Sam Harris, "Letter to a Christian Nation," Reviewed

I am reading through the new book by Sam Harris, "Letter to a Christian Nation," and thought I would share my thoughts on it. Sam Harris is an atheist who addresses his book to Christians in an attempt to point out how illogical they are. His goal is to awaken Americans to the dangers of religion in hopes of a future America where atheism is the predominant belief. I am not yet halfway through this very short book, and I have many reactions already, but I will narrow them to a few.

1. I agree with Harris' assessment early in the book, “If the Bible is an ordinary book, and Christ an ordinary man, the history of Christian theology is the story of bookish men parsing a collective delusion (p.5)." How true! So many "Christians" want to pretend that the only important part of their faith is the moral guidlines. They seem to think that whether or not all the claims of the Bible and of Jesus are true or not is not so important. I may believe them, but if somebody else doesn't, so what? Whatever works for them. Yet Harris understands the problem brilliantly: if the main claims of your faith aren't true, what good are they?

2. However, Harris' next statement reveals his negative thinking when it comes to Christianity:
"If the basic tenets of Christianity are true, then there are some very grim surprises in store for nonbelievers like myself (p.5).” I know what he is getting at here, but I would argue to the contrary, if they are true, what wonderful news for everyone! If you are not a Christian, have you ever stopped to think of the implications if Christianity is true? God became a man and died for you! Now you can have a relationship with God-I mean really- G-O-D, GOD! Although it almost seems like you would have to be a fool to believe something like this, what if it really were true? I can tell you, in my own life, I have found it to be true, and it is amazing.

I will post again shortly on some of my other reactions.

Ted Haggard and Religious Hypocrites

In the past few weeks there has been about as much negative publicity about Ted Haggard as anyone I can think of in the year 2006. Why? Because of an alleged gay affair and drug use? No, that kind of thing happens all the time. Because he lied about it? Please, that happens all the time to. Because he is famous? No again, how many people actually knew who Ted Haggard was before this November? It's because of the liberal media. Just kidding! The real reason is hypocrisy. We as a culture cannot stand hypocrites, and for good reason.

Quite often people tell me they don't want to go to church because the church is "full of hypocrites." How is a Christian to respond to this, especially since it is hard to deny?

I read an excellent article by Art Toalston this week. (http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=24330) He points out that, "No doubt, there are hypocrites, imperfect people and even addicts of all kinds within the Christian community. To their credit, however, these individuals have the courage to embrace a faith that challenges their sin and seeks to redeem their lives." Later, he quite candidly notes, "it is entirely possible for a believer to be what the world calls a 'hypocrite," to believe with all of his or her heart that such-and-such a behavior is sinful yet, in a weak moment, commit that sin. In the interim, the communion with Jesus increasingly becomes a desperately needed place of refuge after each defeat."

That's how I see it. All of us Christians are imperfect, but striving to live the life Jesus has called us to live. Without Jesus, we would have no chance of success. But with His forgiveness and power in our lives, we continuously change. It is hard being a Christian, precisely because the moment you become one its almost impossible to not be a hypocrite- we have such a high standard to meet!

None of this is meant to excuse Haggard's behavior, or any other hypocrite's. But if hypocrisy is keeping you out of church, remember that church was never meant to be a place where trust is placed in other people, but in Jesus, the only person who ever lived that was never a hypocrite. "Church" is really just a group of people seeking to follow Jesus. I wouldn't miss out on it for anything.

God vs. Science

In Time Magazine's latest cover story, Richard Dawkins represents the "new" atheists in a debate about the existence of God. He is a "new" atheist because he is a leader in a wave of new books supporting atheism, which are more determined than ever to convince everyone else that there is no God. The problem is that, at least in the Time article, there are no new arguments. Dawkins seems to grasp for any possible explanation for the complex designs in the universe other than God, no matter how far fetched. Dawkins offers two such explanations: "Some unified theory will eventually show..." and "Maybe the universe we are in is one of a very large number of universes (p.53)."

Let's face it, God is by far the most logical and probable explanation for the existence of the universe. Even Dawkins admits there are only two alternatives. The first is a unified theory, which no one is close to figuring out and even Stephen Hawking has given up hope of discovering. The other is the multi-universe idea, for which there is absolutely no evidence. Even if there was a unified theory or multiple universes, the evidence for God is not diminished, for where did the multiple universes or a fine-tuned unified theory come from? Such things would also display evidence of fine-tuned designing that are clearly best explained by God.

Elton John, Religion, and Homosexual rights

It saddens me that Elton John recently said:

"I think religion has always tried to turn hatred towards gay people. Religion promotes the hatred and spite against gays," and "From my point of view I would ban religion completely."

First, Elton John's perception is completely false. In nations where religion has been repressed and the leaders are atheistic, such as China and the former Soviet Union, repression of homosexuals greatly increased! Jail sentences, castration, and even executions were the non-religious ways of dealing with homosexuals. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism_and_LGBT_rights) Second, many religions throughout history have actually celebrated homosexuality. Think of the pagan cultic practices of ancient Greece and Rome.

However, the more important issue here is Elton John's next statement:

"Organised religion doesn't seem to work. It turns people into really hateful lemmings and it's not really compassionate." (See http://www.drudgereport.com/flash1.htm for full article).

There is much truth to this. To the gay and lesbian community of Miami and beyond, as a pastor, let me say, I'm sorry. I'm sorry there has been so much "I'm holier than thou" condemnation and ridicule of you. At the same time, please respect me and all those in the community of those who seek to follow Jesus. Many of us, myself included, do believe homosexuality is wrong. We are driven to this belief, not because of homophobia or hatred towards anything different, but because we believe it is truly in the best interests of humanity.

Our belief does not mean we want to kill you or make your lives miserable. But we do believe it is important to stand for marriage as being between one man and one woman. It does not mean we all think homosexuals chose to be gay one day. But we do believe that true inner peace will only be found when one pursues a relationship with God and His righteousness that includes an abandoning of the homosexual lifestyle. I pray for Elton John to discover such a relationship with God, and I do have love for him, whether he sees my position as hatred or not.

About this blog

I am the pastor of a brand new church in Miami. I am seeking to reach a new generation who don't fit into the churches of our parents. We want to be a part of a community. We want to work with others to see positive changes in the world around us. We seek peace. We want transparent leaders and authentic religion. No more putting on a show for a Sunday service. We want spirituality that is real and with us all the time. We want interaction, not "do what I say" leaders. Most of all, we want movement, not the same story day after day, week after week. I will be addressing issues that are relevant to those who desire such movement, I invite you to join in the discussion!