Spirituality

What you need to do is not be spiritual, but be spiritually right. You have a right to believe whatever you choose, but what you believe must be right.
--Ravi Zacharias

Click here to hear the entire answer to the question: Do we have to say it's only Christianity that will save the world or will Spirituality?

Postmodernism and Christianity

Is there any consistency between Postmodernism and Christianity?

Postmodernism brings us two things:

1. No truth, no meaning, no certainty.
   
2. The denegration of propositional truth. Language is not at the command of the author. The interpretation is at the command of the reader.

You take no truth, no meaning, no certainty and that the objective truth of the writer is gone, what's left of the Bible? What's left of Christianity? So, there is no common ground in their epistemology (The base from which they come to truth.) However, Postmodernism has done something positive for us...


Postmodernism reminds us of two very important things in life:

1. The Importance of the Story. There is a story that people love to hear. If we do preaching only at a cerebral level and just at a level of logic and reason, without the story, it will come unhinged and unmoored.


2. The Importance of Community. Here, the church has a lot to learn. The church sometimes has become ruggedly individualistic and forgotten the community. In fact, those who are hurting or those who have blown it or those who have made mistakes, we are the first one to pounce on them and pulverize them and pummel them to the ground when we should be the ones waiting for them to come so that we can help them in their need.

These points were taken from Ravi Zacharias. Click here to hear everything he had to say, concerning this particular question (Is there any consistency between Postmodernism and Christianity?)

Faith

"What is faith?"

As Christians, we often tell people that we have "faith" and that our "faith" is in Jesus Christ. But just what is this faith that we speak of? What does it mean to have "faith"?

Hebrews 11:1-3 & 6(NIV)
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

6 And 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.

For reasons only (fully and truly) known by God, we (mankind) have been called to have faith in God.

Why am I telling you this?

To simply acknowledge that it does indeed take faith to be a follower of Jesus Christ. In previous posts, I have talked about how unshakably true the Word of God is and how the Christian faith and the Bible have withstood the fiercest scrutiny. Yet, even when the facts stack up and all things point to the Bible being true... you come to that point where you have to have faith. You've never seen God, you've never heard God, so you don't know that He is real (a lot of times as humans, we don't believe it unless we see it), but His Word tells us that He is and He asks us to have faith.

"How can I REALLY, TRULY know that God is real? If He is real, why can't I see Him? Why can't I hear Him? Why......"

John 20:24-29 (NIV)
24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." 28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Hang-ups

Take a moment, clear your mind, and answer this question as honestly as you can:

What is hindering you from believing in God? What is keeping you from accepting the person of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?

If you reject the Christian faith, if you reject the Bible, if you reject Jesus, let me ask you this:

Why? REALLY...... why?

Do you have a reason? If so, have you considered your reasoning? If you've been hung-up on something you don't understand about God, Jesus, the Bible or the Christian worldview, have you pursued answers to your question(s)? If you haven't, I'd encourage you to do so.

Here's one example of what I'm talking about:

Do you reject the Christian faith because "Christians are hypocrites."? If so, I'd suggest that you reconsider this reasoning. The Bible tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) Have you rejected Christ because people who have talked to you about Him have judged you and said or acted like they were better than you? If you've thought, "They're no better than me!", you are correct... they aren't better than you. The Bible also says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:9) They have not attained salvation by their own doing, salvation is a free gift from God that you cannot earn. They don't "deserve" to spend eternity with God in heaven, anymore than anyone else.

Jesus dealt with this very thing in the gospels. The Pharisees were confident in their knowledge of the law, and how they had kept the law. Jesus said in Luke 11, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them." God is fully aware of hypocrisy and when Jesus came to earth, He definitely addressed the issue head-on.

So what? What's the point?

Say for instance you truly don't believe there is a God, but then... you die, and you find out there really IS a God. What do you have to say for yourself? Will you blame your disbelief on those pesky Christians who acted like they were better than you? (They shouldn't do that by the way, I'm not suggesting that they don't have a responsibility to act right.) What would God say in response to that if you did? I believe that He covered every possible angle. There are no loop-holes. If you read His Word, you will find that it's VERY clear:

Acts 4:12 (NIV)
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

There are no excuses... He has provided a way for mankind to find redemption. There is ONE way to God the Father, and that is through His son, Jesus Christ. And His Word (The Holy Bible), which tells us about that way... is being spread all over the world so that all may know that the payment for our sin has been paid by the blood of Jesus Christ.

God isn't asking you to accept the "truth" and actions of man... He is asking you to accept His truth and His actions. He sent His son Jesus to die for your sins and mine. Christianity is ultimately about Christ. He was born of a virgin, He was crucified, He died, and He rose again. Through Him, we have victory over sin and death.

So, what's your hang-up? What are you struggling to accept? What's keeping you from following Christ?

Dangerous Times

I say to you - we are living in dangerous times, not because of attacks from outside of this land, but because this land no longer knows what it believes. Until we know what we believe here, and what it is that is worth preserving, we will never know what it is that's really being attacked.
-- Ravi Zacharias

What is destroying the moral and spiritual foundation of today’s society?

Ravi Zacharias: I believe a convergence of many factors has taken place. Much of education in the 1960s came unhinged from any moral absolutes and ethical values, to wit the book Excellence Without a Soul by Harry R. Lewis. We have seen this happening the last 40 years. There have been many voices alerting us to this. But more than just a philosophy took over; a mood took over.

First, secularization generally held that religious ideas, institutions, and interpretations have lost their social significance. People liked the idea of a secular society and a secular government. But in terms of moral values and ethics, they never checked into the internal assumptions of secularization that made it wide open to almost any view on any subject. Beginning in the 1960s, the moods of secularization ultimately led to society’s loss of shame.

Next is pluralization, which sounds like a practical and worthy idea; and in many ways, it is. In pluralism you have a competing number of worldviews that are available, and no worldview is dominant. But smuggled in with pluralization was the absolutization of relativism. The only thing we could be sure of was that all moral choices were relative and there was no point of reference to right and wrong. This resulted in the death of reason.

Last is privatization, which is an accommodation to the religiously minded. If secularization and pluralization were going to hold sway, what does society do with the large number of people who are spiritually minded?

Being spiritually minded was okay as long as people kept their spiritual beliefs private and did not bring them into the public arena. The irony of this was the fact secularization — which had its assumptions on absolutes and anything of the metaphysical nature — was allowed into the public place. In fact, its very trust was to bring it into the public place. But anyone who believed in a spiritual Essence, an Ultimate Reality, and the fact there were transcendent absolutes that needed to be adhered to was told to keep those beliefs private. That ultimately paved the way for the loss of meaning.

These three moods — secularization, pluralization, and privatization — brought about loss of shame, loss of reason, and loss of meaning. How was this authoritatively pontificated in the social strain? This is when philosophy stepped in, the moralizers against morality came in, and political correctness came in. These gave society some parameters that allowed it to expel the moralizing from outside the secular realm.

As a result, everything became pragmatic. Philosophers and naturalists stepped in. In this new century, we have lost all definitions of what it means to be human, and what sexuality, life, and the home are all about. We are on the high seas, battling the storms of conflicting worldviews without a compass.

Worship

How do we regain or retain the integrity of worship? The risks we flirt with today in the Christian world, where worship has become an experience rather than a way of life, is a very very risky proposition. How do we keep worship holding it's theological integrity, and finding its existential relevance? If we do not understand how to retain its integrity and maintain relevance, we will lose one of the two in the process and the church either becomes irrelevant or loses truth in the process.
-- Ravi Zacharias

Secularization: Its Control and Power
by Ravi Zacharias

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• Part 1 of 2

Trusting in a Culturally Relevant Gospel

Whether through creating trendy worship services, writing books about how Christ can be seen in current movies, or mirroring hot bands playing on MTV, Christians often try to make their faith more culturally relevant. But Os Guinness says that this desire to be fashionable is exactly why Christians are now becoming marginalized. In a lecture for the C.S. Lewis Institute in 2002, he said that the only thing that is always relevant is the Gospel.

Interview with Os Guinness at www.christianitytoday.com

I realize that this particular post doesn't quite fit in with most of my other blog posts, but I thought this was a really great article and definitely something for Christians to think about.

Who am I?

"The reason why the question 'Who am I?' bothers us is because it's an essential question. It asks questions about our heart, which... if we are honest - we are not happy with. And it doesn't matter what you do, it doesn't matter what patterns of thought you've mastered, and it doesn't matter what experiences you have, you can never change yourself - it's impossible. No one can change themselves, have you noticed that? It's impossible... no matter how hard you try. But if you look at any secular system of counseling or even other religious systems, they'll say, 'Look, you're not happy with who you are, but what you need to do is you need to do certain things, think certain things, have certain experiences...... you do all of that, you'll eventually become the person that God wants you to be and the person that you want to be.'

Jesus Christ did something completely different. Jesus came into this world and He offered to start where everyone else wanted to finish. Jesus said, 'If anyone comes to me, they are a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come.' Someone came to Jesus at one point and said, 'What must I do to inherit eternal life?' and Jesus said, 'You must be born again.' Literally, your very being must be taken and changed. You must be born anew a second time.

Have you ever thought about that?

The reason Jesus Christ is unique is He is offering to do something that no one else has ever even thought about."

-- Michael Ramsden, RZIM Itinerate Team Member

Who am I?
By Michael Ramsden

• Part 3 of 3
• Part 2 of 3
• Part 1 of 3

I've tried to change... numerous times in my life. I've been unhappy with who I am, how I act, how I look, and how I feel. I've tried to change who I am, how I act, how I look, and how I feel, but never with much success. Most of the time, I found that I was unsuccessful because I was doing these things with the wrong motives. Out of pride and jealousy, I've tried to lose weight. Out of shame and embarassment, I've tried to change how I act. Out of fear and frustration, I've tried to change how I feel. But, I can honestly say that the changes were never permanent. I made changes outwardly, but they never seemed to change me inwardly.

I've known Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior since I was a young child. But...... I'm just starting to realize that I can't really change without God. I tell you the truth - God is helping me change how I act, God is helping me change how I look (because I really need to lose weight, I'm a big guy), and God is helping me change how I feel. He's changing who I am, for His glory. Before I submitted to God and humbled myself and asked Him to help me change... I was trying to change for my own glory. Really, I was. I was concerned about my reputation.

Things are different now. I'm trying to trust and obey the Lord and change for Him, not for me. As Christians, we are constantly in a state of regeneration, not degeneration (as a close friend kindly reminded me of recently). That's good to know, because sometimes I get down on myself and I can't figure out why I'm not better than I am when the One who indwells me is perfect. I must remember that I am free from the bondage of sin, but I still have a sin nature. Becoming a Christian doesn't make you perfect, but it gives you a relationship with God, who is perfect.

Do you have a relationship with God? Have you been set free from the bondage of sin and death? Have you been reborn and given new life?

Romans 8:1-8(NIV)
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. 5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

Romans 10:9-13 (NIV)
9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Acts 4:12 (NIV)
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

What is Truth?

There are a lot of articles, books, videos, etc. that make an attempt to answer the question, "What is truth?" Many of them are really good and many are really bad. There are many good ones that I could share, but I decided to settle on this one. I think it appropriately answers the question, "What is truth?"

This is the very question that Pontius Pilate asked Jesus. In the irony of the ages, he stood toe to toe with the personification of truth and yet missed its reality. Postmodern people are in much the same position. They stare at truth but fail to recognize its identity.

First, truth is an aspect of the nature of God Himself. Thus, to put on truth is to put on Christ. For Christ is "truth" (John 14:6), and Christians are to be the bearers of truth. As Os Guinness explains, Christianity is not true because it works (pragmatism); it is not true because it feels right (subjectivism); it is not true because it is "my truth" (relativism). It is true because it is anchored in the person of Christ.

Furthermore, truth is anything that corresponds to reality. As such, truth does not yield to the size and strength of the latest lobby group. Nor is truth merely a matter of preference or opinion. Rather truth is true even if everyone denies it, and a lie is a lie even if everyone affirms it.

Finally, truth is essential to a realistic worldview. When sophistry, sensationalism, and superstition sabotage truth, our view of reality is seriously skewed. The death of truth spells the death of civilization. However, as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn discovered, "One word of truth outweighs the entire world."

-- Hank Hanegraaff, The Bible Answer Book

John 18:37-38
"You are king, then!' said Pilate. Jesus answered, 'You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.' 'What is truth?' Pilate asked."

I would highly recommend The Truth Project. Here is a promo video for The Truth Project:

The Trinity

I've recently discoverd several online publications (mostly blogs) that talk about the "trinity" and how that word is not found one time in the Bible. As far as I know, this is correct. The word "trinity" is not found in the Bible. However, I would like to make it clear that what the word is referring to is very real and not anti-Biblical.

Scripture clearly portrays subject/object relationships between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. For example, the Father and Son love one another, speak to each other (John 17:1-26), and together send the Holy Spirit (John 15:26). Additionally, Jesus proclaims that He and the Father are two distinct witnesses and two distinct judges (John 8:14-18). If Jesus were Himself the Father, His argument would not only have been irrelevant but it would have been fatally flawed; and if such were the case, He could not have been fully God.

It is important to note that when Trinitarians speak of one God they are referring to the nature or essence of God. Moreover, when they speak of persons they are referring to personal self-distinctions within the Godhead. Put another way, we believe in one "What" and three "Who's".

-- Hank Hanegraaff, The Bible Answer Book

Deuteronomy 6:4
"Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one."

Matthew 28:19
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Proceed with Caution

This is a reminder/warning to those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. The Bible is the infallible Word of God. It is our ultimate source of truth. It is good to read books and listen to audio by Christians, but BE CAUTIOUS. Remember, they are a sinner, just like you, therefore their understanding may not be correct.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 (NKJV)
For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.

Also, there are men who appear to be righteous, and of God, but are in fact - not.

II Corinthians 11:12-15 (NIV)
12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

Anything written or said outside of the Bible should be handled with caution. Some people even try to twist what is written in the Bible for their own purposes or ideas. When you listen and/or read, use discernment. Compare what is said to what is written in scripture. If everything they say seems to line-up with what the Bible says, that's great, but do not be followers of men... be followers of Christ. The reason I say this is because we are all capable of getting off the path, and if we follow someone too closely, and their teaching somehow becomes corrupt, we might just become corrupt right along with them. Always take a mental stance that the Bible is the constant, unchanging source of truth. I love Dr. Ravi Zacharias, and he has yet to say anything that I disagree with. However, I must remember that he is not the Christ. Yes, even if he somehow became corrupt (which I don't think for a moment that he will), the things he has spoken, that are true, remain true. But, where the warning comes in is if he were to start teaching things that weren't true, and I was sold on the idea that "Ravi Zacharias is truth", then I am putting myself at risk.

On the other hand, let us be careful not to completely discredit those God uses, just because we don't agree with EVERYTHING that they say. It is important to listen, and then separate what is right and what is wrong. You'll find that you will not agree with everything that every pastor or teacher says. We must first ask ourselves, "Does the good outweigh the bad?" If so, then we can mentally decide (if we choose) to keep learning from that teacher or preacher. But, there is one more thing we must do before we decide to keep learning from the individual. We must analyze the "bad".

How bad is it? Has the person stated that we must lift our hands in the air when we worship? If so, and you disagree, that is a matter of opinion and/or personal preference. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Bible does not give us a specific description of how to conduct a church worship service. It does not say, "Sing hymns, not contemporary Christian music." or vise versa. So, if you disagree with the person on that issue, that's fine, but be careful not to go around telling everyone that everything that person says is wrong because you disagree on the one topic.

Has the person stated that all we have to do is love our neighbor and do good things and we will be accepted by God, and go to heaven when we die? This is a doctrinal error and not a matter of opinion or personal preference. This is a matter of truth and should not be taken lightly. When something like this happens, we have to pray and consider if this person is truly being led by the Holy Spirit to preach or teach. Even if they said 99 other things and they were all correct, this one statement still holds much concern and we need to be wary of the one that said it.

Don't live a life of paranoia, always doubting everything that is said because "there is no one who does good, not even one." (Romans 3:12). Remember that God used sinful men all throughout scripture. Study God's Word, grow in your relationship with Him, and He will give you discernment and help reveal who is speaking in truth and who is not. Life may throw us curveballs sometimes, and righteous men may fall. This warning is written to help you prepare your heart and mind for those moments.

Final note - This is a quote from myself and something I remind myself of constantly:

When others around us fail, it's encouraging to know that Jesus never did.

Listening: A Valid Option for Learning

Do you like to read? If you don't, I can relate to you. I make myself read because I think it's beneficial, but I don't prefer to read. I'm in an accountability group with three other guys, and we commit to reading two chapters of the Bible, everyday. Through this commitment, I am in the process of reading the Bible, in its entirety, for the first time in my entire life. I just recently started reading more books outside of the Bible, for a men's leadership development group, called Joshua's Men. This has been quite a challenge for me, as I really don't enjoy reading, but I'm learning a lot, so I won't complain.

I would encourage you to make an effort to read, even if you don't enjoy reading. I would also encourage you to do something I DO enjoy - listen to podcasts. I LOVE podcasts! Listening is a great way to learn. I often listen to podcasts when I'm at work and when I workout. I found this video at marshillchurch.org, and I thought I'd share it. It's short and to the point, so please take a moment to watch:

My favorite podcasts can be found at www.rzim.org. I love listening to Christian Apologist - Dr. Ravi Zacharias. Whether it's a sermon, a debate, a speech, or a Q&A session, Ravi does a tremendous job of sharing the truth claims of God. I also listen to Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA.

The Shack: A Warning for the Unsuspecting Reader

Pastor Chris Eller recently wrote a review of William P. Young's book, The Shack. Though Grace Church does not typically do "book reports", Chris thought it to be very important to warn readers about this book. Whether you've already read this New York Times best seller or not, I would recommend that you take the time to read this review:

The Shack: A Warning for the Unsuspecting Reader

Also, here's a quick video that summarizes the dangers of the book. This is Pastor Mark Driscoll, from Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA.

Is Jesus the Only God?

Jesus claimed to be God, but is His claim exclusive, or is Jesus one of many gods through whom we find salvation?

John 14:5-6 (NKJV)
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Acts 16:31 (NKJV)
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved"

He is the one and only Son of God. He was/is fully God and fully man. He came to earth, born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18-24), He was crucified, He died, and He was buried (Mark 15:21-47). But, that's not the end of the story. Jesus rose from the dead three days later (Mark 16) and He ascended into Heaven (Luke 24:50-53). He conquered the grave! Through Him, we have victory over sin and death.

Some things to note about Jesus:

1. Jesus said He was God.
   (Mark 14:61-64, John 8:58-59, John 10:30-33)



2. Jesus said He came from heaven.
   (John 6:38, 41-42, 60, 66)



3. Jesus said He was sinless. (John 8:46)



4. Jesus forgave sin. (Mark 2:5)



5. Jesus said He was the only way to heaven.
   (John 14:6 John 11:25)



6. Jesus confirmed to others He was God.
   (Matthew 26:63-65)



7. Jesus accepted worship as God.
   (Matthew 14:33, John 9:38)



8. Jesus performed miracles including rising from death.

Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

Jesus is the only way.

Truth is Relative?

"All truth is relative."

Does that statement include itself or exclude itself? If it includes itself, then that statement is not always true, which means it is false. If it excludes itself, then it's positting an absolute while denying that absolutes actually exist. -- Ravi Zacharias

Why do I bring this up? We live in a society that embraces this idea that "Truth is relative."

What is truth?
How important is truth?
Who defines truth? The individual? Governments? Religions?

Just something to think about...

Christianity is for Dummies

If you are reading this and you are a Christian, please know that I'm not ACTUALLY suggesting that Christianity is for dummies. If you are not a Christian and you are reading this, please know that this is in NO WAY sarcastic in any sense and is not a slam against the "non-believer" (as we refer to you in the Christian worldview). This note is very serious and is mostly written to encourage you to think about life, God, the Bible, and the Christian Worldview vs. other worldviews.

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Many mistakenly believe that Christian belief, because it involves faith, is unsupported by reason and evidence and that becoming a Christian requires checking your intellect at the door and accepting Christian truth claims unquestioningly. But anyone who has truly studied Christian theology and apologetics understands that Christianity rests on a powerful body of evidence and that reason and intellect are its allies, not its enemies.

Before you cavalierly assume that there are unanswerable contradictions or unfathomable paradoxes, before you reject Christian theology out of hand because you witness Christian hypocrisy, before you dismiss the Bible as merely a wonderful piece of literature with some instructive moral stories, do yourself the favor of reading it for yourself. And read what other believing, conservative scholars and theologians have written on the subject.

You will come away enriched beyond your greatest expectations and no longer able to say that Christianity is for dummies -- or ducks the tough questions. Debunking the stereotype of the Christian as a nonthinker and that Christianity discourages intellectual examination, Ravi says, "We are fashioned by God to be thinking and emotional creatures. The emotions should follow reason, and not the other way around."

-- David Limbaugh, Townhall.com Columnist

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It's easy for us to become overwhelmed by the great number of "truths" in our world. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Darwinism, Catholicism, and more. The easy solution would be to look at all these and say, "They can't all be right, so they must all be wrong!" Why is that the easy solution? Because it requires a lot less effort and thinking.

Remember when you were in school and you had the multiple choice questions and occasionally you got the "D. None of the above." option? You probably feel like circling that in the test of life, don't you?

I'm going to ask you some questions and I want you to REALLY think about them:

Do you REALLY think that life is a random accident?

Think about your own body, your own emotions, and the world around you... did this all REALLY come from nothing? Even scientists will support the notion that the earth, and life itself for that matter, is not eternal. Science says that the earth does indeed have an "age" though they're not certain how old it actually is. Nobody in the scientific world is saying "The earth has ALWAYS been, there is no beginning." If that were the case, maybe we would have less to be concerned about.

So, we (mankind) had a beginning... almost everyone can agree on that (except the extra stubborn). Do you care? Does that matter? Why should it matter? Does "not caring" make it any less important?

...

Ravi Zacharias argues that a coherent worldview must be able to satisfactorily answer four questions: that of origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. He claims that while every major religion makes exclusive claims about truth, the Christian faith is unique in its ability to answer all four of these questions. He routinely speaks on the coherency of the Christian worldview, claiming that Christianity is capable of withstanding the toughest philosophical attacks. Why do I bring him up? Simple, he's a thinker. Ravi Zacharias is no "sheeple". And he's not the only one... there are many Christians out there who have weighed Christianity against the other religions/philosophies of this world and walked away believing in the God of the Bible. That's powerful stuff and not something to be taken lightly.

So what's the point? What am I trying to say?

There is something very powerful about Christianity that has withstood history. I am challenging you ask yourself a very simple yet complex question - Why?

I would also challenge you by suggesting that your strongest resistance to the faith may be it's moral implications. With that said, I would like you to think about a few things that are related to this topic of morality and that happen to be two very popular and accepted things here in the United States:

The Bible says: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”

You may have a problem with that because you “like” to get drunk, but let me ask you this: Why do you drink? When you drink, do you feel full of life, or do you feel empty inside? Does the alcohol make your problems go away, or are they just temporarily removed from your mind?
The Bible is against pre-marital sex, and all sex outside of the bond of marriage, between one man and one woman.

You may have a problem with that, but let me ask you this: Why is it that people who have sexual relations with multiple partners and/or same sex partners are much more likely to get a sexually transmitted disease? Why do they only have medications that treat the symptoms of these diseases, but there is no actual "cure" for most of them? Why does “free sex”, as the hippies called it, lead to so many health problems? Do you agree with the Trojan Condom company that we just need to “evolve” and use “protection” and ignore that this type of lifestyle is literally bad for our bodies otherwise? Do you REALLY agree with that? Does that REALLY seem "logical"?

...

Would it really be ALL THAT BAD to give up these things that are really quite harmful (or at least not helpful) anyways?

One last time (in this note) I will quote Ravi:

“A man rejects God neither because of intellectual demands nor because of the scarcity of evidence. A man rejects God because of a moral resistance that refuses to admit his need for God.”

Let me suggest that there just might be more to the Christian life than you currently understand and/or more than you'd care to try and comprehend. And I'd also suggest that it's something worth examining further.

Just something to think about......

Psalm 14:1 (NKJV)
The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

Evolution vs. Creationism: Listen to the Scientists

"Most lay people think that theories are guesses or hunches or something that you don't have to take terribly seriously, it's not such a big deal... Completely opposite in Science. What a lot of (unfortunately) text books lead people to misunderstand is that a really good theory grows up into a law, as if theories are refined and then become laws and laws are somehow more important than theories. This is a source of a lot of confusion. When scientists talk about fact - they're talking about confirmed observations. And facts are interesting, but... they're not terribly exciting. They don't do a whole lot for you. Facts are a dime a dozen. There's facts all over the place. Theories are the most important things in science. Theory, to a scientist, means explanation and these are logical constructs of facts, of tested hypothesis, of laws, of all kinds of stuff... that taken together and put in a logical descriptive fashion - help us understand some kind of natural phenomenon."

From the YouTube video, entitled: Evolution vs. Creationism: Listen to the Scientists

Ok, let's listen to the scientists:

Theories are the most important things in science.

Theory, to a scientist, means explanation.

Explanations are logical constructs of the facts (things tested and observed in our natural world today).

So, if I look at the facts, I should logically conclude that there is no God and that the earth is millions of years old and that we evolved from nothing? I can't prove either one... I can't "prove" that there is a God who created everything and I can't "prove" that everything evolved from nothing over millions of years. But, if I'm understanding correctly, one of these 2 conclusions is the better "explanation", based on the facts, and it's clearly the second option which is evolution and millions of years.

I have a "theory/explanation" that God created all things, and I can look at the "facts" which would be... well, everything around me.... and TRY to conclude that there was an intelligent designer. But if I do that... I'm doing something wrong because science is observing the natural world and giving a LOGICAL answer and I'm giving an illogical answer because I'm using the "supernatural" to explain the "natural". God can't be a part of the "natural" world because we can't observe and test Him, therefore He's not a fact (to scientists). So what I should do instead is make up an answer which includes elements of the "natural" world and it doesn't matter if I can't prove it, as long as I'm using the "natural" to explain the "natural" - then it's acceptable.

Ok, I think I get it.

Theories are the most important things to scientists as long as your "theory" doesn't include God.Oh, and by the way... their theory is a fact, although a theory is an explanation based on the facts. But their theory REALLY is a fact. Don't believe me? Just ask 'em. They'll tell ya. If anything, you'll get a "The evidence is undeniable." answer. Then, if you're a Christian, you'll want to say: "I agree!" only you'll be thinking about how it's undeniable that God created all things.

Psalms 14:1 (NKJV)
1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.

Romans 1:16-25 (NKJV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Creationism Disproved?

"What this shows is a complex structure like the eye can develop through many small steps from something simpler. And this is how Darwinian Evolution works."

-- From the YouTube video, entitled: Creationism Disproved?

So if you look at the evidence, it is clear that complex structures start as simple structures and then develop into a complex structure. Therefore, all living creatures clearly started as simple structures and evolved into complex structures over millions of years. Now, in the present, through the reproductive process, simple structures develop into complex structures very quickly. For example - a human baby goes from a simple structure to a complex structure in about 9 months, as opposed to 9 million years.

Through science, we are able to observe the reproductive process. But, through our observations, we cannot conclude that this process has been around since the beginning. That would be ignorant. The only obvious conclusion is that there was an unknown process by which the complex structure came to be. This process was similar to the reproductive process, in that a simple structure formed into a complex structure, but it was still a different process. We have never observed this process, or tested it, but it is still the only answer that can be given from our observations.

Many Christians don't observe this process of a simple structure developing into a complex structure, because they are not scientists. But, if they did, they would try to conclude that the process they observed is the process by which all mankind formed, except the first man and woman. This is nonsense! First of all, there was clearly another process, although we aren't able to observe it, therefore not able to test it, therefore not able to prove it. Second of all, there is no proof that man was created by God. Don't you see?!? When a baby is formed, it starts off as a simple structure and through several small steps, develops into a complex structure! Isn't it obvious to you that based on this observation, we can clearly conclude that humans were developed through an unknown first process, which took millions of years?!?

COME ON! Don't be naive! The Christians are FOOLS! Listen to us! Listen to the scientists! WE HAVE OBSERVED THE PROCESS BY WHICH SIMPLE STRUCTURES TURN INTO COMPLEX STRUCTURES THROUGH SMALL STEPS!!! We KNOW that there is an unknown process by which humans formed from simple structures. The Christians don’t know ANYTHING! All they do is look at the natural world and conclude that it was created that way.

What you just read, was a dramatization written by me.

1 Corinthians 3:18-20 (NIV)
18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"; 20 and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."