Posted on Tuesday,

How to Respond to the “That’s Just Your Interpretation” Objection

When it comes to having conversations about controversial spiritual and moral matters you can usually count on one thing for sure, namely, that someone will inevitably raise the “that’s just your interpretation” objection. This is especially true if the Bible is involved.

You’ve seen this happen before right? Once someone throws out the “that’s just your interpretation” line, the conversation comes to a screeching halt. Again, this usually happens when a moral or religious topic is brought up like “abortion is wrong” or “Jesus is the only way of salvation.” Perhaps you have found yourself in a conversation like that and thought you were making progress only to be dismissed with a slogan. What do you do?

Two Options For Engaging This Objection

There are a few options on how you can engage here.

The first option is you can get into a passionate (but pointless) yelling match where you go back and forth screaming “no it doesn’t” / “yes it does” for 30 minutes or so (note: I didn’t say this first one was a good option).

Or you can chose option number two where you can try to move the conversation forward by asking a well placed question. This will be much more effective because typically people throw down the “that’s just your interpretation” slogan to dismiss you and your point of view without an argument.

At this point, you can clarify what they mean by asking, “Are you saying you don’t like my interpretation or that you think it’s false?” If they think it’s false, great. You can then ask them the reasons they have for thinking that it’s false and have a productive spiritual conversation. If you need some help in learning how to know “which interpretation of the Bible is correct” then start here.

“I Don’t Like Your Point of View”

However, more often than not it will become obvious that this person simply doesn’t like the implications of your view. Maybe if your view is correct, they might have to alter a behavior they enjoy or change their mind about a controversial social issue.

Philosopher Paul Copan suggests a reasonable response in situations like these: “There are many truths that I myself don’t like or find difficult to accept, but not liking them doesn’t give me the freedom to reject them. I have to accept that they are true.”

Sometimes the most loving thing you can do in a spiritual or moral conversation is help someone discover that reality is indifferent to our preferences. The truth about God and the way we flourish as human begins is too important to discover to allow it to be dismissed by an uncritically examined slogan.

So the next time you feel like yelling when a spiritual and moral disagreement shows up, just take a deep breath and ask a question.

If you found this post helpful, you would enjoy “How to have a conversation about Bible contradictions.”

Listen to the latest Think Christianly podcast: Subscribe with iTunes I RSS

Sign up to receive our blog updates and resources via email

Posted on Tuesday,

There Are Two Kinds Of People Who Question The Bible

At the end of the day there are two kinds of people who question the Bible…which one are you?

As I have already noted previously, everyone questions the Bible at some point. Doubt is a natural part of the journey of faith. But we shouldn’t doubt just to doubt. Young people especially need safe space to express their honest questions and sincere doubts. But the goal is not (or at least shouldn’t be) a radical skepticism that questions everything and never lands anywhere.

What Do You Ultimately Want?

Path #1: When I interact with students who are asking the tough questions because they want the truth I am deeply encouraged because I know their faith muscles are being strengthened. They want to know what is real. They don’t want to live a lie and they don’t want to follow a path that is a spiritual or moral dead end. The first pathway is seeking the truth.

A text book (and biblical!) example of this mindset would be one of the earliest biographers of Jesus:

“Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.” –Luke 1:1-4

Path #2: I also have the experience of interacting with students, adults, or people on social media who are not after the truth with their questions. Not really. The best illustration of this kind of mindset and posture I have come across is prominent NYU professor, Thomas Nagel:

“I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers. It just isn’t that I don’t believe in God and, naturally, hope that I am right in my belief. It’s that I hope there is no God! I don’t want the universe to be like that.”–Thomas Nagel (The Last Word)

This is refreshing and instructive honesty because it shows the power of the human will to bend our reason and make it submit when truth is not our goal. The second pathway is space.

The Bottom Line

If you want truth, you will find it in the end because Christians have nothing to fear from the truth. However if you are using your questions to create space between you and the God of the Bible so that you can do whatever you want because you don’t want submit to an authority…that is a different path altogether. People are certainly free to take this path, but if space is what you ultimately want, then you will get it because you can always create space by asking another question.

However, please keep this in mind. Just because you can ask another question doesn’t mean that there isn’t a reasonable answer to your question. Why? Because if in your heart of hearts you just want space, then your will can accomplish this with enough effort.

As counterintuitive as it may sound, I actually want people to question the Bible. I want this because I want them to find the truth and the confident faith that flows from the knowledge of the truth. But we also need to be honest and recognize that if truth is not your goal, then you will not find it.

If you are honest with yourself in this moment, what are you ultimately after? Truth or Space?

Listen to the latest Think Christianly podcast: Subscribe with iTunes I RSS

Sign up to receive our blog updates and resources via email

Posted on Tuesday,

Newsboys, the New Atheism, and the Evidence for God

By now you have no doubt heard that Newsboys co-founder, George Perdikis, is now an atheist. This story is personal to me because the very first Christian CD I was given after becoming a Christian (I share my story here) was Newsboys – Going Public. It was helpful and encouraging to me on my own faith journey.

Turns out that famous atheist Richard Dawkins played a role in George’s de-conversion story. Here is how he summarizes his lack-of-faith journey in a guest post at Patheos:

I always felt uncomfortable with the strict rules imposed by Christianity. All I wanted to do was create and play rock and roll… and yet most of the attention I received was focused on how well I maintained the impossible standards of religion. I wanted my life to be measured by my music, not by my ability to resist temptation.

I left the band in 1990 and went back to Adelaide. There, I got married, taught guitar, played pubs and clubs, built homes, and had two beautiful daughters.

As I carved out a life for myself away from the church, I began my own voyage of inquiry into what I believed. My perceptions started to transform when I became interested in cosmology in 1992. I soon found myself fascinated by the works of Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Lawrence Krauss, Brian Cox, and Richard Dawkins. I learned so much and was blown away by all the amazing scientific discoveries and facts. When my marriage dissolved in 2003, I turned my attention to human psychology. By 2007, I renounced Christianity once and for all and declared myself an atheist. (read the rest of the story here)

As I have shared before, belief is a complex web of personal, social, and intellectual issues. I don’t presume to know all of the factors involved or the hypocrisy he may have witnessed from Christians or the hurt involved in a marital relationship. I don’t know which rules he is talking about or if he truly heard someone explain the sweetness of the Gospel to him and that Christianity is not about “performing” so God would love and accept you. What makes me especially sad about this story is that George Perdikis didn’t have to choose between science and fascination with cosmology on the one hand and Christianity on the other.

I wonder if George also read prominent Oxford philosopher of science John Lennox (who happens to be a Christian theist)? Or explored how the scientific evidence points in the direction of God and the objections of the New Atheists have been responded to. To be sure, there are some well intended Christians who hold to a “God of the Gaps” approach–if we can’t explain it, God did it. But by no means does this represent the thoughtful, reasoned, and nuanced positions of many Christian philosophers and scientists today.

I wonder if George is aware that science is much more “at home” in the Christian worldview than it is in Atheism / Naturalism. In fact, here is how prominent Arizona State physicist Paul Davies put it:

“Science is based on the assumption that the universe is thoroughly rational and logical at all levels. Atheists claim that the laws [of nature] exist reasonlessly and that the universe is ultimately absurd. As a scientist, I find this hard to accept. There must be an unchanging rational ground in which the logical, orderly nature of the universe is rooted.”

When I hear of people who walk away from their faith it breaks my heart. I do not want to demonize George. I respect him as a person whom I believe is made in the image of God and for whom Jesus of Nazareth died on the cross and was raised again.

I hope George eventually discovers that his biggest questions are best explained with God rather than without him.

And that he can always come home to God in Jesus Christ. God’s invitation stands.

That’s good news.

Listen to the latest Think Christianly podcast: Subscribe with iTunes I RSS

Sign up to receive our blog updates and resources via email

Posted on Tuesday,

How to Have a Conversation About Bible Contradictions

Tis the season for skepticism about the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and the Bible. Are you ready?

Imagine that you’re meeting with a couple who is exploring Christianity at your local coffee shop and they raise the objection, “How can you trust the Gospels when they are full of contradictions?” What would you say? Here’s a simple game plan for navigating this opportunity.

First, ask them to give you a specific example of a contradiction. And if they list one, ask them why they think it is a real contradiction. Most people have just heard this slogan and repeat it . . . make them do some work here.

Next, respond to their objection. As you do, share that we must be careful not to impose twenty-first-century historical standards on a first-century text. Explain the important distinction between accuracy and precision. We live in the age of scientific precision and digital everything. The practice of first century biographers was to record an accurate summary based on eyewitness testimony.

In fact, there were no quotation marks in the Greek language. Capturing “the gist” of something was completely acceptable. The bottom line is that the earliest biographers of Jesus could be historically accurate without being as precise as we might like them to be. It’s also important to point out that differences don’t necessarily equal errors because of various perspectives at work.

Finally, ask them if (1) they have understood your answer and (2) if they are satisfied with your explanation. Again, wait for a response here. If so, great. If not, why not?

It might seem at some point that they’re not really interested in an answer—it may be worth asking them what would satisfy them in this case. It could be that they have an unrealistic standard they are applying to the biographical writings contained in the Bible—especially the Gospels.

If you have offered a reasonable or plausible solution to the apparent contradiction, then it’s up to them at that point. Remember, just because they may not be convinced on the spot, doesn’t mean your conclusions are not reasonable.

Sometimes we get nervous when people raise objections to our faith. But having a game plan gives us confidence to engage. After all, we don’t need to worry because we have the truth on our side. We just need to be ready.

READ: Newsweek Attacks the Bible…

Listen to the latest Think Christianly podcast: Subscribe with iTunes I RSS

Sign up to receive our blog updates and resources via email

Posted on Wednesday,

Newsweek Attacks the Bible…Are You Ready to Respond?

It would be hard to find a more timely article showing why I wrote my new book Questioning the Bible: 11 Major Challenges to the Bible’s Authority than the one recently published by Newsweek. It is filled with claims–that unless explored and cross examine–will seem persuasive to many readers. It also is written with a good deal of emotion and anger it seems. Here is just a taste to get a feel for the tone of the article:

“They are God’s frauds, cafeteria Christians who pick and choose which Bible verses they heed with less care than they exercise in selecting side orders for lunch. They are joined by religious rationalizers—fundamentalists who, unable to find Scripture supporting their biases and beliefs, twist phrases and modify translations to prove they are honoring the Bible’s words….”

So am I mad this was written? No, it’s a free country. Let the best ideas win.

Am I surprised? No. This happens every Christmas and Easter now.

How Should We Respond?

This is yet another opportunity presented by our culture to calmly, gently, and rationally explain why we believe and expose some of the slogans and misunderstandings that get applied to Christians and Christianity (1 Peter 3:15).