“The Faith” – Chapter 3

colson-faith2Summary – The Bible is of unparalleled value to the Christian, absolutely true and unrivaled in historic importance.

Favorite quote: “The harder tyrants try to eliminate it and skeptics dismiss it, the better read it becomes.  Voltaire, for example, who passionately sought to erase the Christian influence during the French Revolution, predicted that within a hundred years no one would read the Bible.  When his home was later auctioned off after his death, it was purchased by the French Bible Society.  As one pastor said, the Bible outlives its pallbearers.” (p 56)

A couple links:

– If you’re interested in archaeology, check out the Archaeology Study Bible, which Colson mentions in this chapter.

– Also, you can check out Dr. Todd Bolen’s blog.  He’s an evangelical archaeology professor who keeps up to the minute on archaeology finds.

– If you’re interested in reading more on the Gnostic philosophy Colson talks about here, try Dr. Darell Bock’s blog.  He’s a prof. at Dallas Seminary.

“The Faith” – Chapter 2

colson-faith1(Sorry for the delay in getting up the next post)

In Chapter 2 Colson builds his case for the faith with the oft-discussed issue of God’s existence, responding to “anti-theists” (his term) such as Sam Harris and Christoper Dawkins.

I lifted Stuart’s comment from the thread below, because I thought he had a good summary and insight about this chapter:  “In chapter 2 Colson talks about the proposition that “God is”, and 3 ways to look at that – logical, irrational, etc. Often times when I encounter people who don’t believe in God, or doubt God, they don’t seem to think of it so much as whether it’s rational or logical or not. More of their problem or disagreement (and why they don’t believe in God) seems to be that they don’t want to be limited or restricted in their freedom of thinking. It boils down to “moral relativism” or “situation ethics”. They don’t want to follow or believe in something that doesn’t allow them to make up their own rules. They don’t even bother with the scientific arguments.” (emphasis added)

I have met many people who don’t want to decide one way or the other, hoping to maintain moral autonomy and the option to pray when they wish.

Do you agree with Colson and Stuart’s experience (that there are more pragmatic atheists than logical atheists)?  Have you found yourself tempted to validate anti-Christian behavior with doubts about God or the gospel?

“The Faith” – Chapter 1

Colson begins his book by outlining why it is important to understand “the faith given once, for all.”  The colson-faithlast two millenia have seen Christianity spread across hundreds of cultures and people groups, while still maintaining the heart of “mere Christianity. 

However, Colson sees American Christians as remarkably ignorant of our core historic beliefs, something that opens us up to the twin threats of radical Islam and “anti-theism.” 

As you begin reading this book, how would you rate your understanding of Christianity’s core, historic beliefs?  Do you agree or disagree with Colson about their absolute importance in your life?

Introduction to “The Faith” by Chuck Colson

Thanks for joining me in reading through Chuck Colson’s, The Faith.  If you don’t have a copy of it yet, you can find it at Border’s, or order it from Amazon.com here. 

I’ll be posting twice a week, probably on Monday and Thursday, with a chapter each time.  I’ll close each post with a question to launch the conversation in the comments section.  Here’s today:

Why did you choose to read this book?  What are you hoping to get out of it?

“That Hideous Strength” by C.S. Lewis

The Good: Lewis dubbed this a fairy tale for grown-ups.  He delivered.  It’s fantasy, certainly, but a brilliant portrayal of the effect of ideas.  The narrative moves briskly (after a slow start), and many chapters leaving me saying, “Wow” at the end of them.  Easy to find in paperback, and cheap, too.
The Bad: The aforementioned slow start.  His generous use of biblical and literature allusions will leave some more confused than riveted.  Some parts of the text are seen to be mildly chauvinistic.

The Grade:  A- (Sure to read again at some point, docked points only for the slow start)