring in the minors by focusing upon airing their pedantic opinions, the lean sheep become a source of major discouragement. All the complaining and nitpicking drains pastors mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and often physically. But remember, they are not there to be fed anyway, so pastors might as well focus their attention upon those who want to eat. Feed the ones who are truly hungry for Jesus.
Isn’t This Cruel Advice?
It may be tempting to see this principle of focusing upon FAT Christians as cruel advice or even a dereliction of one’s pastoral duties. Isn’t it promoting the neglect of some of the sheep? And if so, doesn’t this directly contradict all we know about the teachings of Jesus concerning love, patience, endurance, and other virtues and fruit of the Spirit?
Not necessarily. For one, it is not just impractical but impossible for one pastor to focus upon the entire flock equally anyway. This is one reason why Christ gave the local church a plurality of elders and deacons and the numerous commands for the entire church to be involved with ministry: so that the entire flock could be cared for. Jesus himself could not even focus upon every person in the crowd who followed him. For sure, he taught the entire crowd, but he also had just twelve upon whom he primarily focused. Even within the twelve, Jesus focused more attention upon Peter, James, and John.
Second, to focus upon FAT Christians in not neglectful of the lean Christians. Neglect implies little to no care whatsoever. But this is not the case. The principle does not say to neglect the lean sheep; it says not to prioritize them. They are still on the sheep list, so to speak, but they are not at the top of the list. The reason why is because mostly what they do is distract, detract, and discourage as stated above. Note, too, that they are always welcome to discontinue being this way and be transformed by the Holy Spirit. Then, they can become one of the FAT Christians. In fact, pastors should continually pray for and encourage the lean sheep to become FAT.
Moreover, an argument can be made that it is unloving toward the FAT sheep to focus equally upon the lean ones. What is more unloving than starving the sheep who want to be fed because pastors are distracted by the ones who do not want to eat? Additionally, prioritizing the FAT is more loving, patient, and longsuffering for the lean sheep themselves. What is more loving and patient than allowing people to complain, nitpick, and attempt to distract while still teaching them and not entirely ignoring them? This may very well be the definition of patience. So, prioritizing the FAT is ultimately the more loving thing to do for both the lean and the FAT.
The Point
Jesus once sent out his disciples to preach the Kingdom of God, heal, and cast out demons (Mark 6:7-13). He specifically instructed them to enter into a person’s house and stay there. They were to remain in that house and town as long as their teaching was accepted. If that town were to reject them and their teaching, they were to “go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of their feet for a testimony against them” and move on.
Certainly, these words of Jesus were circumstantial to a degree. There is, however, an underlying thought here that supports this principle of prioritizing FAT Christians: some people are not going to accept (or will fight against) the biblical teaching pastors offer and focus on distracting, detracting, and discouraging. As such, pastors ought to “shake the dust off the soles of their feet” and move on to those who desire it. The harvest is plentiful, as Jesus commented elsewhere, and so pastors need to work at finding and feeding those who desire it. Do not neglect the lean sheep, but nevertheless, find the FAT ones and feed them. There are many who are hungry for Christ, so make the FAT the priority.
References:
[i] Editor’s Note: At Crossexamined, we usually focus on apologetics, but always with a view for the Great Commission; that is, go and make disciples (Matt. 28:18-20). This blog by Pastor Paul Rasor focuses on that discipleship component. And since apologetics works great in any well-rounded discipleship program, then this advice about discipleship is solid advice for apologetics training. Pastors should invest apologetics training in Christians who are faithful, available, and teachable.
Recommended Resources:
Jesus, You and the Essentials of Christianity by Frank Turek (INSTRUCTOR Study Guide), (STUDENT Study Guide), and (DVD)
How to Interpret Your Bible by Dr. Frank Turek DVD Complete Series, INSTRUCTOR Study Guide, and STUDENT Study Guide
How Philosophy Can Help Your Theology by Richard Howe (DVD Set, Mp3, and Mp4)
Another Gospel? by Alisa Childers (book)
Peter J. Rasor II is presently the Senior Pastor of Lilburn Christian Church in Lilburn, GA and is an adjunct professor of philosophy at Grand Canyon University (GCU). He previously served as Assistant Professor of Philosophy at GCU (2015-2023). He is co-author of Controversy of the Ages (2017), author of the fantasy novel The Plague of Kosmon: Rise of the Seer, and has a multiple-authored forthcoming book An Introduction to Philosophy: A Christian Guide to the Things that Really Matter (Zondervan; 2025). He holds a ThM in theology and PhD in philosophy from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY) and a MA and MDiv from Cincinnati Christian University.
Original Blog Posted Here: https://bit.ly/3XVFcfU
Boy Swept Away by Floodwaters: Why Didn’t God Save Him? | with Dr. Clay Jones and Dan Hodges
PodcastHow could a good God allow such evil, pain, and suffering to take place in this world? And why doesn’t He intervene to save good people or young children when disaster strikes? The aftermath and utter devastation caused by Hurricane Helene has many questioning, “Where is God when things go wrong”? What is the best way to address these questions and how can we find God and meaning for life in the midst of these tragic events?
Life has been especially hard for those in the western part of North Carolina since Hurricane Helene struck last week, leaving residents without access to food and water, and claiming the lives of countless victims due to unprecedented flash flooding and fallen debris. During this week’s podcast episode, Frank sits down with Dr. Clay Jones (instructor of the upcoming OCC course ‘Why Does God Allow Evil?‘) and Dan Hodges (CrossExamined Board Director and Hurricane Helene survivor) to discuss the problem of evil and some of the heartbreaking stories emerging in light of the recent storm. Frank, Clay, and Dan will answer questions like:
There will undoubtedly be tough days ahead for Helene survivors as they move forward and try to pick up the pieces. This is a sobering episode, but we trust that it will not only bring hope to those who are in a dark season right now, but also remind us of the good news of the Gospel when we inevitably encounter hardships in our own lives. We know you’ll benefit from hearing even more of Dr. Clay Jones’ insights on the problem of evil, so consider signing up for the PREMIUM online course ‘Why Does God Allow Evil?‘ which kicks off soon on 10/23!
Did you enjoy this episode? HELP US SPREAD THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY BY SUPPORTING THE PODCAST HERE.
Resources mentioned during the episode:
Micah’s Story (New York Post article): https://bit.ly/3Yb4JU3
Clay’s Online Course: Why Does God Allow Evil?
Clay’s Book: Why Does God Allow Evil?
Give to Samaritan’s Purse: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/
Were the Gospel Accounts Reliably Recorded?
4. Is the NT True?, CrossExaminedA common challenge to believers is the contention that the gospel accounts we read today are not particularly reliable. Referring to the “telephone game,” the skeptic will claim that since the gospel accounts were penned three to five decades after the life of Christ, the accounts they portray are probably much different than the original accounts, just as the tenth telling of what was said in the “telephone game” is much different than the first. This analogy resonates with many people, who realize how hard it is to memorize in exact order a string of words that are spoken once. By the time the sentence is repeated to that tenth person, it will indeed bear little resemblance to its original form.
But does this analogy aptly describe what occurred with the biblical texts? Are there valid reasons to be concerned that the words of the gospel writers were distorted by retellings and the passage of time?
The first step in assessing this analogy is to consider the unspoken assumptions that are at play. The “telephone game” usually involves a rather meaningless sentence, spoken once, in which word-for-word memorization is the goal. The sentence is not important to the listener and has no particular significance, other than to memorize it word for word. Modern players of this game face a particular challenge – memorization is neither valued nor practiced today. We live in a culture in which electronic information storage systems have virtually eliminated the need to memorize long passages of information.
Another assumption is that having an exact word for word transcript is necessary. Given the existence of technology that can easily make recordings, one may begin to believe that nothing short of this should suffice. Take for instance a criminal trial. As a juror, you may want to view the actual interview in which the killer confessed, because you want to know exactly what he said, and the way he said it. You will insist on viewing the officer’s body worn camera footage before accepting that the events described took place exactly as they were relayed in the testimony. When the non-believer takes this approach to the gospel accounts, he will reject them before he even considers their reliability because they will never meet these assumptions and expectations.
The early Christians lived in a much different world. The writers of the first century did not have electronic means to record statements, nor did their culture put a premium on recording history in the way we do. They did, however, have a rich tradition of passing on stories, of using their minds to memorize long passages, and in some cases even entire books. Accurately passing their traditions, stories and knowledge from generation to generation was often practiced and highly valued. After all, they were not distracted with endless sources of stimulation, as we are today.
When the first followers of Christ began to document Jesus’ message, they were not playing a game in which he quickly said a string of words and asked them to repeat it. He was not providing them with some type of obscure code, which if spoken in just the right order would magically unlock the doors of the kingdom. He did not call a convention at which he spoke on only one occasion to an assembled crowd, with no one taking notes to capture the details of the teaching. No, Jesus traveled from town to town spreading a consistent and repeated message. Much of what he said was shocking to his followers, often contradicting what they were expecting the Messiah to say. His followers no doubt heard him speak on each subject on numerous occasions. They struggled to make sense of his words, and no doubt discussed his sayings among themselves. Jesus’ technique aided the process; he often used parables that were easy to remember and vividly conveyed a point he was trying to make. And when they did not understand the meaning of the parable, he explicitly expanded upon his intended meaning.
Given this context, it is not difficult to understand how those who heard Jesus repeatedly discuss topics they considered critically important to their ultimate salvation would have committed to memory what was said. The important thing for the writer would not be that he got every word in the exact order in which it was said. Indeed, it is likely that Jesus himself varied the words he spoke from speech to speech. The important thing would be that the meaning was accurately captured and passed on.
This process of repeating the revered words of their Lord did not begin out of the blue decades later. No, the process of retelling began immediately after his death. In addition, there were authors such as the apostle Paul who wrote numerous letters that set forth much of what had occurred. Had this process of retelling not been so robust, Christianity would not have grown so rapidly in the succeeding decades. Consider: by AD 64, some thirty years later, Christians had become so large and troublesome a group as to garner the attention of the emperor, who (according to the writer Tacitus) blamed them for the fire which occurred that year in Rome. Consequently, when the gospel writers eventually committed to writing their verbal teachings, they were not attempting to remember the words of a single speech given thirty or forty years earlier, a nearly impossible task. They were instead committing to paper what they had witnessed firsthand and what they had been consistently teaching in the preceding decades.
While the challenge of the “telephone game” has some surface appeal, it is at most a red herring, a distraction which prevents some people from ever giving the historical truth claims of Christianity a fair hearing. The Christian message is far more robust – and meaningful – than a simple children’s game.
And that simple truth is certainly worth remembering.
Recommended Resources:
Why We Know the New Testament Writers Told the Truth by Frank Turek (mp4 Download)
The New Testament: Too Embarrassing to Be False by Frank Turek (DVD, Mp3, and Mp4)
Counter Culture Christian: Is the Bible True? by Frank Turek (Mp3), (Mp4), and (DVD)
The Top Ten Reasons We Know the NT Writers Told the Truth mp3 by Frank Turek
Al Serrato earned his law degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1985. He began his career as an FBI special agent before becoming a prosecutor in California, where he worked for 33 years. An introduction to CS Lewis’ works sparked his interest in Apologetics, which he has pursued for the past three decades. He got his start writing Apologetics with J. Warner Wallace and Pleaseconvinceme.com.
Navigating the American Political Landscape
Culture and Politics, Theology and Christian ApologeticsSurviving political landscapes as a Christian has always been challenging (ancient Rome was harsh, y’all!). However, this U.S. presidential election cycle feels like the most difficult in recent history, and the American political landscape seems to grow more contentious every year. So, how do we navigate this minefield with truth, love, and joy? It’s not easy, but it can be simple.
So, how do we navigate this minefield with truth, love, and joy? It’s not easy, but it can be simple. Let’s talk about how. Click To Tweet
Should we get Political at all?
First, let’s address the elephant (and donkey) in the room. Should Christians even get political? I mean, doesn’t Romans 13:1-7 basically tell us to obey the government God has allowed to rule over us? Yes, and no. Yes, we are absolutely to obey the government authorities unless they are asking us to violate God’s laws. However, we have a totally different form of government than the Roman Empire during the first century. The early church had no say in their government. They were under authoritarian control and could do little more than choose their attitude of servitude. However, the U.S. was founded as a democratic republic and expects participation as part of our civic responsibilities. We should voice our thoughts in various ways, including contacting our legislature and voting for the candidates we wish to represent us.
Everyone promotes their values and beliefs in the public sphere, whether those values and beliefs flow from truth, feelings, or faith. Our values are shaped by what we believe is true about the world and everything in it. If we believe the Bible is objectively true about God, the universe, and everything, we would be terrible citizens (much less Christians) if we didn’t use it to inform our values on laws and policies. Remember, there is no neutral. Every citizen uses their strongly held beliefs to determine how to interact in our political sphere. Christians have every right to do so as well, and even a mandate to do so as salt and light! (See Matthew 5:13-16.) Ask “How is the way I’m voting preventing decay in our society?” Political discourse is a good opportunity to demonstrate for your children how our faith is active in all parts of our lives, not something we put into a compartment and take out only on Sundays.
We do not have to hold our values quietly just because we believe they were instituted by God. While our primary citizenship is in God’s kingdom (and this earth for sure ain’t it!) we can strive to promote the best values possible while we reside in the here and now. In fact, everywhere biblical Christian values have been used as the foundation, society has flourished.1 They are verifiably good values to promote. (Note: Some books for further reading include Faithfully Different by Natasha Crain and We Will Not be Silenced by Erwin Lutzer.)
Yes, Get Political. But how?
So yes, we can get political, but how do we do so in ways that reflect Christ and spread the benefits of His morality?
Step 1 – Be loving and reasonable. Jesus told us that people should recognize Christians by our love (John 13:35), so first, as Mama Bear Lindsey Medenwaldt puts it plainly in her book Bridge-Building Apologetics, “Don’t be a jerk for Jesus.” Secondly, as much as it is up to us, we are to be at peace with all people (Romans 12:18). While we are called to defend our faith in 1 Peter 3:15, we should do so with gentleness and respect. Our tone should always be loving, kind, and reasonable, even when we need to be bold and unapologetic.
Philippians 4:5 reminds us that our reasonableness should be evident to everyone and that we should not be anxious for anything. We are on the side of truth, and the truth is on your side. We do not need to get frustrated or angry when people don’t agree with us, but rather should seek to be persuasive in how we communicate that truth. One of the best ways to do that is by using questions. Ask people what they believe, why they believe it, and how they came to that conclusion. And then be willing to amend your conclusions if someone presents evidence that you hadn’t considered before! Sometimes asking questions can gently reveal that a person’s beliefs are not built on solid foundations like logic or factual arguments. We also get the added benefit of building a relationship by listening to each other instead of just seeking to make our own point.
Step 2 – Don’t be silent. Once, I was chaperoning a field trip and had several unknown students assigned to my bus. While calling roll, I could not imagine how to pronounce the name L-a. When I cautiously asked for La, I was corrected, “It’s Ladasha. The dash don’t be silent, Miss.” While this was a humorous lesson for me in creative spelling, I couldn’t let go of the idea that the dash shouldn’t be silent. One of the most powerful speakers at the Reality Student Apologetics Conference this spring, La Nej Garrison, spoke about the dash between our birth date and death dates representing our lives. And that our lives should not be silent. God has given each of us a voice and a sphere of influence that includes your children, your friends, maybe even a public audience. Are you using your dash to glorify God and make Him known?
Your primary commission from Jesus is to go into the world and make disciples. While it’s tempting to create a small circle echo chamber of like-minded friends, that does nothing to spread the gospel message. Be willing to get uncomfortable and make friends with people who might disagree with you. Share the gospel. Love them loudly. Don’t be silent in the face of evil. Be the first to stand for what is true and good. Let your life speak volumes. People are listening and your children will learn how to live from your example.
[If you know how to coopt this “click-to-tweet” function so it redirects to the CE article go ahead, otherwise, let’s Block Quote these] Share the gospel. Love people loudly. Don’t be silent in the face of evil. Be the first to stand for what is true and good. Click To Tweet
Step 3 – Do your own research. If we want to have reasonable, powerful conversations with our friends and family, we need to know what we’re talking about. While we live in the information age and anything we want to know is at our fingertips in a moment, there is too much information of varying quality, and everyone has a platform. It’s very important that you know who is worth listening to.
Start tracking reliable sources. Look for people who do not use outrage as clickbait. Reporters should stick to the facts and leave editorializing to the editorial page. Most of mainstream media tends to be biased, so make sure you are doing things like reading articles from both sides of the spectrum and watching C-Span instead of CNN. Try to find neutral outlets as much as possible.
Also, read the original documents when possible, like the Constitution or the text of a proposed bill. Don’t settle for some talking head telling you what a law says or what a candidate endorses. Read the law, platform, or speech for yourself. The media tends to name things in pithy ways that influence most people who never take the time to read them for themselves. People allow their opinions to be decided by the commentators’ name for a bill or the title of an article rather than individual research. (See our post about the 2022 Florida “Don’t say gay” bill. What people sensationally claimed was is in the bill didn’t show up anywhere in it.) Know what you’re promoting and voting for.
Step 4 – Consider the platform, policies, and personnel over the person. This year especially, our choice of presidential candidates leaves something (okay, a lot!) to be desired. Neither one seems to be appropriately moral (at least not in their pasts), and both are prone to exaggeration, misdirection, and straight up deceitfulness. Frankly, trying to listen to either of them talk is often unpleasant, but we’re voting for more than the person. (See John Ferrer’s article here on how we are voting for policies, platform, and personnel (like 4000 of them…). Which of these candidates has ideas that you want to duplicate in all spheres of government, like 4000 times?
[If you know how to coopt this “click-to-tweet” function so it redirects to the CE article go ahead, otherwise, let’s Block Quote these]Which of these candidates has ideas that you want to duplicate in all spheres of government, like 4000 times? Click To Tweet
It would be LOVELY if we had a candidate that reflected Christ, didn’t have a messy past, was bold and confident while also being kind and reasonable. But as a nation, we didn’t vote to put those people on the ballot. SIGH. We have the choices we have.
Remember, Jesus Christ is King.
We do not serve a fallen god or a dead king. We serve the risen Jesus who is seated on His throne at the right hand of the Father right now. Nothing happens on this Earth that is not under His sovereignty. The same God who allowed Nebuchadnezzar to conquer His people rules over our elections, too. Sometimes, God needs to show His people how far we’ve fallen in order to call us to repentance. (And if there is one thing our nation needs, it’s a call to repentance!) Do not despair. You were born for such a time as this. Raise up your dragon slayers to slay the dragons of this world that oppose our God. Be bold. A wonderfully wise speaker, Laura Zifer Powell, at the Women in Apologetics conference this month made a statement that really inspired me. I’m paraphrasing here, but she said “why are you sitting on the couch watching superheroes battle the forces of darkness. You get to do that! Get off your couch and do spiritual warfare!”
[If you know how to coopt this “click-to-tweet” function so it redirects to the CE article go ahead, otherwise, let’s Block Quote these] Get into the fray, Mama Bears. No matter how the election results roll in we can influence those around us and strive to improve our country and win souls to Jesus. Click To Tweet
Get into the fray, Mama Bears. No matter how the election results roll in we can influence those around us and strive to improve our country and win souls to Jesus. In fact, we often do best at winning souls when it looks like our side isn’t winning at all. Remember ancient Rome? When people saw the Christians facing their deaths singing worship to God, Christianity began to spread like a wildfire. I’d rather see that wildfire than win at the polls. If we could have both, that would be nice, but Jesus wins in the end. And we want to be Team Jesus most of all.
Recommended Resources:
Correct not Politically Correct: About Same-Sex Marriage and Transgenderism by Frank Turek (Book, MP4, )
Legislating Morality: Is it Wise? Is it Legal? Is it Possible? by Frank Turek (Book, DVD, Mp3, Mp4, PowerPoint download, PowerPoint CD)
Jesus vs. The Culture by Dr. Frank Turek DVD, Mp4 Download, and Mp3
Reflecting Jesus into a Dark World by Dr. Frank Turek – DVD Complete Series, Video mp4 DOWNLOAD Complete Series, and mp3 audio DOWNLOAD Complete Series
Jennifer DeFrates is a former English and Social Studies teacher turned homeschool mom and Christian blogger at Heavennotharvard.com and theMamapologist.com. Jennifer is a 2x CIA graduate (the Cross-Examined Instructors Academy) and volunteers with Mama Bear Apologetics. She has a passion for discipleship through apologetics. Her action figure would come with coffee and a stack of books. She is also the reluctant ringleader of a small menagerie in rural Alabama.
Originally posted at:https://bit.ly/4drDKYA
Top 10 Philosophical Challenges Christian Students Face at Secular Universities | with Dr. Owen Anderson – Part 2
PodcastAre secular universities intentionally shaping a generation of Marxists? Parents and students need to be aware of the social and political atmosphere that awaits them when they step foot on a college campus. How should Christian students respond when they encounter professors and peers pushing views that are in high opposition with their faith?
Last week, Dr. Owen Anderson shared five key philosophical challenges Christian students will likely face during their college years. This week, he’s back with five more, breaking down the flaws in these worldviews, how they infiltrated universities, and how to defend Christianity against them.
Don’t miss this eye-opening conversation that will help Christian parents and students stay grounded in biblical truth and resist woke indoctrination!
Did you enjoy this episode? HELP US SPREAD THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY BY SUPPORTING THE PODCAST HERE.
Resources mentioned during the episode:
Podcast: Part 1 with Dr. Owen Anderson
Blog post: Ten Philosophical Challenges Christian Students Face at Secular University
Owen’s Website: https://drowenanderson.com/
Owen’s Substack: https://drowenanderson.substack.com/
Top 10 Philosophical Challenges Christian Students Face at Secular Universities with Dr. Owen Anderson
PodcastEvery college student faces difficult situations, but Christian students at secular universities often encounter unique challenges designed to dismantle their faith. How can these students (and Christians everywhere) stay strong and defend their beliefs in environments that are hostile to their worldview?
A few episodes ago, Frank sat down with Arizona State University Professor Dr. Owen Anderson, who is currently in litigation with the university due to discrimination against his Christian faith. This week, he’s back with an update and to share the 10 biggest philosophical challenges Christian students should prepare for in college. Together, Frank and Owen tackle questions like:
Tune in as Dr. Anderson unpacks the first FIVE challenges with real-life examples from ASU and other secular campuses. And don’t miss the upcoming midweek podcast for the remaining five challenges along with even more insights on how to survive college as a Christian!
Did you enjoy this episode? HELP US SPREAD THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY BY SUPPORTING THE PODCAST HERE.
Resources mentioned during the episode:
Blog post: Ten Philosophical Challenges Christian Students Face at Secular University
Owen’s Website: https://drowenanderson.com/
Owen’s Substack: https://drowenanderson.substack.com/
Ten Philosophical Challenges Christian Students Face at Secular University
Legislating Morality, Culture & PoliticsThe Christian student who attends a secular university will encounter very recognizable challenges to his/her Christian faith. As a professor who has taught in a secular university for 24 years, attended faculty meetings where professors discuss how to deconstruct the faith of Christian students, and seen firsthand the animosity administrators have toward Christianity, I am giving you an inside look at the workings of the secular university.
Did God Really Say . . . ?
I have outlined these ten challenges to illustrate the original temptation in order to show that they follow a similar strategy and that little has changed. “Did God really say? . . . You will not surely die” (Gen. 3:1). God knows the day you eat you will be as God knowing good and evil. The Tempter states a conclusion: you will not surely die (Gen. 3:5). This directly contradicts what God said.
Next, the Tempter gives an argument to support the conclusion. His argument besmirches the character of God (God knows you will be like him) and says you will not die because you will be like God. The specific way you will be like God is by knowing good and evil. God knows good and evil as the creator: he determines what is good for a human by creating them with a specific nature. Humans can never know good and evil that way. But, in order to believe God lied, they must put themselves in the place of God. This act of autonomy[1] makes them their own gods.
This same strategy is at work in each of these Ten Challenges that the Christian student will face at the secular university. They question what God said, besmirch God’s character, and teach the student to be autonomous.
In my CrossExamined podcast Frank and I discuss these steps. You will hear that we keep returning to the law of non-contradiction and self-referential absurdity. Sin is a contradiction. It doesn’t make any sense. How can the intellectuals of our age miss this?
An education should make you wise by teaching you to fear the Lord and shun evil.
Instead, current university education teaches students that sin has no consequences because they can determine what is good and evil. It presents self-contradictory philosophies as if they will bring us happiness and meaning. It tells us to go out and change the world with this nonsense.
It is a new dark age of the mind in which the secular intellectual’s only conceptual framework is “power” and they spend their time praising the basest and most perverted human behaviors. It perfectly follows the decline into debauchery outlined by the Apostle Paul in Romans 1.
Ten Challenges For Christians Going to Secular University
Number 10: Academic Skepticism.
Knowledge about the “big questions” is not possible. There are only different opinions. Each opinion is equal to every other. The biggest mistake is to think your opinion counts as knowledge, which is what Christianity does. With this comes Fideism, the teaching that faith just means “blind belief.” This is a denial that God is clearly revealed in all his works of creation and providence.
Number 9: Religious and worldview pluralism.
All religions are equal. The only problem is when one religion claims to be the only way. Comparative religion says that each religion was invented to preserve power. This can be deceptive in that it seems pro-religion, but it is only pro-religion to be anti-Christian. The student is taught to be tolerant of everything except not to tolerate exclusive truth claims. This is a denial that the only way to be restored to God is through the vicarious atonement of Christ.
Number 8: Scientism.
If knowledge is possible, it is due to naturalism that claims only material causes can explain the world. The creation does not reveal the creator. Humans are mere animals, advanced, but only animals. This is also coupled with climate change claims about the need for a centralized state to take away technology that pollutes. The student is told that the end of the world is near unless human civilization is stopped. Humans are viewed as evil and a cancer on the world. This is simple atheism. It is a denial of God the Creator, who sovereignly rules over the material world and created man in his own image to have dominion.
Number 7: Pragmatism.
What works is what is true. This is the same as saying, “What satisfies is what is true.” Universities often encourage their students to get involved in community outreach, which is reduced to having a pragmatic benefits for their community. “What satisfies” is a statement about what that person views as “good.” Pragmatism denies any “highest good.” It makes education about (1) being a contributor and not about (2) learning to fear God and develop in wisdom and godliness. This is a denial that the purpose of education is to increase our godliness.
Number 6: Higher Criticism.
The Bible was composed merely by men, re-edited through the centuries, with the purpose of preserving power and the patriarchy. This undermines the idea of sola scriptura by taking away the Bible. There is no “historical Jesus.” There are Gnostic Gospels that were kept out for political purposes. This is a denial that we need redemptive revelation and a denial of God’s work to preserve the Bible he inspired.
Number 5: Existentialism.
There is no essence or human nature. There are no universals. There is only personal experience. Each person makes their own meaning. This is used to promote infinite genders and “finding your own identity.” The world, in itself, is without meaning, and meaning is whatever we say it is. This is a denial that the world is full of meaning because it reveals God.
Number 4: Cultural Relativism.
Foucault has been cited 1.4 million times, 70% more than any other author in history.[2] He teaches that crime and insanity are culturally determined by the powerful to keep power. Students are told they only think the way they do because of how they were raised. This is used to promote political agendas like “Limits on immigration are immoral!” This is a denial that there is a moral law that applies to all humans at all times.
Number 3: Marxism of various kinds.
According to Marxism, all of history is a conflict between the oppressors and the oppressed. At first, the target is white men, but soon, you realize that the real enemy is Christianity. The last 500 years have been Christian oppression of women, slaves, the colonized, racial minorities, sexual minorities, and the list goes on. This view teaches envy as a virtue and uses the problem of evil to discredit Christians. This is a denial of the providential rule of God. This one relies on the problem of evil. All evil is due to private property and can be overcome by a centralized state that redistributes wealth.
Number 2: LGBTQ+.
The homosexual movement uses Freudian tactics to convert the student to believe that there are infinite genders, that gender is whatever you say it is, that God did not create humans as male and female, and that marriage is not between a man and a woman. The story is that the young person had to repress their sexual desires, which led to neurosis, anxiety, and depression, and it was only when they could freely express their sexual desires that they found freedom and self-love. It relies on “conversion” stories and “religious experiences” to imitate Christianity. You find your identity in your basest urges. This is a denial that gender and sex are determined by God the Creator.
Number 1: Activism.
Progress toward perfecting human nature through revolution. Oppressed groups and their allies should rise up and overthrow the systematically racist, unjust system built by Christianity. Professors teach their students that the world they live in was built by white Christian men to perpetuate inequity and that the students have been personally wronged by this system. The students are told that the noblest person is the activist who protests and, when needed, burns down the cities. The student is presented with heroes who did just that. This is a secular version of the Great Commission. It is a denial of the transformative power of the Gospel.
Be Prepared
What can a Christian student do? First, know this list and be prepared. Knowing the enemy’s strategy is half the battle. Second, the next half of the battle, is being able to show why these philosophies are in error. Here are some important ways to do that:
Footnotes:
[1] [Editor’s Note: “Autonomy” means “self-law” and refers to being self-governed. In this context, autonomy is also an implicit rejection of God’s law and governance; it is being “self-governed” in contrast to being governed by God and His laws].
[2] [Editors Note: As of 24 September 2024 Google Scholar reports 1,409,360 citations of Michel Foucault. See, https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AKqYlxMAAAAJ&hl=en]
Recommended Resources:
How Philosophy Can Help Your Theology by Richard Howe (DVD Set, Mp3, and Mp4)
Stealing From God by Dr. Frank Turek (Book, 10-Part DVD Set, STUDENT Study Guide, TEACHER Study Guide)
I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (Paperback), and (Sermon) by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek
Counter Culture Christian: Is the Bible True? by Frank Turek (Mp3), (Mp4), and (DVD)
Dr. Owen Anderson is a Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Arizona State University, a pastor, and a certified jiu-jitsu instructor. He emphasizes the Christian belief in God, human sin, and redemption through Christ, and he explores these themes in his philosophical commentary on the Book of Job. His recent research addresses issues such as DEIB, antiracism, and academic freedom in secular universities, critiquing the influence of thinkers like Rousseau, Marx, and Freud. Dr. Anderson actively shares his insights through articles, books, online classes, and his Substack.