Don’t Be Spooked

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Matthew 5:13-14 NIV (UK)

It seems to be great sport in some circles today to question, undermine and ridicule Christian faith.The whole idea of God is a delusion, argues the noted atheist, Professor Richard Dawkins. Others say that religion has had a negative impact on human society and should therefore be banned. Some believe that those who teach religious concepts to children be considered guilty of child abuse. And recently published books ask us to believe that certain extra-biblical “gospels” may give us deeper insights into understanding Jesus than does the New Testament.

Meanwhile, amazing new scientific discoveries about the nature of physical reality are being commandeered by sceptics to challenge the relevance of the Bible. Some of their arguments are sophisticated and technical, far above the education and expertise levels of most believers.

We ordinary Christians seem to be outnumbered and outgunned. But before we allow ourselves to be spooked by new discoveries and technical information we aren’t equipped to deal with, let’s keep in mind that all truth is God’s truth. Science can only discover what God put there to begin with.In other words, the arguments of the sceptics are not as overwhelming as they sometimes seem. And even though most of us don’t have the training and background to enter the fray, God has called many capable men and women who are more than able to defend the Christian turf in the scientific world.

They have education and experience, and they are not intimidated by atheistic arguments of fellow scientists who can’t see God behind the new frontiers of discovery. When given the opportunity, they can more than hold their own, and show that the atheist viewpoint doesn’t have the final word.

Many believing scientists assure us that the ever-increasing understanding of life’s mysteries has deepened, rather than shattered, their faith. Truth has nothing to fear from more truth, and you can be sure that Jesus Christ is not afraid of anything science has or ever will discover about the universe he created. Neither should we.

It’s also helpful to keep in mind that the Christian faith spread through the Roman Empire in the first century not by winning technical debates, but because Christians lived in the love of Jesus Christ. In times of plague and famine, it was the Christians who cared for the sick and destitute. In an age when slaves and women were without power, it was the Christian way of life that gave them a voice and self-respect.

So don’t let the anti-religious, anti-Christian propaganda destabilise you. This is not a time to cower and bury our Christian heads in the sand. Most of us are not trained to challenge complex scientific arguments or indulge in sophisticated debate. But all of us are more than able to make a significant contribution in a way that really does count—by being the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

Prayer
Mighty Father, help us to make a difference in ways we are capable of making a difference—in daily living your life visibly so that even the cleverest of people can see you through us. They may ignore such evidence in creation, but there is no physical test for love, compassion, mercy. These exist and cannot be denied or dismissed. In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen

Study by Joseph Tkach