Christian Faith and Knowledge
By Gregory Koukl

For many Christians, faith and knowledge are opposites.  The more evidence you have, the less faith involved.  The more bizarre and unbelievable the claim, the greater the faith.  The greatest faith on that view, then, would be the one farthest removed from reason or evidence.

      Two odd conclusions follow from this kind of thinking.

      First, apologetics—giving evidence in defense of faith, offering reason for believing—would actually be detrimental to faith.  Yet Peter tells us to always be ready to give an apologia, a defense, for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15).

      Second, if faith and knowledge are inversely proportional (an increase in knowledge means a decrease in faith), then the more evidence against Christianity the better.  Indeed, believing something you knew to be false because of overwhelming evidence would be a great virtue, biblically.  God would be most pleased, on this view, with those who knew the resurrection never happened, yet still believed.

      The apostle Paul call such a person pitiful, however:

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain….and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:13-14, 17-19) 

     According to Paul, if we believe contrary to fact, we believe in vain and are fools.