Fourfold Argument
Someone can prove God exists, and then arrive at Christianity, via the following four steps:
- Cosmological + Teleological + Pascal's Wager + Comparative Religion
These are explained as follows:
- Cosmological Argument - If there was ever a point when nothing existed, nothing ever would have come into existence. But we know that the natural universe - time, matter, energy, and natural laws - exists. Therefore, either the natural universe is itself eternal, or it was created by a Necessary Being outside of the natural system
- Teleological Argument - The design and fine-tuning that we see in the natural universe - consistent natural laws, chemical properties, the conditions required for a habitable place like earth to exist, and above all, the life on earth - points us to the fact that, rather than merely the unintelligent natural universe being eternal, instead, the First Cause is a supremely intelligent, powerful, Necessary Being - God
- Pascal's Wager - If we are wrong about God existing, yet choose to be open to Him existing, and live for Him, we haven't lost much - only a finite lifetime. But, if we are right about God existing, and Eternal Life with Him is possible, then we stand to gain everything. Therefore, it's logical to be as open to God as we can possibly be. This means that we, in our disposition, overwhelmingly favor the Theistic sides of the Cosmological and Teleological arguments, by logical default
- Comparative Religion - We can then use a reasoned study of comparative religion to determine the correct concept of God. This investigation yields that Christianity is unique amongst all world religions, in that it has two robust primary proofs:
- Old Testament narrative, symbolism, and prophecy fulfilled in Jesus (article)
- The historical case for the resurrection of Jesus (article)
Points one and two should always be considered as a unit. It's illogical to consider an answer to the Cosmological problem without considering the design, order, and information that we see in creation. Pascal's Wager then removes any excuse to hold out skepticism against all reason, in spite of the force of the first two arguments. Then, we study out to see which religion, if any, is correct, and that is basically what the rest of this website is dedicated to.
Conclusion
Each of these points can be explored in great detail, and many entire books have been written on each of them. This is merely a concise summary, and maybe for some, an introduction.
This argument will not convince everyone, because of course it won't - any and all arguments and proofs for God can be contested by someone who isn't open to believing. That's why Pascal's Wager is an important element in this, because it addresses the disposition, which is the primary stumbling block for a disbeliever.
However, I think this argument is sufficient to give any reasonable person, who is not set on suppressing what nature already reveals to everyone (Romans 1:18-21), a rational basis for being able to explain why Theism is logically sound, and then sets them on a path to prayerfully study comparative religion, and examine the compelling arguments that Christianity has in its favor.