The main dilemma William Lane Craig faces when he speaks at different universities is, “There’s not enough evidence,” he said.
But Craig is convinced the evidence for Christianity is not quite coercive but significantly rational.
In other words, he said he thinks the evidence would not compel someone whose heart was closed to believe in Jesus, but the evidence is enough to rationalize Christianity.
The Campus Crusade for Christ brought Craig to the University to hold three different speaking engagements this week.
Wednesday he spoke about the “Evidence for Christianity,” today he will be speaking at a faculty luncheon about, “Are There Objective Truths About God?” and in a public lecture named, “Beyond the Big Bang.”
Craig said he travels across the country speaking to college-age students attempting to explain good reasons behind the basis of Christianity.
“After I found God, I devoted my entire life to share the good news that changed my life when I was your age,” he said to the mostly college-age crowd in Room 103 Williams Hall.
But the difference with Craig is he offered specific evidence behind his beliefs, backed by a doctorate of theology in this area of study.
He said there are four pieces of evidence pointing to the truth that Jesus was who he claimed to be.
Craig’s evidence includes the historical truth that Jesus had an honorable burial after his crucifixion, his empty tomb was discovered by a group of women followers the next day, his followers saw Jesus after his death and the disciples saw their belief in Jesus as a result of believing God raised him from the dead.
Craig also spoke about the two different perspectives of a relationship with God, the human and the divine.
“God will not abandon us to decide whether he exists or not,” Craig said. “He draws us to his spirit through our hearts.”
Craig said one of the most compelling arguments against existence of God is how God would allow the amount of pain and suffering in the world to continue.
His rebuttal is that there is no significant evidence to refute that the two can coexist.
“The problem with pain is emotional, not intellectual,” he said.