Answering Christianity’s Critics, Part 1

In the book of Acts, chapter 17, the apostle Paul, while in Athens, was invited to speak about Christianity to Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. After his presentation Scripture records the response, “some mocked, while others said ‘We will hear you again on this matter…However, some…believed (Acts 17:32, 33).” Today, just like in ancient Athens there are people who want to know what Christianity is all about. But many people come with objections to the faith as well. It is important to answer those objections honestly. And like the philosophers in Athens, some will mock, some will desire a little more information, and some will believe.

In answering someone’s objection to Christianity it is important to know why they are asking the questions they have. Ask what issues are stirring in the person’s mind; what is motivating them to look for answers. And “and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear (1 Peter 3:15).” The following are some common objections.

I don’t believe that God exists. How can anyone be sure? Objections like this come from the atheist and the agnostic. But think about this: atheism demands complete knowledge of all things in order to say that God doesn’t exist. And no human being has that! So how can the atheist know that there is no God? There is evidence for God’s existence. Both science and the Bible acknowledge that our universe had a beginning. Nature itself reveals that there is a Creator (Romans1:20). The complex designs of life from planets to flowers to DNA show intelligent design. Could all of nature really be the result of mindless, purposeless happenstance?

The agnostic says that she can’t know anything for sure about God. But people are naturally hungry to learn. Why are we that way? Perhaps God created us with a natural sense of inquiry so that we might actually search for Him and find Him. Paul told the Athenian Philosophers that God “has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:26, 27).” There is nothing wrong with having questions and not being sure. But our response to that should be “Come and see.”

But what about evolution: doesn’t evolution prove there is no God? Evolution does take place within a species. There are big dogs and little dogs. There are red roses and white ones. But the theory of evolution claims that over time one species can change into another and that life itself randomly occurred from non-living material. But the famous scientists Francis Crick, L.M. Murkhin and Carl Sagan have estimated that the difficulty of a human evolving by chance processes alone is one in 10 to the negative 2,000,000,000th – which Borel’s law says is no chance at all! Science has recently revealed what Charles Darwin never knew. Proteins and nucleic acids are too complex to have arisen spontaneously. And the fossil record does not show gradual evolution. If it can be relied on to show much of anything at all, it shows fully developed life-forms with only limited variation within each group – just as the Bible’s wording “according to its kind” (Gen. 1) would indicate.

How can we be sure that the Bible is reliable? The copies of the Old Testament manuscripts are of a far superior quality than any other equivalent document. The oldest books of the Old Testament date from around the same time as some of the oldest Egyptian works. And where scholars find significant differences between Egyptian documents relating to the same events, they find almost no differences in Old Testament documents that cover the same material. And where there are differences they are minor ones like spelling and make no changes in the actual material covered. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 1950’s confirms the historical reliability of these ancient documents. And archeology has never disproved an Old Testament historical event. It has only confirmed the Scriptural account.

What about the New Testament? From an historical point of view the New Testament is unquestionably the most reliable ancient document in the world. Two factors are crucial in determining the reliability of an historical document. These are the number of copies in existence and the time between when the document was first written and the oldest copies. Take for example the writings of Julius Caesar. His works were written between 100-44 B.C. The oldest copies of his works come from one thousand years after the fact and there are ten copies. With the writings of Plato there is a span of twelve hundred years between when he first wrote and the date of the oldest copies of which there are seven. And with Aristotle there are five copies of his works and the oldest manuscripts date from fourteen hundred years after he wrote.

Now let’s compare the New Testament to these other works. Whereas we have ten copies of Caesar’s works and seven copies of Plato’s, and five copies of Aristotle’s, there are over twenty four thousand ancient copies of the New Testament! And the oldest copies date not from one thousand years after the fact, nor even five hundred years, but from twenty-five years after the originals were written. No other ancient document even comes close to meeting the test for historical authenticity and reliability as does the New Testament.

These are but a few of the objections to Christianity and some examples on how you can respond. Next week’s blog will look at a few more objections.

Happy Mother's Day

It takes someone brave to be a mother, someone strong to raise children and someone special to love others more than herself. Words are difficult to find to express the power, beauty and heroism of a mother’s love. Being a mother is learning about strengths you never knew you possessed and overcoming fears you didn’t know existed.

A mother thinks about her children day and night even when they are grown. She loves them in ways they will never understand until the day they too are parents. Our 16^th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln said, “I regard no man as poor who has a godly mother.” Amen, Mr. President, Amen.

The goal of becoming a godly mother is the highest and most noble pursuit of womanhood. But there are many voices in our word today that would deny this truth. There are those who would tear you, dear mother, away from God’s high calling on your life. “Focus on your career” they say. “Buy more stuff,” “Pamper yourself”—you’ve heard it all, I’m sure. Please don’t buy what they are selling. It is a lie. If God has granted you a child or children, your child or children “are a heritage from The LORD…a reward (Psalm 127:3).” God has entrusted the development of a new generation of godly men and women to you!

Also, contrary to some experts, the most important characteristic of a godly mother is not her relationship with her children, it is with her husband. The lessons you teach your children through your relationship with your husband will endure for the rest of their lives. By watching you and your husband your children are learning the foundational principles of life—love, self-sacrifice, integrity, virtue, kindness, compassion, understanding and forgiveness. Secondly, and perhaps this should have been first, is your relationship with God and the Lord Jesus Christ. When they see you trusting in the Lord and acknowledging Him in all you do (Proverbs 3:5, 6), they will learn to do the same.

So happy mother’s day to all of you great moms! May your children rise up and call you blessed (Proverbs 31:28).

A Court Martial for Being Christian?

The first amendment to the Constitution of the United Sates declares in part, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech.” Well, as Bob Dylan once sang, the times they are a changing.

Last April 23, Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation met with ranking members of the Air Force. His concern was Section 2.11 of the publication titled “Air Force Culture, Air Force Standards.” The section reads, “Leaders at all levels must balance constitutional protections for an individual’s free exercise of religion…and the constitutional prohibition against governmental establishment of religion.” Weinstein wants the first part of that statement scrapped.

Here’s why. He said that U.S. troops who share their Christian faith are guilty (or should be) of sedition and treason and should be punished by the hundreds if necessary to stave off a “tidal wave” of Christian evangelism. Weinstein told Fox News that “Someone needs to be punished for this [evangelism]. Until the Air Force or Army or Navy or Marine Corps punishes a member of the military for unconstitutional proselytizing and oppression, we will never have the ability to stop this horrible, horrendous, dehumanizing behavior.”

That’s right, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in the military is “dehumanizing behavior.” In the Fox News interview Weinstein compared leading someone to faith in Christ with rape. “It is a version of being spiritually raped” he said. “When those people [Christians] are in uniform” and they share their faith “they are creating tyranny, oppression, degradation, humiliation and horrible, horrible pain upon members of the military.” Currently evangelism is against military regulations the Pentagon told Fox News, although it is not enforced.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council told Fox News that he was stunned that military leaders were meeting with Weinstein. “Why would military leadership be meeting with one of the most rabid atheists in America to discuss religious freedom” Perkins asked. “That’s like consulting with China on how to improve human rights.” Well, maybe that’s not far behind.

Weinstein calls witnessing about Christ “a national security threat…it is sedition and treason…It should be punished.” Weinstein’s proposal, if enacted would make Christian military personnel enemies of the state. Ron Crews, the executive director for the Chaplain Alliance for religious Liberty states that Weinstein’s proposal would “significantly impact religious liberty. Lt. Gen (ret) William Boykin said, “If chaplains and other personnel are censored from offering the full solace of the Gospel, there is no religious freedom of the military.”

So, it may soon be possible if you are in the armed services to face a court martial as an enemy of the state for sharing your faith as a Christian. If this occurs guess who is next in line for prosecution? What can be done? Pray, share your faith, love people even your enemies, make a commitment to love God, follow Christ and contribute to your church. And call or write to your representatives in the U.S. House and the Senate. Let your voice be heard before it is silenced.

 

 

 

Karma or Christ

(Inspired by a conversation with my son Joseph) The Golden Rule sits at the heart of many of the world’s religions and philosophies. But until Jesus Christ the rule was generally stated in the negative—do not treat others in a way that you do not want to be treated. In effect, this rule flows out of the idea of karma.

In our society we think we should be able to do whatever we desire as long as it supposedly does not harm others. And we think that if we are unjust and bring pain to someone else we should keep a hard hat on; karma is on the lookout for us. When someone “gets away” with a wrong action we believe that somewhere down the road the offender will get what’s coming. Sadly, it is not just the world at large that thinks this way; too many Christians do as well.

Jesus Christ not only desires for us to refrain from wrong and hurtful action, he commands us to live in a righteous manner. He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you (Matthew 5:43-46)?

What this means is that in this age of karma, Jesus Christ thrusts grace front and center. Grace means that we do what is right and even go above and beyond the call of duty. And when we do those actions they are noble, righteous, beautiful and truly good; like God. Our actions are God-like, because this is the way He has acted toward us. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:16, 17).”

Our sins demanded karma, justice, damnation; our sins demand that we should perish. But in grace God reaches out to us in Christ and says “Although your sins make you my enemy, I do not wish you harm, instead I desire to forgive you and offer you everlasting life (Romans 5:6-11). If we sinners were without grace the cost of karma would mean our perishing forever. Karma cannot accept when Christ said on the cross, “It is finished (John 19:30).” Karma must punish; love and grace must offer forgiveness.

Too many people in the world embrace karma when they should embrace Christ. Karma tells the world to do no harm. Christ tells us to “love one another; as I have loved you (John 13:34).” And sometimes the world treats grace as an insult unless grace becomes tolerant of sin. Jesus loved the sinner but he also said “Go and sin no more (John 8:11).” Karma says we need to affirm people. Grace says we need to love them and offer them redemption.

But what about those people who reject God’s offer of grace and forgiveness? Scripture says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap (Galatians 6:7).” And, “the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).” As they say, karma’s a bitch. So which would you choose karma or Christ?

 

 

Terrorism and the Kingdom of God

This past Monday we were gripped again by the horrific violence of bombs exploding. This time at the Boston Marathon. Three innocent people were killed and almost 200 were severely wounded. Another evil act and another reminder (I don’t think it will be the last) of the evil in our sinful and broken world.

When heart-breaking catastrophes like this happen people are bound to ask, “Where was God in this? Why would God let something like this happen?” Here’s the answer to the first question: God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). And secondly, God allows things like this to happen because He has given free will to every one of us.

Since the time of our first parents, Adam and Eve, humanity has had the choice to live within the will of God or outside that holiness. For the most part it has chosen to reject God’s will. The result has been a broken world. Nature bears the marks of this brokenness too (Romans 8:20, 22). But it is humanity that suffers greatly—the morality, beliefs and behaviors are ungodly. This is why there is racism, extreme poverty, sexual violence, dishonest government, dirty politics, family breakdowns, cheating, stealing, killing and every evil thought and act that has led to heartache, sorrow, pain and tears.

But here is the good news! One day there will dawn on our planet a worldwide kingdom of righteousness and peace. A kingdom is coming with no more terrorist bombs maiming and killing people. Scripture says of that day, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:3, 4).”

You can be a part of this new world order. Jesus Christ announced “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel Mark 1:15).” If you have not yet received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savor now is the time. The Bible says, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).” Let God deliver you “from the power of darkness and” convey you “into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13).”

But I also have a word for those of us who are Christians—shine your light! It is not enough for us to sorrow over the course of this world and wait for Christ to return. We are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). Take action, get involved, share the good news, help people, love and serve them. We pray “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).” This is good and right. But let God’s will and love be seen in all that you do and say. Bring God’s light into this dark world. Make a difference where you are. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21)” even as we pray maranatha—“O Lord, come! (1 Corinthians 16:22)

Plato And Marriage Equality

I want to continue with the theme I wrote about last week—same-sex marriage. Specifically I want to write about Plato verses the Bible. When God created man and woman He said “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him (Genesis 1:18).” And then God made Eve, a woman, and brought her to Adam. God could have brought Adam another man or He could have brought him into a relationship with an animal. But God gave the man a woman. A most excellent gift!

The argument for same-sex marriage equality has a lot more to do with the Greek philosopher Plato than with the Bible. The argument that you hear from many homosexuals, “I was made this way” is an argument taken right from Plato. In his work Symposium, Plato explores an alternative explanation for the origin of mankind and gender. Rather than the biblical assessment that mankind was created with two genders—male and female—Plato suggests a three-gender origin (male-male, female-female, and male-female) that explains both heterosexual and homosexual orientations. He wrote,

“In the first place, let me treat of the nature of man and what has happened to it; for the original human nature was not like the present, but different. The sexes were not two as they are now, but originally three in number; there was man, woman, and the union of the two, having a name corresponding to this double nature, which had once a real existence, but is now lost.”

Plato describes these humans as “terrible” in might and strength. These humans were two-sided (two faces, two sets of legs and arms, etc). After they waged a war against the gods, Zeus decided to humble mankind by cutting them in half. This effectively reduced mankind to the two genders we know today, but according to Plato, many still unknowingly long for his original state.  Therefore you have homosexual attraction.

According to Plato, when two halves meet and recognize the unexplainable love they have for one another, they have no choice but to spend their whole lives together. Based on this logic, proponents of same-sex marriage claim it is against nature to deny marriage to such soul-mates. Thus, the homosexual who says “I was made this way and I want someone like me.” Scripture says in effect, “No, you were not. Your homosexual desire is a distortion of what is normal” (Romans 1:18-27)

When God created man and woman, He created them equal. They were created in His image (Genesis 1:27) and together they were to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it (Genesis 1:28).” God created man and woman to complement one another and to fully satisfy one another. They were also to produce children. A man and a man cannot do this; neither can a woman and a woman. Same sex marriage is therefore a misguided, distorted attempt to replicate what God intended for men and women. Marriage equality and satisfaction therefore is produced when men and women follow God’s ideal plan for what is good.

Sadly, the first man and woman did not follow God’s plan completely. And when they sinned it brought wrong attitudes and desires into the human heart. Some of these desires fall into the realm of sex and relationships. Others struggle with greed, anger, jealousy, etc. We all struggle because we are all sinners. Sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4), which is essentially wanting to do things our own way. When the prophet Isaiah foretold the sacrificial work of Christ he wrote, “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).”

In our society today there are those who creatively try to explain away sinful desires. They are doing what Plato did. Actually, we have all done it at times in our lives on many issues. But right now the big societal example is advocating for the equality of same-sex marriage. In doing this society wants to go its own way, the way of Plato and not God’s way. People have done this for 6000 years, but think of all the heartache, sorrows, pains and tears sin has brought upon us.

Today some people feel that unless homosexuals are granted the marriage equality of heterosexual couples they are being oppressed. But when a moral wrong is turned into a so called civil right all of society suffers for it. This does not mean it is acceptable to oppress homosexuals. It is not right to oppress any sinner; liar, thief or whatever. No one is justified to throw the first stone. But we are justified in speaking the truth; in holding forth God’s Word

Same-Sex Marriage; What’s Next?

The Supreme Court of the United Sates recently heard arguments in favor of same-sex marriage. Whatever is decided in the SCOTUS, acceptance of same-sex marriage has mostly won the day in the court of public opinion. I do not believe that the arguments for gay and lesbian marriage are biblical or logically persuasive or good for society in the long run. But they made their case and here’s how it was won. The reasons for homosexual marriage flowed with the contemporary mood.

It’s about progress: homosexual marriage is an idea whose time has come we are told. To be against gay marriage then is to be against progress and who wants to be in that camp? It makes you a barbarian! But many people forget that lots of ideas first seen as progressive, right and hailed as good and inevitable wound up on the junk heap: feudalism, National Socialism, communism, slavery, eugenics and the Chevy Volt.

It’s about love: when homosexual marriage is showcased as an expression of deep human love, who wants to be against love? But deep human love is not always self-affirming; sometimes it needs to be about self-denial. Sadly, mostly because of the failures and sins of those in failed heterosexual marriages our culture only sees marriage as the state putting its stamp of approval on romantic love. Marriage is seen as a relationship based on emotional intensity in which the couple is faithful to each other as long as the intensity lasts. The sacrifices that may be needed to maintain a marriage and bear and raise children are rarely thought about.

Male homosexuals are notorious for their promiscuity. Exclusivity is not their strength. So what happens to the children (from surrogate mothers – another can of worms) when marriages fail? Love is an important part of marriage, but not a basis for public policy. What if more than two people “love” one another (I’ll get to this in a moment)?

It’s about rights and equality: it is not by chance that the movement is called the gay rights movement. And I don’t deny that many homosexuals feel their basic human rights are in jeopardy. But all the chatter about rights confuses the issue. What law prohibits homosexuals from making promises to one another? The question is should the government call that promise a marriage? Homosexuals are asking for equal justice under the law. Who doesn’t want to wave the flag for equal rights?

During oral argument at the Supreme Court, advocates argued (as they have elsewhere) that impairing the right of homosexuals to marry is analogous to prohibiting interracial marriage and the only possible motive for opposing it is, well, you know, bigotry. But society has an interest in protecting the historic definition of marriage, because it is the first institution of society that creates and nurtures the next generation. Same-sex marriages do not naturally do this. Thus the state has a right to not recognize same-sex marriage because it harms society by destabilizing it. 

Furthermore is it unjust for the government to not legalize a marriage of four people? What about a marriage of close cousins? What if all the people in the accounting office want to be married? What if I love my cat? Must the government legalize these unions if the participants feel their rights are denied? Is marriage now to be an anything goes union? That’s where this is all headed.

In their statement Beyond Same-Sex Marriage, more than 300 LGBT and allied scholars call for legally recognizing sexual relationships involving more than two partners. University of Calgary professor Elizabeth Brake states in her book Minimizing Marriage that justice requires legalizing same sex marriage to “denormalize the ideal of heterosexual monogamy.”

Lesbian journalist Victoria Brown in Something Borrowed, Something Blue: Is Marriage Right For Queers agrees. “When supporters of traditional marriage state that allowing same-sex marriage couples to marry will weaken the institution of marriage…It most certainly will do so, and that will make marriage a far better concept than it previously has been.” Professor Ellen Willis writing in The Nation boldly states “conferring the legitimacy of marriage on homosexual relations will introduce an implicit revolt against the institution into its very heart.”

Gay radio host Michelangelo Signorile in Out Magazine called for those in homosexual relationships to “demand the right to marry not as a way of adhering to society’s moral codes but rather to debunk a myth and radically alter an archaic institution.” They should “fight for same-sex marriage and its benefits and then, once granted, redefine the institution of marriage completely, because the most subversive action lesbians and gay men can undertake…is to transform the notion of ‘family’ entirely.”

So what happens if the traditional family of mom, dad and children disintegrates? Well, ask yourself, what is already happening in our society because of broken homes? Sobering isn’t it. Can anyone else see Sodom and Gomorrah in the distance? So what can be done? The energy, the media and the protest slogans are all on the side of homosexual marriage.

First, Christians must prepare their families biblically for all of life and not just for the opposition we will face concerning same-sex marriage. We must realize that we are now not only a sub-culture but counter-cultural just as Christians were in the first century of our common era. Pastors must declare what the Scriptures declare about the meaning and purpose of all of life as well as marriage. Husbands and wives must make a commitment to their marriages to keep them strong and healthy. And we need to boldly speak the truth without fear and in love. The gospel is still “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).”