I've made the point many
times that we as Christians are
called to defend our faith. The Bible commands it of us, and we face an
increasingly hostile world.
Apologetics is
how one learns to defend his or her faith through the use of reason and
evidence. I believe apologetics can be tremendously helpful in clarifying
people's understanding t the Christian faith. However, sometimes we may rely too
heavily on facts when engaging with others.
A fascinating new article
appears in
The New Yorker this week entitled
"I Don't Want to Be Right."
1 In it, author Maria Konnikova highlights the research
being done by a number of psychologists and sociologists showing that people's
beliefs help shape the core conception of themselves, and thus if one tries to
correct the false beliefs of someone, it may not only fail, but have the
adverse effect of corrupting the source in their eyes.
As an example,
Konnikova cites one 2013 study conducted by Kelly Garrett and Brian Weeks who
sought to correct misinformation about access to health records. At first, they
thought that the facts were making a difference, as some people changed their
beliefs. "But, when the researchers took a closer look, they found that the only
people who had changed their views were those who were ideologically predisposed
to disbelieve the fact in question. If someone held a contrary attitude, the
correction not only didn't work—it made the subject more distrustful of the
source."
2
Before some of my atheist readers jump too
fast, the article was very clear that it mattered not which side of any
contention one was on. This applies as much to liberal views as conservative one
and it applies to secular and scientific views as much as religious ones. As
Stephan Lewandowsky states in the article, "False beliefs, it turns out, have
little to do with one's stated political affiliations and far more to do with
self-identity: What kind of person am I, and what kind of person do I want to
be? All ideologies are similarly affected"(emphasis added).
3
Facts are Threatening Things
I had a similar experience a couple of years ago
when I was working an online chat, answering web viewers' questions for the
Harvest Crusades. A man came on the line and said that he really wanted to
believe in Jesus in his heart but he felt that he couldn't because of his head.
After a bit of conversation, it came out that he was a professor of philosophy,
and he had difficulty with the problem of evil. Of course, I immediately went
into apologetics mode and began telling how arguments such as Hume's
have been shown to be incorrect.
This was all well and fine, but I
noticed something strange. The more we talked about philosophy, the more
resistant and hardened he became. Gone was the open, vulnerability in admitting
that he would like to believe in Jesus. I realized that subconsciously that
talking philosophy with this philosopher wasn't helping. Instead of weighing the
arguments, he fell back onto his rhetoric. He had spent maybe 20 years studying
and building a career in philosophy and for him to admit that he was wrong on
such a fundamental point was more than we was willing to sacrifice, at least to
someone over an Internet chat. He wasn't defending an abstract idea; his
philosophy was how he viewed himself.
We must be open to the Spirit
After
seeing his resistance, the Spirit took me in another direction. I retreated from
my arguments and readdressed his felt need. I acknowledged his position but then
asked him to reaffirm his felt need to believe. "You believe that these problems
are real and I can see that. However, you asked to speak with me because you
said you really want to believe. Can you tell me more about that?" That jump
allowed him to again express his feelings and his vulnerability, and while he
wasn't ready to convert just then, it gave us a much more honest conversation.
In Luke 18, Jesus was asked by the rich young ruler "what must I do to inherit
eternal life?" Jesus pointed him to the commandments laid out in scripture, laws
he already knew and kept. At that point Jesus switched from the facts of the
matter to the heart of the matter. "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you
have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come,
follow me" (Luk e18:22). But the man's self-identity was wrapped up in his
possessions as much as the philosopher's was wrapped up in his education. That's
what these studies are saying. Of course, the disciples were stymied by
the man's resistance, asking "Then who can be saved?" Jesus reply places
the emphasis back where it belongs: "What is impossible with man is possible
with God."
As those who would defend the Christian faith, we must be
sensitive to both the leading of God's Spirit and the reactions we get when
talking with others. Because logic and evidence play such a big part of
apologetics, the apologist naturally goes there, but logic and evidence are not
enough. You must care for and be sensitive to the person with whom you're
speaking. Remember, it is the people who matter. Arguments are only one
tool to aid them in seeing the truth.
References
I recently was asked to review the new
book
Grand Central Question: Answering the Critical Concerns of the Major
Worldviews written by Abdu Murray and published by InterVarsity Press. Unlike some other works that help instruct Christians
to the task of defending the faith, Grand Central Question doesn't focus so much
on objections and answers. Instead, Murray begins using a much broader
perspective; he compares the worldviews of secular humanism, eastern religions
and concepts of
pantheism, and Islam against the Christian worldview. As our culture travels
further and further from its Judeo-Christian roots, Murray's book is timely and
important in providing the reader with key points of engagement.
Convincing Christianity
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