Reject Christ, Grim Future
A Lesson from Tim Keller
If Christ is who He said He is, then He is the Son of God, our Creator, and the path to God.
Could Christ be a myth? Proving anything absolutely is almost impossible. Practically any position we hold requires not just reason but also faith. The gospel was written soon after Christ and includes many eyewitness accounts. It takes more faith to assume Christ is a myth than otherwise.
If the gospel is true, how can we explain the terrible things done in Christ’s name? The question should be whether those Christians really followed Christ—He died on the cross, prayed for His enemies, and stopped His followers from physically defending Him. Christianity is more effective when marginalized and loses effectiveness when in bed with power. Even Christ criticized the powerful religious leaders of His day.
So why does God allow the strong to kill the weak? Feeling outraged by such behavior implies you believe in some objective standard of justice. Christians believe so too. But there are many aspects of God we simply won’t understand. We are on a need-to-know basis. One thing we do know is that God is not indifferent, or He wouldn’t have come to earth and suffered terribly.
Having said that, Christians believe the long-term future of those who reject Christ is grim. Are such views too exclusionary?
Some believe that all religions are equally good, like many blind men describing an elephant based on touching different parts of it. But such a hypothesis assumes that someone has seen the entire elephant or has the superior knowledge of the ultimate religion. This all-religions-are-equally-good view is equally exclusionary.
Some believe that Christianity is socially constructed and only reflects those around them. Even so, one still needs to ask whether such beliefs are right or wrong.
Christians’ belief rests on God’s grace, shown by the gospel, not based on living a good life or following the ten commandments.
Many Christians’ faith is based on:
The Christian faith leads to God-centeredness that, in the long-term, brings a fulfilled life, while self-centeredness brings pain and suffering.
Choose your path wisely and bear the consequences.
Summary of several messages by Tim Keller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGX1fHWU1TA
Do you believe there's only one way to God? Tim Keller at Columbia University
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCsvrbZW4oE
Are People Who Aren't Christians Going to Hell? Is that Fair? | Tim Keller at Columbia University
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBtrznLRZYQ
Isn't God Just a Projection of Our Culture? Tim Keller at Veritas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDZ8A3PhsH4&list=PL6A1AE952ADCB31FB&index=1
Isn’t Reason for God a Contradiction? Tim Keller at Veritas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZAPFKXMy_Y&list=PL6A1AE952ADCB31FB&index=4
Why is the Bible reliable? Tim Keller at Columbia University
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzrfKLdBqB0&list=PL6A1AE952ADCB31FB&index=6
Are you Resolutely Convinced that Christianity is True? Tim Keller at Veritas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkn5lfutSrY&list=PL6A1AE952ADCB31FB&index=7
With all this suffering, how could there be a God? Tim Keller at Columbia University
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnbauJtqKF8
Isn't the Christian Church the Best Proof Against God? Tim Keller at Veritas
Could Christ be a myth? Proving anything absolutely is almost impossible. Practically any position we hold requires not just reason but also faith. The gospel was written soon after Christ and includes many eyewitness accounts. It takes more faith to assume Christ is a myth than otherwise.
If the gospel is true, how can we explain the terrible things done in Christ’s name? The question should be whether those Christians really followed Christ—He died on the cross, prayed for His enemies, and stopped His followers from physically defending Him. Christianity is more effective when marginalized and loses effectiveness when in bed with power. Even Christ criticized the powerful religious leaders of His day.
So why does God allow the strong to kill the weak? Feeling outraged by such behavior implies you believe in some objective standard of justice. Christians believe so too. But there are many aspects of God we simply won’t understand. We are on a need-to-know basis. One thing we do know is that God is not indifferent, or He wouldn’t have come to earth and suffered terribly.
Having said that, Christians believe the long-term future of those who reject Christ is grim. Are such views too exclusionary?
Some believe that all religions are equally good, like many blind men describing an elephant based on touching different parts of it. But such a hypothesis assumes that someone has seen the entire elephant or has the superior knowledge of the ultimate religion. This all-religions-are-equally-good view is equally exclusionary.
Some believe that Christianity is socially constructed and only reflects those around them. Even so, one still needs to ask whether such beliefs are right or wrong.
Christians’ belief rests on God’s grace, shown by the gospel, not based on living a good life or following the ten commandments.
Many Christians’ faith is based on:
- Intellectual reasonableness;
- Personal resonance, including experiencing their weaknesses and the need for something much bigger than themselves to get them through life; and
- Social influence, including a desire to be a part of a Christian community they are attracted to.
The Christian faith leads to God-centeredness that, in the long-term, brings a fulfilled life, while self-centeredness brings pain and suffering.
Choose your path wisely and bear the consequences.
Summary of several messages by Tim Keller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGX1fHWU1TA
Do you believe there's only one way to God? Tim Keller at Columbia University
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCsvrbZW4oE
Are People Who Aren't Christians Going to Hell? Is that Fair? | Tim Keller at Columbia University
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBtrznLRZYQ
Isn't God Just a Projection of Our Culture? Tim Keller at Veritas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDZ8A3PhsH4&list=PL6A1AE952ADCB31FB&index=1
Isn’t Reason for God a Contradiction? Tim Keller at Veritas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZAPFKXMy_Y&list=PL6A1AE952ADCB31FB&index=4
Why is the Bible reliable? Tim Keller at Columbia University
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzrfKLdBqB0&list=PL6A1AE952ADCB31FB&index=6
Are you Resolutely Convinced that Christianity is True? Tim Keller at Veritas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkn5lfutSrY&list=PL6A1AE952ADCB31FB&index=7
With all this suffering, how could there be a God? Tim Keller at Columbia University
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnbauJtqKF8
Isn't the Christian Church the Best Proof Against God? Tim Keller at Veritas