Faith with Reason: Why Christianity Is True

110 Pages·2002·0.69 MB·English

by  Joseph R. Farinaccio

FAITH
WITH
REASON
Why Christianity Is True
_______________________________
Joseph R. Farinaccio
BookSpecs Publishing
Pennsville, New Jersey
i
FAITH WITH REASON
Why Christianity Is True
Copyright © 2002
Joseph R. Farinaccio
Cover design by artist George Perez.
BookSpecs is trademark of BookSpecs Publishing, and is registered in
the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
All rights reserved. No part of this book or its cover design may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, without written permission of the publisher and copyright
owners.
Published by BookSpecs Publishing
16 Sunset Ave.
Pennsville, NJ 08070
www.BookSpecs.com
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data
(Provided by Quality Books, Inc.)
Farinaccio, Joseph R.
Faith with reason : why Christianity is true / Joseph
R. Farinaccio. -- 1st ed.
p. cm.
LCCN 2002092455
ISBN 0-9721461-1-3
1. Apologetics. 2. Christianity and other religions.
3. Christianity and culture. 4. Philosophy and
religion. I. Title.
BT1102.F37 2002 239
QBI33-569
ii
This book is dedicated
to my mother,
Anne Dorothy Farinaccio,
and my wife,
Joni Lynn Farinaccio,
- constant encouragers.
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iv
Acknowledgements
There are individuals whose contributions, both large and
small, help turn someone’s idea into a reality. This book is no
exception. Each of them contributed something special, not the least
of which was their time. My parents, Joseph and Anne Farinaccio, are
treasured gifts from God. Christian Education director Rev. David
Hutchinson offered a theological critique. English instructor Vincent
Farinaccio provided editorial skills. Fellow church member Linda
Smookler made numerous manuscript corrections and offered
insightful suggestions. Longtime friend George Perez created the
book cover. My brother Paul Farinaccio furnished a logo. Pastor and
theologian Charles Betters offered his endorsement. And my family -
Joni, Matthew and Nicole all patiently allowed me to spend many
hours in front of the computer. I can never say “Thank You” enough
to all of you.
Joseph Farinaccio
Vineland, New Jersey
June 2002
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CONTENTS
Introduction.............................................................................9
1. Can All Views Be True?...................................................11
2. Presuppositions and Worldviews...................................17
3. Faith and Reason..............................................................23
4. Christian Presuppositions................................................29
5. Pseudo-Christianity...........................................................37
6. Knowing Biblical Christianity Is True...........................47
7. Do Christians Reason In A Circle?................................57
8. God and Evil.....................................................................63
9. Atheism and Agnosticism................................................69
10. Creation or Evolution?.....................................................77
11. Thoughts on World Religion.........................................87
Conclusion................................................................................ 98
Endnotes .................................................................................102
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INTRODUCTION
This is a book about worldviews. Everybody has
one, but most individuals never really pay much attention to
their own personal philosophy of life. This is a tragedy
because there is no state of awareness so fundamental to
living life. Since there are many worldviews out there this
book was written to help individuals understand why biblical
Christianity is so important, not only in our understanding of
God, but ourselves and the world around us as well.
Every subject we think about is filtered through our
worldview. The picture of reality we hold in our minds is
what we use at the most basic level to answer every question
in life. This is especially true of big questions, like those
pertaining to man’s origin, ethics, life’s meaning and ultimate
destiny. This makes faith central to every aspect of our lives
and being. The bigger question, of course, is whether or not
the picture of reality we have is actually true.
Several 20th century Christian philosophers were very
influential in bringing attention to the subject of worldviews.
Cornelius Van Til, Greg Bahnsen, and Francis Schaeffer are
considerable influences upon the thinking of many
Christians, including myself. Most of what is contained in
these pages is simply a re-statement of fundamental truths
they addressed. Yet there were several reasons why I wanted
to offer a collection of thoughts based upon their
philosophical work.
First, this book attempts to quickly get to the heart
of the matter. Presuppositions are the heart of everyone’s
view of reality. I wanted to offer people, especially young
adults, a concise summary of some very important concepts.
A few hours spent reading the material here will sharpen the
thinking of believers and challenge those who think that
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