Recently someone challenged me to consider something. Here is the way he phrased it…Have you ever taken a moment to consider how outlandish the claims of Christianity might seem to someone who is not a follower of Jesus?
That question has stayed with me for the several weeks since it was first posed.
Now, the me from a few years ago would have launched into an apologetic diatribe of evidence coupled with fact, all piled on top of a heap of undeniable proof. How could someone not believe the claims of Christianity? Once weighed against the elements of history, life, and morality they just make sense.
Don’t get my friend wrong. He was not attempting to cause me to doubt my faith in God. Instead he was challenging me to rethink the way I embrace my faith, especially when I’m with people who don’t think the way I do.
That question was a reminder. A reminder that there are people in the world who are intelligent, rational beings who have not submitted themselves to God. They are not stupid; they are not ignorant; and in fact, they have much to contribute to the conversations of spirituality.
They are not to be treated like targets of a spiritual war, who will finally be conquered when they get tired of running.
What if we got it all wrong? And by we, I mean me. And you.
What if we concentrated on earning the right to speak into people’s lives? What if we allowed people to speak into our lives? Even those who don’t think the way we do?
I’m gonna give that a try.
