Dave Gets Serious Again

Since I arrived at Wesleyan last fall, I've been reading Lee Strobel's book "Case for Faith," which was given to me as graduation present by Tim and Georgia Pflederer. It is an outstanding piece of writing that looks to answer "The Big Eight" objections to Christianity:

1. Since Evil and Suffering Exist, A Loving God Cannot
2. Since Miracles Contradict Science, They Cannot be True
3. Evolution explains Life, So God Isn't Needed
4. God Isn't Worthy if He Kills Innocent Children
5. It's Offensive to Claim Jesus is the Only Way to God
6. A Loving God Would Never Torture People in Hell
7. Church History is Littered with Oppression and Violence
8. I Still Have Doubts, So I Can't be a Christian

Lee Strobel is an atheist-turned-Christian who, due to a former career in journalism, is a fantastic author. He looks at each objection with an open mind. To start each chapter, he presents you with a story that deals directly with the objection he is set to answer. Then, he travels around the United States and interviews eight champions of the Christian faith whose knowledge in these eight specific areas is remarkable.

Before I began this book, I must admit that the "Big Eight" were definitely a hurdle in my pursuit of Christianity. Sure, I believed that God created the world, that he inspired the writing of the Bible, that Jesus was his son and our only way to salvation, and that I would live with him in Heaven...but all of that came to me like arithmetic. I can do calculus problems, but if somebody were to challenge me to prove calculus, I would be up a creek without a paddle in a burning canoe. Likewise, I felt that I knew the basics of Christianity, but if anyone presented me with an objection in size and stature to "The Big Eight," I would have no choice but to fold.

Strobel concludes his book with a fantastic challenge: "In the end," he writes, "faith is a step of will." The bible verse that drives Strobel's book is found in Jeremiah 29:13 where it says: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." To complete his book, Strobel leaves us with that picture. If we are truly desiring God, if we truly want to know him, and if we are truly willing to put aside our human-generated doubts and excuses, then we will discover the God that created the world and wants us to live with him forever.

Now, I didn't intend this to be a book report, so if you still have questions, I strongly encourage you to read the book for yourself. Also, I heard there's a really good DVD series made out of this book, so I might look into that in the near future. I leave you now with two of the most impacting passages from the book.

"Those who believe in God but without passion in the heart, without anguish of mind, without uncertainty, without doubt, and even at times without despair, believe only in the idea of God, and not in God himself." -Madeleine L'Engle

" 'Okay,' he said. 'I'm holding something. Do you know what it is?'
I ventured a guess: 'A coin.'
'But you don't know for sure,' he said. 'That's your opinion. Our faith is not our opinion. Let me tell you I've got a quarter in my hand. Do you believe that?'
'Sure,' I said.
'I'm telling you it's true, but you haven't seen it. That's faith. [The book of] Hebrews says faith is the evidence of things not seen.'
Anderson smiled. 'Watch as I completely destroy your faith.' With that, he opened his hand to reveal a quarter. 'Now it's no longer faith; it's knowledge.'
He tossed the quarter on the table. 'Sometimes people think that faith is knowing something is true beyond any doubt whatsoever, and so they try to prove faith through empirical evidence,' he said. 'But that's the wrong approach.' "