I’m writing this after reading Losing my religion: Why I recently walked away from Christianity. The author outlines 20 reasons to reject Christianity — mainly moral issues with the Bible, failures of the church and intellectual problems with Christian faith (in a fundamentalist form).
In response I wanted to give 20 reasons why I am a Christian. (I stopped at 25.) Birth plays a big role in these matters, of course, but I’m more interested in what keeps me in the Christian fold now.
Here are my reasons:
1. Christian music from Palestrina to Chris Tomlin.
2. The Summa of St Thomas Aquinas.
3. The Book of Psalms, its raw honesty about faith.
4. The church’s historic role in hospitals, schools and care for the poor.
5. Iconography and Christian art.
6. The rise of modern science from a Christian understanding of a Book of Nature, worthy of study alongside the Book of Scripture.
7. Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov.
8. Calvin Crest Presbyterian Youth Camp.
9. The exemplary character of many Christians I’ve known, which makes up for the not so exemplary ones, as well as my own failings.
10. A Gothic cathedral, how eyes are drawn upward.
11. The church preserved human learning through the Middle Ages.
12. The simplicity of a life based on love of God and neighbor.
13. The Christian emphasis on grace.
14. The Parables of the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan.
15. Perichoresis — the way the divine persons in the Trinity indwell one another and dance around one another.
16. The richly human portraits of characters in the Hebrew scriptures, with human virtues and flaws.
17. The Book of Galatians and its synopsis of the gospel.
18. Creation — how nature fuels an intuition of something beyond nature.
19. My wife, whose love for me models God’s love for all things.
20. Spiritual formation through Intervarsity Christian Fellowship in college.
21. The laughter of children in church.
22. Congregations I’ve worshipped with in Nevada, Georgia and Michigan.
23. The faith of my parents and grandparents.
24. Belief in the resurrection is a reasonable response to the evidence.
25. The Gospel portraits of Jesus as an exemplar of divine love. I don’t know what to do with Jesus, other than follow.
What are your reasons for being and staying Christian?
I identify with many of the items in your list.
I paused a long time at reason number 6 on the expression Book of Nature. I spend a lot of time with that book, although my interest is not really scientific. I think of the Book of Nature as something like a book of photos or poems or songs or memories or sounds.
In a few minutes I am headed up a mountain and then down into a steep canyon, spending time with that book. At the same time I will be remembering one of my favorite hiking verses from the other book, Isaiah 2:2-3a.
Perhaps it is those verses that say what is at stake for me in Christianity – the higher mountain that Isaiah saw. That may not make any sense, I guess. Still, there is something in Isaiah’s image of that higher mountain in those latter days that draws me closer to God, something that today’s hike will connect with.
Thanks, Ken. I hope you have a good hike, spending time with the Book of Nature.
Great list Chris. “I don’t know what to do with Jesus, other than follow.”
I live just a couple miles from Calvin Crest.
Serious! A couple miles from Calvin Crest. Wow. I spent a month at Calvin Crest in the summer of ’79. It was one of the best times in my life. Holy ground.
That’s a fine list there. I’m hesitant to make one simply because I’ll end up sounding very pretentious. But, a list like that deserves a million responses. So here we go. Three quotes, an observation, and a confession:
(Please note I’ll think of approx. 700 more before head hits pillow tonight.
1. “Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so.”
-Karl Barth (I think he may have borrowed that)
2. “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
-C.S. Lewis
3. “Lord to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life”
-Simon Peter
4. All of the people I have known who by any standard are pitiful at best; pathetic by every wordly definition. People who have every reason to be miserable and filled with hate and resentment and jealousy. Yet, because of their faith, they have the nerve to call themselves blessed. Sceptics can call them delusioned or simply grasping at straws of wish fulfillment. I call them saints who will be frist in the Kingdom.
5. I’m a bad person. I need Jesus. I have no other leg to stand on.
Chris-
Wow! What a list!
(I hope that two exclamation points aren’t too much for you or for SRB.)
I printed your list and I spent some time thinking about your closing question. I cut and pasted my response this morning from my meanderings last night.
I know your #13 about Christianity’s emphasis on grace is what recently transformed me from a pew-warmer to a Jesus follower – your #25. However much I hobble because of my condition of being a spiritual cripple or stumble over self-inflicted obstacles, I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to follow Jesus. I know that this compulsion was the benevolent result of immersing myself in Scripture, similar to your #3, #14, #16, #17, and 25. I know that simply contemplating creation #18, causes me to be in worshipful awe of God – I really get Genesis 1 & 2 and all the Psalms praising God’s power and beauty in creation.
I wish I had more #9, #20, #22, and #23.
But #19 more than makes up for that lack and it truly applies to my husband too – I am convinced that he is my gift of earthly love from God.
I would add:
(1) My attempts at self-fulfillment was so shallow in comparison to the richness and depth of God’s fulfillment.
(2) Self-esteem is a deceptive illusion, whereas God’s esteem for me is an incomprehensible truth as I dwell in His steadfast love.
(3) I have lived life my way and I have lived life God’s way. Although God’s way is not always easy, it is the way I choose because it really does bear the fruits of an abundant life.
Thank for your invitation to think about our reasons for being and staying a Christian. Such a list produces a gratitude filled heart and I have been told that gratitude is the first step of faith.
SRB-
Your list knocked me over — it is so honest!
(And my comment is sincerely exclamation point worthy).
SRB, I like your #2; and Jelanie, thanks for the exclamation points! Peace to you.
Ah, exclamation points. My mortal enemy. You’ve won this round oh stepchild of punctuation.
Jelanie,
I identify all too well with your last three points. Thanks for that.
Also, I’d like to add that as the son & husband of Enlish teachers, I know that there is no such word as “delusioned.” I’m not sure what I was thinking at the time. It is almost enough to make me lament in an exclamatory manner. But, of course, I won’t.
SRB,
Oh son and husband of Enlish teachers,
I recognize in you what I also lack:
the genetic predisposition for accurate typing.
Even in typing, I try to keep my right hand from knowing what the left is doing.
Yes!
- A man of God who is clever and humorous.
http://www.control-z.com/czp/pgs/why_no_longer.html
Highlight this and go to the website, If you are a true christian you will have the ability to read through this, consider it a test of your faith, or a revelation. If you look at it and reject it, you know there is something wrong with your faith, doubt must be preserved through defenses….true faith has nothing to hide and can read anything with an open mind…Have fun dude:)
I am trying to get over my aversion towards Christianity, so I’m writing a list of 10 reasons why I want to be Christian. It’s not easy, as I don’t want to be Christian – as I’m not, but your list actually gave me a couple of points
The music, cathedrals and the influence of Catholic church to the scholars during the Middle Ages are pretty good things.
One thing about your list, though… The Old Testament is not Christian. Your #3 and #16 should make you want to be Jewish.