Evidential apologetics is an approach to Christian apologetics that emphasizes using evidence and rational arguments to demonstrate that belief in God and the truth of the Christian faith is reasonable and intellectually plausible. The goal is to remove intellectual obstacles preventing faith and provide positive reasons and evidence that point towards the truth of Christianity.
Evidential apologists believe that Christianity makes factual claims that can be investigated historically and empirically using evidence. While faith is still required, evidential apologists argue there is enough evidence to warrant faith in Christianity and to show unbelievers that belief in Christianity is intellectually justified.
Some of the key elements of evidential apologetics include:
- Emphasizing facts, evidence and reason – Evidential apologetics relies on presenting factual evidence for God and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and constructing rational arguments that appeal to evidence rather than just faith or religious experience.
- Use of scientific, archaeological and historical evidence – Points to empirical evidence that supports Christianity, such as archaeological findings that confirm biblical accounts, historical scholarship that bolsters the reliability of the New Testament, and scientific findings that point to a Creator.
- Appealing to common ground – Seeks to build intellectual bridges with unbelievers by appealing to standards of truth and rationality that both Christians and non-Christians can accept.
- Responding to objections – Seeks to directly engage and respond to intellectual objections commonly brought against Christianity, such as the problem of evil, religious pluralism, Bible reliability, etc.
- Minimal use of philosophical theology – Tends to avoid heavily philosophical arguments for God’s existence, in favor of more concrete historical and scientific evidences.
- Focus on the resurrection – The resurrection of Jesus is seen as the central proof of Christianity, and evidential apologists focus heavily on presenting historical evidence for this event.
Some of the most prominent Christian evidential apologists throughout history include:
- William Paley – His book View of the Evidences of Christianity (1794) argued that the complexity of the world points to an intelligent designer (the watchmaker analogy).
- Simon Greenleaf – 19th century Harvard law professor who wrote an influential Treatise on the Law of Evidence (1842) examining the legal evidence for the resurrection.
- Joseph Butler – 18th century bishop whose Analogy of Religion (1736) gave the classic evidential argument that Christianity is authenticated by the same kind of evidence we use to authenticate common facts in life.
- Hugo Grotius – 17th century Dutch scholar, one of the earliest to argue for the evidential credibility of the resurrection accounts.
- John Warwick Montgomery – Contemporary evidentialist, who applies legal reasoning to apologetics and has written extensively defending Christianity’s historical credibility.
- Gary Habermas – Contemporary philosopher and historian who specializes in presenting evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.
- William Lane Craig – Influential philosopher who has popularized the Kalam cosmological argument for God’s existence but also argues vigorously for Jesus’ resurrection using historical evidence.
- J.P. Moreland – Philosopher who argues for theism and Christian belief using scientific, philosophical, and historical evidence.
- N.T. Wright – New Testament historian who presents a scholarly historical case for Jesus’ bodily resurrection.
Some of the main arguments and evidences used by evidential apologists include:
Evidence for God’s Existence
- Teleological Argument – Points to evidence of intelligent design in the universe, such as the fine-tuning of the laws of physics for life to exist. (Psalm 19:1)
- Moral Argument – God best explains the existence of objective moral values that humans recognize. (Romans 2:14-15)
- Cosmological Arguments – Leibnizian and Thomistic arguments hold that God is the best explanation for why the universe exists at all. (Hebrews 3:4)
- Experiential Arguments – Evidence that human experience of the “divine” points to God’s reality. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
Evidence for the New Testament Accounts
- Manuscript attestation – More than 5,800 Greek NT manuscripts support textual reliability.
- Early dating – NT texts written just decades after Jesus’ death.
- Archeological confirmation – Discoveries affirming locations and details in the Gospels.
- Eyewitness evidence – Gospels and letters written by eyewitnesses or their associates.
- Lack of legendary development – Myths and legends about Jesus did not emerge over time as would be expected.
- Willingness to die – Disciples willingly died proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection, unlikely if it were an invented fable.
Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection
- Jesus’ death by crucifixion affirmed by non-Christian Roman historians like Tacitus and Josephus.
- Empty tomb documented by multiple early sources, affirmed by Jesus’ enemies saying the body was stolen while still dead.
- Women discovering empty tomb – Unexpected given status of females in 1st century Judaism.
- Transformation of the disciples from fearful to boldly proclaiming the Gospel, facing persecution and martyrdom.
- Conversion of skeptics like James the brother of Jesus and Saul of Tarsus.
- Emergence of the Christian church in the very city Jesus was crucified.
Evidential apologetics has its critics. Some argue it undervalues the role of faith or the inner witness of the Holy Spirit. Others say historical and scientific proofs can never demonstrate spiritual truths. Presuppositional apologists criticize evidentialism for granting neutral common ground to unbelievers rather than starting with Scripture. Despite these critiques, evidential apologetics remains influential as a means of persuading modern skeptics by speaking to common human experience and engaging intellectually with the fact-based claims of Christianity.
In conclusion, evidential apologetics seeks to demonstrate through facts the truth of God and Christ as revealed in the Bible. It aims to show Christianity is a rational faith that opens itself up to historical and scientific scrutiny, giving thinking persons grounds for belief. While hesitant to bend fully to the spirit of the age, evidentialism tries to meet unbelievers where they are at, building bridges of understanding using reason and evidence to make space for faith and the witness of the Spirit.
