On Sunday mornings, the adult auditorium Bible class at the Tompkinsville Church of Christ is beginning a new topic called "Defend Your Faith - A Study in Christian Evidences." This is the first powerpoint lesson from that topic, the introduction.

1. Defend Your Faith
A Study in Christian Evidences

2. Lesson No. One
The Introduction

3. The problem with
the world is that
the intelligent
people are full of
doubts, while
the stupid ones
are full of
confidence.
- Charles Bukowski

4. First Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts, and always be ready to give
a defense to everyone who asks you a
reason for the hope that is in you,
with meekness and fear.
(c) ESV

5. Why Even Try?
The situation in our world demands we
be able to truthfully support our faith
and defend the truth found in the Bible,
God’s Word. We must be able to defend
against a disregard for absolute truth;
pressure to conform to society; and
many false philosophies.

6. False Philosophies
Romanticism = Feelings are best
Naturalism = Mother Nature
Atheism = God is Make-Believe
Agnosticism = Evidence is Lacking
Positivism = Need Verification (Senses)
Humanism = We are it
Universalism* = All paths lead to God
Prosperity* = Faith means comfort
* Sometimes found within the church

7. Unbelief Exists Because…
There are several reasons that many
people chose to not believe in God or
the Word of God. Here are the major
reasons:
Lack of Interest
Conduct of the Faithful
Religious Division
Secularism (God doesn’t matter anymore)
Scientific Advancement

8. Does God Exist?
There is intrinsic importance to
that question since the Bible says God is
the being greater than anything else.
There is instrumental importance to that
question since the Bible says God is
foundational in the order of life and
existence for all living beings.

9. If God Does Not Exist...
We are nothing but organized matter.
Everything we are and do is the
result of non-living, non-intelligent,
non-purposive matter.
There is no real right or wrong, good or evil.
Every moral decision is relative.
No one has any real obligation to do
anything at any time.

10. If God Does Not Exist
Physical death is the absolute end
of our existence. There is no life
after this whether it be good or bad.
No matter how we have acted there
will be no accounting, no judgment,
and no punishment. Our decisions have
nothing to do with our eternity
because we have no eternity.

11. If God Does Exist
We are more than organized matter.
We are a result of the actions God
took to create us.
There is real right or wrong, good and evil.
Universal morality does exist.
We have a real obligation to obey
the will of God.

12. If God Does Exist
Each one of us will live on in
another world when our life in this
world ends.
Each one of us will give an account
to God for how we have lived in this
world.

13. Defend Your Faith
A Study in Christian Evidences