What Does It Mean To Be Presuppositional?
Bodie Hodge M.Sc. B.Sc. PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries July 17, 2024
Presuppositions are the most basic and foundational beliefs that shape our thinking. Everyone has presuppositions, even if we don't always realize it. For Christians, we strive to think "God's thoughts after Him" in our presuppositions.
Let me explain basic presuppositions to get us started. Imagine we are looking at a fossil found on the top of the Andes Mountains in Peru, over 2 miles high.
When an atheistic evolutionist examines this evidence, they might conclude that this fossil was laid down in a small, local flood millions of years ago and was then raised to its current height through slow, gradual uplifts.
When I look at this evidence, I conclude that this fossil was laid down during the Flood of Noah and was elevated over 2 miles high during the mountainous uplifts of softer sediments during the Flood, solidifying in place.
Notice that we are both analyzing the same evidence. We are looking at the same fossil found in the exact same location in the mountains, yet we reach vastly different conclusions. This indicates that our conclusions are not based solely on the evidence but are influenced by our previously held beliefs about the world and its history. This same divergence in interpretation can be seen with many other pieces of evidence—we interpret the evidence differently based on our worldviews.
Basic Presuppositions
This brings us to the differing presuppositions we have about history. These presuppositions form our worldview. They are like lenses through which we view the evidence. The evolutionist presupposes a particular worldview based on man's arbitrary opinions. I do too, but we start from different points.
The evolutionist begins with a secular, atheistic worldview (based on man's arbitrary ideas) as their basic presupposition [e.g., big bang models (cosmological evolution), long ages (geological evolution), materialistic origin of life (chemical evolution), and biological evolution]. I begin with God's Word (based on God's absolutes) as my most basic presupposition.
You need to understand that it is a battle between two different worldviews because we have two different sets of basic presuppositions. So, instead of battling over evidence, we need to address the interpretation of that evidence at a more foundational level—a presuppositional level.
Going Deeper—Using Presuppositions To Devastate False Worldviews
Got it? Okay. Let's delve deeper into presuppositions and how they can be used to disprove false worldviews and religions.
Now that you understand that the battle is actually at a foundational level, this is where presuppositions become powerful.
Did you know that the atheistic worldview excludes God? Of course you did. "A" means without, and "theistic" means God, so an atheistic position means without God. To clarify, the atheist doesn't just say, "there may not be a God"; their position is that there is no God.
The atheistic position also includes a belief in a materialistic universe, meaning they believe that only matter and energy (material) exist. They do not believe in anything spiritual or non-material. If they did, they would have to leave open the possibility that God could exist, which would contradict their atheism. So, atheism is inherently materialistic.
This is why it is common to say that atheism is built on materialism. In short, the atheistic religion is presupposed by the materialistic religion. It is a more basic presupposition. So, let's critique this materialistic (atheistic) position.
If the only things that exist in this worldview are matter and energy (material), then immaterial things can't exist within this worldview—if they want to be consistent. This means that things like knowledge, logic, conclusions, dignity, common sense, intelligence, love, and so on cannot exist if this religion is true. Oh, wait—you can't say if this religion is "true" because truth isn't material either!
See the blatant inconsistency within the atheistic and materialistic worldview at the very onset of their position? Yet the evolutionist wants to have "conclusions" regarding evidence like the fossil mentioned earlier, but their worldview cannot account for "conclusions" because they are not material! This tension shows that their religious worldview is false from the onset.
As Christians, starting with God's Word as our presupposition, we have a basis for both a material universe and the existence of non-material things like truth, knowledge, and logic. We, as descendants of Adam, are made in the image of a logical, all-knowing, spiritual God of truth. We can have dignity, common sense, intelligence, love, and arrive at conclusions because these are Christian concepts predicated on the God of the Bible. At a worldview level, there is no competition—God wins against all worldviews, not just the secular atheistic ones (naturalism, agnosticism, secular humanism, etc.).
In other words, the 66 books of the Bible are the basic set of presuppositions that form a believer's initial beliefs. When we start with God's Word, that is our ultimate presupposition.
When we start with God's Word, we have a basis for logic, knowledge, and truth since we are made in the image of a logical, all-knowing God of truth. God created and upholds the world in a logical way and has promised to do so in the future, which makes observable and repeatable science possible (uniformity of nature). God also sets absolute morality since He is the ultimate lawgiver.
Non-Christians have presuppositions too—obviously, they don't start with God and His Word. The problem is that non-Christian worldviews (e.g., evolutionism, Hinduism, paganism, cults, etc.) don't have good presuppositions but faulty ones. Ultimately, these non-Christian worldviews can't account for certain things like knowledge, truth, logic, uniformity of science, and absolute morality like the Bible does.
A good way to arrive at these basic presuppositions is to ask, "What must be true for X to be so?" For example, if an atheist tells me evolution is true, I'm going to ask, "Why do you think truth exists in the atheistic worldview (atheism is built on materialism)?" The reason I ask this is to point out a presupposition tension between his professed belief (materialistic atheism) and the non-material concept of truth.
You see, the various materialistic religions cannot account for truth, logic, or knowledge! They fail. They must borrow from a biblical worldview. Therefore, their worldviews are false.
In monistic worldviews (i.e., only spirit exists—you are deceived into thinking material things exist), like Eastern religions (e.g., Hinduism, Taoism, New Age, etc.), all is one.
So, (1) being logical and illogical are one and the same; (2) having truth and falsity are one and the same; (3) having knowledge and no knowledge are one and the same; (4) being moral and immoral are one and the same, and (5) the world is an illusion (maya), so observations of the world (i.e., science) are also an illusion. Did you see how monistic presuppositions fail reality? Again, these religions must borrow from God's Word.
Cults openly borrow from the Bible, and pagan worldviews are just arbitrary. The point is that the Bible must be predicated to evaluate and prove anything. This is called the ultimate proof, or more properly, "transcendental" proof. By the impossibility of the contrary, God's Word is the truth just to proceed. In other words, you can't prove anything unless the Bible is true.
This is really what it means to be presuppositional. And it is pretty powerful when you grasp it.
Images: Fossil, Bodie Hodge; Others purchased for use in Presentation Library.
