There are many objections to Christianity. Some questions seem unanswerable from our standpoint and some evidence seems to disprove our beliefs. People of opposing views are happy to tell us why they think faith in Jesus is stupid. And they don’t tell us in a thoughtful, rational way; nor do they give us time to respond. It’s often a hostile, emotional, rapid-fire attack! These objections can be damaging to some Christians, especially if they are young or new to the faith.
In order to stand firm and withstand the onslaught of skepticism, we must equip ourselves to handle objections to our faith. It isn’t possible to prepare a response to every possible objection. But it is possible to handle each objection in such a way that Jesus is honored and our faith remains unshaken.
Worldview: Your Personal OS
Every computer has an operating system (OS). An operating system is a program that manages all of the other programs. It also performs other basic tasks such as memory and input from/output to hardware devices. Any computer or device that contains a computer (smartphone, video game console) needs an operating system to function.
Your worldview is your own personal operating system. A “worldview” is a set of fundamental beliefs that shapes how you interpret and interact with the world. It is the framework that helps you process and respond to ideas and experiences. It is the hardwiring of your mind, and it is the key to handling objections to your faith.
Every worldview seeks to answer three basic questions:
- Does the supernatural exist?
- Has the supernatural revealed itself?
- How do we respond to this revelation?
The Christian worldview answers them this way:
- The supernatural exists and it is a personal being called God.
- God has revealed Himself to us in a book called the Bible.
- By putting our faith in Jesus as God’s Son and worshiping Him only.
So the Christian worldview is composed of three basic beliefs: God exists, the Bible is His Word, and Jesus is His Son. Every objection to Christianity is at its core an objection to one of these beliefs. If you can explain and defend them, you can handle any objection to your faith.
Worldview and Apologetics
Let’s see how this works. Someone may ask, “How can a good and loving God allow so much pain and suffering?” This is an objection to our first basic belief: God exists. You may respond, “Pain and suffering are hard to understand, but there is still plenty of evidence that God exists. And faith in God helps many people through their pain and suffering.”
Do you see how this works? Let’s try again. Someone may claim, “You can’t trust the Bible! It was written, copied, and translated by humans, so it’s full of mistakes!” This is an objection to our second basic belief: the Bible is God’s Word. You may respond, “It sure seems that way! But actually, the Bible is the most reliable book ever written. It tells us the truth about God and what He expects from us.”
Is this making sense yet? Let’s do one more. Someone may say, “All religions ultimately worship the same god and lead to the same place.” This is an objection to our third basic belief: Jesus is God’s Son. You may respond, “That doesn’t make any sense! Jesus said and did things that no other religious leader said or did. How can they all be the same?”
In each instance, we responded to the objection by affirming the basic belief it challenges. This will obviously require some research and practice! But by taking this approach, you train yourself to defend your faith against objections that would have once caused you to doubt or disown it.
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