Why aren't you a Christian?

People claim many reasons for rejecting Christianity. Usually, these reasons fall into 1 of 3 camps.

First, let me note that a decision on Christianity is very unlike choosing one's favorite ice cream. Christianity deals in the realm of true or false, and not in the realm of preference or opinion. Either Jesus is God, or he is not. Both cannot be true at the same time. So one cannot claim that Christianity may be "true for you, but not for me." That doesn't make sense. That's like saying "Gravity is true for you, but not for me." So, when it comes to the question of Christianity, we shouldn't ask, 'Do I like it?', but rather, 'Is it true?' Kapish?

So...why aren't you a Christian? (Or if you are a Christian, use the below to determine why those you are speaking with aren't Christians...)

1. Intellectual- In this camp, you don't believe that Christianity has been proven to be true. You may be open to the evidence for or against it, but you think the evidence is stacked against it. At least, in this camp, you are asking the right question- Is Christianity true? I believe that the evidence convincingly shows it to be so. But at least those in this camp are asking the right questions.

2. Volitional- This camp is for those who don't want Christianity to be true. Regardless of the evidence, there are those who wouldn't believe, because they really don't want someone telling them what to do. If Christianity is true, that means they have to answer to God for how they live and the choices they make. ("Volition" means "the power to make a decision.")

3. Emotional- A third camp rejects Christianity for emotional reasons. They may not like the Bible's teaching on hell, or homosexuality, or gender roles, or predestination. Something doesn't sit well with them, so they refuse to accept it.

Keep in mind that camps #2 & #3 above do not affect the truth of Christianity. I might not like gravity. I might not like the Civil War. My negative emotional feelings, however, do not affect whether these are true or not.

So skeptic and saved alike, keep in mind that in discussions on Christianity in specific (and "religion", "truth", and "morality in general"), the question is not one of opinion or preference. The question is, "Is this true or not? And what does the evidence say?"

Adam & Eve, Fables, and Genealogies

I interrogate my Bible when I read it. I think it's the best way to learn. Someone really, really smart once said that "the unexamined life isn't worth living." I think the unquestioned faith isn't worth believing. Therefore, I firmly believe that we must question what we believe. Not to be an annoying skeptical guy, but to deepen our faith, to arrive at tough answers for tough questions, and ultimately to know God better. My, is it scary sometimes. But your faith will be better for it.


So I asked myself the question, "Doesn't the story of Adam & Eve seem kind of like a fable? Doesn't it seem made up, possibly a cute and childish Jewish anecdote for how we all got here, and why everything's jacked up? Kinda like Greek mythology a little bit?" (P.S.- I ask myself weird questions like this all the time. Then I usually ask them and ramble about them to my wife. Poor gal.)


On the surface, how do we know that Adam & Eve is no more historical than say, the notable "Tortoise and the Hare"? Besides the typical (yet true) answer that the Bible is God's word, and is therefore true, how do we know?


I'm sure there are several answers better than the one I'm about to give. But the weird thing about Adam & Eve is that the story doesn't just get told in a vacuum. If skeptics kept on reading, they'd realize that Adam had children. And they had children. And this is all recorded. There are in fact 3-4 genealogies in the next few chapters (4:17-22, Gen. 5, Gen. 10 & Gen 11:10-32). These genealogies are retraced in the New Testament as well, linking Adam & Eve and their descendants to real, historical humans that, guess what, actually existed! (See. Matt. 1 & Luke 3:23-38)


Some claim that the biblical accounts of creation are nice, but are ultimately fictional. They would essentially equate the creation & fall of man in Genesis 3 to Aesop's Fables. However, a real reading of the text indicates that the author and his audience entirely took this account to be historical. There's no way around it.


Often times, genealogies are the sections I skip over in my Bible (except to look for funny names). But tonight, they really encouraged me and strengthened my faith in God's Word. Let 'em strengthen yours.

Christian Funda-terrorist?

I came across this well-written column on the recent terrorist attack and tragic shooting in Norway. It is certainly unfortunate that this criminal has referred to himself as "Christian." The article explores how "Christian" this sick individual really is. A great excerpt below, and the whole thing HERE. Emphasis below is mine.

Given initial suspicions that Friday's bombing and mass shooting in Norway were carried out by Islamic militants linked to al Qaeda, the way police ended up describing the suspect behind the attacks came as a big surprise even to many security experts: The alleged attacker was called a "Christian fundamentalist."

 

But experts on European politics and religion say that the Christian fundamentalist label could overstate the extent to which the suspect, Anders Behring Breivik - who has told authorities that he carried out the attacks - was motivated by religion, and the extent to which he is tied to a broader religious movement.

"It is true that he sees himself as a crusader and some sort of Templar knight," said Marcus Buck, a political science professor at Norway's University of Tromso, referring to an online manifesto that Breivik appears to have authored and which draws inspiration from medieval Christian crusaders.

"But he doesn't seem to have any insight into Christian theology or any ideas of how the Christian faith should play any role in Norwegian or European society," Buck wrote in an email message. "His links to Christianity are much more based on being against Islam and what he perceives of as 'cultural Marxism.'"

From what the 1,500-page manifesto says, Breivik appears to have been motivated more by an extreme loathing of European multiculturalism that has accompanied rapid immigration from the developing world, and of the European Union's growing powers, than by Christianity.

"My impression is that Christianity is used more as a vehicle to unjustly assign some religious moral weight," to his political views, said Anders Romarheim, a fellow at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies. "It is a signifier of Western culture and values, which is what they pretend to defend."

"I would say they are more anti-Islam than pro-Christian," Romarheim said in reference to what appear to be Breivik's views.

Logical Arguments for God's Existence

I was sent the above quote from famed atheist Stephen Hawking this week. It is really interesting to me why people will fight hard against believing in the existence of a God, choosing rather to believe that the universe created itself (to quote the non-quite Christian movie "Anchorman", "60% of the time, this works every time"). This quote also reinforced the rationality of a few key arguments for God's existence, in concise poor mann's terms below...

1. The Cosmological Argument- We live in a cause and effect system. The universe had to have a beginning and a cause. Since it is logically impossible for the universe to be eternal, it must have been started at a certain point. Atheists will claim that this was a spontaneous "big bang," but doesn't it seem a touch more rational to believe that an eternal, personal, powerful God chose to intentionally create?  Contrary to Hawking's words above, the universe cannot create itself out of nothing, because then the universe would have had to exist before it existed, which doesn't make sense, you know. Indeed, God is the most rational answer to the question of why we (or anything we see) exists.

2. The Teleological Argument- This is the argument for God's existence from the obvious design seen in our world and in our bodies. Not only must the universe have had a beginning, but it had to have a designer. A supreme lawmaker had to write the "law of gravity" which Hawking references; an Eternal Engineer had to create the processes and systems of life, digestion, photosynthesis, reproduction, energy, and give start to those systems; and only a Divine artist (not an impersonal big-bang) could create awe-inspiring landscapes, feelings of love, beauty, and hope, mellifluous melodies, and even the wonders found in vast corners of outer space. Something with such order and beauty demands an intelligent designer.

3. The Moral Argument- Where do we get morals from? Where do we get meaning from? Without a God who created, we have absolutely no logical reason to believe in right and wrong, good and evil. As CS Lewis reasoned, "A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?" You see, we do have universal morals, values, and meaning. We cannot call rape "evil" unless we know there is real good and real evil. God has given us a "straight line" of morality, so that we can look at rape, murder, and a host of other actions and absolutely call them "evil." The fact that we have right and wrong (in all societies) appeals to a Lawmaker who wrote those values and morals on our hearts.

Many will assume that atheism appeals to science and logic whereas belief in God appeals to "blind faith." Wrong. I choose to believe in God because it is most rational and logical to do so. Belief in God is certainly by faith, but it is not a blind faith. In fact, I would argue that it takes more faith to be an atheist!

As CS Lewis said again, "Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning."

Addendum- A few apologetics resources I use. There are several good ones out there.

- STR Place (apologetics for students)

- Christian Research Institute

- Christian Apologetics and Resource Ministry

- Alpha and Omega Ministries

America's Religion

In my news updates this morning, I came across an interesting USA Today column that highlights the need for and value of religion in 21st century America. While I will always find intrigue in articles that wrestle with the big questions of life such as this article does, the conclusion is disconcerting.


"Yet as important as community, worship and service are, I am convinced that religion's greatest contribution to society is even greater. Religion makes us want to live."


Essentially, the gospel preached in the USA Today is this. "Truth matters not. Meaning, purpose, and quality of life reign supreme. It does not matter where you find that meaning or purpose, only that you find it. Call it Jesus, call it God, call it a higher power, call it spirituality. Call it what you wish, for it is not consequential what you find, only that you think you have found it."


Sound satisfying to you? Because the Bible tells us that our hearts are deceitful (Jer. 17:9), a statement we have empirically proven accurate over the millenia, I cannot trust that which simply makes me feel good, since it may very well be the wrong thing. Does my warm affection for something make it right, or prove it true? Does my child-like enjoyment of Christmas render the myth of Santa's late night visit a historical fact? No, no, no. What matters ultimately is not our feeling of purpose gathered from so-called religion. But, at the end of the day, the question we must answer is not, "Do I find purpose in this?" The question is "Is what I find purpose in true?" As for Christianity, Paul wrote clearly, "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins...If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied (1 Cor. 15:17-19)." If Jesus isn't true, and if his bodily resurrection wasn't historically factual, you should pity my purpose, not celebrate it.


Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life..." He proved this statement by raising from the dead. His death took place in history on this planet, and his resurrected lips bid us to believe. Though his call, his redemption, and his presence in my life indeed brings me a sense of purpose, the purpose is not the ultimate reason why I believe. The truth is.

Principles for dealing with "Bible Contradictions"

Below are just a few of the principles I keep in mind when people bring up alleged contradictions in the Bible. It may be one of the most common excuses people use against the Bible. If you have not encountered this argument yet, you certainly will soon (that is, if you are Jesus-like and evangelistic and actually talk to and befriend non-Christians!). The below are NOT ways to solve every contradiction; rather, these are just a few things that I keep in mind. If you have any other notes of interest, please feel free to comment!

1. Contradictions should be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. There is not one simple cut and dry answer that will refute any "contradiction." Every tough issue in the Bible may be affected by several other topics: ancient manuscripts, linguistics, translations, historical context, cultural context, etc.

2. There is always a good answer- IF you study and think about it! I have been faced with some very tough issues in the Bible, both in my Bible classes and "out on the street." I have always been able to read, think, and study, and find a very sufficient answer or explanation. Ask pastors or teachers, ask Bible professors, read some books or good websites, or actually read the Bible in its context!

3. Alleged 'Contradictions' actually give more reason to believe the authenticity of the Bible. Imagine that you are answering an essay question for an exam at school. If your essay was exactly the same, thought for thought, as your friends, the teacher can reasonably assume that you cheated, copied off each other, or at least studied the exact same notes together. However, if you both give good, solid answers that  give the same "jist" of facts and ideas, but you write with different words, phrases, order, and structure, you teacher can assume that you both are reporting the same true answer of the same true fact in a different way. She (or he!) would have no reason to assume foul play.

Likewise, when people bring up 'contradictions in the Bible,' often times it is a merely that one gospel author recorded the events in a different order, or a slightly different way, or with a few extra tidbits either included or left out. These variations in the stories give us great reason to believe that the authors of the New Testament were simply recording the facts of history that they witnessed and were impacted by!

4. Contradiction or different point of view? As I mentioned above, alleged contradictions are often just different points of view of the same event. Kind of like one person describing your face from the left side, while another describes from the right side.

5. It's OK to say, "I don't know." Sometimes, I have seen my professors or teachers faced with very tough questions, and they say, "I don't know, but I will find out for you." I have answered the same way at times. If you honestly don't know the answer to a tough Bible question, the best thing to do is to (drum roll please...) say that you don't know! But use that opportunity to go and learn about the issue.

6. How does this issue affect the story of the gospel? Many times, you can sense that people are bringing up alleged contradictions and questions, but they do not really want answers or real, unbiased discussion. So, I think it may be wise to ask, "Even if this issue is a contradiction, how does that affect the historical event of Jesus' resurrection?" Get to the point. I don't want to spend our time debating about very minor issues if someone is only using those issues to dodge the real question, "Who do you say that Jesus is?"

Wisdom from the dead Buddha

This morning, I read an inglorious little quote from Buddha on the side of my 'Good Earth' tea bag. The Buddhster says, in some of his last words (before he died and was buried and stayed dead like the rest of mankind- that was for free!) according to tradition, "Doubt everything. Find your own light." Um, forgive me, Mr. Buddha, for perhaps taking your words too literally, but if I am supposed to 'doubt everything,' as you claim, should I not then doubt my ability to 'find my own light'? I'm just saying....

The sad reality that truly brings me great sadness is that many who bite the glittering lure of this self-glorifying advice soon see the "Light of the world." And Buddha would surely acknowledge now, that Jesus' glory and worth is what we should not doubt.

The Sermons of our Culture

I nearly cried watching Michael Jackson's funeral the other day. And not because I will miss him, nor because of his daughter's tearful farewell, and definitely not because of my sore back thanks to my moonwalk attempts. I was heavy-hearted, not by the death of the king of pop, but by the dishonor given King Jesus.

Our culture is constantly preaching messages, through commercials, songs, movies, articles, and through the funeral the other day. The name of Jesus was referenced, heaven was spoken of, and yet the service closed with the message that, "We are the world," truth is relative, and let's accept all worldviews as equally valid (regardless of their correspondence with history, reality, etc.). Much else can be said, but my main concern is that the real, actual, living, historical Jesus is sharply misrepresented. The natural man affirms loudly and loves the big themes, for they make him 'feel' peace- "God is love," "We are all God's children," "Jesus gives hope and peace..." However, we detach these 'big themes' from the 'smaller' details, questions, and answers that make these big themes true! Jesus is peace! But how do we get that peace in light of our sin? God is love! But what does that love consist of, and what changes does it cause in our lives? The peace of Jesus & the love of God mean nothing if they don't answer questions and solve problems related to the plight of my soul and the glory of God. We want to affirm big, feel-good themes, but we want to detach them from reality, detach them from history, and therefore detach them from any real significance beyond a sound-bite.

I have thought of several biblical & Christian observations & responses to this example of a widespread issue that the church must face and engage in:

- Apologetics is a must-study for every Christian. You do apologetics on your couch.

- We are now a post-Christian society.

- We must have our minds ready for battle every day. Holy living starts with holy thinking.

- I'd rather ride a bumpy road to heaven with Jesus, than take a smooth one to hell without him.

- How does our Christian theology actually affect our morals? Does it?

- Is your day in, day out, faith based in history?

- What is your answer for the hope that is in you?

- Do all religions really lead to God?

- In our culture's worldview, who gets punished or goes to hell? Does anyone?'

- Can you explain what the "love of God" actually & practically means?

- What are your emotions when God & his word are disregarded? Are you hurt, heavy, & sad?

- Do you have love for the non-Christian? If so, how do you show it?

What other reactions do you have?