One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that it’s okay to think. God wants us to do that. In fact, it’s okay to think and be a Christ-follower. I think, for example, about CS Lewis. He was a devout Christian and a great author. I think of Abraham Lincoln, who increasingly read the Bible as he governed and then, just before he died, was baptized. I think of Francis Shaffer who was a great thinker . . . and a truly Christian thinker. I think of JS Bach and his deep piety which found expression in music.
What’s the point? There’s such a thing as thinking Christianity.
Jesus only. Yeah, I know. It seems narrow. And it’s certainly uncomfortable, even for many Christ-followers. But . . . should we always expect truth to be comfortable?
Some folks think the existence of evil and suffering proves that God doesn’t exist. Actually, if anything, it more likely proves He does.
If God is as Christians claim, loving and caring, then surely He won’t hold us accountable for believing correctly. Right?
Have you ever thought about the “counter claims” between “just one true religion” and “all religions have part of the truth but not all of it”?
President Obama’s recent decision to allow for stem cell research to expand to the human embryo is a big deal. So what are the issues at stake . . . or is it just tissue we’re talking about?
The question regarding human embryonic stem cells is not whether it’s human life. The secular scientists tell us that the human embryo is both living and distinctly human. The question then becomes, what is the nature and value of human life.
April 14th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
I think it is not only ok, but a good thing. I have read the works of these individuals and they never get boring. R.C. Sproul is an example of a great explainer of Reformation Theology. He has me get through the doctrine of predestination which was a subject I ignored. Thinking led to R.C. What’s neat, too, is that at least from my knowledge of Lewis and Lincoln, it was not just an Ivory Tower theology. Lewis took care of the mother and sister of a friend of friend who died in WWI. According to Lewis’ stepson, the mother was very difficult to live with so he had put Christian love into action which was quite challenging. Lincoln ’s wife was very difficult to live with as well which goes to show that marriage is a good thing regardless of the outcome. If you have a good marriage, you will be very happy. If you do not have good marriage, you will become a philospher and that is a good thing. (I think Socrates wrote that).
In any case, being a Christian thinker should not be an oxymoron!