Let's Talk About Jesus

Let's Talk About Jesus Help for Sharing the Christian Faith

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” - John 1:45-46 Table of Contents 1. Let's Talk About Jesus...... 1 2. Why We're Afraid to Talk...... 8 3. A Life-Changing Sentence...... 26 4. Six Common Stumbling Blocks...... 39 5. Seven Passages to Keep in Mind...... 55 6. Singing Your Talk...... 72 7. The Question of Tolerance...... 87 8. Will Jesus Make Me Happier?...... 103 9. Denominations and Confessions...... 115 10. Putting It All Together...... 130 11. Now Let's Talk About Jesus...... 145 1. Let's Talk About Jesus Bob Mornin', Joe. Joe Mornin', Bob. Bob Good weekend? Joe Yah, it was okay. Bob How 'bout that big game Sunday morning? Joe Missed it. Went to church instead. Bob I didn't know you did religion. What does your church believe? Joe You know, Jesus and God, stuff. Bob Like, “don't do this, you'll go to hell, give 10% or you get kicked out,” that sort of thing? Joe (Chuckles) No, no, not like that. It's hard to explain. (Long pause). So who won?

Sound familiar? I imagine conversations like that happen more often that we'd like to believe. Someone runs into a friend or neighbor and the conversation suddenly turns to church or religion. The conversations happen in all sorts of places. Over the backyard fence when the two lawnmowers come close. When you're picking up the mail. Waiting to pick up a kid at school. In the break room over lunch or coffee. In line at a store, even. And yes, standing in an elevator on your way from the lobby up to work.

These encounters don't usually last long. These aren't hour long debates or extended lunch time conversations. They're conversations that last about as long as it takes to travel from the 1st to 5th floor by elevator. If you have something important to say, you have less than a minute to say it. Many sales people practice what they would say

1 to a potential customer if they only had 30 seconds or less to talk to them. This short presentation is often called an “elevator pitch.” That pitch is not intended to tell everyone everything they need to know about a company, product or service. It's intended to pique someone's interest, and make them want to hear more.

The Elevator Pitch In Acts 17 the apostle Paul gives a wonderful speech to the smart folks of Athens gathered to hear the interesting ideas of the day. He talks about their spirituality, their confusion about the nature of the gods, the reality of the true God, and Jesus' role in judging and saving all people through his death and resurrection. It's a great talk - but it's not an elevator pitch. Many Christians think that being a good witness to Jesus means being able to explain the whole Bible, the Creed and two thousands years of Christian history to anyone who asks. Joe, in the introduction's opening dialogue, may have been thinking like that. I would suggest that learning to be a good witness means, first of all, being able to give that all important elevator speech of 100 words or less.

The first chapter of John's Gospel contains a really good example of the most basic elevator speech of all. We're used to reading it or hearing like a story. I'm writing it below like a dialogue:

Nate Morning, Phil. What's new? Phil Guess what? The one we've been waiting for, the one Moses wrote about in the Law

2 and the Prophets? We've found him. It's Jesus, from Nazareth, Joseph's son. Nate Really? Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Phil Why don't you come and see? - based on John 1:45-46

It's a short dialog, very simple, but also very effective. Nathaniel (Nate in our dialog) provides the opening for Philip (Phil in our dialog). In one line he points Nathaniel to Jesus. He tells him, first, why Jesus matters to him. Nathaniel knows his scriptures, and he's waiting for the coming of the Anointed One (Messiah in Hebrew, Christ in Greek). Philip reminds him of all this. Second, Philip tells him who he's been waiting for: Jesus, from Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And that's all. A perfect elevator pitch, thousands of years before the invention of the elevator!

How do we know it was perfect? Look at Nathaniel's response. We usually read it as a put-off, a sarcastic comeback to Philip's invitation. “Can anything good come from Nazareth? Come on, Philip, don't waste my time.” But it seems hard to believe that's how Nathaniel meant it. Why? Because Philip follows that comment with the most basic evangelism message there is: “Come and see.” And Nathaniel goes and sees. Why go and see something you are convinced is not worth going and seeing?

Sometimes we interpret our friends' and neighbors' responses to our talk about our faith the same way. We assume they aren't interested, when what they really are is interested, but not yet convinced. Nathaniel wasn't convinced that this Jesus Philip found was the Christ. But

3 he was interested. Could anything good come from Nazareth? He was ready to, at the very least, go and see.

If we want to talk about Jesus, learning how to have those short, elevator speech discussions with friends and neighbors is one of the most useful skills we can learn. First, we want a talk that meets them where they are. Second, we want one that points them to Jesus. Third, and this will be important, we need to know where to point them so that they, like Nathaniel, can go and see Christ.

The In-Depth Presentation Earlier I mentioned Paul's Athens speech recorded in Acts 17. Paul was addressing an audience not unlike one from our 21st century western world. Our western culture understands three basic things about God. First, he wants us to be good. Being good means not hassling other people, helping those in need when you can, and trying to love others as you want to be loved. Second, he wants us to be happy. God made us, and so whatever feelings and desires we have ultimately come from him. God wants us to follow those feelings and desires wherever they lead, so long as they don't lead to anything immoral (see the first point). Last, God is essentially a blank slate on which we can draw whatever we want. If it helps you to think of God as a great big fluffy bunny in the sky, that's great. If God is an invisible spirit, that's great too. But however you think of him (or her), he (or she) is not someone or something that makes immediate demands on you or anyone else. God is there when we need him, and gone when we don't.

4 These beliefs, of course, reflect a religion quite different from traditional Christianity. The Christian faith is founded on the idea that our natural view of morality is, at best, faulty and, at worse, completely misleading. Without a special revelation from God of what's right and what's wrong, we will most certainly make some rights wrong and some wrongs right. We won't get everything wrong all the time. But to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, we will get some morals right all the time, and all morals right some of the time, but we won't get all morals right all the time.

Christians also believe that God wants us to be happy, but like morality, we need a special revelation from God to explain where we will find true happiness, and what true happiness actually is. Our own ideas of what will make us happy will not always lead us to true happiness. In fact it may be more accurate to say that God wants us to be blessed, not happy. To be blessed is to enjoy a state of peace between God and ourselves, which also leads to peace within ourselves Knowing that the One who created us loves us and has not forgotten us can give us a peace that worldly happiness cannot. God wants us to have true joy in life, but through Jesus God defines joy quite differently than the world does.

God is not a blank slate. He has chosen to define himself by speaking through prophets, and in the fullness of time becoming a human being and walking on this earth. To know Jesus is to know God. We are not free to say anything we want about who or what God is. If it's not true of Jesus, then it's not true of God either. What Jesus revealed is that God has an intimate concern about the

5 lives of humans on earth. He is concerned about immorality and the impact it has on their lives. He is also concerned about fixing that problem himself. He has chosen to deal with our betrayals and back stabbings by suffering them himself, and then releasing us from their guilt.

If you look back over these last few paragraphs, you will read more than any one elevator speech can possibly contain. We can't address all the misunderstandings of our culture in 30 seconds or less. But we can bring people to a place where, over a longer period of time, those misunderstandings can be unpacked and addressed. Maybe you are confident enough to do it yourself over a series of lunches. But more likely this sort of thing will need to be done in a small group, in a discussion led by your pastor, or in some other way.

How Breadth and Depth Work Together The Church talks about Jesus in these two basic ways: in the short elevator speech, “come and see” invitation, and through in-depth on going discussions. The first kind of talk has breadth: we engage with lots of people this way, inviting people to hear about Jesus without explaining to them the whole counsel of God. The second has depth. Not everyone who heard Paul's speech in Acts 17 wanted to learn more. But some said they would. Others, like Dionysius and Damaris, became Christians.

In the following chapters we'll put together a toolbox of sorts for talking about Jesus. These will include a simple,

6 one sentence summary of Christianity, six kinds of speeches and the six kinds of people who might need them, seven critical bible verses to know, and how singing the faith can help you talk about Jesus when the time comes. I'll also present two major objections to Christianity in the west, denominations and intolerance, and how to think about them and address them. I'll address how the Church, as the Body of Christ, “talks” about Jesus in a way that's different from individuals. At the end I'll show how all these things work together when talking about Jesus with breadth, in short invitations, and longer, more in-depth presentations.

But before we discuss any of those things, I'm going to address what I think is the greatest reason why people like Joe in our opening dialog don't talk about Jesus. The reason is simple: we're not sure about this whole Christianity thing ourselves.

7 2. Why We're Afraid to Talk It's Sunday morning bible class, somewhere in America. The pastor stands up and begins what will be a six week series on evangelism. Each session is meant to address a problem that's at the top of the pastor's mind, and is of deep concern to the elders. Church membership does not seem to be growing, and attendance at worship services is dropping. It seems like the people in the pews have forgotten the basic way that Christianity grows: through members talking to their friends, family and neighbors about their faith. The solution seems pretty simple. The pastor will lead bible studies on Sunday morning focused on the need for evangelism, and every sermon for the next month and a half will end with a plea for people to talk to non-Christians about Christ.

Sound familiar? My guess is that it does. There's a basic temptation for pastors to address problems this way. Are people in the congregation gossiping? Deliver a sermon against gossip. Are people in the congregation not tithing? Preach on Christian stewardship. Are members not talking about Jesus? Tell them why they need to start, and start right now! But here is a question that often never gets asked. Does this approach work? My experience is that it usually doesn't. People know that gossip is wrong. People know they should tithe. And people know they should share their faith. So why don't they?

I suggest to you that the reason why we don't share our faith may be this simple: we're not sure about the capital T

8 truth of Christianity ourselves. We don't need more commands about the need to evangelize. We need to be on the receiving end of constant, persuasive evangelism. People who are sure of something don't have any trouble talking to others about it or defending it. People who are committed Republicans or Democrats have no trouble defending their political views in a conversation. If you have a favorite sports team, you have no trouble talking for hours about their chances this season. Or defending them when they're trailing everyone in the league! If you have trouble talking about your faith, it's likely because you're not sure of it yourself.

Regular Worship and Study Good evangelism always begins with Jesus. Before Philip went to talk to Nathaniel about Jesus, he was himself invited by Jesus to come and follow him. Before we can talk about Jesus, we need to be talked to by Jesus. John, in his Gospel, records Jesus' last hours with his disciples before his betrayal and death. While with the disciples Jesus prays to the Father for them. He asks that the Father “sanctify them in the truth,” and says that the Father's Word is the truth (John 17:17, ESV). But a theme that runs throughout the Gospel, starting with the very first verse, is that Jesus is himself the Word of God.

The words of the Gospel, the words that Jesus' speaks, the words from the Father, and Jesus himself: they are all, in a mysterious way, one and the same. To listen to the words of Scripture is to be listening to Jesus himself, to be with Jesus himself. People who are not soaking themselves in

9 the words of Scripture, then, will never be able to turn around and speak adequately about Jesus to others. But anyone who sits at Jesus' feet and hears him speak through his word will find their faith strengthened for whatever tasks lay ahead.

But what does the word of God, Jesus, say to his disciples before his death and resurrection? Certainly he gives them commands to follow. Jesus urges his followers to love one another as he has loved them (13:34). He says that anyone who loves him will keep his commandments – all of them (14:15). He reminds his disciples that anyone who does not abide in him is like a pruned branch that is thrown into the fire and burned (15:6).

But more importantly he promises to be their ever present Lord, who will comfort them and save them. He promises to love them as the Father has loved him (15:9). He notes that the disciples did not choose him, but he chose and appointed them just as he has chosen each of us (15:16). He promises the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth (16:13). He promises us a joy that no one can take from us (16:22), and a peace that the world cannot give (14:27). Never does Jesus give a command to be obeyed without enveloping it in his promise to be our Savior, Comforter and Redeemer. We need to hear those promises over and over again, or we will never have the will or strength to obey him.

10 Apologetics We all know how important it is to “apologize,” and that apologizing usually means “saying you're sorry.” But in ancient times giving an apology for something meant defending it. So when the apostle Peter said we should always be “prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks,” (ESV translation) he quite literally wrote that we should always be ready to give an apology for our faith (1 Peter 3:15). There have often been questions within the Christian community about the role of apologetics. Can we “argue” someone into the faith? Is becoming a Christian a rational, intellectual choice? At the same time there is no question that apologetics has helped some people overcome their doubts about the faith. C.S. Lewis, the late Christian writer and author of the Chronicles of Narnia, became a Christian in part because of the defense of the faith offered by fellow writer and Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien.

The one thing for which apologetics is certainly useful is in helping Christians overcome their own doubts. From the very beginning the Devil has tried to make people doubt God and his Word. Even Christians have an old human nature which doesn't trust what God says either. If we aren't reminded regularly of the certainty of our faith, we'll find it difficult to talk to others about it. So before we go any further, let's be certain of the things we Christians believe.

Thomas Aquinas famously provided five evidences for the existence of God. Most of those were based on old

11 philosophical ideas, and they were considered pretty powerful at the time. But we now live in an age where science trumps philosophy. So instead of Aquinas' five evidences from philosophy, let us consider five evidences from science for the existence of God and for the validity of Christianity. We will consider human consciousness, the human conscience, physics, biology, and history.

Consciousness Some of you may know Rene Descartes' famous 17th century statement, “I think, therefore I am.” Descartes was searching around for the one thing in the world of which he could be certain. He started by doubting everything: God, the Church, France, what he ate for lunch. If someone thought it was real, he doubted its existence. If you doubt all these things, what's left? The fact that you are doubting. Descartes was certain that his doubts were real. He doubted, therefore he was.

What Descartes revealed to us was nothing less than the mystery of consciousness. We can think about our ourselves. You and I can think about things other than what we need to survive. We can sit back and wonder what it would be like to be someone else, or even something else like a dog or alligator. We can think about whether something is true or not. Not convinced that this a great mystery? John Searle, a philosopher at Berkeley University, calls consciousness “the most important problem in the biological sciences.”1 American physicist James Trefil, trying to get a grasp on what it means to be

1 Searle J 1998. The Mystery of Consciousness. Granta: London.

12 conscious, wrote that consciousness is the “only major question in the sciences that we don't even know how to ask.”2

Many scientists are convinced that consciousness is simply an emergent property of the brain. In other words the brain is such a complicated piece of machinery, and is able to handle so much data at such a great rate, that we appear to be “conscious” as a result. If we could build a computer with the same kind of memory and processing power as the brain, it would also become “conscious,” a real artificial intelligence. So the only problem science has to overcome in creating a conscious computer is making the computer as powerful as the human brain.

Physicist Roger Penrose believes he has shown that the brain is not simply a very powerful computer, but something unique on earth. He believes he has proof that the brain works in a completely different way than the computers we've built. Every computing machine we've ever designed uses basic mathematics to carry out its commands. Computers are basically very expensive and very elaborate calculators. If it's mathematically possible, then a computer can do it. But what if something is not mathematically possible? Are there things that we think about that cannot be reduced to an equation?

The answer is yes. In the early 20th century a brilliant mathematician by the name of Georg Cantor took up the

2 Trefil J 1997. "Chapter 3: Will we ever understand consciousness?". One hundred and one things you don't know about science and no one else does either. Mariner Books.

13 study of the idea of infinity. We all know infinity as “the biggest number that there is.” Cantor wondered if there wasn't more to it than that. He considered the “set”, or group, of all positive integers: 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., all the way out to infinity. He then asked what might seem like a silly question. Is that “infinite set” the same size as the infinite set of all even integers: 2, 4, 6, 8 all the way out to “infinity”? He proved that, yes, the set of all positive integers is the same size as the set of all positive even integers. All well and good.

But Cantor wasn't done. He then asked if the set of all real numbers: 1, 1.1, 1.11, 1.111, all the way out to infinity, was the same “size” as the set of all positive integers we just considered. Cantor showed mathematically that the answer was “no.” He demonstrated that, in fact, some infinities are larger than others. So there was a “large” infinity and a “small” infinity. One question remained: were there medium-sized infinities in between the two? The question stumped Cantor. He could neither prove nor disprove the existence of such a medium-sized infinity. His inability to prove what is known as the continuum hypothesis would come to have profound implications for the understanding of consciousness.

How so? A later physicist and mathematician by the name of Kurt Gödel demonstrated that, mathematically speaking, the continuum hypothesis is unsolvable. Starting from Cantor's work, Gödel established there will always be certain things in a mathematical system that cannot be proven: they must simply be accepted as true. Roger Penrose used this work to demonstrate that the brain must

14 be more than a simple, mathematics-based computer. Why? Because Cantor's and Gödel's brains (to say nothing of Penrose's) were able to make these discoveries, something that our current computers would be unable to do. Unable, not because they are not powerful enough, but because they are bound to simple rules of mathematics. Gödel and Cantor were able to transcend those rules to make their discoveries.

What does this have to do with Christianity? It implies that the mind has a different quality than the computers we humans have been able to make ourselves. It's difficult, in the face of the astonishing power and mystery of the human brain, to deny that an even more creative Mind had some role in creating it. If there is no Creator of consciousness, then knowing “we are because we doubt” is a cold comfort.

Conscience “ That's not fair!” “They only got what was coming to them.” “Someone needs to stop them and bring them to justice.” There is a universal instinct embedded in almost all humans that some things are right and some things are wrong. Even terrorists believe that what they are doing is “right,” and that by attacking and killing others they are bringing some kind of justice to the world. But where do we get our moral sense, the gut feeling that there should be fairness in the world?

For the Christian the answer is simple. All humans are born into the world with this inborn sense of right and wrong, although sin has twisted it. Not everyone labels

15 the same things as right, and when we commit wrong we are often tempted to justify it. Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, writes that those “who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires...[and] show that the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness” (Romans 2:14, 16 ESV). All people try and follow their consciences, as imperfect as they sometimes are.

But what if you do not believe in a god? What if you believe that all life has arisen through nature selecting out organisms able to survive and allowing less suitable forms of life to die off? What if you believe in some kind of Darwinistic evolution as the explanation for the origin of all living things on earth? Darwinists have struggled to answer the question of where the conscience comes from, and have come up with a few possible answers.

One answer is that organisms that help others like themselves survive are more likely to have descendents than organisms which only look out for their own interests. Toads that help other toads with the same genes avoid being eaten will ensure that their “toad genes” survive. This is known as kinship selection. Another possible origin for conscience is known as reciprocal altruism. If a bird helps another bird in danger, that bird is more likely to receive help at some point in the future. Animals that help each other in this way are more likely to survive and reproduce. Kinship selection and reciprocal altruism remain the explanations most often given for why humans, and some higher order animals, have what we call a conscience.

16 While these ideas seem good on the surface, they are still very incomplete explanations. How do either of these explain, for example, why humans in good health support those who are in poor health, enabling them to continue to live and reproduce? In the early 20th century some followers of Darwin's theory encouraged the sterilization of the mentally ill so they could not have children. We now find that practice abhorrent and can't understand how anyone could advocate such a thing. But scientifically, it seemed to make sense. Only our consciences tell us otherwise. Why? Neither kinship theory or reciprocal altruism can explain our negative reaction to those scientifically-based sterilization practices.

Neither do either of these ideas explain why humans, for example, would help those who are not even of their own species. What's in it for the man who jumps into a pond to save a dog or cat? What would possess a member of a species to risk its life for another kind of animal? G. K. Chesterton, the British author and Christian apologist, once quipped that “‘Darwinism can be used to back up two mad moralities, but it cannot be used to back up a single sane one. The kinship and competition of all living creatures can be used as a reason for being insanely cruel or insanely sentimental; but not for a healthy love of animals.”3

The fact that we have a conscience, and that it steers us toward doing good or at least justifying our actions as good, certainly suggests the existence of a moral Creator. While it is possible to believe that there are moral

3 Chesterton GK 1908. Orthodoxy. Chapter 7.

17 absolutes without a giver of morals, it's hard to imagine how that would work. So when someone says “they shouldn't be allowed to do that,” ask them why. Why shouldn't they? Only Christianity provides a truly strong explanation for the conscience and for a morality of being kind and generous to one another.

Physics The more we study the universe, the more surprising it is just how fine tuned are the laws of nature. The fact that the mass of neutrons and protons is almost identical, for example. If their masses were not so close, there would be no stars to see in our night sky and no sun to warm the earth. Even a 0.001% difference in their relative weights would make it impossible for hydrogen to form. Hydrogen is the most basic and most abundant element in the universe. If there's no hydrogen, there's no universe to speak of.

The charge of a proton and an electron are, for all intents and purposes, identical. If this weren't the case, it would be impossible to have any charge-neutral atoms. Atoms would be either positively or negatively charged. Like- charged particles repel each other, like two magnets of the same pole. So if atoms were either slightly positively or slightly negatively charged, they would repel each other. There would therefore be no solid matter. No stars, no planets, and no us.

If the strong nuclear force, which binds protons and neutrons together, were 3% stronger, hydrogen molecules would quickly become helium. If the weak nuclear force

18 were just slightly weaker, our stars would be unable to function. These are just a handful of examples of the fine tuned nature of our universe, which allows it to have stable matter and organized forms of energy. Yet explanations for the origin of the universe usually assume these laws. Any explanation for the universe should also explain why these constants are so finely balanced.

Another interesting feature of the universe is that the conditions for the existence of life also provide excellent conditions for science. Our sun is about 400 times the diameter of our moon. By what astronomer Johannes Kepler called “a gift to us from the Creator,” the earth is also about 400 times further away from us than the moon. That means that, during a solar eclipse, the moon will cover the sun's photosphere and allow us to observe the sun's outer atmosphere, or corona. By studying that corona scientists are able to study the composition of the sun. By knowing what the sun is made of, we can study the light from the stars and see what they, in turn, are made of.

But that would not be possible if our atmosphere was like that on Venus, an atmosphere so thick it is impossible to observe any stars. It turns out that the kinds of gases that allow life to exist are also clear, and so make it possible to see the sun's corona during an eclipse and to observe the stars and planets. Even the position of our solar system within the galaxy makes a great place to observe the form of the galaxy itself. If we were within a great spiral arm, or closer into the galaxy's core, it would be next to impossible for astrophysicists to make the observations they do.

19 Far from having ruled out the existence of a Creator, physics has made many discoveries that seem to point to an intelligent mind being responsible for our existence. Who established nature's laws? Why would they be so perfect for life, and also so perfect for being able to do science? These facts are so troubling that some physicists have suggested that there may be an infinite number of universes that exist alongside ours. We happen to be in the one where the laws work in our favor. But those universes lie outside our realm of observation, and therefore outside the realm of real scientific study. The belief that there are multiple universes is just that: a belief. If someone makes fun of your belief in a God you cannot see, ask them if they believe there are other universes besides ours. Then ask them if there's any way to observe those universes.

Biology Almost every one makes use of computers at some point during the day, either directly or indirectly. Computer technology is made up of two basic components. There is the software which is the actual set of instructions a machine is supposed to carry out. Then there is the hardware on which the software runs. Hardware is made up out of atoms and runs on the forces that hold atoms together. You can see and touch hardware like a computer screen, a keyboard or a mouse. But the hardware doesn't do anything. Without software, it just sits there.

Software, on the other hand, is harder to touch or see. Software is an idea, a concept; it is information. The

20 knowledge that two plus two equals four is information. It is not “written in the stars,” it is not inscribed on rocks in the mountains. Just studying the atoms that make up the matter in the universe will not tell you that two plus two equals four. But that doesn't mean it's not true. The science that we use to study the universe depends on certain laws generally holding true, like the law of non- contradiction, which says that something can't be true and false at the same time. But the law of non-contradiction isn't written anywhere. You can't pour it out of a test tube, see it under a microscope or observe it through a telescope. Software is like that. It can be written down or typed into a computer, but the ideas themselves don't disappear after you delete the code or erase what's on a piece of paper.

All living things are also made up of hardware and software. Our bodies contain billions of cells of various kinds that perform all sorts of different functions. Those cells are the hardware of an organism. Within all living cells are molecules which, like a computer's hard drive, store information. Our DNA stores information using a four letter alphabet of chemicals and a grammar that allows those letters to form words. There is information, software, stored in our DNA. That information tells the hardware what to do and how to do it.

Darwinism is the belief that, over millions of years, some very simple forms of life became all the complex forms of life we see today. We went from a state of no information to create life – no software – and no cells to process information – no hardware – to the wide diversity of life

21 we see today. Charles Darwin, who popularized this kind of evolutionary idea, lived before we knew anything about DNA or how information is stored within living organisms. It would be interesting to see whether his views would be changed by our better understanding of how life works.

Evolution assumes not only that the hardware to run life's program developed slowly over time, but that the information or software required to run the hardware also developed at the same pace. Random genetic mutations and the pressure of survival acted as both a hardware engineer and a software coder, both at the same time and the same pace. This is difficult to imagine. Some might say as difficult to believe and accept as a belief in a Creator.

History One of the prime pieces of evidence offered by atheists for their point of view is the invisibility of God. Where, after all, is he? Why doesn't he show himself, or herself? Bobby Henderson, trying to mock the belief in a creator God, wrote a letter to the Kansas State Board of Eduction likening belief in the Christian God to belief in a “flying spaghetti monster.”4 Some have taken this to the next level, calling themselves “Pastafarians” and even wearing pasta strainers on their heads as a form of religious uniform. We can't see a flying spaghetti monster, and we can't see God. What's the difference? Most people are born with five senses. Why doesn't God choose to engage us through any of those? 4 Henderson, Bobby. "About". The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Retrieved 2012-08-10.

22 Christianity's answer is that he has, and he does. We do not believe, trust and confess a God who is outside of history or science. Our God has interacted in history with many people, and those interactions are recorded in the scriptures. But the prime example of God's choice to interact with us through our senses is Jesus. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14, ESV). God chose to become part of creation and walked, ate, drank, slept and talked among people just like us. For many atheists this seems fantastical. But you can't have it both ways. You can't complain that God doesn't show himself, and then complain when he does because you wish he'd done it some other way.

Of course our human nature does want to have it both ways. This is the paradox that the apostle Paul presents in the first chapter of his epistle to the Romans. He puts it this way:

[God's] invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. - Romans 1:19-21, ESV

The evidence from our consciousness and conscience, from physics and biology, are not enough to convince the

23 stubborn human heart that God exists. One 16th century Christian document summed it up this way: “all men begotten in the natural way are born with sin, that is, without the fear of God [and] without trust in God.”5 That stubborn refusal to see the evidence for God has another vicious side effect. We don't trust or love each other. Our God given conscience forces us to try. We even think we are doing it of our free will. But deep down, we have a profound mistrust of other people and tend to explain their actions in the worst way. Don't believe that? Look over the magazine racks at your local grocery store checkout. They are full of stories of the profound distrust husbands have for wives, children for parents, and people for their leaders and celebrities.

We, in the 21st Century, cannot interact directly with God in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. But we can interact with those who did through their writings. The Creator of the universe has chosen to deal with our mistrust of him and our mistrust of each other at the same time. When we read the accounts of those who did walk, talk, eat and work with God, he creates in us a trust in him and a trust in our fellow humans at the same time. God interacts with us now, where we are, through his word which we can read and hear, and through means which we can also physically experience, as we will discuss later.

The Christian God is no flying spaghetti monster. People like Mary Magdalene, Peter and John, Mary and Martha, and even Paul, did not experience him “spiritually.” They encountered him with their senses, and they left records

5 Augsburg Confession Article II

24 of those encounters for us. We follow a God of history, a “scientific” God.

Ready To Talk? I hope that these five evidences for God were helpful to you. Most importantly, I hope they gave you encouragement to talk with others about God as we know him in Jesus Christ. If we are going to be good witnesses we need to have our confidence in the truth built up through worship and hearing God's Word. It's also helpful, especially when we are bombarded by people making the case against God's existence, to hear the powerful arguments for the truth of his word as well. If you find yourself reluctant to speak about your faith, get into a good bible study and read some good apologetics articles. You'll find your desire to share your faith will grow the more you do it!

25 3. A Life-Changing Sentence When I graduated from seminary I was placed in a congregation outside the city of Philadelphia. I taught a Sunday morning bible class before our worship service, presenting a lot of biblical material with the zeal of the newly ordained. I soon realized that not everyone knew some of the ideas and concepts with which I assumed all Christians were familiar. One Sunday, at some point during the class, I thought to ask a basic question. What is the Gospel?

I heard many different answers. “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you,” for example. We know that as the Golden Rule, and it is a clear teaching of Jesus and recorded in Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31. It was also taught by the Lord to Moses, and a similar saying is recorded in Leviticus 19:18: “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (ESV). In fact almost all world religions have some version of this rule. It's a basic command, one with which most people would agree. But it's not the Gospel.

Another answer was John 3:16. This is closer to the idea of the Gospel. Jesus says to Nicodemus that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (ESV). It's not a rule or command, something that we should do. But it does leave some questions unanswered. How is God

26 giving his Son an act of love? In what way does or did God give his Son? What does it mean to believe in him?

The word “gospel” means “good news.” It's an old English word that translates the Greek word euangelion, from which we get our words evangelism and evangelical. A euangelion was a victory announcement delivered from a far away field of battle. In the days before the internet people wouldn't know the outcome of a war unless someone physically delivered the news. It's telling that the evangelists and apostles called the news about Jesus a victory announcement. We, as Christians, are called to continue sharing that victory announcement, that euangelion or Gospel, with the world. But can we, quickly and without thinking, tell someone what our “Gospel” is?

I suggested to my class a nineteen word sentence that summarizes the Gospel pretty well. It doesn't confuse what God has done in Christ with what he asks us, his children, to do for him or for others. It explains who won the victory, how, what the victory was won against, and what the result of that victory is. The sentence I gave was this:

Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world that all might be saved through him.

Remember earlier when we talked about elevator speeches? This sentence, or something like it, is what we want at the heart of every elevator speech. Every opportunity to share our faith should share this life- changing sentence in some form. Look back to the

27 introductory dialogue between Joe and Bob. Suppose it had gone like this instead?

Bob How 'bout that big game Sunday morning? Joe Missed it. Went to church instead. Bob I didn't know you did religion. What does your church believe? Joe That Jesus Christ died for our sins on the cross, that God gives us eternal life because of what he did. Bob So because of that you have to go to church every Sunday? Joe (Chuckle) No, no, not like that. I go to hear from the one who gives without strings attached, you know. That's how I've come to know God. Maybe you should come sometime.

Let's quickly unpack how every part of that sentence says something critical about Christianity, without us having to give a ten minute sermon.

Jesus The sentence starts with Jesus, because it is through Jesus' works and words that we really come to know God. Jesus is also the most controversial part about Christianity. As long as we are talking about a God “out there” that anyone can describe however they want to, all is fine and good. But when we say God is “like this, and only like this,” that's where we run into controversy. It's also where we find salvation and truth. It's where we leave the realm of the flying spaghetti monster behind, and enter into the realm of history and science.

28 In all three of the great western Christian creeds there is one other historical figure mentioned besides Jesus, and that is Pontius Pilate. Someone once quipped that an agnostic could accept every word of the Christian creeds except for one line: “crucified under Pontius Pilate.” That line grounds our Christian beliefs in real life, in real history. You can't get around it. At such and such a time, under a real Roman politician, these things happened. So any talk about the faith has to include Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary. It needs to anchor our beliefs in the real world.

Christ But the great confession of the Christian faith is that this man, Jesus of Nazareth, is unique in all of history. He is the Messiah, the Anointed One, the one promised by God. In Deuteronomy 18 Moses, the greatest of all human prophets through whom God has spoken, addressed a concern of the people. The concern was that no one wanted to see God as God anymore. That seems odd, given that most people in our day and age complain that God doesn't make himself more visible. Isn't that human nature? The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. When God is hidden, we want him to be more showy. When God appears as God, we want him to disappear.

Moses reminds the people of their complaint: “Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die” (Deuteronomy 18:16, ESV). God manifested himself in sight, sound and smell to the Hebrews rescued by Moses from Egypt, and they found

29 Him terrifying. So God promised that the next time he visited his people “in person”, it would be as one of their own. “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen... I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him” (Deuteronomy 18:15, 17, ESV).

At Jesus' transfiguration, as recorded in the three synoptic Gospels, a voice spoke and identified Jesus as his Son, and said “Listen to him.” In other words, this is the man – he is the Anointed One sent to be God in our midst. Not with flashy thunder and lightning or writing in the sky, but as a man. This Jesus of Nazareth is also the Christ.

Died on the Cross Most of us have either lived through, or know someone who has lived through, a great tragedy. Maybe it was the death of a young child from disease or in an accident. Maybe it was the loss of a job when other less capable people kept theirs. We watch the natural disasters that seem to strike regularly around the world, terrorist attacks, and senseless murder, and wonder "Where is God?" How can a good God allow so much suffering to continue on earth? Why doesn't he do something about it? Canadian rock band Rush asked that question in their song Roll the Bones:

Faith is cold as ice why are little ones born only to suffer for the want of immunity or a bowl of rice?

30 Who would hold a price on the heads of the innocent children if there's some immortal power to control the dice?

This is the problem of evil. The fancy theological term for it is "theodicy." If there is an all powerful God, and he is perfectly good, why does he allow evil to continue? Why doesn't he just use his power to get rid of all evil, once and for all?

The Christian answer to the problem of evil is the crucifixion of Jesus. Anyone who wants to share the Christian faith with a non-Christian must include Christ's death on the cross. Sometimes I suggest to people that they get to the cross as soon as possible. Jesus Christ...died on the cross - no beating around the bush! The apostle Paul, in his first letter to the church in Corinth, said that he “decided to know nothing among [them] except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2, ESV). The cross is the Christian answer to the problem of evil. God is all-powerful, and is perfectly good, and chose to defeat evil by taking all the evil of the world into himself. We will talk more about evil later in the book. But right now, we'll just think of evil as all those things that make us want to shout “that's not right!” or “that's not good!”

Here's a way to think about what Jesus, the Father's only- begotten Son, did on the cross. Imagine you are visiting a wealthy friend, who is touring you around their home. She points out an incredibly expensive statue sitting on a ledge behind you. You turn to look at it, and accidentally knock it

31 to the ground. It doesn't just break: it shatters, into hundreds of pieces. You apologize over and over, not knowing what else to do. Your friend, however, waves her hand and says “Oh, don't worry about.” Many people wonder why God doesn't simply do the same thing. Why doesn't he “just forgive” the evil that we cause? But we forget that the friend's statue is still broken. She will have to cover the cost of replacing it, or at least be out one statue! When she says “don't worry about it,” she has chosen to pay the cost of the broken vase herself.

On the cross Jesus did the same thing: God assumed the cost of a broken world himself. That cost was the death not just of a man, but of God himself. The Father in love for us sends his Son, who willingly absorbs the cost of evil, and then breaths out the Holy Spirit into the world - the Spirit that gives eternal life in the place of death.

For the Sins We just talked a little about evil. But where does evil come from? One source is our “sin.” Most non-Christians who have grown up in societies that were once Christian know the word. They use it to mean a moral failing, or doing something wrong or unjust. But sin is more than just an action, or even a thought. Sin is a condition into which all people are born. Jesus himself on several occasions reminds even his closest disciples that they were not born “good.” In Luke 11:13 he points out that even the disciples, “who are evil,” give good gifts to their children. When a rich young ruler comes to ask Jesus about eternal life, he calls Jesus “good teacher.” Jesus responds with a question,

32 “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God” (Luke 18:9, ESV). We are not “born good.” We are born, instead, without a love for God or trust in Him, and with a desire to do things which are harmful to ourselves and others. One Christian once said that it is not committing sins that makes us sinners; it is being a sinner that makes us commit sins. We call our sinful condition and its results moral evil.

The two other kinds of evil in the world are related to our sinful condition. There is supernatural evil, evil that exists outside our universe of matter and energy yet still interacts with us and our universe. When we speak of the Devil or demons, we are speaking of supernatural evil. It was the Devil who tempted the first two humans, who were not sinners by nature, to introduce sin into the world. As a result all of us who are descended from Adam and Eve are, by nature, the Devil's children and not God's. Only God can cause us to be born again as his children, giving us a trust and love for him and true love for one another.

The other kind of evil is natural evil, things like earthquakes and hurricanes, diseases and death. The fact that these exist in the world is the result of moral evil and supernatural evil. In Paul's letter to the Romans, he points out that all of creation is in “bondage to corruption,” groaning under the weight of sin (Romans 8:20-23). When God cursed the ground in Genesis 3:17-18, it meant more than weeds in our flower beds. It meant that all of creation, unwillingly, now works against us and not just for us. So natural disasters can rightly be called evil, because they're connect to the evil that comes from us and from the fallen beings in the spiritual realms.

33 Jesus Christ's death on the cross was God's answer to all three kinds of evil. By absorbing the cost of moral evil, he paved the way for God to create a new world in the future with no supernatural or natural evil. When Christians fight their tendency toward moral evil, reject supernatural evil, and help those affected by natural evil, we are giving a foretaste of the world God will call into existence in the future. But make no mistake: it was for sins, for moral evil and its effects, that Jesus Christ died on the cross.

Of the World The world is not what we would hope it would be. We have left in our hearts and minds a picture of what the world should be like: a world where people are kind and considerate to one another. A world where disasters do not leave people destitute and dying. A world where violence and warfare are no more. A world where people, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, will “beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4, ESV). In the words of the apostle Peter, we would like to see “a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwell” (2 Peter 3:13, ESV).

It was to make that new world possible that Jesus Christ died on the cross for sins. He accepted the cost of all sins, of all people, past, present and future. Jesus didn't just die on the cross for a select few, for those who were “worth it,” for the Jews only, for men only, for the rich or for the poor only, but for all people. Jesus said “I, when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw all people to

34 myself” (John 12:32, ESV). Not everyone will be drawn to receive the gift of life in Jesus' name; some will reject the gift (John 12:36, ESV). But one way or the other, the cross will be central to all people on earth, to Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female (Gal. 3:28).

Because of Jesus' death and resurrection, God will be able at a point in the future to “make all things new” (Revelation 21:5, ESV). There will be a new creation in which there will be no more sin, no more “mourning, nor crying, nor pain” (Revelation 21:4, ESV). In that new world the divisions between all people joined to Christ will be healed (Revelation 22:4, ESV). All the signs of sin in the world and the people who loved those signs - the abuse of the gift of sexuality, the worship of false gods and of self, the desire to possess, and all lies and deceit – will be gone. When Christians say they have “been saved,” it means that they've been saved from sin but also that they've been saved for a new and perfect world

That All Might be Saved To be saved is, to put it simply, to be rescued from a horrible situation. Sailors in trouble still send out S.O.S. signals, a plea for some other ship to “save our souls.” Jesus says that he did not come “to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17, ESV). He came to save us from the consequences of sin.

The first consequence is one that all of us can see - death. At some point or other, everyone will be faced with the

35 end of their mortal life. We know, somehow, that death is not good. No matter how many people might tell us that the death of a parent or child “was for the best,” it rarely feels that way. No matter how many times we are told that death is a part of life, it doesn't feel like it. Calling a funeral a “celebration of life” somehow doesn't do our grief justice. Something inside us wants to scream “this just isn't right!”

Then there is the question of justice. The warlord who massacres thousands and amasses a fortune dies at a ripe old age, in the mansion bought with the blood of others. Is that fair? Is that right? In the Quebecois songwriter Luc de la Rocheliere's song, Six pieds sur terre, he wants God to promise that hell exists. Doesn't it seem fair that people should pay the price for the evil they have done in life? Yet, as we talked about earlier, all of us have done immoral and unjust things. If we do not accept Christ's payment for those things, we will pay for them ourselves. It's to avoid that fate that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world.

It's worth noting that it was Jesus, not the apostle Paul, who really warned of the consequences of sin. If you want to read about hell, you need to read Jesus' words, not the words of the apostles. Christ calls hell a place where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12, 13:50, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30). He calls it a place like gehenna, the burning trash heap outside of Jerusalem (Matthew 5:22, 10:28, 23:33). He talks about worthless branches being thrown into the fire, chaff being burned up while the wheat is gathered into the barn, fruitless trees

36 being cut down by the ax. This makes sense: who knows the price that needs to be paid for the broken statue like the one who has to pay it?

Being saved by Jesus is often equated with “going to heaven.” But it's much more than that. Jesus came to save us from the great cleansing on the Last Day when the world will be cleansed “by fire” of everything in it that has been twisted by sin (2 Peter 3:12). Everyone sealed with Jesus' baptism, and who has put all their trust in Him, will be cleansed of sin without being utterly destroyed or cast aside (Mark 16:16). Salvation means having a new relationship with God based on trust, love and sacrifice, which in turn causes new relationships to be built with one another based on trust, love and sacrifice as well. Those relationships will live on not in some mystical “cloud city,” but in a new creation without sin, and without death.

Through Him It should make sense that, for Christians, everything is about Christ. Yet too many Christians would rather talk and sing about God without ever mentioning how that God can be known, found and followed in Jesus. Muslims can talk about God; so can Jews. Agnostics might even talk about God without getting into details about him (or her). But for Christians, God is known most clearly and explicitly in Jesus. Recall Jesus' conversation with Philip in John's Gospel: “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9 ESV). To know God is to know Jesus. If you say you know God but disregard Jesus' teachings and

37 person, you are describing a God that does not exist, a fiction out of your own imagination.

Pliny the Younger, a Roman governor who lived a few decades after Jesus' death and resurrection, described the lives of the Christians in his region. Writing to the Roman Emperor from his Black Sea territory, he said that Christians “were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god.”6 1st generation Christian leaders such as Ignatius of Antioch,writing in the last 1st century AD, wrote “our God, Jesus Christ, was conceived by Mary in accord with God’s plan: of the seed of David, it is true, but also of the Holy Spirit.”7 There is no question that the early Christians believed that Jesus was indeed God in the flesh. So to come to God, one must come through Jesus of Nazareth.

Conclusion Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world, that all might be saved through him. One sentence, less than twenty words. It's certainly not the Nicene Creed, but if you get put on the spot about what your faith is about, you could do worse than to share that short sentence. Given more time for conversation, an unpacking of each of the words gets to the heart of Christian belief. It also rejects many false ideas about Christianity. Our faith is not primarily about our behavior, what kinds of movies we should watch or who we should marry. It is not a list of 6 Pliny, Penguin Classics, vol. L127, The Letters of the Younger Pliny (Harmondsworth, Eng.: Penguin Books, 1969) 7 Ignatius, Letter to the Ephesians 18 (ANF 1)

38 things that people should hate, or a guide for political action. It is a belief that in Jesus of Nazareth, God has delivered us from the evil outside and inside ourselves – and not just us, but all people and the whole world.

39 4. Six Common Stumbling Blocks When Paul wrote his first letter to the Church in Corinth, he said that he decided to know nothing among them but Christ and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). He did that, despite freely acknowledging that focusing on the crucified Messiah was both a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles (1 Corinthians 1:23). That may be the case, Paul admitted. But the preaching of Jesus' death was the very message that would also save both Jew and Gentile. Beating around the bush would not help anyone; what was needed was a clear proclamation of the central message of Christianity. Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world, and only sharing that idea could save people from God's judgment.

Having said that, there are still a number of ideas that cause people to stumble when it comes to the Christian faith. There are six ideas, in fact, that many struggle with or consider foolish. By knowing what those ideas are, we can be prepared to help move them out of the way and keep the Gospel front and center. Those ideas are God, Sin, Christ, Justification, Ministry, and Good Works. By learning what Scripture teaches about each of those ideas, we can be prepared to deal with them when someone begins to stumble over them.

When sharing the basic message of the Christian faith, these stumbling blocks tend to present themselves in exactly the order in which I listed them. It's rare to find someone, for example, that will agree with you on who

40 Christ is and how he has saved us (justification), but doesn't believe in either sin or God. In the same way it may not be profitable to spend hours explaining the nature of Christian works to people who don't believe in Christ as the only Son of God. When discussing the Christian faith in more depth it's good to see which “stumbling block” shows up first. Is the person an atheist, or someone who is struggling to believe in a god? Then let's talk about God first before exploring sin. If the person believes in the triune God and that humans seem to be in trouble with that God (sin), let's talk about who Jesus is and what he did. If they are nominal Christians but don't understand where Jesus can be found now and how to serve him, let's talk about ministry and good works.

In each of the subsequent sections I'll discuss each of these six “stumbling blocks” in the order they should be dealt with. There will also be examples of the kind of person who might “stumble” at each point and how to address that person's issues and concerns.

God A lone man stands at busy intersection in town holding up a sign to everyone who passes by: “Ye Must Be Born Again.” No doubt that person believes they are sharing the Gospel. They may even point to the apostle Paul as their inspiration, desiring to know nothing but Christ and him crucified. But to any atheist or agnostic who passes by, that sign makes no sense. The person holding up the sign may as well be speaking in tongues. Even Nicodemus, the

41 Israelite teacher who inspired Jesus' teaching about being born again, had trouble with the idea.

An atheist is one who believes that there is no god. The term comes from the Greek theos, which means “god,” and the Greek prefix a which means “not.” An agnostic is one who is unsure that any gods exist. That word come from the Greek gnosis, meaning knowledge – agnosis means no- knowledge. Before we can share about our need for salvation and how God has given us salvation as a gift through Jesus, we need to move the stumbling block about God out of the way.

This is a good time to talk about evidence for God's existence. We can use some of the apologetic ideas discussed in chapter 1. We can pursue two lines of discussion, just as Paul does in Romans 1 and 2. The first is evidence for the existence of God based on creation. Where do the laws of nature come from? We believe they exist, even though we can't see them or read them in the atoms of the universe. Couldn't God exist in a similar way? We use science to learn about the universe because we believe that the universe is orderly. Why should we believe that? The first western scientists were Christians, and they believed that an orderly God made an orderly universe whose laws we could uncover. The late Antony Flew, a prominent atheist for much of his life, came to believe in the existence of God after being introduced to this way of thinking.

The second line of discussion about God is moral, and focuses on the human conscience. In Romans 2 Paul

42 writes that non-Jews, who didn't have the Scriptures, had the law of God “written on their hearts” (Romans 2:15, ESV). There is something in all of us that criticizes us when do something wrong, and that helps us feel good about ourselves when we do something right. That same something guides us away from bad actions and towards better ones. We don't always listen to it, and some people choose to suppress it as best they can. But the human conscience is an indication that a Conscience-giver, a Law- giver, outside of ourselves exists.

Even if people believe in some kind of creator or deity, they often stumble over God's triune nature. God exists as three persons, who have a relationship to each other but who each are fully God and possess all the attributes of God. While for many this is a strange and rather pointless teaching of Scripture, it actually says something profound about our Creator and, therefore, something profound about us. It reveals that God is communal. God has never not existed as the Father who eternally begets the Son and from whom the Spirit eternally proceeds. St. Augustine once likened the divine Persons to the Lover, the Beloved, and the Love-Between-Them.

The English poet John Donne once wrote that “no man is an island.” No one is ever completely alone. And few people are happy being alone. Why is that? Because the God who created us is also never alone. So rather than being a stumbling block, the triune nature of God can actually be a very helpful way of introducing God to others.

43 Sin The word "sin" is not yet so strange that people don't have some idea of what it means. But the word doesn't have the same force that it used to. To some people, a sin is something that used to be considered bad form but that most people now laugh off. “I told her I had a doctor's appointment, but really I just couldn't handle another boring date. Just a little sin.” To others, sins might be more serious. Usually, however, sins are just the things we do or say that might be considered immoral, but not illegal.

When it comes to sins, we judge ourselves against the best measuring stick we have. That stick is the actions and words of those around us. We see the sickening acts of warlords or terrorists in far away corners of the world and think, “Well, at least I'm not that bad!” We think back to a Hitler, a Stalin, or a Pol Pot (none of whom were religious, by the way) and judge that we are pretty good in comparison. Our sins are not in the same category as people like that!

Some have taken to looking at actions committed in the name of religion, by groups such as Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, or others, and think that even using words like “sin” might lead people to do immoral things. Better to follow our conscience than to be led by some holy book to slaughter innocents. But what if your conscience is bound to follow a holy book? And if it is not, what shapes your conscience? Research indicates that while people are born with a predisposition to act morally, our environment

44 shapes those predispositions. No one is raised without any environmental influence at all. Everyone is guided by something. Everyone has a “holy book” that they follow, even if it's just the book of nature, or the one “given” to them by their parents or their community

When we compare our actions and thoughts to others and judge ourselves that way, or believe that at least our basic beliefs are better than others, we are not thinking of sin the way the Bible does. Sin, first of all, is not primarily about our actions and words. We can sin in thought, word and deed, it's true. But sin is actually the thing that leads us to do bad sorts of things. In the words of an old theologian, we are not sinners because we sin - we sin because we are sinners. Sin, in the words of an old Christian confession of faith, is the truth that every single human being is born into the world without love or trust in God and with a desire to do what is wrong, not what is right.

When the Lord looked down on the earth after the Great Flood of Noah, he promised that he would never again destroy the earth by water. He made that promise, despite the fact that “every thought of man was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5, and similarly again in Genesis 8:21). The Flood did not change the fact that every human remains inclined to bad. Why then do so many people worship some kind of God or gods, even non-Christians, and seem to do good? The apostle James wrote that every good gift comes down from God. That would include even the good that we do. Even the charitable organizations

45 founded by atheists exist because a good God continues to work through evil human beings.

This is a tough pill for many to swallow. To remove the idea of sin as a stumbling block, we have to first realize that all of us, Christian and non-Christian, owe everything good in the world to God. The great wonder of the world is not that there are Hitlers and Stalins in it. The great wonder is that there are Mahatma Ghandis and Martin Luther King, Jrs. Instead of asking, “Where does evil come from?” we should be asking why there is anything or anyone good in the world at all.

Second, we need to stop comparing ourselves to others and realize that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, ESV). There is an old proverb that says “in the land of the blind, the one-eyed Jack is King.” Because we are all sinners, even Christians who have received Christ's forgiveness, we are tempted to think God will sort out who is the better sinner from who is the worst. But as Paul says so clearly in Romans, God doesn't work that way. Christ came to save the sick, not the healthy. All of us are sick from sin, and all of us need God's healing forgiveness.

Christ Many people accept the idea of some kind of God existing, and that our sins will be judged by that God either now or in the future. But they may stumble over the idea that God can only be fully and completely known through the person and work of Jesus. Surely that limits God too

46 much! How can an infinite Lord who created and preserves all things choose to make Himself known most fully in one man, who was born, lived and died centuries ago - even one who rose again from the grave? Why would God limit himself in that way?

The late atheist Christopher Hitchins often brought up this point in debates. It seems unfair, for example, to condemn the Chinese for their sins just because they couldn't come to know a savior born thousands of miles to the east. What about the many people born before Christ? Yes, the Lord sent many prophets to point people to the coming Christ. But did anyone in Australia get the message spoken through Israel's seers?

This is why the “stumbling block” of sin must be dealt with before the stumbling block of Christ. Once we realize that sin is a condition for which we are all responsible, we realize a sad truth that the ancient writer Augustine realized over a thousand years ago. The Lord never had to reveal himself to anyone. He showed us a real undeserved kindness by sending a way of salvation at all. The way he chose was his one and only Son. There is no obligation for a judge to be lenient on a criminal who has been found guilty of a murder. If she chooses to do so, it's by grace and not because the criminal deserves it. You can't accuse a judge of being unfair when they sentence a criminal to time in jail.

Many might still stumble over the idea that Jesus could be more than just another prophet. Isn't it enough to believe that Jesus came to tells us about God? Must he also

47 actually be God in some way? Throughout John's record of Jesus, his Gospel, John records Jesus' self awareness that he and the Father who sent him are, in fact, one. To see one is to see the other; to know one is to know the other. If Jesus did not share in the very nature of God, then it would be a lie to say that he who sees him has seen the Father.

Consider if your cat or dog could talk. Even if that pet knew you intimately, could it really tell someone that by knowing it that person was really coming to know you? It wouldn't know what it was like to do math, to make great art, to appreciate music, or any of the things that are unique to being human. At best your pet could try and describe those things to the person it was talking to. But that person wouldn't know what you were like just by knowing that pet, because a dog is a dog and a human is a human. But Jesus, while being fully human, was also fully divine. To know him is, in fact, to know God.

Justification Even if someone, however, believes in God, and believes that we are separated from true knowledge and love of God by sin, and that Jesus is the Christ who has truly revealed God, they may yet stumble over why Jesus came in the first place. Maybe God sent Jesus to teach us how to be better people. Maybe he was meant to be a good example of how to live a good life. Maybe he came in order to separate out the good people from the bad people, by our standard of good and bad. From a certain point of view Jesus did come to do some of those things.

48 But if that's all we think Jesus came to do, we are missing the most important thing of all.

To talk truly about Jesus and share the real Christian faith, we need to be clear about that essential thing. Jesus not only did all the things mentioned above, but he took into himself the effect that sin has on ourselves and on the world. He took those effects to the cross and did away with them, so that God can now freely forgive our sins and promise eternal life without cost or compromise. This is the good news of Gospel, that Christ “justifies” us before God by his life and death.

We all try and justify our actions, especially the bad ones. The news is filled with politicians, especially at election time, who are anxious to “justify” or give a reason for why they voted certain ways over the past term, or why they took certain actions. The problem with humans, as sinners, is that we cannot offer any credible excuse for the things we have done to one another or the world. No credible excuse, that is, outside of Jesus.

Even some Christians still try and justify their behavior, claiming that they needed Jesus to get them started, but that now God will accept them at the final judgment based on the good job they've done since then. Nothing could be further from the truth. Christians need Christ's forgiveness today and always as much as anyone else. We don't earn forgiveness through church attendance, by care for our community or environment, by being a good worker, parent, or child, or by attempting to keep all of God's commands perfectly. We receive forgiveness - justification

49 for our sins - from Christ as a free gift. To deny that gift in any way is to misunderstand what Jesus came to do.

Ministry But how, exactly, does Jesus work in the world today? How do we receive the forgiveness that we all need? How do people who are not Christians find out about the gift that God continues to offer? Here is a stumbling block that, unlike belief in God, sin or Christ, affects more people in the church than people outside of it. It's the stumbling block of “ministry,” or the ways that Jesus himself said he would come to make sinners into people acceptable to God.

God chose to enter into the world and save it in a very concrete way, as a human being. Jesus was not a ghost, but a human being with a body and soul who was also the Son of God. He ate with his disciples, drank with them, and slept among them. He was God, but could also be seen, touched, heard and even smelled. Why would God choose to act that way at one point in history, but choose to act in a different way afterward? Why create human beings with five senses, but then choose to interact with them in some magical, “spiritual” way apart from those five senses? It doesn't, pun intended, make sense. Yet many Christians believe that God's choice to work through creation was a one-time thing, never to be repeated.

From the beginning God has interacted with humans in ways we can see, hear, touch, smell, and even taste. After they sinned, God clothed Adam and Eve with animal skins.

50 He sent a rainbow to confirm his promise to Noah not to destroy the earth by a flood. He appeared to Moses in a burning bush. God works through real things in this world. All those things pointed toward how God would come to live among us as a baby, then a boy, then a teen, and then a man who would die on a Roman cross. Doesn't it make sense that after Jesus' death and resurrection God would continue to come among us in ways that we can see and hear, touch and smell, and even taste?

Jesus told Nicodemus, a teacher of Israel, that people would enter the kingdom of God by the Spirit, and by water (John 3:5). After his Ascension Peter told the crowds of Jerusalem that it would be by water, in baptism, that the Holy Spirit would be given to them and their children, to Jew and to Gentile (Acts 2:38-39). God accepts us into His presence through very real water.

The night before he was betrayed, Jesus took the old Passover meal and made it into a new meal of God's new covenant in Jesus' blood. He gave the Passover bread to the disciples, and said that it was his body. He took the cup of blessing and announced that it was now the cup of his blood, blood of a new covenant between God and humanity (Matthew 26:26-28, ESV). In case anyone missed the significance of what he was doing, Jesus ended the sharing of himself by saying “do this in remembrance of me.” To remember, for a Jew, is to participate in the event being remembered in some real way. When the prophets spoke to the people of Israel and reminded them of the time they were in Egypt, they were often speaking to people who had not literally been in Egypt (see 1 Samuel

51 10:18, for example). But by remembering the events of the slavery in Egypt and how God rescued them, they were participating in the rescue themselves. In the same way, when we take the bread and wine of communion, we also receive the body and blood of Christ that saves us from sin and death.

Jesus set up ways in which people would be ministered to by him after his ascension. We find him in the real words shared by other real people, the apostles; we find him in the waters of baptism, where he seals us with the Holy Spirit; and we even receive his body and blood under very real bread and wine, things we can touch, smell and taste. So when people want to know where to find Jesus, we don't point to the clouds or to our hearts. We point to the words written about him. We invite people to be baptized by him. And we invite people into communion with him and with us in a meal. That is how Jesus remains present among us until his return at the end of the age.

Good Works The last stumbling block has to do with our actions in the world. Here we come full circle, in some ways. Both lifelong Christians and atheists frequently misunderstand the connection between Christianity and morality, and stumble on this point in grasping the authentic Christian faith. The atheist mistakenly things Christianity is all about morality. The lifelong Christian sometimes thinks the same thing. But Christianity is not a way to be good; it is about following a Good One who is the Way.

52 There is an ancient Christian expression that helps us understand how Christianity and morality relate to one another. I could paraphrase it like this: “Good works are necessary for the Christian, but they are not necessary for the Christian to be right with God.” God brings us to faith in Jesus when we hear the Gospel being shared with us. God call us to the water to be baptized, and feeds us in communion. In doing all that he also transforms us and calls us to live sacrificial lives for one another. Just as Jesus lived and died for us, so too do Christians now live and die for the sake of the world and the people in it. To paraphrase the words of the apostle John, we love others because God first loved us in Jesus (1 John 4:19). Christian morality follows on the heals of Christian faith.

When sharing Christianity with atheists or agnostics, then, we don't ever want to give the impression that we expect everyone to abide by Christian morals and values. We can talk about the nagging feeling people have that they should do good and not bad. We can talk about how that feeling reveals our sinful nature and our need for salvation. But the Christian's job is not to get non-Christians to behave! If we want people to love one another, to give up sexual immorality, and to deal truthfully instead of deceptively with each other, we need to share God's judgment on sin and his salvation in Christ first. Only those who by faith have received Christ's forgiveness will be able to begin living as Jesus wants them to live.

In the same way, it's the good news of salvation that empowers Christians to live lives pleasing to God. Telling someone over and over again that they ought to be good

53 won't transform them. Neither will threatening Christians with hell. That message can bring people to repentance, but without the good news of what Christ has done, it will not make us new. Christians do need to hear what kinds of behaviors, actions and thoughts are pleasing to God. Christians need to be reminded of the 10 Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount. But what will motivate Christians to act properly is the constant reminder that we have been saved by Christ. Jesus' Father is now our Father, and he disciplines us because we are His children, not in order to make us His children.

This should make sense to anyone who remembers being a child, or who has tried to raise a child. Imagine telling your son, “you need to behave if you want me to be your mommy someday.” No good parent would ever say anything like that. Instead, we tell him that he should behave differently because our family doesn't do this or that. In the same way, our Father in heaven teaches us how to behave because we are His children, not so that we can become His children. How often do good parents tell their child they are doing something for their own good, because they love them? In the same way, Christians need to be reminded that God is urging them to do good because he loves them, and that he disciplines them for their own good.

Conclusion In this chapter we've talked about six stumbling blocks that cause different people trouble with the historic Christian faith. For some it's belief in God. For others it's the idea

54 that we are not born into God's good graces, that we are not all children of God just because we are humans (see John 1:12). Some people have trouble with the idea that God is known fully only by knowing Jesus of Nazareth. Some have trouble seeing the good news of salvation by Jesus and his crucifixion as the heart of the Christian faith. Others understand God, sin, Jesus and the Gospel, but don't know where Jesus is now or aren't sure how he has chosen to act in the world. Last, some are confused about morality and what role it plays in Christianity. By understanding a little bit about each of these stumbling blocks, we will be in a better position to help others overcome them. That, in turn, will help them have a better grasp on the authentic Christian faith.

55 5. Seven Passages to Keep in Mind Barb: So what's your church like? Cheryl: We're a pretty friendly group of people. I think you'd like it. Barb: But what do you believe? It isn't one of those fundamentalist churches that believes the Bible is literally true is it? I don't think I'd want to go somewhere that believes Jesus is the “only” way. Cheryl: Well, we do think Jesus is the only way to heaven. Barb: We know Jesus didn't believe that – he just wanted to love everyone. That's the kind of church I want – one that accepts everyone unconditionally. Why would God condemn anyone anyway? Cheryl: Jesus did say that God is love, and that he helps those who help themselves.* Barb: Right! Is that what your church teaches? Cheryl: Ummm...

* Actually, it was the apostle John who said that God is love (1 John 4:8). And you won't find the expression “God helps those who help themselves” in Scripture.

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews wrote that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two- edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, living centuries before Paul, once said that nothing can be properly understood if it cannot be properly divided. Anyone doing such dividing must carefully separate member from joint lest, Socrates'

56 student Plato wrote, he ruin the meat like an unskillful cook.

Whoever wrote Hebrews knew something about ancient Greek philosophy. And who better to know how to explain and understand a subject than the Lord who created and sustains all things? That same Lord has spoken through prophets, apostles, and his Son. When we read the Lord's words as recorded by those men, we learn how to properly explain a subject. We learn how to distinguish between God's commands and his gracious promises. We can distinguish between his old covenant with Israel, a conditional covenant, and the unconditional promise of a savior he made to Eve and then to Abraham, which was finally fulfilled in Jesus Christ. We can properly explain the difference between righteousness and unrighteousness, between holiness and profanity. All of this we can do through proper study of God's Word.

But if we don't know that Word, we will find ourselves at a loss to talk about Jesus properly. We find ourselves flat footed when asked specific questions about life, about morality, about God, Jesus and salvation. A story is told of a Dutch Christian who visited his friend's church in London, England. After the service he asked the pastor what that church believed and confessed. The pastor handed him a Bible, and said “We believe the Scriptures.” Carefully thumbing through the book, the man looked at it, then at the pastor and said, “Indeed, good, but the Bible is a very big book.” Every Christian should believe the Bible is God's Word. But do we know what it says on some very important subjects, things that are bound to come up

57 when we talk with others about church and about Jesus? Saying we believe the whole Bible is good; but even better is knowing what it says about some important topics.

In a previous chapter I introduced a short sentence that summarizes the basics of the Christian faith, and discussed some stumbling blocks to a right understanding of Christianity. In this chapter we will look at a handful of Bible verses that all of us should have memorized. These verses can quickly “cut” to the heart of an issue, separating misconceptions and clarifying who Jesus is and what he came to do. We don't have to have the whole of Scripture memorized to talk to people about Christ. But knowing these few verses will really help.

You Have No Proof: 1 John 1:1-3 Earlier I mentioned pastafarians, people who claim to believe in a “Flying Spaghetti Monster.” Most Pastafarians are really atheists who are poking fun at Christians, Muslims, Jews or anyone that has some kind of belief in the supernatural. They argue that religious people have no more proof that God exists than that a “Flying Spaghetti Monster” exists. One prominent atheist, the late Bertrand Russell, complained that if God exists he worked awfully hard to hide himself from everyone. Richard Dawkins echoed that point in Ben Stein's 2008 movie Expelled. If God wants to be found, why doesn't he just reveal Himself to all people?

Sometimes one verse of Scripture is just not enough to address someone's concern. In this case, there are three

58 verses that, taken together, show just why Christianity is different from other world religions. It's the first verses of the first letter of the apostle John, the same apostle who wrote the Gospel that bears his name:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life —the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. - 1 John 1:1-3, ESV

The words in bold are the essential ones. Why? Because they show that the Christian faith is based on the same kind of observations that modern science depends on. John does not start out his letter saying, “We have traveled with this man Jesus, and he said a lot of interesting things, and upon further reflection we have this life philosophy we would like to share with you.” He could have written, “In the beginning all things came into existence, and here's how we think it happened and what it means for your life.” But he writes neither of those things. Instead, he connects the things that were from the beginning – eternal things –

59 with the things he has heard, seen, and touched. These things have to do with life, and he now shares them with his readers.

Christianity is a faith grounded in historical events, based on the observations of real people, recorded on real paper (or papyrus). Christianity is, in many ways, a scientific faith. This separates our faith from so many other world religions. It is not a philosophy of life, or a religion based on someone's ideas about God (however good they might be). It is not a collection of purely legendary or mythic tales from a long time ago. It is something that was manifest in the real world, which is why knowing this verse is so important for our conversations about Jesus.

John writes these things so that we might have “fellowship” with him, and therefore with the Father and with the Son, Jesus. It's worth pointing out that John could have written that he shares these things so that his readers will be “saved.” When we talk with others about Jesus, we often think that that's what we are trying to do – save people. And we are! But some churches and some Christians look at saving people the way some tourists visit a destination.

Ever see a busload of tourists unload at some scenic location? Everyone gets off, snaps a few pictures, then gets back on. They never meet the people who live there, soak up the environment, or really appreciate what the place is all about. It's just a check on a list: “I saw the Grand Canyon – here's the picture.” We don't want to be evangelistic tourists. We want people to believe in Christ

60 that we might have communion – fellowship – with them, because we both share communion with God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

The Divinity of Jesus John 10:30, 34 Earlier we discussed how God, and Jesus' relationship with the divine, could be a major stumbling block. Most people have heard Christians talk about the idea of a “Trinity,” but as hard as it is for most Christians to explain, it's even harder for non-Christians to understand. Why create such a complicated picture of God? That may be some of the modern appeal of Islam. Muslims confess that there is no God but God; there is no need for a Father, a Son and a Holy Spirit.

For others, the mystery of the doctrine of the Trinity is less troubling than its central idea: that Jesus could, somehow, be God himself. Jesus may have been a great man, a prophet even, but the idea that he was God in some way must have been a later invention of the church. Many years ago I heard a man being interviewed on the radio, a scholar in Jewish thought. He said that, in truth, we don't know much about Jesus and what he thought of himself. But, he felt compelled to add, we know that he was not God. A little logic here might help. Either we know something about Jesus, and can therefore conclude he did or did not believe he was God, or we know nothing and can therefore conclude we have no idea what he thought about himself. But you can't have it both ways.

61 The only real source of information about the life and teachings of Jesus are the Gospels and the New Testament epistles. There are certainly skeptics who continue to doubt whether those texts are reliable, but few of those skeptics are scholars of ancient history. The abundance of New Testament manuscripts, and the existence of fragments that date to within decades of Jesus' life, demonstrate that they can be trusted as much as any other ancient document from that time period. Those documents point to a Jesus who, in his own words, considered himself to be wrapped up in divinity. So here is our next verse, actually three from John 10:30-34:

[Jesus said]: I and the Father are one. The Jews picked up stones again to stone him... “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” - John 10:30-31, 33, ESV

Many modern theologians have combed through the Gospels, explaining away other verses where Jesus proclaims his divinity. Even his title “the Son of Man,” taken from the Book of Daniel, has divine overtones (Daniel 7:13-14). Each one is explained away, with the author saying “Jesus couldn't have meant by these words that he thought he was somehow God.” But the Jews didn't misunderstand any of these expressions. In fact it was Jesus' constant proclamation of his divine nature, along with the performance of miracles to back up those claims, that eventually got him crucified.

62 Yet Jesus was not the Father, and he considered himself a distinct person from him. Jesus was not “praying to himself” in the Garden of Gethsemane. Neither was Jesus the same person as the Holy Spirit, who is distinct both from Jesus and the Father. So what do you do with someone who proclaims himself God, yet prays to someone he calls the Father who is also God, and who promises to send the Holy Spirit from the Father, a Spirit that has all the same characteristics as God? Eventually, you frame a doctrine of God's tri-unity. You frame it, not to say something new, but to remain faithful to what the New Testament already says. The ancient creeds of the Church were not attempts to “invent” a doctrine of the Trinity. They were attempts to find language to use for God that would be faithful to how God revealed Himself through Jesus of Nazareth.

Are We Really All That Bad? Genesis 6:5 As we saw in the previous chapter, sin is a big obstacle to faith. People stubbornly refuse to believe that they are all that bad. After all, if we really were that evil, wouldn't God simply destroy us all? The fact is that the Lord tried that approach once. In the first chapters of Genesis we read of a Great Flood – the term used in Hebrew implies an epic, global catastrophe – that took the lives of every person and almost everything on earth that wasn't in a huge, specially designed ark. The reason God gave for wiping out almost every last member of the human race was simple:

The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,

63 and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. - Genesis 6:5, ESV

One translation puts it this way: “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Gen. 6:5, NIV). Only evil, all the time. Presumably these hearts were falling in love, raising children and loving them, occasionally not stealing and occasionally not murdering people. But that was no credit to the heart, but to God's sustaining goodness. Left to itself, the heart looks after no one but itself. What would a self-giving and outward focused God do with such self-centered and narcissistic people? Certainly justice would require some kind of action.

What is interesting is that things were not much better after the Flood. In fact the reason the Lord gives for not flooding the earth again is that “the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth” (Gen. 8:21, ESV). In other words, God chooses to preserve the world for the same reason he chose to destroy it! Whatever righteousness Noah had, it wasn't possessing the kind of heart that would make all subsequent generations of humans holy. Men and women, on their own, are still self-centered. But God chose from that moment on to take a new approach.

This verse is especially useful when talking with those who insist on the essential goodness of people. Those same people are often stunned when people commit evil atrocities against others. But the truth is that goodness, not evil, is the great mystery. Those who believe in

64 Darwinistic evolution as an explanation for our origin still struggle to explain why people are good to complete strangers, or to other species. Different explanations have been offered, most of them weak. We discussed some of those explanations in the second chapter. At the end of the day, “survival of the fittest” benefits those who look out for themselves and their immediate offspring, not those who look after others first. Yet we still read news stories of the father who sacrificed himself to save a drowning dog, or the child who died trying to drag their mom from a burning house. Where does such goodness come from? Not from the human heart. It comes from God.

The Usefulness of the Bible: John 20:30-31: A seminary professor I know once quipped to his class, “the Bible is not a book about interesting things.” What did he mean by that? That the Bible's not interesting? Certainly there are parts of Scripture that we wouldn't read for pleasure (consider the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1-9). But many parts of the Bible make for exciting reading and have been made into films since the beginning of the cinema itself. Did the professor mean that the Bible doesn't have advice for us? Most of the book of Proverbs is just that: advice for living. No, what he meant was that the Bible is not used properly if it is only seen as a story, a guidebook, or (worse) an ancient collection of things that don't mean anything anymore.

The Bible is a book about God's interaction with his fallen creation, and how God himself chooses to redeem that

65 fallen creation at great personal cost. The Bible is read properly when it is read from that perspective and in that light. John, in his Gospel, makes that point regarding his account of Jesus' life and ministry: He wrote that Jesus did many things which he did not record. But

These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. - John 20:31, ESV

Many people complain about the things that are not recorded in the Bible. Why are there no accounts of Jesus' young adulthood? Why doesn't Genesis 1 and 2 give a more full, scientific picture of how the world was created, including references to DNA and explanations of how vegetarian animals became carnivores? Why is there no record of what was happening in China while Abraham was leaving Ur of the Chaldeans for Palestine? The list could go on. John's answer would be, “is that information necessary for you to know God as the God who has judged our sin and provided us a way out of our sentence of death?” There are many things we wish God had revealed to us in Scripture. But he has chosen to reveal what is necessary for us to have life in his name.

Knowing a verse like this can help us answer not only questions about what isn't in the Bible, but also save us from misusing Scripture. The Bible is not a magical guidebook that will tell us, for example, what job to take or what college to attend. It isn't meant to tell us who our

66 spouse will be, or if we will ever marry or have children of our own.

Certainly scripture give us a moral framework for how to live in general. It can point out which jobs might be God- pleasing and which others are not (prostitution, for example). Scripture provides helpful advice for how to be a good husband and father and son, and a good wife, mother and daughter. But that is not the Bible's primary purpose. Its primary purpose is to teach us about the God who has revealed himself as our Savior in Jesus Christ.

The Problem of Evil: Luke 13:2 Many people have trouble believing in God because of the tremendous violence and evil in the world. “Why do bad things happen to good people?” is a question many people still ask. It has always been tempting to assume that if something terrible happens to someone, she must have deserved it. The Book of Job, one of the oldest books in the Old Testament, tackles that idea and refutes it. Job doesn't lose his wealth, health and family because he is being punished. He is, rather, being tested.

People do not grow most during periods of happiness, but during times of suffering. It's when things aren't going well that we are forced to ask questions about out lives and their meaning. People that are healthy rarely stop and ask why. People who are sick, however, do. There is something about disaster that makes us sit up and take notice, that wakes us up. How many people interviewed

67 after having survived a disaster say they now appreciate life so much more?

While God does not revel in letting bad things happen, he does permit it to happen so that good might come out of it. So when a group of people ask Jesus about some bad things that happened to people who happened to be offering sacrifices to God, his answer shouldn't be startling (but probably is):

“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. - Luke 13:2-3, ESV

Only from our perspective does it seem like good people are suffering. From God's perspective all people are tainted by sin, and so the amazing thing is that God generally allows good to come to a great many sinners. But he also allows glimpses of evil, glimpses of what the world would look like without his care. Those glimpses are wake up calls, alarms meant to shake us awake and cause us to reflect on our lives.

In the movie Pulp Fiction two thugs, played by John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, are sprayed with a volley of bullets and miraculously survive. Something incredibly good has happened to two very bad people. This is how we think God should act. But only one of the two thugs repents of his violent past and turns over a new life. Only one them recognizes that he has received undeserved

68 kindness, and acts accordingly. Whether God stops evil or allows it to happen, the goal is the same: to bring sinners to repentance and faith in Jesus as our salvation. The mystery is that sometimes sinners like us repent, and other times we don't. Our last Bible verse deals with that great mystery at the center of the Christian faith.

Christianity in Three Verses: Ephesians 2:8-10 In an earlier chapter I introduced a one sentence “elevator speech” description of Christianity. The Bible also does a good job of summarizing the faith, although sometimes in a few extra words. One of the best summaries of Christianity, especially if you want to get to the heart of the faith, is found in Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus. He begins the chapter by reminding the Ephesians that they were no different from anyone else when it comes to sin. They were “dead” in sins, Paul writes, “following the course of this world” (Ephesians 2:2). Not only that, but they were not children of God but “children of wrath,” just like “the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:3).

So what changed? God showed mercy to the Ephesians just as he has shown mercy to us. We who were dead have been made alive by Jesus' death and resurrection. God showed “undeserved kindness” to us, so that just as Jesus is seated at God's right hand, so too are we. Now, because of Jesus, we are truly children of God. Paul drives the point home in Ephesians 2:8-10:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

69 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:8-10, ESV

Our salvation is not the result of works, works of any kind. Our salvation is not the result of a decision to follow Jesus, an effort to do good instead of bad, or even the decision to be baptized. If it were any one of those things that gave us salvation, we could boast about something that makes us different from non-Christians in and of ourselves. But Paul leaves no wiggle room for boasting. God has saved us in Christ, and that's all there is to it.

Christians often say that we are saved by faith. It's more accurate to say that we are saved by God's undeserved giving of a sacrifice for our sins, Jesus Christ. We receive that salvation by faith, like an outstretched hand receives a gift on Christmas morning. If we aren't careful, we can make it sound like faith is an active choosing to believe. If it were that, then we could boast in our faith! But Paul says “no boasting allowed.” Faith therefore must be something different. That's why even little children can have faith. If a child can reach out to grab her mother, a bottle, or a cookie, they can also grasp the gift of salvation that God offers in Jesus Christ.

The great thing about grace – salvation coming as an undeserved gift – is that you can't undeserve it. If we didn't do anything to get it in the first place, what can we

70 do that is so horrible that God will never take us back again? The answer is nothing. While it might seem a blow to our ego to be constantly talking about what terrible sinners we are, it is in fact a reassurance that God chose us while we were dead in sin and made us alive. Imagine that you knew for a fact that your wife chose to marry you because you were handsome. If you were disfigured in a fire, would you ever want your wife to see you again? Probably not. But if you know your wife promised to love you regardless of how you look, you wouldn't be afraid to come back to her after getting out of the hospital. In the same way, knowing we are saved by grace means never being afraid to turn back to God in faith.

Verse 10 is also quite important, because it reminds us once again that we serve Christ, not so that he will save us, but because he has saved us. It also reminds us of why he has saved us. He has redeemed us so that we can begin living for him and for others as Adam and Eve were supposed to do in the Garden. Just as God formed Adam from inanimate dust, so now is God forming us into living creatures out of the dust of sin.

Conclusion There is an old instruction book on the Christian faith written by the 16th century Christian teacher Martin Luther. In that book Luther wrote: “I cannot by my own reason for strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to him.” How does faith come, then? “The Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel.” Faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ, writes Paul in Romans 10:17. If we really want to talk to

71 people about Jesus seriously, we need to salt our speech with the words of Scripture that bring eternal life. It is through these words that people repent and believe.

We don't memorize much as a culture, anymore. We have become dependent on our tablets and computers and smartphones to be able to look up information. But if we really want people to take Jesus seriously, we need to take his Word seriously. Memorizing just a few passages, like these, will go a long way in our conversations about Christ. Then the conversation with which we began our chapter might go something like this:

Barb: So what's your church like? Cheryl: We're a pretty friendly group of people. I think you'd like it. Barb: But what do you believe? It isn't one of those fundamentalist churches that believes the bible is literally true is it? I don't think I'd want to go somewhere that believes Jesus is the “only” way. Cheryl: Well, the bible is the only record we have of what Jesus did and said. And Jesus said pretty clearly that he and the Father were one. That's why people wanted him dead! Barb: That's why? I always wondered why someone who did such great things and just wanted people to love each other would be..so hated. Cheryl: The truth is that we should all hate Jesus. We're all born dead in our relationship with God. Moses wrote that every thought of our hearts is only evil all the time. Barb: That seems a little harsh. I know lots of people that do good things. Cheryl: Doing good isn't the same as being good, though. God made us to be good in the

72 beginning. Now he wants to make us good again by saving us. Salvation is a gift from God through Jesus Christ. Barb: So your church isn't all preachy about morality? Cheryl: We share that we are all saved by grace, through faith, a gift given to everyone so that no may boast. Why don't you come check it out Sunday?

73 6. Singing Your Talk Memorizing does not come easy for many people. As I wrote at the end of the last chapter, we aren't a “memorizing” culture anymore. Why should we memorize something when we can just look it up online? When I was in school I struggled with doing long division and sums, and having to memorize multiplication tables. I wondered why I should commit all these math facts to memory, when I could quickly get the answer with a calculator. The same thing is happening now with learning facts, history and scientific principles. Why do I need to learn the key dates and events of the Second World War, who the first four presidents were or the names of the original thirteen US colonies, when I know that it's all on Wikipedia?

The same answer applies to times tables as to the basic facts of history: sometimes you need to know an answer right away. We don't always have the time to look things up. It's much more meaningful to be able to give answer to a friend immediately, rather than say, “Um, give me a second and I'll look it up.” Who trusts the doctor who can only answer your questions by consulting WebMD? Who trusts the pastor who is always needing to go back and look things up in the library when they are asked a question? In the same way, for our Christian faith to be credible, there are certain things we really need to stored in our memory.

That doesn't change the fact that, for most people, memorizing even short bible verses is difficult. If that

74 sounds like you, there is still one way of learning by heart that remains relatively easy: singing. It's long been known that singing something makes it easier to learn. Many people who have never memorized a poem in their life nevertheless know numerous songs that they can sing along with on the radio. My daughter, who has difficulty remembering the plot of even a short story, can sing most of the Disney repertoire from memory. She struggles with details of science and history, unless she can sing them.

Is it any wonder, then, that singing has been part of Christianity and Judaism since the beginning? The longest book of the Bible is the Book of Psalms, which is often called the first hymnal of the Church. Many familiar passages of the New Testament may have been early Christian hymns. Consider Philippians 2:5-9 which begins “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus...”, the four “songs” of the first two chapters of Luke's Gospel, the many songs of the Book of Revelation, and even this passage from Paul's first letter to Timothy:

He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. - 1 Timothy 3:16, ESV

At the time of the Reformation, the German priest Martin Luther made use of songs to reintroduce into the Church the idea of Christ as Savior and not just a new teacher of

75 God's law like Moses. Although many of his hymns have been forgotten by those outside the Lutheran tradition, even Roman Catholics now sing his great anthem “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” He also set the Lord's Prayer, the Creed and the 10 Commandments to music, along with hymns that taught the nature and purpose of baptism, the Lord's Supper, and confession and absolution. He wrote a great hymn explaining who Christ was called “Dear Christians One and All Rejoice.” Luther understood that singing our faith made it much easier to remember than simply attempting wrote memorization of creeds or other statements of faith.

Unfortunately many of the songs now sung by Christians have very little helpful content when it comes to talking to others about Jesus. That doesn't mean they aren't great songs, that they aren't enjoyable to sing, or that they don't offer praise to God. It just means they don't have very memorable or useful content. Consider one song popular in many American churches in the early 21st century, “Shout to the Lord” by Darlene Zschech. Look the words up on line and consider their content.

Who is Jesus, according to this hymn? What did he come to do? Where is he now? Why is he important to me, and more importantly, to anyone? An agnostic or atheist might be tempted to point out that they have never heard or seen the mountains bow down, much less bow down to Christ. The words are poetic, and worshipful, but they don't offer a lot of helpful evangelism content. There is certain nothing wrong with having some music like this in our personal repertoire or in our worship. But if that is all

76 we sing, we are missing out on an opportunity to memorize some things that would be very helpful in our conversations about Christ.

I would like to suggest a few hymns, some ancient, some modern, that could be very useful when talking to others about Christ. The more you sing these hymns, the more you will find yourselves memorizing their content, automatically, without all the hard work that comes from rote learning! These songs were chosen for their rich content, and because they summarize some very important parts of the Christian faith.

Built on the Rock This hymn is one of the best summaries of the Christian faith there is. Unfortunately the tune it is wedded to is often played so slow that it's more of a funeral dirge than a shout of faith. So speed it up, and sing it like you mean it!

Built on a rock the church doth stand, Even when steeples are falling; Crumbled have spires in every land, Bells still are chiming and calling; Calling the young and old to rest, But above all the soul distressed, Longing for rest everlasting.

The first stanza is especially important for our day and age. Many people, especially from the next two generations older than me, ask whether I see any hope for the church. They worry that their congregations here in North America

77 are emptying. But the church of Christ will go on forever. We have that promise from Jesus (Matthew 16:18). While the church here in North America may be shrinking, that is not the case everywhere in the world. The buildings we meet in may fall; but the message that Christ has come to bring joy and rest to all people is still ringing out around the world. Do not judge the success of the Church by its earthly power, but by its members out of every tribe and language on earth.

Surely in temples made with hands, God, the Most High, is not dwelling; High above earth His temple stands, All earthly temples excelling; Yet He whom heavens cannot contain Chose to abide on earth with men, Built in our bodies His temple.

The second stanza reminds us of two important qualities of the Christian God. The first is that he is greater than anything we can imagine. The further into space our telescopes can see, and the more we understand the subatomic fabric of the universe, the more we are brought to marvel at our Father's world. Yet that same God chose to “box” himself in to Christ, who by the Spirit chooses to “box” himself into us. The Lord of the Universe might seem incredibly distant; but in Christ, he is as close as our Christian brothers and sisters, as close as his Word.

We are God’s house of living stones, Builded for His habitation; He through baptismal grace us owns,

78 Heirs of His wondrous salvation; Were we but two His Name to tell, Yet He would deign with us to dwell, With all His grace and His favor.

The third stanza describes the Church. It's not a building with a crumbling spire, but a living assembly of people brought together by baptism, called to tell others about his grace and favor. Martin Luther once quipped that even a seven year old child knows what the church is. It's sheep following the voice of their shepherd. This hymn adds that it's also sheep telling others about their shepherd. It also speaks of baptism as the gift that God gives to us, sealing our relationship with him. It's our birth certificate, the sign and seal that God has accepted us into his family through the blood of his Son.

Here stands the font before our eyes Telling how God did receive us; The altar recalls Christ’s sacrifice And what His table doth give us; Here sounds the Word that doth proclaim Christ yesterday, today, the same, Yea, and for aye our Redeemer.

Having shown how we misidentify the church with buildings, how God is greater than those buildings and yet chooses to make us his temple, this stanza describes how the Church worships. We gather around the font, where God makes us his children. We gather around an altar, where we remember Christ's sacrifice, taking (according to his words) his body and blood under bread and wine for

79 the forgiveness of sins. We hear the Word of God, which reminds us of who Christ is and what he has done. All Christian worship centers around those three basic things: font, altar, and Bible.

Grant then, O God, wherever men roam, That, when the church bells are ringing, Many in saving faith may come Where Christ His message is bringing: “I know Mine own, Mine own know Me; Ye, not the world, My face shall see. My peace I leave with you.”

The last stanza of the hymn is a prayer. We pray that we will not be alone in praising God, but that many will come to join us in hearing the message of Christ. The chief message of Jesus is not “do this,” or “don't do that,” but “my peace I leave with you.” That's why the most ancient Christian worship services never ended with a call to serve, but with the Lord's benediction. In a world that makes us anxious, worried, depressed and often leaves us feeling helpless, what we need more than anything is the Lord's word of peace over us.

In Christ Alone There are many modern hymns that also communicate the faith well. One such song is “In Christ Alone,” written by Keith Getty of Ireland and Stuart Townsend of England. The hymn is copyrighted, so I will leave you to look up the lyrics. But the four stanzas of the song take us from the

80 benefits of Christianity, through the purpose of his life and death, to the promise of his resurrection, and the result of these truths as they manifest themselves in the life of the Christian.

The first stanza points out that Christ does not always deliver us from “drought and storm,” but he has promised to be our solid ground in the midst of these things. He takes away our fears, and reorients our life to want things of eternal value rather than things which will pass. Here in this life we stand in Christ no matter what might happen.

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, as recorded in Matthew, ends with the parable of the man who built his house on rock and the other who built on sand. What's interesting about that story is that both men find their houses subject to rising waters, pounding rain and damaging wind. Looking from the outside, both men suffer life's storms. What makes them different is the quality of their shelter from those storms. In the same way, Christians are not told they will be free from trouble, but rather that they will get through that trouble with Christ by their side (John 16:33).

The second stanza might be called a “creedal statement,” in that it walks us through Jesus' life and death and gives a reason for those events. Christ is the “fullness of God in helpless babe,” a gift of “love and righteousness” which was nonetheless “scorned by the ones he came to save.” At last, on the cross, Christ satisfied God's justice against our sin and took all of our evil into himself and atoned for it. We are able to live because of Christ's death.

81 The third stanza follows Christ's burial through to his resurrection. Christ now “stands in victory,” and because of that “sin's curse has lost its grip” on us. We have been bought with the blood of Christ. The stanza does a great job of showing how Jesus' resurrection vindicates what he accomplished on the cross, and the cross is shown to be the final judgment on sin when Jesus rises from the dead. The cross and the empty tomb cannot be separated from each other; they belong together. In ancient times Christians celebrated a three day festival at the end of Lent: Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter. It's unfortunate now that so many people skip Good Friday and the crucifixion and only get one half of the Gospel on Easter morning.

The last stanza clarifies exactly what Christ has accomplished for us. There is now “no guilt in life” and “no fear in death.” Christ lives in us, and the end to fear and guilt is the result. There is no promise of worldly happiness, wealth, or success in the Gospel. But there is freedom from a guilty conscience and freedom from the fear of the end of life. Jesus now directs us – commands us – and our destiny. Nothing can pluck us from his hand, and when he either returns or we die, we will be with him.

This is a great example of a song that beautifully summarizes the Christian faith, while at the same time praising God for what he has accomplished through Jesus Christ. Sing it a few times, and you'll find you've memorized it. Once you've memorized it, you'll find yourself using the ideas and lines in the hymn in

82 conversation. You'll find you can use it to summarize what Christ has done for you – and for everyone.

The Church's One Foundation Going back a little in time from our previous song, there is this favorite old hymn. The power of these words is that they answer some of the basic questions people have about Christianity. It describes what the Church is – and isn't. It describes how the Church is held together, and admits that in the church there are true and false Christians. It acknowledges that the Church doesn't look like much in the eyes of the world, and why that's the case. But it ends on a note of peace, reminding all true Christians that in the Church they are bound to Christ, and through Christ to God.

The Church’s one foundation Is Jesus Christ her Lord, She is His new creation By water and the Word. From heaven He came and sought her To be His holy bride; With His own blood He bought her And for her life He died.

The first stanza reminds us that the Church is not founded on our good works, on our high (or low) standing in the world, on our prestige or on our power, but on Christ and him alone. The Church did not, and does not, create itself, but is created by Jesus and established by him through

83 baptism. We as humans did not seek out God, but in Christ God sought us out. The power of baptism comes from Jesus' shed blood on the cross. By that blood Jesus paid for our sins - “with his own blood he bought her” - and by doing so is able to give us the eternal life God originally promised to Adam and Eve.

Elect from every nation, Yet one o’er all the earth; Her charter of salvation, One Lord, one faith, one birth; One holy Name she blesses, Partakes one holy food, And to one hope she presses, With every grace endued.

The second stanza expresses one of the hardest mysteries of the Christian faith. It's hard, because it goes against our sinful inclination to put blood relations and patriotism before God. There is only one Church on earth, but in it are people from every nation and language. There are Americans in the Church, and Africans, Asians, Australians and Europeans as well. What binds Christians together is ultimately stronger than what binds people to their nation of origin, or even to their birth families. The Church is held together in communion, taking the Supper the Lord instituted on the night he was betrayed. That meal gives us the ability to press on in this life.

The Church shall never perish! Her dear Lord to defend, To guide, sustain, and cherish,

84 Is with her to the end: Though there be those who hate her, And false sons in her pale, Against both foe or traitor She ever shall prevail.

One of the ideas that the Protestant Reformation promoted was the belief that not everyone who sits in a pew on Sunday is a real Christian. This was a shock to many people, who thought that church attendance was the very definition of faithfulness. What seems obvious to many now, that some people might seem Christian while being inwardly agnostic or atheist, was not a widely held belief in the Middle Ages. But just as there were members of the nation of Israel who were not true believers (1 Kings 19:18), so too are there church members who are “false sons” and “traitors.” Non-Christians are often surprised for a Christian to admit that fact. But the truth is that Jesus knows who are his, and who is not. While it's tempting to say a congregation is “good” because it's people seem nice, only God knows who are truly His. We should, instead, judge a church by its faithfulness to God's Word.

Though with a scornful wonder Men see her sore oppressed, By schisms rent asunder, By heresies distressed: Yet saints their watch are keeping, Their cry goes up, “How long?” And soon the night of weeping Shall be the morn of song!

85 It also seems to be a surprise to some Christians that the world hates the Church. This is especially true in Europe and America, where the Church has benefited from the Christian values that underlay our democracies and societies. But Jesus himself pointed out that the world hated him, and therefore it will also hate his followers (John 15:18). Outwardly, looking at the Church through worldly eyes, it looks weak, divided and ineffectual. The issue of denominational divisions will be covered in more depth later in the book. But the reality of the Church is not found in those outward, all-too-human structures, but in the saints claimed by Jesus who are known by him and will be with him in the end.

Yet she on earth hath union With God the Three in One, And mystic sweet communion With those whose rest is won, O blessed heavenly chorus! Lord, save us by your grace That we, like saints before us, May see you face to face.

Although not the original last stanza, this is the one now present in many hymnals. It begins with a powerful word, “yet.” Even though the church is rent by schisms and distressed by heresies, all true believers have “mystic sweet communion” with God, with each other, and even with those who have already fallen asleep in Christ. The hymn ends with a prayer that we may also persevere to the end.

86 Conclusion Singing is both more popular than ever, and less popular than ever. The proliferation of “American Idol” type shows on TV reveal that singing, as a solo act by the well trained or very talented, is still popular. But group singing seems to be much less popular. No one wants to “sound bad,” and people who, years ago, would have been content with the voice God gave them now hesitate to “make a joyful noise.” That's too bad, because singing is one of the best ways of learning. Fortunately most churches still include singing as part of their worship, even if in some places the official “singing” has been taken over by professionals on a stage at the front of the auditorium.

Whether your church is a singing church or not, you probably listen to Christian radio or Christian music. Listen to what you are singing and ask, “are these words a good explanation of what it means to be a Christian?” If most of the hymns you are singing are like the one at the beginning of this chapter, switch things up a little bit. Seek out hymns and songs with stronger evangelistic content, music that teaches the faith. You'll be memorizing the words anyway. Make it worthwhile!

87 7. The Question of Tolerance Michelle: The problem with Christians is they're so intolerant, you know? Olivia: Um, what do you mean? Michelle: You know my friend Sofia, right? So she showed up at this mass with her girlfriend, and everyone's looking at them, right? They weren't making out, just holding hands. They finally got up and left. When will the church get with it? Olivia: You mean with same sex marriage? Michelle: Yah, I mean, what's the big deal? Love is love, right? Who's to say what love is right and what's wrong? Olivia: Well, I guess. But marriage has always been between a man and a woman, right? Michelle: Sure, but we know so much more know. We're no like those extremists who stone people to death for adultery, are we? You don't think there's anything wrong with gay marriage, do you? Olivia: No, I guess not. I don't know. (Looking at watch). Need to go, anyway. See you later, right?

There is no doubt that, in the western world, one of the most important ethical ideas in people's heads is that we ought to be tolerant. If someone gives an argument in favor of gay marriage, for example, it usually involves the idea that people should be allowed to marry whoever they want, and we should be tolerant of their choice. It would be intolerant, and therefore wrong, to impose one kind of sexual preference on everyone. In the 1960s then Justice Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau once quipped, “The

88 government has no business in the bedrooms of the nation.” That was his argument for lifting some of the heavy restrictions on divorce in Canadian law. But the same argument is still used today when it comes to regulations about birth control, marriage, and even abortion. Most people feel we should be tolerant of other people's choices.

Jesus' own words are often used to justify a “live and let live” attitude when it comes to some aspects of morality. In the Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5-7, Jesus says that you should “judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). In John 8, when a woman caught in adultery is brought to him, Jesus says that whoever in the crowd is without sin should cast the first stone (John 8:7). From these words it does seem that Jesus would rather we look the other way when someone does something wrong. Jesus wants his people to be tolerant, not judgmental. Doesn't he?

Some have joked that the only thing people in the US and other similar countries won't tolerate is intolerance. And there's the whole problem in one sentence. Being tolerant cannot mean allowing all sins to be overlooked. If that's what it means, then we would even have to forgive intolerance and overlook it. This is what is known as a “circular argument.” If you tell me not impose my morality on you, you are in turn imposing a moral idea – tolerance of all things – on me. But what if I don't believe complete tolerance is right? Aren't you imposing your morality on me, when you tell me not to impose my morality on you?

89 And where does tolerance end? Many non-Christians have argued with me that I must be tolerant of anything that doesn't effect me personally. But, to quote another old proverb, no one is an island. There are very few things that you can do that don't impact me in some way. Take, for example, watching an extremely violent movie. You watch the movie on your own television, in your own home, with the door closed and the curtain drawn. That doesn't effect me, right? So I shouldn't have anything to say about it. But because you like these sorts of movies, you've created a market for them. Because there's a market for them, someone somewhere is going to make them. Because the movies are being made, other people who aren't like you, who have a tendency to be violent themselves, might watch the movie. They might watch it, and be encouraged to act out the violence in real life. They might, in a fit of rage, go to a mall and start shooting people. People like me. While that might seem far fetched, there is research that show exposure to violence does indeed increase a tendency toward violence in some people.

It turns out that it's not easy to find activities that don't impact other people in some way. While it seems easy to say “we need to be tolerant,” tolerance is not the only foundation for all ethics and morality. It's one possible approach to right and wrong, but not the only one. So the next time someone says we just need to be tolerant, don't get defensive. Realize that the person hasn't really thought through what he or she means. If you, however, know a little more about ethics, you may be able to point out the inconsistencies to them.

90 Objective vs. Subjective Morality Let's start with the whole idea that “we ought to be tolerant.” An “ought” statement suggests that something isn't happening, but needs to happen for a particular reason. The question then is, “why?” I was trained as a civil engineer. As an engineer, I could say that a road “ought” to be smooth. Why? Because a smooth road is easier on the cars and trucks that are driving over it. But if the road turns out to be a track for snowmobiles, I might instead say that the road “could” be smooth, but doesn't “need” to be. The snow on top of the track would make it smooth during the winter, so it might not be absolutely necessary for the track to be graded or paved.

When someone says “ought,” there should always be a “why.” So if someone says “we ought to be tolerant,” the question in our mind should be “why should I be?” Why do we need to be tolerant? Someone might answer, “because it's nice to be tolerant.” Again, we could ask “why?” Why do we need to do something that's nice? At this point, whoever you are talking to might look at you with a little fear or concern in their eyes. Doesn't everyone want to be nice? Yes, most people want to be nice. The question remains why.

In the first chapter I mentioned conscience as an evidence for the existence of God. Most people on earth feel that we “ought” to be nice to each other. That's a good thing! But “why?” Christians can give an answer. The Lord God who created humans and the universe in which we live

91 also gave us a conscience, a compass that points us toward what is good. What is good is that we seek to support each others' physical needs. But if you don't believe in God, why is being nice something you need to do?

Christians, and most religious people, have what is called an objective morality. Something that is objective is outside us, beyond us and above us. Take, for instance, the basic math fact that 2+2=4. Whether you believe that 2+2=4 or not doesn't make it more or less true. It's an objective truth. If you take a test and write that 2+2=5, I can mark your answer as wrong. If you want to argue with me we can take two apples, add two more apples, and get four apples. We can see who is right and who is wrong.

There is another approach we can take to right and wrong, and it's called subjective morality. Something that is subjective comes from inside us, and we can argue about whether it's true without ever getting to an answer. I might think the Mona Lisa is a really beautiful painting. You might disagree, and find it sort of ugly. There's no Beautiful-O-Meter that we can point at the painting to find out who's right and who's wrong. As the old proverb says, there is no accounting for taste. In other words we can both be right when it comes to things that are subjective.

Those who believe that morality is objective think that certain things are always wrong to do, whether you agree or not. Those who believe morality is subjective believe that something might be right for me but wrong for you, and there is no way to really tell who is correct. It might seem that those who want us all to be “tolerant” are

92 arguing that morality is subjective. But that's actually not true, unless they believe they should tolerate other people's intolerance. Most people don't believe that.

Some countries, for example, believe that we need to be tolerant of people's sexual behavior, whatever it may be. Those nations have passed what are called “hate crime laws.” Anyone who speaks out against someone's sexual behavior can be charged with “hate speech.” In other words, someone's intolerance of another's behavior is not tolerated. If morality is subjective, there would be no way for anyone to call someone else's behavior “wrong,” because it would just a matter of preference. It would be no different than asking someone whether they like the Mona Lisa or not. By passing a law that forbids criticism of someone else's sexuality, a country is denying that morality is purely subjective.

The reality is that almost all people believe in an objective morality, a morality that can hold other people accountable for their behavior. Even the most tolerant person in the world, if pushed, will admit that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis committed immoral acts. For someone to judge someone else, they need to have a moral standard that is objective, that comes from the outside. Otherwise what the Nazis did would just be a matter of their preference. We wouldn't be able to condemn what they did as wrong. The best we could do was say that we disagreed with their choice of behaviors.

93 Alternate Foundations for Morality Not all objective moralities are the same. In fact most people want their morality to be objective, but don't know how to put right and wrong on a solid foundation. Let's go back to our tolerant friends again. They want all people to be tolerant. But why should everyone be tolerant? Why shouldn't everyone look out for their own interests? Why shouldn't we be intolerant, instead? What is there, out there, that says tolerance isn't just right for me, it's also right for you?

There are different foundations on which we can build our ideas of right and wrong. One of the most popular is to build it on the idea of evolution. Charles Darwin suggested well over a century ago that all life is pushed to adapt or die. Whatever gives one life form an advantage over others will cause it to survive and make more of itself. Other forms of life that don't have that advantage do not live long enough to reproduce. Consider a giraffe born with a slightly longer neck compared to other giraffes. It may be better suited to get the leaves higher on a tree. That may cause it to survive during a drought when other giraffes might die. The long necked giraffe then goes on to have children with slightly longer necks, while the giraffes with shorter necks don't do so well. Darwin called this the “survival of the fittest.”

Many scientists who believe that Darwinism explains all the forms of life on earth also believe that Darwinism explains morality. Moral creatures survive, while immoral creatures do not. That would seem to make sense.

94 Human parents, for example, look after their children and are even willing to die for them. Other adults may be willing to die for nieces and nephews in a family, making descendents from that family more likely to survive. Evolutionary ethicists call this kinship morality. Some people may also be willing to make sacrifices for others to whom they are not related, knowing that those people may one day sacrifice for them. Evolutionary ethicists call this reciprocal altruism. Morality, according to evolutionary theory, has evolved over time as something that makes us better suited to survive.

There are some basic problems with the idea that morality has evolved. On the one hand, it still doesn't explain the child that dies for a parent, or the adult who dives into a freezing lake to save a dog. There are lots of “good things” that people do that aren't easily explained by kinship morality or reciprocal altruism. But even more importantly, the idea that right and wrong evolved does not explain why we “must” do what evolution has inclined us to do now. Humans have freedom of choice. We can choose to act immorally. We don't have to accept the foundation for right and wrong that evolution gives us. So evolution doesn't give us a solid, objective, foundation for morality.

In fact the Nazis based their program of extermination on evolutionary ideas. They wanted to cleanse the human race of undesirable genes, making the remaining humans stronger and more likely to survive. Jews, Poles, homosexuals, and weak-minded Christians – all of them needed to be killed, otherwise they would reproduce and

95 weaken the genes of the human race overall. Darwin himself wondered, in his book Descent of Man, how the human race would survive if it continued to coddle its weakest members and allow them to reproduce. Shouldn't we allow our weakest members to die?

Other people believe that an objective morality can be built on something called a social contract. We all decide together, for example, that stealing someone else's things is wrong. Therefore we ought not steal. Why? Because all of us in a town, state, or country have decided that it's wrong. This idea appeals to people living in democracies. If our democratically elected government decides, for example, that abortion is okay, then it's okay, and everyone needs to abide by that decision.

But this idea suffers from the same problem that we saw with evolutionary ethics. Even if a majority decides that something is wrong, why must I abide by that decision? Just because a society believes that something is right or wrong doesn't mean that it must be right or wrong for everyone. I could move to a new country or into some hidden valley and create a different society, that runs by a different set of rules. Which country would have the “right” laws? There would be no way to judge whether any society had any better set of rules than another. They would be different, but not necessarily better. What happens, then, when a person from a country with one set of ethics moves to a country with different ideas about what's right and what's wrong?

96 People who like the idea of the social contract in theory tend not to like it in practice. Western intellectuals, for example, like to speak as though western democracies are no different than other societies and one should not judge which is better than another. But ask a professor at Harvard whether they would rather live and work in Boston or Tehran, and I doubt they would say that it doesn't matter, since the US and Iran are different but equally “right.” There is something inside us that points out one society is better, in at least some ways, than another. Not just different, but more moral.

As Christians, we believe the same God who created us and all things also established that certain things are right and others are wrong. Every people group on earth knows, in their hearts, that some things are good to do and others are not (see Romans 2:14-16). That doesn't mean that all laws are the same everywhere. But every people group on earth believes that taking things from others is generally not right; that there are boundaries around appropriate and inappropriate sexual activity; that taking someone's life is not something one can do without good justification. In other words, the 10 Commandments given to Moses are reflected imperfectly in the laws of every society on earth. When a society tries to avoid law and order, it quickly collapses.

Morality is Always Imposed An argument that is often used alongside the call to tolerance is that no one should impose their morality on anyone else. The problem with this sort of statement is

97 that a world without imposed morality is a world without any laws at all. Every law imposes a view of morality on someone else. The police exist to tell people that they can't do something they really want to do. Some people like to say that you can't legislate morality. The truth is that all governments and societies do exactly that.

When I was studying transportation engineering I had a work term as a gas pipeline inspector. We worked throughout Toronto, one of the largest urban areas in North America. One particular morning my crew was going to be tapping in to a high pressure gas line. This was the first “high pressure tap” I would be inspecting, and I wanted to make sure I was there on time. This was the age before GPS, so I had to rely on my road atlas of the city. Driving down a main street, I saw the turn for the side street my team was on, and turned left. About 10 houses down the street I saw flashing lights behind my company car, and was pulled over for making an illegal left turn. As the officer wrote my ticket, someone came out of the house beside the car and shouted encouragement to the officer. He didn't like people cutting down his street to the next main road during the morning rush hour.

I argued to a justice of the peace that I shouldn't have received a ticket, since I was not cutting down the street but attending to my crew's work. The judge agreed. The point of the “no left turn” law was to cut traffic down on the street, not to stop others from doing their job. Now you might be thinking, “that was a stupid law, maybe even an immoral one.” But the home owners on the street didn't think it was stupid, or immoral. They were worried

98 about people using their residential street as a highway during morning rush hour. They wanted to keep their kids safe from speeding, high volume traffic. One person's stupid law is another person's moral imperative.

For another example, take something as obvious as murder. Killing someone out of personal vengeance is considered immoral by almost all societies. There are laws against homicide. But when someone pulls out a gun and shoots someone else, intending to kill, do they really think they are doing something immoral at the moment they pull the trigger? Certainly there is a small group of people in the world who seem to have no conscience. We call those people psychopaths. Most murderers sitting in prison thought their actions were justified at the time, and may still think so today. But we, as a society, have imposed our morality on them by sending them to prison. Some countries even execute them.

It does no good to argue against a law by saying we shouldn't impose our morality on others. If someone tries to make that argument, ask them if they think a law should be passed forbidding people from imposing their morality on others. If they say “yes,” ask them whether that, in itself, doesn't impose a particular moral view on others. Ask them, then, whether it's immoral to murder someone. If they say yes, ask if they agree that a law forbidding murder should be passed, imposing their morality that murder is wrong on everyone. You can see how all laws, in some way, impose one moral view on others.

99 Talking with Others about Morality So when someone argues against Christian moral ideas by talking about tolerance, how should we respond? First, we need to keep our cool. In his first epistle, Peter says that we need to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about our faith, but with “gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15, ESV). Peter wanted Christians to talk with other people in such away that, if they turned angry or violent, they “might be put to shame” in the end, realizing that there was no reason for their outburst or anger (1 Peter 3:16, ESV). In Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Launcelot claims that in the end “the truth will out.” If what we believe is right, we don't need to yell about it, get angry about it, or stomp up and down about it. It will come out, although it might take a while.

What we do need is to be persuasive. Another old proverb reminds us that we can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. We are often tempted, when talking about morality and “tolerance,” to focus on moral beliefs that are near and dear to us. When in conversion with non- Christians or lapsed Christians, we should focus instead on beliefs near and dear to them. Everyone believes something when it comes to morality. Find out what it is, and ask why that belief should also be important to everyone else. Don't be afraid, with a smile, to keep asking, “why?”

I spent a morning with the Unitarian pastor who worked up the street from the parish I served in Houston. I come from a Christian church that has a very high view of

100 Scripture, and is known for its stands against abortion and in favor of God's definition of marriage as established in Genesis 2:24 and Matthew 19:5. Unitarians are known for having a very different view of Scripture, to support of gay marriage, and to have very liberal views on abortion. When the topic of conversation turned to Christian morality, how could we find common ground?

I brought up something I knew was near and dear to the pastor: justice for the poor and downtrodden. Why should we sacrifice our money and possessions to help those who have little, or nothing? Why operate soup kitchens and food banks, and host thanksgiving dinners for the homeless and clothing drives for those on welfare? We discussed the issue for a while, finding a lot of common ground. I then pointed out that it's precisely because I, too, care for the poor that I preach the Bible as God's inerrant Word.

He was intrigued by this. I showed how the Bible has much to say about how everyone ought to care for the poor. God himself commands it. I can therefore teach other people about why care for the least among us is not something we do because it's nice, but because it's moral and required of everyone. But if you don't accept the Bible as God's Word, how can you tell people they ought to help the downtrodden? It made for a good basis for more talks between us.

For a few years I blogged for the religion website of the Houston Chronicle. Many of the people who commented on my blog were agnostics and atheists, and often very

101 angry ones at that. How could I convince them of the reality of God? I often found that the thing they hated most about Christianity – our supposed “intolerance” – provided the best evidence for the existence of God. They would rage that we Christians were trying to impose our ancient and outdated moral ideas on everyone. They would insist that everyone needs to be tolerant of other people's choices. I would then ask them why, for example, the Nazis were wrong. Shouldn't you tolerate their views on morality just like you are asking me to tolerate yours? Where does tolerance end? One person admitted they would rather accept the Nazis' morality, as much as they didn't like it, than accept the idea that a God existed who established right and wrong. It make not seem like it, but that was actually progress. It was progress, because other people read that answer and started questioning the logic behind it.

One last example. On the East Coast I served on the board of an agency that wanted to help same sex couples adopt children. A handful of us on the board had concerns about whether this would be the best thing for a child, and were asked to defend our views to the board. Wouldn't it be better, we were told, to have a child adopted by two men or two women living together rather than have them stay in the foster care system? Having gone through the adoption process myself, I rephrased the question. I knew this group had a particular distaste for racism. So I imagined for them this scenario.

Suppose a social worker does a home study of a prospective adopting couple. The husband has a great job,

102 the wife will be staying at home, and the home is immaculate. A nursery has already been set up, and it's obvious the couple is committed to being the best parents possible. Then the social worker is taken to the basement, and finds there, in a dark corner, a little shrine to Adolf Hitler. Surely the child would be better living with this couple than staying in the foster care system, even though the parents clearly have white-supremacist tendencies, right? Again, I used the group's own morality to raise questions about the foundation for that morality. We didn't come to complete agreement, but the debate no longer centered on who was tolerant and who was not. The debate, instead, was on where we all draw our moral boundaries.

Conclusion There is no question that many in our western world see Christians as being intolerant. What they really mean is that Christians have a morality different from their own. The Christian response should not be an attempt to “yell more loudly,” or simply retreat into their own homes and churches and complain about the fall of the world. Instead, we need to gently and respectfully push people to explain why their morality is better and more solidly grounded. We shouldn't be afraid of having other people defend their views. In almost every case, they will find it impossible to explain why everyone else should follow their ideas of right and wrong.

Michelle: The problem with Christians is they're so intolerant, you know?

103 Olivia: Um, what do you mean? Michelle: You know my friend Sofia, right? So she showed up at this mass with her girlfriend, and everyone's looking at them, right? They weren't making out, just holding hands. They finally got up and left. When will the church get with it? Olivia: You mean with same sex marriage? Michelle: Yah, I mean, what's the big deal? Love is love, right? Who's to say what love is right and what's wrong? Olivia: Good question, right? Who IS to say what's right and what's wrong. Shouldn't we just do what feels right? (Punches her friend lightly in the arm). Michelle: Hey! What was that for (nervous laugh). Olivia: Don't know – just felt like doing it. Michelle: Okay, okay... but you hurt me. You can't just hurt people when you feel like it. Olivia: Why not? Michelle: 'Cause that would be wrong? Olivia: Why? Michelle: 'Cause it's not right! Olivia: But isn't that just your opinion? (Smiles) Right and wrong must be more than just opinions that we have, otherwise there'd be no stopping us from doing whatever we want to do. Michelle: No, I guess not. I don't know. (Looking at watch). Need to go, anyway. See you later, right?

104 8. Will Jesus Make Me Happier? DeShawn: So why are you a Christian? Elisha: Before I became a Christian, my whole life was falling apart. But when I accepted Jesus into my heart, everything started coming back together again. DeShawn: How exactly do I ask Jesus into my heart? Elisha: Just pray, you know. Ask him to come and forgive you. DeShawn: I've been trying that for years. That's why I ask. I do it, I pray, but nothing seems to happen. And after Tyrone became a Christian, his whole life just seemed to get worse. Elisha: That's probably 'cause Tyrone didn't mean it. He wasn't sincere. DeShawn: I don't know about that. He went to church every Sunday, then he lost his job, and his daughter got cancer. I don't see how being Christian helped any. Do you think I'm not being sincere? Elisha: Well... I don't know. Maybe Christianity just isn't right for you... but I know it's worked for me.

The 17th century mathematician, philosopher and Christian Blaise Pascal once gave an argument for why people should be Christian. He said that every person has two choices in life. One is to act like Jesus really was the Son of God, and strive to live according to his teachings. The other was to ignore Christ and live however he or she wanted. If the Christian turns out to be right, she enjoys an eternity of bliss with God. The non-Christian, on the other hand, perishes eternally. If the non-Christian is right, the Christian has still lived a good life. Therefore, Pascal

105 argued, you are better to bet on the truth of the Christian faith than against it. This argument has come to be known as “Pascal's Wager.”

The problem with this line of thinking is that it turns Christianity into what many people already think it is: a kind of divine insurance policy. Better to believe in Jesus “just in case.” I had a childhood friend who was that kind of Christian. He didn't attend worship services, or live in any particular way like a Christian, but he kept a “belief in Jesus” in the back pocket of his brain. After all, why not? He didn't have to sacrifice much in this life, and by believing in Jesus he thought he had a guarantee of eternal life with God. The best of both worlds. Of course Pascal's wager includes an element of sacrifice. He didn't ignore the need to live as a Christian. In fact Pascal argued forcefully against Christians of his time who seemed to be incredibly tolerant of bad behavior on the part of believers.

But there is still something a little off about the idea of believing in order to get some kind of benefit. The apostle Paul was pretty blunt in writing that Christians should be pitied if Christianity proves out to be false (1 Corinthians 15:19). Better, he said, to “eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” if Jesus is not our Savior and Lord (1 Corinthians 15:32). The Roman Catholic Cardinal Suhard once said that Christians should be living their lives in a way that wouldn't make sense if God did not exist. To take up our cross, as Jesus urges us, does not lead to a happy life as the world describes happiness. It may, in fact, make life quite difficult. But that is the Christian's call.

106 My wife Deborah gets aggravated when she hears certain talk about low voter turnout in the United States. Some pundits have suggested that the solution to low turnout is reminding people of how the election will affect them negatively or positively. In other words, people will vote if they know there is something in it for them. Low voter turnout suggests that people aren't getting anything out of voting. What aggravates her is that even voting, the most basic of civic responsibilities in a democracy, is no longer seen as a responsibility. Shouldn't we vote simply because it's expected of us? Do we need to get a candy bar or a lotto ticket when we leave the polls? Must there be a personal reward for everything?

The western world, whether we like or not, is a world of instant personal gratification. “What's in it for me?” is the mantra for far too many people. Ask someone why he or she works at a soup kitchen at Thanksgiving, and too often the answer is “because I feel better for having done it.” Not that the people we served feel better, but that we feel better. Charitable organizations can't just communicate the importance of what they are doing; they need to point out some benefit to the people who will contribute to the cause. People won't give to the Red Cross because it serves people who need help. They will give to the Red Cross only if it makes them feel good about serving people who need help.

So how do we talk to people about Jesus in such a culture? The temptation is to fall back on something like “Pascal's Wager.” We want to talk about how Jesus has changed my life, how belief in Christ really helped me out of a bad

107 situation, how I was healed from some sickness when I turned to him in prayer. There must be some benefit to being a Christian, or why would people become one? Even atheists figure there must be an “angle” to this religion thing. I remember being stopped by an interviewer years ago and asked whether I thought religion was simply a crutch to get through life. That kind of thinking has not gone away.

Some, like Rick Warren, have worked hard to repackage Christianity as something worth having. It gives our lives purpose. Others, like Joel Osteen, have focused more on the immediate benefits of belief. We will become more successful, wealthy, and happy. In short, Christianity is being sold as exactly the thing atheists accuse it of being: a crutch or help for life in this world. Yet Jesus makes it clear that the outward appearance of our lives will not only not be improved by following him; it might in fact get worse. Jesus says we can count on the world's hatred if we follow him (Matthew 10:22). Last time I checked, those hated by the world were not those living their best lives now.

But don't Christians have any benefit from their faith in this life? Yes. But these benefits tend only to be appreciated by those who have soaked themselves in the message of Christ. Christians have happiness, but not happiness as the world defines it. Christians have a message that constantly centers them in the midst of the storms of the world. They know that the one who holds them in his hand is greater than anything in this life. And Christians find joy – something often different than happiness – in a few key places.

108 Joy in Community Can we find Jesus playing a round on the golf course? Yes, Jesus is certainly there. But if we want to be where he will give us true joy, we will find it among his people and not on the 7th hole – or the 19th. Humans were meant to be in community. In God's own words, it is not good that man should be alone (Genesis 3:18). We need helpers – companions, colleagues – to share our lives with. Even the most withdrawn introvert needs to be around people at some points in life. How else to explain the desire for people to move together into ever greater cities? Kids don't grow up and move out onto a rural farm: they move into town. They want to be with others.

But although we want to be together, we are also selfish. We want others to be with us and there for us when we need them. We are no longer born into the world with a desire to selflessly offer ourselves to others. That is part of the baggage of sin. So what has happened is that our cities have grown denser and bigger, but our communities have grown smaller and in some cases have disappeared entirely. Henry David Thoreau captured the idea well when he wrote that a city is a place where a million people go to be lonely together.

Or we find a community of people to be with who are just like us, or who meet our needs. The old proverb says that “birds of a feather flock together.” We don't want to be with people who are different from us, who challenge us, who need us as much if not more than we need them. We

109 divorce our spouse because they don't provide for us, they don't meet our needs, or we don't feel love them. People leave a church family, not because the church family doesn't need them, but because they aren't getting what they want from that particular congregation. The reality is that true joy in marriage, and joy in community, comes when when we give to others and not from what they give to us.

The word we use in English for a congregation of Christians is “church,” which unfortunately is also the word used for the building in which Christian meet. But the Greek word we translate as church – ecclesia - really means assembly. Jesus says that where people confess that he is the Christ, the Son of God, there he will pull together an assembly (Matthew 16:18). The New Testament goes on to use all sorts of synonyms for this assembly. Peter puts together a whole string of them in his 1st letter. Christians are their own race, their own nation, a holy priesthood, a people where before they were no people (1 Peter 2:9). We are an assembly of people being taught how to have joy together.

The other metaphor used in the Scriptures for the Church is a body – Christ's body. Each of us is a member, a body part. Some are eyes, some are toes, some are belly buttons and spleens and even hearts. But every part has a purpose, and together the body, if healthy, can do great things. The Church is also a family, as every Christian is called a brother or sister of the other. Jesus himself said that everyone who does God's will is his brother, mother

110 and sister (Mark 3:33-35). Blood descent is less important for Christians than spiritual descent from Christ.

Sadly most churches don't think of themselves as nations, bodies, or even families. People come in as “biological family units,” pray, sing, perhaps receive the Lord's Supper, then go home. The folks we worship with are often less well known to us than characters on TV or favorite sports stars. That's not how it's supposed to be. We are called to love and serve one another in the same way that Christ has loved and served us. We are to be a model community for the world, showing others how to rediscover the simple joy of community.

Joy in Service Many people serve others when it's convenient, and they do it because they derive some pleasure from it. But there is a much deeper happiness in serving others because we are all creatures of the same Creator. We serve others because God has first served us – and all people – in Jesus. That's the kind of love that Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 13, a passage often read at weddings but really applicable to all Christians all the time. It's the same love that John talks about in his 1st epistle, when he says that we ought to love others because God has first loved and died for us in Christ.

A woman with a bad reputation comes to Jesus while he's in the midst of a meal in a religious leader's house. She kneels at his feet and washes them with her own tears and her hair. Needless to say, a discussion follows, probably

111 fairly heated. Some of those at the dinner are angry that he would accept a gift from someone like her. To make matters worse, Jesus announced that her faith has saved her, and that her sins are forgiven. The point that Jesus makes out of the whole event is that those who are forgiven much love much, but that those who are forgiven little love little (Luke 7:47).

It might seem strange to tie love to forgiveness, but it's an idea central to the Christian faith. To be forgiven in the New Testament is to be “saved,” a word often misunderstood or made fun of in our culture. Yet how many movies feature a character being saved by someone else, and that character making a “life pledge” to serve or protect the one who has saved them? The bigger the rescue, the more devoted is the rescued to the rescuer.

Jesus is simply pointing out that the same principle applies with us and God. We have been rescued from all the evil we have thought about, done and said to God and to others by Jesus. The more we realize the depths of what God has done for us, the more we want to serve God by serving others in Christ's name.

Hearing the standard set by God, hearing how Christ has saved us for God, and then hearing how we can serve others as we have been served: this is the order that brings true joy to our service. If our service to others brought about our salvation, we would always be serving out of coercion, or selfishly. If we hear that Christ has saved us but do not hear about God's standard, we will think we have been forgiven little, and love accordingly. But when

112 we realize the full depth of God's love for us in Christ, we will respond with great love and compassion towards others, selflessly. In that kind of service there is true and great joy.

Joy in Life Most importantly, being a Christian brings great joy in life, because it erases the fear of death's finality. It was the Christian Church that advanced the idea of the dead “sleeping,” because that was how Jesus referred to death. When his friend Lazarus died, he remained away from him for four days before going to (as we might say) “pay his respects.” He then told his disciples that Lazarus was “sleeping,” but that he would go and wake him up. The disciples misunderstood, thinking that Jesus meant the kind of sleep we get at night (or, if you're a shift worker, during the day). But Jesus clarified that he meant Lazarus was dead (John 11:11-14). In other words, from Jesus' point of view, death is no different than rest.

One of our favorite radio hosts did an opening segment for his show in which he talked about sleep. He admitted that for a long time he was terrified of falling asleep, because to him it seemed so much like death. Once asleep, he was not conscious of anything happening around him, or even of his own existence. He couldn't think, and even in dreams life seemed distant, strange and remote.

The host is not a Christian. His fear illustrates the power that death can wield over us. It can cause us to panic over the spread of a disease, to stay secluded in our homes, to

113 keep from traveling, and yes, even to be afraid of sleep. There's an old evening hymn in which we sing :“Teach me to live that I may dread / the grave as little as my bed.” But for some, the bed is feared because it is a little too much like the grave!

The greatest joy that Christianity brings is the knowledge that death has been defeated, and no longer holds us prisoner. So many of the great songs of Easter echo Paul's free quotation of Hosea 13:14 in 1 Corinthians 15, where he writes “O death, where is your victory? O grave, where is your sting?” When we no longer fear death, we are free to take chances in the service of others. We aren't worried about the things that consume other people, like getting the biggest house, the best job, or the most stuff.

Besides, “he who dies with the most stuff...still dies.” But he who dies with Christ will rise again on the Last Day. If paradise awaits us, what do we need to be afraid of or obsessed with in this life? The Christian apologist G.K. Chesterton once said there were two ways of dealing with life. One was acquiring more and more; the other was desiring less and less. He was thinking specifically of stuff. But you could also put a different spin on the expression. The people of this world are obsessed with acquiring more and more of this world. Christians are driven to acquire more and more of Jesus' outlook and spirit.

Conclusion When talking about Jesus with others, we don't want to think we are selling yet another product that will make

114 things easier. Christ is not a better potato peeler, a risk- free retirement package, or a higher quality pain-reliever. With the exception of John, all the apostles of Jesus were executed for their beliefs. None of them accumulated much wealth, or went on to make names for themselves in the eyes of the Roman Empire (other than as traitors). The preaching of the early Christian leaders was designed to prepare followers for persecution. If you are still not convinced on this, here are a few bible passages that describe what the Christian life in this world will be like:

Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. - 1 John 3:13, ESV

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. - Hebrews 10:32-33, ESV

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. - 1 Peter 4:12-13, ESV

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs— heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided

115 we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. - Romans 8:16-17, ESV

I could fill several more pages with passages like this! But they were not written, and are not meant to be interpreted, as meaning that Christians have no joy in this life. They simply point out that our joy is found in things that the world does not value – community, service, and life. We are not people who are not blessed, but our blessings do not come in material things. They come in things that will last forever. The community of Christ on earth will endure forever. The service we offer to others echoes Christ's service to us, which will also go on forever. And if we lose this life, it's only to gain a life that is beyond anything we can imagine.

No, Christians are happy, blessed and joyful people. But our joy comes in the midst of persecution, not in being free from it. As Jesus himself said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12, ESV).

DeShawn: So why're you Christian? Elisha: 'Cause it's true? No... seriously. Because I've read how Jesus spoke, and how he changed his disciples, and I believe he really was... is... God's Son. DeShawn: So how do I become a Christian? Elisha: Do you know what Jesus wants to do for you? Why he came?

116 DeShawn: I don't know. Because he was bored? (Laughs). I guess I'm looking at my life and thinking to try this Jesus thing, maybe it'll make things better. Elisha: I know things have been hard. I know you lost your job. And learning about who God is by learning about Jesus will help make sense out of things. It'll help you understand how God wants things to turn out. But, you know, it won't necessarily make things better. DeShawn: Really? I know Tyrone joined that church 'cause he thought, you know, it was going to be the best thing ever happened to him. Elisha: Jesus never promised to make things easy. Sometimes being Christian is hard. But I know I'm God's child – I know I'm forgiven – and I know whatever happens, God will work it all out for good. Jesus – God – died for me. It helps to know that bad stuff happens because there's bad stuff in the world, not because God hates me. DeShawn: So... He brings you peace when life's in pieces, huh? Elisha: That's what it's about for me. Jesus brings peace. He'll have you - “be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit.” It's an invitation for you. Why don't you come with me on Sunday?

117 9. Denominations and Confessions Jane: Christmas is right around the corner. Can't stand to think of all the work that needs to get done. The shopping, the food. Makes me tired just writing out the lists. Tammy: I know what you mean. I try and take time away from all that to go to our church's Advent services. Diane: Advent? What's that? Tammy: Doesn't your church have Advent services? Diane: No, we just follow the Bible. Tammy: Well, my church does too. Having a liturgical calendar doesn't mean you aren't following the Bible! Anyway, Jane, you could come too. Jane: Well, you have your traditions, I have mine. Besides: even your church and Diane's can't agree on how to worship. So how do we know which way is right?

Denominations. The Christian Church has quite a few. Since the Reformation around 500 years ago the Western Christian church seems to have splintered into a myriad of different groups. The Lutherans and Calvinists split off from what became the modern Roman Catholic church. Then the Lutherans and Calvinists broke from each other. Add in the followers of Menno Simons (Mennonites), various baptist groups from England, Methodists and other followers of Wesley, not to mention the Quakers and Shakers, and it seems like there are at least a few dozen denominations of Christians for every apostle. There are over 200 Christian denominations in the United States, ranging in size from Roman Catholicism with over 60 million members to groups with fewer than a thousand.

118 Jesus prayed the night before his betrayal that his followers would be one, united with him like he is united with the Father. It would seem that the answer to his prayer was an unqualified “no.”

Non-Christians often use the variety of denominations of Christians as an excuse for ignoring the Christian faith. If Christians can't agree among themselves, how can Christianity be taken seriously? Some have tried to deal with this issue by proclaiming their churches to be “non- denominational.” I remember visiting one of those churches and being met by a greeter after the service. When I mentioned what denomination I was a part of, she said that she used to belong to that group too. But now she is “just Christian.”

This arises, I think, because people confuse denomination with confession. A denomination can be little more than a specific organization and structure within which or under which congregations work. Normally denominations also have a common confession of faith. But in modern times those confessions are becoming more lax, and congregations and pastors in a denomination are less likely to be bound by them. Denominations are becoming little more than common pension plans, health care systems and a headquarters with a human resources department. One will search the Scriptures in vain for a requirement to have, much less belong to, this kind of organization.

A confession of faith, however, is quite a different matter. One cannot be a Christian and not have a confession of faith. Every Christian believes something about Jesus

119 Christ, even if their belief is little more than a commitment to live their lives like Jesus did. From the very beginning the Christian faith has been about confessing something. In Matthew 16, Jesus gathers his disciples around himself and asks them, “who do people say that I am?” They gave a variety of answers. He then asked them, “who do you say that I am?” Peter's answer, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” was pronounced by Jesus to be the cornerstone on which he would build his assembly of people, his Church.

Jesus could have asked the disciples whether they grasped his insights for living. He could have asked them whether they now felt committed to change the world for the better. He could have asked them how they felt about the religious approach he was teaching. But by asking the question he did, Jesus established a confession about his person as the core of Christianity. Each Christian, in every new generation, must answer for him or herself Jesus' simple question: “who do you say that I am?”

That's why the Christian faith has always centered around creeds, where creeds can hardly be found in most other religions. The late Christian scholar Jaroslav Pelikan pointed out that Islam confesses one God and Muhammad as his prophet, and Jews confess that there is only one God and it is the Lord. But western Christianity has the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian, to say nothing of the various confessions of faith drafted over the last 500 years. We are a creedal faith, because what we say about Jesus matters. Creeds shape our deeds, because what we believe ultimately impacts how we live.

120 Many Christians would like to live in a “post- denominational” world where everyone is simply a “Christian.” But if we confuse confession and denomination, proclaiming ourselves to be non- denominational could be like saying we are “belief-free.” Many people claim that they have no beliefs, and are therefore above the fight about religious questions in general. But no one is free of belief. American writer Orson Scott Card once said that we question all our beliefs, except the ones we really believe, and those we never think to question. There is no such thing as a person without a set of beliefs, even if the belief is a commitment to believe in nothing but one's self. While a Christian may believe she is “non-denominational,” she cannot be “non- confessing” and claim to be a real follower of Jesus Christ.

A friend of mine in college, a Roman Catholic, would often introduce himself to people new to our dormitory and ask them what kind of Christian they were. They would sometimes answer, “I'm non-denominational.” He would then ask them a series of questions. Do you believe in a pope who governs all the affairs of church on earth? Do you believe that baptism is a gift from God or an act we undergo out of obedience to God? Do you believe in speaking in tongues? By the end of his survey, he would tell the person what “confession” he or she had. Everyone has a “confession,” even those without a denomination.

A pastor I know was once called by the parent of a student who attended his congregation's school. She wanted the school to stop teaching his church's beliefs, and just teach

121 “general Christianity.” The pastor had the same kind of conversation with that parent that my friend used to have in college. He pointed out that there is no such thing as “general Christianity.” Every Christian has a set of beliefs. While that Christian (hopefully) believes that their set of beliefs is the most accurate, that doesn't mean that it's the only one out there.

Having said all this, and while admitting that there are over 200 denominations of Christians in the United States, the confessional differences between those denominations are actually quite few. In fact the significant differences can be counted on one hand. Most denominations are distinguished by fairly minor confessional differences, if there are any at all. Differences between groups can be as simple as what kind of wine to use at the Lord's Supper, or how much water to use in baptism. So when talking with people about Jesus, it is helpful when dealing with the variety of denominations to focus on the few, key confessional differences.

Non-Christian “Christians” Before we ask the two basic questions that divide almost all Christian confessions, we should address the question of whether all churches are “Christian.” For well over a millennium and a half there has been a basic consensus that a Christian church is one that accepts the Nicene Creed, a statement of faith developed at a church council held in Nicea in 325 AD. That council pulled together several ideas that had been brewing in the church around the Mediterranean since the time of Jesus.

122 In the Gospels Jesus is shown praying to the Father, identifying the Father as the Lord and as God. Yet, as we've shown in earlier chapters, Jesus also referred to himself in divine terms. The Spirit is also spoken of that way as well. And Jesus says that he and the Father are one. How can there be only one God, yet existing as three persons? Rather than attempting to explain how this can be, the Nicene Creed created language that Christians could use and remain faithful to Jesus' description of God. The Father is almighty, and created all things. The Son is eternally begotten of the Father, without any beginning in time, and all things were created through him. In time he was born of a virgin Jewish girl named Mary and also became a human. The Spirit is also God and Lord, and is the giver of life, and is worshiped alongside the Father and the Son.

Most people know this description of God as “the Trinity.” To be a Christian church, one needs to accept this view as the one that most faithfully holds together everything we know about the Father, Jesus, and the Spirit from the teachings of Jesus himself and from the apostles he sent out. “Churches” that do not accept this view, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses (who believe the Son was created in time), and Mormons (who use Trinitarian terms to refer to alien beings from outside our solar system), are not Christian denominations or confessions. That is not to say that members of those groups are evil or immoral. It simply means they are following a religion other than historic Christianity.

123 This is an important point when discussing different denominations or confessions of the Christian faith. Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists and other groups disagree on some of the teachings of the others. But they accept that they are all versions of the historic Christian faith. Muslims also have different groups, such as the Shia, the Sunni and the Sufi. But many within those groups do not recognize the other as being Islamic. That is true, even though they all hold to the same Islamic creed!

What Did Jesus Come To Do? The first significant question that divides confessions of the Christian faith is this:

1) “What did Jesus come to do?”

There are two common answers to that question:

A) Jesus came to guide us, or B) Jesus came to save us.

The first answer is often given by Christians who believe that Jesus, like Moses, was a law giver who came to point out the way to salvation. When Jesus says he is “the Way,” (John 14:6) he means that he is the Teacher of the Way. Those who believe Jesus came to save us believe that Jesus is, in his person, the Way. He does not just point out the way of salvation: he is salvation. One must be made part of him in some way to be saved, not simply a follower of the rules he has laid down.

124 This is, in fact, the major division between the ancient Christian churches and the so-called Protestant churches. Roman Catholics and ancient Eastern Orthodox churches tend to see Jesus more as a guide. In the words of an old Roman Catholic pop song:

He taught me how to live my life as it should be He taught me how to turn my cheek when people laugh at me He taught me how to pray and how to save my soul He taught me how to praise my God and still play rock and roll - “Jesus is a Friend of Mine”, SonSeed

Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy provide the tools that Christians can use to find salvation. By making use of the sacraments of the Church people can find forgiveness for sins and reconciliation with the Lord. Sermons and devotional materials focus on Christian morality and changing the way we live our lives. A Christian is one, primarily, who strives to live as Christ lived. Those who are “saved” are those who have tried hard enough to be good, as defined by Scripture.

This understanding of what Jesus came to do has led to some questioning whether there can be such as thing as “anonymous Christians.” Roman Catholic theologian Karl Rahner popularized this idea in the 20th century. If God will judge us based on our works, and the really important works are showing love and mercy to others, might it not be possible for those outside of the Church to be saved? What about, for example, a Mahatma Ghandi? Ghandi

125 famously praised the teachings of Jesus while simultaneously pointing out the flaws in Christians and the Church. If good works are what leads to salvation, surely Ghandi would qualify.

Jesus himself said that we would be known by our fruits (Matthew 7:19-20). He tells a parable which seems to commend action over belief (or, at least, over words. See Matthew 21:28-31). James, the brother of Jesus, seems to make the case in his Epistle that it is not faith in Christ alone that saves, but faith accompanied by works (James 2:14-17). Paul in 1st Corinthians writes that neither “the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

Those who disagree with this line of thinking point out the numerous passages from the New Testament where salvation is found through faith in Christ, not in our good works. Traditional Protestants from Lutherans to Baptists, Pentecostals to Presbyterians, have taught that salvation comes not through our works but through what Christ has done on our behalf. In John's Gospel, Jesus says that his chief work will be to drawn all people to himself, and he will accomplish this through his crucifixion (John 12:32). When his disciples ask him whether it is possible for anyone to save themselves, his pointed answer is no: but with God, he adds, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). In Paul's letter to the Romans, he points out that no one is made right with God by who they are or what they do, but rather are made right with God by Jesus (Romans 3:23-25).

126 In the Protestant reading of Scripture and the writings of the early church, Jesus did not come to guide but to save. To see Jesus as a new lawgiver is to miss the point. Jesus, as God's Son, is the answer to the promises of the prophets that God would establish a new covenant with his people. In Jeremiah 31, the prophet says that the Lord would make a covenant that would fundamentally change people's hearts. Telling people (again) to be better, to love more, to care more profoundly, will not work. What is needed is someone who can actually make people better, show them love that transforms, and cause them to care by caring first.

Seeing Jesus primarily as Savior does not deny that he has much to teach us. And those churches that see him primarily as a teacher do not deny that he is also the savior the world. But the reality is that all Christian churches emphasize one or the other. That emphasis is the first primary division among Christians.

Where is Jesus Now? The second division comes when Christians are asked a second basic question:

2) “Where is Jesus now?”

If Jesus came to guide us, where do we get his guidance now? If Jesus came to save us, and our salvation depends on having a connection with him, where do we meet him

127 to establish that connection? There are two basic responses to this question:

A) Jesus is present with us where he said he would be, or B) Jesus is in heaven with the Father.

The first answer is that Jesus is exactly where he promised to be: with us, always (Matthew 28:20). Wherever two or three are gathered, Jesus himself said, there he is among them, as both God and man, in a mysterious way that transcends our regular view of the universe (Matthew 18:20). When Jesus rose from the dead and ascended, he ascended so as to fill all things, including the earth, and not to leave it.

Does that mean, as people use to say, that we can meet Jesus on the golf course? Certainly. If God is there, then God's Son is there as well. But what kind of Jesus do we meet on the golf course? When a tornado hits the 9th hole and swoops up your caddy and golf cart, is Jesus there? The answer from many Christians groups is “yes.” Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Lutherans and some Anglicans believe that Jesus can be wherever he desires to be, as mysterious as that might seem. Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox, as we saw before, tend to emphasize Jesus as a teacher or guide who points out the way of salvation to us. So Jesus may well be teaching a lesson through the golf course tornado. Lutherans and some Anglicans, however, refine the question of Jesus' current location by asking “where is Jesus now to save me?” Since they view Jesus more as Savior than teacher, that's an important question.

128 The answer for those Christian traditions is that Jesus is always with us, but there are only specific places where he said he would be present to save us. A good example is the Lord's Supper. On the night in which he was betrayed, Jesus took the bread and wine of the traditional passover meal and changed it into something new. He said that whenever Christians gather to take the bread, they are also taking his body. When they share in the cup, they are now sharing his blood (Matthew 26:26-28).

How can a human being do such a thing? Not in any way we know of now, but if Jesus says his body and blood are there, then they are. Worship is seen as an activity where Jesus comes to be with his people through the words of Scripture. Baptism is seen as a sacrament where Jesus comes and claims people for himself through water and his promise to give new birth through water and the Spirit (John 3:5). We don't need to search for Jesus to find salvation. We simply go to the places where he himself said he would be.

But most non-Lutheran Protestants believe that Jesus is located at a physical place with God, removed from us. The ancient creeds confess that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. Some translations say at the right “hand”, but the reality is that the original languages have no reference to the Father's “hands.” God's right hand, arm, or side, is his exercise of power and salvation in the world. The Hebrew slaves, for example, praised God for saving them from the Egyptians with his mighty right hand (Exodus 15:6, 12). Lutherans and some Anglicans make the

129 case that the right hand of God is not a place, but a title. But almost all other Protestants deny that interpretation. When Jesus ascended, they confess, he left us, at least physically. They see the right hand of God as a location, not a title or assumption of power.

So most Protestants answer the question “where is Jesus now,” with the second response, “in heaven with the Father.” The only contact Christians can have with Jesus is spiritual. Christians do not receive the body and blood of Christ in the Lord's Supper, but are nonetheless connected spiritually with Jesus through that meal. The souls of Christians ascend to be with Jesus where he is; they do not partake of a Jesus who has descended to be with us. Worship is seen as a spiritual act that connects us to God and Jesus, not an act where Jesus comes to be with his people in Word and Sacrament. Baptism is an act Christians perform to show their faith in Christ, not something Jesus does for us that marks us as his people. If Christ is present with us, it's in a purely spiritual manner disconnected from anything material.

Red Herrings When we're talking about Jesus, it's good to focus on the main things and not get sidetracked into discussions of issues that really shouldn't divide Christians. In many cases, the “divisions” between Christians are more practical than truly theological or important. In the 1980s Lutherans in Canada and the United States, for example, split into separate church bodies. They were not splitting into different “confessions” in most cases, but rather were

130 trying to find a way to conform to the laws of two very different countries. Things that seem to separate Christians are often caused by practical realities.

But many people, even Christians, make mountains out of mole hills when it comes to different confessions and denominations. Stories are told of churches that divided over how much jello to serve at a potluck, for example. Some churches like loud organ music; others prefer a capella singing. Some congregations allow everyone to vote; others like the pastor to make most decisions. Some like lots of artwork in their sanctuaries; others keep their places of worship quite bare. Some churches insist that people be immersed in baptism, others than water be poured, and others that it simply doesn't matter. Personal preference, sadly, does divide many Christians and account for a great many denominations.

But neither do we want to make mole hills out of mountains. The questions of what Jesus came to do and where he is now are central to the Christian faith. The answers to those questions have resulted in the three major divisions within Christianity. There are the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, for whom Jesus is primarily a guide to salvation, and who find Jesus in the sacraments which he has given to the Church. There are, on the other end of the confessional spectrum, those Protestants who believe Jesus is our Savior and that we can connect with him by faith, spiritually. In the middle are the Lutherans and some Anglicans who, like other Protestants, confess that Christ has saved us by his works and not ours, but find him in the very concrete words of

131 Scripture, in the water of baptism and in the bread and wine of his Supper. Keeping the main things the main things is an important part of talking about Jesus with others.

Conclusion What did Jesus come to do, and where is Jesus now? Two very simple questions that can help frame a discussion about different denominations. The reality is that, while there may be hundreds of denominations of Christians in North America, they are united by many basic things, and distinguished by the answers to two basic questions. Knowing those two questions and how to answer them would have led our opening dialog to, perhaps, go something like this:

Jane: Christmas is right around the corner. Can't stand to think of all the work that needs to get done. The shopping, the food. Makes me tired just writing out the lists. Tammy: I know what you mean. I try and take time away from all that to go to our church's Advent services. Diane: Advent? What's that? Tammy: Doesn't your church have Advent services? Diane: No, we just follow the Bible. Tammy: Well, my church does too. Having a liturgical calendar doesn't mean you aren't following the Bible! Anyway, Jane, you could come too. Jane: Well, you have your traditions, I have mine. Besides: even your church and Diane's can't agree on how to worship. So how do we know which way is right?

132 Tammy: Our churches are a little different, it's true. But we have some very basic things in common. We both believe that Jesus came to save us. We don't agree yet on where we believe Jesus is now. I believe that he'll be there at our service on Sunday when we celebrate the Lord's Supper! Diane: That's true. But we both believe that Jesus died for our sins. The question Jane, is what you believe. Maybe that's what we should be talking about, hey, Tammy?

133 10. Putting It All Together We've covered a lot of territory in the last few chapters. There's a been a little apologetics to reinforce our own faith in Christ. I introduced a really short “elevator speech,” one sentence, that summarizes the basics of the Christian faith. Remember it? Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world, that all might be saved through him. We were reminded that the Word of God is what ultimately saves people, and I shared a handful of bible passages that would be very useful to know when talking with non-Christians or lapsed Christians about the faith. The value of songs and hymns in “memorizing” details of the Christian faith was discussed, where Christians really find joy and happiness, and how you might respond respectfully to the issue of all those “denominations.”

But how do we put all this great information to work? Where does the rubber hit the road, so to speak? How do we actually engage non-Christians in conversations about Christ? I find it helpful to think of two different ways the Gospel is spread. The first I call “breadth;” the second I call “depth.” Breadth is communicating a few words about the faith to many people; depth is about communicating a lot of words about the faith to fewer people. The simplest example of “breath” communication might be a billboard. Lots of people see it, but you can't put more than one bible verse and maybe a phone number or website on a billboard. The simplest example of “depth” might be a home bible study. You probably can't have more than a

134 handful of people in your home at one time. But you can spend a whole evening (or several) answering questions, reflecting, and allowing people to come to a deeper knowledge of the truth.

The reality is that evangelism needs both breadth and depth. Consider the metaphor of the fisherman, a metaphor that Jesus himself uses. The first task of the fisherman is to cast the biggest net across as large an area as possible; that's breadth. We may not be able to make hundreds of non-Christians come to a bible study, but we can bring an incredible number of people into contact with enough of God’s Word that the Spirit may lead them to investigate further. It might be as simple as sending a friend a card with an appropriate bible verse. For a congregation it may come through the verses you put on the sign outside your building, or on pamphlets you hand out.

Deepening the world’s contact with the Word is like the fisherman pulling the net into the boat. It means introducing a few people to the fullness of the Christian faith. Deepening experiences give people the chance to ask questions, explore ideas, and delve deeper into the Bible and Christian history together. These experiences need to offer people a chance to voice their own concerns and have them addressed in a non-threatening way.

Breadth Breadth is all about those elevators speeches we talked about at the beginning. It's being able to offer a one line summary of the Christian faith, or a bible verse that

135 addresses a question that might come up in conversation. We can't give a defense for the entire Christian faith in a few seconds or on the back of a business card. But we can leave people with enough of God's Word that the Spirit may draw people to want to know more. It's like the hook of music at the beginning of a song that makes us want to hear more, but not the whole song itself. It's like the trailer for the movie, that shows us just enough that we want to see the rest.

Jesus himself used these challenging hooks to find out which people might want to know more, to begin a deeper conversation. Consider the parable of the sower, sometimes called the parable of the soils, recorded in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8. Large crowds were gathering to hear Jesus. No doubt some were coming for religious reasons; but I have no doubt that others were coming simply because it was the thing to do. So Jesus tells a story about a man who goes out to sow seed. Some seed is eaten by birds, some falls on rock, and other seed is choked by weeds. But some seed falls on good soil and grows a tremendous crop. He sends the parable with an invitation to reflect critically about what he's said: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 8:8, ESV).

The Gospels then recount that “his disciples” asked him what the parable meant. The explanations of most parables are not recorded in the Gospels, but Jesus chooses to explain this one. What is interesting is the statement that “his disciples” wanted the explanations, but not the crowd. I'd like to suggest that it was in asking

136 for an explanation that people revealed themselves to be disciples.

A disciple is one who follows someone else's instruction. It isn't that Jesus didn't want everyone to know what the parable meant. But by throwing out the story to a large crowd, he could discover who was being led to learn more. The parable was a net cast out into a large sea, inviting people to ask “what does this mean?” Breadth communication serves the same purpose. Here are some ways we can cast the net of the Gospel out on the sea:

Random Bible Verses From signs in front of our churches to the backs of business cards, there are more opportunities to share Scripture with the world than we think. Too often those opportunities are lost, however. It seems easier to share a joke, a quote from a favorite author, or a funny picture on our church signs than a verse from the Bible. Maybe that's because so many Bible passages are so long, or because it seems too hard to pick one that says anything important. But there are actually quite a few selections from Scripture that could make an impact, if only we shared them. After all, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews insisted that the Word of God is a sword able to get to the heart of things (Hebrews 4:12), and Paul called Scripture the Christian's first and only weapon (Ephesians 6:17).

Having said that, we also want to remember that Jesus did not come to judge, but to save. He saves us by pointing out, first of all, that we need saving. When Jesus teaches that to hate is murder (Matthew 5:22), that we should

137 keep every promise (Matthew 5:37), that we should love our enemies (Matthew 5:44), and that we must be perfect (Matthew 5:48), he is reminding us all of how far we have fallen from God's expectations of us. But he saves us not by calling us to do those things, but by picking up the broken pieces of our lives and world and making things right with God.

If we're going to share short Scripture with lots of people, we would do well to pick verses that balance these two aspects of Jesus' salvation. So, for example, sharing the 1st Commandment – “You Shall Have No Other Gods” - might point out something we need to be saved from, but not who has saved us, how, or why. At the same time, saying something like “Jesus loves you” begs the question of why it's important that Jesus loves me. Ideally we want something that balances God's commands with what he's accomplished for us in Christ.

At the same time, we don't have a lot of space on a sign or a business card. We can't print the whole Parable of the Prodigal Son, even though that parable does a good job of balancing God's commands with what he's done for us in Jesus Christ. We need something that is under 10 words. We also want a passage that might open conversation, not close it down. A verse that offers no possibility for further conversation other than “I agree” or “I disagree” isn't ideal. Better to have something that we could explore with someone in a conversation, something like our “one sentence” description of Christianity.

138 Do such verses exist? Yes, they do! Here are four that meet all these criteria:

We preach Christ crucified - 1 Corinthians 1:23, ESV We love because God first loved us - 1 John 4:17, ESV You were bought with a price - 1 Corinthians 7:23, ESV While you have the light, believe in the light - John 12:33, ESV

All these verses include God's law in some form. The crucifixion is a statement of God's judgment on our sin as well as a sign of our salvation. God calls upon us to love one another, something that we fail to do too often. We needed to be bought back from something, by someone. We need light to be able to see, and many people already believe there is something dark about our world.

But they also include the salvation that Jesus has brought, in some form: being bought, having the light, preaching Christ. They are also not traditionally used in “evangelical appeals”, and so may be good sparks for discussion. How has God loved us? What does it means to believe in the light? Why were we bought, and what was the price?

Business Cards We know that it's important to share Scripture, because it's God's Word that ultimately brings people to faith in Christ (Romans 10:17). But what are some simple ways we can reach many people with a little bit of Christ? Do we

139 have business cards with a verse like the one we just talked about, along with information about our congregation? These cards should include a small map to our church building, the phone number and email, the church's web site address, and the time of services or of a time to gather and ask questions. We should all have a supply of cards like these in our wallets or purses.

They can be left with neighbors, friends, food servers, and mechanics, anyone with whom we come into contact. Many restaurants and businesses allow people to post cards like this. There's no good reason why there shouldn't be a card sharing the Gospel and a way to get more information on every such bulletin board in our neighborhood or town, is there? Get the word out!

Pamphlets A pamphlet that contains more information about what we believe and why we believe it is a must for every Christian to have. Has anyone ever come to your door to share their religious beliefs with you, perhaps a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witness? They almost always want to leave a pamphlet with you, often with questions on them that they would like to answer for you. The questions on these pamphlets are powerful, because they aren't the ones that we think non-Christians should be asking; they're the ones they really are asking. What do we give these door-front missionaries in return, when they visit us? Do we ever have anything to hand to them, to get them thinking differently about who Christ really was and is and will be?

140 There's really no reason for us not to have a pamphlet that addresses some of these basic questions from a traditional Christian perspective. What is happening in the world? How can I know that God cares about me when so many horrible things are happening to me and people that I love? What happens when I die? Every Christian should have a supply of pamphlets addressing some of these questions and inviting people to learn more. Keep them at the entrance to your home and pass them out whenever you get the chance: when Girl Scouts come to sell cookies, at Halloween to trick-or-treaters, to canvassers, and yes, even to people from other religions that come to share their faith with you.

Elevator Speeches At the beginning of this book, I wrote about elevator speeches. These are short, practiced presentations people can give about their organization in under 30 seconds. They are short summaries, meant to interest someone in learning more at some future point. A business card or pamphlet with a well chosen bible verse can be a reminder of that short talk, but they are best used as a bridge and not as a replacement for the speech itself. Christianity was meant to be shared person to person, through speech. Earlier I referenced Romans 10:17. Here is a longer section of that passage:

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written,

141 “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. - Romans 10:17, ESV

Paul connects believing not with reading, but with hearing. That makes sense, since Paul wrote in a time when very few people had access to books or were able to read themselves. The letters of the New Testament were likely read out loud to the congregation not just once, but possibly many times. The only way people could really learn the faith was by hearing it from someone else. But we shouldn't think that every Christian had the ability to share their faith in detail, all the time. Quite likely they gave something like the same “elevator speech” that Philip gave to Bartholomew in John 1:45-46, along with an invitation to learn more.

The universe itself was created through God speaking. Several times in Genesis 1 and 2 God speaks, and each time brings new things into existence. God has shared with each of us the ability to speak. While business cards and pamphlets can be a bridge between “breadth” and “depth,” they cannot replace our ability to share the basics of our faith.

Depth So our non-Christian friends and acquaintances, thanks to our work at scattering the seed, are interested in learning more. They have questions they need answered, cares and

142 concerns that they hope Christianity can address. What are some ways we can make it possible and comfortable for non-Christians to interact with the Christian faith? I don't think there's a better place from which to draw ideas than the Gospels and Jesus' ministry. After all, Jesus didn't just give us an example of how to live as God's children in the world. He also gave examples of how to share his message with the world. Why shouldn't the way he shared himself with the world also be good enough for us?

So how did Jesus share the message about himself, in an in-depth way? He seemed to do it in three basic ways. The first was by giving a “foretaste of heaven,” by reversing the very real effects of sin in people's lives. We often call these his “miracles,” and in many cases they provided opportunities for Jesus to stay in a village or area and speak with people length about his message. The second was through large group events, for lack of a better term. Large crowds would gather to hear him speak, on mountains and on lake sides. The last was through more intimate, smaller group gatherings, often centered on a meal. These three kinds of events serve as good places for us to start.

Mercy Jesus had compassion on people. The word in Greek we usually translate as “compassion” literally means to be hurting in the inner gut over some event. The closest we might come in English is to say Jesus was heartbroken over what he saw. Sin has that effect on God – he knows that the suffering in the world is just, something that our sin has brought upon us, and the effects of Satan on the world

143 too. But God wants to be just and also save us from the impact of our sin. When Jesus healed the sick, cured the paralyzed, and even raised the dead, he gave a foretaste of a world in which sin and its effects would no longer exist. That, in turn, have him an opportunity to talk about how he would deal with sin once and for all. Jesus didn't just preach and teach; he also showed mercy.

Christians, historically, have been driven by this same desire to show mercy. When we set up a health clinic for those without medical care; when we run a soup kitchen or a food bank; when we choose to be there for someone who is hurting physically, mentally, or spiritually; when we do those things, we are acting like Jesus did. These are all opportunities, then, to share how Jesus came to take away the effects of these things permanently in the new world to come.

At one of my previous congregations we began an outreach to the visually impaired. We invited people with vision problems from across the city, starting with a few that we knew, to come for a Saturday lunch and short bible study. We asked people to share their concerns, and prayed for every one of them. We gave people rides, and found ways to help people when particular troubles came up. In the bible studies we read through one of the Gospels chapter by chapter, explaining what Jesus was doing as we went along. Before long people started inviting others, some Christian, some not, because they came to trust us. We had shown them mercy, and through that mercy they were coming to know Christ as their Lord as well. Each month our volunteers would call people to

144 invite them to the lunch. At one point one person said, “I wish you wouldn't call it a lunch. We come for the bible study.” That's the kind of effect that receiving mercy in the name of Jesus can have on people!

Events Several times in the Gospels Jesus finds a large crowd gathered to hear him speak. Was everyone there to be instructed in the ways of God? Probably not. No doubt some people were there because it was “the thing to do,” as Jesus' popularity grew. Others may have been invited to come listen by enthusiastic friends. But for whatever reason, Jesus often drew large crowds, which gave him an opportunity to speak to people who may or may not have been disciples. He taught them on the side of a mountain (Matthew 5-7), he taught them on a plain (Luke 6:17-39), from a boat (Luke 5:3), in the Temple (John 8:1-2), and in synagogues (Luke 4:16-28). But these were not just opportunities to give a quick overview of his mission. They were opportunities to speak in depth about his mission.

Christians still have the opportunity to draw large crowds, but sometimes we need to be creative about how we do it. In Philadelphia there was a growing controversy about whether any evidence for a creator God could be seen in living beings. A group of us invited Dr. Michael Behe, the author of Darwin's Black Box, to speak one evening at one of our churches. We had an article written up for the paper, and told people to invite their friends and neighbors to come. We filled the church for a presentation, discussion and time of fellowship that last over two hours.

145 What is the hot topic of the day where you are? What has people worried or concerned? Find an engaging or well known speaker who would like to address the topic and invite the world to come. Advertise in newspapers, on internet forums, place posters on local bulletin boards. You might be surprised who will show up.

Discussions Another very significant way that Jesus shared about himself and his mission was in small group discussions, often over and after a meal. This was not an unusual way for people to discuss important topics. The Greeks called these discussions-over-dinner a symposium, which quite literally means “to drink together.” Greek culture had a profound influence over many other peoples in the Middle East, and it is not surprising that other peoples adopted some of their customs, such as the symposium.

The Gospel of Luke records a great many of these dinner parties. At one such party in Luke 14 Jesus is asked about the lawfulness of healing on the Sabbath. He uses two parables involving banquets at that particular banquet to make points about who is truly greatest and who is least, and who we ought to invite to our dinners and luncheons. In Luke 19:1-10, we read that Jesus invited himself to a dinner at the home of a tax collector named Zacchaeus. Jesus used that dinner to bring Zacchaeus to repentance over his past behavior, and Zacchaeus responded by promising to make things right with the people he had wronged. There is also the well-known dinner, recorded in Luke 7:36-50, where a “sinful woman” comes into the

146 dinner party and cleans Jesus' feet with her hair and her tears. We discussed that dinner earlier in the book.

Even if we only offer snacks and coffee, most small group hospitality still involves some kind of sharing of food. When we “break bread” together, we show care and concern for one another. When we feel we are with people who care about us, we feel more open to discussing the issues and questions that really trouble us. There is no question, then, that getting people together for food opens up time for depth of discussion. Research has shown that one of the most frightening things for a non- Christian is walking into a church building, especially for a church service or bible study. It's so much easier to walk into someone's home, especially the home of someone you know.

Unlike an event with a special speaker, discussions should be focused more on questions and answers. Perhaps a particular issue common to most people that are gathered together could be brought up, along with a bible passage that might open up discussion. Consider, for example, questions about parenting. In our western world many parents are struggling with how to raise their children. What does God have to say about parenting? On a practical level, there are many proverbs that speak to that very issue. The apostle Paul also writes about parenting in his letters (consider Ephesians 6:4).

But perhaps a better passage might be Luke 2:41-52, often called “the boy Jesus in the Temple.” It's a great passage for a mixed group of Christians and non-Christians for

147 several reasons. First, it frames the discussion in terms of “the perfect adolescent” and what kind of behavior we should expect. Second, it opens the door for a discussion about who Jesus was, which is the heart of the Christian message. Even when discussing helpful and worldly issues like addiction, poverty, unemployment, and parenting, we don't want to lose sight of the eternal issue of the world's salvation.

Conclusion Breadth and depth – sowing seeds, then nurturing growth. When we're talking about Jesus, we need to do both. We will not have many opportunities to discuss the faith to great depth. But we will have many, many opportunities in life to sow seed and cast nets out for fish. Our call as children of God, made so by the blood of Jesus Christ, is to be ready in every situation to give our “elevator speech” but also to continue learning to deepen our own faith. Others need to hear the Word and to have it watered and fed. But so, too, do we.

That may be the most important thing to share at this point. In our zeal to tell others about Jesus, we don't ever want to forget that we need the Word of God sown in our lives as well. We can only be faithful witnesses to the extent that we know who Jesus is ourselves. We can only come to know him through the Scriptures. We need continual study as well.

That includes pastors, ministers, evangelists and missionaries, by the way. Sometimes the closer we get to the Word, the less we think we need to hear it. That's just

148 not the case. We need the constant contact, the constant reminder that comes from breadth. We also need the deepening experiences of serious study. We may well be excited to talk about Jesus. But we should be just as excited to be the ones hearing about him.

There's an old cottage proverb that goes, “If God had meant us to speak more than we hear, he would have given us two mouths and only one ear.” That is a truth all of us would do well to remember.

149 11. Now Let's Talk About Jesus Nina: Are you a priest? Me: Yes, we'll, I'm a pastor. Nina: A pastor? So... do you love Mary? Me: Jesus' mother? Yes, we love her. That's why we do what she wants us to do; pay attention to her Son Jesus who saved us!

You never know when the Lord is going to call on you to talk about Him. It has happened to me in the most unlikely places. In grocery stores, eating a meal by myself at a restaurant counter, standing at a bus stop. These aren't opportunities for long, drawn out debates over the person and work of Jesus Christ, to be sure. But there's enough time to tell someone about the Jesus who came to deliver us from the consequences of our disobedience to God. Enough time to tell someone that Christianity is not about morality, first, but about a God who walked among us to save us. Enough time, in the end, to plant a seed.

“ What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:5-7 ESV). We must never forget that while we can plant seeds and water, only God can cause seeds to sprout and grow. We never want to fall into the trap of thinking that anyone's faith falls solely on us. We don't want to be motivated by fear, either of judgment on ourselves or that someone else might lose salvation because of what we do or don't say. We need to think of

150 ourselves as partners with God, where God does the heavy lifting and allows us to be part of the process of salvation.

Sometimes we will fail. We'll let a great opportunity for an “elevator pitch” go by. We'll miss a chance to invite someone to a discussion group at our home, or to hear a speaker at our church. In those moments we will be tempted to feel guilty. You know what? Jesus died for every sin, and that includes missed opportunities to share our faith with others. We ask forgiveness, we receive it freely from Christ even though it's not deserved, and we move on. That's how Christians handle every other sin in their life; missed opportunities to serve as a witness to Christ are no different.

Farmers have all sorts of tools that they use in their work. My nephew, by the tender age of 4, knew the difference between a tractor and a combine, and between an elevator and a silo. Every vocation has tools; they make good work possible. What I've tried to do in this book is set out some “tools” for your toolbox to use when talking with others about Jesus. A sentence that summarizes the basics of the faith; some verses from Scripture to address people's modern concerns; some helpful hymns. The more we know about Christianity ourselves, the more confident we will be in talking with others. When we have time to speak in depth with people, that knowledge will be very helpful.

But mere depth of knowledge is not enough. We live in a soundbite culture, where even our highest political leaders often have less than a minute to make their case on very

151 important and complex issues. Andy Warhol once quipped that, one day, every one would have 15 minutes of fame. He didn't know about the 24 hour news cycle. Now we'd be lucky to have 15 seconds. So in addition to knowing more about Christianity, we need to have tools that allow us to give an effective “elevator speech,” to be able to summarize our faith in a short amount of time.

But in addition to having in-depth knowledge about our faith, and an ability to summarize it, we need one more thing: to be hearing that faith ourselves, in community, and having our own doubts addressed. I've heard many church leaders address the crisis of evangelism and mission in our country. Some seem to have the idea that people aren't talking about Jesus because they're not told to. Many services end with a call to tell their neighbors about what they've heard. Churches have signs at the exits of their parking lots: “You are now entering the mission field.” But I'm convinced the single biggest reason people don't share their faith is a lack of confidence in Christ.

The only antidote to that lack of confidence is hearing about Jesus ourselves. We need to have pastors, friends, neighbors, good authors, and evangelists constantly talking to us about Christ. We need the confidence to know that what we believe about the God who created the universe and us, about sin, about salvation, and about our eternal destiny, is absolutely, 100% true. Those with confidence in the seed will not hesitate to sow it. So if you find yourself still unsure about talking to others about Jesus, go sit at the feet of the Master, and read his Scriptures. When you

152 find yourself doubting, talk to other Christians and get some answers.

Before the apostles were sent out into the world, they were disciples. And even after they were made apostles, the Spirit of Jesus was still teaching them (John 14:26). In the same way, let us remain students of Jesus. The person best equipped to talk about Jesus is the one who sits at his feet and listens.

153 About the Author

Charles St-Onge has served as pastor of congregations in Ridley Park, PA and in Houston, TX, and as a missionary in Asia. He has been married to Deborah since 2000, and they have two young daughters who love to talk about Jesus. You can follow his work through his website, intheway.org.