Conversation Starters
At FMS, we believe the right use of apologetics is to win people, not arguments. Because of this, we believe the best deployment of apologetics is in conversational usage. There is a place for apologetic debate, but not all conversations will be debates. Some will just be an exchange of information. We believe this use of "conversational apologetics" takes the pressure off of the need to "win" right away and allows relationships to be built as conversations continue. Each of our starters has a t-shirt to help you get started. If you have questions or want additional help to use any of our starters, please email us at: info@faithmakessense.com.
Pick One: Truth is your opinion or truth is objective.
Truth is the foundation of all learning and conversation. Without truth, there is no way to know or argue for anything. However, some like to claim that truth is nothing more than an opinion. Other versions may be "your truth, ", "my truth", or "truth is relative". These ideas attempt to undermine the idea of truth by claiming that whatever truth claim is presented is not valid for them. The simple response to this type of claim should be, "is that your opinion or is it true all the time?" The person who claims "truth is relative" is arguing that is true for everyone, which is the opposite of what they are saying. It's a self-defeating claim. Either truth is objective, meaning what is true is always true, or it is not. There is no middle ground. If truth doesn't exist, there is no way to have any other conversations.
Pick One: Morality is your opinion, or morality is universal.
Morality is the determining what is "right and wrong". Many conversations about right and wrong are charged with emotion and passion. This is a great thing about being alive. But, sadly, we all don't agree on what is "right and wrong". Like truth, morality is either objective, meaning the measuring of "right and wrong" is the same across the board for everyone, or it is relative and opinion based. There is no middle ground between these two options. When someone says "That is wrong." They are making moral judgement. The first thing that we should ask is, "How do you know that?" What scale is this person using to determine right from wrong? Are they using their own opinion? If morality is nothing but opinion, no one can claim anyone else's views are truly wrong. That statement requires a universal standard for morality.
Pick One: The universe is eternal, the universe created itself, or the universe was created.
Explaining the universe is something every worldview has to deal with. The challenge of answering the question "Where did the universe come from?" is open to everyone. There are three basic answers. Either the universe is eternal (meaning it was never created and has always existed), or the universe created itself, or something outside the universe created it. These are the only plausible options to answering this question. We believe that the first two answers are not possible, and so the existence of the universe itself gives us good reason to know that God exists. You can find more info on this in our free resource "GODFIDENCE" here.
Jesus Facts: He lived, He died, His followers claimed He rose.
Christianity rises or falls on Jesus. If there was no resurrection, there is no Christianity. However, many people will want to discount what we know about Jesus because they don't trust the Bible. This argument helps cut through the noise. The three facts in this starter are accepted as true by atheist scholars. They are not statements of faith. These are statements of history. Regardless of what one believes about Jesus, these are the facts. Asking someone to explain them then is where the conversation happens. For a more in-depth review of the historical evidence for Jesus, you can get our resource "He is Risen" on Amazon.
Christianity Three Point: Truth exists, God exists, Jesus rose.
No amount of belief will make something true. The question then becomes, are we placing our faith in something that is true? We believe the truth of Christianity can be shown in three steps. Truth exists. Anyone who wishes to argue this would in effect be arguing for it as to say "truth doesn't exist" is still making a truth claim. The second point is God exists. There are many arguments that can be used here, so use the one you feel would be best for the conversation. The third step is Jesus rose. If Jesus resurrected, He verified his claim to be God, forgive sin, and establish His coming Kingdom. There are also multiple ways to defend the resurrection. The "three facts" approach is good in conversation. If these three facts are true, Christianity is confirmed.
Spiritual Maturity Assessment:
We are all growing in our everyday right?
Just as time won't make something true, it doesn't make you more mature either. Unlike our chronological age, spiritual maturity will not happen automatically day by day. We must be active in our faith. We have identified 5 key marks of healthy maturity and have created an assessment test to help you. Click the button below to download our free 5Marks Maturity Assessment.