A Healthy Approach to Asking Questions and Finding Answers

Searching questions by faithful people can be very valuable, and God knows the numbers of times when I have asked questions about Christianity, addressing such questions both to myself and in dialogue with others. I definitely appreciate the God-created part of us that seeks after truth, with no sincere, reasonable question being out of bounds. This is one of the best things that God did in creating us. My own response to such questions in my life has been to do tons of reading, both of solid believers and of those who are not, in order to hear the best of both arguments. So I have read ancient critics like Celsus, ancient gnostic heretics, ancient philosophers, and lots of church history, whether doctrinal history or just church history. I have also tried to read modern secular philosophy, especially those who directly challenge the Christian faith (like a David Hume or Feuerbach or Nietzsche). I have also read much in the area of NT criticism and critical theology, including FC Baur, DF Strauss, Bultmann (lots of Bultmann), Dibelius, Schweitzer, Norman Perrin, Schubert Ogden, and the Jesus Seminar guys and their friends (Spong, Borg, Crossan, Funk). I have also read those who critique the challengers of Christianity, like Ben Witherington, NT Wright, Scot McKnight, and a number of others who have written alongside or who have preceded these three (FF Bruce, Ralph Martin, Ward Gasque, TW Manson, Charles Moule, and many others). My point is not to give my reading resume, it is to say that some of those whom I read or with whom I have personal discussions are motivated for whatever reason to ask/answer tough questions without being willing to turn over every rock for clues, and I think this greatly hampers their searches. I personally know several former Christians who lost their faith because they read a few critical voices and stopped there, convinced that the faith side of things had little or nothing to say in response. They were/are wrong. Read Borg, but read NT Wright (and not just the popular stuff he writes). Read Crossan, but read Ben Witherington. Writers like Wright and Witherington are of substantial ability, trained by some of the best, and they make defensible arguments that give credence to Christianity. Read William Lane Craig, Anthony Thiselton, and Kevin Vanhoozer. All of these faith-filled writers are acutely aware of all the critical issues, and they still believe in the Resurrection! The idea that the critics are the ones who have a corner on honest seeking, sound logic, and historical exactitude is inaccurate and a distortion.


I write such things because we are all called to be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within us. I also want for the some or many who have questions to understand that discerning, challenging questions can be asked and answered in a context of absolute faithfulness. The truths of Christianity and the integrity of the Bible can be rationally and spiritually upheld in the context of vigorous intellectual discussion and rigor, and we as traditional, orthodox Christians have nothing to fear from the critics, the philosophers, the academics, the intellectuals, the scientists, or whomever you wish to read--unless we refuse to give as much place to the defenders of the faith as we do to the critics. Just as bad as a closeminded Christian is a closeminded critic or heretic who rules out the thoughts of defenders of the faith as if there is not a chance that the faithful could be correct or as if the faithful are the only ones unwilling or incapable of thinking and researching well without bias. I have given abundant room to the critics in my own personal search; searchers, seekers, and critics need to extend the same effort in giving room to qualified, respected defenders of Christ.

From Oscillation to Consistent Progress

While the general tenor of my perspective on the church is positive (how could it not be in light of Jesus, especially on Resurrection Day?!), a number of realities cause me to daily oscillate in my feelings about how things are going.  I look at the health and progress of a capella Churches of Christ in western Canada and I think, "Whoa, we're in big trouble, we have virtually no impact in our communities!"  Then I electronically dialogue with Blair Roberts, or have a phone conversation with Kevin Vance, or hear about something that Zambia Mission Fund--Canada has done, or talk to Colin Hattrick or Jordan Clark, or have a meeting with Darcy and Hope, or see the positive things happening with our young adult ministry at Calgary C of C and I think, "We have every reason to be hopeful."  Then I think about how apparently unimportant Sunday morning worship is to some Christians when I don't see them for weeks, and I say to myself, "The desires of the world are largely controlling our choices and priorities."  Then I watch Larry and Joann Luck come on a Saturday and fill our pantry so that we can feed the needy, and I am so pleased with the church's ministry to those around us.  Then I talk to someone about their habits with respect to spiritual disciplines, and I think, "I don't know if any of our people are consistently spending time in Scripture."  Then I get a devotionally oriented book for a relatively new Christian like Andrea Milner, and she gobbles it up and tells me about how she and Kaitlyn read the Bible together.

I do think that Churches of Christ in western Canada and the church I serve have a long way to go in order to be what Christ wants us to be.  In many ways we are essentially irrelevant, in fact, we are statistically almost non-existent in our cities, in that, we impact such a relatively small part of our populations.  But as long as there continue to be Resurrection days, there will continue to be life in our churches, with opportunities to move forward from here and to have the kind of impact in our world that God wants His Kingdom to have.  This will require that our young take the ministry of the church seriously and that they play a significant role in the body of Christ.  This will require that the our choices and priorities regarding our time be primarily governed by the gospel and the Kingdom.  This will require that we increase the level of our service to the needy of our communities.  It will require that we possess biblical attitudes toward our Elders and their leadership, rather than the immature questioning of them that I hear too often (there is a mature way to question leaders, but most of what I hear is not this).  It will require that we, at my own church, take seriously the plan for discipleship that our Elders have adopted, so that we work the plan.  It will require a love for the lost that supersedes our love of self, permitting us to outwardly focus.  It will require that families make financial sacrifices for the good of the Kingdom.  It will require that a new generation becomes significantly interested in the spiritual disciplines of prayer, study, giving, service, and worship.  And with these things, and many more, as possibilities, it seems we have a chance to consistently move forward.  Because God is always there ready to bless, the oscillations present in my own perspective can be replaced by not just consistent hopefulness, but by consistent joy as we see the progressing of the Kingdom that God wishes to work among us.

New Canadian C of C Survey

Geoff Ellis, a long time leader in Churches of Christ in Ontario and closely connected with Great Lakes Christian College, has sent out survey info requests for a capella Churches of Christ in Canada.  I appreciate Geoff very much in doing so, and his efforts caused me to think about where our Movement is in Canada (the Stone-Campbell or Restoration Movement, that is), especially in western Canada, which is, of course, where I have spent the majority of my adult life and ministry.  One question I have is about the churches to which Geoff sent the survey and how he decided those to whom he would send it?  I need to ask him, of course, but did he send it to the Shelbourne St. C of C in Victoria, which has for several years now used instruments in worship?  Did he send it to the Glen Elm C of C in Regina, which now uses instruments on Sunday mornings about half the time?  Another question I have concerns the number of churches which have disbanded.  If there is a C of C family or two left in a city or town, but no formal meeting of the church with several families typically meeting at some central location, is this still a church that will be surveyed?  I wonder if he will be aware of whatever church plants may have taken place and be able to contact them for their info?  Mostly, I am, of course, interested in the results of the survey.  My impression is that the still purely a capella churches are for the most part really struggling in western Canada, with there having been no a capella churches in western Canada experiencing notable growth during the last five years, and very few new a capella churches started (I know only of the newer one in Edmonton, and I don't know how they are doing.  I know Tim J. is moving to Barrie).  If you are a reader of this, I would love to hear if you know of something different.  IF my description is accurate, and we are for the most part struggling, I would think that those of us who are leaders in our churches need to seriously consider (or re-consider) what we have been doing.  What kind of revival may be in order?  What shifts in thinking or method need to take place ?  I would think it unlikely that any of us would want to just continue down the same path, which appears to be heading in the direction of a long slow death, with the gates of hell clearly prevailing against the church.  Thoughts?

Avoiding False Dichotomies in Faith and Ministry

If Jesus is our model, authentically living out faith means understanding that relating to, ministering to, and instructing/leading needy people must be what we do much of the time; this must be a priority not just for faith, but for life.  At the same time, I don’t think this day by day, moment by moment focus on blessing others makes coporate worship less significant, but enhances its importance because here we not only participate directly in worship, but we also minister to the faith and very significant spiritual needs of others, along with ministering to their needs for community (yes, I think true community can happen in Sunday worship; it happens for me all the time!).  Further, I don’t think that making ministering to others a priority means that time spent gaining personal intellectual understanding and knowledge of God or Scripture, or even focus on doctrinal fidelity, somehow become less important, because these parts of faith are crucial not only in our personal relationships with God, but in what they enable with respect to our ministering to others.  My point is that holding up ministry and downplaying worship is a false dichotomy for faithful people.  We do not—cannot—choose ministry or justice over worship in order to get Christianity right.  In fact, to do so de-legitimizes our efforts at ministry as much as choosing worship over ministry or justice de-legitimizes worship.  Further, holding up ministry or social justice and downplaying personal intellectual understanding of God or Scripture is an unbalanced approach to prioritizing.  We do not—cannot—choose ministry or justice over personal intellectual understanding and knowledge of God or Scripture to get Christianity right.  Granted, the history of my faith tradition in Churches of Christ has at times made it look like Sunday mornings and/or knowledge of the Bible or doctrine are higher priorities than day by day, moment by moment faith-fostered focus on blessing others.  So, it is a good thing that we would challenge ourselves to not let Sunday worship or personal intellectual

understanding of God (our scholarship) dominate our spiritual lives to the point that these priorities relegate ministry and justice to places of less significance than what our true faith should require.  But, when we have been at our best, this has not been a problem.  When we have truly worshipped, including our Sunday corporate worship, and when we have experienced true theological understanding, even in its most ivory tower, esoteric forms, ministry and justice have also been priorities, because all of these elements are part of what it means to authentically live out our faith.