• Many skeptics accuse Christians of employing the “God of the gaps” fallacy by claiming we fall back on God as the answer for anything we don’t understand.
• For example, philosophical Naturalists say Christians believe in the God of the gaps when we say God created the universe because we cannot imagine how else it came to be.
• The truth of the Christian position, however, is not that we are employing the God of the gaps fallacy, but rather, we are making an inference to the most logical explanation.
• Making an inference is a valid form of reasoning where one examines the evidence and moves in the direction of the best explanation.
• As Christians, when we see evidence of design throughout the universe we infer the existence of an Intelligent Designer, a Creator. Thus, it is evidence that guides us to our conclusion, not ignorance.

For more information of responding to skeptics’ challenges, please see the Apologetics Study Bible for Students, available in our online store.

• It is not uncommon when engaging Muslims in evangelistic conversations to hear the charge that the Bible has been corrupted and therefore is not trustworthy.
• The Christian’s response to this charge should be to press the question, “When did this supposed corruption of the Bible take place?”
• Point out to the Muslim that the Koran actually says that the Bible is God’s word, has not been changed, and is under God’s protection (Surah 5:43, 44, 46, 68; Surah 4:136; Surah 10:91; Surah 15:9; Surah 6:34; Surah 10:64).
• Next ask the question, “If the Bible was corrupted, was this before or after the time of Mohammed?”
• If the answer is “Before Mohammed”, ask why God would then tell Mohammed to look to the Scriptures for guidance and light?
• If the answer is “After Mohammed”, ask why they don’t then accept the Bible as authoritative since our current translations are all based on manuscripts that pre-date Mohammed by hundreds of years.
• Finally, it’s important to explain that the earliest textual evidence we have for the Bible (the Dead Sea Scrolls of the Old Testament and the thousands of partial and complete Greek New Testament manuscripts dating to within the first 3 centuries A.D.) simply does not allow for the claim of its widespread corruption.

For more information on reaching out to Muslims with the Gospel, please check out the Apologetics Study Bible for Students, available in our online store.

• Allah of Islam is an unknowable god. Muslims can only know the laws of Allah given in the Koran. Yahweh of the Bible is a God whom we can know personally as our Heavenly Father.
• Allah is one. The God of the Bible, Yahweh, is a Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• Allah is changeable and thus cannot be trusted. Yahweh is immutable, his nature does not change, and therefore he is ultimately trustworthy.
• Allah is transcendent and unapproachable. Yahweh has made himself known by entering human history in the person of Jesus Christ.
• With Allah salvation is based on works of legalism. With Yahweh salvation is based on grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

For more information on the religion of Islam, please check out Dr. Carlson’s book, Fast Facts on False Teachings, available in our online store.

• The two main branches of Islam are the Sunnis and Shiites. These groups formed after the death of Mohammed as they differed over the proper succession of leadership in Islam.
• Sunnis believed that the successor to Mohammed, the Caliph, should be elected. Shiites believed the successor to Mohammed should be a blood relative.
• Sunnis are the dominant group within Islam today, comprising over 80% of all Muslims in the world. Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia would be examples of influential Sunni-majority nations.
• Sunnis base their beliefs and practices primarily upon the Koran and the Sunna, the traditions and sayings of Mohammed, such as the Hadith, as interpreted by the consensus of the religious scholars of Islam, called Ulama.
• Shiite belief and practice is less concerned with consensus and instead is governed by ruling authorities that represent the hidden 12th Imam, or Mahdi. The Shiites believe the Mahdi will one day return to govern the world under Islamic law.
• Sunnis are generally more open to a separation between civil and religious leadership, whereas Shiite leadership typically dictates both civil and religious law (ex. the Ayatollahs of Iran).
• A third branch of Islam is known as Sufism. This is a minority sect of Islam where the adherent seeks to renounce attachment to the world and come into a direct, mystical experience of Allah.

For more information on the religion of Islam, check out Dr. Carlson’s lecture, World Religions: What Makes Jesus Unique? available in CD or MP3 in our online store.

• Much, if not all, of the Old Testament as we know it today was accepted as Scripture in Jesus’ day (Luke 24:44).
• The historical evidence suggests that by the end of the 1st century A.D. the entire Old Testament that we know today was accepted as Scripture.
• The New Testament canon was recognized based on strict criteria: 1) they were books written by a known apostle or an associate of an apostle; 2) they were books in wide circulation throughout the early church; and 3) their teachings were consistent with orthodox Christian theology as revealed in other Holy Spirit inspired Scriptures.
• Internal biblical evidence demonstrates that many of our current New Testament books were accepted as Scripture and in wide circulation throughout the early church (Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:27; and 2 Peter 3:15-16).
• Ultimately it was God who brought the canon of Scripture together and protected it throughout the centuries by the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit at work in God’s people.

For more information on the remarkable nature of the Bible, please see Dr. Carlson’s lecture titled, The Bible: God’s Word? available in CD or MP3 in our online store.

• Many critics of Christianity will point to historical episodes like the Crusades, Spanish Inquisition, or Salem Witch Trials as examples of great historical evils perpetrated by Christianity.
• As Christians we can agree that evils occurred in these various examples, but we must also point out that these evils were in no way consistent with the teachings of biblical Christianity.
• Just because a historical event may have been carried out in the name of Christianity doesn’t mean it’s a reflection of true Christianity. True Christianity must be judged on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the New Testament alone.

For more information on responding to challenges against Christianity, please check out the Apologetics Study Bible for Students, available in our online store.

• The Naturalistic worldview denies the possibility of miracles as it denies the reality of God and the supernatural. However, this denial is a philosophical assumption of faith.
• If God exists supernatural miracles are possible. If God is personal and loving, as the Bible declares, supernatural miracles are probable.
• The existence of the universe, out of nothing, is the greatest miracle ever. There is no Naturalistic explanation for it.
• The Bible contains stories of hundreds of miraculous events. However, it's important to remember that the Bible covers thousands of years of human history. Miracles were as incredible and unique in biblical times as they are today.
• The biblical accounts of Jesus' miracles were written in such close proximity to his lifetime that it is highly improbable that these were legendary accretions into the text.

For more information on the reality of miracles, the nature of God, and the worldview of Naturalism, please see Dr. Carlson's book, Fast Facts On False Teachings, available in our online store.

• Many critics of Christianity argue that God’s commands in the Old Testament for Israel to kill the Canaanites contradict his teachings on love and forgiveness in the New Testament. How can these seemingly competing realities be reconciled?
• The answer lies in the nature and character of God. God is holy and just and cannot tolerate sin (Romans 1:18). At the same time, God is gracious and compassionate and wants none to perish (2 Peter 3:9).
• When God commanded the Israelites to kill the Canaanites in the Old Testament we see God’s holiness, justice, and judgment. The Canaanites were one of the most perverse cultures in history, committing many abominations in God’s eyes, including child sacrifice (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). In his grace, God had allowed the Canaanites over 400 years to repent, but they persisted in their sin (Genesis 15:16). Therefore, God used the Israelites as his instrument of judgment against them.
• God is not partial when it comes to violations of his righteous standards. In fact, in the Old Testament we see God judge Israel by the very same standards that he judged the Canaanites; and when Israel persisted in their sin and rebellion against God, God used foreign nations as his instruments of judgment against them (2 Kings 17:16-20).
• While it is true that in the person of Jesus Christ we see the greatest demonstration of God’s grace and love. It is simply not the case that the New Testament does not equally portray God’s holiness, justice, and judgment against sin.
• The paramount example of God’s holiness, justice, and judgment against sin in the New Testament is found in Christ’s substitutionary atonement on the cross, where Jesus took upon himself God’s wrath against fallen humanity’s sin because of his great love for us (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; 1 John 3:16).
• We also see God’s holiness, justice, and judgment against sin in God’s prophetic revelation about the end of this present age. God’s word is clear that he will one day eradicate sin and rebellion completely (Revelation 20-22). This final judgment will be the most fearsome experience of God’s righteousness the world has ever seen.
• Thus, the most important question anyone could ask is, “Where do I stand with our holy God?” If you’re not sure, please read John 3:16-18 and put your trust in Jesus.

For more information on the nature and character of God, please check out Dr. Carlson’s lecture, What is God Like? available in CD or MP3 in our online store.

• A common challenge from critics of Christianity is that the Bible is inconsistent when God says, “Thou shall not kill”, but then we find God’s people involved in killings and warfare throughout its pages. In reply…
• It’s important to first note that “Thou shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13) is not the most accurate translation of the Hebrew text. Most contemporary English translations use the more appropriate word, “murder”. A proper translation here is crucial.
• Throughout the Bible God makes a distinction between killing and murder. Murder is the wrongful taking of another human life, which God condemns universally (Genesis 9:5-6). Killing, however, is biblically justifiable in cases of capital punishment (Exodus 21:12-14) and in certain instances of warfare. In fact, Paul reminds us that governments have been ordained by God and possess the power to bear the sword to punish wrongdoers (Romans 13).
• Many of the references to God’s people killing and engaging in warfare in the Old Testament are in the context of God establishing and preserving the nation of Israel within the Promised Land.
• As the Creator and sustainer of all, God directs the affairs of humanity to bring about his will (Acts 17:24-26); and at times throughout history this has involved killing and warfare.
• The question then becomes, how is the God-ordained killing and warfare found in the Bible consistent with God’s grace and love? We’ll address this question in next week’s Fast Facts.

For more helpful answers to challenging skeptics’ questions, please see the Apologetics Study Bible for Students, available in our online store.

• Salvation is a gift of grace that we receive through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).
• We are justified, or made right in God’s eyes, through faith in Jesus Christ, not by keeping the law (Galatians 2:16).
• Jesus removed the debt we owed, and its obligations, through his death on the cross (Colossians 2:13-15).
• The Bible declares that human efforts to obtain our own righteousness are misguided (Romans 10:1-3).
• Jesus taught that outer works of righteousness don’t address the inner, spiritual problem of our sin (Matthew 23:25-28).

For more information on the incredible nature of the gift of salvation available through Jesus Christ, please check out Dr. Carlson’s lecture, World Religions & the Uniqueness of Jesus Christ available in MP3 or CD in our online store.