The Masterful Mind of John Warwick Montgomery: Why You Can Know the Truth

“Jesus may be true for you, but not for me.” “All religions are basically the same.” “There is no way to know which religion is correct.” These views are a plague on the public because they are illogical, have no factual basis, and are deadly to faith. Yet everywhere you look, people are spreading the contagion that truth is relative. In fact, the unspoken creed of our culture is that every belief is acceptable … except the one that says it alone is right and all others are wrong.

Sadly, Christians are not immune to this disease. Many have been so infected with politically correct spiritual tolerance that they’ll even disagree with Jesus, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Just as toxic is when Christians repeat the lie that belief is merely a matter of the heart, not a matter of the head. Feelings frequently trump faith. Facts cease to matter. And “God” is no longer identified as the Jesus who lived, died, and rose for our salvation. As the old line goes: With friends like these, who needs enemies!

But what is the cure? How does one know that Christianity alone is true among the world’s religions? If there is any apologist whose special skill set has allowed him to provide an antidote to this disease, it’s John Warwick Montgomery.

When It’s Okay to Like Lawyers

The word “apologetics” comes from the Greek word apologia, which means “a reasoned defense.” It’s the sort of argument made in court, building a convincing case based on logic, testimony, and evidence. Thus, lawyers who routinely cross-examine witnesses and inspect the facts are especially suited to be Christian apologists.

Montgomery is an international lawyer and professor, with 11 earned degrees (yes, 11!) and more than 250 publications. He’s been called “God’s Universal Man” because of his ability to address a wide range of subjects, including theology, history, philosophy, jurisprudence, the occult, fantasy literature, social issues and human rights. He even climbed Mt. Ararat in search of Noah’s Ark. Here we will mention three ways Montgomery has masterfully defended the faith and helped eradicate false notions of truth.

A Simple Law of Logic

Montgomery begins his treatment by pointing out the plain fact that all religions contradict each other. Despite popular belief, disagreement is the only thing they all have in common. Some have one deity, some thousands, and others none. Some have a heaven/ hell scenario at death, others have reincarnation, and some say you become a god. Many believe in evil, some don’t. Therefore, it is mistaken to think each one essentially teaches the same thing.

Even more foolish, however, is to say they can somehow all be true. This flies in the face of logic, since two contradictory claims cannot both be true. Can you imagine someone on trial saying he both fired his gun and didn’t fire his gun? It must be one or the other. The same goes for religious claims. Either Jesus is the Son of God or He is not; but to say He is God’s Son for some and not for others is to speak nonsense.

Still, many think it is impossible to know which religion is true, or that they’re all false and atheism is correct. Here, too, Montgomery has some powerful medicine to apply.

Jesus vs. the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Have you heard of the Flying Spaghetti Monster(FSM)? He’s a supernatural creature who wants you to believe in him, eat spaghetti, and pass out pamphlets that say, “Flying Spaghetti Monster loves you.” Do this, and you’ll go to Flying Spaghetti Heaven. But if you don’t, it’s Flying Spaghetti Hell for you! He’s really real, and lives in the hearts of all who believe in him. Want proof? Well, that’s the tricky part. There is no possible way to detect the FSM because there is no evidence for him or against him. I cannot prove he exists, and you cannot disprove it.

No, I didn’t make the FSM up— someone else did. He is used to show some apparent problems with religious beliefs, namely that they cannot be tested, and that facts don’t matter to believers. So whether you follow Allah, Krishna, or Zeus, it’s all the same. It is argued that having religious faith is like having an imaginary friend. It’s not a part of the real world, because the gods are disconnected from what we can see, hear, smell, and touch.

While these points are generally true, Montgomery has shown why only the biblical God is immunized against such charges. Christianity’s central claim is that God became a flesh-and-blood human in the person of Jesus for our redemption. Thus, when people saw, heard, and touched Him, they were seeing, hearing, and touching God himself (John 1:1, 14). In Jesus, God let Himself be tested, prodded, and investigated. And He still allows for this today through an examination of history. The Gospels speak of real people and actual events. They depend on eyewitness testimony. The documents and artifacts can be dug up and handled. That is why lawyers like Montgomery like history so much—because a tangible, testable Jesus is the remedy for all religious speculation and ignorance.

Thus, making a case that Jesus was real is no different than doing so for Julius Caesar or George Washington. And certainly no Flying Spaghetti Monster has ever been publicly executed, only to appear alive again three days later! So firmly does Scripture ground its claims about Jesus in the real world, it even goes so far as to rest everything on the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:14), meaning, not only is there evidence for Christianity, but (in theory) you could also provide evidence against it by showing Jesus never rose. This simply cannot be done for other religions.

The Four-Point Outline

Given that Christianity is the only religion that can be supported or overthrown by facts, where does one start in weighing them? Montgomery has used his legally trained mind to produce a four-step process that serves as a healthy regimen for discovering the truth.

1. Are the New Testament documents historically reliable?

To claim your holy book is true because it says it’s true is circular reasoning. Instead, start by investigating Jesus like you would any figure of ancient history, and the gospels are vindicated.

2. What does Jesus claim therein?

To be God himself, and to rescue the whole world from sin, death, and the devil … for free! No other religious figure ever said such things.

3. How does He prove it?

Resurrection! Proof doesn’t get any better than this.

4. What is Jesus’ view of Scripture?

He treated the Old Testament as God’s Word, and promised the Spirit would guide the apostles into all truth for the New Testament (John 16:13). Since Jesus is God, we would be wise to adopt His view as our own.

Truth is not relative. All religions do not teach the same thing. In fact, when the evidence and history are investigated, Truth turns out to be a Person: Jesus Christ. And He alone rescues us from the lie that truth is relative and gives us what is most true: forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.

Rev. Mark A. Pierson is assistant pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Long Beach, California, and has a passion for evangelism and apologetics. You can email him at markapierson@gmail.com.