I have spent a lot of time this past year talking to people about what they believe and about what I believe.  I have had a lot of good conversations that have taken many different paths.  A trend I have noticed, though, is that in many conversations about Christianity, the question being asked by the person I’m talking to isn’t “is Christianity true?”  The question they are asking is “do I like Christianity” or “do I have time for Christianity”.  These two mindsets concern me and I’d like to talk about why they do.

“Is Christianity true” vs “do I like Christianity”

Admittedly there are some doctrines in Christianity that are tough to swallow, such as the doctrine of hell.  There are some questions that are hard to answer such as, “How is it fair that people in remote parts of the world die without hearing about Jesus and go to hell because they haven’t accepted him as their Savior?”  Difficult, challenging, and sometimes heartbreaking things to talk about?  Yes.  Truths that aren’t easily likable?  Yes.  Do the affirmatives to these two questions make Christianity less true?  No.  Does something that is easily acceptable make it more true?  No.  (It also doesn’t make it less true.)  Does something that is more difficult to accept make it less true?  No.  The likability of a claim (in this case, a religion) has no effect on its truthfulness.  I don’t like gravity because it stops me from being able to fly.  This doesn’t make the fact that gravity exists any less true.

“Is Christianity true” vs “do I have time for Christianity”

Often this comes out as, “I’m really busy right now so I don’t have time to get involved in Christianity” or “when I’m older and out of college I’ll look into it”.  I think this really brings out the heart of the matter in both of these questions I’ve highlighted.  Regardless of whether you share my beliefs that Christianity is the one true religion and Jesus is the only way to God, this is what Christianity teaches.  The message of the gospel is that we are sinful, we need Jesus, and without him we are on a path toward everlasting torment in hell.  Now that is pretty serious stuff.  These are the kinds of things the Bible teaches though.  It teaches that by the acceptance or rejection of Jesus as our Savior, our eternal fate is determined.  In my opinion, once hearing the Christian message, the most important question to be answered would be “is it true.”  Is what the Bible teaches reality?  Whether you believe it or not, this book claims to hold the words of the one true God and claims to teach the way for the only means of salvation.  Is the book right?  Are its claims true?

I think the most important question we can ever ask is “does God exist?”  Secondly, if he does exist, how do we learn about him?  By definition, Christianity says that God exists and that the Bible holds the means to know him.  It claims to have the answer to the question that has entranced human beings for ages.  Now what needs to be asked is: is it true?

 

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