The Myth of Neutrality

Over the last several months I have had several conversations with different people on the importance of Presuppositional Apologetics. So often, the enemies of the Faith require Christians to surrender their beliefs in order to argue facts on "Neutral Ground". Yet these kinds of conversations almost always lead to dead ends.

For many years now, whenever an evolutionist argues creationism with me, or when a person , who denies the resurrection of Christ, asks me to "prove it", I always now ask upfront, "What kind of argumentation or evidence is needed for me to persuade you to faith in Jesus Christ?" To this day, I either get a ridiculous answer, or no answer at all. The reason is simple. The idea of "Let's be neutral as we look at the evidence or argue philosophy is a huge myth.

Several years ago I heard a debate between atheist Stein and Christian Greg Bahnsen. For the first time, I heard presuppositional apologetics applied in a way that I only could do in the most infantile way. So after these several years, I finally got Bahnsen's book, Always Ready. I have only read the first three chapters. Instead of giving my thoughts, I thought I'd quote several key portions that may get you to buy it too. Every Christian layman that engages in evangelism and wants to explain his beliefs clearly will find this book a good place to start. (I realize I haven't finished the book yet, but I have surveyed it.)

"Is it really necessary to hold to the teachings of the Bible if you are to understand properly the War of 1812, the chemical composition of water, the plays of Shakespeare, or the rules of logic?"--pg 3

"...he must staunchly refuse to acquiesce to the mistaken demands of neutrality in his intellectual life; he must never consent to surrender his distinctive religious beliefs 'for the time being,' as though one might thereby arrive at genuine knowledge 'impatially.' The beginning of knowledge is the fear of the Lord."--pg 7

Those who wish to gain dignity in the eyes of the world's intellectuals by wearing the badge of 'neutrality' only do so at the expense of refusing to be set apart by God's truth."--pg 7

"Therefore, the Christian who strives after neutrality in his thought is found actually to be endeavoring to efface the fact that he is a Christian! By denying his distinctive religious commitment he is reduced to apostate thought patterns and absorbed into the world of unbelief. Attempting to find a compromise between the demands of worldly neutrality (agnosticism) and the doctrines of Christ's word results in the rejection of Christ's distinctive Lordship by obliterating the great gulf between the thinking of the old man and that of the new man."--pg 9

"Do you have the courage of your Christian distinctives in scholarship, apologetics, and schooling, or have you been trying to wipe out the contrast between Christian thought and apostate thought by following the demands of neutrality?"-- pg 9

Jesus is the Creator. He is the Sustainer of all things. He is the truth. Men are sinful and always surpressing truth. We simply can not deny these truths when attempting to proclaim the Faith to the world.

I simply could not even attempt to be able to teach this well. I am thankful that in each generation God has given us godly men to encourage the body of Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria