What We Can't Not Know

I have started attending this year's "Masters Series in Christian Thought" lectures at Stand To Reason, an apologetics organization in Hermosa Beach. Last week's was by Dr. J. Budziszewski, from the University of Texas. It was called, "What We Can't Not Know," which is the title of his new book, and it was generally about natural law and its applications. Here are some of my notes:

Why do we do apologetics? For evangelical reasons (we're called to); for protective reasons (what "they" do affects us); and for love and charitable reasons (we want them to know the truth).

So many moral imperatives these days are treated, in our society, as unimportant, or as simple matters of disagreement. The problem is that when you remove a moral baseline, anything can happen, and it would be justified.

Many moral imperatives are known already. Murder, for example, is not something that anyone can reasonably say they know is not wrong, even without being told such. It is this central fact that apologists/evangelists need to keep in mind when having this type of argument with someone who insists that what they're doing is not wrong. Abortion is a perfect example. Don't worry about convincing them that taking life is wrong - they already know that. They just deny it. Worry, instead, about getting them past their denial.

There are two types of revelation in this context: "General" revelation, the natural law which we all "know"; and "special" revelation, which is God's word as written in the bible. Each of these 2 types of revelation illuminates aspects of the other type that might otherwise not be understood.

There are 4 types of "witness":

1. Deep Conscience - The truths ARE down there. In everyone.


2. Design in general - The design of the universe has God's authorship all over it


3. Specific design - "Things" are obviously designed if you look at them. The complementarity of the sexes is an obvious example.


4. Effects of our good deeds - The ill effects of sin are often met in this life, not the next. People who lie, for example, find themselves without friends.

People who deny any of these witnesses are that - in denial. As St Paul said, "These things are plain". Dr. Budziszewski also raises Psalm 14 and the fool who denies God. Finally, he points out that "any way of life that denies the complementarity of the sexes is headed for trouble." Obviously this is done in two major movements in our society that I can think of today: Feminism and the Gay movement.

Dr. Budziszewski defined "unnatural" as that which contradicts our design. He is leading to the Christian condemnation of homosexual relations, which under these descriptions are obviously wrong on so many levels. Finally, he points out that "Man and woman together make up the image of God." That statement alone is thought-provoking.

The rest of the lecture had to do with methods of conducting a conversation with someone who denies any of these truths or is anchored in some sinful behavior that they have no desire to get out of (active homosexuality; support for abortion; etc.). He also took Q&A for about 25 minutes, including role-playing various conversational situations.

It was a very interesting lecture and I learned quite a few things. I'm looking forward to the next lecture tonight. I will blog those notes, as well.