Reason and Discovery

Spirituality Column #151
September 29, 2009
Current in Carmel - Current in Westfield - Current in Noblesville
(Indianapolis North Suburban newspapers)

Reason and Discovery
By Bob Walters

It slipped my notice, but Sept. 17 was the 222nd birthday of the U.S. Constitution.

I am fascinated by the Christian and non-Christian implications of America’s founding philosophies, and by the mix of religious and non-religious Colonials who all agreed that personal liberty, economic autonomy, spiritual freedom and limited government composed the best state-of-being for mankind.

“Separation of church and state” appears nowhere in America’s founding documents. It was penned in an otherwise obscure letter written by Thomas Jefferson; a “reason and nature” deist who believed God created the world and left it to run itself.

While “Father of Our Country” George Washington wrote fabulous Christian prayers, Jefferson, like several of his contemporaries, was a humanist who dismissed the Christian supernatural – virgin birth, miracles, Christ’s resurrection, etc.

Jefferson framed the liberty-loving language of the Declaration of Independence and had almost nothing to do with the writing of the Constitution. “Separation of church and state” is nonetheless considered a Jeffersonian dictum and Constitutional tradition.

Nearly forgotten is that it was uber-patriot Thomas Paine, not Jefferson, who wrote rebelliously against religion.

Famed for “Common Sense” published in January 1776, Paine provided the American revolutionaries – from farmers to intellectuals – with a compelling call to arms. The Declaration of Independence was signed that summer, and in late 1776 Paine’s “Crisis” was published containing the line, “These are the times that try men’s souls.”

Paine’s words crystallized the Colonials’ yearning for freedom and lit the emotional fires of the American Revolution. Yet negative blowback from his anti-religious views caused him to leave America for Europe where he was an outcast in England and nearly executed in France. His 1794 anti-religion book “Age of Reason” sparked further outrage.

Paine considered scripture to be mere hearsay. Not quite an atheist, he believed in one God, hoped for “happiness beyond this life,” and obviously conceded the existence of men’s souls.

But he saw no faith, only “reason,” and considered any church or religion an impediment to man’s freedom. “My own mind is my own church,” he wrote.

How many times we Christians hear that line, or some version thereof, when non-believers are invited to share our faith. “I’m too smart for church,” they imply.

It seems reasonable that God gave us the great gift of intelligence not so we could merely find ourselves, but so we could discover Him.

That’s the proper use of freedom.

Walters (www.believerbob.blogspot.com) hopes we are indeed “one nation under God,” and not a reasonable facsimile.

The Odds on God

Spirituality Column #150
September 22, 2009
Current in Carmel (IN) newspaper
Current in Westfield (IN) newspaper

The Odds on God
By Bob Walters

Frenchman Blaise Pascal was a brilliant 17th century scientist, mathematician and philosopher whose fertile mind wandered into, out of, and back into religion during his life from 1623 to 1662.

Pascal’s France was the era of Louis XIV, Cardinal Richilieu, Cyrano de Bergerac, and Rene Descartes. It was a country culturally stretched by Le Roi Soleil, the ecclesial preeminence of the Jesuits and Catholic Church, the early secular gloamings of the humanist philosophers, and religious emanations from the robust Protestant Reformation next door in Germany.

A child prodigy educated by his father, Pascal wrote a treatise on conical mathematics at age 16. At 22, he was schooled in atmospherics by Descartes, known not only for math and physics but also as the father of modern philosophy.

The famous “I think, therefore I am” (Cogito ergo sum) is from Descartes, whose powerful (and novel) rational argument proceeded from finding truth by first defining doubt, and then into assuring us that we exist.

Some take that to infer God must also exist; others that it means God doesn’t need to exist. Try as he might, Descartes could never quite prove – not even to his own satisfaction – whether God exists or not.

“Pascal’s Wager,” another famous bit of unsatisfying theological grist, hedges a person’s bet on God’s existence. To paraphrase, the wager states (tip of the hat to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy):

Even under the assumption that God’s existence is unlikely, the potential benefits of believing are so vast as to make betting on God’s existence rational.

My Christian spiritual mentors wrinkle their noses at that one. A fair summation of their response is: “To bet blindly on God to avoid condemnation or attain salvation neither creates love nor proves faith. God knows the difference.”

A couple weeks ago Indianapolis hosted a convention of secularists, and news coverage (at least what I saw of it) seemed fair enough. Secularists just can’t make sense of why or how there could be a God, but nonetheless appreciate – and in many cases share – the human need to form communities.

Descartes (a non-believer) and Pascal (a believer), always are prominent bellwethers of naturalist, secularist, humanist, even atheistic argument. “We have nature, why do we need God?” the non-believers seemingly say.

Convention organizers confidently cited a survey revealing that 15 percent of Americans reject God and religion.

Tells me that 85 percent don’t.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) spent most of his life thinking God was an inconvenient truth. For fun, Google “Pascal’s Wager” and “Cogito Ergo Sum.”

Head-Bangin' Evangelism

Spirituality Column #149
September 15, 2009
Current in Carmel (IN) newspaper
Current in Westfield (IN) newspaper

Head-Bangin’ Evangelism
By Bob Walters

Confronting our sin is an inescapable part of the Christian walk.

But why would anyone let confrontation define the entire journey?

Maybe because in Romans 14:10, St. Paul tells us we will “stand before the judgment seat of Christ." True stuff. And then there is Romans 1:18-32, a litany of God’s wrath and human failings. Scary stuff.

Plus, “evangelists” too often preach a terrifying “salvation” message of God’s wrath and man’s wretchedness, whether to bewildered non-believers or to believing Christians crippled by sermons dripping with “death by sin” rather than life by the Gospel light of Christ’s sacrifice, grace and mercy.

“You’re a sinner condemned to Hell … and that’s the good news,” quips one of my pastoral friends, tongue in cheek and aghast at the dark spectacle of evangelism by threat, guilt and wrath.

Nobody establishes a relationship, willingly, on that kind of a foundation. Yet too often we allow our most personal, precious hope – forgiveness of sins and eternal life – to be co-opted into obedience by fear rather than forming freedom fueled by God’s love.

“God’s mad at you so you better straighten up!” is not the central message of the Bible, and it’s not the central message of Christ.

The central message of the Bible is that each one of us – every single individual human being – is special to God, forgiven of our sins by the grace of Jesus Christ, and gifted by the Holy Spirit with a soul and access to eternal communion in heaven.

Not one of us can work – or worry – our way out of this sinful and fallen world. Thank God … and I mean, Thank God, we don’t have to.

Jesus did the heavy lifting of that one on the Cross.

With God’s gift of love, freedom and salvation so accessible, why would anyone sell it with fear, control and guilt? Why would anyone buy it?

John 14:6 plainly tells us Christ is the only path to salvation. Believe it.

Romans 8:1 reads, “There is … no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.” Trust it.

Certainly, be an example of Christian love. Learn to tell people of your faith. But, like 1 Peter 3:15, do it “… with gentleness and respect.”

Not a 2x4 to the head.

Sure … confront sin; but find joy in the Lord.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) notes that we catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. “Evangelism” means “spreading good news" not "terrorizing sinners."

Trillion Dollar Question

Spirituality Column #148
September 8, 2009
Current in Carmel (IN) Carmel
Current in Westfield (IN) Carmel

Trillion Dollar Question
By Bob Walters

A traveling preacher in our Sunday pulpit recently had what appeared to be a stack of 100-dollar bills peaking out of the top of his shirt pocket.

An animated, engaging, energetic orator, the guy removed his sport coat early in the sermon revealing the visible, rectangular ends of several dark, greenish “bills.”

I was embarrassed for him at first. I thought maybe he’d been paid for the preaching gig in cash, and the money was indiscreetly exposed.

Sometimes I over-think a gag.

‘Turns out the “bills” were faux currency; the presently popular “Obama Trillion Dollar Bills” that have a Christian tract on the back. The idea, he enthusiastically preached, is to approach a stranger, or group of strangers, distribute the gimmick “Obama Trillion” (or “Michael Jackson Million” – both are available online), and as the unwary souls giggle and examine the fake cash they’ll turn it over, see the Christian tract, and … um, be saved.

Wonderful … a sucker punch for Christ.

Have I got this right? Let’s save the lost by blending our natural human avarice – “hey … is that real money?” – with a cult-inducing celebrity?

And as long as we’re trolling for the unsaved – the lost and unknowing; the spiritually weakest among us – let’s put the most draconian, condemning “Gospel message” imaginable on the back, and scare people into the perfect, loving arms of, and eternal communion with, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Are you kidding me?

The tract – which includes the phrase “God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous adulterer at heart” followed by John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son …” – is not only contradictory and confusing but … terrifying.

Which is it? Does God hate me or love me? And before you answer, consider that John 3:16 is a direct quote from Jesus – God Incarnate – while He was alive as a human on earth. “God so loved the world,” it says, and that means before, during and after Christ’s sacrifice.

God loves us sinners today just as much as then – His love is eternal – and He wants us to find our divine freedom from death through our love and faith in Christ.

But trying to trick the lost into salvation with a scary, ill-defined and theologically suspect message on a fake paper idol?

Not exactly grace that sticks, nor an appealing picture of Christian love.

Walters (www.believerbob.blogspot.com) notes that it was love, not trickery, that defined early Christians. See Acts 2:42.

At a Loss for Words

Spirituality Column #147
September 1, 2009
Current in Carmel (IN) newspaper
Current in Westfield (IN) newspaper

At a Loss for Words
By Bob Walters

“I wish I were better at expressing my Christian faith to people …”

Sound familiar? How often we Christians lament our shortcomings in this area.

Thankfully, it is generally not up to us – neither by our courage of engagement nor talents of elocution – to awaken in others the soul-saving stirrings of the Holy Spirit.

Salvation is above our mortal, um, pay grade; it comes from the top – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Salvation is Jesus Christ’s job.

It is, however, very much up to us to “…set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect …”

That’s 1 Peter 3:15. We never know when it will be our words or actions that God will use to begin His work in another person’s heart. All we can do is tell of our own faith, and then see if the sown spiritual seed takes root in productive soil.

So, on the one hand, the pressure’s off. We can’t save anyone with our words or deeds, no matter how dazzling. On the other hand, the pressure seemingly couldn’t be greater … as believers we are called by God to “always give an answer” for our faith; our love demands it.

But is there pressure, really? Pressure comes from fear, and love of God dissolves fear. When fear is gone, what we have left is love’s best companion: freedom.

And when we are free in Christ – not fearful of man – our answers for our hope in Christ flow freely.

Still, it can be tough to describe our faith because our relationship with God is so spiritually personal; very real, but mystical and hard to explain – especially to non-believers. What “did it for me” probably won’t do it for you.

For example, the action that triggered my first trip to church in 30 years – and led to my faith, baptism and study – was my almost-13-year-old son asking at the dinner table, “Why don’t we go to church?” It was an innocent and legitimate question, not a suggestion or trick. He was just curious.

Next thing you know, I’m in the back pew at a church, crying quiet tears as my heart awakened to the Holy Spirit and love of Jesus Christ.

There was my answer, before I’d asked a question.

Walters (www.believerbob.blogspot.com) was baptized in 2001.