It's a real challenge to be a person of faith these days. Attacks seem to come from every direction. Even if we don't particularly enjoy defending ourselves and our beliefs, we are almost required to do that. At the very least, we will need to do that in our own minds.
That kind of thing is not new, of course. People have been attacking the faith from the beginning. And, thankfully, there have always been people gifted in responding to those challenges.
One of my favorites is C.S. Lewis.
Having been himself a severe critic of the faith, C.S. Lewis understood better than most how unfair and how unreasonable critics of the faith can be. Often, it's enough to plant a seed of doubt or, with an arching eyebrow, to call a truth into question - and the faith seems to crumble like a house of cards.
C.S. Lewis knew all about that kind of attack; he himself had done it for years. After he was "surprised by joy," however, he devoted his remarkable intellectual gifts to a different purpose. He became a vigorous defender of the faith - and he wisely insisted on integrity in the debate - his own integrity and the integrity of his opponents.
In 1959, C.S. Lewis wrote an important essay that is still remembered today. The dry, scholarly name of the essay is "Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism." The more popular name is "Fern Seeds and Elephants." In this brief essay, Lewis took on the critics of his own day. Responding to the charge that the church had "manufactured" historical documents to suit its own purposes, Lewis pointed out the scandalous material contained in the New Testament record: embarrassing characters listed in Jesus' family tree, beloved disciples who were remarkably slow-witted and faithless, a story filled with failures and foibles of every kind. His point was that if, indeed, people wanted to "manufacture" documents, surely they would have excised these kinds of things from the record.
He makes a good point.
Today, we hear all kinds of interesting theories that appear to do damage to our faith. Often, we can respond simply by saying that these odd suggestions are contrary to God's revelation. And that's a great starting point. But we also, then, can add this: what we are hearing is often at odds with simple reason.
So much of what we hear violates simple common sense.
Or, in the words of C.S. Lewis: I do not wish to reduce the skeptical element in your minds. I am only suggesting that it need not be reserved exclusively for the New Testament and the Creeds. Try doubting something else!
In other words, we are wise to bring a healthy skepticism to every claim - even claims that are made against the faith.
Obviously, we need to be deeply concerned when we encounter things that contradict revelation. But we should be just as concerned when we encounter things that defy simple common sense. And we can insist that the same critical eye that examines matters of faith be used to examine every other matter as well.
God gave us our minds for a reason.
And God gave us our minds . . . for reason.
Let's use this great gift that God has given.
C.S. Lewis knew all about that kind of attack; he himself had done it for years. After he was "surprised by joy," however, he devoted his remarkable intellectual gifts to a different purpose. He became a vigorous defender of the faith - and he wisely insisted on integrity in the debate - his own integrity and the integrity of his opponents.
In 1959, C.S. Lewis wrote an important essay that is still remembered today. The dry, scholarly name of the essay is "Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism." The more popular name is "Fern Seeds and Elephants." In this brief essay, Lewis took on the critics of his own day. Responding to the charge that the church had "manufactured" historical documents to suit its own purposes, Lewis pointed out the scandalous material contained in the New Testament record: embarrassing characters listed in Jesus' family tree, beloved disciples who were remarkably slow-witted and faithless, a story filled with failures and foibles of every kind. His point was that if, indeed, people wanted to "manufacture" documents, surely they would have excised these kinds of things from the record.
He makes a good point.
Today, we hear all kinds of interesting theories that appear to do damage to our faith. Often, we can respond simply by saying that these odd suggestions are contrary to God's revelation. And that's a great starting point. But we also, then, can add this: what we are hearing is often at odds with simple reason.
So much of what we hear violates simple common sense.
Or, in the words of C.S. Lewis: I do not wish to reduce the skeptical element in your minds. I am only suggesting that it need not be reserved exclusively for the New Testament and the Creeds. Try doubting something else!
In other words, we are wise to bring a healthy skepticism to every claim - even claims that are made against the faith.
Obviously, we need to be deeply concerned when we encounter things that contradict revelation. But we should be just as concerned when we encounter things that defy simple common sense. And we can insist that the same critical eye that examines matters of faith be used to examine every other matter as well.
God gave us our minds for a reason.
And God gave us our minds . . . for reason.
Let's use this great gift that God has given.