Factual Evidence Matters

I just started a book called “The Virgin Birth of Christ by J Gresham Machan.  Published in 1930, it remains one of the apologetic standards regarding the birth of Jesus Christ.

In a preliminary discussion on opposition to the virgin birth, Machan has this to say about those in antiquity who were anti-Christian, and of course dismissed the virgin birth as a figment of the imaginations of Christians.

“…the early denials of the virgin birth by opponents of Christianity have no weight whatever against the historicity of the event.  The opponents presuppose the Christian doctrine, and have no historical tradition of their own to substitute for it.  The mere fact of their opposition is of no importance whatever, for it is only what was to be expected.  Unless they were to become Christians, they could hardly accept the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.”

Going beyond the doctrine itself, do you see what Machen has done here?  He has dismissed as having no importance at all the mere opposition to the doctrine.  And he has done so at least in part because the opponents have offered no contrary evidence…they are just opposed…which, he says, they naturally would be since they are not Christians.

OK.  Carry that forward to today’s world.  The mere fact that someone is opposed to something is of no importance UNLESS and UNTIL they can offer some concrete evidence supporting their opposition.  This works in all arenas of life…politics, family relationships, religion, education, and so on.  For example, the fact that you may be opposed to tariffs on Chinese imports has no standing unless you can offer some solid, factual evidence that supports your opposition.  Or as another example, the fact that you may be opposed to instrumental music in worship carries no weight unless you can offer some solid, concrete evidence that supports your assertion.  Or you may be opposed to vaccinations for your child.  You need to support that with good, solid, factual evidence or your opinion matters not.

Let me say it again…just being in opposition to something has, or should have, no importance unless you can offer a reasonable alternative and support it with good evidence.  It’s time we ceased being noisy opponents without solid foundation and started looking at all kinds of issues in life reasonably and carefully.  In so doing, we formulate our opinions based on factual evidence and can support our opinions with that evidence.

And let me clarify here that good, solid, factual evidence does NOT consist of Facebook memes, what your brother-in-law thinks, or what you heard on talk radio.  Factual evidence is evidence that has a solid, proven foundation compiled by people who are as unbiased as can possibly be regarding the subject.  This means that sellers of homeopathic remedies are not the best source of evidence for the ingestion of those remedies.  It means that athiests are not the best source of evidence contradicting Christian doctrine.  And it means that Democrats generally are not the best source of evidence to oppose a Republican idea or ideology (and vice-versa).

So, before you become a noisy opinion-teller, stop and think about the facts that support your opinion.  And do so with as much of an unbiased heart as you can muster.  Then realize that other people of good will, intelligence, and patriotism have opinions that are the opposite of yours, and speak with care and with love.