FOUNDATIONS OF APOLOGETICS, VOLUME TWO:

STUART MCALLISTER: TRUTH & REALITY

The second DVD in the series introduces us to a new speaker and his style is quite different to Michael Ramsden. The concepts are so philosophical that it takes a bit of effort to follow the various definitions of reality and truth. It is less applied than the first one, as it seeks to set a foundation stone in place rather than give something instantly usable. I had to to really concentrate as it was less engaging.

The basic assumption is drawn from Col 1:3-6, & 15-22

The Christian message itself is a claim to reality and to truth, It does not allow for subjectivity at its core.

CS Lewis gets pride of place in the introduction to set up some context: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

There then comes a useful discussion and unpicking of various overriding postmodern claims regarding truth and reality, including Foucault, Feuerbach and Dawkins.

He deals quite graciously with the opposition to the Christian faith that comes from the various strands of postmodernism.

The discussion then unfolds with a really useful defence of the existence of truth and reality.

1. THE FOUNDATIONAL QUESTION: HAS JESUS BROUGHT ANYTHING INTO REALITY?

• The answer is fairly straightforward from creation!
• The propositional statements of the Christian faith are based on a sense of reality
• What do we mean when we use the word truth?
• Both accuracy and authenticity makes something true, or real. Belief does not make it true, truth exists in reality, not in people’s imagination
• Truth is non-contradictory, absolute, discovered, descriptive, inescapable and unchanging

2. THE ROLE AND INFLUENCE OF WORLDVIEWS

• Your worldview is not what you see, but rather what you see with, or what you see through
• The nature of what reality we accept or what truth we hold is linked to our worldview
• Worldviews can often contain logical flaws and inconsistencies
• Worldviews involve a human condition and the solution to that condition

3. THE HUMAN CONDITION

• Romans 1:18-20
• Without excuse, without defence, apologia in Greek!
• General awareness of God out there
• Humans suppress that truth
• Humans replace that truth

4. REFLECTING ON TRUTH AND REALITY

• John 8:31-32
• We must not allow a division between secular and sacred in their reality
• A worldview should be logical (does not contradict itself), factual (fitting the supporting facts) and viable (able to be lived)

5. TRUTH AND REALITY IF DAILY LIFE

• Colossians 4:5-6
• Show wisdom
• Speak with grace
• Respond to each person

This is however just short of an hour of spoken lecture with little visual variety and is very wordy so by 30-40 minutes my mind did start to wander a bit. Not because it was lacking anything, but maybe because the content is so conceptual is was quite difficult to pin it down.

GOOD QUOTES:

“Are we a product of time, slime and chance?”
We say “Jesus is the answer” but they have not yet asked the question

I am thinking about how these DVDs could be used as a resource for apologetics training within the Church and I think they could have a lot of mileage: it is just trying to maintain a balance between the applied and the theoretical to make it accessible to the widest amount of people. This is very theoretical, which some people will love, and others may not engage with.