“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”
1 Peter 3:15, NIV

So why do I believe?  Because the more I study, the more it all makes sense, and the more I find veracity in the wonderment of the Scriptures.  That veracity substantiates Christ as Lord.

Eiffel Tower Carousel, 2009

Personally, coming to faith is a lot easier if you’re somewhat of a thinker.  For example, take a moment to study the above photograph.  How much do you see?

People, a carousel, an interesting vignette?  A mother caring for her infant, an artist sketching a little girl, a father holding his small son on the ride, a man taking a picture of the Eiffel Tower at nightfall, people out in the late spring air?  Go a little deeper.  A street-corner amusement ride, yellow horses, lights, inertia, centripetal motion, commerce?  A woman enjoying a chocolate gelato—thermodynamics? Barely scratching the surface.  A woman wearing a Palestinian scarf—the struggles of displaced people.  What about the sounds and smells?  Music, emotion, soulful awareness?  A bunch of energy holding together particles interacting with their environment bound by the laws of the physical sciences bathed in photons?  All of this is happening in three-dimensional space and time.  Deeper still.  What might each of these people be thinking and feeling?  Love, loneliness, heartache, guilt, helplessness, grief, a moment’s rest, joy?  Now we’re getting somewhere.

Two overarching questions:
1.  Where did all of that come from, and
2.  Why is it there?

Intellectually speaking, this is where a lot of people just stay on the merry-go-round.  For whatever reasons they get lazy or distracted in their thinking and just try to enjoy the ride.  But that approach to life ultimately leads to the back end of where you were.

Conversely, if you think that picture through to a logical conclusion you can find Jesus Christ.  If you want to check the underpinnings of my faith, go to the Kaqexeß page of the Veracity blog and start reading.  I would recommend beginning with the Judge for Yourself post because it frames some really interesting facts that support Scripture, and because it challenges you to think about your burden of proof.  Specifically, it may be important to check your biases with objectivity.

But if you want me to give a reason for the hope that I have, here are just 50 of the reasons (in bulleted form).

Continue reading