“Trusting Christ does not take the form of merely believing things about him. Moreover, knowing the “right answers” does not mean we truly believe them. To believe them means we are set to act as if these “right answers” are true. Perhaps the hardest thing for sincere Christians to come to grips with is the level of real unbelief in their own lives: the unformulated skepticism about Jesus that permeates all dimensions of their being and undermines the efforts they do make toward Christlikeness.”—Dallas Willard & Jan Johnson
Category Archives: Other Stuff
Having Helpful Spiritual Conversations
I came across an excellent piece of advice in Greg Koukl’s excellent new book, Tactics: A Game-Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
“Always make it a goal to keep your conversations cordial. Sometimes that will not be possible. If a principled, charitable expression of your ideas makes someone mad, there’s little you can do about it. Jesus’ teaching made some people furious. Just make sure it’s your ideas that offend and not you, that your beliefs cause the dispute and not your behavior.”
A good word.
Do we have to know everything before we can believe in God?
I spoke to our church this weekend about questions, doubts, and faith. I wanted to share two quotes that I found helpful.
First, “Faith does not feed on thin air but on facts. Its instinct is to root itself in truth, to earth itself in reality, and this distinguishes faith from fantasy, the object of faith from the figment of the imagination.”—Os Guinness
There is a lot of confusion about faith today. But from a Christian perspective, I think Os hits the nail on the head. Faith is rooted in reality. A better synonym would be trust or confidence. Faith is not wishful thinking, it is grounded in experience and evidence.
Second, “There is no way to God that bypasses the call to let go {i.e., to choose to trust Him}. You may have many intellectual doubts, and it is really important to be honest about those, to talk about them and study. However, thinking and studying alone never remove the need to choose. The question of faith is never just an intellectual decision”—John Ortberg
As humans, we all have limitations. We have limitations in energy, time, and yes…knowledge. We all experience doubts at one time or another simply because we cannot know everything about everything. That is equally true of the skeptic and believer. But there comes a time when you have to choose. Everyone ultimately trusts in something or someone–themselves, a friend, a book, a professor, or God. And we all do so–without every question answered. We do our best to have sufficient evidence, but at the end of the day we either commit to the person of Jesus and his way of life or choose another path. Yes, there will be questions along the way, but that is why it is a journey of faith and understanding.
Does God Exist? – The Craig vs. Hitchens Debate
Tonight we are rebroadcasting the “Does God Exist” debate between William Lane Craig and Christopher Hitchens.
Here is the promo: “Witness one of the great debates of the new millennium. Devoted atheist, Christopher Hitchens, author of the bestselling God is Not Great, squares off with one of the most formidable debaters in the Christian world, Dr. William Lane Craig, on the topic: Does God Exist? Moderated by Hugh Hewitt and hosted by Craig Hazen at Biola University.”
What I would like to know is what you thought? Those who attended tonight’s debate or found this blog another way and watched the debate, what did you find compelling or not compelling? Where do you think the evidence points? (and more importantly why?)
Please feel free to leave your comments below and interact with each other. The only rule is to treat others with respect.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Here is a link for further input on this debate.
Resources to Explore the Question Further
Who Made God?
Philosopher Jay Richards does a good job addressing this common objection.