Thomas Sowell has written an excellent article, “I beg to disagree”, on the declining art of handling disagreements using reason and facts and the rise of personal attacks. He begins with:

My assistant sorts the incoming mail into various categories, such as “critical mail,” “fan mail,” etc. But the so-called critical mail is seldom critical. It may be bombastic or vituperative or full of pop psychology, but it seldom presents a critical argument based on facts or logic.

Too many people today act as if no one can honestly disagree with them. If you have a difference of opinion with them, you are considered to be not merely in error but in sin. You are a racist, a homophobe or whatever the villain of the day happens to be.

Disagreements are inevitable whenever there are human beings but we seem to be in an era when the art of disagreeing is vanishing. That is a huge loss because out of disagreements have often come deeper understandings than either side had before confronting each other’s arguments.

Thomas bemoans the rise of ad hominem attacks as a means of public discourse. He then goes on to point out that honest disagreements discussed rationally with facts and logic almost always leads to the betterment of everyone involved; even if the actual disagreement itself is never fully resolved. Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Such “sharpening” can only occur if the primary goal in a disagreement is the pursuit of truth and not the destruction of the other party.

His article is especially timely, arriving just after the start of the ‘Jesus the Logician’ Project. As Douglas Groothius writes in Jesus: Philosopher and Apologist:

Our sampling of Jesus’ reasoning, however, brings into serious question the indictment that Jesus praised uncritical faith over rational arguments and that He had no truck with logical consistency. On the contrary, Jesus never demeaned the proper and rigorous functioning of our God-given minds. His teaching appealed to the whole person: the imagination (parables), the will, and reasoning abilities.

For all their honesty in reporting the foibles of the disciples, the Gospel writers never narrated a situation in which Jesus was intellectually stymied or bettered in an argument; neither did Jesus ever encourage an irrational or ill-informed faith on the part of His disciples. With Jesus as our example and Lord, the Holy Scriptures as our foundation (2 Tim. 3:15–17), and the Holy Spirit as our Teacher (John 16:12–15), we should gladly take up the biblical challenge to outthink the world for Christ and His kingdom (2 Cor. 10:3–5).

In other words, Jesus never resorted to “because I say so” when questioned about his teachings, even when those questions were asked by his enemies as a form of attack. Nor did he engage in any ad hominem attacks. He either explained his teachings based on the authority of scriptures and logic or demonstrated his authority through miracles. For example:

And getting into a boat, He crossed over, and came to His own city. And behold, they were bringing to Him a paralytic, lying on a bed; and Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Take courage, My son, your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This fellow blasphemes.” And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, and walk’? But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — then He said to the paralytic — “Rise, take up your bed, and go home.” And he rose, and went home.

(Matt. 9:1-7, NASB)

Notice that Jesus didn’t simply claim the authority to forgive sins. He offered a logical proof known as modus ponens by Those Who Study Logic. His logic was fairly simple:

1. Only God can forgive sins. (Stated by the scribes) A = B
2. Only God could heal the paralytic.  B = C
3. Jesus did heal the paralytic, therefore he is God.  C = D
4. Therefore, he has the authority to forgive sins.  A = D

As christians, we are God’s representatives on this earth. “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” (2 Cor. 5:20a, NIV) Just as Jesus was, we are also faced with those who question the authority of the Bible and the reality of God. Sometimes those questions are asked by someone who is genuinely searching for the truth, and sometimes by those who are attempting to attack the truth. Either way, answering such questions with “because I said so,” or “you just have to believe anyway,” simply won’t cut it. Just as Jesus did, we must “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” (1Pet. 3:15-16, NIV)

There is only one way to be able to give a gentle, respectful and meaningful answer: to know what the answers are! The study of facts and logic to answer such such questions has been given a name by Those Who Like To Give Fancy Names: Apologetics. The term “apologetics” comes from the greek word “apologia” which literally means “defense,” “answer” and “account”. (Apparently, Those Who Like To Give Fancy Names are part of the group of Those Who Like Obscure Languages.)

We are all human, so it is impossible to know all the answers, just as it is impossible for us to actually be perfectly sinless. Yet God still expects us to make the effort. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Heb. 12:1, NIV) Just as we are to make every effort to get rid of sin in our lives, we are also to make every effort to study the Bible as well as the facts and evidence surrounding the Bible. Both tasks require constant effort.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

(Deut. 6:4-7, NIV)

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

(2 Tim. 2:15, NIV)

I believe the major cause of suffering in this world is the consequences of sin — failing to apply the word of God to our lives. Before anyone can apply the Bible to their life, and thus avoid sin, they must first know what it says. For those of us who are christians, this means that we must study the Bible so that we can learn what it says and what it means. And we cannot explain the good news of the Bible to those who do not understand it unless we first understand it ourselves.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

(1 Cor. 1:18, NIV)

When we as the body of Christ (the church) are unable to explain the “message of the cross” in a rational, logical and accurate manner to those who are dying all around us, then they continue to think of the message as foolishness. When that happens, we have failed in our mission and allowed someone to perish.

Our mission as a church is to share the good news of the gospel with anyone who is willing to listen. Our goal is to make it hard to go to hell because the path to God is so well marked that it is impossible to miss it. We are on a mission behind enemy lines to locate survivors and give them a map to safety. Apologetics — the knowledge and understanding of the Bible and why it is true — is that map. We cannot share that map unless we first possess it ourselves.

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

(John 8:31-32, NIV)

(Hat Tip to Michelle Malkin for using Mr. Sowell’s article in discussing her struggles with ad hominem attacks due to her own pursuit of truth.)

(This article has been entered in the first Vox Apologia sponsored by RazorsKiss and Every Thought Captive.)