with Brian Tubbs
Apologetics
Articles that defend the truth of the Christian faith
Lee Strobel Offers the Case for Christmas
062 days
by Pastor Tubbs
in Apologetics
Christmas is full of tradition, but can Christians credibly embrace the claims of the Bible surrounding the birth of Jesus, even in our present age of skepticism? Bestselling author Lee Strobel lays out the evidence for Jesus Christ and why we can trust the Gospel accounts of the first Christmas…
Demystifying the Trinity: Does the Trinity Represent a Contradiction in Christianity?
064 days
The doctrine of the Trinity maintains that God is one God in three Persons. It is perhaps the most confusing and contentious belief in evangelical Christianity. The Trinitarian view has drawn the scorn of numerous critics of Christianity, and even from some who consider themselves Christian.
The Trinity in the Bible
While the word “Trinity” appears nowhere in the Bible, the apostle John wrote in his first epistle that “there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (I John 5:7). With the advent of textual criticism, a majority of biblical scholars have called the authenticity of I John 5:7 into question, pointing out that most of the Greek manuscripts do not contain verse. Even if I John 5:7 is set aside, however, the doctrine of the Trinity can still be inferred from other passages, including the account of Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-23).
The author of the Gospel of John describes Jesus as “the Word” and writes that the “Word was with God and the Word was God.” (John 1.) And references to the Spirit of God abound throughout Scripture. In the Great Commission, Jesus ties all three together, instructing his disciples to baptize new believers “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Is the Trinity Logical?
Critics of the doctrine of the Trinity maintain that a Triune God smacks of polytheism and contradicts the way Jehovah is presented in the Old Testament. Christian theologian Norman Geisler argues that the doctrine of the Trinity is not a contradiction. Says Geisler, “A contradiction occurs only when something is A and non-A at the same time and in the same sense. God is both three and one at the same time but not in the same sense. He is three persons but one in essence. He is three persons but only one in nature.” (Zacharias, Ravi and Geisler, Norman. Who Made God? And Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003).
The late great Christian thinker C.S. Lewis explained that the human mind often has a tough time grasping the Trinity because we are limited to one-dimensional experience. However, once we remove those limitations from our mind (or at least open ourselves up to the possibility of their removal), we begin to see reality in a different perspective. In Mere Christianity, Lewis explains:
A world of one dimension would be a straight line. In a two-dimensional world, you still get straight lines, but many lines make one figure. In a three-dimensional world, you still get figures but many figures make one solid body. In other words, as you advance to more real and more complicated levels, you do not leave behind you the things you found on the simpler levels: you still have them, but combined in new ways – in ways you could not imagine if you knew only the simpler levels.
In a talk at Penn State University, brilliant Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias, picks up on Lewis’ argument. While strongly defending the Law of Non-Contradiction as a key pillar of Reason, Zacharias argues that the Trinity represents no logical contradiction whatsoever. In fact, Zacharias says that the Trinitarian God avoids breaking the Law of Non-Contradiction. The Bible, for example, presents God as a God of Love. How would this be possible if God were a singular Being with no one to love? With the Trinity, one can appreciate the fact that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each loved one another before the human race was created.
Farewell Christopher Hitchens
468 days
Christopher Hitchens, one of the most outspoken critics of evangelical Christianity (and religion, in general, for that matter), died yesterday, December 15, of esophageal cancer. A powerful intellect with acerbic wit, Hitchens was both prolific and provocative. In fact, his entire public identity revolved around provocation. Matt Schudel of The Washington Post accurately describes Hitchens as a “sharp-witted provocateur who used his formidable learning, biting wit and muscular prose style to skewer what he considered high-placed hypocrites, craven lackeys of the right and left, ‘Islamic fascists’ and religious faith of any kind.”
My first brush with Hitchens came several years ago, when I explored some of my own doubts with Christianity. Having been brought up in a Christian family and placed in church at a young age, my decision to accept Christ as a pre-teen was more a natural outcome than turning point. Starting in my twenties, however, I began to experience sharp emotional and intellectual doubts about the faith my family and I had always claimed. In my early to mid thirties, I went on a spiritual and intellectual journey, willing to set aside my Christian beliefs if I could not find some logical and compelling justification for them. As part of this journey, I read, watched, and listened to several of the so-called “New Atheists,” including Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and (yes) Christopher Hitchens.
I became somewhat of a debate addict, watching recorded encounters between atheists and Christians. YouTube was a favorite place for me to go and watch these clashes. And I experienced mixed emotions as I saw Hitchens sarcastically and convincingly eviscerate standard Christian arguments that, in my youth, I had all too casually accepted. In the book of Proverbs, we’re told that “iron sharpens iron” and that “one person sharpens another.” I doubt Hitchens wanted to sharpen my faith, but that was the outcome. My journey through doubt led me to become even stronger in my faith.
When the Reverend Jerry Falwell, founder of Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University, passed away in 2007, Christopher Hitchens displayed an animosity that can only be borne out of a bitter and hateful heart. By the time Falwell passed, I had already emerged from my period of doubt, though there remained a shadow of appreciation for some of Hitchens’ more effective arguments. That appreciation all but vanished as I watched Hitchens celebrate Falwell’s death and more or less dance on the man’s grave. Hitchens viciously assaulted Falwell’s character, intellect, appearance, and very soul. In one TV interview, the atheist Hitchens openly wished hell were real, so that Jerry Falwell could go there.
As angry as I was at Hitchens’ over-the-top antics and insensitivity to Falwell’s family and friends, I nevertheless glimpsed the hatred that propelled Hitchens onto his atheistic crusade in the first place. This was not a man with honest doubts about God. It was a man who, deep down, suspected the Judeo-Christian God may indeed exist – and hated the very thought, idea, and concept of such a God. Christopher Hitchens didn’t simply disbelieve God. He hated God and all of God’s followers. I believe it’s the same for many atheists, in fact. If you doubt me, I encourage you to read The Rage Against God by Peter Hitchens, younger brother of Christopher Hitchens.
I take no pleasure in the demise of Christopher Hitchens. On the contrary, I extend my sincere best wishes to his family and friends. I sincerely hope he read his younger brother’s book and that he and Peter had many talks since its publication. I hope that, by some miracle, God broke through the bitter walls around Hitchens’ heart. I hope that, as Hitchens entered the last days of his life, that he reflected on the loving message of Jesus Christ. After all, God did it before nearly 2000 years ago with a vicious anti-Christian named Saul of Tarsus. Why not Christopher Hitchens as well? We can hope.
Does God Want You to be Rich? An Analysis of Prosperity Theology
378 days
Joel Osteen, the pastor of America’s largest church, preaches a message of hope and inspiration that many people consider to be “prosperity theology,” the idea that God wants you to be healthy and wealthy in your time on this earth and that the Bible provides instructions on how to achieve those things in your life. It’s been said that “lies” or misleading claims are most dangerous when truth is mixed in. I believe this is the case with false doctrines as well. And let me be the first to say that prosperity theology can be a very dangerous doctrine.
High-profile televangelists and mega-church pastors who proclaim to their followers the virtues of Christian giving and tithing, while themselves living the high life with Armani suits and private jets have always struck this WalMart shopper as self-serving opportunists. As a pastor, I have frequently criticized “health and wealth” prosperity preaching as being dangerous and often heretical. While I stand by those warnings, I nevertheless feel that perhaps evangelical Christians critical of prosperity theology in general, and preachers like Joel Osteen in particular, too often “throw out the baby with the bathwater.”
Does God Want You to be Poor?
Recently, I attended a multi-day training event in Los Angeles, California for motivational speakers. I went because I believe that pastors can and should borrow insights, at times, from the business world. And I knew that the conference would provide some excellent training on public speaking, time management, organization, and marketing. I was not disappointed. It also allowed me to meet some very interesting people, including Bob Yates, a fellow ordained minister who runs a company called Circle of Champions. Bob’s company trains people, especially Christians, in the areas of personal and professional development. Many of his seminars deal with how Christians can achieve financial success through starting businesses and establishing what he (and other financial experts call) “multiple streams of income.”
During one of our many conversations this past weekend, we talked about how many Bible-believing Christians approach what they perceive as “prosperity theology” with deep suspicion. I too shared my concerns with prosperity theologians, including how there’s too much emphasis on financial gain and not enough on eternity. At one point, Bob posed a question that I will never forget. Without meaning to get melodramatic, the question has shifted my thinking on this subject. His question was simple: “How many people do you benefit by being poor?”
Chewing on that question for some time, I realized that it could easily be asked in this way: “Does God really want you to be poor?” I think many conscientious, well-intentioned, Bible-believing Christians feel (deep down) that He does. And let me say that I think there are seasons in which God will take His followers through poverty. The best example of this is Jesus Christ Himself, who had an interesting encounter with a would-be follower while traveling toward Jerusalem. In the ninth chapter of the Gospel of Luke, we read this:
Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” -Luke 9:57-58
Clearly, there will be times when answering God’s call in your life means giving up material comforts and/or possessions. The early church in Acts brought all that they had to the apostles. Such was their commitment to God’s work! The “Great Faith Chapter” in Hebrews tells of men and women losing all that they had, including their lives, to follow Christ. The examples of this are numerous. And anyone who preaches that God only wants or even that He primarily wants physical health and/or material wealth for His followers is distorting Scripture.
Nevertheless, the Bible provides too many teachings on healthy financial living for us to conclude that the above paragraph represents the complete story. Returning to the example of Jesus, what about the thirty years before He began His ministry? Can we agree that the Son of Man most certainly did have a place to “lay his head” while likely serving as an apprentice to His earthly carpenter-father, Joseph? I’m not suggesting that Jesus was materially wealthy prior to beginning His ministry, but I am saying that His needs were provided for. Not provided for in some mystical, abstract “God will provide” kind of way, but rather due to timeless principles of work, stewardship, and provision that God wrote into the very DNA of Creation and the human race.
The Spiritual Cost of Poverty
While I understand that God does call people, at times, to financial sacrifice, let’s get one thing straight. I agree with Bob Yates, Joel Osteen, and others who say that there’s nothing inherently noble in poverty. In and of itself, poverty isn’t noble. It’s tragic.
Have you been in a situation where you can’t earn enough to put food on the table for yourself or for your family? Do you know what it’s like to lose your home because you can’t pay the rent or mortgage? Or perhaps you haven’t actually lost your home, but the shadow of losing it haunts you and your family? I know of many Christians who are completely dependent on the compassion and generosity of others, because they lack the ability (be it the health, skills, resources, know-how, or circumstances) to provide for themselves? While there are exceptions to this next statement, I’ve found that every Christian in such a situation feels trapped in more than just financial poverty. They feel emotionally and spiritually impoverished as well. Is that God’s plan for them?
Let’s take the focus off middle-class or lower-class America and shine the spotlight on other people groups in the world. Picture in your mind’s eye the millions of children suffering right now from excruciating poverty, who live in disease-ridden squalor and who are literally starving to death? Not only do I want to ask you whether that represents “God’s best” for them, I also want to ask whether you’re financially in a position to do anything about their suffering?
Consider how physical, emotional, and financial health all intertwine and deeply impact one’s spiritual outlook on life. In disadvantaged nations, those things can intertwine to impact your health and safety. In America, their effects may not be quite as dramatic, but they are there. Do I actually need to cite the statistics to prove how money-related challenges can lead to anxiety, stress, and depression as well as serious marriage and health problems? The evidence is so overwhelming that one would be foolish to deny such an obvious truth.
Not only is the cost of poverty evident in the lives of individuals and families, but it’s also felt in churches. It’s no secret that these recessionary times in which we live have resulted in decreased financial giving to churches and ministries. With less money to go around in their personal finances, Christians are giving less to God’s work, even though tithing is a fundamental teaching of God’s Word. As a result, churches are not able to do as much as they could to expand God’s kingdom. In the church I’m currently privileged to pastor, we’ve seen almost double growth in our attendance in the last two years, but financial giving has barely increased. More people are coming to church, but only a fraction of them are giving financially.
Does God Want You to be Rich?
Commenting on the dangers of prosperity theology, well-known evangelical leader Rick Warren categories the idea that “God wants everyone to be wealthy” as “baloney.” Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church in California and author of the bestselling The Purpose-Driven Life, says: “You don’t measure your self-worth by your net worth. I can show you millions of faithful followers of Christ who live in poverty.” I agree, but should Christians strive for poverty? That is the question.
And let’s be clear. That is the question we’re talking about in this article. You’ve heard the saying: “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” Likewise, if you’re not growing financially, you’re declining financially. Money is fluid. It’s dynamic, especially in our changing economic times. If you make $50,000 in 2011 and do not get a raise in 2012, then you are making less money in 2012. You are falling behind financially. That’s an economic fact. It’s true that we shouldn’t put our primary focus on material gain, but what Bible passage teaches that we should aim for financial loss? Where does it say in the Bible that, to be a good Christian, you should do what you can to make sure you make less money each year?
I would rather hear a message preached by Rick Warren or, even better, John MacArthur, than, say, Joel Osteen. But I agree wholeheartedly with Osteen, when he says: “I think we should have a mindset that God wants us to prosper in our relationships, our health, and our finances.” Is that not what the apostle John wishes for his readers in 3 John 2?
The Dangers in Prosperity Theology
It’s absolutely true that many well-known prosperity preachers have succumbed to greed and excess. And it’s also true that many “health and wealth” ministries have milked their adherents of millions of hard-earned dollars, so that the privileged few at the top can live the high life. This is shameful and reprehensible. God doesn’t command His followers to tithe, so that pastors can sport Armani suits and $500 watches!
I also agree that it’s dangerous to teach Christians that there’s a specific formula you can follow that guarantees you’ll achieve incredible prosperity in every area of your life. What’s more, we as God’s people are not to put our main focus on the things of this earth. Jesus is clear that we are to “lay up treasures in heaven.”
While I read, and was encouraged by, Joel Osteen’s first book Your Best Life Now, I must confess that I was troubled by his emphasis on this life. Jesus wants to bless us now, but the Christian’s best life is not in this fallen earth. There is no better life than eternity with God. In fairness, I believe Osteen would agree with that statement. I just feel that sometimes we get our focus off track.
Most importantly, while Osteen does mention the salvation plan in his books and at the end of his broadcasts, it’s often just that: a mention. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is to be the primary message of the church. I have no problem with a Christian writing a motivational, self-help book. Zig Ziglar has written some great ones! But I do have a concern when an entire ministry seems to revolve around a motivational, self-help message that relegates the Gospel to a mere “mention.” Of course, Osteen would likely respond that he’s merely following Paul’s instructions in I Corinthians 9 to become “all things to all men” and thus meet audiences where they are. And it’s a fair point. I think there is value in addressing people’s felt needs. Rick Warren would likewise agree.
I will also concede that God has probably used Osteen’s inspirational messages to draw people to salvation in Jesus Christ. But I do believe major caution is in order here. If a person sees Jesus as an add-on (an impression one can easily get when Jesus is simply tacked on as a final, parting mention to an otherwise secular-sounding message), that person hasn’t experienced the call to repentance necessary for salvation. And that’s no small matter. How many of the professions of faith in Christ attributable to Osteen’s ministry represent true repentance (and thus true salvation) versus how many constitute people just trying to tack Jesus onto their lives with no real heart change? I don’t know the answer, and neither do you. Only God does. But it is a question I hope Joel Osteen and the leaders of Lakewood Church are praying about.
Putting God in Charge of Your Life
Nevertheless, I return to Bob’s question: “Who benefits from your being poor?” Rick Warren, for all his just criticisms of the excesses of prosperity theology, is himself doing quite well. God has provided for his needs and given Pastor Warren a global reach that he wouldn’t have otherwise had, were it not for the fame and fortune. True to his character, Pastor Warren has shoveled most of the fortune back God’s way. I read that Warren has paid back his church all the money they ever paid him in a salary and, if I remember correctly, only takes a dollar a year salary now. As to his book earnings, he tithes 90 percent of those earnings and lives off the 10 percent. What a testimony! Likewise, Joel Osteen several years ago stopped taking a salary from his church. Other pastors over the years, such as the legendary W.A. Criswell, were able to do the same when their royalties provided well beyond their needs. There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, it’s a great thing. It helps them and it helps their churches. And it illustrates precisely where I think people like Bob Yates are coming from. The more resources God gives you – whether it be in the way of time, talents, or wealth – the more God can use you.
In our conversations, Bob never said money should be viewed as anything more than a tool. It is a means to an end. And the “end” is where you can really tell a person’s heart. If you desire more money so that you can fly in private jets, own your own yacht, wear expensive clothes to show off to your acquaintances, shop in status-oriented stores, and just “enjoy the good life,” then you are “laying up treasures on earth.” But if, like Rick Warren, you want God to bless you financially, so that you can do more for Him, then your heart is in the right place.
There is nothing morally wrong or sinful with a person being rich. If so, then how do you explain Abraham, Job, Solomon, and Esther (who, can we agree, married into significant wealth)? The issue is not how much money you make or have, but rather what you do with it.
For my own part, I hope that God provides me with whatever I need to fulfill the call He has placed on my life. For I am here for Him, not for myself. I am fully responsible to God for what He gives me now and what He chooses to give me in the future. And, based on the promise of His Word, the more faithful I am to following Him, obeying Him, and serving Him, the better positioned I will be for His blessings along with His additional instructions.
Inherit the Wind: Compelling Fiction, Bad History
089 days
by Pastor Tubbs
in Apologetics
Have you seen the movie Inherit the Wind? If not, you’ve missed one of the most culturally significant films in the 20th century. Inherit the Wind, starring Spencer Tracy, is a fictional portrayal of the famous (or infamous) John T. Scopes “Monkey” Trial, which took place in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925.
**Read “A Critique of Inherit the Wind”over at Suite101 Protestantism.
In the real trial, John T. Scopes, a substitute biology teacher, was prosecuted by the state of Tennessee for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution. It was against state law to teach evolution.
Former Democratic Party presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan headlined the prosecution, and famous defense attorney Clarence Darrow represented Scopes. Tourists and reporters descended on Dayton for what became a sensationalized showdown between “Science” and “Religion” – played out between two celebrity titans.
The high point of the trial was when Clarence Darrow cross-examined William Jennings Bryan as an expert on the Bible. Darrow hoped to ridicule Bryan and cast doubt on the Bible. While he did succeed in embarrassing Bryan during the course of his questions, Darrow himself was also flustered and “shown up” a few times. In the end, both men lost their cool, and the examination degenerated into a shouting match. The entire cross-examination was ruled irrelevant and thrown out.
A majority of the national reporters present in Dayton, however, took a dim view of Bryan, and viewed the exchange as a decisive victory for Darrow. And that’s exactly how they reported it! This was especially the case with famous reporter H.L. Mencken, who despised Bryan.
Bryan died a few days after the trial, and even though he technically won the case (Scopes was found guilty and fined $100), the “standard line” became that Bryan was humiliated at the trial.
It was this premise – that Bryan was shown to be an ignorant buffoon – that informed the 1960 movie Inherit the Wind. And in the film, Darrow (renamed Henry Drummond) reduces Bryan (renamed Matthew Harrison Brady) to a stammering, dazed idiot who drops dead in the courtroom! (In reality, Bryan was not left stammering or dazed — and did not die in the courtroom).
Bryan College, a four-year school founded in honor of William Jennings Bryan, has committed itself to defending Bryan’s legacy and setting the record straight concerning the Scopes “Monkey” Trial. While Bryan College recently announced the ending of a play based on the famous trial - a play drawn from actual trial manuscripts – the college is releasing a movie titled Inherit the Truth.
While Inherit the Wind makes for good drama, it’s poor history. There are a number of clear differences between the play / movie and what actually took place in 1925.
For more on this topic, read “A Critique of Inherit the Wind“ over at Suite101 Protestantism.
The Truth About Life: Five Facts Everyone Needs to Know
099 days
The famous philosopher Socrates once said: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Yet many people wander through life without taking the time to understand the nature of life, the meaning of life, or their direction in life. Bestselling author and legendary motivator Zig Ziglar says that we can be a “wandering generality” or a “meaningful specific,” and it’s the latter type of person who enjoys the most fulfillment, happiness, and success. Here are five facts that everyone needs to know about the life we are each living:
1) Life is short.
In Psalm 90, Moses says that each person can expect to live about 70 or 80 years. This ancient piece of wisdom tracks with modern science. While some people live longer and many don’t even make it to 70 or 80, the average life expectancy for men and women falls pretty close to the range given by Moses thousands of years ago. And these seven or eight decades of life pass quickly. Another biblical writer, James, describes life as a “vapor” which “appears for a little time” and then “vanishes away.”
There’s no way to know for certain how much time you will have. There are things we can do to influence the length of days we are given, but there’s always going to be element of uncertainty and mystery when it comes to the specifics. One thing we can know, however, is that life is brief.
2) We have only one life.
The book of Hebrews tells us that it’s “appointed unto a man once to die, and after this, the judgment.” We get one life on earth. While there are some people who teach an endless cycle of reincarnation, these claims are not supported by biblical or scientific evidence. The Bible is clear that we each have but one life to live….on this earth. And after that, we enter into eternity.
The practical implications of this should be obvious. You have one opportunity to get this life thing right. Just one. You can’t “blow it” in one life and then hope you’ll get it right the next go-around. There is no next go-around. You have to get it right now…in this life. That may sound depressing, especially if you feel your life is a mess, but bear with me. I’ll be getting to the good stuff in a moment.
3) This life isn’t all there is to reality.
While this may seem to contradict my previous point, hang with me. You have only one life on this earth, but your life on this earth isn’t all there is to reality. In fact, the earth isn’t all there is to reality. There’s a greater reality out there. And it comprises more than simply the physical world.
We are conditioned to think and understand reality in terms of our senses. That which we can see, touch, taste, feel, or hear is considered “real.” Otherwise, it’s mythical or false. Yet there are many things which we experience that can’t be explained by our senses….or by science. If you doubt me, watch this video clip of a debate between Christian apologist William Lane Craig and chemist Peter Atkins…
As Dr. Craig articulately demonstrates, there are many aspects of life that are plainly obvious – what Thomas Jefferson would call “self-evident” – that can’t be proved by science or demonstrated necessarily by our physical senses. This establishes clearly that reality transcends each person. There’s more to reality than just us, and this should be both thought-provoking and exciting.
4) When it comes to this life, you are responsible for it.
The one common denominator that all living people share is that they each have their own life. And we are each responsible for this life. While it’s true that life on earth (at least collectively and socially speaking) is full of hardship, inequality, unfairness, etc., it’s equally true that it’s full of wonder and opportunity. Regardless of your present circumstances (whether they be positive or negative), it does little good to point the finger or blame others. You alone are responsible for your life and how it turns out. Yes, other people and other circumstances will impact and influence your life — sometimes greatly so. But you must take responsibility for how you deal with, react, and navigate through life’s challenges and opportunities.
Brian Tracy, the great motivational speaker and personal development guru, said that this realization came to him when he was at the lowest point in his life. Broke, discouraged and working in a dead-end job, Tracy had an epiphany. He writes: “One night as I sat at my kitchen table, I had a great flash of awareness. It changed my life. I suddenly realized that everything that would happen to me for the rest of my life was going to be up to me. No one else was ever going to help me. No one was coming to the rescue.” In his book Goals: How to Get Everything You Want – Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible, Tracy explains: “It is only when you free yourself from negative emotions by accepting complete responsibility that you can begin to set and achieve goals in every area of your life. It is only when you are free, mentally and emotionally, that you can begin to channel your energy and enthusiasm in a forward direction.”
5) The Creator wants a relationship with you.
While scholars and theologians may debate aspects and doctrines within the Bible, one of the many unmistakable themes from Scripture is that God wants to have a relationship with His Creation. I realize, however, that some of my skeptical readers may cringe at my using the Bible to make a truth claim. So, even though I believe the Bible to be God’s Word, I will set it aside for a moment and appeal to common sense.
You exist. Let’s start with that premise, shall we? If you are in the fringe, quasi-philosophical camp that questions existence itself, then you’ll at least have to grant that thought exists, that beliefs exist. Since you are having thoughts and beliefs, it’s fair to say that “you” exist, even if you have a very confused understanding of what “you” entails. For the vast majority of my readers, however, no one will have a tough time grasping the fundamental concept of self-existence. Starting with the premise of existence then, it is fair to consider the question of what caused you to come into existence.
The law of causality, a common sense principle that has underlined science, religion, and philosophy, for most of human history, demands that every cause must have an effect. You exist, yet you have not always existed. Therefore, you were caused. What caused you to come into existence? What caused you to begin to exist? You will undoubtedly think of your parents, but what caused them to exist? And what about their parents and their parents and their parents and their parents – right on back to the beginning of the human race? If you believe in evolution, then what caused the evolutionary ancestors of mankind to exist? And what caused the early stages of evolution to occur? In fact, what initiated evolution itself? (Note that I believe that God created the heavens and the earth. I’m merely playing along with what atheists, agnostics, and skeptics will relate with).
At some point, we will come to Aristotle’s ultimate First Cause. Something or Someone had to begin human existence as well as the universe itself. Basically, anything that comes into existence had to have a cause. And that brings us back eventually to a timeless, infinite, all-powerful supernatural Cause.
Setting aside the Bible and all other religious faiths for a moment, if it’s reasonable to conclude that a supernatural Being of some kind brought the universe into existence (and, as we saw earlier, that it’s obvious there’s more to reality than what science and our physical senses can explain), it’s fair to then assume this Creator had a reason for bringing all of us into existence. When you and I build something, it’s for a reason and purpose, right? Since we’ve been created, it’s therefore reasonable to conclude it was for a reason.
When you then consider the relational aspect of humanity, the fact that we need relationships, then it’s highly probable that relationship had something to do with the Creator’s purpose. From a purely logical standpoint then, it’s highly likely that the Creator wants to have a relationship with the human race. Since you are part of the human race, that means the Creator wants to have a relationship with you.
With the above, I’ve used logic and reason (working off of some pretty common sense premises) to bring us to what the Bible has long claimed: That God created the human race. That God loves the human race. And that God desires a relationship with the human race. That is, in fact, the entire story of the Bible.
Take heart. You are here because God wants you here. And God wants to have a relationship with you. The key to finding your purpose and to achieving happiness in life is having that relationship with Him. Now that you know that, the ball is in your court?
For more on this subject, I encourage you to read the Gospel of John. Nothing beats starting with the Bible. In addition to God’s Word, I would encourage you to read The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren and (though I differ with his Calvinist leanings, especially in Chapter Seven) No Doubt About It: The Case for Christianity by Winfried Corduan.
God bless you.
When Was The New Testament Written?
0201 days
When were the New Testament books written? Many critics of the Bible argue that the books of the New Testament were written (and changed several times) many years after the events they describe, and thus (these critics say) the New Testament can’t be trusted as a reliable source on early Christianity. In this video excerpt, Frank Turek argues for an early dating (and thus early testimony) of the New Testament:
To get more of Frank Turek’s analysis, check out…
I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist by Frank Turek and Norm Geisler
Why Was Frank Turek Fired From Cisco? And What Does it Say About Persecution of Christians in America?
5202 days
Bible-believing Christians in America need to sit up and take notice. Frank Turek, a Christian author and speaker, was fired from his contract with Cisco as a result of beliefs he publicly expressed outside of work. That a Christian would lose his or her job because of political or religious views expressed outside of work is deeply troubling to say the least. It’s certainly understandable that an employer would prohibit, limit, or regulate religious or political speech or activism within the workplace. It’s not only understandable, but perfectly reasonable. However, when an employer terminates an employee’s position or vendor’s contract over political speech or activism that takes place outside of work hours and off campus, that is something else entirely. And that is precisely what happened with Frank Turek.
Turek is a widely known Christian author, speaker, and ministry leader. Until recently, he was also a corporate consultant and trainer, using his expertise in leadership and management to supplement his family’s income. Turek was careful not to mix the two spheres, keeping his political and religious views out of his corporate work. That was not good enough, however, for a self-described gay manager at Cisco. In spite of the fact that Turek received high marks for his training and performance, this particular manager was appalled at Turek’s writings and public advocacy for traditional marriage. He complained. And Turek was fired.
What’s the big deal, you say? Simply this…if it happened to Frank Turek, it can happen to you. In fact, this kind of thing has long been happening in academia, especially on liberal college campuses. Now, it’s happening in corporate America. The bottom line precedent that’s being set right now is this…Christians can be fired from their secular jobs if they publicly write or say things outside of work that are deemed offensive by co-workers.
Professing Christians who pick and choose which parts of the Bible they’re comfortable with and/or who avoid taking any kind of stand on moral issues need not fear. Those types of “Christians” will be the last to face persecution, since they are not much of a threat to anyone. (Though even these Christians may find themselves passed over for promotion or undermined in subtle ways if they are associated with churches or pastors that DO take a stand).
For this blog post, I’m writing mainly to true followers of Jesus Christ. True followers of Christ will always be considered a threat to the Enemy as well as to a morally perverse culture, because they stand for the principles and precepts of God’s Word. Fortunately, for most of American history, Bible-believing Christians have enjoyed a wide amount of latitude in the free exercise of religion and in their free speech rights. Note the past tense of that statement, however. For if the story of Frank Turek is indicative of what’s on the horizon, the days of enjoying a high level of religious freedom in the United States may be numbered.
Mike Licona Offers Evidence for the Resurrection
0304 days
by Pastor Tubbs
in Apologetics
In this presentation, ironically given at Christmas time, Christian scholar Mike Licona shares evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ…
Christianity and the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Salem Witch Trials
0353 days
by Pastor Tubbs
in Apologetics
In yesterday’s blog post, we started to look at the question of whether Christianity can make any credible claims to being moral. And I promised that today, I would address perhaps the most serious allegations leveled at Christianity…
What About the Crusades?
Okay, you might say, some of the allegations against Christianity are unfair, but what about those things we know happened in history? We know that European Crusaders, often with the cross of Christ emblazoned on their shield and armor, rampaged through the Middle East causing death and destruction. We know about the Inquisition and we know that witches were killed by the Puritans in New England.
Of all the books I’ve read on Christianity, one of the best in addressing this particular issue is What’s So Great About Christianity? by Dinesh D’Souza. In his book, D’Souza puts the Crusades in the proper historical context. He writes: “More than two hundred years after Islamic armies conquered the Middle East and forced their way into Europe, the Christians finally did strike back. Rallied by the pope and the ruling dynasties of Europe, in the eleventh century the Christians attempted to recover the heartland of Christianity and defend it against militant Islam.”
Remember that, before Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Judaism dominated the Middle East. In the years during and after Emperor Constantine’s rule, for example, Christians had full access to the holy sites in Jerusalem and Judeo-Palestine. The Islamic conquest of the Middle East changed all that. When Muslim armies conquered the Middle East and then pushed into Europe, it began to look as if Europe itself would be transformed into a Muslim continent as well. For political and economic reasons as well as religious and cultural reasons, European governments responded by raising armies to take the fight to the now-Islamic Middle East. What followed were centuries of bloodshed, with the culmination being the Muslim defeat of the Byzantine Empire (the eastern remnant of the Roman Empire) in 1453.
Were the Crusades bloody? Yes. Were their atrocities committed during the Crusades? Yes…by both sides. But is it fair to classify the Crusades as Christian aggression? Not really. There was much more going on than missionary zeal. In fact, the Great Commission (Matthew 18:28-30) had very little to do with the Crusades. One may find fault with more than a few professing Christians during the time of the Crusades, but one can’t find fault with Jesus Christ Himself.
What About the Inquisition?
The Inquisition was an atrocity carried out by the corrupt, medieval Roman Catholic Church in Europe, mainly Spain. While some of its offenses have been exaggerated, I won’t deny that this is a tragic and regrettable chapter in Christian history. I will simply point out, as D’Souza does, that realistic estimates of those killed in the Inquisition are somewhere between 1,500 and 4,000 over a span of 350 years. While that’s tragic, it’s hardly the genocidal carnage that many of Christianity’s critics allege. What’s more, the Inquisition is not representative of true, biblical Christianity. It’s not something that evangelical Christians would ever endorse or countenance. It was a tragic manifestation of corruption in the medieval Catholic Church.
…and the Salem Witch Trials?
Finally, we come to the Salem witch trials. When one examines the actual historical record, he or she will find that fewer than twenty were killed outright in Puritan New England for witchcraft, with a few others dying in captivity. Assuming the “few others” is, say, another twenty, that’s forty people total who may have died as a result of execution or cruelty during the Salem witch trial ordeal. These individuals were killed not simply because the Massachusetts Christians disapproved of their pagan ways, hated them, or wanted to exact some kind of jihadist vengeance. These convicted witches were killed because of real fear and a genuine (however misguided) belief on the part of the Massachusetts Christians that witchcraft was real – and that Satan was at work. These Puritan Christians believed that the devil was working through these witches to bring disease, death, and suffering to New England. In time, as accusations spread (and began to include respectable citizens), public conscience overcame the fear and hysteria, and the trials were ended. Were the trials a tragedy? Yes. Were they a natural outgrowth of true, biblical, evangelical Christianity? No.
Have Christians Done Evil?
In my above explanation, I’m not denying that professing Christians have, in the course of history (or even today), done bad things. Christians (both professing and genuine) have sinned – and continue to sin. I’m merely trying to put the sins of Christians in perspective. We will see in my next blog post (which I will post sometime in the next few days) that the sins associated with Christianity are nothing compared with those carried out by atheist regimes or movements. This fact is an important aspect of perspective that is sometimes overlooked. Most importantly, though, the only valid way to evaluate Christianity (at its genuine, real core) is to assess its founder. If Jesus Christ Himself were guilty of sin and atrocities, one could reasonably conclude that Christianity were evil. Absent this, however, it becomes smoke-and-mirrors. We can point fingers at professing Christians all we want, but, in the end, the most important figure in Christianity isn’t some preacher, pope, or politician. It’s Jesus Christ Himself.
For more on this subject, check out…
What’s So Great About Christianity? by Dinesh D’Souza
