Filed under: Apologetics, Uncategorized | Tags: Apologetics, Atheism, Questions
I recently stumbled upon this video on YouTube which insists that every Christian must answer these 10 questions. The questions are as follows:
- Why won’t God heal amputees?
- Why are there so many starving people in the world?
- Why does God demand the death of so many innocent people in the Bible
- Why does the Bible contain so much anti-scientific nonsense?
- Why is God such a huge proponent of slavery in the Bible?
- Why do bad things happen to good people?
- Why didn’t any of Jesus’ miracles in the Bible leave behind any evidence?
- How do we explain the fact that Jesus has never appeared to you?
- Why would Jesus want you to eat his body and drink his blood?
- Why do Christians get divorced at the same rate as non-Christians?
The creator of this video insists that the answer to all of these questions is simply: “God is imaginary.” In light of this answer the speaker maintains that “When you use your brain and when you think logically about your religious faith, you can reach only one conclusion…” The said conclusion is simply that God is imaginary. I must say that I am intrigued by this logic, but it is not this specific argument that I am concerned with.
I am truly interested in finding this fountain of knowledge and sound thinking which militant atheists seem to be drinking from. My friend who hides behind his YouTube video (and website…Why won’t God heal amputees?) insists with full assurance that an imaginary god is the only conclusion to his questions. Richard Dawkins tells us that God is a delusion and Christopher Hitchens maintains that God is not great at all. The overarching theme seems to be that there’s no way in hell (which is not a real place) that God is real. What I am truly puzzled about is how men such as Dawkins and Hitchens, who hold science to be the highest authority, have become so arrogant to look in the other direction in regards to their own convictions. We as a human race (not just individuals, but collectively), know so little of all available knowledge, I am just not sure how anyone is an atheist. If an atheist believes that God does not exist and an agnostic believes that God may exist, but one cannot or does not know; Why does anyone pull the atheism card?
Now my main point is not to argue against atheism or even to try to defend God (He surely does not need my help), but I would like to discuss the criticisms I see happening. The “10 Questions” video questions why God would care about what day of the week a person works and Hitchens outright claims that believing in Jesus taking other’s sins on the cross is immoral. I wonder if these men would argue against physics when their car comes to a stop. I wonder if they would argue against a teacher after clearly having marked the wrong answer on a test. I guess what I’m saying is, “When did we get the right to argue against reality?” If God exists and He is the ultimate reality, how would Christopher Hitchens critique of substitutionary atonement matter one bit? And furthermore, they are giving some credit to the idea because they are arguing against it in the first place. People do not tend to oppose that which does not exist. C.S. Lewis puts it best in Mere Christianity when he writes, “When you are arguing against Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all.”
In light of the 10 Questions for Christians, I think I have some questions for atheists?
- Why have humans somehow reversed natural selection (i.e. Why do we care for the poor and help those who can’t help themselves?) even though it always has worked the same way without exception.
- Why are morals important if there is no higher authority, no afterlife and essentially no meaning?
- Why do people have desires for something that can never be quenched by this world (i.e. people are hungry therefore there is such thing as food, people get thirsty therefore there is such thing as drink, etc…)?
- Where do ideas like love come from (no biochemistry please)?
- How has the crazy story of a carpenter God from Nazareth, Israel fooled so many people into giving up their lives for a nonsensical tale?
My list isn’t exhaustive, but I might suggest that the answer to all these questions is: “God is real and He is the ultimate reality.”
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Enemies, Reconciliation, Repentance, Romans
Recently I was reading (or rather listening to someone read) chapter 5 from the book of Romans. Romans 5:10 has always stood out to me as it says, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” I think the reason this verse sticks out to me is that it labels me as an enemy of God. Now don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that I am perfect, or that I am any better or worse than the next person is. Nevertheless, in the grand scheme of things I can never a recall a time in my life where I declared war against God. In Matthew 12:30, Jesus states, “He who is not with Me is against Me.” But even then, I’ve never felt I wasn’t with him. I have some atheist friends who would respond, “Love your neighbors, and feed the poor, fight injustice. Yeah Jesus, I am with you.” This whole enemy of God thing has remained a mystery to me for a while.
I would bet that if you polled most people, a majority would not claim allegiance against God or Jesus. Nonetheless, God’s word tells me that we were all God’s enemies. With that said, I cannot simply brush the matter off. It wasn’t until I recently studied Psalm 7 that I have started to get an understanding of how anyone makes him or herself an enemy of God…
In Psalm 7, the psalmist David is asking for God to judge his (David’s enemies). David is clearly in a time of trial and he wants justice to be done. However, by the time he gets to verse 12, the focus of the adversaries has been broadened. Verse 12 tells us that, “If a man does not repent, He will sharpen his sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready.” The picture is of someone preparing himself for war. Verse 13 describes the person preparing “deadly weapons” and 14 describes him becoming the creator of wickedness, mischief and falsehood. What does this person do to begin this path of iniquity? He refuses to repent.
So we have a guy who refuses to repent (literally: turn from sin) and the next thing you know, he is creating weapons of war for the purpose of wrongdoing. It seems like a big jump, but I would assert that the weapons are merely a byproduct of the unrepentance. Perhaps the psalm is saying that the person doesn’t even know they are doing this. In fact, I feel confident that they prepare for war unknowingly because verse 15 tells us that the unrepentant person, “has dug a pit and hollowed it out, And has fallen into the hole which he made.” No one would do that sort of thing on purpose. Therefore, Psalm 7 asserts that if we refuse to admit that we sin, we are creating an arsenal of corruption.
C.S. Lewis had a very strong opinion on how this sort of transformation works. In his, Weight of Glory, he wrote, “It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship –or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations.” Lewis has the idea that we are either equipping ourselves to be for God or against Him. The scariest part is that people are seemingly poisoning themselves with what seems harmless, trivial, and mundane. I want to emphasize this point strongly: I am not saying that people need to start doing what is right in order to be saved from a terrible future. I am saying that if we do not recognize sin for what it is, then we head down a road to terrible destination.
The psalm tells us that it is the unrepentant person who prepares for battle with weapons of wickedness. But we need to understand that repentance is not an issue of doing what is right instead of what is wrong. Repentance is admitting our own wrongs and accepting that God’s way is right. If repentance was a turn that resulted in only right action from that moment on, then I would be happy to tell you that there are many repentant and thus perfect people walking around. In addition, if repentance resulted in only doing what is right, then what would we say for those who accept Christ on their deathbed? Their opportunity for right action is over and only eternity awaits them. For example in Luke 23, the criminal on the cross next to Jesus shows repentance in saying, “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong. (Verse 41)” In response this heart change, Jesus assures the criminal that he will see heaven. Repentance is a heart issue, not a better test score.
In closing, I’d like to tackle the idea that how we become enemies of God. Imagine if you will, an election in which the candidate from one party claims that he is for better education and less war. What if that candidate’s opponent decided that in order to differentiate himself he would stand on a more war and less education platform? In order to show how different he is from the candidate, he will just do exactly the opposite of him. It’s a ridiculous strategy and one that is not present in any election that I have ever seen. But according to scripture, it is exactly what we have done in opposition to God. In Psalm 119:104, the psalmist shares God sentiment to “hate every false way.” However, Paul quotes in Romans, Psalm 14:1 telling us that, “There is no one who does good.” God has shown His will and has used the Law of the Old Testament to show that we are all guilty and have all made ourselves His enemies.
Are you overwhelmed, saddened, depressed? Well you are in good company. Even the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7:24, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” The answer is of course Jesus Christ. Jesus spoke of coming for the sick, but even the sick must admit they need a doctor before any treatment can take place. One of my favorite hymn writers, Joseph Hart, wrote in his hymn, Come Ye Sinners:
“Let not conscience make you linger,
Not of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him.”
The only antidote to being God’s enemy is repentance. It is looking in your hands, seeing the weapons you have created and handing them to the one whom was pierced by your iniquity, but loves you nonetheless.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Courage, Injustice, Invisible Children, World Issues
Last night (April 29) I took part in a worldwide event called the Global Night Commute. The even was a unified movement to help raise awareness for the Invisible Children, the child refugees of Northern Uganda who live in fear of the Lord’s Resistance Army, a cultic militia who abducts and brainwashes children between the ages of five and twelve for use as sex slaves and child soldiers. In over 130 cities, internationally people walked to designated sites and slept outside to stand in support of the Invisible Children of Uganda who are forced to walk every night into city centers in an attempt to avoid capture. Last night I got very little sleep, but I had a lot of time to think about not only the commute and the plight of the refugees in Uganda, but also the world as a whole.
I stand in full support of the Invisible Children organization and their mission, but I also am fully aware that they are not the only people working to fight against injustice, poverty, hunger, disease, and all the other problems that face the world today. In fact, anytime I see or hear about what is going on in the world, I find myself overwhelmed by the problems, the pains, and most of all the urgent need for action. It would be easy to just say, “The world has too many problems for me to deal with,” and just do nothing, but I believe this is unacceptable. When I read Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:40 I feel called to action by His words when He says, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me. (NASB)” I feel that as a follower of Christ, I have no choice, but to make the plight of others my struggle as well.
To me the Bible is amazingly clear that we as Christians are not to stand idly by while the world deteriorates around us. The Apostle James tells us, “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? (James 2:15-16)” I know that in my own selfish and lazy attitudes I would love to just say, “Yes I will commit to pray for those who need help around the world.” It is not that prayer is not needed (in fact I think it is needed more than we even know), but urgency and action are required to bring the change we wish to see. Jesus tells us that the second greatest commandment is to “Love your neighbor” (Matthew 22:39) and how can we do truly do that without sacrificing something? I believe love has a volitional component that is to say, true love requires a sacrifice. If a man vows to marry his wife, he shows his love to his wife by promising not to have any other wives. There is clearly a sacrifice made. Jesus tells us what the greatest sacrifice of love is in John 15:13 when He tells us, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”
I could go on and on with Bible verses about how we are called to love, serve, and sacrifice, but the point is pretty clear. The question we now are forced to ask is, “What do we do now?” It is a very good question indeed. Volunteer to help serve food at a homeless shelter, commit to sponsor a child through WorldVision or some other child sponsorship agency, go visit elderly folks at nursing homes, help spread the word about the Invisible Children, the International Justice Mission, or donate blood. We have so much potential, so much money, and so much time, but we do so little with it all. We need to stop doing nothing and start doing something. Lately I have been thinking about what it truly means for Christians to be referred to as the Body of Christ. If our goal is to be as much like Jesus as possible then we need to try to serve like He served and love like He loved. Mother Teresa once said, “It is a kingly act to assist the fallen.” Luckily, for us, we have the most kingly example of all to follow, Jesus, the King of Kings himself.
Having said all this I will admit that I find myself often discouraged by how much work there is to be done, and how much trouble the world is in. But I take hope in one thing. It is not up to us to save the world, we are not the ones who have to do the work, but it is Christ in us. We are not the savior of the world, but we serve the One who is. It is not us to win the battle, but we sure as hell can try. We only follow behind the one who has already told us, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Lately I’ve spent a lot of time meditating on one of my favorite verses in the Bible. 1 John 3:8b tells us that, “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” This verse fascinates me because it keeps me in constant wonder as to what this undoing of Satan’s handiwork truly looks like. I’ve often envisioned a vast army of angels coming down to the earth and destroying the fallen world, but I’ve decided that this vision is either incomplete or more likely misguided on my part. I can easily envision the army of God any way I like, but I highly doubt that God’s military looks at all like ours.
I’ve often heard the analogy that Jesus came on a rescue mission. He was sent into an enemy country in order to save the prisoners of war, but I think this analogy too is flawed. Let us first examine this enemy territory of which we speak. Genesis 1:31 tells us “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” This fact speaks to me that the world, or nature, is not inherently evil as many people view it. We are told that Satan may be the prince of the earth, but this is neither a permanent nor absolute position. The world as we see it now is not a different entity than the earth that God created in the beginning, but rather comparing our current earth to the newly created earth would be like, as C.S. Lewis puts it, comparing bread mold to bread.
I would like to propose a revised version of our rescue story. I can imagine that when Jesus arrived on earth, he probably said or felt something close to Galadriel’s – from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings – sentiments when she said, “The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was, is lost, for none now live who remember it.” But I do not imagine His desire was to do away with the place in its entirety, for after all He did take part in its creation. Jesus was indeed sent on a rescue mission, but his target was not necessarily only the comrade in arms lost in the foreign land.
C.S. Lewis touches on this topic in his work Miracles. He writes, “In the Christian story God descends to reascend. He comes down; down from the heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity; down further still, if embryologists are right, to recapitulate in the womb ancient and pre-human phases of life; down to the roots and seabed of the Nature He has created. But He goes down to come up again and bring the whole ruined world up with Him.” I think this is what John was referring to when he said that the Son of God came to “destroy the works of the devil; Satan’s work is not creation, it is the corruption of creation (i.e. bread mold to bread, rust to metal, the tumor to the body). Good seeks out not only the prisoner of war, but He seeks to bring the enemy land home.
While I think my refined version of the rescue metaphor is more accurate than its predecessor, it still must be kept in check to the ultimate source from which we make our comparisons, analogies and metaphors: the Word of God. Malachi 3:3 tells us that, “He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.” We must remember that there are casualties in the rescue mission, just as some of the precious metal is lost in the refining process. Psalm 17:3, “The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests hearts.”
I do not claim to have a full understanding of how God works. But I am confident that He is a rescuer and refiner of His creation. He is not, as in other religions, simply waiting for us to come to Him. If that was in His nature, the Son would never have sought us out on earth. Rather from the beginning God has been searching for man and He continues to call out, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9) God is in the business of relentless rescue and pursuit.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Community, Denominations, Reconnection, Relationships
“And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.” – Matthew 27:51
I read that verse and quickly recognize that God is in the business of reconnection. However, there have been a few things I’ve noticed lately that weigh heavy on my mind. First, I’ve noticed that we as humans are social and communal beings. Second, I’ve noticed that though we love community, we are not particularly good at doing it. Look all around and you will see that everyone is trying to figure out how a healthy community should work, whether in family, business, government, or religion. As a Christian, I would think that the best place to seek and view a well-working community would be in the Christian church. But sadly, even there we find a broken relationship.
I want to start by saying that I look to the church, that is the general body of Christians, because I believe the Bible gives instruction as to what a community should look like. However, I would never be so closed minded as to reject input from the secular world because I am looking for anything that is going to help me. However, as I see it, the most important part of life is the spiritual side, so I will aim my remarks at the greater Christian church.
When one examines the institution of traditional Christianity, one does not exactly find a shining example of what a group of like-minded individuals should look like. In fact, the overall theme seems to be centered more on disunity among Christians rather than unity as many Christians identify themselves by their denominations – Baptists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Methodists and the like – rather than just being a mere Christian. While I agree it is important to stand up for what you believe, I’m not sure the Bible calls us to this level of separation. While some would argue that Christ came “not to bring peace, but a sword,” I might suggest that this fact is not relevant in our present discussion.
I think one of the clearest examples of community in the Bible is found in the second chapter of Acts. We find here a description of the very earliest “church.” They were not a bureaucratic counsel, but rather a lot of individuals who loved Jesus and gathered together. When they were together, they prayed, taught, and ate together. Most importantly, verse 46 tells us “They had a single purpose.” They may not have been the most intellectual, organized, or highly esteemed group, but they knew what life was really about, and subsequently they changed the whole world.
So how exactly did the church go from Acts 2 to become what it is today? I would guess that all it took was looking away from the “single purpose” (Jesus) for a mere moment. We (humanity) have a bad habit of making mountains out of molehills. We very easily lose sight of the task at hand and replace it with something trivial. It probably started as some small issue and snowballed from there.
Well now you’re probably wondering how we set out to fix this problem, but I don’t have a definitive answer. There is a lot of hope though because we have been given an extremely thorough guidebook as to how Christian community should work. I would recommend we all take a very careful look at Acts 2. This chapter does not give all the answers, but it gives hope and evidence that community can happen. I also think we need to read over our Bibles carefully and seek out community through it. As far as the church goes, I think the institution is vitally important, but it isn’t flawless. We need to be open to change, and ready to accept biblical truth even when it is inconvenient for us.
So this is my own call to the church. We need to get back to what is important, and I highly doubt it has anything to do with whether or not we allow dancing, or how often we partake in the Holy Eucharist. I’m not saying we need to abandon these as our own personal beliefs, but when they get in the way of the greater goal – which I would suggest is the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) and the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-39) – we need to reexamine our doctrine. I think God is pleased that the church is continuing to do His work, but I don’t think His strategy is through cell warfare (pockets of believers operating independently). Rather I think God’s strategy would be a giant, unified, invading army (1 Corinthians 12:12).
I am of the understanding that relationships are what life is truly based upon. You are fully entitled to disagree with me, but if you are a Christian, you should reconsider your stance carefully. If you believe as most Christians do, then you have already accepted that at the very center of the universe is a relationship; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is amazingly reassuring to me that though we live in a world full of much brokenness, the God of the universe seeks to draw us into a right relationship with Him. Like I said before, God is in the business of reconnection, and as we draw closer to Him we reconnected with ourselves, and indeed each other as well.
Have you ever noticed how things in life work out? For instance, let me perform a little test on you. First, I would like you to think about the worst thing that ever happened to you. Now think of the second worst thing that ever happened you to. Now the third. Now the fourth. The fifth. The sixth. The seventh. The eighth. The ninth. The tenth. Are you still with me? Now I want you to think of the best thing that ever happened to you. Now the second. Now the third. Now the fourth. The fifth. The sixth. The seventh. Chances are you’re catching on to what I’m talking about. I would guess that you probably had trouble around number four on the bad list, but you had no trouble coming up with items for your good list. But why is this?
I always hear people talking, writing, and generally complaining about the troubles of life, but I think we all celebrate and enjoy our lives regardless of this fact. Think about every time you have taken a breath without pain. Think about every night you have gone to sleep with a roof over your head (and I’m not talking about the nights you were camping when you didn’t want a roof). Think about the friends you’ve had who made you laugh. Clearly, we have something to be happy about. However, this does not change the fact that there are things in life that are hard, painful, and just generally not good.
Many authors and thinkers have discussed the idea and problem of pain, suffering, and evil. Many people have written about why evil exists or even how evil is compatible with the existence of good God, but that is not what concerns me at this point. Rather, I want to discuss a specific aspect of the bad stuff, that I have seen play out in my own life.
Have you ever noticed how so much of the time good things occur out of seemingly bad situations? I keep seeing this idea play out repeatedly in my own life. So many times, I feel like everything in my life is falling apart, but somehow the pieces are put back together again. I could give you hundreds of examples from my own life for the purpose of proving to you that what I am saying is true, but I don’t think that is necessary. You can probably think of countless times in your own life where bad events lead to a great (but possibly more remote) good. I would suggest to you that we witness this phenomenon because it is a direct reflection of the nature of God.
Many times in the Bible, we see God take an apparently bad situation and use it for something amazing. For instance, in the book of Daniel we witness Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being thrown into the fiery furnace as punishment for refusing to worship the Babylonian king’s idol. God however, uses this obviously negative situation to reveal His glory to King Nebuchadnezzar. In the book of John, Jesus passes by a blind man and his disciples ask Him whether it was the man’s sin or his parent’s sin that had caused him to be born blind. Jesus answers that the man’s blindness was not a result of someone’s sin, but rather he was born in such a state so that God’s glory would be revealed through him. In both these situation God transforms bad into good.
I would suggest that this is exactly what God has done at the cross. Arguably man’s worst crime would be to kill God when God came down to reveal His love for the world, but what does God do with this crime? At the cross God takes away the sin of the world that they might be put back into a right relationship with Him. This strategy is clearly not what we would call normal, and it is certainly not the strategy I would employ if I was God. Nonetheless, our God is the Great Ironist. He uses bad to make good, and out of darkness He brings forth His light. I don’t know how this works, but I know that it does.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: C.S. Lewis, Immutability of God, Incarnation, Miracles
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what we, as normal, everyday, scientific human beings would call miracles. I believe that most people would admit that events do occur for which science or reason can offer no logical explanation, but I believe for the most part people are not willing to believe in a god that involves himself in the everyday lives of us. For most people God is a very foreign and distant entity, who plays little or no part in what we would call reality. The philosopher Voltaire made the assertion that “a miracle is the violation of mathematical, divine, immutable, eternal laws,” and for this reason he concluded that miracles do not exist because they would contradict the very idea of the immutability of God.
While Voltaire’s argument does strike me as problematic, I think we must consider what the immutability of God is contingent upon. People would like to suggest that if God creates rules of nature, then it would go against His own rules to break those laws in the form of a miracle. But is that really true? Let us first suppose that God made the entire world around us and set everything – chemistry, physics, and biology – into motion. Let us then suppose that God made Himself known to us by creation, His words, His prophets, and finally by the incarnation of His Son on earth. In all of this making himself known, to my knowledge, God has never specifically revealed to us exactly how the universe works.
All that we know of as science is merely our grasping and groping for what tiny bit of knowledge and understanding we have. But we try to take our tiny bit of knowledge and apply it to an infinite God. When we look at the world and then we examine our understanding of God, any problems we may find are not the fault of the deity. We may try to take our finite knowledge and apply it to God, but this as a means to an end will always fall short. What we call theology is but mere approximation. The task at hand is not to take our ultimate truth and apply it God, but rather to find God’s ultimate truth and apply it what we see around us.
We cannot simply put God in the judgment seat and expect Him to conform to our rules. In An Experiment In Criticism, C.S. Lewis wrote, “In coming to understand anything we are rejecting the facts as they are for us in favor of the facts as they are.” I want to have growing understanding of God, but if this is to occur I must accept the fact that I may not always be right. I am very capable of bad thinking, but I am also capable of putting my errors aside in place of truth. God is immutable, and I want my mind to be conformed to His truth, not mine.
