In 2004, I started going to the Ohio State University and engaging students for the truth claims of Christianity. I did hundreds of surveys with students and certainly begin to see some of the objections people had to the Christian faith. Around 2006 I moved away from the survey approach and started using a variety of approaches to reach out to the students here. Anyway, it was 2009 when myself along with some OSU students planted a Ratio Christi chapter on the campus. This was done out of the necessity for a stronger apologetics presence on the campus. Since we planted the chapter we have had some very well-known speakers come such as William Lane Craig, Frank Turek, Bart Ehrman and Michael Brown, and Paul Nelson. We have also had some student debates with the skeptic group on the campus. Anyway, I wanted to go ahead and share some of the trends and objections that I have seen on the campus over the last several years. Keep in mind that Ohio State is a very large campus (60,000) students. Therefore, I do not mean to stereotype anyone or act like I speak as an authority for the entire campus. There are plenty of other campus ministries and people who might share different experiences that they have seen on the campus.
What About Skepticism?
Sure, skepticism has always been an issue on college campuses. The skepticism has gotten worse over the last few years. But what kind of skepticism do I see? All kinds of skepticism! But as you will see in the objections below, I also see alot of pragmatism and some post-modernism, mysticism, etc. But in general, when it comes to presenting any kind of religious claims such as the Christian faith, I tend to see the following objections. I will also provide some resources to the objections I have heard over the last several years:
Historical skepticism: Questions and comments:
“I am not sure if Jesus existed”
“ The New Testament authors are biased”
“ We can’t know much of anything in history”
“ History is always written by the winners”
“Jesus’ Followers Fabricated the Stories and Sayings of Jesus”
“The New Testament story of Jesus was borrowed from paganism/mystery religions!
“ There are books that are supposed to be in the Bible that were kept out. Hence, we can’t trust the books we do have in the Bible.”
“The Bible has been translated over and over. We can’t trust it”
Resources:
Historical Epistemology: What Can We Know About Jesus?
Is Jesus Just a Retelling of Mythology: Articles by Jim Wallace
What Can Paul Tell Us About Jesus?
“Jesus’ Followers Fabricated the Stories and Sayings of Jesus”
An Interview with Daniel B. Wallace on the New Testament Manuscripts
Bart Ehrman Creates Stir in Atheist Community Over The Existence of Jesus
Josephus and Jesus. By Paul L. Maier, The
Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History,
Biblical Archaeology: Factual Evidence to Support the Historicity of the Bible
Bart Ehrman On Why There Are Jesus Mythers
The Lack of Unbiased Evidence for Jesus
From Jesus to Us: A Look at P.O.W.E.R.
The Gospels as Historical Biography (Richard Bauckham)
Was Early Christianity Corrupted by ‘Hellenism’?
Was Jesus Christ just a CopyCat Savior Myth? Glen Miller
Who wrote the Gospels? Dr. Timothy McGrew
Did Jesus Even Exist?-The Problematic Argument from Silence
84 Confirmed Facts in the Last 16 Chapters of the Book of Acts
59 Confirmed or Historically Probable Facts in the Gospel of John
Skepticism about the Bible and issues of Interpretation:
“I don’t think we can take the Bible literally”
“ I cant accept Genesis if it says the earth is only 6,000 years old”
“ You can’t expect me to accept a book that condones the killing of innocent people (i.e. the Canaanites, etc)”
“ Why does the Bible condone slavery?”
“Why does the Bible say women are supposed to be in submission to men?”
“How can you accept a book as an authority when it says homosexuality is wrong?”
Resources:
What Happens When Atheists Don’t Care About Hermeneutics?
Dr. D.A. Carson on 12 Principles of Biblical Interpretation …
Killing the Canaanites: A Response to the New Atheism’s “Divine Genocide” Claims By Clay Jones
9/11: Are We All Moral Monsters? by Clay Jones
Does the Old Testament Endorse Slavery? An Overview: Paul Copan
Why Is the New Testament Silent on Slavery — or Is It? By Paul Copan
Evolution and Science/Creation conflict:
“Evolution has shown we don’t need to posit God as an explanation for the complexity of life”
“ Science has a better track record than religion. We keep looking for answers. Your God arguments are science stoppers!”
“Intelligent Design is bad science and not even science at all”
“ Evolution is fact” (never mind that fact that every time someone says this that they don’t even define what evolution is).
Resources:
The Supposed Warfare Between Christianity and Science
Has Science Eliminated God? Alister McGrath
Why Is Evolution So Widely Believed? by William Lane Craig
Intelligent Design Is a Historical Science, Just Like Darwinian Evolution
What Are the Top Ten Problems with Darwinian Evolution?
The Evolutionists’ Complaint: It’s Wrong to Argue For ID By Arguing Against Evolution (Part 1 of 3)
God and Evolution: A Healthy Debate
John Lennox: God’s Undertaker – Has science buried God?
Is Science a Threat or Help to Faith?
Complementarity, Agency Theory, and the God-of-the-Gaps
Religious Pluralism Objections:
“How can you possibly know which religion is true?”
“How do you know your God is the one true God?”
“ I just think all religions are true and everyone should get along”
“ I think it is arrogant to say one religion is right!”
“ I just prefer to be agnostic about religions. There is no way to know the truth”
Resources:
Is Jesus The Only Way? A Look At Religious Pluralism
Answering the Skeptics Complaint About Conflicting Revelatory Claims
Responding to Dear Believer: Why Do You Believe?
Are All Religions the Same? ContradictMovement.Org
Is Belief in Jesus Necessary? The Answer to Religious Inclusivism: Ronald H. Nash
Who is the One True God? A Look at Prophecy as a Verification Test
Naturalism Objections:
“ Why don’t we see miracles today?”
“We can’t know if the miracles happened in the Bible”
“ Given we don’t see men rising from the dead today you can’t expect me to believe a man rose from the dead 2,000 years ago”
Resources:
Why Naturalism Lacks Explanatory Power
What is Scientific Naturalism? J.P. Moreland
God, Naturalism, and the Foundations of Morality: Dr. Paul Copan
Dallas Willard: Knowledge and Naturalism
J.P. Moreland: Naturalism and Libertarian Agency
J.P. Moreland: Scientific Naturalism and the Unfalsifiable Myth of Evolution
J.P. Moreland: The Ethical Inadequacy of Naturalism
Why Christianity Did Need a Miracle To Get Started
Miracles: Do Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence?
Can we know anything if Naturalism is true? Or: A plea for creativity with Theistic Arguments
Naturalism: A World View: An Overview by Russ Bush
16 Reasons Why I Believe In God: (3) The Regularity of the Universe
Is Naturalism a Simpler Explanation Than Theism? by Paul Copan
Miracles, Intelligent Design,and God-of-the-Gaps: Jack Collins
Answering Nine Objections to the Resurrection of Jesus
The Argument From Miracles: Daniel Bonevac
God’s existence:
“ There is no evidence for God”
“I can’t empirically verify the existence of God. Hence, he must not exist”
“I think religion is just psychological phenomena. It is just a function of the brain”
“ There is no proof for the existence of God”
“ I just don’t think we can know if God exists”
” I think there is maybe a force of some kind. He is in everything”
“ I don’t see what difference it would make if God exists. After all, I am a good person”
“If your belief in God provides you comfort and makes you a better moral person that is fine. But it does not mean it is true.”
“If God exists or created the universe, what caused God”
“ I don’t need God to be a moral person”
Resources:
Approaching the Existence of God
The Return of the God Hypothesis: Stephen C. Meyer
Is Religious Belief Just a Brain Function?
“God—The Best Explanation”: Paul Copan
The Realm of Doubt: Why Both Skeptics and Theists Have To Exercise Faith
5 Things That Impact Discussions About The Existence of God
Two Sources of the Knowledge of God by Prof. Robert C. Koons (University of Texas at Austin)
The Apologetic Argument: David Snoke
Breaking down the Moral Argument by Glenn Peoples
An Overview of the Moral Argument for God’s Existence by Paul Copan
God, Naturalism, and the Foundations of Morality (PDF download) by Paul Copan
Four lectures on the moral argument by William Lane Craig
Moral Objections to Christianity by David Horner
Did Morals Evolve? by Greg Koukl
Can Moral Objectivism do without God? by Peter Williams
Introduction: Blackwell’s Companion To Natural Theology: J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig
4 Reasons Why Situational Ethics Doesn’t Work In The Case of Abortion →
If God Made the Universe, Who Made God? By Paul Copan
The Plight of the New Atheism: Gary Habermas
If You Cannot Scientifically Prove Your Belief, Is It Meaningless? By Paul Copan
Common objections about Christians:
“Why are Christians so anti-intellectual?”
“Why do Christians only target homosexuality?”
“Why are Christians so weird?”
“Why are Christians so involved in politics?”
“Why do Christians have to force their beliefs on others?”
“I see so many Christians who profess their faith but they don’t live it out at all”
Resources:
http://www.robgagnon.net/Index.html
The Problem of Anti-Intellectualism in the Church-Problems and Possible Solutions
Paul Copan: What’s Wrong With Gay Marriage?
What if Jesus Had Never Been Born?
Common Objections about Jesus
“ I love the moral teachings of Jesus but I don’t think he is divine”
“I don’t think the miracles of Jesus are to be taking literally”
“ Jesus never said he was God”
“ I don’t see that difference believing in Jesus would really make in my life. I am oral person.”
“Jesus was just another failed prophet”
Resources:
“Who Do You Say I Am?” A Look at Jesus
Handling an Objection: “I love the moral teachings of Jesus but I don’t think He is divine.”
The Jewish Background of the Incarnation in The Gospel of John
“ But Jesus never said, ‘I am God.’”
Was Jesus a Failed Apocalyptic Prophet?
Is Jesus the Messiah? An Outline on Jewish Messianism
The Messianic Task: Is Jesus the Messiah?
Responding to a Jewish Objection: “Is Belief in the Incarnation Idolatry?”
I could go on with many more. But I assume that many Christians have heard these same objections. They get rehashed every decade. What can be troubling at times is that many of the people that have these objections don’t dig deep enough to find answers. But that is why we are here on a college campus. Our goal is to provide people with the right information so they can make informed decisions about the Christian faith. What concerns me the most is that I see the reality of Romans 1 all around the campus. Idolatry is real and God has allowed people to have their own way. Hence, people have rejected God and they have hardened their hearts. Even if God does make knowledge available to all, perhaps we forget that sin can dampen the cognitive faculties that God has given us to find Him. Therefore, sin has damaging consequences on the knowing process. Maybe we can ponder the following comment by Alvin Plantinga:
” Our original knowledge of God and his glory is muffled and impaired; it has been replaced (by virtue of sin) by stupidity, dullness, blindness, inability to perceive God or to perceive him in his handiwork. Our knowledge of his character and his love toward us can be smothered: it can be transformed into resentful thought that God is to be feared and mistrusted; we may see him as indifferent or even malignant. In the traditional taxonomy of seven deadly sins, this is sloth. Sloth is not simple laziness, like the inclination to lie down and watch television rather than go out and get exercise you need; it is, instead, a kind of spiritual deadness, blindness, imperceptiveness, acedia, torpor, a failure to be aware of God’s presence, love, requirements.” (Warranted Christian Belief. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 2000, 214-215).
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