Twitter is a little frustrating. Some of the people on there (mostly atheists & agnostics) demand proof of the Bible/Christianity/Jesus, etc. in the 280 character Twitter limit. This is impossible to do for any topic in such a short space.
Most of them don’t realize that there are two kinds of proof. There’s the scientific method of proof which requires observing what you’re trying to prove, measuring it, and repeating the observing & measuring steps numerous times. Then and only then, can you propose a theory for the behavior you observed. If you can’t observe, measure and repeat it, you cannot use the scientific method on it. This type of proof is usually 100% accurate.
The second kind of proof is the legal/historical method. This proof is for things you cannot directly observe & measure. It is NOT 100% accurate, but relies on a “preponderance of evidence” that is “beyond a reasonable doubt but not beyond any doubt”. This kind of proof is used in legal matters (like a murder trial), in anything relating to history (like if George Washington existed, who he was, what he did, etc.) and in intangible things like love, emotions, etc.
Since the Bible/Christianity/Jesus relates to history, we have to use the legal/historical method to prove its veracity, His existence, etc. No one piece of evidence is sufficient to prove the entire subject area. So to prove that Jesus rose from the dead, we have to use several historical tests like the bibliographic, internal, external, archaeological and extra-biblical tests. To these we can also add the probability test, several subjective tests & philosophical arguments. Add up all of these “tests” and we can arrive at a conclusion. One that is beyond a reasonable doubt. It’s been my experience that atheists/agnostics know what they believe and why they believe it, but they don’t know of these proof tests or even of an alternative explanation to their own points of contention. Then again, there are some people that won’t believe no matter how much proof you have. Unfortunately, they don’t wear a tag stating this, so all you can do is know basic apologetics, answer some of their questions and refer them to websites and/or books and leave the rest to God.
If atheists/agnostics are not willing to read or research these proof tests, they’re not really interested in pursuing an answer. But the possible ramifications of believing in Jesus should give everyone reason to check it out thoroughly. The class “How We Got the Bible” details a lot of these proofs. Also read the FAQ entitled “How to Prove the Bible is accurate”.
Regards,
Dave Maynard
http://BSSSB-LLC.com
