First let me say, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. My mind's been focused on so many other things that I haven't come up with anything to write here. But now I have, which is the reason for this post. So please read on.
Have you ever been challenged about your faith? Has an atheist or an agnostic ever asked you to prove God? What did you do? Did you blush, step back, and stammer, "I-I don't know, it's just what I believe"? Or did you have a comeback for them? Unfortunately most of the people I know respond the first way. This is not a good testimony to your Christian faith. This tells people, "Christians just believe blindly" which we should not be accused of.
Online I have been in quite a few debates like that. And you know what? Someone challenges my Christianity and I answer their argument. I believe what I believe and I can back it up. You know what happens? Most of the time they don't expect this and they either don't talk to me again or they insult me and say something like, "There is no God!" but it's only because I've just insulted their intelligence. I gave good evidence supporting my Christianity and they don't have any evidence that they're prepared with to fight back. So they insult me and decide to ignore my statement. I don't care. I've made my point. I've done my job. It's not my fault they can't answer back.
Occasionally, though, I get those that continue to debate with me, answering my argument with an argument of their own, to which I will proceed to counteract their argument.
I'm telling you right now, when you become a true Christian, whether you are a teenager or a Christian parent trying to teach your kids about God, you need to know how to defend your Christianity. You need to know how to survive a debate against your Christianity and defend yourself until there is nowhere else to go - and usually for me this happens on the challenger's side. If you do not know how to defend your Christianity, you are giving Christianity a bad name. Christians should not be ignorant bashful people who have blind faith.
So how do you survive and win a debate against Christianity? Here are some steps:
#1 - Know God's Word.
By this, I do not mean "know the major stories." People are not going to challenge you on David, or Joseph, or Samson, or Abraham. You should know these stories, mind you, but they will not help in a debate. They help after the person has become a Christian and they can see the faith of God's chosen in the old days. Read the Bible thoroughly and memorize certain scriptures, or at least the general area where they are and what they say. People will likely ask you things like, "God created gay people, so why is He opposed to them?", "Where in the Bible does it mention abortion?", and "How could a loving God send good people to hell?" These are scriptural questions. You need to have scripture to back them up. For example, for the first question, Romans 1:26-27 says that God gave the people over to their "shameful lusts", that man lied with man and were "punished for their perversion." Obviously this states God did not create gay people. Homosexuality is a sin and God did not create humans to sin. Humans sinned on their own. You should know the general area of this and what it says. You should also use some common sense. The word "abortion" is not used anywhere in the Bible. However, in Psalm 139, David talks about how God had a plan for him even while he was in the womb, how he was "fearfully and wonderfully made." If God has purposes for us all and we are "fearfully and wonderfully made," He obviously is pro-life. So know the scriptures. Memorize spots where you're pretty sure people will challenge you. Common areas are homosexuality, abortion, and the justice of God (ex. "How could a loving God do...").
#2 - Know Your Logical, Historical, And Scientific Evidence.
Knowing the Bible is essential for debate - but unfortunately, you need more than just that to defend yourself. 98% of all agnostics (and 100% of atheists) believe the Word of God is just a book of holes anyway - Scriptures are essential for when they ask what God thinks about a certain subject. When they say the Bible is full of holes, guess what? You need logical evidence, historical evidence, and scientific evidence to back up that it is, in fact, the Holy Word of God and it is to be trusted. You need to know why abortion is wrong other than "God doesn't like it." You need to back up Intelligent Design. You do this by finding out the good points of your argument, and the flaws in your opponents argument. You also need to know what areas they will challenge you on your argument. For example, "A fetus is part of a woman's body, so she has a right to get rid of it." You need to know what to say to that. Use logic. Use historical evidence. Use scientific evidence. Once you back up your point, those who will continue to debate with you are logically-minded and will oppose you using science. I'm telling you this is true, so you need to know how to back yourself up with science and logic. Study it. Know why your beliefs are true and know how to counteract your opponent's argument.
Note: This is ESSENTIAL when people ask you to "prove God." They're smug, because they know you cannot scientifically prove God. However, when you come back and ask them to scientifically prove Abraham Lincoln, they'll realize there are some things that do or did exist that they cannot prove scientifically. You read in history books about Abraham Lincoln, you hear eye-witnesses through generations, etc, and you know Abraham Lincoln existed. It's the same thing with Jesus Christ, and with those who experienced the power of God.
#3 - Leave Personal Attacks Out.
As a Christian, you need to expect people to attack you personally for your beliefs. If you say you believe homosexuality is a sin, expect people to call you the nastiest of names and start cussing you out and claiming you to be hateful. To this, you respond with your Biblical, historical, scientific, and logical evidence and thinking. You do not respond with personal attacks. No insults. Never, ever, ever respond in anything similar to this: "My faith is blind? Are you atheists too stupid to listen? Evidence is all around you, morons. If you don't know what you're talking about, just shut up and don't say anything." Subconsciously, they want you to do this. They're waiting for you to slip. They're looking for you to argue on their level. If they insult you, it's usually because they do not have the resources to argue back. Make sure you stay the intelligent one. Personal attacks are one of the worst testimonies to Christianity. Avoid it.
#4 - Study Your Opponent's Argument Carefully.
Most of the ones who continue to debate with you are not dumb people. They're lost people, but they're not dumb. They're very smart people and they've studied their argument well. They know their biology, they know their history, and they know how to ask questions. They will counteract your argument with valid logical points. Listen to their argument carefully and answer accordingly. Don't answer with a point that's not in the argument, and if possible, try to answer every major point they give. If you do not know something at the time and you are debating face to face, simply say, "I don't know that level of science (or whatever), but if you give me time, I will study on it and see if I can find that your point is absolutely correct." Then study it - you will usually find something you can counteract it with. Keep it in mind for your next debate. If you do not know something and you're online, research it before you answer.
#5 - Look For A Debate.
Practice makes perfect. If you study all this stuff and you only save it for when someone someday decides to walk up to you and challenge you, guess what? You might not remember half of it when that day comes. It's good to rehearse these situations in your mind, but even better than that, once you have your evidence, purposely look for a debate. This is not the same as "looking for a fight." You're not doing this to be offensive and to cause someone to be angry. Go online and find websites with forums where people can state their opinions. If someone states their points on why abortion is a good thing for women to do, answer them with your points. If someone says, "I don't believe in God, prove God exists," answer them. This is not looking for a fight, this is defending your faith. This is standing up for your God. This is telling the world, "I am a Christian and I am not ashamed of it. I am bold, I am brave, and I am ready for anything you want to throw at me. Go ahead - I'll throw it right back." Here's a Dodgeball analogy (I love to use analogies, and you should too, they help emphasize your point and put it in terms that are easier to understand): when your opposer chucks the ball at you, you're not going to cower and duck from it, neither are you going to get hit without any way to protect yourself. Instead you will catch it and you will chuck it back at them, whether they're ready or not. More likely than not, you'll hit them unprotected.
So here are some points to help you defend your faith. I hope you will never be accused of having blind faith. In fact, your opposer may even compliment you - a few of the people I have debated with have told me I am a very intelligent young woman and that I should never stop researching and asking questions.
So are you ready for your opposition?
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