At Christmastime, we Christians celebrate Jesus' birth as a real baby 2000 years ago. God comes to Earth in human form. (1) (2)
But why did he come? There is a lot more to it, but we are given a clue in Hebrews 12:2:
Because of the joy awaiting him, [Jesus] endured the cross, disregarding its shame.
And what was the joy awaiting him? (Sorry, as a professor I can't help but to ask questions!)
A little background is required here. At the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden (3) (hinted at at the beginning of the video in this post, or at this link: http://youtu.be/gmnSnNC8UJk?list=FL54WMG1VODIB2lLnCmBkn5w), something profound was lost. We lost our ability to commune with our Creator - God.
But God lost something too...
He lost us.
And losing us was more than He was willing to bear. He loved us too much to not offer a rescue, even though such a rescue would be costly.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God and perfect Lamb (4), would have to die an atoning death on the cross in our place. It was the only way.
He came to pay a debt he didn't owe, because we owed a debt we couldn't pay.
Back to the question: What was the joy awaiting Jesus by enduring the cross?
The joy awaiting him was relationship with US...our restoration with God for eternity, for those who receive him! (5)
He finds JOY in making us whole! (6)
No wonder the Bible is about Him, that so many songs have been sung and so much has been written about Him, and that so many lives have been transformed by Him throughout the centuries.
What a comforting truth to hold onto at Christmastime and throughout the coming year!
“Pain is unmasked, unmistakable evil; every man knows that something is wrong when he is being hurt.” C.S. Lewis
My wife Jannis (right) and her sister Carol at their mother's
graveside a few months after their mother died of a brain
aneurism. Jannis was 6 years old.
After the 2004 tsunami, one of my good friends in Indonesia returned home to find his home swept away along with most of his family...his wife, only son, and father...and they were never found.
What are we to do with the suffering caused by the twin problems of: 1) seemingly random natural forces (earthquakes, brain tumors, etc); and 2) moral failure (crime, genocide, etc.)? It all seems so cruel and unjust.
One thing we don't need is pat answers. Yet, as theologian Tim Keller notes, when suffering hits there are two basic ways that people respond: secularism and moralism. Neither are satisfactory.
Secularism: There is No God
The existence of pain, suffering, and loss is a problem for the Christian. Many people conclude that because of suffering there can be no God. After all, why would he allow it? But the existence of pain is a problem for the atheist too.
I can understand why a person could conclude God does not exist when faced with suffering, at least to a point. It does seem to solve the immediate, intellectual problem, although it does little to help the emotional problem. That is just the way it is, and nothing more. As atheist Richard Dawkins put it:
“In a universe of electrons and selfish genes,
blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to
get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won't find any
rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe that we observe has
precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no
design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless
indifference.”
If that is true, then we must, as atheist Bertrand Russell stated, build our lives on a firm foundation of unyielding despair.
Implications of Secularism
Although the conclusion that there is no God may seem to solve the immediate question of "why suffering?", it does not make the pain go away.
In fact, it could be argued that it intensifies suffering. Because the atheistic worldview believes death is the end, it removes all hope for anything better to come.
It also removes justice, as noted by Dawkins above. After all, if there is no God, no
good, and no evil, and morality is only an illusion set in place by our
selfish genes to perpetuate our species, then our sense of injustice is an illusion too, at best our own opinion. Yet most of us have strong reactions to injustice in the world. But if there is no evil and justice is illusory, then as former atheist CS Lewis noted, the argument against God collapses too—for the argument depends on saying
the world is really unjust, not simply that it is my opinion it is unjust. Lewis concluded that consequently, atheism is too simple; it can't explain our strong sense of morality, injustice, and the existence of evil.
(Listen to Tim Keller contrast what Christianity, other major world religions, and atheism have to offer the suffering person - click on YouTube video above left or click here:http://youtu.be/IwH_6uDWnl8).
Are There Grounds for Believing There is a God?
Despite the grim implications of secularism, it could be our reality and we just have to face it. My wife may have to just accept that her mom has been snuffed out of existence and she will never see her again. But because the implications of this worldview are so stark, I'm not prepared to accept it until I also face whether there is any evidence for believing God is real.
To me, the solid historicity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, as evidenced by the empty tomb, more than 500 witnesses, and the explosive growth of the early church even in the face of severe persecution, offersastounding evidence for the existence of God (see my post on the Resurrection). The Resurrection of Jesus tells us that death is NOT the end, and offers us hope for a new body and future in which all pain will be removed. (1)
But Why Would God Allow Evil?
Couldn't God have created a world in which there was no evil or suffering?
CS Lewis argued that God could not create a world of love and goodness without also creating creatures that could freely give or withhold such love. (2) To eliminate free will, God would have had to make us robots instead of people. Blaise Pascal called it the "dignity of causation", the freedom to do good or to do bad.
Moralism: Why is God Punishing Me?
What did I do wrong?
Maybe if I had more faith, prayed more, or lived better, then I wouldn't
be suffering. Accordingly, the religious moralist
responds by striving to improve the way he/she lives. It is
based on the belief that if we live a good life, then good things will
happen to us, and vise versa.
Job was told as much by his religious friends
after he lost his children and possessions to raiding marauders and natural disaster. He also became very sick. (3) But Job's friends couldn't have been more
wrong, because earlier in the story it was made clear that Job was a righteous man. His suffering had nothing to do with the consequences of his own behavior, but rather was caused by the enemy of our souls, Satan. This point is extremely important, because even Christians often blame themselves ("I blew it") or God ("God is punishing or holding out on me") when they suffer. Christians often forget the Bible teaches we have an enemy who wants to kill, steal, and destroy our lives. (4) This also helps explain why it appears as though the world is under assault, where we have a mixed picture of human nobility and depravity, beauty and evil.
Jesus
also addressed this moralist viewpoint when he asked his disciples
whether some worshipers who were massacred in a local temple
were worse sinners than their peers. Or if 18 people who died when a
building collapsed on them were worse citizens than their peers. Jesus,
with the full authority of the Son of God,
answered his own question with an empathic "I tell you, no!" (5)
That makes it pretty clear we are not to jump to conclusions when we or
someone else is suffering. It is indeed cruel to tell the mourning and
brokenhearted that they are worse than others.
It is important to note that Jesus didn't say we are not sinners at all. We know that
sometimes we bring suffering on ourselves by the way we live (such as
consequences for not taking care of our health, or other poor choices). But sometimes we just
don't know the cause of suffering.
Perhaps the real question is whether there is any evidence we can trust God in our suffering.
Jesus went on to tell his listeners: "But unless you repent, you also will perish". God gives each of us a finite life span and along with it, opportunity to respond to Him. I encourage you to consider Jesus' warning.
Trusting God With the Ragged Edges of Suffering
Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, or God in human form. (6) His crucifixion on the cross has a solid basis in history. (7)
It is worth contemplating what God was doing on the cross. There is much more to it, but at the very least it tells me that God has not remained distant from human suffering, but has become part of it.
This is a crucial point that is utterly unique among world religions. Only with the cross can we even begin to comprehend how God can help us endure suffering. It is a window into the heart of God (8) (Watch John Lennox discuss this powerfully on the YouTube link to the left or here: (http://youtu.be/tmP5WfEiOe0).
As Christians we believe that because Jesus is God Incarnate, he rose from the dead, which tells us death is not the end. We also believe Jesus will be the righteous judge of all people, and that justice is real. (9) This also addresses the twin problems of moral and natural evil. The terrorists who blew up the twin towers, and those who murdered school children in shooting sprees will not get away with it - there is to be a final judgement; this is a moral universe. We also have the promise of restoration. There will one day be a new heaven and a new earth, where all pain will be abolished. (10)
The Scriptures tell us that each of us exists because God wanted us. (11) And that includes those who have perished, whether due to moral evil or natural causes. Such as my friend's family who died in the tsunami, my wife's mother, and my older sister whose heart stopped beating two weeks before she was to be born. Perhaps John Lennox summarized it best when he said: "Even though on the one hand I have major intellectual problems with many questions [of pain and suffering], I think there is enough evidence to believe that when we see what God has done [in heaven] with the innocents who have perished, we will have no more questions." (8)
"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels." Hebrews 13:2
Santiago, Chile!
Sweeping view of Santiago from Cerro San Cristobal, a huge park in the city.
"I can't believe we're lost already!", I told Steve (1) as we drove through the streets of Santiago. We had left our hotel only minutes ago and almost immediately got lost. Our plan was to drive north to the Portillo ski resort high in the Andes mountains near the Argentina border, and then drive west across the country to the coast by nightfall. But it was already mid-morning and we could feel precious minutes ticking away. Suddenly my spirits lifted as I saw come into view...a Starbucks coffee house! True, this wouldn't necessarily help us find our way, but we both loved coffee and we reasoned we could study the map whilst sipping on fine coffee and finding our way back on track.
Our First "Angel"
As we hurriedly studied our map at Starbucks, it wasn't immediately clear which way to go. Finally, Steve asked a fellow coffee drinker for help. After hearing our plan, this gentleman grabbed a pen and started scratching a map on a napkin. "You can get there faster if you take the bypass north out of Santiago. It will cost you a little but it's worth it."
The road north out of Santiago. The beautiful Andes mountains were on the
horizon and traffic was light.
In a short while we were on our way. There was very little traffic on the bypass and we made good time. "Maybe this will help us make up lost time", Steve said as we motored through the beautiful Chilean countryside towards Los Andes. "I hope so", I sighed, trying not to think that by now it was late morning and we still had a long way to go.
We made it to Los Andes without a hitch, but as we approached our intersection where we were to turn towards Portillo we ran into road construction. Unfortunately a detour took us off the main road in the opposite direction we needed to go. We soon realized we had no idea how to get to the road we needed. We tried to ask the construction workers directing traffic how to get to our road, but with little success. Steve knew a little Spanish, and I knew even less. They seemed amused at our attempts to communicate and I couldn't tell if they really couldn't understand us or if they didn't want to.
Road construction on the way to Portillo. Lots of big trucks, and progress was
slow. The scenery was spectacular though!
Here we were nearing Portillo. In the distance is a series of switchbacks in the
road, which made for harrowing driving because the snow made the roads
slick.
Our Second Angel
"Great, we're lost again. This is beginning to feel too familiar!" I said. "Pull over here and I'll ask someone for directions", Steve directed as we approached a gas station. He exited the car and went to a couple of motorists before one seemed willing to speak with him. I couldn't tell what they were saying, but soon Steve came back to the car and said to follow the guy to the next intersection, where he would turn left but we were to turn right. "Are you sure he understood you?" I asked as we pulled out of the station behind our new guide. "I think so", Steve answered as we came to a halt again behind a long line of stalled traffic due to the road construction. "He didn't know any English, but seemed happy to help us". Our progress was slow as we inched our car along, and after what seemed like an hour (but was probably only 20 minutes), we saw we were approaching an intersection. "Do you suppose this is our intersection?", I asked? "Apparently so!" Steve answered as he noted our guide was holding his arm high out of his window and gesturing towards the right. Relieved, we both waved back heartily in gratitude and turned right towards Portillo.
Steve Keeley at the Portillo ski resort high in the Andes mountains.
Portillo At Last!
Traffic was heavy and there was a considerable amount of road construction along the way to Portillo, but the drive was beautiful. It turned much colder and began to snow as we climbed higher and higher. Soon we saw what looked like a military checkpoint along the road, with a tunnel through a mountain just beyond. We soon realized we had missed the ski area and had apparently arrived at the Argentina border. We pondered driving through the tunnel just to say we had been in Argentina, but the military presence made us a little uncertain, and we were running late, too, so we turned around before we got to the checkpoint and headed back to the ski area. We were a little concerned they might get suspicious and try to pursue us, but that didn't happen (phew!).
The Aconcagua Valley is an important wine-growing valley in Chile; here we
are driving past a vineyard with stunning mountain scenery in the background.
I wish we would have had time to stop and enjoy it!
Rising Apprehension
Traffic was also heavy and slow going back down, and it was late by the time we got to the Aconcagua Valley, just west of San Felipe. "Maybe we should find a place to stay around here", I said as the sun sank towards the horizon, "It will probably be well past dark by the time we get to the coast, and finding a hotel then may be difficult"; we hadn't reserved a room anywhere. But as the miles passed, we didn't see anything resembling a motel, hotel, or bed and breakfast. We even detoured into the town of Catemu (I think), but didn't see anything we felt comfortable with.
As we left the town and pulled back onto the main road, my mind started racing about our options...could we find our way in the dark to Con Con, our destination on the coast? What would we do if we couldn't find a hotel? I knew there was a Radisson Hotel there, but we had no way of knowing if it had any rooms or even if we could find it. Would we have to sleep in the car that night? If so, how could we find a safe place? Steve was probably thinking the same things but neither of us really wanted to talk about it. We were still holding out hope.
Do We Have a Prayer?
But hope soon vanished as we came upon more road construction and a long line of stalled traffic. Tired, hungry, and discouraged, I finally breached the silence and asked Steve what he thought about our situation. As we talked, it dawned on us to pray. PRAY!! Steve and I are both Christians, and we were surprised we hadn't thought of praying about this before now. So we prayed. We asked Jesus to help us find our way to Con Con, that he would help us find a place to stay, even a nice hotel to stay in. Even as we prayed I was fearful we would end up sleeping in the car somewhere. I mean, clearly we deserved it, right? Since we didn't plan better. Oh me of little faith.
Our Third (Cigarette-Smoking) Angel
When we finished praying, we noticed the driver of a small tour bus directly in front of us get out to smoke a cigarette. Written across the back of the bus was "Con Con", which seemed almost to taunt us. We sat there for a few moments when Steve suddenly jumped out of the car and ran over to the bus driver. I was surprised by Steve's sudden exit from the car and wondered what he was up to. But he soon returned to our car and said "The bus driver is going to Con Con and said we could follow him". I was skeptical about whether we could keep up with or not get separated from him since it would be dark soon, but decided we had nothing to lose. Soon the traffic started moving and we followed him. At first it was easy to keep up with him. But then we entered a series of turns that ended at a toll booth. As we stopped to pay the toll, I could see the taillights of bus start to fade into the distance.
One of the few pictures we shot of the cigarette-smoking angel's bus.
Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of him!
"Dang, I really don't know where we are Steve. I have no idea how to get to Con Con from here". But Steve was pointing ahead and shouted "Look! He's waiting for us and is flashing his hazards so we know it is him!" Sure enough, the driver had slowed for us, and then continued to take great pains to make sure we stayed behind him, flashing his hazard lights and using his turn signals to alert us well before exits or turns were approaching. As we drove, Steve said "I think there is something going on here. I think the Lord is answering our prayer". It was then he told me that while we were stalled in construction, he had felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to go ask the bus driver
for directions to Con Con. At first he (Steve) had resisted the Spirit's
promptings, but then relented and went over to ask the bus
driver. As he said this my spirits started rising, although I knew we weren't out of the woods yet.
Our cigarette-smoking angel was the antithesis of the cigarette
smoking man, who was the main villian on the X Files TV
series.
Con Con
I could tell from the road signs that we were approaching Con Con. Traffic was heavy on the four lane road we were traveling when, amazingly, the driver pulled over to the shoulder, jumped out of the bus, and came back to make sure we understood this was the Con Con exit. We thanked him profusely and tried to give him money as an expression of gratitude. At first he refused to take any money, but finally relented after we insisted. I was so thankful for that man's help that I could have hugged him! We called him our cigarette-smoking angel, and realized that following him gave us tremendous assurance we were going in the right direction.
Sleep in the Car After All?
By then it was pitch dark, and as we drove towards Con Con we knew we still didn't have a place to stay. After what had just happened, we agreed we should pray. So again we asked God to lead us to a safe, even nice hotel. I even uttered "the Radisson Hotel" under my breath. I knew it seemed almost selfish to request that, and maybe somewhere in my mind I felt God may expect us to sleep in the car or somewhere else uncomfortable. Suddenly Steve said "There's the Radisson, right there!" I almost couldn't believe my ears, but I could see he was correct...it was directly alongside the road we were traveling! So we pulled in to see if they had any rooms.
Me standing by the window of our hotel room with the mighty
Pacific Ocean just outside the window.
Extravagantly Answered Prayers
The clerk behind the counter was friendly, but told us that this was a busy time of the year, and especially on weekends. Since this was a Friday night, my apprehension began to rise again. Gosh, I thought, after after all of this we still might end up sleeping in the car. "This must be your lucky night", he said as he checked the roster, "we have one more room left."
The view outside our second-story window. I could have jumped directly
into the ocean, it was that close!
"I'll take it!", I exclaimed almost before he had finished speaking. Relief began to flood over me, and already I was thanking God for his provision. But God wasn't finished answering our prayers yet. While the clerk was
preparing the paperwork, Steve had wandered over to the window and came
back to report that the ocean was right outside the hotel. Cool, I
thought momentarily before the clerk spoke again. "The room is on the
ocean side". Double cool. But all I could really think about was hauling
our baggage up to the room and go find something to eat. We were both famished after the day's adventures. It wasn't until we
got up to the room that we realized the hotel was indeed right beside
the ocean, and the windows could be opened to see the ocean, hear the surf, and
smell the salt air! This wasn't a small answer to our prayer, but an
extravagant answer.
My love note to my wife from the southern hemisphere.
...oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him...! Ephesians 1:19
We headed back out and soon found a nice seafood restaurant right beside the ocean, with a beautiful view, friendly waiters, good food, and even a local resident playing the restaurant's piano. His music wasn't professional but it sounded beautiful to us! After calling our wives back in the States to assure them we were okay, we headed back to the hotel. It was an incredible ending to an incredible day.
Epilogue We left the window cracked open all night so we could hear the surf. In the middle of the night I got up and stood gazing for awhile out the open window. The southern stars were blazing, and a crescent moon was setting over the Pacific Ocean. I could sense God's presence and I praised him for his amazing creation, answered prayers, and the many "angels" he had sent to help us that day.
"If I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples; even though some of them still look down on me."
Saint Patrick, 5th century
After reading Thomas Cahill's fascinating book "How the Irish Saved Civilization", I was excited to visit Ireland. In Cahill's book I was surprised to learn that St. Patrick, who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland, was not Irish. Rather, as a teenager he was kidnapped by marauding Irish raiders and forced into slavery as a shepherd in remote Ireland where he was bitterly isolated and spent months at a time alone in the hills. It was during that time that Patrick began seeking a relationship with his heavenly Father.
Six years later Patrick escaped his captors, which is an amazing story in itself. However, despite his harsh treatment and the fact that the Irish of his day (fifth century) were violent, pagan, and barbaric, and human sacrifice was commonplace, Patrick felt God's call to return to Ireland as a missionary. He wrote: "I am ready to be murdered,
betrayed, enslaved -- whatever may come my way."
Cahill's book is more than about Patrick only. It is a brief history of the dark ages, after Rome fell and the barbarians ransacked the European continent...and learning, scholarship, and culture nearly disappeared. However, the monks and scribes of Patrick's unconquered Ireland preserved the West's written treasury, from the Greek and Roman classics to Jewish and Christian works, which would have otherwise been lost. With the return of stability to Europe, these Irish scholars moved into the continent, evangelizing and bringing learning wherever they went. An amazing story and worth a read!
Recently (mid to late August) I visited Ireland with my family, to attend a destination wedding of my step-daughter Sarah and my new son-in-law, Colin. Below are a few photos of the beautiful land and its beautiful and friendly people. Enjoy!
The Cliffs of Moher, rising more than 700 ft. above the ocean, south of Doolin.
You can't visit Ireland without visiting a pub! We grabbed lunch at a famous Doolin pub and it was a great experience!
A beautiful view of a valley on the Ring of Kerry near sunset, northeast of Sneem.
My family (left to right) Colin, me, Jannis, Josh, Lindsey, Sarah, and Erin, at Ross Castle in Killarney National Park.
Josh in Killarney on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in August!
Fuchsia (fuchsia magellacina) flower, known in in Gaelic as ´Deora De´ ( the tears of God). This flower was common along roadsides in County Kerry.
Skelling Michael (right) and Little Skellig (left) islands. This was one of the highlights of our trip! Little Skelling is home to 70,000 Gannets, making it the 2nd largest colony of that bird species in the world; the white on Little Skelling is guano. Skelling Michael is home to a Christian monastery established sometime between the 6th and 8th century and abandoned in the 12th century. The sea was rough on our boat ride out, and several of our group got sick!
More than 600 harrowing steps lead to the monastery, which sits at more than 600 feet above sea level. A misstep during this climb (or descent) could easily lead to serious injury or death. There were no guard rails!
The groom, Colin Smith, giving a friendly wave outside one of the "beehive cells", where the monks resided. The stones are laid with no mortar and yet they still shed water after ~1500 years!
A view of Little Skelling Island from a window in one of the oratories on Skelling Michael.
Driving in Ireland is not for the faint of heart! The roads are narrow and car insurance is high...most credit cards won't cover rental car insurance in Ireland. In fairness, this scene may be a bit extreme even for Ireland. It was on the north side of Conor Pass on the Dingle Peninsula. Note that driving is on the left side of the road, which takes some adjustment!
My daughter Erin poses beside an "erin" gift store in Sneem, Ireland. Erin is a Gaelic word for Ireland.
Panoramic view of a ring stone fort, Cahergall, near Cahersiveen, on the north side of the Ring of Kerry.
Jannis and me giving a friendly wave to our group, who were up on the wall of Cahergall stone fort.
(Photo courtesy of Lindsey Myers)
My daughter Erin and me at a beach on the west side of the Dingle peninsula.
Beautiful and typical view of the western Irish countryside, here on Valentia Island.
Jannis emerging from our abode, Westcove Farmhouse. We had our own private courtyard!
A view of the cove out of our bedroom window. We could hear sheep and a resident goose every morning and evening!
The bride and groom, Sarah and Colin at their wedding on a beautiful Irish afternoon (August 19, 2014). Sister Lindsey stands to the left. I had the honor of officiating their ceremony! (Photo courtesy of Allison Gerli)
The sun shines through an opening in the tower of Ballinskelligs Priory, where the monks settled after abandoning the monastery at Skelling Michael Island. Although the priory is in ruins I was encouraged by words from the prophet Isaiah: "For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you
not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create
rivers in the dry wasteland." Isaiah 43:19. God isn't finished with Ireland or any of the world. The world needs more "St. Patricks" through which God will move to change the nations. Who knows, maybe God is calling you!
“Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.He is not here...‘He has risen from the dead...” ―Matthew 28:5-7
“The resurrection of Jesus Christ and Christianity stand or fall together” ― Professor Josh McDowell
As a child my family attended church at sunrise nearly every Easter Sunday. Although I didn't like getting up early when it was still dark, over the years the significance of the Easter message began to 'dawn' on me. Namely, that this God-man named Jesus conquered death, returned to life from the grave, and promised us that we too could have this hope. (1) (see 1.3 min youtube scene of the resurrection from "The Passion of the Christ" at left, or click here). But can this really be true? If it is, it changes everything.
Literal Resurrection? Many modern people have trouble believing in this aspect of Christian teaching. One objection is that the early Christians were a primitive, pre-scientific people who were ignorant of the laws of nature and therefore, more prone to believe in miracles. However, a physician named Luke wrote two books of the Bible that included an account of the resurrection. Luke was trained in the medical science of his day, and wrote that the first objections to the resurrection came not from atheists, but from Sadducee high priests in Judaism. These were highly religious men who believed in God, but they had embraced a worldview that did not allow for the resurrection of the dead. Indeed, theirs was a widespread conviction. Historian Tom Wright explained: "Ancient paganism contains all kinds of theories, but whenever resurrection is mentioned, the answer is a firm negative: we know that it doesn't happen." Therefore, the ancient world knew as well as we do that dead bodies do not get up out of graves. Christianity won its way because of the sheer weight of evidence that one man had actually risen from the dead. (2,3)
A second objection is that today we know the laws of nature and therefore, we also know that miracles are impossible. However, as Oxford mathematician John Lennox explained: "It is important to grasp that Christians do not deny the laws of nature...The scientific use of the word 'law' is not the same as the legal use, where we often think of a law as constraining someone's actions...Newton's Law of Gravitation tells me that if I drop an apple it will fall towards the centre of the earth. But that law does not prevent someone intervening, and catching the apple as it descends. In other words, the law predicts what will happen, provided there is no change in the conditions under which the experiment is conducted. Thus, from the theistic perspective, the laws of nature predict what is bound to happen if God does not intervene. To argue that the laws of nature make it impossible for us to believe in the existence of God, and in the possibility of his intervention in the universe, is plainly fallacious. It would be like claiming that understanding of the laws governing the behaviour of internal combustion engines makes it impossible to believe that the designer of a motor car, or one of his mechanics, could or would intervene to remove the cylinder head. Of course they could intervene. Moreover, this intervention would not destroy those laws. The very same laws that explained why the engine worked with the cylinder head on would now explain why it did not work with the head removed...When a miracle takes place, it is our knowledge of the laws of nature that alerts us to the fact that it is a miracle." (2)
The Explosion of the Early Church Clearly the resurrection or any event in history cannot be proven in a scientific laboratory. However, the resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact much more fully attested to than most other events of ancient history that we take for granted. The explosive growth of the early church was centered around the resurrection, and was striking evidence that it (the resurrection) happened. (2,3,4) (listen to NT Wright on youtube at right, or click here).
From the beginning the early church had a resurrection-centered view of reality.
For example, one of the first accounts of the empty tomb and
eyewitnesses was recorded by Paul only 15 to 20 years (possibly as little as 5 years) after the death of
Jesus:
"I
passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed
on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died." 1 Corinthians 15:3-6.
It is also noteworthy that nearly all of the apostles and early Christian leaders died for their faith. It is hard to believe that this kind of powerful self-sacrifice would be done to support a hoax. As Pascal put it "I [believe] those witnesses who get their throats cut." Consequently, as stated by Tim Keller: "Most people think that, when it comes to Jesus' resurrection,
the burden of proof is on believers to give evidence that it happened. That is not completely the case. It is not enough to simply
believe Jesus did not rise from the dead. You must then come up with a
historically feasible alternate explanation for the birth of the
church." (4)
Mary at the Empty Tomb, a stained glass reproduction of a painting by German artist Bernhard Plockhorst (1825-1907).
The Resurrection and You At the age of 50, Leo Tolstoy faced an inward crisis and asked the question lying in the soul of every person, a question that brought him to the verge of suicide. "Is there any meaning in my life that the inevitable death awaiting me does not destroy?" The resurrection of Jesus Christ answers that question with a resounding yes.
Consequently, I believe the significance of the resurrection warrants your serious consideration. Namely because if it really happened, Christianity teaches that our resurrection can be guaranteed as well. As NT Wright said (in the youtube video in this post), if your worldview doesn't allow the possibility of miracles and you simply won't believe it, then this is as far as I can take you. However, if you are open to changing your worldview to believing that maybe there is a God who is involved in sorting out this sad world, then you will find the evidence overwhelming for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Personally I find enormous comfort in this belief and desire the same for everyone-including you!
"Science and religion cannot be reconciled.” Peter Atkins
“All my studies in science… have confirmed my faith.”
Sir Ghillean Prance FRS
Wearing my new glasses!
Recently I picked up a pair of glasses for distance viewing,
which for me is the first time ever. I was amazed at how sharp my vision was. The
definition and clarity in road signs, trees, and buildings was astounding! It literally
took me back almost 35 years to when my vision was much better!
Origins of Complex
Life
I began to think about the different explanations for
the existence of something as complex and functional as the human eye. A theist
(one who believes in a deity) would say the eye was designed and created by God,
while an atheist would say the eye emerged automatically out of matter through
a mindless, unguided process. As I marveled at the sharpness of my vision, I couldn’t
help but wonder whether atheism really requires more faith than theism (1). Why,
if something as marvelous as vision simply emerged from the primordial soup,
would vision be so sharp? Why, for example, wouldn’t it be sufficient for the
eye to evolve just to the point of my present vision without glasses, which is
still overall quite functional? (2) This question is similar to, although not
as potentially damning as what has become known as Darwin’s Doubt. Darwin
wrote: ‘With me, the horrid doubt always
arises whether the convictions of man’s mind, which has been developed from the
mind of the lower animals, are of any value or at all trustworthy.’
Mathematicians have calculated that it is highly improbable that the eye
could have evolved by numerous small mutational changes since the available
time was simply not available. Even so-called new atheist Richard Dawkins,
author of “The God Delusion” stated: ‘You don’t need to be a mathematician or a
physicist to calculate that an eye…would take from here to infinity to self-assemble
by sheer higgledy-piggledy luck.’ Dawkins’ explanation, in a nutshell, is that
natural selection is a law-like process that finds a faster pathway through the
space of possibilities, which will increase the probabilities to acceptable
levels over geological time. There isn’t space in this post to delve into the
nuts and bolts of his explanation, but Oxford mathematician Dr. John Lennox
dissects it brilliantly and concludes that Dawkins’ explanation turns out to be
a guided process after all (3).
Science has Disproved
God?
The new atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Peter Atkins also
claim that science has eliminated the justification for believing in God. As a
scientist who believes in God, I resoundingly reject that claim. A poll published in Nature in the
mid-1990’s revealed that about 40% of all scientists believe both in a God who answers
prayer and in immortality (4). There have also been and are some very prominent
scientists who do believe in God – Francis Collins, Director of the Human
Genome Project, Professor Bill Phillips, winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics
in 1997, and others (5). The scientist Sir John Houghton FRS wrote: ‘Our science
is God’s science. He holds the responsibility for the whole scientific story… (6)
This reflects the belief of many scientists.
Even the late Stephen Jay Gould, who was not a believer in
God, wrote: ‘Either half my colleagues are enormously stupid, or else the
science of Darwinism is fully compatible with conventional religious beliefs –
and equally compatible with atheism.’ Gould also said that ‘science simply
cannot (by its legitimate methods) adjudicate the issue of God’s possible
existence. We neither affirm it nor deny it; we simply can’t comment on it as
scientists’ (7). Prominent atheist Thomas Nagel goes even farther, criticizing
the new atheists by saying their conception of nature, which is unable to
account for mind-related features such as consciousness, meaning, and value, flies in the face of common sense and is
almost certainly false (8).
War of the Worldviews
In his book God’s
Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? (9), Dr. John Lennox points out that, in
light of some of the points made above, the real conflict isn’t between science
and God at all. If that were true, the vast majority of scientists would
be atheists, which simply isn’t so. No, the real conflict is between two opposing
worldviews: theism and naturalism. Naturalism
is opposed to supernaturalism, and naturalism insists there can be no incursion
into nature from outside of nature (such as God, angels, etc.). Therefore,
naturalists have no other option than to insist that matter and energy must have
the potential to organize themselves in such a way that eventually something as
complex as the eye, or the human mind with its inherent hunger for meaning and purpose,
will emerge.
Dr. Lennox concludes his book by noting that all of us must choose
essentially between one of two presuppositions that will form the basis of our
worldview. He wrote: ‘Either human intelligence
ultimately owes its origin to mindless matter; or there is a Creator.’
As I drove into my driveway after picking up my glasses, I
got out of the car and looked up into the starry sky. The ‘restored’ clarity of
my vision truly enhanced the beauty of the moon and stars in the night sky.
As I stood there I thought of the Psalmists words:‘The heavens declare the
glory of God’ (10). And I thanked God that he gave me the ability to see with
my eyes and comprehend with my mind even just a small glimpse of his glory!
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