Date

8-2020

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics (MA)

Chair

Ronnie Campbell

Keywords

Apologetics, Memory, Faith, Reason, Tradition, Evidence

Disciplines

Christianity | Practical Theology | Religion | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

Faith has long been regarded by secular scholars as unreasonable and unjustified. One of the largest issues that Christians face today is working against the notion that faith is blind. Best-selling author Richard Dawkins states, “religious faith is an especially potent silencer of rational calculation, which usually seems to trump all others.” The irrationality of faith is echoed consistently by other scholars including Bertrand Russell. As Kelly James Clark points out, “Bertrand Russell was once asked, if he were to come before God, what he would say to God. Russell replied, ‘Not enough evidence God, not enough evidence.’” The claim that Christianity lacks evidence and merit is problematic to apologists as it creates a barrier to salvation for many. Biblical scholars, including William Lane Craig and Gary R. Habermas, have responded to this issue in differing ways that effectively show the rationality of the Christian faith. However, these responses often fail to account for memory as an evidence for Christianity. This work will attempt to contribute to the responses of these scholars by demonstrating that memory, specifically collective memory, can have apologetic value. The value of collective memory is displayed through the value of tradition and creeds. This work will connect the events of the Old Testament and early church to the modern era.

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