CHRISTIANITY IN POSTMODERN AMERICA

WHAT IS POSTMODERNISM?

• A reaction to the assumed certainty of scientific, or objective, efforts to explain reality

• Highly skeptical of explanations which claim to be true for all people

• Focuses on the relative truths of each person

• Reality is based on our interpretations

WHAT IS POSTMODERNISM?

• Basic ideas behind postmodernism are good

• We should question the things that we are taught and believe, and not assume that everything we are told is true

• We begin to analyze the world around us to make sure we are making good decisions based on solid information

WHAT HAS OUR SOCIETY DONE TO JESUS?

• We’ve made Him a myth

• There are no eyewitnesses still alive

• There are minimal artifacts from His life

• There is little written documentation from His time

• In a postmodern world where we demand proof why should we believe?

DEFENDING CHRISTIANITY

• Apologetics- speaking in defense of a position through the use of systematic information

• As a Christian you hold a belief that is often under fire in modern society

• Utilizing apologetics strengthens your faith by giving you logical arguments to back up your beliefs and to counter misinformation

FACT #1: JESUS WAS A REAL PERSON

• 1. Little documentation exists from any person from the time of Christ.

• There are 27 books in the new testament. Even though some authorship is disputed by scholars a large number of them have been proven authentic, written by authors who knew Jesus or knew others who knew Him

FACT #1: JESUS WAS A REAL PERSON

• 2. Jewish writers wrote about Jesus

• 3. Jewish historian Josephus wrote about Jesus

• 4. Tacitus affirmed that Jesus suffered under Pilate. Multiple non-Christian ancient sources mention Jesus

• 5. Historical Impact of His ministry is immense

FACT #1: JESUS WAS A REAL PERSON

• 6. Artifacts from the life of Christ

• Archaeologists have confirmed the existence of Pilate and Caiaphas, possibly Simon Peter and John the Baptist

• 7. Non-Christian historians wrote about Jesus and His followers in a way that confirms the writings in the Bible

FACT #1: JESUS WAS A REAL PERSON

• 8. Off-the-cuff comments by Paul and others attest to Christ’s existence

• 9. A majority of modern scholars (sacred and secular) agree that Jesus was a real person

FACT #2: JESUS DIED AND CAME BACK TO LIFE

• Why is this important?

FACT #2: JESUS DIED AND CAME BACK TO LIFE

• 1. Buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea

• Burial story was simple, lacks any signs of being developed into legend, and there are no competing stories

FACT #2: JESUS DIED AND CAME BACK TO LIFE

• 2. Resurrection discovered by women in a patriarchal society

• Matthew 28 story trying to explain the missing body confirms that He was no longer there

FACT #2: JESUS DIED AND CAME BACK TO LIFE

• 3. Multiple eyewitness accounts post resurrection

• The women, Peter (Cephas), the Twelve, the 500, James, all the apostles, Paul

• Remember when Paul saw Jesus for the first time he HATED Christians!

FACT #2: JESUS DIED AND CAME BACK TO LIFE

• 4. The disciples appear to sincerely believe Jesus was raised from the dead and were willing to die for their belief in Him

FACT #2: JESUS DIED AND CAME BACK TO LIFE

• Conclusions:

• 1. Resurrection is a logical reason for the missing body and sightings

• 2. Resurrection is a plausible claim given His life of miracles, predictions, and ministries

• 3. The evidence is not contrived but points to Jesus being the son of God

• 4. The facts are overwhelmingly in favor of resurrection

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US?

• Jesus lived, died, and was raised from the dead

• He must have been the son of God and the Messiah

• His other statements must also be true

ADDITIONAL READING ON APOLOGETICS

• J.P. Moreland, Alex McFarland, Lee Strobel, Gary Habermas, Mike Licona, William Lane Craig, Tim Keller, Josh McDowell, C.S. Lewis, others