Talking Points:
- You can’t use math alone to arrive at faith. Compared to other disciplines, math is the simplest. By their very nature, questions in science and math are less messy, yielding more accurate solutions, whereas ideas in the humanities are more complicated, resulting in less precision. (See this OpEd)
- The “cowboy atheist” looks at the cold, dark universe and tries to make sense of it without God. By contrast, the biblical Christian humbly gives honor to the complexity of the cosmos – and the God behind it all.
- Far better than any other religion, the Christian faith can be defended through the lens of complex disciplines such as literature, history, and philosophy. For example, historically the Jews were looking for a Messiah who would restore the temple, establish shalom, and defeat his enemies. Jesus did none of these in the near term, and yet was considered to be the Messiah after his death. The only possible solution is that Jesus really did rise from the dead.
- At the end of the day, we’ve all tried to fly our lives on a worldview “airplane” – whether that’s Christianity, Buddhism, secular humanism, or something else. We all have a scaffolding for faith, and Christianity makes the most sense. It is worthy of our time and energy to pursue the God of the Bible.
Discussion:
- In what ways do the fields of science and math differ from the humanities in their approach to finding answers?
- Explain what it means to be a “cowboy atheist” in the western world. Can someone truly make sense of the universe without acknowledging the existence of a higher power?
- How can literature, history, and philosophy be used to defend the Christian faith?
- What role does faith play in our individual experiences and understanding of the world around us? How does an atheist rely on a scaffolding of faith?
- How do we determine which religion or worldview is “worth” pursuing? Where does biblical Christianity rank for you?
See Also:
