What Could Convince Skeptics of Christianity’s Claims?
I recommend a different approach
I was recently having a conversation on this site with another writer who is an atheist.
He challenged me with a question: is there anything, that if it was written in the Bible, would lead you to doubt its authenticity?
I responded that I supposed if one teaching flatly contradicted another, I do not think I could reconcile that.
Of course, I don’t believe any such teaching exists.
I offered a question in return: what evidence would’ve been available in the first century that, if discovered, would convince you of the resurrection of Christ?
He answered that he did not believe that he could be convinced solely by manuscript evidence.
I understand his skepticism. After all, as a Christian, I dismiss the accounts of other religions. (Though I believe that Christianity has more support for its claims, see my article, “Jesus is not Thor” below.)
I do wonder though, even if the resurrection of Christ happened today, if modern documentation could even be enough.
What suffices as evidence?
Imagine that Jesus’ death and resurrection were to be live-streamed on Instagram. Could this really be sufficient evidence?
There would surely still be objections.
- The video was a deepfake.
- It was just actors creating a hoax.
- The resurrection was done with special effects.
I remember reading As A Driven Leaf (Milton Steiberg) in college. The book tells the story of a Jewish man in the Second century struggling to reconcile his faith with the ideals of Greek philosophy.
One of the lines of the book that struck me was, “there is no truth without faith.”
There is no truth unless there be a faith on which it may rest.
-Rabbi Johanan ben Zaccai
Others, like Thomas Aquinas and Robert Breault, have made similar statements.
The idea behind the quote is that — before we can accept anything as true — we must first put our faith in something.
This “something” can be whatever we accept as authoritative.
- The scientific method
- Carbon dating
- Mathematics
- Experts
- Religious Texts
- Human reasoning
- Our own experiences
The problem, of course, is that we will come to different conclusions based on who or what we trust as an authority.
I do not believe that there could ever really be sufficient evidence in any age that could “prove” the resurrection of Christ to skeptics.
Nor do I believe this is the most effective approach in reaching skeptics.
Understanding the problem
Many of the people, even on this site, who are opposed to the Christian faith were once a part of a church community and even once considered themselves Christians.
Most of these (but not all) left the church, not because of an intellectual conflict with the Christian faith, but because of the hypocrisy and hatefulness they have experienced and/or have seen by those who profess to be Christians.
If you are one of these people, let me say
I’m sorry.
I have no excuse for the way I seen some professing Christians behave.
I have no excuse for the way that even I have behaved in the past.
For my brothers and sisters in Christ, we must all do better.
This is not to say that there are not people who genuinely oppose the faith on intellectual grounds, but even still, I don’t believe we can argue anyone to faith in Christ.
A better way forward
Jesus told his disciples that the world would recognize their genuineness by their love for one another.
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35, ESV)
Sometimes people distort this verse to mean that we, “love people to Jesus.” I don’t think that’s what Jesus meant.
Jesus didn’t say people would know we were his disciples if we loved them, He said they would know if we loved one another.
The church should be a community distinct from every other community in the world. There should be a sense that the people in the church really do care for one another as brothers and sisters.
When people see our church community they should see:
- The family that they are missing.
- A community that feels like home.
- Brothers and sisters who bear one another’s joys and griefs.
While our love for one another authenticates us as disciples of Christ, our good works give credibility to our message.
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, ESV)
One of the reasons that it’s so offensive when Christians act ungodly is that we are supposed to live by a higher standard than the world around us.
But here’s the deal, we should be even living by a higher standard than the world expects of us.
In case you need to read it again, Jesus’ entire first sermon is about how his followers should be holy in our thoughts, actions, and attitudes. (Matthew 5–7)
The truth is that many people are unconvinced by Christianity’s claims because they fail to see how Jesus has impacted the lifestyle of those who claim to follow Him.
Jesus didn’t just expect his followers to live holy lives, He expected that it would even be enforced by the local church. (Matthew 18:15–17)
However, even our love and lifestyle are not enough to persuade someone to follow Christ. They must be convinced by the gospel itself.
The beauty of the gospel is that it is powerful on its own.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16, ESV)
I can’t change a person’s heart to receive the gospel; only the Holy Spirit can do that.
But I can live in such a way that demonstrates that I have been changed by the gospel, and I can model community for a skeptical world that demonstrates a love that they can’t find elsewhere.
In doing these things, it might open a door for them to hear how God would send his Son, Jesus, to conquer sin and death and receive the message that all who follow Him as Lord might have eternal life with God.
Live for Jesus.
