Quotes from "Light in Dark Places"

I've been collecting quotes for over thirty years and I'm often asked for copies of the quotes I use. A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of attending RZIM's Summer Institute at McMaster Divinity College entitled "Light in Dark Places." In this post, I'll provide some of my favorite quotes from the week, organized by speaker. I have included quotes at the bottom of the article from some others that were quoted by the conference speakers. I hope you enjoy them.

Lee Beach
"A life beautifully lived is the most powerful argument we have for Christ."

Stuart McAllister
"Something unexpected happened - the resurrection - and it has changed the nature of reality."

"Looking good and feeling good has replaced doing good and being good."

"Western culture will sing its last song, in the words of Frank Sinatra, 'I Did it My Way.'"

"We all want judgment for the other person, but mercy for ourselves."

"The church is a cradle to help God's people be God's people."

"If your faith isn't worth dying for, it's not worth living for."

"You can either be rebels without a pause, or rebels with a cause."

John Patrick
"If Newton had not had his God, he would not have gone looking for his laws."

Anna Robbins
"Our network of relationships forms our identity."

"Everywhere is somewhere in God's kingdom."

"I don't have the truth; the truth has me."

Michelle Tepper
"God exercises his mercy and upholds his justice at the cross."

"Often when we say we want justice, what we really mean is that we want revenge."

"Only the author of life has the right to define the meaning of life."

Steven Studebaker
"Neither ignorance nor selfishness are Christian virtues."

Ravi Zacharias
"There are four absolutes that converged on a hill called Calvary: evil, justice, love and forgiveness."

Others:
"The laws of nature are written by God in the language of mathematics." - Galileo

"Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind." - Albert Einstein

"Comparison is the mother of clarity." - Os Guinness

"God is never late, never in a hurry, and always on time." - Selwyn Hughes

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

"A humanly speaking hopeless situation is irrelevant when God's involved." - Tom Tarrants

"Everyone says forgiveness is a great idea, until they have something to forgive." - C.S. Lewis

"Jesus did not come to make bad people good, but to make dead men live." - Michael Green

"Human beings are logical - but slowly." - Unknown

"Our past may explain us; it does not excuse us." - Unknown

Please feel free to share your favorite quotes in the comments section.

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Book Review: Mere Apologetics

Book Review: "Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers and Skeptics Find Faith," Alister E. McGrath, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2012. 197 pages.

Alister McGrath is the president of the Oxford Center for Christian Apologetics in London, England and regularly engages in debate and dialogue with the leaders of the New Atheist movement. I read this book at the suggestion of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in preparation for this year's Summer Institute. It is written as an introduction to Christian apologetics (taken from the Greek "apologia," meaning defense.) So apologetics is simply a defense of one's position, in this case, the Christian faith.  

McGrath begins by explaining that there are three basic tasks for an apologist: defending, commending, and translating. In defending, the apologist is dealing with barriers that have been erected to faith, whether misunderstandings, misrepresentations or existential issues. In commending, the challenge is to help the audience (whether 1 or 1,000) grasp the relevance of the Christian message. Finally, in translating, the goal is to relate the core ideas of the faith in language and story that makes sense to the hearer.

The second chapter - "Apologetics and Contemporary Culture" looks at the cultural context within which we must function. An approach that may work well in one culture will likely not be as effective in another. So, the challenge is to understand the culture; to be able to determine the common framework through which our audience views the world: ie. modernism and  post-modernism, and to adjust your approach accordingly.

He then deals with the theological basis for apologetics, that there is an important, yet limited role for apologists in helping people find faith. "Apologetics is grounded in a deep appreciation of the intellectual capaciousness and spiritual richness of the Christian faith." It is not about formulas and systems; nor wisdom and reasoning, but simply in helping to break down barriers to faith. It is God, ultimately, who transforms lives.

Next is a section on "The Importance of the Audience." An individual or group's background can differ from another's in many ways, so the method may need to be different as well. We see this modeled in the New Testament as Peter preached to the Jews in Acts 2 using one line of reasoning and reference; and Paul spoke to the Greeks in Acts 17 using another one entirely. They both ended at the same place - Jesus Christ - but they began from different points. We need to ask what our audience believes and why.

Chapter 5 speaks of "The Reasonableness of the Christian Faith." The Christian worldview is truly unlike any other in its capacity to explain things as they are. 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." There are two ways to demonstrate the reasonableness of the Christian faith. One of them is by showing that there is a good evidential base for the core beliefs of Christianity. The second is by showing that the Christian faith makes more sense of reality than its alternatives.

McGrath then deals with "Pointers to Faith" or approaches to engaging others. "Reality is emblazoned with signs pointing to the greater reality of God. We need to connect the dots and see the overall picture." Some of those signs include: Creation - the origin of the universe; the appearance that the universe is designed for life; the structure of the physical world; the universal longing for justice (morality); the spiritual nature of mankind; our appreciation of beauty, etc...Where do these come from? Apologetics helps to point people to the source.

"Gateways for Apologetics" follows logically from the previous chapter - it's all about opening the door to faith. Many people have never considered the claims of Christianity, may even be antagonistic, and would be more likely to respond to one approach over another. So, what are the gateways? The first is explanation, which requires an ability to share the basics of the faith. The second is argument - building a rational case leading to faith. Examples include the argument from design or the argument from morality. The third gateway is stories. This approach is particularly useful in dealing with postmoderns, who have a tendency to reject an appeal to reason. The final approach mentioned is images, which builds upon the previous model. Postmoderns tend to prefer pictures, not words, in their communication. C.S. Lewis was a master at these last two gateways.

The last chapter before the conclusion is "Questions about Faith." This deals with helping people at the point of their own stumbling. Some have had bad experiences with Christians; others may be from a Muslim background and stumble at the church's history of the crusades. Many stumble at the question of evil. What are the keys to dealing with someone with real questions? Be gracious. Look beyond what is said to the real question. Don't just give prepackaged answers; be genuine. Learn from other apologists.

This book provides help for those trying to develop their own skills as an apologist. It is not so much a list of arguments to use, but rather it is a guide to help to develop and refine one's approach. I'll end with some good common-sense advice from McGrath: "Before we can answer the questions others ask about our faith, we need to have answered them for ourselves."

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Why is Youcef Nadarkhani Free?

While I was on vacation, I heard the news that Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani had been released from the Iranian prison that held him captive for three years. That was September 8th. This was great news for the many people, including myself, who've been praying for his release since we heard of his plight. But why is he free, I was asked? We prayed, tweeted, and petitioned, but why now?

There are a lot of different factors at play here and, while this event means the world to Nadarkhani and his family and friends, it does not change the fact that people are being held in prison for their faith around the world - including still in Iran. In fact, some would say that Pastor Youcef may be in greater danger now than he was when he was being held in prison. It is all too common for Christian leaders to simply "disappear" one day and never be seen or heard from again.

The official word out of Iran was that Nadarkhani was acquitted by a court in Rasht after having been sentenced to death for abandoning Islam. He was, however, convicted of evangelizing among Muslims, a crime with a 3 year prison sentence - time he had already served. So he was released. But why now? And why the about-turn after repeated appeals that failed and even resulted in the imprisonment of his lawyer? I don't pretend to know the answers, but here are some talking points.

• Iranian Prime Minister Ahmadinijad will be speaking at the United Nations in New York on September 26th. It makes sense that Iran would want to get this high profile case out of the news before his appearance. Nadarkhani's cause has been taken up by numerous world leaders and Iran can use all the good P.R. they can get. On the other hand, Iran has not shown much concern for international opinion.
• It may be that Iranian leaders simply wanted to put an end to the public attention Youcef's case has been drawing, and they didn't want the negative attention his execution would bring. They were able to save face by convicting him of evangelizing among Muslims. Again, hopefully this does not result in a less formal or less public form of Islamic "justice."
• There may have been disagreement among Iranian leadership as to what to do with Nadarkhani. His lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, argued in court that Iran, as a signatory to several international treaties, was required to allow freedom of religion.The idea that Iran allows for freedom of religion is a joke, not only in Iran but in any nation using Sharia law. 

The bottom line is that we really don't know the official machinations that resulted in Youcef's release. We do celebrate and rejoice with him and his family regardless and I do look at it as an answer to prayer. He has stated his intention to continue with his pastoral ministry, so I cannot believe that his troubles are over. Perhaps now, though, attention can turn to others who are suffering a similar fate as Nadarkhani was.

According to CIA's World Factbook, Christians, Jews and Hindi face relentless persecution. And according to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), the group largely responsible for bringing public attention to Youcef's case, another Pastor, Farshid Fathi, has been locked up in Iran’s Evin prison since December 2010 for what the ACLJ describes as practicing his Christian faith.

He was distributing Bibles in Iran's language of Farsi, and thus was accused of  “actions against national security.” The prison is notorious for its horrid conditions, physical and psychological torture, violent interrogations and sleep deprivation. He is one of many Iranian Pastors paying a high price for his faith.

What is the answer? I don't know. What I do know from history is that the church has often grown the most during times of persecution - witness the initial growth of the early church after persecution broke out in Jerusalem. In fact, throughout history, persecution in some form or another has been the norm. The church in Iran has been experiencing "explosive growth" says Open Doors, a ministry serving the persecuted church. While we must continue to pray for the wrongfully imprisoned, and work and speak out for justice, always remember that God often uses the most difficult situations to advance His Kingdom.

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani (c) embracing his wife and children after being released from prison near Rasht, Iran, on Saturday, September 8. Photo: Church of Iran for BosNewsLife

In a letter to his church from prison, Pastor Youcef wrote, "Let us remember that sometimes the leap of faith leads us towards some impasses. Just as the Word led the sons of Israel leaving Egypt toward the impasse of the Red Sea. These impasses are midway between promises of God and their fulfillment and they challenge our faith. Believers are to accept these challenges as a part of their spiritual course." I admire his faith and thank God for his freedom.


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Hope Amid Despair

We've all heard the reports from Aurora, Colorado, about the horrible shooting that took place last Friday in the wee hours of the morning. As viewers in a crowded theater were enjoying the premier showing of Dark Night, a young man preparing to drop out of graduate school entered in full protective gear and three weapons and began to shoot. When it was all done, 12 people lay dead and scores wounded, the youngest being a four month old baby.

Shooting victim - Petra Anderson

The media coverage has been non-stop, everything from background stories on the victims to what could possibly be the motive behind this horrific crime. I came across a blog by an Aurora Pastor today that I felt like I needed to share. One of the young ladies in his church was injured in the attack. But in the midst of all of the grief and despair, a little hope. And a reminder that God is still God. Take the time to read the article and let me know what you think.

It's by Pastor Brad Strait. You can find it here.


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Reflections on a Wedding

My son, Levi, got married this past Saturday. I remember Amanda, the girl he married, as a little six year old dynamo with attitude. She's now a beautiful young lady, and she's stolen his heart.

I remember wondering, all those years ago at the soccer pitch, which of those little girls might someday become my daughter-in-law. My son made a wise choice. As Proverbs 18:22 says, "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord."

Many times over the past 23 years or so I prayed for the girl my son would choose, long before he or I had any idea who that might be. I did that because I believe that prayer is effective, and there are very few decisions in life that have the potential impact on your life as the person you choose as a life partner.

It's amazing how time flies. This week we've been taking my wife's mother on a tour of the area and our old haunts. We talked about our first few months of marriage - this September will mark 30 years - and, in retrospect, it's amazing we survived.

We did almost everything wrong. We got married young: I was 19; she had just turned 20. We moved into my parent's basement. We didn't have good jobs. I was Canadian; she was American. I moved her all the way from Tennessee to the cold of Canada. The list could go on and on. Yet, here we are, all these years later, still in love and still together. How does that happen?

Looking back, here are the truths that rise to the surface.

God is Faithful
One thing we both shared was an absolute confidence that God would take care of us. We trusted Him and He didn't let us down. I remember, in our first year of marriage, when we had both been laid off and our unemployment insurance hadn't started. We were down to our last potato - literally - and we prayed that God would provide. We went to church (it was Sunday) and, by the time we came out, someone had filled our back seat with groceries.

Over and over again, just when it looked like there was no way out, God opened another door and provided a way. When Levi was just a toddler, he came down with a disease we'd never heard of before:  Kawasaki's. Our doctor had not seen it either and thought that it was Scarlet Fever. By the time he was diagnosed, Levi was almost comatose and not certain to survive. People everywhere were praying, special treatment was given, and after a week in Sick Kids Hospital he was able to come home. It was years before the doctors gave him a clean bill of health. You think of things like this on your child's wedding day. God is faithful.

Loving is a choice

Part of the problem with Hollywood's version of love is that it's based on emotion, and emotions change. The Bible teaches that love is a choice. God commands us to love each other. He doesn't say to love only when you feel like it. I remember listening to a wonderful speaker by the name of Elva Howard many years ago. She said, "While you may not always have red-hot passion in your marriage, you should always have red-hot commitment." This was great advice for the ebb and flow of marriage.

I tell people that we've been married for almost 30 years; 23 of them happy. There have been some rough spots. There have been times when I wasn't sure that we would make it, to be quite honest. We all carry baggage with us into marriage, and we had (have) our share. But we hung in there, learning how to communicate better, how to understand each other, and carrying one another when necessary. When all else fails we choose to love.        


Forgiveness is a necessity
As perfect as you may think your bride or husband may be as you stand at the marriage altar, there is one thing you can be sure of: they will let you down. Whether deliberately or by accident they will hurt you. They will not meet your expectations, they will disappoint you, and sometimes they will even fail miserably. It is at these moments when a relationship is tested.

We can forgive when we are honest enough to admit to ourselves that we aren't perfect either. For me, I know that I am a great sinner and Jesus is a great Savior. When I think of the forgiveness I've received, how can I not forgive the one I pledged to love forever if she asks? - and even if she doesn't. As someone said: "Those who can't forgive, burn the bridge over which they themselves must pass."

I'm so glad that I didn't surrender to my desire, at times, to run away as fast as I could. I'm just as glad that, for whatever reason, my wife chose to stay with me when I know it was tempting to walk away. As I watched my son, this weekend, pledge himself to Amanda for the rest of his life, I couldn't help but think that yes, it's worth it.

I hope and pray that my children don't repeat my mistakes, they certainly don't need to. I'll gladly share what I've learned the hard way if they ask. But I also pray that they always look to God who's faithful; that they choose to love, especially when it's difficult, and that they forgive from the heart. God will bless a marriage like that.

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Easter - Hope Lives!

It's the Easter season again, a time when the thoughts of many turn to the events that transpired some 2,000 years ago in an outpost of the Roman Empire called Jerusalem. Jesus Christ was crucified, and after three days was raised again to life. Upon this truth Christianity came into being. But is it true?

I've compiled quotes from various authors on the subject and will conclude with thoughts of my own. Please leave your own comment, I'd love to hear from you.

"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

"Personally, I am convinced that no body of men or women could persistently and successfully have preached in Jerusalem a doctrine involving a vacancy of that tomb [of Christ], without the grave itself being physically vacant. The facts were too recent; the tomb too close to the seething center of oriental life. Not all the make-believe in the world could have purchased the utter silence of antiquity or given to the records their impressive unanimity. Only the truth itself, in all of its unavoidable simplicity, could have achieved that."

- Frank Morison, Who Moved the Stone?(Zondervan, 1971)

"There is more evidence that Jesus rose from the dead than there is that Julius Caesar ever lived or Alexander the Great died at the age of 33. It is strange that historians accept thousands of facts for which they can produce only shreds of evidence. But in the face of overwhelming evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ they cast a skeptical eye and hold intellectual doubts. The trouble with those people is that they do not want to believe."

- Billy Graham, Peace with God

"I claim to be an historian. My approach to Classics is historical. And I tell you that the evidence for the life, the death, and the resurrection of Christ is better authenticated than most of the facts of ancient history ..."           

- E. M. Blaiklock - Professor of Classics, Auckland University

"Without question, it was the conquered grave that gave the message its impetus. The man who best exemplified this radical change was Saul of Tarsus, known to the world as the Apostle Paul. This young man was a Hebrew by birth, who had studied at the feet of Gamaliel. He was a citizen of Rome, the central city of the great empire to which all roads led, the center of pagan culture. He was raised in the Greek city of Tarsus, whose university eclipsed even that of Athens. His background could not have been better suited to speak to the world. The Hebrews gave the world its moral categories; the Greeks its philosophical categories; and the Romans its legal categories. With prerogatives of birth and privileges of learning, young Saul was the immovable object that could not be dislodged, except by the irresistable force - the person of Jesus Christ. That occurred in the spectacular post-resurrection encounter on the Damascus Road."

- Ravi Zacharias, A Shattered Visage, p. 158.

"I have been usd for many years to study the histories of other times and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair enquirer, then the great sign which God has given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead."

- Thomas Arnold, Sermons on the Christian Life, p. 124. (Holder of the Chair of Modern History - Oxford University)

"So if one is to assail the historicity of the Resurrection and therefore the deity of Christ, one must conclude that there was a conspiracy - a cover-up if you will - by eleven men with the complicity of up to five hundred others. To subscribe to this argumnt, one must also be ready to believe that each disciple was willing to be ostracized by friends and family, live in daily fear of death, endure prisons, live penniless and hungry, sacrifice family, be tortured without mercy, and ultimately die - all without ever once renouncing that Jesus had risen from the dead!"

- Charles Colson - Loving God, p. 68.

"He planted the only durable rumor of hope amid the widespread despair of a hopeless world."

- Dr. Carl F.H. Henry

"This is the great choice every human being has to make: Is the resurrection account 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 a 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, The Faith, p. 92.

"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 martyr's 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 Gospels' 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, The Jesus I Never Knew, pp 216-217.  

All of these quotes give reasons for believing in the resurrection. There are many others. Witness the journeys of men like Lee Strobels, C.S. Lewis, Lew Wallace and a host of others who examined the evidence as skeptics and came away convinced that it was true. I count myself among their number.

Having been raised in the church I turned my back and walked away as a teenager, having had a crisis of faith. After taking my own journey, I came to the conclusion that it was indeed true and finally opened my heart to the transformation that Christ offers. My own experience is all of the evidence that I need to know that He Lives! 

I'll leave the final word to Jesus Himself, then enjoy this classic from Dr. S.M. Lockridge: "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life -only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." - John 10:17-18

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Book Review: "The Book of Man - Readings on the Path to Manhood"

A number of years ago I attended an auction where I successfully bid for a box of old books. When I got home I found among them a book called "The Sunday Reader at Home" from 1896. The book was a collection of short stories, poems and tales all designed to teach life lessons. As I began reading "The Book of Man" I immediately was drawn to the similarity.

William Bennett served as the Secretary of Education in the U.S. under Ronald Reagan and is a New York Times best-selling author. What I most like about Bennett is that he writes with a purpose. While I got this book from the publisher for free in return for a book review, I would have purchased it nonetheless. It is written in response to the crisis of manhood in our culture. As he quotes David Brooks as saying in his introduction: "One-fifth of all men in their prime working ages are not getting up and going to work."

Probably more telling are his own words: "There was once a common understanding in our society among men that there are standards of action and behavior to which men should hold themselves. Men, the code dictates, among other things, keep their word, whether in writing or not, men do not take advantage of women, men support their children, and men watch their language, especially around women and children. The code of men is fading."

This book is written to provide a tool with which to instill these positive values into the lives of their own children. I wish I had found this when my children were younger - it would have made my life so much easier. Many will find parts of this book challenging due to its content (some stories are ancient tales), but it's good to be stretched. The short readings are broken down into six different areas of life, and are aimed at calling out the very best in the masculine soul.

Part 1 is called Man in War. This is not to promote war or violence as an answer, but to recognize that there are times when a man needs to take a stand and risk his own welfare for the sake of those he loves. This includes the famous St. Crispin's Day Speech by Shakespeare, a poem by Wordsworth, a piece by Winston Churchill and profiles from modern-day men of honour.

Part 2 is titled Man at Work. It is designed to teach once again the value of hard work, which in large part has been lost in our culture. As Bennett quotes Roosevelt as saying, "Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." This section opens with the story of a "proud sanitation worker" and ends with "Pensees" by Blaise Pascal. In between you'll find a tremendous variety of great readings.

Part 3 is called Man in Play, Sports, and Leisure. It is a call for men to recreate responsibly, moving away from the modern toys which tend to turn off both body and mind. It speaks of the pursuit of excellence in all that we do, beginning with the story of "Pistol" Pete Maravich, one of the NBA's all-time greats. There are sections from Tolstoy, Lincoln, and Francis Bacon as well as pieces by and about many more current personalities.

Part 4 is Man in the Polis. This refers to the need for men to take their part in the body politic, whether that means government service or simply being a responsible member of society. As Edmund Burke wrote, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." This chapter is aimed at preventing that eventuality. It includes interesting pieces like a speech given by David (Davey) Crockett before the U.S. House of Representatives. It also features pieces by luminaries like Kennedy, Chesterton, Reagan and Washington. Well worth the read.

Part 5 is about Man with Women and Children. The lessons in this section are sorely needed today as "men are missing from the lives of women and children today in increasing numbers." Men need to learn values of respect, devotion, loyalty and compassion, all of which are seen in these stories. The articles, whether by Yeats, Dickens or Thomas Jefferson, all seek to call out the best of man in support of their family. Add to this the modern profiles and we see how this can still be lived out today.

Part 6 concludes the book with Man in Prayer and Reflection. Bennett states that "the true root of a man's existence is his ability to think and reflect." Part of the problem in our modern culture is that many seem to have lost the capacity or the will to do this. The result is many men who are governed by appetite rather than reason. This section includes glimpses into the spiritual lives of many of the greatest men in world history, including many of the U.S. Presidents and church leaders like Billy Graham and Charles Spurgeon.

This book is not one that you just sit down and read. It is designed to be read, one story at a time, when there is time for reflection and conversation between father and son. As I said earlier, I wish this was available when my children were younger. I highly recommend this for all of you fathers out there.

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Book Review: "Why I Still Believe"

Book Review: Joe Boot, "Why I Still Believe: (Hint: It's The Only Way The World Makes Sense)" Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2006. 159 pages.

Joe Boot, the author of "Why I Still Believe" wass the Canadian Director of RZIM Ministries (Ravi Zacharias). He is the founding president of the Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity in Toronto where he currently serves as senior pastor of Westminster Chapel. As such, he is well-versed in apologetics, speaking around the world in universities, churches, colleges and conferences.

This book is a little different from the normal works of apologists(defenders of the faith) as it deals not so much with rational proof for Christianity, as with building a case that Christianity is the most reasonable worldview. His rationale, with which I happen to agree, is that the presuppositions of Christians and non-Christians are so far apart that there is little common ground on which to build an objective argument.

So Boot takes the time to compare the worldviews, making the case that the Christian worldview, alone, provides satisfying answers to life's ultimate questions. 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.”

He begins his book by showing that much of what we believe, Christian or not, is based upon pre-suppositions. For example, he notes that even scientific journals admit that the big bang theory of cosmology is based upon a number of hypothetical entities - things that we have never observed. They are unproven pre-suppositions, without which the theories would fall apart. As an article in the New Scientist Journal stated: "In cosmology today, doubt and dissent are not tolerated and young scientists learn to stay silent if they have something negative to say about the standard big bang model."

These pre-suppositions exist in most, if not all, areas of science and of religion. The premise of evolutionary theory, for example, is that there must be a naturalistic explanation for all life forms. All evidence is therefore understood through that filter, the questions arising from the Cambrian explosion notwithstanding... So, in all disciplines and walks of life a certain amount of faith is required, but I digress.

Joe speaks about his upbringing and the different views to which he was exposed as a child and a youth. There was a steady bombardment of ideas that ran contrary to the Christian beliefs of his parents. He found himself, from an early age, wrestling with the competing worldviews he encountered. He realised, as I have, that of all of the worldviews out there, Christianity is the one which seems to be a lightning-rod for criticism. Some of that criticism is due to the hypocrisy of some Christians and Christian organizations. But some is also due to the very direct truth claims which fly in the face of our modern views of "tolerance." When Jesus claimed to be "the way, and the truth, and the life" He drew a line in the sand, stating by implication that all contrary views are false.

I love his chapter Ridicule and Rebuttals, in which he speaks of the attitude of Christianity's critics. I'll let him speak for himself in a lengthy, but well-written paragraph. (I love the sarcastic tone). "Have I never heard of Charles Darwin and macroevolution? Do I not realize that the Bible has been disproved - Richard Dawkins says so! Have I been living on Mars for the last thirty years? Have I not encountered the work of David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietsche, Karl Marx, Aldous Huxley, Anthony Flew, or Bertrand Russell? Am I unaware of French existentialism? What about Camus, Sartre and Derrida? Do I not realize that such people, and many other thinkers, have shown the inadequacy of arguments for God, the miraculous, and biblical history? Have I not read that 'God is dead,' that religion is just the opium of the people? Have I not understood that all religious language is meaningless or that Christianity is not empirically verifiable? Surely I am conscious of the loneliness of humankind in the universe, that all is meaningless, and life is only what I define it to be or make of it? Humankind has come of age; we are autonomous, free, self-determining. And surely I understand that history itself and all religious claims are mere power plays to control and manipulate others. All is relative; there can be no objectivity in history: that's objectively certain! There are no absolutes, and that's absolutely final! It's all a matter of personal interpretation. What's true for you isn't necessarily true for me. Joe Boot, you really have been living in a box; you are so behind the times! Your parents merely passed on to you their human projection of a 'father figure' due to their insecurity and poor relationship with their parents; what you now depend on as 'god' is a psychological disorder - Freud taught us that. No, I'm afraid this biblical concoction of God will not be tolerated in our tolerant society. It's back to school for you, Joe Boot."

I love this paragraph because I've heard so many of the lines myself from people who cannot believe that I, an educated person, could actually believe this Christianity stuff. I see a great deal of my own journey in Boot's story. I left the faith of my childhood in search of truth only to arrive back home after other worldviews had left me empty and needing more. The more I learn of God, His Word and His world the more I am convinced that Christianity is true. His use of a quote by Cornelius Van Til at the beginning of a chapter called No Apology is appropriate here: "Faith is not blind faith... Christianity can be shown to be, not 'just as good as' or even 'better than' the non-Christian position, but the only position that does not make nonsense of human experience."

Boot then gives some helpful tools to actually assess the validity of worldviews, much of it I believe from Ravi Zacharias. I have some of this information in an older blog if you're interested. The point is that Christianity is not only true - it works in real life, which is where all worldviews should be measured.

I encourage you to read this book, particularly if you're on a search for truth. If you're one of those that I hear from on occasion who have rejected Christianity for whatever reason, I really would like your feedback on this one. If you are a Christian, I believe that this will help to bring some things into perspective for you.

Are You Listening?

Is there a God up there or not? If you go by the way that I live my life, you'd probably wonder. It's amazing how many times I find myself living as though God doesn't exist, or at least as though He's disinterested in me and the events in my life. Yet I know that is the farthest from the truth.

There have been times in my life when I've sensed the presence of God in such a real and tangible way that I was sure I'd open my eyes and see Him there. But there have been other times when I've prayed, even wept in desperation, looking for a glimpse of Him, but felt nothing. Then I'm reminded... it's called faith for a reason.

Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." The rest of the chapter gives us a glimpse into the lives of people who lived out this faith walk. People like Abraham, Jacob and Joseph, who walked in relationship with a God that they could not physically see. The whole thing is totally nonsensical to a lot of people.

But I do think that is precisely the point. God wants us to choose Him; not be so overwhelmed by the evidence that we have no other choice. If you desire to see God, you'll see Him everywhere; if not, you won't. You either marvel at the beauty of God`s creation and the intricate systems that have been established in order to sustain human life on this planet, or you marvel instead at the way that impersonal time and chance have resulted in the statistically improbable beauty of this planet within this solar system, within this galaxy within the universe. What are the odds?

That's why it declares in Hebrews 11:6 that "...without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." And this is the part where I sometimes fail. I do believe in God; I have built my life upon that faith. However, there have been times when I have failed to live that way.

I'm sure I'm like many others who tend to be too independent. I like to solve my own problems wherever possible and, often, I turn to God as my final alternative. Yet this flies in the face of the way that God intended for us to live. He desires relationship with us, not merely religious service out of some kind of guilt motivation.

Throughout Scripture we see God calling us to this kind of lifestyle, particularly as God revealed Himself through Jesus. He modelled that kind of relationship for us. It didn't matter what He was doing; how busy He was, He always found the time to get alone with God the Father. It was the relationship which was key in His accomplishing His purpose.

So, how do we follow this model? How do we live our lives in such a way as to demonstrate that the God we serve is alive and working?

First of all, it must be intentional. Like any relationship, in order to grow in it, we must work at it. King David, who was called "a man after God's own heart" said in Psalm 5:3 "In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." I have found it makes a huge difference if I take time in the morning to reaffirm my commitment to God. Too many people rely on their past experience and neglect the relationship.

It's not only the morning, though. I've learned, in whatever situation I find myself, to ask the question, where is God in this? Since Scripture clearly teaches us that God is intimately involved in the details of our lives, it makes sense to look for His handiwork. What has been most helpful for me is to look at each challenge through the lens of John 10:10.

In this verse, Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." What we see clearly represented in this verse is the spiritual reality taking place around us. The first truth we need to understand is that we have an enemy, and he's trying to destroy us. The second reality is that we have a God who loves us, who calls Himself the Good Shepherd, and who has come to give us life. 1 John 3:8 tells us that "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work."

I ask three questions based upon these realities. The first question is: What is the enemy trying to accomplish in this situation? The second is: What is God trying to do in this situation? The third is the question that reveals where the rubber meets the road. In light of those two realities, what ought I to do in this situation? Living life in these terms brings us into alignment with what is taught in the Proverbs. Proverbs 3:5-6 teaches "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

So, is there a God, or not. Absolutely there is, and He wants to be known by us. He speaks to us through His Word and by His Spirit. In order to hear Him, therefore, we must take the time to read the Bible and to spend the time in prayer, not just talking, but listening as well. Try it this week, you might be surprised at what you hear.

Related Articles:
The Faith Of A Child
The New Bigotry
Christianity & Science


 

The Faith Of A Child

I came across this recording of a phone call a 13 year old boy made to a Christian radio station in the American mid-west. I was reminded of what Jesus said. He stated in Matthew 18:3-4: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

We live in a cynical world - but faith is possible. I hate that it seems to be the goal of some people to destroy the innocence of our most vulnerable. Why do children have to be exposed to sex, violence and immorality at earlier and earlier ages? Why are parents ridiculed who try to protect their children from that? Why is "family hour" on TV becoming more and more sexualized?

Anyway, this young guy's phone call is a powerful reminder to raise our children to have a relationship with God. I don't know who his parents are, but someone has done a good job teaching this young man that there's a God who loves Him. Listen to the audio and you'll find out what I'm talking about.