"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."
- C. S. Lewis
On March 5th, Stuart and Cliffe Knetchle made a surprise visit to UC Berkeley campus to foster debate and discussion regarding the Christian faith. Despite this unplanned appearance, a post on Stuart's TikTok was enough to rally the Christian population at Berkeley, as a large crowd of students quickly formed well before Stuart and Cliffe arrived. Once the two Christians appeared, they were instantly surrounded by the students, crowding the entirety of Sproul Plaza, who remained standing around Stuart and Cliffe for roughly three hours. Throughout the event, Stuart and Cliffe answered questions that challenged the Christian faith, such as the problem of evil and suffering.
While defending the Christian faith in a manner that is appealing and digestible, apologists like Stuart and Cliffe Knetchle keep the Christian faith in shape and allow for believers to feel accepted within an overwhelmingly secular and even anti-Christian academic environment. Cliffe began the day by invoking arguments for the existence of God, with the general goal of presenting the Christian worldview as more reasonable than an atheistic one.
"'God is dead' - Friedrich Nietzsche. 'Nietzsche is dead' - God. Which one is right? Do you think Nietzsche is dead and God is alive? Or [do] you think God is dead and Nietzsche is alive? The overwhelming evidence is that God is alive,"
He proceeded to present three classical arguments: the teleological argument, the moral argument, and the argument for the resurrection. The Knetchle's closed out their with a prayer. One could feel that the crowd had been moved by their words. Stuart and Cliffe are working hard to maintain dignity and respect for Christianity, showing that it remains relevant, even in our secular age. Watch the video below.
- The Teleological Argument — An argument from the design of the cosmos
Cliffe asserted that the complexity of the order and design of the cosmos indicate that an intelligent mind was responsible for its creation. Cliffe begins by using an analogy: "I love to go through the woods in Canada in the summer. And to come upon a beaver dam across the stream is beautiful. If I turn to my buddy, to Stuart and say, 'Isn't it amazing the way the sticks just came together?' That's idiocy. The order and design of the beaver dam points to the beavers, not chance and accident."
Like the beaver example, it is absurd to say that the natural order of an eye or even the temporal and physical properties of the cosmos itself are the result of a random, unplanned or unexplained accident. It is far more intuitive that the intrinsic complexities of the universe infer an irreducible teleological intelligence, e.g. a designer.
- The Moral Argument - An argument from objective moral values and duties
When confronted with the evils of terrorism, sexism, racism, or any kind of wrong imaginable, it seems clear that there is a standard for the existence of an objective morality. When an individual has committed an act that is seriously wrong, it would be absurd to claim that it was only wrong relative to another individual. The more reasonable claim would be the assertion that that individual should not have committed the act of wrongdoing. However, it appears to be obvious that we all intuitively agree that there is some objective moral framework, otherwise there is no real right and wrong, and anything can be permitted. If we agree on the existence of an objective moral framework, though, we must have a basis for this framework, which Cliffe suggests is most reasonably, "...some type of mind who creates and defines the value of justice."
- The Resurrection of Jesus Christ - The historicity of Jesus's life
"[Jesus] dies on a cross, three days later he rises from the dead, and in over a period of forty days he appears to over 500 people who see him risen from the dead," Cliffe explained. The historical evidence and accounts of Jesus is generally considered reliable, and Cliffe adds that the way he lived indicates that his teachings on Christianity are true. Cliffe believes that Jesus Christ is a reliable source, and that following the evidence where it leads should lead one to Christianity.
