12/11/06 – A recent conversation with a friend of mine reminded me of how challenging it is to take a stand for objective truth in our postmodern culture. Specifically, for anyone trying to maintain a Christian worldview, the world we find ourselves in is ripe with alternate explanations of reality and the origin of truth itself. For the Christian who hasn’t taken the time to think about the objective foundations of her faith, the opportunity for her faith to be shaken by opposing viewpoints is great.
This situation leads me to this topic: For followers of Jesus Christ, what is the nature of the faith that they profess? Are Christ followers ones who simply have faith for the sake of faith? In other words, is professing faith in Jesus Christ a leap of faith that is characterized by a blind trusting in Christ despite a myriad of evidence that points to the fallacy of holding such a view? Or, if one is inclined to search, can a more robust defense be made for an individual’s placing his or her faith in Jesus Christ?
I’ll begin by saying that if I believed the former rather than the latter, then it might be best if I stop right where I’m at. If faith is characterized as blind trust despite evidence to the contrary, then my faith doesn’t depend on arguments for or against it, it merely depends on my willingness to believe for the sake of believing. I don’t need to search for anything more in regards to the foundations of my faith because I already have all that is required of me: a blind trust.
However, according to the Scriptures, the Christian’s faith is not a blind trust rather it is an assent to and active trusting in claims supported by actual events which took place in human history. Christ followers are those who come to God repenting of their sin and acknowledge that Jesus Christ was sacrificed to pay their debt before God. It is Christ alone who offers a sufficient sacrifice for our sin.
Moreover, the knowledge or reasons backing up the Christian’s faith doesn’t stop with this simple presentation of the Gospel. The message of the Gospel depends upon the fact that it is based upon actual events that took place in history. When Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians, he answered some members of their church who were saying there is no resurrection of the dead with these words:
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied (emphasis mine).
1st Corinthians 15: 13 - 19
In other words, nearly two-thousand years ago, if a real man known as Jesus of Nazareth didn’t die on a Roman cross and was raised by God on the third day, everyone who calls themselves a Christian should renounce their faith because it is worthless and they are believing in a fairy tale. Faith for the sake of faith is not a virtue in the Christian faith. Rather, Scripture tells us our faith should be backed up by knowledge. The Apostle Peter put it this way:
sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you
1st Peter 3:15
The Greek word that Peter uses for “a defense” is apologia. This means a reasoned statement or argument. This is where the discipline of apologetics gets its name. Apologetics is a branch of theology devoted to the defense of the divine origin and authority of Christianity. It is this discipline that offers many good arguments for why Christians are justified in placing their faith in some of the very foundations of our religion (i.e. the historical reliability and accuracy of the Bible, the accurate transmission of the text through the centuries, etc).
These things being said, I’ll answer my original question by saying that placing my faith in Christ does not involve a leap of faith, rather it is a reasonable trust in one who has shown himself to be trustworthy.
Now you should be asking, how has Christ shown himself to be trustworthy? My answer is that my examination of the Scriptures along with further explorations in philosophy, archeology, history and other disciplines have worked to further confirm my conviction that Christ’s depiction of the world is the depiction which can most accurately describe all of reality.
Therefore, I would contend that a faith unquestioned, bereft of any reason to back it up, is really no faith at all. Rather, it is foolishness. As a Christ follower, my encouragement to anyone who has questions about their faith or lack there of is to ask questions and seek answers. My faith has certainly been bolstered as I have taken the time to study theology, apologetics, philosophy and the like. I have found that not only can Christianity compete in the marketplace of ideas, it actually thrives.
For further studies in developing a Christian worldview, let me point you to two books I’ve recently found helpful:
The Universe Next Door by James W. Sire
My wife read this book while she was in college. Since we’ve been married it has been sitting on our bookshelf. A couple of months ago, I picked it up and started working my way through it taking time to digest each chapter as Sire examines all of the major worldviews - from theism to deism to naturalism to Eastern monism and concluding with New Age and Post Modern perspectives.
Having finished the book last night, I come away from it with an enriched understanding of the different major understandings of our world held by people today.
Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey
Starting with an explanation of the concept of a “worldview”, Nancy Pearcey presents an effective case in her book about how the Christian worldview is the most effective and rational explanation for all of reality.
I began this book at the same time as The Universe Next Door, and although it is a much longer work, I finished it over a month ago. Pearcey presents a fascinating account of the circumstances which have led to a marginalization of the Christian worldview. Then she presents her ideas for how Christians can regain the intellectual territory that they have lost. Along the way, she interweaves her own journey from atheism to belief in Christ.
4 Comments
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So, maybe it’s good and helpful for you that you can find reasons (in the sense of rational arguments and external evidence) for your putting your trust in Christ, but it surely isn’t necessary for quality faith that a person have such reasons/ evidence.
Think about a person who doesn’t have access to the reasons/evidence of which you speak. Maybe she grows up in an area where there are few Christians and where there are no apologetic resources available. She hears the gospel from someone, and she finds herself believing it to be true. She has no external evidence of its truth other than the testimony of the person who shared Christ with her, and she may even have evidence against its truth (e.g., the testimony and arguments of all of the intellectual leaders in her culture).
I take it that if she nonetheless has faith and believes, her faith is a good thing, and she isn’t violating any commandments. What I would say is not that she has “blind faith” or that she’s “taking a leap of faith.” What I would say instead is that she does have a reason, but that reason isn’t an external one, one you can reach by argument or looking around in the world. Her reason is the (internal) testimony of the Holy Spirit.
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Claire,
I completely concur with your statements. It is not how much we know that saves us, it is God who is always the author and finisher of our faith. Thanks for taking the time to express your point.
My point in this post is to say that if a Christian finds him or herself troubled by intellectual challenges to his or her faith, then there is no need to “run and hide” because I believe the view of the world that Christ offers can stand against anything that the world can throw at it. If this point wasn’t clear in what I wrote, I thank you for taking the time to draw it out of me.
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Claire,
One other thing, after a reread of my second paragraph, I just made a revision. Originally, the last sentence of my second paragraph read:
After rereading that sentence, I think it sounds as if I am implying that something more is required of us than faith for our salvation.
That is not what I think: I believe we are saved solely by God’s grace expressing itself through our faith, and no work on our part, whether intellectual, spiritual, physical, or anything else, amounts to anything with regards to dealing with the problem of our sin before a holy God (Gal. 2: 8 - 10).
This being the case, I reworded the sentence in question to read:
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Thanks for your post on Faith and Questions. I found it to be an encouragement to those who have faith that it can be strengthened by rational evidence.
Now in Claire’s response she creates a “straw girl” who hears the Gospel and finds herself believing it to be true. She then says the girl, “has no external evidence of its truth,” or rather does have a reason to believe, but it isn’t an external one.
Jesus says in John 16 that the work of the Holy Spirit is to “convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.”
As the Holy Spirit brings inward conviction regarding sin and the true nature of it, our faith in the Gospel is affirmed as we see not only the external evidence of the sinful actions in our lives, but also in the actions of the world. An example of how I see the truth or Gospel confirmed by external evidence.
Regarding Claire’s final statement about the girl having “a reason, but that reason isn