A question from a friend about how to "convince" a co-worker

Hi! David,

I have tried to convince a friend back to church. What do you think about his arguments?  Any thoughts?

God Bless,

Franklin

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I have no double about the existing of God. I truly believe there is God, the mighty power world creator. I just do not agree with the bible said because there is no logic. There is no point to argue if somebody who only believe the bible is true and right, just like politic.

I truly believe that God does not want everybody to be honest and good. Otherwise he will not give freewill to people to choose to be bad. He needs positive and negative to reflect right and wrong. Otherwise the life of human being will be too boring.

For thousand years, some people were trying to convert bad people to become good, and failed. So it really doesn't matter, after 100 years all people within the generation will die and disappear, no matter you are good or bad, believe or not believe. All the effort has to start over again and wasted. I think God will maintain a balance of good and bad in our life, like you see so many disasters, sickness and hungry, and wars which have never been stopped since the existing of human beings.

Lytton,

If you have any doubt about God, please see the blog below:

http://davidwpendergrass.blogspot.com/ 

He is our associate pastor and a bible scholar.

Frank

Hey brother!

A few thoughts:

1.       I’m not sure if there is anything you can say that would “convince” him since people are convinced for a variety of reasons. I’m not sure if this man is willing to be convinced. So, I would ask him if he’s interested at all, and if so, then ask him what it would take to convince him that Christianity were true.

2.      I don’t know what type of god he believes in. Since he doesn’t acknowledge the Bible as authoritative, he clearly doesn’t believe in the biblical God. This is also demonstrated when he says that “I truly believe that God does not want everybody to be honest and good. Otherwise he will not give freewill to people to choose to be bad. He needs positive and negative to reflect right and wrong. Otherwise the life of human being will be too boring.” Anyone who says such a thing doesn’t know the Biblical God. The real God, the Christian God, certainly “wants” everyone to be honest and good because God is honest and good. God designed us to live according to the same moral values He possesses. So, I have no idea what type of God he believes in. So, I would ask him: “What type/kind of God do you believe in?” And when he answers, then ask him, “Why do you believe in that god? What evidence do you have that your god exists?” – Listen to his answers and keep trying to figure out why he believes what he does.

3.     The idea that God doesn’t want people to do the good because he’s given us free will is simply illogical. That doesn’t follow at all. If I give my son a baseball bat and he hits his sister, it would be nonsense to say that I wanted my son to hit his sister because I gave him a bat. It’s much more likely that I wanted my son to use the bat appropriately and use it “for good” in playing baseball. Why is it more likely? Because me—his father—wouldn’t ever hit an innocent person with a bat nor encourage him to do so. Check this out: http://davidwpendergrass.blogspot.com/2013/11/is-god-source-of-evil-question-from.html

4.     The last few thoughts: “So it really doesn't matter, after 100 years all people within the generation will die and disappear, no matter you are good or bad, believe or not believe.” This is only true in his worldview, not in the biblical worldview. That is, he’s not making an argument, he’s merely stating his assertions. Again, I’d ask him: “Why do you believe that? What evidence do you have that when people die they disappear and nothing matters in the long term?” These are his beliefs and they must be defended.

His repeated emphasis upon the “balance of good and bad” sounds Daoist. Again, whatever it is, it’s a belief that must be defended.

So, keep asking questions like, “What do you believe? Why do you believe that?” And as you listen, point out flaws in his evidence if/when they appear. If he’s interested in reading, I’d recommend my book: http://www.amazon.com/Skeptic-Challenges-Christian-conversation-reasons/dp/1467959707/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337729792&sr=8-1

I would never assume that the words he uses are like your own. Just because he says, “god” – it doesn’t mean he means the biblical God. Etc. etc. So, keep asking him, “what do you mean by “god”? What do you mean by, “it doesn’t matter”?”

Keep up the great work!

For the Kingdom,

David