How can we prove Christianity is the only correct worldview?
First, Christianity is a theistic worldview.
Theism is one of seven worldviews. And a theistic God is an eternal spirit who is infinite in his attributes. For example, he is:
- First, all-powerful
- Second, all-knowing
- Third, everywhere present at once
- And finally, in complete control
No reasonable person can deny that theism is true. Of course, anyone can say what they want, no matter how silly. But I am speaking of reality, not wishful thinking.
Furthermore, only Christianity is undeniably true when it comes to theistic religions. This means that all other theistic faiths and the other six worldviews are false.
The three main theistic religions are Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.
Before tackling three tests to prove Christianity as the only valid religion, let’s consider the numbers of followers of the three most popular theistic religions:
- First, Christianity has 2.3 billion followers
- Second, Islam has 1.8 billion believers
- Third, Judaism has14 million followers
Since popularity is not a test for truthfulness, we need to determine which is the only true religion.
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3 Step Method to Prove Christianity is Superior
Fortunately, Dr. Norman Geisler has provided a way to prove Christianity with a three-step method.
The method is called “systematic consistency.” It combines three separate “tests for truth.”
These three tests are:
- First, “Logical Consistency”: the religion’s core beliefs have no contradictions.
- Second, “Empirical Adequacy”: the religion is compatible with scientific and historical evidence.
- Third, “Experiential Relevance”: the religion a livable and correctly answers the questions of our experiences in every area of our lives.
Don’t be intimidated by these terms. They are simple to understand.
1. To Prove Christianity, it Must Be Logically Consistent
The first test to prove Christianity is logical consistency. That means the worldview that doesn’t have contradictions in its core beliefs.
How to Spot Contradictions
To prove Christianity is the correct theistic faith, we need to be able to spot a contradiction.
We can pinpoint contradictions by using the Law of Noncontradiction (LON)
- Oversimplified, it states: “The opposite of true is false.”
- Or: “Opposites cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense.”
- Stated more formally: “Something cannot be both ‘A’ and ‘non-A’ at the same time and in the same sense.”
So if opposites both claim to be true simultaneously and in the same way, that is a contradiction. And the statement is false.
For example, it is contradictory to say that my wife is 5’2” on today’s date and that she is also 8’10” on today’s date! Either one of those may be false, or both are false. But they cannot both be true!
Getting Negative (In a Good Way) to Prove Christianity
In essence, anytime a belief or a statement contains a contradiction, it is false.
For instance, consider the person who says, “I cannot speak a single word of English.” They contradicted themselves.
Why?
They spoke seven words of English to say they couldn’t speak a single word of English.
It is essential to realize that the LON has its limitations. Specifically, the statement or belief is false if you find a contradiction.
But on the other hand, if a statement is not contradictory, that does not mean it is true.
In effect, the LON can only tell you if something is false. In brief, if there is a contradiction, it is false.
So, the LON is called a “negative test” for truth. It can tell you what is false or not true (negative). But by itself, the LON cannot promise you that a non-contradictory statement is true (positive).
Applying the LON: Comparing Islam & Judaism to Christianity
To illustrate, consider the following:
- Islam and Judaism deny that Jesus is God.
- Christianity affirms that Jesus is God.
- The LON demands that Jesus cannot be both God and not God.
- But historical and scientific evidence undeniably proves that Jesus is God (see below)
- Thus, if Christianity is true, Islam and Judaism are false.
2. Empirical Adequacy (Science & History) can Prove Christianity
The second test to prove Christianity is empirical adequacy. This test considers the scientific and historical evidence about Christianity.
Example: Is the New Testament True?
The historical reliability of the Bible is essential to prove Christianity.
For example, does Christianity’s New Testament accurately describe what happened? Can we trust it?
Both Judaism and Islam deny the trustworthiness of the New Testament.
In contrast, the historically reliable records of the New Testament support Christianity. The New Testament books contain eyewitness accounts about Jesus. In addition, they include narratives about his’ sinless life, miracles, and resurrection.
The evidence for the historicity of the New Testament includes:
- Over 5,000 early copies of the New Testament’s documents. This number is more than any other ancient text. And these copies are closer to the time of the original manuscripts than any other ancient text.
- The disciples were eyewitnesses to the resurrected Jesus. They willingly died for what they saw.
- The New Testament books were both accurately copied and faithfully transmitted.
- There are many extra-biblical written and archeological pieces of evidence. They uniformly prove the New Testament narrative is true.
- Christian scholars have refuted any alleged contradictions or scientific errors within the Bible.
- Furthermore, Jesus fulfills hundreds of Old Testament prophecies. The fulfillment of these prophecies is beyond any statistical probability. And it proves Jesus is the Messiah, the God-man.
- The Bible has undergone over two thousand years of intense scrutiny. And there is no conclusive evidence that it is wrong.
Furthermore, neither Judaism nor Islam can disprove the evidence of Christ’s resurrection.
Therefore, empirical adequacy supports the truthfulness of Christianity and not Judaism or Islam.
3. Experiential Relevance Proves Christianity
The test of experiential relevance asks:
- Firstly, can you live this worldview?
- Secondly, does it address and answer the questions of our experiences in every area of our lives?
The correct worldview will:
- Be relevant and accurately reflect our world
- Provide truthful answers on how to live life
- Meets life’s basic needs
- Contain teachings that work in the real world
Example: The Problem of Evil
Consider Christianity’s response to one of the most challenging questions. How can an all-good and all-powerful God allow a world filled with evil?
- Only Christianity’s answers make sense regarding our existence and experience. No other religion compares.
- Christianity provides real hope.
- Christianity provides the cure. And this remedy to evil and suffering is through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
- Christianity provides the best answers to existential relevance than any other worldview.
What Now? Certainty vs. Probability
In conclusion, these three “truth tests” provide overwhelming evidence for Christianity’s truthfulness.
But we must humbly confess no test(s) can give absolute certainty like a mathematical equation. Systematic consistency can only offer an overwhelming degree of probability to prove Christianity. Why is that?
- Firstly, historical facts are the basis of every worldview. And no one can prove history with geometric certainty.
- Secondly, scientific data is not neutral. The scientist’s worldview often influences their interpretation. That is why some people can look at the same data and come to different conclusions.
- Thirdly, there is the problem of comprehensiveness. No finite mind can know all the facts.
In light of this, we admit to not proving Christianity with mathematical certainty. But that is ok. No worldview offers a higher degree of probability than Christianity.
Instead, we have established Christianity as the true theistic religion using unbiased criteria.
And since theism is the only correct worldview. And Christianity is the only true theistic belief. Then it follows that Christianity is the only true religion.
Why Doesn’t God Give Us Absolute Evidence to Prove Christianity?
In brief, our decision to become a Christian comes down to faith. Faith is based on the work of the Holy Spirit and Scripture and not evidence.
Evidence only goes so far. Evidence gives us reason to believe that Christianity is true. But we still must place our faith in Jesus.
So, whenever you present evidence for Christianity (apologetics), always include the Gospel. And above all, be sure to present the Gospel in a culturally sensitive way.
Resources
- Geisler, N. L. (2013). Christian apologetics 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.
- _________ (2013). The Big Book of Christian Apologetics: An A to Z Guide. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.
