withallyourmind.net

Two days ago, I related to you an account of how a religious beat editor for the L.A. Times lost his faith. There is much to say regarding this sad story. Most importantly, perhaps, as a commenter on that previous post reminded us, we are all challenged to live a life consistent with the profession of our faith. To do otherwise does great damage to the cause of Christ.

In this post, I would simply ask the question, “Why should anyone become a Christian?”. I think there are many reasons why people do in actuality become Christians. Some have been raised in Christian families and consider themselves Christian by a sort of osmosis. It is a cultural issue. Some convert to Christianity because their lives are in shambles and they are looking for a way out. This seems to be the case for Mr. Lobdell, the religious reporter. Some become Christian because it makes them feel good inside. I think men and women convert to Christianity for a lot of different reasons. Here is how Mr. Lobdell described his conversion:

With my eyes closed in prayer, I saw my heart slowly opening in two and then being infused with a warm, glowing light. A tingle spread across my chest. This, I thought, was what it was to be born again… My new friends, in Christ, many of whom I had first met Friday, gave me hugs and slaps on the back.

I don’t think ultimately that any of the above reasons are sufficient to steady one’s faith in the face of opposition. One thing that I noticed was missing in Mr. Lobdell’s account of his experience with God was an examination of the truth claims of Christianity. Based on his article, I conclude that he never really asked whether the claims of Christianity were true based on their own merits. At the end of the article, he concludes that Christianity is not the true religion, but this decision was not made on the propositions of Christianity, but rather on the actions of some individuals who called themselves “Christian”. While in no way excusing the despicable acts of those “Christians” he describes in his story, I think Mr. Lobdell was mistaken. Just as he became convinced of the Christian truth based on a good feeling at conversion, he became unconvinced based on the bad feeling he experienced as a result of the sins of those he respected.

I believe Mr. Lobdell erred, and seriously so, by basing his Christianity on his own feelings and the actions of others rather than by examining the Christian truth-claims and worldview to see if they make more sense of the world than any other religious system (including atheism). I am a Christian, not because those I go to church with are spotless exemplars of morality, but because I think that the Christian claims about the world are true. If that is the case, I must attempt to reconcile the actions of “believers” with the claims of Scripture.

This brings me to an important question that I hope to address in the next post… Do the immoral actions of “believers” negate the “truth” of Christianity? If Christianity is true, should Christians be more moral than other religious believers or non-believers? Philosopher John Hick, makes the argument that because Christians are not morally superior to other folks Christianity cannot be the only true religion. I’ll take a look at these claims.