Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Tim Keller @ Google on The Reason for God

Some may not know this is out:

5 comments:

  1. What would you say to the punk who says he's God, he was crucified (in Antarctica), and his friend saw the whole thing. Besides suggest he seek medical attention, of course.

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  2. When he can give the same volume of corroboration - even from former skeptics and let me put my hand into the wounds, then we'll talk.

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  3. oh, yeah - and if he can send the Holy Spirit into me, convict me of sin and convert me by his power, I will be fully convinced.

    In fact, I'd have no choice but to believe.

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  4. By Antarctica, I suppose you may be suggesting his doings were somewhat or mostly out of the way or unknown, you might compare that with what the Lord has done (in passages such as 2 Sam 12:12; Isa 45:19; Isa 48:16, Jn 18:20, etc.)

    Here's a taste of what you will find:

    "For this is what the LORD says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says: "I am the LORD, and there is no other.

    I HAVE NOT SPOKEN IN SECRET, FROM SOMEWHERE IN A LAND OF DARKNESS;[CAPS, MY emphasis] I have not said to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain.' I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right.

    "Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save.

    Declare what is to be, present it— let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.

    "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other."


    ... and another

    "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born"

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  5. Sean,

    Your question (/argument) fails on several levels:

    1. Your argument falsely assume that just because one person is false, that means another must be.
    2. Your argument displays your prejudice in that you assume the nature & abilities & resurrection qualities of Christ are no different than those of mortal man.
    3. Your argument also fails to recognize that it was not just Christ's friends who witnessed his crucifixion and extraordinary power but unbelievers in great numbers as well.

    Greg Bahsen writes "One will often find that unbelievers, both educated and uneducated, take the offensive against Christianity before they have become familiar with what they are talking about. In the place of research and honest assessment of available evidence concerning some aspect of the Bible, many unbelievers have substituted personal conjecture about what "seems likely" to them."

    Be careful that you do not fall into this category, for the consequences are greater than you imagine; rather look with greater care and scrutiny into the matters that lead to Christ, in whom is found life and truth.

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