Most Christians Cannot Explain their Faith, Says Apologist
The faith of most Christians, even that of many pastors, will not stand up to intellectual scrutiny, according to renowned apologist Josh McDowell.
The faith of most Christians, even that of many pastors, will not stand up to intellectual scrutiny, according to renowned apologist Josh McDowell.
This is a concern because pastors’ inability to present biblical truth comprehensibly and relevantly has led to children from Christian families leaving the church, research has shown.
In the United States, the age at which nearly all such children leave church has decreased to 18 years.
Not even the children of many successful ministers are spared.
McDowell made his comments at a recent networking dinner among various men’s ministries organized recently by Men-in-Covenant. MiC is the men’s ministry of Covenant Evangelical Free Church.
He recalled speaking with the pastor of one of the largest U.S. churches, a man known for his expository preaching. Confiding in him, the pastor said their church was losing its youth right after high school graduation.
In his 50 years of ministry, McDowell has asked several thousand pastors and leaders how they could be certain Jesus Christ said “I am the truth” and not one of many truths or a truth.
“Not one person has ever given me an intelligent, biblically-based answer,” said the author of The New Evidence that Demands A Verdict.
During the past six years, he asked hundreds of Christians and leaders why they see themselves as Christians. Again no one gave him an "intelligent" answer.
In the past 17 years, he has asked over 4,000 pastors, leaders and parents why they believe the Bible is true.
A mere six “came close to giving an intelligent answer,” McDowell noted.
“If anything is based upon truth, it’s the Christian faith,” he said. “Christians who do not know why they have faith or believe have a very difficult time expressing themselves to others.
"The saddest thing is people come to me and say, ‘What’s the answer?’"
“I say, ‘There’s no answer… There are hundreds of answers.’"
Most Christians, even some pastors, don’t even know one. On the other hand, the apologist said he could give 50 reasons for his belief that the Bible is true.
Ninety-five percent of Christians gave disappointing responses when asked why they believe Jesus is the Son of God.
Asked why the Bible is true and historically reliable, Christians replied that it was what they had been taught by their church or parents.
A common response that most Christians gave to both questions was that it is “what I believe.”
McDowell responded: “That’s voodoo thinking. Where did we ever get that crazy idea that something is true just because we believe it?
“If that is true, then there will never be heresy. Everybody would be right.”
On one occasion, 13 youth pastors at a large convention were unable to reasonably answer the apologist’s question.
Finally one young person stood up, walked toward him and told him he knew the answer.
The young man promptly held up his Bible and said, “Because I believe it.”
And to McDowell’s dismay, all the youth pastors applauded him.
McDowell said, “Young man, do you know the difference between you, me and the majority of Christians in the world?
“To you, it is true because you believe it. For me, I believe it because it is true.”
Another response the apologist received was: Because I have faith.
He commented, “Where did we ever get the crazy idea that faith makes something true? That’s idiotic. That’s so unbiblical you can call it heresy.
“God doesn’t use faith to create truth. He uses truth through the Holy Spirit to create faith.”
Christians, the apologist stressed, are called to explain their faith when asked. They are set free by the faith in the truth, he expressed, referring to John 8:32.
Yet others say Christianity is true because Jesus changed their lives.
Even this will not stand up to intellectual scrutiny, McDowell argued.
“Lies change lives; cults change lives,” he said.
To make such an appeal is “not the essence of Christianity,” the author emphasized.
McDowell said: “We owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our children, we owe it to our neighbors, we owe it to the lost, to tell them not just what we believe but why do we believe it.”
Edmond Chu -Christian Post Correspondent
By Ryan Reeves
Do You Buy Christian?
When was the last time you made a conscious decision to make a sure your money was spent supporting another Christian? If you can answer that question at all, you are probably ahead of most of us. There was a time when people understood the impact their spending had. Years ago the concept of spending your money close to home was understood to be a vital part of supporting your local community. In the US it was especially important to buy products that were made in the USA. In today's so called global economy that concept has been nearly erased. We are more than willing to drive across the metro area to save some cash on our new television, and many of us look for something on eBay® before we even walk into a local retailer. We even ship our jobs to other countries because it helps us reduce costs, raise profits, and supposedly lower prices. That being said, I bet you think I am crazy for asking if you buy Christian.
I am a bit crazy, but that's ok. Truth is - I am just crazy enough to raise a topic that could not only help Christians all over our world but will, no doubt, draw fire from certain people opposed to the idea. I'm ok with that because those are the same people who would just assume Christians keep their mouths shut and their crazy morals and ideals to themselves.
All I want to do is make you think; actually, I want you to imagine. Imagine the impact your support could have on the Christian economy. Yes, I said the Christian economy. There is an economic cycle for just about every social group in society, and Christians are no different than the rest. At its simplest form it's as basic as money in versus money out. In reality, it is much more important than that.
Let me explain a bit more about what I mean by the term Christian economy. An individual Christian makes a living - earning income and spending it according to how the individual sees fit. The money they earn then goes to various other people and organizations. Hopefully, that Christian gives some of his income to support his own social group (other Christians). He might give it to his church, another Christian organization, or purchase a ticket to a Christian concert. The portion of the money the individual either spends or gives to other Christians stays within the Christian economy. It then goes to support others in various ways and ultimately, ends up being spent again adding to another individual or organization's income. You might also call it the life cycle of the Christian dollar. As long as that dollar stays in the hands of Christians, it is alive and being used to benefit the entire group. The money leaving the Christian economy (which is the entire portion of an individual Christian's income not spent with or donated to other Christians) is essentially dead to the body of Christ.
Let's make a couple of comparisons. You have an extra hundred dollars and you decided to give that money to your local church. That money then goes to purchase various things your church needs (many of which are purchased from other Christian organizations) and to pay the staff members. Let's not forget to mention that all of that is done to equip the church to be able to serve individuals. Your money is alive and kicking. After it finally reaches another individual Christian's pay check, some of that money is invested again into the Christian economy. On the flip side, say you use that extra hundred to buy a new cell phone. You give it to your wireless carrier who pays their vendors, their employees, and their owners. You can hope someone along the way is a Christian and some of it might find its way back into our economy, but there is no measurable chance of that.
The difference between donating the money and spending it is obvious. Donating the money is better for our "Christian economy." However, we can't donate all of our money. So, let's look at a better way to spend it. Let's say you really need that new cell phone, and you decided to buy that phone from the guy at church who happens to earn his living selling phones for a wireless company. In that case you got the phone you needed, and he made a commission for helping you buy it. You helped another Christian earn a living. In fact, your friend probably earned between five and fifty dollars on your purchase depending on the circumstances. Let's just call it twenty to make it easy. The twenty dollars is now still alive in the Christian economy and is useful for the Kingdom of God. To take it one step further, what if you spent that hundred dollars at a business owned and operated by another Christian? Then you not only helped the owner but the other Christians he most likely employees and so on, all the way down the line. You actually, by spending that money with a Christian business, just put part of it in the offering at the businessman's church. You did the same for the churches of any Christians the business employs, as well.
There is also more at stake than just the local economic success of Christians. There are people all over our world who need to hear about Jesus, and unless someone pays for our mission trips and church plants, they will never hear the good news of Christ. Who funds the outreach efforts of missionaries? It isn't GoDaddy.com®, and we can be certain that Nike® isn't paying the salaries of our pastors. Don't look at Uncle Sam, either. He isn't footing the bill so the Gideons can send ten thousand Bibles to Russia. It's Joe Christian. Who knows? He might even own his own plumbing company; so next time you need your drain fixed, shouldn't you call him instead of some random plumber?
I hope you are now imagining the potential impact your spending can have. Like I said earlier, it is as simple as money in versus money out. The more important thing is what we do with the money rather than how much money we have. The question is how are we using the money we are given? Consider the teaching Jesus gave his disciples in Luke 16. The parable is about a shrewd manager. You can read it here. This is not an easy parable to understand, but the message Jesus gives us is clear. How we spend our money matters, and we should use the money we have with heaven in mind.
I hope that you will join me in an attempt to bolster the Christian economy. This is a real opportunity to impact our world in the way Jesus commanded us. The more money we consciously invest into our economy with Christian businesses and business people, the more people they employ, and the more money that is given to our churches and ministries. The bottom line is more people are reached for Christ.
Here are a few suggestions on what we can do. Let's start with the big things, making certain that we get these correct. Take a look at your major purchases such as homes, cars, investments, insurance, and education. Make a commitment to only do business with Christians in these areas first. Next time you buy a car, purchase it from a Christian car salesman, same thing with a home, mortgage, or insurance. If you are not sure where to find a Christian business person, just ask around at church. If that doesn't work, look in the yellow pages for a professional who identifies him/herself as a Christian. You can also look for Christian businesses online. Because I am so passionate about this, my organization, Men of Jesus, is starting to build an online directory of Christian businesses and business people. You can find it at www.menofjesus.org.
If we all make a commitment to use our spending power wisely with our large purchases, the little ones will become easier as well. If you already have a Christian insurance agent, then next time you get your hair cut find a Christian hair dresser or barber and tell them why you are doing business with them. If you are willing to spend the time and effort, I bet you can find a Christian businessperson for just about everything you need.
Remember buying Christian is about supporting our faith. It's about having a common purpose and being faithful managers of our blessings. It requires a conscious decision and a pro-active approach. Most importantly it is about equipping the body of Christ to reach people and spread the good news. I bet you never thought you could do that by spending money.
By Steve Beyer - www.BiblicalMind.com
He continues, "Surely, I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child." The Hebrew language paints a picture of how a believer behaves and quiets himself. The word means to level out or equalize. It implies an adjustment that works as a counterbalance and its use in this context is evidence God has not abandoned us to try to maintain a behavior about which we know nothing.
In the subtle beauty of the language, this passage reveals the Power at work in our hearts that compels us to make a conscious choice to shift our focus off ourselves and on to God. The word the Hebrew writers used as "behave" is translated "compare" in Proverbs 3:15 when wisdom is described. "All the things we can desire are not to be compared to her (wisdom)." Behaving encompasses the act of comparison! The lightning computations of our mind can balance our behavior by comparing it to a blueprint that God makes available to us moment by moment through His indwelling Spirit.
Another picture is drawn for us in Isaiah 28:25 using the Hebrew word for "behaved." A man plowing his field has made that field "plain" and ready for sowing by leveling it. That "plain" level field represents every believer whose heart is a place where God can plant and then gather the fruits of a surrendered heart.
In addition to behaving himself, the psalmist "quieted" himself. The word quieted holds another key to the mindset of the believer. "Quieted" is translated "rest" in Psalm 37:7. "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him." It is also translated as "wait" in Psalm 62:5. "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him."
As a child that is weaned, the believer has ripened into a mature person who makes a willful choice to measure and adjust his behavior according to the benchmark set by the Holy Spirit who dwells within. Now that's behavior modification!
