Doubt

I attended church today and was happy that we were given free reign to pull out our cell phones and "text" our responses to 2 questions the pastor asked of the audience.  The first question, and I am paraphrasing, was, "Do you believe the Bible to be the inspired and inerrant word of God?"  We were told that only a small fraction of Americans believe that to be the case.  However, the real time texting results revealed that over 80% of the church attendees believed that claim to be true. 

Yet, when we ask ourselves this question in private,  I wonder if that percentage would still hold true.  I  sent the pastor a comment to his blog post while in church because I don't have texting.  Someone asked me, "You have Internet access but no texting?"  I know, it makes no sense and that is a whole different story entirely, trust me!  Anyway, since I could not participate in the text voting, I did the second best thing.  I wrote to our pastor what my thoughts were.  The rest of this blog is an encapsulation of what I wrote to him.

I do believe the Bible to be the inspired and inerrant word of God, 100%.  However, during his sermon (while I was busy manipulating my cell phone), a passage from the Bible was offered up.  It was Isaiah 55: 8-9.  It says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." I think the issue of the Bible and whether it is true or not comes down to this statement out of Isaiah.  Personally, I believe the Bible is written in a way by men inspired and possessed by the Holy Spirit, that only those who are equally inspired and possessed by the Holy Spirit can understand.  Our finite minds cannot completely see and grasp the full extent of the truth from an infinite God.  How can we understand God based solely on a human mind's perspective, using human rationale?  It cannot be done.  We must develop the mind of God and that requires developing a life based on the "spiritual" realm, not the worldly, physical, and material realm.

The second question was, "How many read the Bible on a consistent basis?"  The percentage was very low and his response was, 'how can you say that the Bible is 100% accurate when you're not even acquainted with it on an intimate level?'  What is and has happened to all of us is that we have come to rely heavily upon others for "our truth."  We put 100% faith in others to deliver us the goods and have 100% faith that the goods are 100% accurate.  We need to pick up our Bibles and start digging and investigating for ourselves.  We cannot have a personal relationship with God unless we personally do the work to establish that relationship.  

Finally, I will leave you with a controversial piece.  Our church's theme topic currently is on "Why?"  Why does the Bible matter?  Is it true?  Can we intelligently engage agnostics and atheists in debate?  I was given a  movie to watch by an acquaintance of mine.  He is a non-Christian.  However, he did not push it on me. I was interested in looking at it for myself.  One of the things our church has been talking about is reading the views of non-Christians and atheists.  This movie, "Zeitgeist", challenges Christianity at its core.  It compares Jesus to many other "prophets" or wise men from other religions (B.C) who were supposedly born on December 25th, born to a virgin, visited by 3 wise men, and were crucified and rose on the 3rd day. It then argues that the language in the Bible is astrologically symbolic.  The movie is long with only the beginning dedicated to debunking Christianity.  The rest deals with conspiracy theories on how the central bank and federal reserve control the US and have since its inception in 1913, enslaving Americans through its economic schemes.   

The following link will take you to Professor John Stackhouse's Blog where he provides an excellent critique to the movie, http://stackblog.wordpress.com/2008/06/13/zeitgeist-the-movie-the-new-chariots-of-the-gods/#more-148.  I obtained this link from Ravi Zacharias' ministry home page (http://www.rzim.org/USA/USFV/tabid/436/ArticleID/10172/CBModuleId/1561/Default.aspx) I believe we need not turn and run in fear of engaging people who oppose our views.  I do, however, believe that you must be strong in your faith to engage these arguments or you could easily be persuaded to "jump ship."  So, "work out your faith with fear and trembling" and stand firm in the knowledge of God and his ways.  Then and only then can we withstand the onslaught of many who come with creative and compelling arguments.