Baker Encyclopedia Of CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS - Norman Geisler.pdf

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Baker
Encyclopedia
of Christian
Apologetics
Norman L. Geisler
©1999 by Norman L. Geisler
Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Book House Company
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—
without prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in
printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Geisler, Norman L.
Baker encyclopedia of Christian apologetics / Norman L. Geisler
1
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8010-2151-0
1. Apologetics—Encyclopedias. I. Title.
BT1102.G42 1998
239’.03—dc21
98-8735
For information about academic books, resources for Christian leaders, and all new releases
available from Baker Book House, visit our web site:
http://www.bakerbooks.com
Acknowledgments
I wish to thank those who gave valuable help in the preparation of this manuscript. This includes
Larry Blythe, Steve Bright, Mac Craig, Mark Dorsett, Jeff Drauden, Scott Henderson, Holly
Hood, Kenny Hood, David Johnson, Eric LaRock, Trevor Mander, Doug Potter, Steve Puryear,
Jeff Spencer, and Frank Turek.
I am especially grateful to Joan Cattell for the untold sacrificial hours of her valuable editing
of the complete manuscript. Special thanks are also due to my son, David Geisler, who put
together the vast bibliography and for my faithful secretary, Laurel Maugel, who carefully typed
and proofed it.
Most of all, I would like to thank my devoted wife, Barbara, for her love, support, and
sacrifice that made this volume possible.
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Abbreviations
ATR Anglican Theological Review
BA The Biblical Archaeologist
BAR Biblical Archaeology Review
Bib. Sac. Bibliotheca Sacra
BJRL Bulletin of the John Rylands Library
Bk. Book
BR Bible Review
ca. circa
CRJ Christian Research Journal
CT Christianity Today
EB Encyclopaedia Biblica
Eng. English
ERE Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics
Fr. French
Gk. Greek
GOTR Greek Orthodox Theological Review
IEJ Israel Exploration Journal
ISBE International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
JAMA Journal of the American Medical Association
JASA Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation
JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
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KJV King James Version
Lat. Latin
LXX Septuagint
NASB New American Standard Bible
NIV New International Version
NKJV New King James Version
NTCERK New Twentieth Century Encylcopedia of Religious Knowledge
RSV Revised Standard Version
SE Studia Evangelica
WTJ Westminster Theological Journal
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Aa
Absolute Truth. See T RUTH , N ATURE OF .
Absolutes, Moral. See M ORALITY , A BSOLUTE N ATURE OF .
Accommodation Theory. In apologetics, accommodation theory can refer to either of two
views, one acceptable and one objectionable to evangelical Christians. It can refer to God’s
accommodation of his revelation to our finite circumstances to communicate with us, as in
Scripture or the incarnation of Christ ( see B IBLE , E VIDENCE FOR ; C ALVIN , J OHN ; C HRIST , D EITY
OF ). Both of these are forms of divine self-limiting accommodation in order to communicate
with finite creatures.
Negative critics of the Bible ( see B IBLE C RITICISM ) believe that Jesus accommodated
himself to the erroneous views of the Jews of his day in their view of Scripture as inspired and
infallible ( see B IBLE , J ESUS ’ V IEW OF ). Orthodox scholars reject this form of accommodation.
Two Kinds of Accommodation. Legitimate accommodation can be more accurately called
“adaptation.” God, because of infinitude, adapts himself to our finite understanding in order to
reveal himself. However, the God who is truth never accommodates himself to human error. The
vital differences are easily seen when these concepts are compared:
Adaptation
Accommodation
Adaptation to finite
understanding
Accommodation to finite error
Finitude
Sinfulness
Partial truths
Actual errors
Disclosed truth in human
language
Disguised truth in human language
Condescension with truth
Compromise with truth
Anthropomorphisms necessary
Myths necessary
God’s nature revealed
God’s activity revealed
What really is
What seems to be
The Bible teaches the transcendence of God. His ways and thoughts are far beyond ours ( Isa.
55:9 ; Rom. 11:33 ). Human beings are infinitesimal in view of God’s infinity. God must “stoop
down” in order to speak to us. However, this divine act of adaptation to our finitude never
involves accommodation to our error. For God cannot err ( Heb. 6:18 ). God uses
anthropomorphisms (a true expression of who God is that is couched in human terms) to speak to
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