Dear
Friends,
Over
the coming months, I will try and use this space to respond to some of the
questions people most often ask me as a Vicar. If you have a question, please
do drop our office an email at boxriverbenefice@gmail.com.
This
month’s question is, why should I become a Christian?
In
Britain today Over 50% of us say we follow some kind of religion (worldwide
that rises to 90%). Christianity is the fasted growing religion in the world, but
it has declined in western countries in recent years. Becoming a Christian
stems from one conviction…
If
you are considering becoming a Christian, you don’t have to explore every other
religion and spiritual self-help guide to decide which one you like most. All
you have to do to know if you are going to be a Christian for the rest of your
life is to ask and answer one question. Is Jesus who he says he is?
Jesus
said clearly that he was God. That is objectively true. He didn’t say “I am like
God”. He didn’t say “I am God if you want me to be. I’m not God if
you don’t want me to be”. He said “I am God”.
There
is a thing called the law of non-contradiction.[1] It asserts that
contradictory propositions cannot both be true in the same sense at the same
time. So using that principle, Jesus cannot both be God and not be God. He
claimed to be God. So the question we have to ask is, is that true? Because
that is an objective claim and it is either true or false, regardless of
whether I like it or not.
In
the Bible, after Jesus has been arrested but before he is assassinated on the
cross, he stands trial in front of the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. Jesus does
not use this time to make excuses or plead his innocence – although he would
have every right to. Instead he simply says to Pilate, “You say that I am a
king. For this reason I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify
to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate,
conflicted and aware that what happens next could have huge consequences for
his own comfort and safety, chooses the easy way out and simply responds with
the famous words, “What is truth?”[2]
Perhaps
there have always been those who have tried to deny the existence of truth in
order to prosper materialistically. Truth can be inconvenient. It can disrupt
our lives and our plans. It most certainly does mean that we cannot just do
whatever we want whenever we want to without there being consequences. Truth
isn’t dependent upon our feelings or our opinions. Whilst we may pretend to
ourselves that truth doesn’t matter; truth is still truth. Right is still right
and wrong is still wrong. Our opinion doesn’t much matter. What we believe in
does!
The
other day, a student of philosophy asked me if I was worried about the apparent
decline of Christianity in this country? I said “no”! I said I was obviously concerned
at the decline in the commitment people show towards church, community,
relationships, family, charity, compassion, goodwill, which is seemingly a
result of Christianity’s declining influence in society, but I am not concerned
at the Church’s apparent decline per-se. Astonished, he asked me why not? I
said “because God is still God and truth is still truth. What is true will
always be, no matter how many choose to believe in it or not.”
I
continued, “what I do know is that in God things flourish and grow –
individuals, relationships, communities, nature. Without God they shrivel and
die”. You see, the pendulum swings. Sometimes we have to be on the verge of
losing something before we realise its worth. Maybe that is what the Church is
experiencing in some Western countries today. We are in the middle of an
experimentation of a worldview where truth does not seem to matter and
individualism, materialism, self-gain, greed and instant gratification are
principal pillars. When that fails, we will return again to the life of
compassion, mercy, self-sacrifice, community and love, where everyone has value
and dignity – all things we see from God in Jesus Christ and gives us life in
all its fullness.
Food
for thought.
Many
blessings,
Fr
Rob
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