Hawly and Daws fall into the dishonest doubter category. Theirs is NOT a search for truth.
"Writing in the third century, St. Augustine (354-430) made an observation about the doubters of his own day. In Confessions, Book 21, chapter 2, Augustine writes about doubters who refuse to accept the claims of Christianity unless a believer can "prove them by ocular demonstration." The skeptic's demand for "ocular demonstration" is heard to this day. The standard for "proof" becomes essentially this: "If Christianity cannot be physically demonstrated before my very eyes, in a way that I can watch on demand, touch, and verify by repetition, I will not believe."
So, our generation is not the first in which people have made empiricism the only test for truth. But the skeptic should be reminded that all people hold to beliefs that cannot be replicated on demand, or "proven" by observation. We accept on the authority of history that George Washington crossed the Delaware, though none of us was alive to see it. We cannot scientifically prove that our family members love us, though we take it for granted that they do. And (as has been pointed out by many an apologist), the skeptic has never visibly seen his own brain, but we know that he has one!
So, even the strictest empiricist accepts things that arenÂ’t always empirically verified.
Two types of doubters
Having debated a number of atheists myself, and in my experiences sharing the gospel with many skeptics, I can relate to Augustine's observation. The late Adrian Rogers- a beloved pastor and prolific author- often talked about an honest doubter and a dishonest doubter. When a skeptic would confront the pastor with an objection, Rogers would sometimes ask a question of his own: "If I can sufficiently and factually answer your question," Rodgers would ask, "will you open your heart to Christ and to the Gospel?"
I have posed this same question to people at times. The responses given can be very interesting. An honest doubter will say, "yes", or in some way indicate that they are, indeed, trying to resolve the obstacles that lay between them and belief in God. Bottom line: An honest doubter really does want an answer to his question.
The response (and heart condition of) a dishonest doubter is different entirely. The dishonest doubter will respond negatively to questions like, "Are you asking this question in hopes of finding your way to God? If I answer your question would you be open to becoming a follower of Jesus Christ?" An atheist whom I interviewed last year said to me, "I am not so much against God, as I am against belief in God." When asked if there was anything that could ever convince this person to believe in God, he said, "no". The dishonest doubter may have a number of different motives for the issue(s) he is raising, but the search for truth is not one of them.
When the will says, "I will not"
Augustine of old could sympathize with anyone who has ever struggled to dialogue with a dishonest doubter. The dishonest doubter engages in conversation over spiritual issues, and as the Christian responds to the (supposed) "key issue" standing between the person and God, the information laid out is quickly dismissed. Augustine wrote of such persons who, "Â…content, with the same skepticism, that these facts are not examples of what we seek to prove."
The dishonest doubter is avoiding the reality of God and Christ by saying, a) You haven't proved your case sufficiently for me; or, b) You have proved your case (or something like it), but this wasn't what I was really asking.
Romans 1:18 talks about the universal human tendency to know God's truth but to suppress it. In John 3:19, Jesus explained that people prefer darkness rather than light because of desire to keep their sins hidden. Thus, apologetics and Christian worldview ministry is not a mental exercise only. Dialoguing fruitfully about spiritual questions and objections does require tact and preparation, but also prayer."