12 Point Argument for Christianity

The 12 point argument for Christianity is an argument formulated by Christian systematic theologian, philosopher, and apologist Norman Geisler and is considered one of his notable ideas which he contributed to Christian apologetics. The argument is primarily formulated in four separate works by Geisler, When Skeptics Ask, (co-authored by Ronald M. Brooks), Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist, (co-authored by his former student Frank Turek), and Twelve Points That Show Christianity Is True.

Early Forms of the Argument

The Original 14 Point Argument

The first attempt to publish an outline of his apologetic method showed up in an appendix of his 1990 book When Skeptics Ask. The appendix is titled "Reasoning to Christianity from Ground Zero" and in it Geisler presents a high-level view of the holistic system of classical apologetics he had been developing over the years. The first outline contained fourteen points of argument:

1. There are self-evident truths (e.g., "I exist," "Logic applies to reality").
2. Truth corresponds to reality.
3. Truth is knowable (all other views are self-defeating).
4. One can proceed from self-evident truths to the existence of God.
   1. The argument from Creation (proceeds from "I exist")
   2. The argument from morals (proceeds from "Values are undeniable")
   3. The argument from design (proceeds from "Design implies a designer")
5. God is a necessary Being (argument from being).
6. My existence is not necessary (evident from the definition of a necessary Being).
7. Therefore, theism is true (there is a necessary Being beyond the world who has created the contingent things in the world and intervenes in the world).
   1. The objection from the problem of evil can be solved.
   2. The objection to miracles can be solved.
8. The Bible is a historically reliable document.
   1. History is an objective study of the past.
   2. There is great historical, archaeological, and scientific evidence to confirm the reliability of the Bible. (Corollary: The Bible gives a reliable record of the teaching of Jesus Christ.)
9. Jesus claimed to be both fully human and fully God.
10. He gave evidence to support this claim.
    1. The fulfillment of prophecy
    2. His miraculous and sinless life
    3. His resurrection
11. Therefore, Jesus is both fully human and fully God.
12. Whatever God teaches is true.
13. Jesus (God) taught that the Old Testament was the inspired Word of God and He promised the New Testament.
14. Therefore, both the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God

The First Formulation of the 12 Point Argument

Geisler revised the above argument and in 1999 it was presented as follows:

1. Truth about reality is knowable.
2. Opposites cannot both be true.
3. The theistic God exists.
4. Miracles are possible.
5. Miracles performed in connection with a truth claim are acts of God to confirm the truth of God through a messenger of God.
6. The New Testament documents are reliable.
7. As witnessed in the New Testament, Jesus claimed to be God.
8. Jesus' claim to divinity was proven by an unique convergence of miracles.
9. Therefore, Jesus was God in human flesh.
10. Whatever Jesus (who is God) affirmed as true, is true.
11. Jesus affirmed that the Bible is the Word of God.
12. Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God and whatever is opposed to any biblical truth is false.

As a classical theologian and evangelical Thomist, Geisler described his argument as being classical in nature, as opposed to either presuppositional or evidential Christian apologetics.

The 12 Point Argument in I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist

The 12 point argument was revised again and was used as the outline for the popular Christian apologetics book I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist, co-authored by Frank Turek, one of Geisler's former students. There, the argument appears in the following form:

1. Truth about reality is knowable.
2. The opposite of true is false.
3. It is true that the theistic God exists. This is evidenced by the:
   1. Beginning of the universe (Cosmological Argument)
   2. Design of the universe (Teleological Argument/Anthropic Principle)
   3. Design of life (Teleological Argument)
   4. Moral Law (Moral Argument)
4. If God exists, then miracles are possible.
5. Miracles can be used to confirm a message from God (i.e., as acts of God to confirm a word from God).
6. The New Testament is historically reliable. This is evidenced by:
   1. Early testimony
   2. Eyewitness testimony
   3. Uninvented (authentic) testimony
   4. Eyewitnesses who were not deceived
7. The New Testament says Jesus claimed to be God.
8. Jesus' claim to be God was miraculously confirmed by:
   1. His fulfillment of many prophecies about himself;
   2. His sinless life and miraculous deeds;
   3. His prediction and accomplishment of his resurrection.
9. Therefore, Jesus is God.
10. Whatever Jesus (who is God) teaches is true.
11. Jesus taught that the Bible is the Word of God.
12. Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God (and anything opposed to it is false).

The 12 Point Argument in Twelve Points That Show Christianity is True

The final form of the argument was published in the book Twelve Points That Show Christianity is True in 2016, where Geisler presented the argument as follows:

1. Truth about reality is knowable.
2. Opposites cannot both be true.
3. It is true that the theistic God exists.
4. Miracles are possible.
5. Miracles performed in connection with a truth claim confirm the truth of God through a messenger of God.
6. The New Testament documents are reliable.
7. As witnessed in the New Testament, Jesus claimed to be God.
8. Jesus' claim to be God was proven by a unique convergence of miracles.
9. Therefore, Jesus was God in human flesh.
10. Whatever Jesus (who is God) affirmed as true, is true.
11. Jesus affirmed that the Bible is the Word of God.
12. Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God and whatever is opposed to any biblical truth is false.

The final form of the argument as distinguished from the previous iterations above marked a return to some of the phrasing published in 1999 from the 2004 iteration which was presented by Geisler and Turek in I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist. This was the final published edition of the argument prior to Geisler's death in 2019.

Legacy

The 12 point argument has been used as a primary outline for both academic and evangelistic efforts in Christian apologetics. Regarding its academic usage, the argument was used as the primary outline for apologetics courses offered at Southern Evangelical Seminary and Bible College, which was co-founded by Norman Geisler in 2004. Regarding its evangelistic usage, the argument has been summarized into four points by Frank Turek during his presentations with Christian apologetics ministry Cross Examined. Turek summarizes the argument into four primary questions, which he then proceeds to answer using the broader evidence presented in the longer iterations of the argument previously mentioned above. The questions are:

1. Does truth exist?
2. Does God exist?
3. Are miracles possible?
4. Is the New Testament true?

In addition to Turek's presentations and usage of the argument, the Christian apologetics ministry Ratio Christi in 2019 published a resource which unpacked the 12 point argument as presented in Geisler and Turek's book I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist.

References

This article "12 Point Argument for Christianity" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:12 Point Argument for Christianity. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

📰 Article(s) of the same category(ies)

• Thedark2768
• Lavan Abhishek
• Rojelio Capone WIKI
• Volcano Football Club Torit
• Ayma Imra
• Raktabeej 2023
• KAII (Musician)

---