Posts Tagged ‘Rusty Wright’
The blind leap of faith
To conclude our series on Questions Sceptics Ask by RUSTY WRIGHT, Rusty suggests how we might respond when someone says:
I could never take the blind leap of faith that believing in Christ requires.
We exercise faith every day. Few of us comprehend everything about electricity or aerodynamics, but we have evidence of their validity. Whenever we use electric lights or airplanes, we exercise faith – not blind faith, but faith based on evidence. Christians act similarly. The evidence for Jesus is compelling, so one can trust Him on that basis.
As you respond to inquirers, realize that many barriers to faith are emotional rather than merely intellectual.
As a teenager, I nearly was expelled from secondary school for some problems I helped create. In my pain and anger I wondered, “Why would God allow this to happen?” I was mad at God! In retrospect, I realize I was blaming Him for my own bad choices. My personal anguish at the time kept me from seeing that.
Your questioners may be turned off because Christians haven’t acted like Jesus. Maybe they’re angry at God because of personal illness, a broken relationship, a loved one’s death, or personal pain. Ask God for patience and love as you seek to blend grace with truth. He may use you to help skeptics become seekers and seekers become His children. I hope He does.
Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents. He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com
Adapted from Rusty Wright, “7 Questions Skeptics Ask,” Moody Magazine, March/April 2002. Copyright© 2002 Rusty Wright. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
OTHER POSTS IN THIS SERIES
Sceptics or Skeptics?– How do you deal with questions and objections to faith that your friends may pose?
Why is there evil and suffering?
What about all the contradictions in the Bible?
What will happen to those who never hear of Christ?
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Isn’t Christianity just a psychological crutch?
Today we continue our special daily series based on the article Questions Sceptics Ask by Rusty Wright.
In this post, Rusty shows how we might respond to the question:
Isn’t Christianity just a psychological crutch?
My mentor Bob Prall has often said,
“If Christianity is a psychological crutch, then Jesus Christ came because there was an epidemic of broken legs.”
Christianity claims to meet real human needs such as those for forgiveness, love, identity and self-acceptance. We might describe Jesus not as a crutch but an iron lung, essential for life itself.
Christian faith and its benefits can be described in psychological terms but that does not negate its validity. “Does it work?” is not the same question as, “Is it true?” Evidence supports Christianity’s truthfulness, so we would expect it to work in individual lives, as millions attest.
A caution as you answer questions:
Don’t offer “proof” but rather evidences for faith. “Proof” can imply an airtight case, which you don’t have. Aim for certainty “beyond a reasonable doubt,” just as an attorney might in court. Don’t quarrel. Lovingly and intelligently present evidence to willing listeners, not to win arguments but to share good news. Be kind and gentle (2 Timothy 2:24-26). Your life and friendship can communicate powerfully.
Tomorrow Rusty will give suggestions on how to answer another question that sceptics ask.
Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents. He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com
OTHER POSTS IN THIS SERIES
Sceptics or Skeptics?– How do you deal with questions and objections to faith that your friends may pose?
Why is there evil and suffering?
What about all the contradictions in the Bible?
What will happen to those who never hear of Christ?
How can Jesus be the only way to God?
How can Jesus be the only way to God?
Today we continue our special daily series based on the article Questions Sceptics Ask by Rusty Wright.
In this post, Rusty shows how we might respond to the question:
How can Jesus be the only way to God?
When I was in secondary school, a recent alumnus visited, saying he had found Christ at Harvard. I respected his character and tact and listened intently. But I could not stomach Jesus’ claim that “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). That seemed way too narrow.
Two years later, my spiritual and intellectual journey had changed my view. The logic that drew me (reluctantly) to his position involves three questions:
• If God exists, could there be only one way to reach Him? To be open-minded, I had to admit this possibility.
• Why consider Jesus as a candidate for that possible one way? He claimed it. His plan of rescuing humans – “by grace…through faith…not…works” (Eph. 2:8-9) was distinct from those requiring works, as many other religions do. These two kinds of systems were mutually exclusive. Both could be false or either could be true, but both could not be true.
• Was Jesus’ plan true? Historical evidence for His resurrection, fulfilled prophecy [1] and deity, and for the reliability of the New Testament [2] convinced me I could trust His words.
NOTES
1. A summary of some of the prophesies Jesus fulfilled is at Rusty Wright, “Are You Listening? Do You Hear What I Hear?” 2004,
2. A summary of evidences for New Testament reliability is at Rusty Wright and Linda Raney Wright, “The New Testament: Can I Trust It?” 1976.
Tomorrow Rusty will give suggestions on how to answer another question that sceptics ask.
Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents. He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com
OTHER POSTS IN THIS SERIES
Sceptics or Skeptics?– How do you deal with questions and objections to faith that your friends may pose?
Why is there evil and suffering?
What will happen to those who never hear of Christ?
Today we continue our special daily series based on the article Questions Sceptics Ask by Rusty Wright.
In this post, Rusty shows how we might respond to the question:
What about those who never hear of Jesus?
Moses said, “The secret things belong to the LORD.”[1] Some issues may remain mysteries.God’s perfect love and justice far exceed our own. One can make a case that God will make the necessary information available to someone who wants to know him. An example: Cornelius, a devout military official. The New Testament records that God assigned Peter to tell him about Jesus. [2]
A friend once told me that many asking this question seek a personal loophole, a way so they won’t need to believe in Christ. C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity wrote,
“If you are worried about the people outside [of Christianity], the most unreasonable thing you can do is to remain outside yourself.” [3]
If Christianity is true, the most logical behavior for someone concerned about those without Christ’s message would be to trust Christ and go tell them about Him.
Here’s a tip: When someone asks you a difficult question, if you don’t know the answer, admit it. Many skeptics appreciate honesty. Don’t bluff. It’s dishonest and often detectable.
NOTES
1. Deuteronomy 29:29 NASB
2. Acts 10
3. C.S. Lewis, “The Case for Christianity,” reprinted from Mere Christianity; in The Best of C.S. Lewis (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1969), 449. The Case for Christianity is copyright 1947 by The Macmillan Company.
Tomorrow Rusty will give suggestions on how to answer another question that sceptics ask.
Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents. He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com
OTHER POSTS IN THIS SERIES
Sceptics or Skeptics?– How do you deal with questions and objections to faith that your friends may pose?
What about all the contradictions in the Bible?
Today we continue our special daily series based on the article Questions Sceptics Ask by Rusty Wright.
In this post, Rusty shows how we might respond to the question:
What about all the contradictions in the Bible? 
Ask your questioner for specific examples. Often people have none, but rely on hearsay.
If there is a specific example, consider these guidelines as you respond.
Omission does not necessarily create contradiction. Luke, for example, writes of two angels at Jesus’ tomb after the Resurrection (24:1-9). Matthew mentions “an angel” (28:1-8). Is this a contradiction? If Matthew stated that only one angel was present, the accounts would be dissonant. As it stands, they can be harmonized.
Differing accounts aren’t necessarily contradictory. Matthew and Luke, for example, differ in their accounts of Jesus’ birth. Luke records Joseph and Mary starting in Nazareth, travelling to Bethlehem (Jesus’ birthplace), and returning to Nazareth (Luke 1:26-2:40). Matthew starts with Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, relates the family’s journey to Egypt to escape King Herod’s rage, and recounts their travel to Nazareth after Herod’s death (Matt. 1:18-2:23). The Gospels never claim to be exhaustive records. Biographers must be selective. The accounts seem complementary, not contradictory.
Space precludes more complex examples here. But time and again, supposed biblical problems fade in light of logic, history, and archaeology. The Bible’s track record under scrutiny argues for its trustworthiness.
Tomorrow Rusty will give suggestions on how to answer another question that sceptics ask.
Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents. He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com
OTHER POSTS IN THIS SERIES
Sceptics or Skeptics?– How do you deal with questions and objections to faith that your friends may pose?
Why is there evil and suffering?
