This document summarizes the last session of a 7-week study on Christian apologetics. It discusses whether absolute truth exists and examines evidence for intelligent design in the universe through finely tuned physical constants. The session leader thanks participants and previews that part 2 of the study will continue in January 2016, covering topics like the origin of life, miracles, and eyewitness testimony of Jesus.

1. Session # 7 – Sunday May 24th
Does Absolute Truth Exist?
A Basic Guide to Christian Apologetics

2. Session # 7 – Sunday May 24th
Does Absolute Truth Exist?
A Basic Guide to Christian Apologetics
Hey All: I want to thank all of you for
a great seven weeks of study. Today
was our last session for Part I. We will
pick up with Part II sometime in Jan.
2016. In the meantime, see you at
worship and Adult Sunday School.
For all of you who were not able
attend class, please remember that the
PowerPoint Slideshows do not include
my lecture, comments, and or any
discussion that took place in class.
However, the PowerPoint Slideshows
should be a good outline.
May God bless you all. Kirk

4. “Once one looks at the evidence, it
takes more faith to be a non-Christian
than it does to be a Christian.”

5. • Truth is absolute, exclusive and knowable.
• To deny absolute truth and its know-ability
is self-defeating.
• Truth is not dependent on our feelings or
preferences. Something is true whether we
like it or not.

6. • People often get their beliefs from their
parents, friends, childhood religion, feelings,
or culture. While such beliefs could be true,
it’s possible they may not be.
• We can use philosophical principles,
including those found in logic and science,
to test the truth of beliefs.

7. The Twelve Points That Show Christianity Is True
This Week…

9. Premise 1: Everything that had a
beginning had a cause.
Law of Causality. Fundamental
Principle of science.
Things don’t happen without a
cause.

10. Premise 2: The universe had a beginning.
Did the universe have a beginning?
If no, then no cause is needed.
If yes, then the universe must have a cause.
Before Einstein (and other scientists) atheists
could comfort themselves with the belief that the
universe was eternal.
If the Universe is eternal, you don’t need a creator.

11. U – Universe Is Expanding
Matter

12. Universe did not emerge from
existing material but from nothing.

13. • Foundation of all science.
• Science is the search for causes.
• Search should be based on consistent
observations.

14. Everything that has a beginning
has a cause.
The Universe (space-time-matter)
had a beginning.

15. “If everything needs a cause,
who caused GOD?”
Law of Causality:
Does not say: “everything needs a cause”
It does say: “everything that comes to
be needs a cause.”

16. Strong Evidence
Matter
Beginner must be outside the space-time-matter universe

17. Universe needs a cause.
Who created the first cause?
God.
God is Eternal

18. • “If you can have an eternal
God, then I can have an eternal
Universe.”
• Logically this is possible.
Atheistic Rebuttal
• The Universe could be eternal.

19. 1. It has always existed and is
therefore uncaused.
2. It had a beginning and was
caused by something else.
Two Possibilities For Anything That Exists

20. • Overwhelming evidence the
universe had a beginning.
• Must be caused by something else
– by something outside itself.
Two Possibilities For Anything That Exists

21. • Our conclusion is consistent
with theistic religions.
Two Possibilities For Anything That Exists
• Conclusion is not based on
theistic religions, but based on
good reason and evidence.

22. • God did not come to be.
• No one made God.
• God is unmade.
• God is an eternal being.
• God did not have a beginning, so he
didn’t need a cause.

23. Infinite -- Self-existent, timeless, non-spatial,
immaterial, without limits.
Power -- Unimaginable power. Created the entire
universe out of nothing.
Intelligence -- Supremely intelligent. Designed the
universe with incredible precision.
Personal -- Choose to convert a state of
nothingness into the time-space-material universe.
An impersonal force has no ability to make
choices.
Characteristics of a “First Causer”

24. • Characteristics theists ascribe to God.
• Characteristics not based on someone’s
religion or subjective experience.
• Characteristics drawn from scientific
evidence and logic.
Characteristics of a “First Causer”

25. Teleological / Anthropic Argument
Divine Design

26. Teleological / Anthropic Argument
Divine Design
Telos (Greek) - “design”
Anthropic (Greek) -
“human” or “man”

27. In Lee Strobel's book The Case For
Faith - the following is attributed to
James Tour: "I build molecules for a
living, I can't begin to tell you how
difficult that job is. I stand in awe of
God because of what he has done
through his creation.”

28. “Only a rookie who knows nothing
about science would say science takes
away from faith. If you really study
science, it will bring you closer to
God.”
--James Tour, Nanoscientist

29. Teleological / Anthropic Argument
Divine Design
Precision with which
the Universe exploded
into being provides
even more persuasive
evidence for the
existence of God.
Anthropic Principle YouTube

30. • 1. Every design had a designer.
• 2. The universe has a highly
complex design.
• 3. Therefore, the universe had a
Designer.
Logical Argument

31. Highly precise and interdependent
environmental conditions.
Universe is extremely fine-tuned
(designed) to support human life
here in earth.
Anthropic Constants

32. Anthropic Constants
• More than 100 very narrowly
defined constants that point to an
intelligent design.
• The extent of the Universe’s fine-
tuning makes the Anthropic Principle
perhaps the most powerful argument
for the existence of God.

33. Anthropic Constants
Gravity
0.0000000000000000000000000
0000000000001 percent
If the gravitational force were altered
by a very very small percentage our
sun would not exist, and, therefore,
neither would we.

35. 1. If the centrifugal force of planetary movements
did not precisely balance the gravitational forces,
nothing could be held in orbit around the sun.

36. Anthropic Constants
2.If the universe had expanded at a rate
one millionth more slowly than it did,
expansion would have stopped, and
the universe would have collapsed on
itself before any stars had formed. If it
had expanded faster, then no galaxies
would have formed.

37. Anthropic Constants
3. Any of the laws of physics can be described as a
function of the velocity of light (186,000 miles
per second). Any slight variation in the speed of
light would alter the other constants and
preclude the possibility of life on earth.
4. If water vapor levels in the atmosphere were
greater than they are now, a runaway greenhouse
effect would cause temperatures to rise to high
for human life; if it were less, the earth would be
too cold to support human life.

38. Anthropic Constants
5. If Jupiter did not exist, the earth would be
bombarded with asteroids, comets and other
space material.

39. Anthropic Constants
6. If the thickness of the earth’s crust were greater,
too much oxygen would be transferred to the
crust to support life. If it were thinner, volcanic
and tectonic activity would make life impossible
7. If the rotation of the earth took longer than 24
hours, temperature differences would be too
great between night and day. If the rotation
period was shorter, atmospheric wind velocities
would be too great.

40. Anthropic Constants
8. If the 23-degree axil tilt of the earth is just right.
If the tilt were altered slightly, surface
temperatures would be too extreme on earth.
9. If the atmospheric discharge (lighting) rate were
greater, there would be to much fire destruction; if
it were less, there would be too little nitrogen
fixing in the soil.

41. Anthropic Constants
Hugh Ross – Astrophysicist. 122 constants.
Planets in the Universe 1022
10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

42. Anthropic Constants
Anthropic Constants happening by chance is 10138
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000.
That is one chance in one with 138 zeros after it.

43. Anthropic Constants
Only 1070 atoms in the entire Universe.
In effect, there is ZERO, NIL, NADA,
NIX, NULL, VOID, ZIP, ZILCH chance
that any planet in the Universe would have
life-supporting conditions unless there is an
Intelligent Designer behind it all.

44. Arno Penzias
Radiation After-glow
“Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a
universe which was created out of nothing
and delicately balanced to provide exactly
the conditions required to support life. In the
absence of an absurdly-improbable accident,
the observations of modern science seem to
suggest an underlying, one might say,
supernatural plan.”

45. Fred Hoyle
Astronomer
“A commonsense interpretation of the
facts suggest that a super intellect has
monkeyed with physics, as well as
chemistry and biology, and that there
are no blind forces worth speaking
about in nature.”

46. Atheists Response
Many admit design, then claim
there is no Designer.
For atheists it all happened by
chance.
Remember 10138

47. Atheists Response
Multiple Universes Theory
Infinite number of Universes in
existence. We just happened to
be lucky enough to be in the
universe with right conditions
for life to exist.

48. Atheists Response
Multiple Universes Theory
No evidence for this theory.
Multiple universes does not eliminate
the need for a Designer---it multiplies
the need for a Designer.

49. “One may find it easier to
believe in an infinite array of
universes than in an infinite
Deity, but such a belief must
rest on faith rather than
observation.”
Paul Davies. Physicist

50. 1. Every design had a designer.
2. As verified by the Anthropic
Principle, we know beyond a
reasonable doubt that the
Universe is designed.
3. Therefore, the Universe had a
Designer.
Logical Argument

51. Teleological / Anthropic Argument
Divine Design
The Fine Tuning of the Universe. YouTube

52. In 2016…
Part Two

53. 1. The First Life: Natural Law or Divine Awe?
2. New Life Forms: From Goo to You via the Zoo?
3. Mother Teresa vs. Hitler
4. Miracles: Signs of God or Gullibility?
5. Do We Have Early Testimony About Jesus?
6. Do We Have Eyewitness Testimony About Jesus?
In 2016…
Part Two