Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - Grounding Apologetics in Scripture
Presuppositionalism, as understood by the speaker, fundamentally centers on three interconnected aspects: Authority, the Aim of apologetics, and the Agency of change in the human heart.
First, Authority dictates that God and His revealed Word are the ultimate starting point for all apologetics. This means that any defense of Christianity must inherently stem from and be defensible by the Bible itself. While evidences are crucial, they are legitimate only if they are derived from Scripture first. External evidences from fields like science, history, or philosophy are valuable, but they function as secondary testimony that confirms what the Bible already establishes, rather than serving as primary means to prove biblical truth. To start with external evidence is seen as potentially undermining the absolute authority of God's Word.
Second, the Aim of apologetics is solely the person and work of Jesus Christ. The goal is not merely to convince someone of general theism or specific theological points like Young Earth Creationism. Instead, the ultimate purpose is to point people to Christ and fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples, presenting the full Gospel message of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Apologetics also serves believers by confirming their faith and equipping them to defend against errors.
Third, the Agency of change in the human heart is exclusively the Holy Spirit. An apologist's role is to faithfully present the biblically-grounded message and evidences, but they have no inherent ability to change a heart. Genuine, transformative change—bringing "light where there was darkness" and "life where there was death"—is solely the work of the Holy Spirit, who uses God's Word to convict and transform individuals. This perspective highlights that human arguments, at best, can only "win a debate," emphasizing reliance on divine power for true conversion.
Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian
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