Uploaded March 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Does Christianity bear the kind of fruit one might expect if it were true? Does naturalism or Christian theism better predict the moral fruits and lack thereof that we actually observe? Naturalists would expect Christianity to produce a mixed bag, like any other man-made institution. Christian theism leads one to form loftier expectations.
There’s much more to say about this argument than we cover today, but we manage to lay out the essential core of the argument: a Theological Premise, an Empirical Premise, and a Moral Premise. The Theological Premise is, roughly speaking, the claim that Christianity should bear appreciable moral fruit, and that Christian theism and naturalism make different predictions: they lead us to form different expectations about the world. The Empirical Premise is meant to establish some relevant fact about the world. The Moral Premise affirms a moral fact or normative judgment. We defend each of these premises and work the meager moral fruits argument into a cumulative case for naturalism.
https://linktr.ee/emersongreen
Consider supporting the podcasts at patreon.com/counter or /waldenpod
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counter-apologetics/id1273573417
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/0xp05xgyg04BWh0U1tCZ0z
Follow on Twitter @waldenpod @OnPanpsychism
Transcript emersongreenblog.wordpress.com/2022/03/17/the-meager-moral-fruits-argument
/ timestamps /
00:00 Introduction
01:51 Three Moving Parts
07:08 Is Christianity Supposed to Bear Fruit?
15:13 Factoring MMF Into A Cumulative Case
17:04 Conclusion
18:31 Goodbye
Does Christianity bear the kind of fruit one might expect if it were true? Does naturalism or Christian theism better predict the moral fruits and lack thereof that we actually observe? Naturalists would expect Christianity to produce a mixed bag, like any other man-made institution. Christian theism leads one to form loftier expectations.
There’s much more to say about this argument than we cover today, but we manage to lay out the essential core of the argument: a Theological Premise, an Empirical Premise, and a Moral Premise. The Theological Premise is, roughly speaking, the claim that Christianity should bear appreciable moral fruit, and that Christian theism and naturalism make different predictions: they lead us to form different expectations about the world. The Empirical Premise is meant to establish some relevant fact about the world. The Moral Premise affirms a moral fact or normative judgment. We defend each of these premises and work the meager moral fruits argument into a cumulative case for naturalism.
https://linktr.ee/emersongreen
Consider supporting the podcasts at patreon.com/counter or /waldenpod
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counter-apologetics/id1273573417
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/0xp05xgyg04BWh0U1tCZ0z
Follow on Twitter @waldenpod @OnPanpsychism
Transcript emersongreenblog.wordpress.com/2022/03/17/the-meager-moral-fruits-argument
/ timestamps /
00:00 Introduction
01:51 Three Moving Parts
07:08 Is Christianity Supposed to Bear Fruit?
15:13 Factoring MMF Into A Cumulative Case
17:04 Conclusion
18:31 Goodbye
