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APOLOGETICS EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2024
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APOLOGETICS EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2024
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APOLOGETICS EXAM 2024ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS IN THIS SECTION
QUESTION 1
When is it appropriate to appeal to evidences in an apologetic context? -
ANSWERS-• We're aware of the non-Christian's presuppositions and the effect
that they could have on his interpretation of any evidential arguments presented to
him.
• We deal with misinterpreted evidences by taking a step back and addressing the
issue of faulty presuppositions rather than persisting with those evidences in the
face of a hostile and self-defeating presuppositional framework.
QUESTION 2
Does Presuppositionalism involve circular reasoning? (Objection #1) -
ANSWERS-(1) "Christianity is true" doesn't function as a premise of the
argument, but rather as a presupposition of the argument—and this is unavoidable
if the Christian worldview is a precondition of all rational argumentation.
• Analogy: Descartes' proof of his own existence ("I think, therefore I am")
(2) Everyone has to reason in a circle when it comes to ultimate presuppositions.
• A worldview can only be consistently justified on its own terms.
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QUESTION 3
Is Presuppositionalism a form of fideism? (Objection #2) - ANSWERS-(1) This
objection typically follows on the heels of the previous (mistaken) objection.
(2) Presuppositionalism cannot be a form of fideism, because it offers a positive
rational argument for the Christian worldview.
QUESTION 4
Does Presuppositionalism imply that unbelievers don't know anything? (Objection
#3) - ANSWERS-(1) This would only be true if unbelievers were completely
consistent with their non-Christian presuppositions.
(2) In practice, unbelievers do know many things, but this is only because of a
"blessed inconsistency" (cf. Van Til's "borrowed capital").
(3) This "blessed inconsistency" is an outworking of God's common grace.
QUESTION 5
Does Presuppositionalism make good use of evidences? (Objection #4) -
ANSWERS-(1) Historically, there is some truth to this objection!
(2) Presuppositionalism as such doesn't preclude the use of evidences; it merely
requires presuppositional sensitivity when using evidences with unbelievers.
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QUESTION 6
Is Presuppositionalism too complicated to use in practice? (Objection #5) -
ANSWERS-(1) The basic argument can be summarized as easily as any traditional
theistic argument (e.g., the argument from morality).
(2) It takes some work to defend the argument, but the same is true of any
traditional theistic argument or historical evidential argument.
(3) The best way to understand presuppositionalism is to see it applied in practice
and to practice it ourselves.
QUESTION 7
What are all the advantages of presuppositional apologetics? (long list) -
ANSWERS-1. It closely connects our apologetics with our theology.
2. It honors the No Neutrality and No Autonomy principles.
3. It recognizes that the common ground between the believer and the unbeliever
isn't neutral ground but rather Christian ground.
4. It points to the sovereign God on whom we depend for every aspect of our
experience.
5. It allows you to argue for Christianity from any aspect of human experience.
• Examples: everyday scientific work, music, monthly budget, crossing the road
6. It helps to show how arguments against Christianity often beg the question
against it.
• Example: Bart Ehrman's Jesus Interrupted
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7. It enables you to show that even objections to Christianity must presuppose the
truth of Christianity at the deepest level in order to be meaningful in the first place.
• Example: atheistic arguments from evil
• Example: objections to the morality of the Old Testament
8. It confirms that unbelievers are suppressing knowledge they already possess
(Rom. 1).
9. It defends Christianity as a whole—as an integrated self-contained worldview.
10. It doesn't require you to have detailed knowledge of every non-Christian
worldview.
• Example: Eastern religions (typically pantheist or panentheist)
11. It can deal with postmodernist worldviews as well as modernist worldviews.
12. It avoids the pitfalls of naïve evidential argumentation.
13. It allows the use of presuppositionally-sensitive evidential argumentation.
14. It underscores that for an unbeliever to recognize the truth and rationality of
Christianity requires nothing less than conversion (which includes a wholesale
change of worldview).
QUESTION 8
What is the typical presuppositional approach to every apologetic issue? -
ANSWERS-1. Proof: show that only the Christian worldview can make rational
sense of the subject matter in the first place.
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