by Dave Miller
Perhaps you
have heard others remark, as I have, that common sense has become rather
uncommon these days. Some seem to think that Christianity does not make any
common sense. Or put another way, Christianity does not make any logical sense.
Some claim that logic and religion are mutually exclusive, meaning these
disciplines never intersect. Dave Miller’s latest book is a direct challenge to
such an illogical or irrational viewpoint—rational meaning logical, and
irrational meaning illogical. The Bible mandates that we are to think about
walking with God from a rational or logical standpoint, “Come now, and let us
reason together” (Isaiah 1:18 NKJV). The transliterated Hebrew word for
“reason” is yĆ¢kach which means “to prove, decide, judge, rebuke, reprove, correct,
be right” (Brown-Driver-Briggs). So, God challenges our mental faculties as well
as our emotions. Miller correctly points out that: “Many well-meaning,
religious people take the foolish position that truth is elusive and
unattainable, and that doctrinal correctness is unimportant and unnecessary.
Only in the task of interpreting the Bible do such people take the position
that truth is relative, always changing, and something of which they can never
be sure” (4).
The book deals
with several relevant questions:
• Is Christianity irreconcilable with
logic and reason?
• Is “faith” accepting what you cannot
know or prove?
• Did Jesus expect people to believe Him
without proof?
• Does Christianity require evidence and
proof before being accepted?
• Is the religion of Christ
“better-felt-than-told”?
I first met
Dave Miller in 1993 when he was lecturing on “How Christ Handled Controversy.” Since
that time, I have made it a point to take our family to his seminars, gospel
meetings, and other events. We taught together at Alkire Road’s Future Preacher
Training Camp, but I was also his student for his class on "Logic and the Bible." When he was in our area, I invited him to be on my TV program, "Light From
Above." For those who would like to see our discussion on some of this material,
you can see this on YouTube by searching for “Light From Above #299.”
I was very
pleased to see this material published in a format that is suitable for class
or personal study. The work is less than 100 pages, so it would be easy to
share with someone without a substantial hit to the wallet. Included are 130
study questions to help generate discussion and the answers are provided for
those who stand before an audience to teach.
Dave Miller has a B.A. degree in Speech & Bible from Lubbock Christian University, M.A. degree in Speech Communication from Texas Tech University, M.Div. and M.A.R. from Harding School of Theology, and Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Public Address from Southern Illinois University. Dr. Miller has been the Executive Director of Apologetics Press since 2005.
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