I was re-reading Case for Christ by Lee Strobel last week, and the following quote jumped out at me. Here, Gregory A. Boyd, near the end of the chapter where he has commented on and dismantled the assumptions of the ultra skeptical “Jesus Seminar”, Boyd moves on to comment on the nature of faith and evidence:

“Let me get this straight,” [Strobel] said. “Your Jesus -the Jesus you relate to- is both a Jesus of history and a Jesus of faith.”

Boyd clenched his fist for emphasis, as if I’d just scored a touch-down. “Yes, that’s it exactly, Lee!” he exclaimed. Moving to the very edge of his chair, he spelled out precisely what his scholarship -and his heart- have brought him to believe.

“It’s like this: if you love a person, your love goes beyond the facts of that person, but it’s rooted in the facts about that person. For example, you love your wife because she’s gorgeous, she’s nice, she’s sweet, she’s kind. All these things are facts about your wife, and therefore you love her.”

“But your love goes beyond that. You can know all these things about your wife and not be in love with her and put your trust in her, but you do. So the decision goes beyond the evidence, yet it is there also on the basis of the evidence.”

“So it is with falling in love with Jesus. To have a relationship with Jesus Christ goes beyond just knowing the historical facts about him, yet it’s rooted in the historical facts about him. I believe in Jesus on the basis of the historical evidence, but my relationship with Jesus goes way beyond the evidence. I have to put my trust in him and walk with him on a daily basis.” (Case for Christ, 125-126)

Although Boyd is a somewhat controversial figure in certain evangelical circles, I find him to be right-on in his commentary here.

Please see the “Links” area in the sidebar to the right for further resources on this topic and related areas of inquiry.

Was reading for my History of Christianity class today (phenomenal class, consistently interesting) and came across this passage:

How [is] one to be a true Christian … when the church joins the powers of the world, when luxury and ostentation take hold of Christian altars, when the whole of society is intent on turning the narrow path into a wide avenue … how is one to resist the enormous temptations of the times? How is one to witness to the Crucified Lord, to the One who had nowhere to lay His head, at a time when many leaders of the church live in costly homes, and when the ultimate witness of martyrdom is no longer possible? (Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity)

Sounds like he is describing our current situation in North America, but he is actually referring to the time of Constantine in the 4^th century. This isn’t to say that “money = evil”. The often misused quote actually says “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim 6:10), not that all money is evil. But still, our situation here in North America is very different from that of the early church, to which people often wistfully wish to return to, as if that were possible. Maybe this is one reason why Jesus spent so much time talking about money and possessions. He had the wisdom and foreknowledge to know we’d need the advice!

No highbrow philosophical commentary today, instead here’s some of the lyrics from a powerful song by Christian pop/punk/rap/whatever band Superchick called “Hero (Red Pill Remix)”. I got the song from one of those compilation CDs, so I don’t know a lot about the band, but this song is great so I’m interested in hearing more of their stuff. Here’s something for everyone (myself included) to think deeply on today:

Hero (Red Pill Remix) – By Superchick

Heroes are made when you make a choice

Related reading: To Show His Love for Us – What does Jesus’ self-sacrifice for us tell us about God?

(Lyrics listed in part; full lyrics available here, sorry ’bout the popup it’s not not my site)

While walking to school this afternoon, the following question popped into my head (I don’t recall the no doubt convoluted sequence of thought that led to this):

The Preamble for the United States Declaration of Independence reads, in part:
“We hold these Truths to be self-evident: that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

How would our world be different from how it is now had it read instead:
“We hold these Truths to be self-evident: that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Holiness.”?

Perhaps our society would not be so focused on personal gratification (lesser good), and instead more focused on personal sanctification (greater good)?