HAS CHRISTIANITY BEEN GOOD FOR THE WORLD? (4 OF 7)
Scripture: Genesis 1:26-27, John 1:14, John 3:16-17, Philippians 2:5-8
This content is part of a series.
Has Christianity Been Good For the World? (4 of 7)
Series: Apologia
Wyman Richardson
Genesis 1:26-27; John 1:14; John 3:16-17; Philippians 2:5-8
In 2007, the late Christopher Hitchens published his bestselling book, god is Not Great. As you might imagine the book was not a love letter to the Lord. Hitchens, an atheist, launched his complaint against religion in this book and his message was enthusiastically received by the many people who agreed with him. What is particularly telling about the book is the subtitle: “How Religion Poisons Everything.”
That is certainly an extreme opinion, and, again, it is one that is shared by many today. In fact, that premise (that religion poisons everything) has become almost an assumption among many modern people. But is it true? Specifically, is it true of Christianity, a religion that Hitchens had especial disdain for?
Put another way, has Christianity been good for the world or has it been bad for the world?
In exploring this question I want to offer two prefatory remarks. First, it needs to be understood that the truthfulness of Christianity and the truthfulness of the gospel of C hrist does not hinge upon the behavior of His followers. This is not a cop-out. This is simple logic, especially when we consider that one of the tenets of Christianity is the fallenness and sinfulness of all people.
This is not to say, of course, that the behavior of Christians is unimportant. That would be an absurd thing to say and even a blasphemous thing to say. How we act and how we as a Church have acted is extremely important. It plays a large part in the willingness of people to hear what we have to say. But the fact that Christian behavior is very important does not mean that Christian behavior has the power to falsify what Jesus said about Himself and the Father. Our failure to follow Jesus makes us tragic hypocrites, to be sure, but it does not make Jesus a liar.
Secondly, I want to acknowledge up f ...
Series: Apologia
Wyman Richardson
Genesis 1:26-27; John 1:14; John 3:16-17; Philippians 2:5-8
In 2007, the late Christopher Hitchens published his bestselling book, god is Not Great. As you might imagine the book was not a love letter to the Lord. Hitchens, an atheist, launched his complaint against religion in this book and his message was enthusiastically received by the many people who agreed with him. What is particularly telling about the book is the subtitle: “How Religion Poisons Everything.”
That is certainly an extreme opinion, and, again, it is one that is shared by many today. In fact, that premise (that religion poisons everything) has become almost an assumption among many modern people. But is it true? Specifically, is it true of Christianity, a religion that Hitchens had especial disdain for?
Put another way, has Christianity been good for the world or has it been bad for the world?
In exploring this question I want to offer two prefatory remarks. First, it needs to be understood that the truthfulness of Christianity and the truthfulness of the gospel of C hrist does not hinge upon the behavior of His followers. This is not a cop-out. This is simple logic, especially when we consider that one of the tenets of Christianity is the fallenness and sinfulness of all people.
This is not to say, of course, that the behavior of Christians is unimportant. That would be an absurd thing to say and even a blasphemous thing to say. How we act and how we as a Church have acted is extremely important. It plays a large part in the willingness of people to hear what we have to say. But the fact that Christian behavior is very important does not mean that Christian behavior has the power to falsify what Jesus said about Himself and the Father. Our failure to follow Jesus makes us tragic hypocrites, to be sure, but it does not make Jesus a liar.
Secondly, I want to acknowledge up f ...
There are 24000 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
