Bringing Clarity to Uncertainty in Our Church
One of my favourite parts about the Christmas season is that people adopt a spirit of giving. Most recently I was overjoyed to see the trending of #GivingTuesday on social media.
But how should we give? What is the standard by which we measure our giving?
Photo courtesy of Marian Chinciusan from Unsplash.com
I was helping my mom move into her new home. A friend of her’s who was also lending a hand became intrigued at my profession. I explained to her my role as a youth minister. I also shared with her my conversion to Catholic Christianity.
The gentle conversational tone of the lady changed. She spoke as if she took offence to my story. Later, I found out she was a non-practicing Catholic.
She argued that she doesn’t need a minister, priest, or church telling her how she should live her faith life. Her relationship is between her and Jesus and that’s all that matters.
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The above argument is popular, but it is faulty. Here are THREE reasons why we can’t have an order of Jesus with no Church on the side.
Does God answer our prayers?
When I was seven years old I would walk to school on my own. The walks were boring and uneventful. One day I had an exciting idea. In order to pass the time I would pretend to be the genie from Aladdin. At the time Aladdin was my favourite show. I just loved how the genie had so many magical powers and he was able grant wishes instantly. All Aladdin had to do was rub a shiny golden lantern and out of it came the blue genie offering to grant any wish.
I walked to school pretending I had amazing powers. I saved people from distress, convinced people to do my bidding, and turned animals into toys.
Giving Up
Can it be that sometimes we treat God as the genie from Aladdin? A mystical entity that grants our wish whenever we call on him.
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Belief in the God of the Bible can easily be dismissed by current scientific observation or future scientific discovery. The God of the Bible is merely a placeholder in a “gap” that has not yet been explained by scientific observation. Whether it be Zeus, Santa Claus, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or the God of the Bible, they can all be explained away by scientific observation. This is referred to as the “god of the gaps” argument.
I will share with you 3 reasons why I believe the “god of the gaps” argument is falsely used against Christianity.
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If the God of the Bible can be explained away by scientific observation then why are there leading scientists who are openly and confidently Christian?
If their belief in God is not valid then these men and women of great intelligence are the equivalent of a 6 year old who refuses abandon his belief is Santa Claus. Despite catching his father putting presents under the Christmas tree at 2a.m. in the morning and shamelessly splurging on a plateful of homemade chocolate chip cookies with a 2 litre carton of milk.
Until Next Time!
She laid in her husband’s arm reminiscing the past 59 years of their marriage with an innocent and calming smile. With one mighty final effort she looked in her husband’s eyes with a familiar grin and passed away.
Doreen was Jennine’s (my wife) grandmother and my adopted grandmother. She was a devout Catholic Christian. For grandma going to church was not a chore but a privilege. She grew up in poverty, went to work at a young age to supplement her parents’ income, and helped raise 11 of her 12 siblings.
Despite the challenges of her early life she never failed to bring joy to the people who found themselves in her company. I find myself hard pressed to recall moments when she wasn’t filled with contagious joy. Even as cancer slowly tugged away at her life she laid in bed and marvelled at past family memories turning a gloomy atmosphere into one of laughter.
Grandma lived life to the full.
Photo by Rory Bjorkman from Flickr.com
Scared TO Death?
As I read the works of the late writer and cultural critic, Christopher Hitchens (may he rest joyfully in God’s presence) I am reminded of an earlier Greg Garda.
One of the accusations Mr. Hitchens continuously makes towards people of religious belief is that they are scared of death. Mr. Hitchens, along with my former self, believed that religious faith is a crutch that provides a simple explanation for a state after death. It is a placebo to medicate a fear, or “illness” as Mr. Hitchens implies.
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