"Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the fine dust on the balance; behold, He taketh up the isles as a very little thing." Isaiah 40:15
"The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord...He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision." Psalm 2:2, 4
No matter how "well-grounded" one's faith is, the disbelief of unbelievers can be quite disturbing and disconcerting. It is oft times a terrifying ordeal to step into the "marketplace of ideas." Individual arguments are irrelevant; the sheer volume of arguments is what shakes a person. It is easy to be post-modern. Merely walk into and just look at all the different (and often opposing) ideas in the world. It can be very overwhelming, and in the middle of it all can hear yourself ask, "How do I know I found the right thing amongst all these things?" It is a terrifying place to be, indeed; but I dare say that it is one we must all reach sooner or later if we are to gain any sort of strength worthy of the name. We must all, whether we like it or not, one day face head-on the tension between the plots and ideas of man and the truth of God.
If anyone ever asked me (and they have) why I believe what I believe (or anything at all) in the face of some much, I could point to books I've read (and am reading, and plan to read), Bible passages I've learned and wrestled with towards understanding, and experiences I have had that lead me to know what I know. In truth, however, the shortest answer is the best: having read, learned, understood, and experienced what I have (and am, and will), I believe this Christian thing (i.e., Creation, Fall, Incarnation, Redemption, Trinity, etc.) to be the truth because this Christian thing just makes sense at the end of the day (I primarily have Chesterton to thank for that, though all things added to it). The further up and in I go into Christianity, the more and more I am satisfied intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and practically. Intellectually, in my fundamental need for logic and reason, and disdain for naiveté and willful ignorance. Emotionally, in my fundamental need for security and adventure. Spiritually (some might say "Psychologically"), in my fundamental need for teleology and purpose (as well as freedom from Sin). Practically, in my fundamental need for use (is the thing able to work itself out in real life), and that, I would venture to say, is where most ideas fail miserably. They are fun to talk about (or lord over others) in an academic setting (or leaning on the mantelpiece with a cocktail in your hand), but in the real world they just do not work. You find yourself denying them all the time, and I defiantly hold that Christianity does not have that problem. It is a practical worldview, one of the very few practical worldviews out there.
Ultimately, however, all that is not what keeps me calm in the face of vehement doubt and violent skepticism. What does is the knowledge that God is never disturbed or bothered by the noise of critics. I believe Chesterton said that the joy of the Lord is our strength because it is God's joy, a joy unshakable and unconquerable. All the ideas and plots, all the best and worst of man changes nothing. All the nations are still of no consequence to Him, their plans swallowed into His plans, and their plans against Him are His favorite joke. It is very nice to be able to say, "I believe because it just makes sense." It is much nicer to be able to say, "Though you cannot know it exactly like I know it, I believe because I have met this God, I know He is real, and He says in His word that He is unmoved and unaffected by the quantity and bite of men's thoughts." I will gladly admit the former, but ultimately plead the latter.
Explaining to people why you know Christianity is true is a tricky ordeal because, alone amongst the ideas of this world, it is not merely an idea. It is a relationship with a person, and such a thing cannot be ultimately explained by logic or argument. It is not void of logic or argument; it just is a shore that they cannot reach. The trick to explaining Christianity is that, at the end of the day, no one can know Christianity is true because you explained it to them; they have to experience it for themselves.
"To know these truths
Is to know You.
To know You is to
Never, no never, be moved..."
-Jon Vowell
"The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord...He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision." Psalm 2:2, 4
No matter how "well-grounded" one's faith is, the disbelief of unbelievers can be quite disturbing and disconcerting. It is oft times a terrifying ordeal to step into the "marketplace of ideas." Individual arguments are irrelevant; the sheer volume of arguments is what shakes a person. It is easy to be post-modern. Merely walk into and just look at all the different (and often opposing) ideas in the world. It can be very overwhelming, and in the middle of it all can hear yourself ask, "How do I know I found the right thing amongst all these things?" It is a terrifying place to be, indeed; but I dare say that it is one we must all reach sooner or later if we are to gain any sort of strength worthy of the name. We must all, whether we like it or not, one day face head-on the tension between the plots and ideas of man and the truth of God.
If anyone ever asked me (and they have) why I believe what I believe (or anything at all) in the face of some much, I could point to books I've read (and am reading, and plan to read), Bible passages I've learned and wrestled with towards understanding, and experiences I have had that lead me to know what I know. In truth, however, the shortest answer is the best: having read, learned, understood, and experienced what I have (and am, and will), I believe this Christian thing (i.e., Creation, Fall, Incarnation, Redemption, Trinity, etc.) to be the truth because this Christian thing just makes sense at the end of the day (I primarily have Chesterton to thank for that, though all things added to it). The further up and in I go into Christianity, the more and more I am satisfied intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and practically. Intellectually, in my fundamental need for logic and reason, and disdain for naiveté and willful ignorance. Emotionally, in my fundamental need for security and adventure. Spiritually (some might say "Psychologically"), in my fundamental need for teleology and purpose (as well as freedom from Sin). Practically, in my fundamental need for use (is the thing able to work itself out in real life), and that, I would venture to say, is where most ideas fail miserably. They are fun to talk about (or lord over others) in an academic setting (or leaning on the mantelpiece with a cocktail in your hand), but in the real world they just do not work. You find yourself denying them all the time, and I defiantly hold that Christianity does not have that problem. It is a practical worldview, one of the very few practical worldviews out there.
Ultimately, however, all that is not what keeps me calm in the face of vehement doubt and violent skepticism. What does is the knowledge that God is never disturbed or bothered by the noise of critics. I believe Chesterton said that the joy of the Lord is our strength because it is God's joy, a joy unshakable and unconquerable. All the ideas and plots, all the best and worst of man changes nothing. All the nations are still of no consequence to Him, their plans swallowed into His plans, and their plans against Him are His favorite joke. It is very nice to be able to say, "I believe because it just makes sense." It is much nicer to be able to say, "Though you cannot know it exactly like I know it, I believe because I have met this God, I know He is real, and He says in His word that He is unmoved and unaffected by the quantity and bite of men's thoughts." I will gladly admit the former, but ultimately plead the latter.
Explaining to people why you know Christianity is true is a tricky ordeal because, alone amongst the ideas of this world, it is not merely an idea. It is a relationship with a person, and such a thing cannot be ultimately explained by logic or argument. It is not void of logic or argument; it just is a shore that they cannot reach. The trick to explaining Christianity is that, at the end of the day, no one can know Christianity is true because you explained it to them; they have to experience it for themselves.
"To know these truths
Is to know You.
To know You is to
Never, no never, be moved..."
-Jon Vowell
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