A year and a half ago, when I was unemployed and home taking care of my baby son, I was visited by two Jehovah’s Witnesses, who asked if they might come on a regular basis to lead me through their “Bible study”. While I had read books and browsed websites in the past that had helped me understand what they believe and how it differs from orthodox Christianity, I felt that it would be valuable and respectful to hear directly from the JW’s themselves what it was that they believed and why it is that they believe I am mistaken in my beliefs. Over the course of about ten visits, I listened to their spiel and engaged them in some dialogue and debate over their views on Jehovah, Jesus, and what it means to be a true worshiper of God. But when it became frustratingly clear to me that they weren’t the least bit interested in considering my opinion on matters, I let them know that I wouldn’t be able to meet with them any more. It was very frustrating to me to get to know people who were so eager to convert others but so afraid of actually considering that they themselves might be wrong.
Last week, I wrote about how much the pursuit of truth matters, especially in an age that values tolerance and letting people believe whatever they want to believe. After all, if you don’t wrestle with what is true, how will you know whether it’s right or wrong to abort children, eat meat, or free Indians from the caste system? Are you willing to say “live and let live” even if it means allowing other countries to allow forced slavery and child labor, or millions to be trapped in poverty without access to clean drinking water or basic health care? Or do you believe that there are some things that are worth declaring “wrong,” even if those who are practicing those things disagree?
Truth matters. It matters whether we are reincarnated when we die or whether we will giving an account to a God when our life ends. It matters whether we need to give our money and possessions to those who have not or whether we can just accumulate to our heart’s content. Personally, I may live my life with faith that God is real, that Jesus is divine, and that the Bible contains the words of God, but that doesn’t mean that I have checked my brain at the door. I want to know the truth, and if I what I am following a lie, then let me know so that I can sleep in on Sunday mornings.
A month ago I was privileged to take part in a panel at Manchester High School on world religions. One student asked an excellent question after we were done: “How important is history and archaeology to what you believe? Does it matter whether what you believe is actually true, or is it more about having faith?” What a profound question! I only wish I had been quicker on my feet to actually respond instead of just allowing others to answer. After giving it more thought, I know that my answer would have been, “If I find out tomorrow that Jesus did not really rise from the dead, I will be heading back to school to become an English teacher.” I’m not a pastor because it makes me happy or because I like doing nice things for people, and I’m definitely not a pastor for the money or the hours! I am a pastor because I am convinced that Jesus is the truth, that He is who He claimed to be in the Bible, and that the smartest thing I can do is to follow Him wherever He leads me. And, at this point in my life He has led me to being the pastor of NewLife, and by faith I believe that there is nowhere else I would rather be.
Do you see why the Jehovah’s Witnesses frustrated me so much? At the world religions panel, a similar thing happened when a student asked the Mormon representative another excellent question – “What do you do with all of the contradictions between the Bible and the Book of Mormon?” [there are lots of books and websites detailing these contradictions (such as the Bible teaching that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and the Book of Mormon saying he was born in Jerusalem), among them www.mormonchallenge.com/ref_biblecontra.htm]. With blissful (or chosen) ignorance, the Mormon gentleman replied, “I have read both of these books through, and I can’t find one contradiction.”
I don’t want to be an unthinking devotee who won’t question what he believes out of fear of overwhelming complexity or eternal punishment. I want to know the truth! I’ve found that whenever a book or movie comes out that attacks or makes fun of Christianity, I find myself wanting to read it or see it (and there have been a lot of them lately, from Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion, to Sam Harris’ Letter to a Christian Nation, to Christopher Hitchens’ God is Not Great)! Rather than dismiss it as blasphemous, I want to hear from people who don’t believe Jesus is divine, or who question the existence of God and the beauty of living life His way. If they are right and I am wrong, then let me know so that I can stop following the lie!
I will say it one more time – Truth matters. I love to hear of people questioning what they believe, if it is done as an honest pursuit of truth and not simply a rebellious decision to find something else to follow. And there is a big difference between the two – it is possible to question without really wanting to hear the answer. The Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias, in his book Jesus Among other Gods, quotes Thomas Nagel, professor of philosophy from New York University, as saying “I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers.” As Nagel was candid enough to admit, some people already know what they want to believe and refuse to be convinced otherwise. But for those who are honestly searching for the truth, I am excited to see them taking God seriously enough to question Him.
Faith is not blind, and it is not a crutch for weak people who can’t face reality. When I married my wife, I took the leap of faith because the evidence had convinced me that she was someone with whom I would love spending my life. If I had waited until I had absolute proof that marrying her was a good idea, I would still be waiting. Likewise, when I decided at age 18 to trust Jesus with my life, it was because the evidence was pointing to the reality that there was nothing more worthy of my love and devotion than a good, perfect God who had created me and loved me enough to sacrifice His life for me. Both my mind and my heart were in agreement that this was someone I could trust with my future. And thirteen years later, I still believe with all of my mind and heart that that “leap of faith” was the wisest decision I could have ever made.
Ravi Zacharias defined faith this way in his aforementioned book: “Faith is based on knowledge, confidence in the person of Jesus and his power, so that even when His power does not serve my end, my confidence in him remains because of who He is. It’s a commitment of love to Him based on who He claimed to be.” Faith in God is not the opposite of reason; it’s the most reasonable decision possible given the reality of who Jesus is.
If you find yourself searching, questioning, wondering about God and truth and whether or not Jesus is who He said He is, I commend you. Do not believe something simply because your parents, your pastor, or your teachers told you it was true. And if, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses who came to my door, you are so certain of your truth that you dare not open the door to questions or honest exploration of other viewpoints, then I would encourage you to make room for doubt and honest questioning. Don’t be afraid to pursue the truth, even if you are afraid of where it might lead you.
Remember Jesus, who said “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)
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