Quick and Reasonable

7/5/14                  Scott                       about 50
“What makes Christianity any different from all those crazy cults out there?” That’s the response I got from Scott, a man out with his wife and walking his dog at the beach, when I asked about his spiritual beliefs. His attitude was that since we can never really know for sure what happens after we die, and since there are so many different belief systems including some that he described to me which are very crazy, then why bother thinking about it? He talked about these thoughts for a while, then asked me what I believe. Although he was willing to talk, his wife was subtly pressuring him to get going, and I could tell that I really had only a few minutes to try to explain why I believe Christianity has truth and legitimacy that the other belief systems don’t have. Here is my basic line of reasoning: 1.) There is a Creator God, based on the fact that there is a creation; 2.) This God must have created us and all of creation for a reason; 3.) God would have no reason to hide that reason from us or expect us to imagine it on our own – He would reveal it to us somehow; 4.) God wouldn’t just reveal it to a select or elite group like a cult, but would make it available to all, bringing my range of possibilities down to the major world religions; 5) One religion – biblical Christianity – is unique from all the rest of the religions in that it is the one belief system that says we cannot earn our way to heaven or a better afterlife. It is the one religion that allows God to show both absolute love and absolute justice at the same time – at the cross, which is where I find my hope for a right relationship with God. I know my line of reasoning is not a proof for Christianity - I don't think there is one. It also takes several logical leaps of faith, but hey, for a short explanation it seems reasonable to me. And in just a few short minutes I was able to present Christianity to Scott as a reasonable faith worthy of looking in to. Scott was happy to take more info to read as he needed to get going. Hope this is helpful to anyone else needing a quick explanation for the hope within you.