Friday, July 24, 2009

Welcome


Hello and Welcome to both first time visitors and returning veterans to this blog! Stick around a while and browse the collection of articles which seek to defend and uphold the truths of Christianity. Older posts can be just as interesting as the newer ones, so don't be afraid to click around.

Your comments are always welcome - just remember to keep it clean, even if you don't agree. Otherwise I will have to delete them.

Thanks as always for visiting!
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Thursday, July 23, 2009

True Personal Story



Every once in a while something happens that reminds us that we are not alone in the universe. In this particular story, one of my good friends (we will call him “Jim” here) had something happen to him that appears to defy skeptical explanation. As this story is too remarkable not to share, I decided to get it down in writing so none of the details are lost over time. Everything I am recounting is true to the best of my ability to recall - today you get to learn something about your blogger!

On Wed, April 30th, 2008 I had lunch with one of my good friends. I have known Jim for about 10 years, and I invite him over to my house from time to time. It is not uncommon that we have lunch, but the topic of conversation was indeed uncommon! As we sat down to eat, Jim mentioned to me that he had a very intense dream Monday night (2 days prior), and although he felt a little sheepish – he wanted to share it with me. I will paraphrase his dream experience below as best I can, in his “own words”:

“I had this dream where I was struggling with my faith. All of a sudden there appeared like an evil presence around me, demons really. And then eventually there was just one demon and he was completely evil and was just standing there laughing at me. Soon I saw (or more to the point – felt the presence of) Jesus. He was offering his hand to me that I might get away from this demon, but there was a heavy feeling surrounding me. I couldn’t move forward to take His hand. Jesus then had what amounted to be a kind of “disapproving older brother smirk”, as he explained to me that He was frustrated because I was not choosing Him, even though he had sent me you (Jim here refers to myself; the author) to show him the way to Christianity. At this time Christ presented me with 2 pieces of evidence. Jesus said that you (Jon) had something for me, and that if I needed more information to believe, that I should ask you about something that happened to my son. In particular, that he had fallen down and hurt himself. I could also see him close to his sister when it happened.”

Once I had heard him relate this dream to me, I answered that the “thing that I had for Jim” was an open invitation to attend our church, AND that Monday evening my son had in fact fallen down and hurt himself!!!!!! We both sat there in stunned silence, as we realized that he had been presented with empirical evidence regarding events that had happened to my son…… from a DREAM! I must say here that we both considered this to be more than a dream, really more like a communication. This was more than a little disconcerting at first, especially to Jim; as he had been struggling with the existence of God for more than a year. I believe it is apparent that he had asked God for an answer and he received one! The beauty of this story comes from the fact that it happened to Jim and to myself, and it allowed me the opportunity to share this with everyone in my circle. This is not some account from complete strangers, we need not struggle with questions like, “can we trust these people”, or “I wonder if this really happened.” Let me assure you, it happened.

So what can we learn form this? I feel that we can learn that God is real, and He can still communicate with people – just like in the New Testament, just like in the Old Testament. Our culture is not ready for large-scale divine intervention yet; we wouldn’t know how to handle it. But Jim was ready for a dream that may just have been a vision. See the picture above for the red arrow showing scratch on my son’s cheek from his fall!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The Cosmic Fence


You have heard the phrase “I’m not sure about this… I’m on the fence.” This reference to the “fence” seems to me adequate in order to describe a phenomenon that I have noticed regarding the belief in God. If you ask some people “do you believe in God?”, I think you will get this type of answer. And they might explain it as such: “I have investigated the evidence, I have looked at history, and I have done my homework – and I would have to say that none of it was compelling enough to elicit a belief in God.” What I think is really happening here is that people have simply re-discovered something about the God of the Bible that they either never knew, or had forgotten about. We can follow any line of evidence only so far, and then it trails off into the unknown. At this point we must make our own choice.

For example let’s look at how Widget A was created. If you want to get the whole story, you begin by examining all the information on Widget A that you can find. You read books on the subject. You ask other experts about Widget A. You even interview people that hold different beliefs about what Widget A meant, and what it means today. But eventually, if you go back far enough, you reach a point where you are taking someone else’s word for it; or the recorded knowledge stops. Here then lies “the fence.” It is up to you to make the decision which side of this fence you will land on. Do you interpret the evidence such that you accept a God, and maybe even Jesus? Or do you interpret the evidence in such a manner that you reject any notion of this.

But did you notice what was missing in the example above about Widget A? Our fictional investigator researched, read books, and did interviews about his subject matter… but he never actually tried to experience it! Why not go to the store and pick up a Widget for yourself? Can’t do that when it comes to God? Are you sure? If we look in the Bible about what God tells us regarding this, we come across two very interesting verses. First, Jeremiah 29:13 tells us “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” God is no fool, He will not be tested. But seeking Him is not the same as testing Him. Have you been seeking God with all your heart? Or just seeking immediate gratification?

So why would God leave any room open for discussion about Himself? Why does there exist this kind of cosmic fence, for which we have the ability to choose Him or reject Him? It is precisely because God wants us to love Him of our own volition, and real love requires a decision. There will be a time when no one can deny Christ, but that isn’t here yet. We have this time as grace. To come to Him on our own accord, making up our own mind regarding Him, and then choosing to love Him freely. Acts 17:27 says this, “so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” God wants us to search for him, to grope as it were. But don’t worry, He will answer us when we call.
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Sunday, July 19, 2009

Origins of Reason


I have sat in wonderment while listening to someone attempt to assert that "It is logical to deduce that one can understand that everything around us comes only from materialism." For many years this statement felt wrong to me, but I wasn't sure why. Then I was introduced to the following bit of reasoning by a little known Evangelist named Don Johnson (no, not the actor - the minister!).

It goes something like this: If we assert that everything we know comes from the logical grouping of materialistic evidence, then how can we trust logic or reason in general? In other words, if everything came into being via random chance, evolution, and/or materialism, then there is no reason to think that 'reason itself' is exempt from this randomness. Or think of it this way; if you maintain that logic and reason provide to us a way of manipulating different hypothesis and premises in a way that surpasses the premises themselves (a.k.a. "thinking"), then how can you trust that the reason or logic you are using to think about those premises is sound? If you are a strict materialist, you cannot!

Think about it, this isn't a slight of hand trick. Let's look at one more example to drive the point home. We will do it by way of a fictional narrative. Let's say that Bill claims that we exist in a closed system that only consists of material, and that there exists no supernatural component. Bill then says that he came to this conclusion by checking out all of the scientific data around him, and making reasonable and logical conclusions based on that data. He then came to the conclusion that given what he knows - there is no God. Only atoms and particles and matter.

Bill symbolizes many modern day thinkers that throw out the baby with the bathwater so to speak. How can Bill possibly trust that his use of logic is correct, if there is nothing outside this closed natural realm governing it? In other words, if logic doesn't exist apart from (and outside of) this closed system, then it cannot be used as a trustworthy means by which to make any valid judgements about that system. It is simply also part of the system. Of course no one really believes this. Most of us know that logic and reason are in fact more significant than this, so much so that we take if for granted.

You can argue possibly that straight logic (A, then B, then C) is a result of our experiences within this materialistic system. But we cannot assert that this other thing, this function of our existence that can take two or more separate premises or ideas and then decide between them is just instinct or experience. It is more like a governor or an overseer. It is that faculty within us that can step outside of the boundaries of the material only world, and guide our decisions with something more like a consciousness than a reaction or an instinct. It is reason in this sense of the word that is our signpost pointing to something greater, something beyond the normal everyday chain of events we see around us. I believe God has given us this gift of truth. It is what separates us from all other species of animal.

It would be easy for someone to get this one wrong. If they maintain that they are fearfully and wonderfully made; intelligent, logical, and capable of great reasoning skills which far surpass that of any other creature, and that they possess all of this on their own - then they are only half right. We are not our own creators. We have free-will sure enough. God did not create a legion of robots or automatons. But the vehicle for interpreting our world is much more than just a physical brain full of firing neurons and synapses. The brain is the house, what lives inside is different.

** This method of thought I find to be entirely unique, and as such I hope I did an adequate job of conveying it. It looks at something that most people take for granted so easily and readily (accuracy of logic and reason) that I fear many people reading this could miss the forest for the trees. It is of course, worth the risk, so I will post it anyway. I hope if nothing else, you enjoyed the read!

Interesting Quote





"Now is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It won't last forever. We must take it or leave it."

- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
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Monday, July 13, 2009

On Providence and Atheism: Part II


In a recent post, I mentioned how my friend from church went to visit an atheist meeting at a local restaurant. This last Sunday, he went again - and took me with him. What follows is I suppose more of a commentary than a presentation of the "evidence" (although discussions about science and logic did occur). Far more interesting were some of the viewpoints of the particular people in attendance at the meeting.

Although there seemed to be no real cohesion regarding specific points that had lead the group members to their atheistic tendencies, it was clear that they all shared a few things in common. 1.) Separation of Church and State, 2.) the belief that there is no God, and 3.) most were not very open to ideas supporting Christ or the church. None of these things are a surprise really. What struck me though was in addition and aside from these things, was the frustration and anger just below the surface.

It occurred to me about halfway through the meeting that though they were unified in a belief against God, all of them still wanted the following things: acceptance, social networking, friendships, and regular meetings for encouragement. These are the same things churches provide. When we try to exist without and apart from our creator, we are left with the same "hole" or void that I think many of these folks had. I suspect many had been hurt personally by members of the church itself, or simply been force fed Christianity in a way they didn't appreciate.

What I came away from this event with (in addition to meeting some new people and hearing some different ideas), was that Christ didn't fail them... people did. God will accept them back, if they ever desire Him. So must we as living, breathing representations of the real Jesus. We must remember one of the greatest commandments we are to follow as Christians: To love people!

Resurrection Sunday Still Matters

The literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is the linchpin of the Christian faith.  It doesn't matter which denomination or slant ...