Thoughtful Beliefs

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At scientific conferences, most speakers begin with both definitions of key terms and a disclaimer or affiliation statement. Many find it is also helpful to provide motivation for the work, goals for the research or presentation, what benefits the study will bring, and where can we go from here.

Because we are accustomed to beginning presentations this way, we will carry on the practice here. Currently, the main definitions we need a clear understanding about are “faith,” “belief,” “truth,” “worldview beliefs,” and “tolerance.” Below are the definitions we use, and the reasoning for using these definitions is provided in Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions.

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Our Motivation

[/fusion_title][fusion_text columns=”2″ column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=””]Imagine you were one of those who, earlier in the 1980s, bought Apple stock before it launched into astronomical gains and carried your fortunes with it. Like the funny scene in Forrest Gump. And then, you took much of those gains and invested in Qualcomm early and now have enough to support your family throughout life and through the next generation.

Now, if you could go back in time, to when you bought the stock, and you happen to notice another family, friends you really care about, investing all of their finances and efforts into things you knew were destined to dwindle to nothing and result in severe hardship, missed opportunity, and complete loss, would you try to encourage them to invest their resources into Apple? You may wonder if going back in time would change anything—maybe history wouldn’t repeat the same way—so you investigate and discover evidence in many areas that demonstrate Apple will grow as it did for you. Would you argue for, encourage, even be emotionally involved in hoping your friends would change their plans and rest on the same investment you made?

That is how Christians feel, and that is the answer to why we invest in this effort. Experiencing the difference a relationship with God makes, not only through all of life but also once this life ends, produces a desperate desire for others to gain the same treasure—of more comprehensive and permanent value than Apple stock and all it could bring.

So what is the best way to share this good news to others? Probably the best way is to live the way Christ encourages us to. When this type of life is lived, even to a reasonable degree, then it stands out as something others will want to be a part of. Another method of sharing this good news, especially in our current culture, is apologetics, which is what this site is about.

Christian apologetics can be summarized in two parts: (a) objective reasons and evidence that Christianity is true (it corresponds to reality) and (b) the communication of that truth to the world (as Jesus demonstrated—with gentleness and respect).10

References and Citations

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Our Goals

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To provide in the public arena an intelligent, articulate, and uncompromising yet gracious Christian perspective on the most important issues concerning the truth of the Christian faith today11, such as:

  • Is it worth my time/effort to look into this?
  • Does it matter what I believe?
  • What can I know about my future based on my beliefs?
  • Is there truth about worldview beliefs? How can I know?
  • What about other religions? And atheism, agnosticism, etc.?
  • How does science relate with different belief systems?
  • What if I am a good person?
  • Does God exist?
  • Why would a loving God allow pain, or hell?
  • What is the meaning of life?
  • What comes after life?
  • Is there objective right and wrong?
  • How did the universe come to be?
  • Is evolution much ado about nothing?
  • Is the Bible only manmade? Is it reliable?
  • Is Christianity a crutch?
  • What makes Jesus unique?
  • How can I trust that Jesus is and did what was claimed?

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