Should the Christian Apologist Appeal to Evidences?

Evidentialism is a method of apologetics used by some Christians which operates from an empiricist’s worldview. One’s source of truth is grounded in human observation. In contrast to rationalism, there are no innate ideas. There are only facts. For this reason, it is believed that the mind cannot obtain truth apart from the facts of one’s experience.

The evidentialist typically appeals to lines of historical evidence of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the verification of its claim to be true. In this the evidentialist may use various facts recorded in Scripture, archeological evidence and other non-biblical sources to prove the factuality of the Scriptures. Such facts are as follows:

1. The testimony of the early church fathers.
2. The resurrection scene (empty tomb, rolled away stone, the seal on the tomb broken in spite of the Roman guard, etc.)
3. The change in the disciples.
4. The existence of the Church.
5. The post resurrection appearances.

Scientific facts are also used to verify the factuality of creation. Such facts would include:

1. The second law of thermodynamics.The intelligent design movement.
2. The anthropic principle/teleological argument.

Tenets of Evidentialism

1. It is based upon human observation.
2. Some evidentialists draw a distinction between the facts and the interpretation of the facts.
   Ultimately, evidentialists believe that facts are self-interpreting (note: this is inconsistent with the previous tenet).
3. Some facts are more paradigmatic than other facts. They become the facts by which other facts are interpreted.

Critique of Evidentialism

1. Facts and events are only meaningful within the context of a worldview in which they are conceived.
2. Meaning is not inherent within facts.
3. There is no way to distinguish some facts as more meaningful than others. So even if facts did speak for themselves, they couldn’t be organized in a meaningful way.