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01 Trust God Faith in the Hard Times
01 Trust God Faith in the Hard Times
Sermon by Rev. Bryan Johnson
Sermon by Rev. Bryan Johnson
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Is the Christian Worldview Defendable?
Is the Christian Worldview defendable? If one listens to those in academia, the thought of such defense is preposterous. Richard Dawkins, Bill Moyers and the like would lead everyone to believe that a theistic worldview, which is held by a vast majority of humanity, is delusional. And while Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and others are rarely criticized for their beliefs, Christians are verbally and “intellectually” attacked at will, with little rebuttal. To add to the dilemma, many Christian universities have adopted the same liberal and critical views of secular universities, reducing Christianity to an “option” in a plethora of religious faiths. Further, some in the evangelical community have an anti-intellectual mindset, citing that philosophical arguments are fruitless. But for the most part, little is known about the “battle” that rages. As Craig and Moreland have said, “the average Christian does not realize that there is an intellectual struggle going on in the universities and scholarly journals and professional societies.”1 What can be done to combat the anti-Christian, pro-humanist sentiment brewing in this age? The Christian community must logically present a case for what it believes. The “philosophy” of the Christian worldview must first be clearly understood by believers before they can transform their community with the Gospel. When Paul wrote, “Study to show thyself approved … rightly dividing the word of truth,” he understood the necessity for a “good argument” in communicating the truth of the Word (2 Tim 2:15).
In the following weeks and months, I will be sharing with you highlights from the book Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, covering those topics which I feel are most important for Christians to know. This textbook was originally designed for college/grad students, but any serious student of the bible or theology can learn from the material in this book. It is my prayer that you and I will grow in knowledge, able to defend the Christian worldview with dynamism and renewed enthusiasm.
As an introduction, the book quotes David Wells who was concerned with the majority of Christians being spiritually and intellectually “immature.” As a result, the Christian community has had little impact on society in recent years. He says, “a powerful and alternative worldview should have been unleashed … from one end of the country to the other … the results should by now be unmistakable. But as it turns out, all of this swelling of the evangelical ranks has passed unnoticed in the culture … the presence of evangelicals in American culture has barely caused a ripple.”2 It is not just evangelicals, but all Christians in general, who are charged with this inability to change the current culture. This comment from Wells caught me off guard at first, but as I thought it through, I felt he was right. Don’t get me wrong, the church has a “presence” here in America, yet in the last fifty years or so we have seen prayer removed from schools, abortion made legal, sexually explicit themes on television made commonplace, “alternative lifestyles” promoted and celebrated, and the internet flooded with pornography! This should not be. It is time to engage our culture with a new purpose! “Christian faith is not an apathetic faith, a brain-dead faith, but a living, inquiring faith.”3
1 J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview (Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic, 2003), 1.
2 Ibid., 6.
3 Ibid., 7.
In the following weeks and months, I will be sharing with you highlights from the book Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, covering those topics which I feel are most important for Christians to know. This textbook was originally designed for college/grad students, but any serious student of the bible or theology can learn from the material in this book. It is my prayer that you and I will grow in knowledge, able to defend the Christian worldview with dynamism and renewed enthusiasm.
As an introduction, the book quotes David Wells who was concerned with the majority of Christians being spiritually and intellectually “immature.” As a result, the Christian community has had little impact on society in recent years. He says, “a powerful and alternative worldview should have been unleashed … from one end of the country to the other … the results should by now be unmistakable. But as it turns out, all of this swelling of the evangelical ranks has passed unnoticed in the culture … the presence of evangelicals in American culture has barely caused a ripple.”2 It is not just evangelicals, but all Christians in general, who are charged with this inability to change the current culture. This comment from Wells caught me off guard at first, but as I thought it through, I felt he was right. Don’t get me wrong, the church has a “presence” here in America, yet in the last fifty years or so we have seen prayer removed from schools, abortion made legal, sexually explicit themes on television made commonplace, “alternative lifestyles” promoted and celebrated, and the internet flooded with pornography! This should not be. It is time to engage our culture with a new purpose! “Christian faith is not an apathetic faith, a brain-dead faith, but a living, inquiring faith.”3
1 J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview (Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic, 2003), 1.
2 Ibid., 6.
3 Ibid., 7.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
What is the central message of the Bible?
I sent the following email to a college student who was in need a pastor to explain the central truth of the Bible. I could have given the student a quick three-sentence quip, but instead was compelled to provide a clear apologetic answer. I received an email a few days later from the student’s professor, thanking me being thorough; she was not a believer, but was impressed that I had a good argument:
[Question]
Finally, ask the following question of a Christian minister, pastor, priest or other full time worker in the church. There is no right or wrong answer for this one. The point for this one is to get an opinion different from mine or your readings.
4. What is the central message of the Bible? (10 points)
[Response]
Great question!
In short, the answer is fourfold: creation, transgression, redemption, and culmination.
The bible was given to us by about 40 different authors, written in a span of about 1500 years. In that time, Christian tradition states that God used human authors who were influenced or “inspired” by His Spirit to write the books and letters we now have in our bible.
The act of creation is not totally disclosed to us and some events in space and time are still a mystery. It was never God’s design to give us all the answers, but rather give us enough information for both reason and faith to anchor to. The creation narrative is the first act of business in Genesis. It starts, “In the beginning God created…” Thus two major points are made; first, before creation, God already existed and secondly, creation was an act of will on His part (some call this an act of grace, for He did not have to do so). So in order for God to exist “before” anything else requires a Being who is uncaused and non-material. To defend this position, most biblical scholars point out that it is impossible for something (material) to come from absolute nothing. To do so defies logic and modern science. The opposing response from naturalists (those who believe that the universe exists by chance alone) is to assume that the universe has always existed, which again is plagued with difficulties. The biblical answer to our existence is that God designed and created us; we are not a cosmic accident (contra the “big bang” theory). The bible then describes that mankind had a “relationship” with Him, as seen in the Garden of Eden account. But something broke down in that relationship, and takes us to the next message of the bible.
Biblical doctrine and tradition states that God is perfect, holy, and righteous. Consequently, mankind was also made perfect. But what kind of man (according to Genesis, Adam was created first) should God create? He could have created man like an automaton, with no will or consciousness (also referred to as the “soul” or “spirit”). To do so would make him like a walking computer at best, no relationship involved at all. He could have made him like the rest of the animal kingdom, relying on instincts for survival. Again, there is no consciousness to speak of, only a response to natural surroundings; no love, no good, no evil, just survival of the fittest. But the biblical account says that man was created in His image, a personal being, conscious, and with a will of his own. In this relationship with man, God had only one condition; man must not eat from a particular tree in the garden. Silly some might say, but ultimately it was a test; it was to demonstrate love. If man would obey God, it would confirm his love for Him. The penalty (remember, God is holy) for disobedience was death. Not death immediate, but death nonetheless. According to the bible, this death was of the physical body and not of the consciousness (which was created to be eternal). Yet the “spirit” would suffer, separated from God and placed with others who have disobeyed (we read in the bible that God had created other conscious “spiritual” beings called angels; some of them willfully rejected God and were removed from heaven, destined to be put in a place of suffering, or “hell”). From the story, we know that Adam disobeys God. Because of this transgression (sin), Adam and his wife Eve are removed from the garden, starting the cycle of life and death for mankind. Although this sounds unfair, God did make other plans.
In order to restore a relationship with His creation, God had provided a way for man to escape death’s “finality” (first consciously, then physically). The words death and blood are often found together in the bible. When Adam sinned, God covered the man’s nakedness with the skin of animal; a “blood” sacrifice of an animal was made because of disobedience. But this act of sacrifice would not cover all the sins of the world. Only a perfect sacrifice, made by God, could atone for all sin. Thus, God made a covenant (promise) with Adam that One would come in the future to “save” them from sin and death. Throughout biblical history, God renewed that covenant with mankind, and verified it with prophetic statements; those prophecies were finally fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (About 4 B.C. through 30 A.D.)That is why the church celebrates Good Friday and Easter. Redemption was made, and salvation is now available to all those who repent of their sin and confess that Jesus is God and that He has saved them. And just like before, God allows mankind his will to operate at this point. We can either accept the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice or reject it and suffer eternally as a result. We are not automatons, we make the choice.
The bible also states that the cycle of life and death, sin and salvation will not go on forever. The life cycle as we know it will end. God’s cosmic alarm clock will go off, signaling a new and final chapter to God’s creation. There will come what the bible calls the final judgment; a culmination of all that God has done. All humans will be judged according to their “relationship” with God in Jesus Christ. All those who accepted the salvation “message” will live with God eternally in a new heaven and earth; their consciousness (or spirit) will be reunited with the body (one that is rejuvenated and incorruptible). The others who rejected God (human and angel) are said to experience suffering eternally, separated from God with no hope of redemption ever again. For the believer it‘s much like “starting over” but with no fears of sin, sickness or death to worry about. Further, we will have a true relationship with God again.
I hope that this was not too much information, but I thought you may want a more detailed response, especially for a college course.
God Bless and have a great Easter!
Rev. Bryan Johnson
[Question]
Finally, ask the following question of a Christian minister, pastor, priest or other full time worker in the church. There is no right or wrong answer for this one. The point for this one is to get an opinion different from mine or your readings.
4. What is the central message of the Bible? (10 points)
[Response]
Great question!
In short, the answer is fourfold: creation, transgression, redemption, and culmination.
The bible was given to us by about 40 different authors, written in a span of about 1500 years. In that time, Christian tradition states that God used human authors who were influenced or “inspired” by His Spirit to write the books and letters we now have in our bible.
The act of creation is not totally disclosed to us and some events in space and time are still a mystery. It was never God’s design to give us all the answers, but rather give us enough information for both reason and faith to anchor to. The creation narrative is the first act of business in Genesis. It starts, “In the beginning God created…” Thus two major points are made; first, before creation, God already existed and secondly, creation was an act of will on His part (some call this an act of grace, for He did not have to do so). So in order for God to exist “before” anything else requires a Being who is uncaused and non-material. To defend this position, most biblical scholars point out that it is impossible for something (material) to come from absolute nothing. To do so defies logic and modern science. The opposing response from naturalists (those who believe that the universe exists by chance alone) is to assume that the universe has always existed, which again is plagued with difficulties. The biblical answer to our existence is that God designed and created us; we are not a cosmic accident (contra the “big bang” theory). The bible then describes that mankind had a “relationship” with Him, as seen in the Garden of Eden account. But something broke down in that relationship, and takes us to the next message of the bible.
Biblical doctrine and tradition states that God is perfect, holy, and righteous. Consequently, mankind was also made perfect. But what kind of man (according to Genesis, Adam was created first) should God create? He could have created man like an automaton, with no will or consciousness (also referred to as the “soul” or “spirit”). To do so would make him like a walking computer at best, no relationship involved at all. He could have made him like the rest of the animal kingdom, relying on instincts for survival. Again, there is no consciousness to speak of, only a response to natural surroundings; no love, no good, no evil, just survival of the fittest. But the biblical account says that man was created in His image, a personal being, conscious, and with a will of his own. In this relationship with man, God had only one condition; man must not eat from a particular tree in the garden. Silly some might say, but ultimately it was a test; it was to demonstrate love. If man would obey God, it would confirm his love for Him. The penalty (remember, God is holy) for disobedience was death. Not death immediate, but death nonetheless. According to the bible, this death was of the physical body and not of the consciousness (which was created to be eternal). Yet the “spirit” would suffer, separated from God and placed with others who have disobeyed (we read in the bible that God had created other conscious “spiritual” beings called angels; some of them willfully rejected God and were removed from heaven, destined to be put in a place of suffering, or “hell”). From the story, we know that Adam disobeys God. Because of this transgression (sin), Adam and his wife Eve are removed from the garden, starting the cycle of life and death for mankind. Although this sounds unfair, God did make other plans.
In order to restore a relationship with His creation, God had provided a way for man to escape death’s “finality” (first consciously, then physically). The words death and blood are often found together in the bible. When Adam sinned, God covered the man’s nakedness with the skin of animal; a “blood” sacrifice of an animal was made because of disobedience. But this act of sacrifice would not cover all the sins of the world. Only a perfect sacrifice, made by God, could atone for all sin. Thus, God made a covenant (promise) with Adam that One would come in the future to “save” them from sin and death. Throughout biblical history, God renewed that covenant with mankind, and verified it with prophetic statements; those prophecies were finally fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (About 4 B.C. through 30 A.D.)That is why the church celebrates Good Friday and Easter. Redemption was made, and salvation is now available to all those who repent of their sin and confess that Jesus is God and that He has saved them. And just like before, God allows mankind his will to operate at this point. We can either accept the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice or reject it and suffer eternally as a result. We are not automatons, we make the choice.
The bible also states that the cycle of life and death, sin and salvation will not go on forever. The life cycle as we know it will end. God’s cosmic alarm clock will go off, signaling a new and final chapter to God’s creation. There will come what the bible calls the final judgment; a culmination of all that God has done. All humans will be judged according to their “relationship” with God in Jesus Christ. All those who accepted the salvation “message” will live with God eternally in a new heaven and earth; their consciousness (or spirit) will be reunited with the body (one that is rejuvenated and incorruptible). The others who rejected God (human and angel) are said to experience suffering eternally, separated from God with no hope of redemption ever again. For the believer it‘s much like “starting over” but with no fears of sin, sickness or death to worry about. Further, we will have a true relationship with God again.
I hope that this was not too much information, but I thought you may want a more detailed response, especially for a college course.
God Bless and have a great Easter!
Rev. Bryan Johnson
Monday, February 8, 2010
When an Atheist "Gets It" !!!!!!!
(Originally posted on Refinery Rock Radio Forum Page on 2/4/10)
Just when I thought I heard it all, up pops a shocker that makes me want to scream! In this case, atheist Dr. Christopher Hitchens actually has to correct the Theology of one Marilyn Sewell, a Unitarian minister. In the January issue of the Portland Monthly magazine Sewell states, "The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make and distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?"
The atheist Hitchens responds as if he understands the Christian faith better than she, "I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian."
And here lies the problem with the modern liberal/critical method of interpreting scripture. Can Sewell be considered a Christian with such a radical view? Not!!!! Hitchens gets it! Haven't we learned our lesson from the European church yet? The Christian Church in countries like Great Britain, France and Holland is almost nonexistent (as low as 5% of the population). The future of the American church may be in serious trouble unless conservative scholarship starts defending the faith like it once did. If you haven't noticed already, a number of Christian beliefs have become relative or even "optional." Keep praying; who knows, maybe Hitchens will become a believer!
-Rev. J
Just when I thought I heard it all, up pops a shocker that makes me want to scream! In this case, atheist Dr. Christopher Hitchens actually has to correct the Theology of one Marilyn Sewell, a Unitarian minister. In the January issue of the Portland Monthly magazine Sewell states, "The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make and distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?"
The atheist Hitchens responds as if he understands the Christian faith better than she, "I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian."
And here lies the problem with the modern liberal/critical method of interpreting scripture. Can Sewell be considered a Christian with such a radical view? Not!!!! Hitchens gets it! Haven't we learned our lesson from the European church yet? The Christian Church in countries like Great Britain, France and Holland is almost nonexistent (as low as 5% of the population). The future of the American church may be in serious trouble unless conservative scholarship starts defending the faith like it once did. If you haven't noticed already, a number of Christian beliefs have become relative or even "optional." Keep praying; who knows, maybe Hitchens will become a believer!
-Rev. J
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