A "Radical" Life
Striving to live a life less-ordinary.

arrogant christians?

"How could there be just one true faith? It's arrogant to say your religion is superior and try to convert everyone else to it. Surely all religions are equally good and valid for meeting the needs of their particular followers."

This is one of the biggest arguments people have against Christianity. We insist we're right... which means we think everyone else is wrong. It's true. And it comes off as wee bit egotistic (insert sarcastic tone here).

Is it intolerant to insist that one faith has a better grasp on truth than all the others?

Hardly. Truth is truth.

And different faiths believe different things...that's why they're different faiths! The person who says "Jesus is God's son" and the person who says "Jesus was just good moral person" can't both be right. The person who says that God is a personal God and the person who says that He's just some force out there, can't both be right. Sorry, but Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity do not teach the same things. The Branch Davidians (think David Karesh) have a very different view of God than everyone else. We can't all be right. And whoever's not right is, well, wrong.

Here's the irony of the matter. Which is more arrogant and intolerant? To insist that Christianity (or any faith) is absolutely true or to insist that God doesn't exist (or at least that you can't know if He does or not)? By claiming that a certain faith is being arrogant and intolerant in saying they're right about God, you've become arrogant and intolerant in saying that YOU'RE right about God. At the very least you're saying they have no right to insist on any view of God, even though you're insisting on your view that God can't be figured out. It is no more narrow to claim that one religion is right than to claim that they're all equal. We are all exclusive in our beliefs about religion, but in different ways. All statements about God, whether for Him or against Him, are profoundly religious in nature.

If you insist that no one can determine which beliefs are right and wrong, why should we believe what you are saying? The reality is that we all make truth-claims of some sort and it is very hard to weigh them responsibly, but we have no alternative to try to do so.

So how can you know for sure? There are SO many opinions out there...who's to know which one is right? Is it even possible?

First of all, realize that our thinking about who God is and how He works doesn't actually change Truth. God is who He is regardless of what people think about Him. Misunderstanding Him doesn't make Him less Him. Believing He doesn't exist doesn't make Him go away, just as believing He exists doesn't make Him any more real.

You can't hide behind the cliche that "there's no way to know the Truth." Everything about you, every decision that you make big and small is all based on what you believe about God. You MUST do the work. You must answer the questions about what's true and false.

Keep in mind though, those of you who believe in and follow Jesus, that this doesn't give you permission to be a jerk. Or to hold your faith over people. Or to insist that there's nothing you can learn from other religions. At the very heart of our faith is a God who died for those who were against Him. A God who displays sacrifice, generosity and peace-making. We should follow in His footsteps, if we are indeed followers of Christ.

Figure out what you believe stand up for it, and then lovingly show others what you've discovered to be true and why.

(This post is very mildly plagiarized from the first chapter in an incredible book called "The Reason for God" by Timothy Keller. You should read it.)
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Jeremiah Smith

Jeremiah Smith

WHY THE BLOG?

I'm striving to live a life less-ordinary. As followers of Christ our lives should not look like everybody elses. We should be more giving, more loving, more passionate, more sure, more...radical. But we're not. We blend in and desperately want to fit in. This blog is my journey toward to a "radical" life that doesn't look like the rest of the world.


ABOUT ME

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Atlanta, Georgia, United States
A Hoosier, a Buckeye and two Rwandans out on a mission to serve the world. Missionaries for Rwanda through AFRICA NEW LIFE MINISTRIES. We are entirely donor-supported, so if you'd like to partner with us through prayer or finances, we would LOVE to set up a time to chat!