Book Review: The Reason for God - Belief in an Age of Skepticism

Book Review: "The Reason for God - Belief in an Age of Skepticism," Timothy Keller, New York, NY: Riverhead Books, 2008. 310 pages.

Before we begin, here's a little bit of background on Timothy Keller. He is the founder and pastor of the Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan since 1989. He has grown the church to six thousand regular attendees at five services as of the writing of this book. They have also planted many daughter churches. Timothy has an engaging style, making it a part of his strategy as a pastor to deal with people's objections to the faith. This book is a natural byproduct of that commitment.

The book deals with the major objections to Christianity and belief in God that Keller has been confronted with over the course of his ministry. The introduction begins with his personal spiritual journey. Having been raised in the church, but exposed to the conservative/liberal debate within it, Keller's faith eventually became a casualty of a socially radical liberal university. He speaks of three barriers to faith which were erected in his life: Intellectual - did Christianity make sense? Personal - was God knowable? and Social - Could you believe in God and the Bible and also have a social conscience? Timothy has obviously resolved those conflicts in his mind and entered the ministry to help others do the same.

This book is really about engagement; opening a discussion about faith with those who do not believe. Keller "urge(s) skeptics to wrestle with the unexamined 'blind faith' on which skepticism is based, and to see how hard it is to justify those beliefs to those who do not share them." He also provides first-hand accounts of real people in their spiritual journey. But first he deals with objections to faith which he's encountered.

Objection 1: There Can't Be Just One True Religion
The claim to exclusivity for Christianity is one of the main reasons people gave Keller for rejecting it. This arises partly from the growing liberal value of tolerance - we don't like for anyone to tell anyone that they're wrong - and a negative view of religion in general as divisive and a root of many of the world's problems. Keller deals with this objection by first laying out the options some would propose: we can outlaw religion; condemn religion or keep religion completely private.

Keller explains the presuppositions behind each and then shows why each approach has and will fail. He then launches into an apologetic for Christianity, and a call for the church to follow the model of the early church in bringing its very best into society.

Objection 2: How Could A Good God Allow Suffering?
Here again we find one of the most common objections to belief in the God of the Bible. If God is loving and all-powerful, why doesn't He intervene to prevent suffering? The problem with this objection is that it begs the question: on what basis do we believe that suffering and evil are wrong? As C.S. Lewis concluded, in a purely naturalistic world, we should expect that pain and suffering would be the norm. Yet we have a sense that this ought not to be. Where did that come from? We all must ask, believers and non-believers alike, where does evil come from?

For the Christian, we find the answer in the Biblical record of the Fall of Man and the introduction of sin into the world. According to Keller, "Embracing the Christian doctrines of the incarnation and Cross brings profound consolation in the face of suffering. The doctrine of the resurrection can instill us with a powerful hope. It promises that we will get the life we most longed for, but it will be an infinitely more glorious world than if there had never been the need for bravery, endurance, sacrifice or salvation."

Objection 3: Christianity Is A Straitjacket
The argument here is that since Christianity adheres to a moral code and to a source of absolute truth, the resultant religion must be the enemy of freedom. The questions that must be dealt with here are multifaceted: the nature of truth, community, Christianity and freedom. The underlying assumption here is that "true freedom is freedom to create your own meaning and purpose." It also assumes that all truth is relative, but is it?

Keller answers each of these questions, first by pointing out that, despite our protestations, we all cling to some source of truth, either objective or arbitrary - it's unavoidable. He then demonstrates that within each community there must be an underlying set of agreed upon beliefs and practices which, of necessity, are somewhat restrictive. He also shows that Christianity, far from being culturally rigid, has from the beginning allowed for cultural diversity while maintaining an adherence to orthodox faith. Finally, of freedom itself, Keller tells us that "freedom is not so much the absence of restrictions as finding the right ones, the liberating restrictions." Within Christianity we are free to be the people God created us to be.       

Objection 4: The Church Is Responsible For So Much Injustice
Here Keller identifies three issues: First is the issue of the glaring character flaws of many Christians; second is the issue of war and violence and the church's complicity; third is the issue of fanaticism - what of Christians on the fringe? The first issue is based on a misconception that Christians believe that faith in God makes them better people. It doesn't. One can find Christians at all stages of character development because behavior change is a gradual process, and church should be full of people who are flawed because they are people in process. The second issue is more troublesome, for it is obvious that a great deal of harm has been done in the name of Christ over the centuries. It is wrong and goes against the very teachings of Christ. Finally, fanaticism, tending to express itself in legalism, has pushed many honest seekers out of the church.

It is important to remember that the Bible is also critical of people who act like this. Keller reminds us that "true faith is marked by profound concern for the poor and marginalized." It's not only the church that has been guilty either. In the twentieth century the greatest cause of injustice (human rights abuses, pogroms, death camps, genocide, etc...) were atheistic regimes. This in no way excuses the church when it has been wrong, but it demonstrates that injustice is a human problem, not a Christian one. On the other hand, it has been those motivated by Christian motives who worked to end slavery, campaigned for civil rights and lead the way in social reform, often at great personal cost.

Objection 5: How Can A Loving God Send People To Hell?
With this subject, Timothy shares that many secular minds believe that it is a contradiction to believe in the equality of all people and yet believe in the concept of hell. Keller found several connected beliefs lurking beneath the surface of this one: a God of judgment simply can't exist; a God of judgment can't be a God of love; a loving God would not allow hell. At their root these are preferences. We all would prefer that there would be no hell. The first belief in particular goes against our Western sensibilities and our doctrine of tolerance at all costs. Keller goes to C.S. Lewis to demonstrate that this belief is a cultural adaptation.

As to the second and third charges, relating to the love of God, the implication is that God cannot be both judging and loving. But is that true? The Bible clearly teaches that God is both. Yale theologian Miroslav Volf says it this way, "If God were not angry at injustice and did not make a final end to violence - that God would not be worthy of worship..."

Objection 6: Science Has Disproved Christianity
The famous atheist Richard Dawkins stated that one cannot be an intelligent scientific thinker and still hold religious beliefs. Is he right? In this chapter Keller shows how the supposed war between science and Christianity exists only in the minds of those who hold certain (unscientific) presuppositions. For example, the presupposition that "No supernatural cause for any natural phenomenon is possible" is not a scientific statement, but a philosophical one. He could have done more with this chapter, but this quote is telling: "A majority of scientists consider themselves deeply or moderately religious - and those numbers have increased in recent decades. There is no necessary disjunction between science and devout faith."

Objection 7: You Can't Take The Bible Literally
Keller draws on his own student experiences for this chapter, recalling how many of his college courses caused him to question the reliability of Scripture. It was when he began to do research on his own that he realized how little evidence there was for this revisionist school of thought. The influence of this skeptical view of Scripture has been waning in recent years. Anne Rice, who converted to Christianity after a successful career as a novelist, wrote that "I discovered in this field some of the worst and most biased scholarship I'd ever read." Keller goes on to deal with the typical challenges to the reliability of Scripture, providing solid reasons that the Bible can be trusted historically and culturally.

He quotes C.S. Lewis, who just happened to be a world-class literary critic, as saying: "I have been reading poems, romances, vision literature, legends, and myths all my life. I know what they are like I know none of them are like this. Of this (gospel) text there are only two possible views. Either this is reportage... or else, some unknown (ancient) writer... without known predecessors or successors, suddenly anticipated the whole technique of modern novelistic, realistic narrative..."

In the remaining chapters of the book Keller moves from a defensive posture to providing a positive case for believing, including chapters on:

• The Clues of God
• The Knowledge of God
• The Problem of Sin
• Religion and the Gospel
• The (True) Story of the Gospel
• The Reality of the Resurrection
• The Dance of God

Even a synopsis of these would take up considerable space but, suffice to say, the book is worth reading, whether you are a skeptic, a seeker or a Christian wanting to deal with some questions. It's not an accident that this book hit the New York Times bestseller list. I'll end with a great quote from Keller: "Jesus's life, death and resurrection was an infinitely costly rescue operation to restore justice to the oppressed and marginalized, physical wholeness to the diseased and dying, community to the isolated and lonely, and spiritual joy and connection to those alienated from God. To be a Christian today is to become part of that same operation, with the expectation of suffering and hardship and the joyful assurance of eventual success."

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"Truth" - by Ravi Zacharias

 

     

What is Truth?

During a series I taught recently on apologetics, one of the follow-up questions dealt with the subject of truth. They asked whether the definition of truth was important to the defense of the Christian faith and, if so, what is truth? We could spend a few weeks on this question, but I'll do my best to answer satisfactorily.

Firstly, the definition of truth is vital to the defense of the Christian faith, as it is to any worldview. This question of truth is at the root of many of the disagreements taking place today and, in fact, throughout history. We can begin with a simple definition: truth is that which conforms to reality, fact or actuality. But this statement will often lead to more questions. What is reality? These word games are often played by the disingenuous and argumentative.

I like the approach that Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias took at a university Q and A. One member of the audience asked Ravi, "How do you know that I exist?" Ravi smartly replied, "And whom shall I say is asking?" Much of the debate over truth is simple semantics; and arguing over words. At the end of the day, each of us must live in the real world, a world where truth is objective, and not something arbitrary.

We can look at logic to help us to understand truth. For example, the law of non-contradiction tells us that contradictory statements cannot both be true in the same sense at the same time. I cannot be home, and not be home. One of those statements may be true, but not both at the same time. We can apply this principle to our discussions of faith.

Our modern world has taken a position called cultural relativism -  the view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to the individual within his own social context. In other words, “right” and “wrong” are culture-specific; what is considered moral in one society may be considered immoral in another, and, since no universal standard of morality exists, no one has the right to judge another society’s customs.

The problem with this statement is that it's not liveable, and we judge people's customs all the time. We speak of human rights and tell nations that they must respect them. Why? Why must China respect human rights when they believe that collective rights trump individual rights? Who are we to tell them that they are wrong? What of women's rights? The rights of the child? Without a belief that there is such a thing as absolute truth - without a standard - we are all simply left shouting our opinions. 

Each of us believes in truth or we would make no factual statements. Otherwise we could never be believed. Part of our problem is that we have lost the ability to debate logically and thoughtfully. We say things like, that may be true for you, but it's not for me. Like Winston Churchill said, “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.” But if truth is something real and concrete, it matters.

In dealing with Christianity this is particularly important, for Christianity is a faith based on history. We believe that Jesus Christ came, lived, died and was resurrected at a specific place and at a specific time in history. These are truth claims, and they matter. They are either true or they are not. If the claims of Christianity are not true, it should be placed on the rubbish heap of human ideas along with myriad other religions. But if it is true - it changes everything.

C.S. Lewis wrote of this in Mere Christianity: “The great difficulty is to get modern audiences to realize that you are preaching Christianity solely and simply because you happen to think it true; they always suppose you are preaching it because you like it or think it good for society or something of that sort. Now a clearly maintained distinction between what the Faith actually says and what you would like it to have said or what you understand or what you personally find helpful or think probable, forces your audience to realize that you are tied to your data just as the scientist is tied by the results of the experiments; that you are not just saying what you like. This immediately helps them realize that what is being discussed is a question about objective fact — not gas about ideals and points of view.”

For the Christian, the ultimate expression of truth is found in the Bible; in Jesus who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life..." (John 14:6). Jesus made this statement as God in the flesh, God who provides the absolute standard by which everything and everyone is measured. Here is a divergence between Christianity and many of the other world religions. Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth and the life. Christianity claims - and evidence backs this up - that Jesus rose from the dead.

Islam, on the other hand, claims that Jesus was never crucified, contrary to the evidence. Many religions claim that Jesus was simply another in a long line of teachers sent from God. Yet he himself claimed otherwise. To believe both is to violate the law of non-contradiction. Many today would claim that Jesus was simply a good man and a gifted teacher. Yet his claims to Deity would certainly nullify the "good man" claims. And what of the resurrection?

To find our way around this we must explain the numerous eyewitness accounts, the growth of the church in hostile environs, the conversion of antagonists like Saul of Tarsus, the willingness of the disciples to die for a lie if they knew otherwise. We also must ask why the Romans or the Jews didn't produce the body of Jesus if they had it. Witness the radical changes in culture brought about by followers of this Jesus, and ask yourself if he was just a man.

This question of truth is not a new one. In fact, over 2,000 years ago there was an encounter between Jesus and Pontius Pilate, a Roman Governor. It's found in John 18:37-38 - Jesus was dragged before Pilate to defend himself to the Roman ruler. Jesus said,  “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Pilate famously replied, “What is truth?” Perhaps the truth is that only those who are honestly looking for it can find it. 

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Falling Idols

Ernie Harwell, the legendary sportscaster for the Detroit Tigers, said that "Baseball is a lot like life." That's true in many ways, but I'm thinking this was not what he had in mind. The baseball world is waiting for the next foot to fall in the doping scandal which will hopefully mark the end of a scandal-plagued era. A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez) is rumored to be facing a multiyear or even life-time ban from baseball for using performance enhancing drugs. Only recently Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, the 2011 National League MVP, was suspended for the remainder of this season for the same thing.

The expectation is that a sizable number of the top stars of Major League Baseball will be called to account for their behavior, after a lengthy investigation aimed at cleaning up the sport. One of the questions being asked is, will this convince the other pro sports to clean up their games as well?

Cheating is not a baseball problem; it's not a sports problem; it's a human problem. It extends into every area of our society. According to surveys in U.S. News and World Report:

• 80% of “high-achieving” high school students admit to cheating.
• 51% of high school students did not believe cheating was wrong.
• 75% of college students admitted cheating, and 90% of college students didn’t believe cheaters would be caught.
• Almost 85% of college students said cheating was necessary to get ahead.

In 2012 scores of students were asked to withdraw from Harvard University after an investigation into allegations of cheating. It is, indeed, everywhere, with the common theme being that it's only wrong if you get caught. How did we arrive here?

I had an uncle who was a farmer in a rural community in Ontario. Every once in a while we would sit down for a conversation. During one of those chats he started reminiscing about the good old days when people could be trusted. He believed that your word was your bond and would close deals with a hand shake. He would never have thought of "fudging the figures" or altering the scales to make more money on a crop. In fact, he would rather lose money than to go back on his word. While not everyone in his generation acted with the same integrity, a great many did. What has changed?

C.S. Lewis spoke of this in his book "The Abolition of Man." Lewis was criticizing the removal of values from the education system in particular and society in general. Education without values, in Lewis' mind, would produce men and women with head knowledge, but no hearts - no chests. What he said back in 1943 resonates in 2013: “We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.”

This leads to the question, what is our basis for values? Unless we find an appropriate answer to this question, it is simply a matter of opinion. Is it wrong to cheat? Why? Who is hurt if a player is using anabolic steroids, or whatever the drug of the day is, to enhance his performance? What does it matter if a student cheated on their exam in university? Does it make a difference?

It makes a difference if it's your doctor and he or she doesn't know what they're supposed to know upon graduation. It makes a difference if it's your investment broker playing fast and loose with the facts and your money. As C.S. Lewis said, "A great many of those who 'debunk' traditional...values have in the background values of their own which they believe to be immune from the debunking process." We hear of government corruption and ponzie schemes and we shake our heads in disgust. We know it's wrong. But why is it wrong?

Without a universal standard, it's simply a choice: somebody trying to get ahead. Yet we have this sense, all of us, that this is morally wrong. Where does that come from? The question inevitably leads us back to God - the lawgiver. While we may have removed him from public discourse, we are having a hard time living in the vacuum left behind. We long for the days when men had chests. Think about this when you teach your children, and don't be surprised if, after removing objective values, you end up with men and women with no integrity.

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Who Do You Read?

There was a time when I really didn't enjoy reading. That changed when I got to College. Now I just wish I had more time to read. But what to read?

Some 25 years ago I attended a conference in which John Maxwell encouraged us to read a broad spectrum of books in order to stay relevant as preachers. Besides the Bible, which is foundational to everything else, I've tried to read biographies, history, leadership, current events, theology and whatever I might be interested in currently. I've found this to be helpful to keep me connected with a wide variety of people.

What inspired this article was an interview I came across with Ravi Zacharias. He was asked "What are three books that every Christian should read?" Since he is one of my favorite authors, I was interested in his answers. This is what he said: "I would prefer to name authors. Authors such as C.S. Lewis, John Piper, Tim Keller, yes, and my dear friend R.C. Sproul. But there are many more. One of the greatest books ever written is The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. For devotional studies, Oswald Chambers, and one of my favorites, G. Campbell Morgan, are great choices. We also have a bibliography on our website (www.rzim.org). Sorry, that’s more than three."

Typical Ravi. If you go to the web-site he lists, you'll find a bibliography of 2-300 books. No surprise here. If you follow Ravi at all, you'll quickly learn that he is a voracious reader. What I'd like to do is give a link to a bio of the authors he has listed above as well as a link to their bibliographies. Let me know how many of their books you've read.

C.S. Lewis:
Here's a link to a bio of C.S. Lewis: http://www.narniaproducts.com/cslewis.php  I would highly recommend reading a full biography of Lewis, considering his impact on literature in the twentieth century. My favorite is "Mere Christianity."
Here is a selected bibliography of C.S. Lewis' works: http://personal.bgsu.edu/~edwards/lewisbib.html

John Piper:
Here's a link to a bio for John Piper: http://www.desiringgod.org/about/john-piper/extended-biography/  Full disclosure here - I have not read any of Piper's works. I will rectify that shortly.
His bibliography can be found in his Curriculum Vitae.

Tim Keller: 
Dr. Keller is the Senior Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, New York, “one of Manhattan’s most vital congregations,” according to Christianity Today. He moved to the city with his wife, Kathy, and their three sons in June of 1989 to begin Redeemer. Prior to that, Tim was a professor at Westminster Theological Seminary and a Pastor in Virginia for nine years. Tim has led the PCA denominations church planting initiatives and remains committed to promoting and nurturing the growth of new churches in New York City and around the world. I loved his book: "The Prodigal God."
Here is a bibliography:  http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/authordetail.php?aut_id=91

R.C. Sproul:
A short bio can be found here.
R.C. is the author of over 70 books. Here is a second biography, including a bibliography.

John Bunyan:
A biography for John Bunyan can be found here. 
The Pilgrim's Progress has been considered one of the greatest allegorical works of history. I have an early edition in my personal library - one of my prized possessions.

Oswald Chambers:
Here is a bio of Chambers, a man who didn't become famous until after his death: http://utmost.org/oswald-chambers-bio/ I have read "My Utmost For His Highest" several times.
Here is a bibliography: http://www.oswaldchambers.co.uk/Books.html

G. Campbell Morgan:
A short bio of Morgan can be found here. 
G. Campbell Morgan wrote extensively. Click on the link for a list of his published works.

Do you agree with Ravi's list? What are your favorite books by these authors? Who would you add or delete? How would you answer the question "What are three books that every Christian should read?"

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Does Your Life Make Sense?

I wanted to continue on with the theme I discussed earlier this week and talk about the challenges of modern man. Our culture has largely embraced a conflicting view of reality. In many things, most people that I meet could be considered to be functional atheists. In other words, regardless of what they say they believe, they live their lives as if God doesn't exist.
  

Yet they find this type of life ultimately dissatisfying. It doesn't conform to reality as we know it. If there is no God, for example, how is it that we can satisfactorily explain things like love, sacrifice, hope, etc... If they are simply the products of "millions of years of evolution," than they are merely chemical reactions.

Years ago, my brother was in a discussion with an atheist couple at their home. He asked the husband if he loved his wife. He responded that, of course, he loved his wife. He then asked him what his basis for love was. Without appealing to some higher source, was it not just a chemical reaction - his response to her pheromones? He said that, yes, that would be the scientific and rational explanation. What then, would happen, if someone were to come along with a stronger chemical than his wife? Based on his worldview, is there no other explanation for love?

His wife looked at him expectantly, wanting to hear the answer as well. He finally asked my brother to leave. Apparently the question hit a little too close to home.

C.S. Lewis dealt with this question on a different level - the longing of human beings for what we call heaven. It's not simply a "Christian" thing, cultures have believed in an afterlife throughout history. This is how he explains it: "Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing."

Francis Schaeffer has explained this point well. Modern man, says Schaeffer, resides in a two-story universe. In the lower story is the finite world without God; here life is absurd, as we have seen. In the upper story are meaning, value, and purpose. Now modern man lives in the lower story because he believes there is no God. But he cannot live happily in such an absurd world; therefore, he continually makes leaps of faith into the upper story to affirm meaning, value, and purpose, even though he has no right to, since he does not believe in God.

I see this all the time. We have holdover values of our culture's Christian heritage. Couples who would declare their lack of faith due to the hypocrisy of some Christians but, yet, will stand at a Christian altar to declare their vows before a God in whom they don't believe. (No hypocrisy there!) Another example is parents who have no desire to be Christians, or no intention to have their children live as Christians, yet bring their child to a church for baptism or dedication.

Perhaps nowhere is it more obvious than at the loss of a loved one. There are the rare occasions when the deceased are coldly placed into the ground without ceremony or sentiment. But, more often than not, regardless of the life lived or the beliefs espoused, those remaining look for words of encouragement and hope that there is something beyond the grave.

As a pastor, I've thought long and hard about these issues, and had my share of discussions with people from all walks of life. The truth is that people are hungry for spiritual meaning and yet are very unsure where to find it. Our post-modern culture has also tried to redefine the rules of engagement by declaring such maxims as "all truth is relative" and "history can't be trusted," etc...

Yet the law of non-contradiction still stands: two antithetical propositions cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense. In other words, we're not all right.

As Ravi Zacharias says, "truth, by definition, is exclusive." Some 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ stood before Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who was determining whether or not to have Jesus crucified. Jesus said to him: "In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." Pilate's response is a question people have been asking ever since - "What is truth?"

If Jesus is who He says He was - and He is - none of us can afford to ignore Him. It is ironic that in Iran, where conversion from Islam to Christianity is punishable by death, there have been more conversions in the past 15 years than in the past 300. Yet, in the "free" West, Jesus' name is most often used as a by-word. The temptation for many is to assign Him a place with the "other" religious leaders who have come and gone and to respect His teachings. Yet, Jesus didn't come as a mere teacher, He came as Messiah, to give life and to make our lives meaningful and everlasting. What will you do with Jesus?

I'll leave the last word with C. S. Lewis:  "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

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Are You a People Person?

Relationships are difficult.

This probably didn't need to be said, but I'll say it anyway. Each of us could, no doubt, share horror stories of relationships gone wrong. If we could somehow see the emotional scars of the people just in this room we would be shocked. I did a google search on the subject of “relationship horror stories” and found, believe it or not, 23,400,000 responses. Wow! That’s a big number. It’s no wonder that a lot of people have just sworn off relationships all together – but that’s not realistic either, is it?

We’re not meant to be alone. Whether it’s family or friends we need community to help us to reach our potential. So why are relationships so hard? Relationships are hard partly because we’re all people, and, as I've heard my mother-in-law say many times: "people are crazier than anybody."
 
Rick Warren came up with a list of different types of difficult people. See if you are related to any of these:

THE SHERMAN TANK - will run over you if you let him.

THE MEGAPHONE - will talk your ear off.

THE BUBBLE BUSTER - deflates everyone's enthusiasm.

THE VOLCANO - has a temper like Mt. St. Helens.

THE CRY BABY - is a chronic complainer.

THE NITPICKER - is the unpleasable perfectionist.

THE SPACE CADET - is on a completely different wavelength.

Each of us has our own story, and each of them is fascinating in their own right. The joys and sorrows, good
experiences and bad, disasters and highlights, lessons learned and mistakes repeated all go together to make
us what we are. Remember that each of us is deeply flawed, yet loved by God. So, we’re all in the same
boat. Everywhere we look there are imperfect people doing imperfect things –except us of course. What
does Jesus say “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up
the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 7:12

What does this look like? Let’s look at 5 ways that you want others to treat you.

• You want others to encourage you.

Everyone likes to be encouraged. Life can be difficult; it's a lot easier when you have someone in your corner. I haven't met anyone yet who doesn't want to be encouraged. Here are a few of the many "one anothers" of the New Testament. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11

"See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called 'Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” – Hebrews 3:12-13


“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day
approaching.” – Hebrews 10:24-25

• You want others to appreciate you.

Over and over again in the New Testament were faced with the command to love one another. This goes along with appreciation. Each of us brings something to the table. We’re all different for a reason. I actually think that some people are different partly to help the rest of us mature. : )

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” – Romans 12:10

G.B. Stern said that “Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone.” Who is there in your life that you appreciate who may not know it or who may need to hear it? There's no point in waiting until they die. They won't be able to hear what you have to say then, so say it now.

• You want others to forgive you.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32


There is a power that is released when we forgive. It is a power that enables us to grow, but also frees up the recipient to move on. Offenses chain us to an event that occurred at a specific place in time, but forgiveness enables us to move confidently into the future. In church, forgiveness is at the core of any progress we make, because we are a family of the forgiven – all of us sinners saved by grace. So Jesus taught us to pray “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Forgiveness opens the prison door and we are surprised to find that the prisoner we've freed is ourself.

• You want others to listen to you.

Everyone wants to be heard, because everyone has something to say. The Bible tells us clearly that each and every one of us is valuable. This is a part of loving each other – learning how to listen.

You can’t love deeply from a distance. It's important to have a circle of friends on whom we can depend. We need others in our lives who know and understand our story. We need people who we can turn to, and who we can help, when life gets difficult. This is part of the purpose of church. We can bear one another’s burdens. “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2

One thing that I’ve learned over the years is that everyone has a story, and if we listen, we can learn from it.

• You want others to understand you.

One of the keys of communication that is taught in pre-marriage counselling is to seek first to understand; then to be understood. You see, we tend so often to judge people by their behaviours but we judge ourselves by our intentions. Why do people do what they do? Why are people so insecure? What are the events in the past that have led them to this place in their lives?

When I can begin to understand those things I gain a perspective on people that helps me to be more compassionate and caring. It’s not that they are excuses, but rather they are reasons that help me to understand.

We’re talking about community here. We’re talking about building healthy relationships. Those don’t just happen. In fact, in today’s world I would say that they are exceedingly rare. We live in a world of dysfunction, the age of “I” and “me.” But here’s what I know about people:

Everybody wants to be somebody.
Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.
Everybody needs somebody.
Everybody’s afraid of being hurt.
People aren’t the enemy.

The bottom line is that we need to take great care when we’re dealing with people – they’re complicated beings. Here are some deep thoughts to end on by C.S. Lewis' book The Weight of Glory:
"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. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no 'ordinary' people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilisations -- these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit -- immortal horrors or everlasting splendours..."

Go be nice to someone.

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The Truth About Easter

As many of you reading this would have ascertained by now, I am a Christian. I am not a Christian because I was raised in the church - I actually left the church as a teenager, returning after a search for the truth. No, I am a Christian because that is where the evidence lead me. As C.S. Lewis said, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

In a number of other articles I have presented some of the reasons why I believe my faith is reasonable. As it is the Easter season, though, I thought I would include a series of quotes about Easter and the Christian faith from a number of different people, most of whom you will recognize. Many of these started out as atheists, but after a search of their own, came to the same conclusion as I have - Jesus Christ is who He says He is. I hope this starts some conversations.

"Christianity, if false, is not important. If Christianity is true, however, it is infinitely important. What it cannot be is moderately important." - C.S. Lewis

"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." - C.S. Lewis (Author, Professor, Former Atheist)

"Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander the Great, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science and learning, he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of school, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times." – Philip Schaff (Historian)

"I may, I suppose, regard myself, or pass for being, as a relatively successful man. People occasionally stare at me in the streets – that’s fame. I can fairly easily earn enough to qualify for admission to the higher slopes of the Internal Revenue – that’s success. Furnished with money and a little fame even the elderly, if they care to, may partake of trendy diversions – that’s pleasure. It might happen once in a while that something I said or wrote was sufficiently heeded for me to persuade myself that it represented a serious impact on our time – that’s fulfillment. Yet I say to you — and I beg you to believe me – multiply these tiny triumphs by a million, add them all together, and they are nothing – less than nothing, a positive impediment – measured against one draught of that living water Christ offers to the spiritually thirsty, irrespective of who or what they are." - Malcolm Muggeridge (Journalist, Former Atheist)

"All heaven is interested in the cross of Christ, all hell terribly afraid of it, while men are the only beings who more or less ignore its meaning."
- Oswald Chambers (Author)

"If Jesus Christ is not risen from the dead, there is not one glimmer of hope for the human race. When I leave office, I'm going to spend the rest of my life studying and writing about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's the most important event in history." - Konrad Adenauer (former chancellor of West Germany)

"These three great facts--the resurrection appearances, the empty tomb, and the origin of the Christian faith--all point unavoidably to one conclusion: The resurrection of Jesus. Today the rational man can hardly be blamed if he believes that on that first Easter morning a divine miracle occurred." - Dr. William Lane Craig
(Author and University Professor)

"The Watergate cover-up reveals the true nature of humanity. Even political zealots at the pinnacle of power will, in the crunch, save their own necks, even at the expense of the ones they profess to serve so loyally. But the apostles could not deny Jesus because they had seen Him face to face, and they knew He had risen from the dead. No, you can take it from an expert in cover-ups -- I've lived through Watergate -- that nothing less than a resurrected Christ could have caused those men to maintain to their dying whispers that Jesus is alive and is Lord. Two thousand years later, nothing less than the power of the risen Christ could inspire Christians around the world to remain faithful -- despite prison, torture, and death." - Charles Colson
(Former advisor to President Nixon, imprisoned for his role in the Watergate scandal. Author. Former atheist.)

"The foundation of our religion is a basis of fact - the fact of the birth, ministry, miracles, death, resurrection by the Evangelists as having actually occurred, within their own personal knowledge." - Simon Greenleaf (1783-1853), Harvard Law Professor & former skeptic.

“To me the evidence is conclusive, and over and over again in the High Court I have secured the verdict on evidence not nearly so convincing. As a lawyer I accept the gospel evidence unreservedly as the testimony of truthful men to facts that they were able to substantiate.”–Sir Edward Clark, British High Court Judge

"The cross is that centre of the world's history where all men and nations stand revealed as both enemies of God and yet loved by God." - Dag Hammarskjold (Second Secretary-General of the United Nations)

"For the Christian, the resurrection of Christ from the dead is the tour de force of his apologetic and guarantees his destiny. It is the lynchpin of his argument as he defends the Christian faith. It deals with the most painful of all of life's struggles - the agony of death, which cuts us all down and taunts any hankering we have for omniscience." - Ravi Zacharias

"I have found myself dislodged from one position after another, hauled out of each sanctuary; chased down Fleet Street, through Broadcasting House and the Television Centre, past Great Turnstile and Bowerie Street, Madison Avenue - from such cosy and easily accessible niches I am remorselessly driven. Where? To this symbol of our Christian faith which is also a gallows or a scaffold - the Cross; to this foolishness of men which is also, we are told, the wisdom of God; to these two stark pieces of wood nailed together." - Malcolm Muggeridge

"That Jesus succeeded in changing a snuffling band of unreliable followers into fearless evangelists, that eleven men who had deserted Him at death now went to martyrs’ graves avowing their faith in a resurrected Christ, that these few witnesses managed to set loose a force that would overcome violent opposition first in Jerusalem and then in Rome — this remarkable sequence of transformation offers the most convincing evidence for the Resurrection. What else explains the whiplash change in men known for their cowardice and instability?... One need only read the Gospel's descriptions of disciples huddling behind locked doors and then proceed to the descriptions in Acts of the same men proclaiming Christ openly in the streets and in jail cells to perceive the seismic significance of what took place on Easter Sunday. The Resurrection is the epicenter of belief." - Philip Yancey (Author)

"This is the great choice every human being has to make: Is the resurrection true or only a myth? If the latter, it is an abomination, taking away any validity to the Christian claim. Believing that the resurrection was merely symbolic doesn't create liberal Christianity or a more enlightened version of our faith as many argue; it reduces Christianity to something utterly vain, a belief system like paganism. For if we were to believe Christ was not bodily raised, then Christianity would rest on the belief in human sacrifice - offering an innocent man to die for our sins. This is not enlightened thinking; it is barbaric. It is why so-called liberal Christianity is untenable, no better than paganism." - Charles Colson

Finally, let me conclude with this video of the testimony of Lee Strobel. Lee was an atheist and a cigar-chomping, crime editor for the Chicago Tribune when his wife became a Christian. Here is his story:


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Book Review: "What Good Is God?"

Book Review: Philip Yancey, "What Good Is God? In Search Of A Faith That Matters" New York: FaithWords, 2010. 287 pages.

I've long been a fan of Philip Yancey, a New York Times bestselling author. It's hard to believe that it's been over 25 years since "Where Is God When It Hurts?" was first published. This latest book was inspired by some real-life drama, as Yancey was scheduled to speak in Mumbai, India on the very day that terrorists invaded the Taj Mahal Hotel, killing 172 people. On the plane ride home he began thinking about the times he's been invited to speak in places experiencing trouble or tragedy(1). The book is more a compilation of these ten stories, featuring his speaking notes from these events.

I found the reading fascinating, partly because it was not hypothetical "in theory" teaching, but real world stuff, happening now. That is really where the question must be answered: what good is God?

He begins in Blacksburg, Virginia, home of Virginia Tech, and site of the mass murder of 32 people by Seung-Hui Cho, a Korean student. Yancey was invited to speak on campus by a pastor who ministered in an on-campus church(16). Many were asking the question "where is God when it hurts?" the title of his first book. So, what do you say in such a setting? Interestingly, Philip had to speak wearing a neckbrace because of a serious car accident some weeks before(13). We all suffer, some more than others; the question is: what do we do with that suffering? Some give up, some live in denial that it ever occurred, but some grow through their pain and bring those lessons with them into life(32). With God, no experience we encounter is beyond redemption.

His second story takes place in China, where Yancey had the privilege of meeting with several leaders of the underground church(46), which now is estimated at 80 million strong. These courageous leaders stood in shocking contrast to the Western "Christian" business people looking to open doors of opportunity for their respective companies in the newly emerging giant that is China's economy. It was to this second group that Philip was allowed to speak publicly. He challenged those Western leaders to discover what many Chinese already had; that what made the West successful was the Christian values that embued society(60). The warning was implicit, when we abandon God we abandon much of what has made our society great.

He then moves on to an unlikely venue, a conference in Green Lake, Wisconsin on Ministering to Women in Prostitution. Before speaking, he spent an afternoon listening to the stories of the former professional sex workers(70). Women from all over the world shared their experiences, all of them demeaning. Before he finished, he asked the women how many of the women in prostitution that they knew wanted out, the answer: "all of them."(74) He then spoke on the theme of grace, that "the Bible heralds the sure promise that no matter who I am and what I have done, the door to transformation swings open before me."(85) The Bible is full of examples of this, including Rahab, a prostitute who was listed in the geneology of Jesus Himself.(86) As she was, so are we all "trophies of God's grace."(88)

Part 4 takes place in England, and is centered around the legacy of C.S. Lewis, whom he called "Apostle To The Skeptics."(93) Yancey was asked to speak at Cambridge University for a conference sponsored by the foundation named in Lewis' honour. In a message entitled "Straddling Two Worlds"(103) Yancey spoke of Lewis' ability to bring together the physical and the spiritual; to help us understand that the joys we experience in this life point us to greater joy in the life to come. His point is that our lives matter - in the here and now. What we do today has an impact, and C.S. Lewis understood this.

Part 5 is particularly interesting for some of us who also had exposure to a legalistic religious setting. Here Yancey speaks of his days in an ultra-conservative Bible College during the volatile sixties. Aptly called "Life In A Bubble" he recounts the good and bad of being secluded from the dangers of society while learning theology. Though he had been critical of the school in previous writings, he was asked to come back and speak at a chapel service. The title of his talk was "I Wish I'd Known"(127) and was broken down into 4 parts:" "I wish I'd known how to appreciate two worlds at once."(128) "I wish I'd known how to nurture the inner life."(130) "I wish I'd known more humility."(134) And finally, "I wish I'd known grace here."(136)

Part 6 brings us around the globe again to South Africa.(144) He speaks of his previous visits to speak at Rhema church, a large (35,000+) influential church in Johannesburg. There are interesting insights into the challenge of changes in South Africa since the fall of apartheid and the attempted blending of society. Also interesting is the trial and error of the church as the leadership tries to cope with the growth while learning themselves. Fittingly, his message was titled, "Growing in Grace."(155) He talked about three stages of the Christian life: Child, Adult and Parent.(157) There are applications here not only individually, but also corporately. For the church, he could speak to the change that he had seen from his first visit and the emphasis on the prosperity gospel to new Aids clinics, schools and educational institutions. As we grow in grace we move from an emphasis on self to being others-focused. As Yancey said, "Jesus did not come and die so that we could live happy and self-indulgent lives to show the rest of the world our self-contentment. No, he came as an example for us to follow in his steps."(167)

Part 7 takes us to Memphis, site of civil rights clashes, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and home to the revolutionary Church Health Center. The backdrop to this chapter was the last U.S. Presidential election. Yancey would speak to supporters of the Church Health Center on the night after Barack Obama was elected President. There were many voices giving many different perspectives and views on the world. In this setting he would speak on the subject of truth.

Here is my favorite "takeaway" from the book. Philip shared of the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine in 2004. Even though the Soviet empire had collapsed, reforms were slow to come in the Ukraine. Even though reformer Victor Yuschenko had suffered from dioxin poisoning, he still ran against the president in a national election. The corrupt regime resorted to out-and-out fraud to reverse the results. That evening the state-run television station reported that Yuschenko had been defeated. However, in a little corner of the screen was a translator for the hearing impaired. She signed: "Don't believe what they say. They are lying and I am ashamed to translate these lies. Yuschenko is our President!"(184) Word quickly spread by text message and soon people were protesting in the streets, finally resulting in a new election and a new government. His application was that the church ought to be like the translator in the corner of the screen, speaking truth into a culture that is used to hearing lies.

Part 8 brings us to the Middle East where Yancey toured numerous countries. He was struck by the contrasts between the old and the new, the land of the bedouins on the one hand and the towering city-scapes of Yemen on the other. Here if you mentioned Christianity to a Muslim they would likely think of David Beckham and Madonna. The religion of Islam tends to unify religion, culture, law and politics and many Muslims assume that Christianity does the same.(213) Therefore, Beckham and Madonna are Christians and therefore Christianity is vulgar and excessive. There is a heavy price to pay by converts from Islam to Christianity in the Middle East. His message in Bahrain was given to people from many countries in the backyard of a Christian's home. He spoke of the fact that their plight was similar to that of the early church, which began under Roman rule and oppression. Yet by simply living out their faith in a hostile environment, treating slaves as human beings, elevating women to positions of leadership, caring for the sick and adopting orphans they were literally able to transform society.(214) God can change the world through people who believe enough to act.

Part 9 brings us back to the U.S., this time to Chicago for a convention for Christian 12-step programs. He spoke to the fact that each of us is susceptible to temptation. As Augustine said: "Evil passes your door first as a stranger, then enters as a guest, and finally installs itself as master."(242) Recovering addicts are well aware of this, and can teach the church many things, qualities like honesty, transparency, accountability, and grace. All of us are fallen, and all of us need grace and community to help us stand.

Part 10 finally brings us back full circle to Mumbai. Yancey was scheduled to speak in downtown Mumbai on the same day as the terrorist attacks on the Taj Mahal Hotel. An impromptu meeting was scheduled instead at a church near where he was staying where he spoke on the subject "Grace Under Fire." Similarities were drawn between the attack in India and the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S. Both gave "a vivid picture of a world that does not operate by the rule of grace."(271) In this kind of setting the message of Jesus stands in stark contrast. "In a world divided by race, culture, class, language and religion, Jesus set loose the most powerful force in the universe, the force of grace."(272) In fact, grace has the power to set loose both the oppressed and the oppressor.(277)

Philip Yancey writes, "May the church be known as a place where grace flows on tap: to sinners, to rich and poor alike, to those who need more light, to outcasts, to those who disagree, to oppressed and oppressors both."(282) Well said Mr. Yancey, well said.

Articles of Interest:
Book Review: "Why I Still Believe"
Book Review: "It Came From Within!"
Book Review: "Has Christianity Failed You?"
Book Review: "The Power Of A Whisper"
Book Review - "Heaven Is For Real"