Is Christianity a "Blind Faith"?
IS CHRISTIANITY A “BLIND FAITH”?
This month I have the privilege of being in a class taught by Dr. Jim Burkett called Apologetics 101. It is an excellent class and Dr. Burkett does a great job teaching. In the material he shared with us, it had “Five Myths About Christianity” that many in our culture believe. These are myths that often keep people from faith in Christ or myths skeptics use to challenge the Christian faith. I want to briefly answer these over the next few weeks.
The first myth that many buy into is the idea that Christianity calls you to a blind faith. In other words, to believe in Jesus is to put your brain on the shelf and take a blind leap into the abyss. When you hear certain skeptics or people like Bill Maher they would make you think that if you chose to be a Christian you are just buying into unsubstantiated hokey myths and you are just not very smart.
Tied to this is the line of thought that says to use the word faith means that there is no evidence. That is faith, sort of a blind leap. But that is not accurate. In one of the debates between the Christian John Lennox and the well-known atheist Richard Dawkins, Dawkins makes the assertion that if you use the word faith it implies there is really no rational evidence because by definition that is faith. Lennox responds by asking Dawkins, “Do you have faith in your wife?” He said, “Yes.” Then He asked, “Do you have reasons that you have faith in your wife?” Obviously, yes he does. So to have faith does not mean that you do not have reasons for your faith. Just like you would have good reasons for trusting your spouse, you have good reasons for placing your trust in Christ. The bible says, “Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11: 1 (NIV) As Christians, we have reasons for our confidence and assurance about Jesus and the Gospel.
Let’s answer the question, “Is Christianity a blind faith?” Absolutely not. Yes, Christianity calls you to a faith decision about Jesus and the Gospel but it is a reasonable faith decision based on historical truth. Dr. Burkett pointed out that after Jesus resurrection and before His ascention into heaven Jesus taught some convincing truths. “After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” Acts 1: 3 (NIV)
What were the convincing truths? I cannot tell you for sure but it seems to be a couple truths are glaringly obvious. First, He was living proof that He conquered the grave. Not even death by crucifixion could stop Him. In my mind, the fact that He rose from the dead is enough evidence for me to place my faith and trust in Him. Secondly, I think he was teaching his disciples that as the Messiah, He was the one the prophets had revealed for centuries. The Bible says in Luke 24 that after His resurrection Jesus was walking on the road to Emmaus with two men and it says “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.” Luke 24: 27 (NIV) In other words, his virgin birth, sinless life, teaching, crucifixion, burial and resurrection was not accident but it has been foretold centuries ago.
When you make a decision to place your trust in Jesus Christ, it is by no means a blind faith. You are placing your trust in the person of Christ, who is the Messiah and was foretold from the beginning. He arrived at the appointed time in history (Galatians 4: 4-5), He arrived in flesh and lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4: 15), He died a sacrificial death on a Roman cross (II Cor. 5:21), He was buried and rose from the dead (I Cor. 15: 3-4).
Therefore, as followers of Christ we are not asked to have a blind arbitrary faith. No, the Gospel is about placing your faith in Christ who was foretold from the beginning and has definitively acted in history. He has not only acted in history but in some very specific ways through His death, burial and resurrection. So rest assured that the Christian faith, is not a blind faith, it is a faith with eyes wide open. Looking in to face of a Savior whose nail pierced hands and feet that reveal with certainty His love for you. So, when you trust in Jesus, yes it is a faith decision but it is a reasonable faith decision. It is a myth to say that Christianity is a blind faith.
Pastor Scott
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBbBenCTTwE Preview of debate between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox