Heart of a Warrior - Greg Bourgond

The Reason for God

I am currently reading a great book I would recommend.  You have undoubtedly heard of several books written by atheists such as Hitchins, Dawkins and Brown who refute the existence of God.  Keller's book, on the other hand gives legitimate and insightful arguments for the existence of God.  I am only two chapters into the book and my faith has been bolstered.

He addresses the increasing volume of rhetoric so popular today refuting God's existence and addresses their arguments head on by facing the common myths of their arguments.  For instance, Part 1 entitled "The leap of Doubt" of his book deals with the following pervasive sentiments so prevalent in our culture today...

1. There can't be just one true religion.
2. How could a good God allow suffering?
3. Christianity is a straightjacket.
4. The Church is responsible for so much injustice.
5. How can a loving God send people to hell?
6. Science has disproved Christianity.
7. You can't take the Bible literally.

In Part 2 entitled "The reasons for Faith" he defends the following issues...

1. The clues of God.
2. The knowledge of God.
3. The problem of sin.
4. Religion and the Gospel.
5. The true story of the Cross.
6. The reality of the Resurrection.
7. The dance of God.

To whet you appetite (and hopefully lead you to get and read this book) he refers to C.S. Lewis and his argument that intrinsic to man is an internal consciousness of right and wrong.

Lewis recognized that modern objections to God are based on a sense of fair play and justice.  People, we believe, ought not to suffer, be excluded, die, of hunger or oppression.  But the evolutionary mechanism of natural selection (a tenet held by most atheists) depends on death, destruction, and violence of the strong against the weak.--these things are all perfectly natural.  On what basis, then, does the atheist judge the natural world to be horribly wrong, unfair, and unjust?  The nonbeliever in God doesn't have a good basis for being outraged at injustice, which as Lewis points out, was the reason for objecting to God in the first place.  If you are sure that this natural world is unjust and filled with evil (as all atheists believe) you are assuming the reality of some extra-natural (or supernatural) standard by which to make your judgment."

Keller acknowledges the very real presence of suffering used by atheists to argue that a loving God could not be loving at all if he allows such evil and suffering to exist.  But he goes on to say, "Though Christianity does not provide the reason for each experience of pain, it provides deep resources for actually facing suffering with hope and courage rather than bitterness and despair."  What other religion offers such hope?

Get the book men and read it.  It will bolster your faith and give you compelling arguments for the claims of secular society (and atheists) that the existence of suffering disputes the existence of God.  This is just one of many arguments he refutes.

At the conclusion of the chapter on evil and suffering Keller once again turns to C.S. Lewis and quotes him.  Lewis refers to a prevailing sentiment and then rebuts it.

They say of some temporal suffering, "No future bliss can make up for it," not knowing that heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into glory.

Keller concludes by saying,"This is the ultimate defeat of evil and suffering.  It will not only be ended but so radically vanquished that what has happened will only serve to make our future life and joy infinitely greater."

The Faith - A Must read...

I have quite a library.  I believe the wealth of the world is in books.  I know that conventional wisdom suggests men don't read books.  If that is really true, and many believe it is, shame on us. 

I have been reading Charles Colson's new book The Faith. This is a 'must read' for all men who value the truth.

Publiher's Weekly made the following comment about the book.

Longtime collaborators Colson and Fickett address the very tenets of the Christian faith in order to renew ourselves as Christians and the Church as God's people. Generally they do this well, first offering an overview of challenges facing the church and then moving on to specific core issues. Chapter builds on chapter, from God Is to He Has Spoken to Truth and so on to Last Things. Especially thought-provoking is the question of why so many people accuse the Christian faith of being dry and brittle. One answer, the authors say, is the church's failure to teach what the faith is. Colson and Fickett call the church to rediscover the joy of orthodoxy, to renew the surrounding culture and to rethink how we live out faith. If there's ever been a time in which renewal was essential, it is today, they say. Those who know Colson's work will appreciate his pointed statements and bold words, while those looking for subtle shadings of doctrinal issues may be aghast at the lack thereof. The book's strength lies not in minutiae but in opening the discussion on orthodoxy and what living as a Christian means by going back to faith's beginnings. (Mar.)

Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down.  Aside from the comments above the book clearly explains the 12 basic doctrines of evangelical orthodoxy.  It is the best explanation of what Christians believe, why they believe it, and why it matters.  George barna and George Gallup have published numerous surveys of late decrying the Biblical illiteracy of Christians today.  The Scripture says we are to be prepared to give a defense for the hope that is in us.  The great tragedy of our day is that followers of Christ don't know what we believe.  We become prey to false belies and relativism is creeping in on the church.

Rick Warren, author of The Prpose Driven Life and Pastor of Saddleback Church made the following comment.

True Biblical Christianity is often mischaracterized by the media, misused by politicians, and mistaught by academics, making it misunderstood by most Americans.  Everyone will benefit from reading this book--skeptics, seekers, new believers, long-time followers of Christ.  It is a clear, concise, and compelling summary of what followers of jesus actually believe.

I am seriously considering making this book required reading for any man going through Phase I:  Heart of a Warrior.  So men, get the book and read it and reread it.  I intend to purchase several copies and give them as gifts.  My faith was strengthened reading it.  Yours will be strengthened as well.  I only recommend books i think are important to men desiring to become men after God's heart.