Christians Often Retreat to the Merely Possible

Time after time I have found Christians retreating to the merely possible when trying to defend their faith. Keep in mind that anything that's not logically impossible, is possible. It's possible I'm dreaming right now. It's possible I'm merely recalling an event in the year 2007 in a dream I'm having in the year 2010. It was possible that Jim Carrey could've gotten the girl of his dreams in the movie "Dumb and Dumber," too (remember, the girl said he had a "one in a million" chance at doing so).

However, the more that Christians must constantly retreat to what is "possible" in order to defend their faith, then the more their faith is on shaky ground. Why? Because we want to know what is probable, not what is possible. If we ask Christians to defend a particular belief and they argue such a belief "isn't impossible," then practically speaking, such an argument provides no support for what they believe.

Let me offer a few examples of what I mean here, and let others comment on some more.

Christians claim it's possible that an eternal 3 in 1 Omni-God has always existed without ever learning anything, or growing incrementally.

Christians claim it's possible there is an answer to why God allows so much evil in the world.

Christians claim it's possible that God has a legitimate reason for being hidden from us.

Christians claim it's possible there is an explanation for how Jesus is 100% God and 100% man with nothing left over.

Christians claim it's possible there was a reason why Jesus died on the cross.

Christians claim it's possible that a single mind (or 3) can understand and respond to a billion voices talking to him in prayer at the same time.

Christians claim it's possible that the billions of people who have never heard the gospel of salvation wouldn't have accepted it even if they had heard it.

Christians claim it's possible to gain sure knowledge about the historical past, which is enough to base an ultimate commitment to God upon.

Christians claim it's possible that an immaterial Supreme Being can act in the material universe even though they cannot show how this can be done.

Christians claim it's possible that miracles occurred in the superstitious past, even though there is no credible evidence they take place in today's world.

Christians claim it's possible God can foreknow every human action and yet those human actions are truly free.

Some Christians claim it's possible that God can foreknow truly free willed choices and at the same time act in history.

Some Christians claim it's possible that God can know all possible outcomes of all possible human free willed choices down through history, even of those we didn't make.

Some Christians claim it's possible that God is a timeless being and yet a personal being who thinks.

Calvinistic Christians claim it's possible that a good God can sovereignly decree both our desires and our actions and then condemn us for what we desire and what we do.