Here’s my notes from hearing Andy speak yesterday:
Andy is a comic, and a Christian, and a communicator. He said he wasn’t a preacher, but he was preaching – so I guess that makes you a preacher?
He kept being funny too, couldn’t help himself. I thought he was very funny. But you had to be there so I’ve not put the jokes in.
APOLOGETICS
Means to give a defence – based on idea that Christian worldview makes sense. 1 Peter tells us how to do it.
Some people think Christian faith is nonsense from the start, that’s their default. Others are trying to make sense of it but have issues (often the same ones) with suffering, science, harm caused by religion in history etc. Apologetics can help, but not convert.
People say, ‘There’s no proof for God.’
But they mean evidence. Evidence is not proof. They are right that there’s no proof for God. Like you can’t prove love. You can put forward a good case for it, but can’t prove it. And I don’t refuse to marry based on my limited knowledge of that probability.
Anyway, God’s primary aim is not that we acknowledge he exists, but that we engage with him in relationship.
You can put forward a good case for atheism – but that doesn’t disprove God.
Science is about process – how things happen
The Bible is about purpose- why things happen
We don’t need to defend religion – Jesus never set himself up as starting a religion! Religion doesn’t have to be a force for good, we argue for Christ and his resurrection.
Moral argument – we all know the holocaust was wrong, there are some things we all agree are objectively not right. Where did that rightness and wrongness come from? If it’s just about biology and naturalism – where do you root morality? It’s totally subjective, home made rules that suit you now where you are – open to review at any point.
Christian faith rides or falls based on the resurrection.
New Testament scholars (who may or may not even be believers) agree there are 4 facts to deal with:
1) Jesus was buried by Joseph of Arimathea
2) Women were the first witnesses (which strengthens the historicity)
3) multiple appearances post resurrection
4) Despite every apparent reason not to believe anymore after the cross; something happened to change them so that the church started. something they were willing to die rather than renounce.
Christians aren’t perfect. We aren’t saying we are right, we aren’t even good or perfect.
But Christianity confirms & affirms what really matters about the things that really matter.
About love, beauty, hope, purpose
It speaks to all these areas.
Let’s affirm what science can and can’t do.
Side note:
At one point in the talk Andy was challenged from someone sitting in the congregation. He’d said that he didn’t believe it was necessary to believe Adam and Eve were real people and the literal Creation account rather than evolution and still be a Christian. The challenger took issue with this and there was a little back and forth on it. It’s the kind of question you could endlessly bat around and some people delight in doing so unprofitably – nobody really wants to change their minds just air their views.
Unfortunately this could be the only thing many people who went there end up remembering and talking about, rather than the rest of the talk which in my opinion was excellent, well prepared and graciously given. That’s why I think good manners should dictate one doesn’t interrupt a preacher (especially a guest) if one disagrees with them, unless they set it up as a discussion.