"All religions point to the same goal of peace and harmony between humankind, so it doesn't matter which one you choose." and "Christians are narrow minded for saying that there is only one way to God." are the most common arguments against Christianity. The constant challenge to give proof of God's existence, or being questioned how we know "our God" is the only true God, frustrates many Christians who don't know how to answer intelligently.
Many people are dumbfounded when required to respond to these types of questions and it's because, when questioned, nine out of every ten people report that their church leaders aren't teaching their congregations; they're preaching at them. Church-going people are given the impression that pastors and church leaders are supposed to be spotless in their leadership. Not only is this not true, but it's a preposterous assumption that anyone can be totally above reproach--except Jesus.
Congregations are no longer being taught how to answer the "tough" questions non-believers throw out. In fact, few Christians are even really willing, or able, to talk intelligently about their faith and confrontations quite often deteriorate into full fights that nobody ever really wins. It's not enough to study the Bible and know the Truth, as Christians we are called to spread the Good News to ALL--not just fellow Christians. Christians are called to be Evangelists. I know that word makes some people cringe because of the fanatical evangelists out there. The simple fact of the matter is that evangelism is defined as "preaching the gospel or sharing the Good News of Jesus."
I recently completed a survey that simply asked people to describe what they believe, why, and if they believe in Heaven…what they think it looks like, and why they'd want to go there. The responses surprised me, and not in a pleasant way. You see, very few of the people I asked who I knew to proclaim Christianity even deemed it worth their time to answer and most of those who did gave the traditional church rhetoric viewed on most church pamphlets. To contrast that, every non-Christian I asked answered with detailed and personal accounts of their beliefs and why they believe that way. It made it very clear to me that Christians are either unwilling or unable to talk about their faith coherently and shy away from almost any confrontation regarding their inability.
As frustrating as this process has been, it has been equally rewarding. In this Burger King (have it your way) world we live in the truth about what God has called us to be and to do has fallen by the wayside in favor of the ever-popular prosperity gospels. The Bible warns us about false gospels and spreading untruth. James 3:1-6 says, "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell." Teaching is not a gift for every person and yet many people choose this as a "profession" instead of doing what the Lord calls them to; and because of their iniquities, they cause themselves and many others to stumble down a black path.
While sorting through a compilation of responses and research material I came across an interesting version of the story of Adam and Eve. I was so intrigued and baffled by this view that I felt I had to include it. The story speaks loudly of the self-centeredness and egotism of the human race; "It describes the rise, not the fall, of humanity. It portrays God as having created Adam and Eve as proto-humans. They were not fully human because they lacked a moral sense -- the main difference between humans and the rest of the animal world. They had no concept of right or wrong. God deceived Adam and Eve into believing that the fruit of the tree was poisonous. A very intelligent and helpful animal, a snake, convinced Eve of the truth: that the fruit was not poisonous, but that she would gain knowledge of good and evil if she ate it. Both Eve and Adam ate the fruit and did indeed develop a moral sense for the first time. This was an attribute previously restricted to the gods. God was enraged; and in a fit of rage He cursed the snake, Adam, Eve, and even the ground itself. The snake is the hero of the story. Adam and Eve advanced from an animal-like status with no moral sense into full humanity."
Astounding isn't it?! The scary fact of the matter is that people actually believe this to be the truth.
I find that 4 out of every 5 of non-believers, when asked, are willing to talk openly and honestly about what they do or don't believe and why, yet 8 out of every 10 Christians, spoken to randomly, will avoid discussion at all costs. One of my favorite responses was by a non-Christian. They opened up and gave a real, honest answer borne from experience and observation. They said they did not believe in a good and loving god because of all the terrible things they'd seen happen and been through themselves. That if God were truly completely good then He wouldn't let rape, murder, and things of that nature go so long without punishment. Their story was gut-wrenching and heart-breaking and brought me to tears a number of times. What's more is that they were driven away from God and the church by members of the church they grew up in.
Another of my favorite responses was from Chad. "I believe a lot of things but I only hold one belief as central to my life. That belief is that God is entirely sovereign. This means that there is nothing in all of creation that competes against of the superiority of God. This means that there is no stray molecule anywhere in the universe that could possibly upset or frustrate God's will. This means that God is perfectly sufficient and in no way lacking in his nature or character. I believe that God has triumphed over sin through the death of Christ on the cross. I believe that it is only through faith in Christ that we receive salvation. I believe that there is no work of righteousness that we can produce on our own that would make us appear righteous before God. That is why the atoning work of the cross is so central to the beliefs of my life. We are, quite literally, lost in this life without Christ. He is the propitiation for our sinfulness. Christ is the image of the invisible God and the exact imprint of his nature. Of all the things that I believe a person could believe in their life I think that they could believe no greater thing than this: Not only does God exist, but he exists in perfect righteousness and perfect holiness. God is fundamentally perfect because he is fundamentally God. There is no flaw or fault to be found in God nor is there any flaw or fault to be found in the work of Christ and his death on the cross. Of all the truth that we will ever embrace in our lives, nothing will ever be more important than embracing Christ. To do this is to embrace the sovereign God who reigns in majesty and glory over his creation."
When answering why, nearly all gave me the usual rhetoric of "It's what I was raised to believe." That's all well and good but when you're confronted with the knowledge that you've been taught wrong for most, if not all of your life, you should accept the truth for what it is. I've done it myself. Growing up I was taught many things that had absolutely zero biblical foundation and now that I've come to study the Bible more and grow new understanding of scripture, I've admitted where I was wrong and conformed to the truth. A few people answered with deeply personal accounts of their beliefs and what has led them to holding that to be the truth.
However, when it came to answering the question of what Heaven looks like, I grew the most frustrated with Christians. It wasn't so much with them as individuals as it was with the bad teaching that plagues the world and is most prevalent within the Christian community itself. Heaven is depicted by most as a place the faithful gather after death to reunite with loved ones and live a new life of splendor. The appeal is in the material aspect of worldly desires they reflect into Heaven. Things like "When we get to heaven we'll get to see all the people that we've loved that have died before us." And "When we get to heaven we will get to have endless fun. We will be able to go swimming whenever we want. We will be able to stay up as late as we want. We will never be sick again. Etc, etc, etc..." are the most common results to that question. I was sorely disappointed to get answers like these. However, one of the answers I got from a man I have grown to greatly respect and admire gave me renewed hope in reaching and re-teaching those with false views. "When we get to heaven the most amazing thing that we will see is the full gloriousness of God revealed. The sight of God's majesty will transfix our gaze. We will care about nothing else besides responding to the glorious God in worship. Weight, health, mansions, relatives, food, and recreational activities won't even be a blip on the radar when we come face to face with the holiness of God. So, in response to the original question, heaven looks like God's gloriousness fully revealed. Words cannot even begin to do this sight justice." Responses by non-believers were more typical and understandable. Some declared they did not believe in Heaven or Hell and some described Heaven as a better life through reincarnation into this world.
All in all, the survey revealed a lot of truths to me that I really didn't want to see. Reaching the faithless is complicated because what people believe is based on what they have experienced in this life. Many reject Christianity because of the bad behavior of so many "active Christians." The only way to combat this is to reach out to everyone in good faith and draw people into conversation; Christian and non-Christian alike. Let your life be a reflection of Christ's love and mercy. It's through our actions and in-actions that people see truth and are drawn to it like moths to flame. Too many of our churches are "dead churches" and it is because people don't understand that the church is the community of believers with good Biblical foundations in the truth about God. Activity is not always the sign of a live church. That's evident in Revelation 3 when John is writing the letter to the church of Sardis. Sometimes, looks can be deceiving. The church is not the building at all, but the believers within the building. We must understand and help others to understand that we represent the church whose only head is God himself. When we walk out of those buildings, we are still the church. We are still representing something of great value and our "best behavior" should not be reserved for within the confines of our congregational gatherings. It is just as important to be "well-behaved" before the rest of the world. It's a call to arms, a cry for truth, and an answer to the godlessness in this world. We can either ignore this cry, or we can reach out, just as God has reached into our lives, and extend a loving hand to our brothers and sisters.
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