Free Master’s Thesis: A Defense of Presuppositional Apologetics and Its Practical Application to the Public University Campus

Today I want to share a thesis that was completed for a Masters of Religion that was completed over at Reformed Theological Seminary.  It was completed last year in 2018.  It is titled “A Defense of Presuppositional Apologetics and Its Practical Application to the Public University Campus” and written by R. Shane Hartley.  I have found Presuppositional apologetics when properly understood and properly employed to be a very helpful and powerful apologetic.  I am also involved with college campus evangelism in which I will start back again next Lord willing (pray for me!).  So this thesis obviously caught my attention.

What is this thesis specifically about?  In his introductory paragraph to his thesis Mr. Hartley wrote the following summary:

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Apologetics Sermon Illustration #52: Defining Contradiction and Dalmatian

GO TO PART 51

 

Point: I had to write down this analogy that I discussed in a podcast at Biblical Beginnings that is going to come out next week.  Sometimes when one engage in evangelism and apologetics the issue of alleged Bible contradiction comes up and the example given of a Bible contradiction really isn’t a Bible contradiction.   What I found helpful is to ask the skeptic to define what is a contradiction as the foundation for the direction of any further discussion of whether or not there’s a Bible contradiction.  Here’s the definition I give for “contradiction:”

A contradiction occurs when two or more claims conflict with one another so that they cannot simultaneously be true in the same sense and at the same time.  To put it another way, a Bible contradiction exists when there are claims within the Bible that are mutually exclusive in the same sense and at the same time.

 Are there illustrations to help us think more critically and accurately of when there’s a contradiction and when there’s an apparent contradiction (that is, they really are not a contradiction)?

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Apologetics Sermon Illustration #51: The Person who denied the Sun

GO TO PART 50

 

Point: An argument in the arsenal of Presuppositional apologetics is the Transcendental argument.  John Frame describes apologist Cornelius Van Til’s transcendental argument in the following matter with one of Van Til’s famous illustration:

The non-Christian, then, in Van Til’s famous illustration, is like a child sitting on her father’s lap, slapping his face. She could not slap him unless he supported her. Similarly, the non-Christian cannot carry out his rebellion against God unless God makes that rebellion possible. Contradicting God assumes an intelligible universe and therefore a theistic one.

(Source)

I think what follows below is another illustration in explaining Presuppositional apologetics.

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Collection of 50 Apologetics’ Illustrations

Over some years I’ve been slowly writing down illustrations that I thought might be helpful for sermons or evangelism that has apologetics’ thrusts.

Here’s 50 of them arranged topically.  Which one was your favorite?

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Apologetics Sermon Illustration #50: Messianic Prophecy And A Red Carpet Premiere

GO TO PART 49

Point: Predictive prophecies are important in God’s attestation from His Word that Jesus is the Messiah. How could we further illustrate the importance of Messianic prophecies?

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Apologetics Sermon Illustration #49: There are Too Many Religions Which One is True and Counterfeit Currencies

GO TO PART 48

Point: Have you ever faced the objection to Christianity that there are too many religions out there, how can it be that Christianity is the one that is true?  Or maybe it is phrased as “I can’t believe in any religion (including Christianity) because there’s too many other contradiction religions out there…”  How should Christians answer?

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Apologetics Sermon Illustration #48: Refuting Presuppositions and Fighting Terrorist Financing

GO TO PART 47

Point: Some Christians engage in apologetics in a piecemeal fashion.  They give evidence here and there.  They refute an objection here and there.  They might not realize the importance of Presuppositional apologetics (as taught by Cornelius Van Til) with its emphasis of going beyond the individual sparring of the skeptics’ objection and instead pursue refutations of the opponent’s worldview at the level of presuppositions.  How can you illustrate the importance of refuting an opponent’s worldview?

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