I’ve heard it said that, with the change of one letter, millions of people would immediately change their view of Christianity. And that letter is “a.” These people would change their view if Christians would only proclaim Jesus to be a savior instead of the Savior.

Adherents of this view often practice what is known as a “Buffet Religion.” As opposed to following one of the traditional world religions, buffet religions treat spiritual beliefs like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Under the guise of “tolerance,” adherents mix and match their preferred beliefs to create their own personalized religion. The results of this type of pluralistic worldview in America are evidenced by a Newsweek Poll on the topic. Amazingly, 79 percent of respondents believe that someone of a different faith can get to heaven.[1]

This is a direct attack against the uniqueness of Jesus because Jesus did not claim to be a way to God. Rather, He claimed to be “the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6, English Standard Version).” Not to be misunderstood, He went on to declare that “no one comes to the Father but through me (John 14:6).” Buffet religions, which focus more on the sincerity of the believer than the objective truth of the underlying belief, run in diametric opposition to these exclusive claims of Christ.

Some, seeking to justify the creation of a buffet religion, claim that Jesus did not see Himself as the unique Son of God. This is an attempt “to create God in our own image, instead of the other way around.”[2]

Jesus did not teach a “make your own” salvation.  He claimed to be the door to salvation for His sheep (John 10:7). And lest one fall into the temptation to diminish the exclusivity of that claim, He goes on to say that “there will be one flock, one shepherd (John 10:16).” Jesus is the good shepherd. Further, He specifically claimed that how people react to Him will impact their eternity. “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:32).”

As would be expected, the Apostles echoed Jesus’ clear teaching of His uniqueness. John reiterates that “No one who denies the Son has the Father (1 John 2:23) and Peter preached that “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:13).

The scripture is clear, and I believe Jesus is who He said He is.   

[1] J. P. Moreland and Tim Muehlhoff, The God Conversation : Using Stories and Illustrations to Explain Your Faith, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017), 71, ProQuest Ebook Central.

[2] Moreland and Muehlhoff. The God Conversation, 62.

I am going to argue that Scientific Naturalism is beset with critical shortcomings when we examine various scientific, philosophical, and historical arguments for the existence of God. Perhaps most conspicuous is that Naturalism, by definition, rules out the possibility of the supernatural ahead of time! As indicated by the name, Naturalists presuppose that only natural causes (not supernatural) should be considered to explain reality. As we will examine shortly, this bias ultimately leads the Naturalist to a recurring position, which can be summarized as, “We don’t yet have a natural explanation, but it’s not your God.” Again, God has been ruled out ahead of time. Let’s examine the data.

1. Naturalism fails to identify the cause of the universe. Naturalists concede that, while the Big Bang is their preferred theory, they cannot actually identify the origin of the Big Bang. The standard Naturalist argument is, “Just because we don’t know the cause of the Big Bang does not mean it was your God.” Fair enough, but there is much that we can know about the cause. Since an infinite series of causes is logically impossible, the cause must itself be uncaused. Since time, space, and material came into being at the Big Bang, the cause must be timeless, spaceless, and immaterial. Since the cause created the universe, it must be astoundingly powerful and intelligent. Moreover, finally, since the cause chose to bring the universe into existence at a finite point in time, it must be personal. As summed up by Dr. William Lane Craig, the Kalam Cosmological argument “gives us powerful grounds for believing in the existence of a beginningless, uncaused, timeless, spaceless, changeless, immaterial, enormously powerful Personal Creator of the universe.”^[1] This argument may not, on its own, prove that the cause of the universe is the God of the Bible, but it sure sounds like Him.

2. Scientific Naturalism fails to recognize the most plausible explanation for Cosmic Fine-Tuning, which is design. The argument is as follows: 

1. The fine-tuning of the universe is due to either physical necessity, chance, or design. 
2. It is not due to physical necessity or chance. 
3. Therefore, it is due to design

We can rule out physical necessity because the evidence shows that a universe is much more likely to be life-prohibiting than life-permitting. Furthermore, we can rule out chance because the odds are so astronomically remote. Science philosopher Tim Maudlin summarized the situation by stating, “It seems that the only reactions are either to embrace a multiverse or a designer.” His conclusion? “If you want to believe in one of the multiverse theories, you basically need blind faith.”^[2] The Biblical Christian creation account aligns with the most plausible explanation of Cosmic Fine-Tuning. Naturalism rules out this possibility ahead of time.  

3. While Naturalists can recognize objective moral values and duties, Naturalism fails to explain the existence of objective moral values and duties. This does not mean Naturalists are morally bankrupt or that one must believe in God to be a “good person.” Rather, the argument is as follows:

1. If God does not exist, objective moral values and duties do not exist. 

2. Objective moral values and duties do exist. 

3. Therefore, God exists.^[3]

Biblical Christianity clearly explains the existence of objective moral values and duties with God’s nature as the standard of what is good. Naturalists are left with no basis to argue why atrocities like the holocaust or slavery are objectively morally wrong.

4. Likewise, humans’ inherent moral value, dignity, and worth make perfect sense if we are all image-bearers of the greatest conceivable being, God. Naturalism fails to explain why an accident of nature in a “universe that does not care”^[4] would hold inherent moral value.   

5. If we are indeed accidents of nature with no ultimate purpose for existence, why do we live as if life is meaningful anyway? Naturalism fails to explain why humans cannot and do not live as if life really is objectively meaningless. Biblical Christianity, in contrast, satisfies precisely the two requirements needed for a meaningful life: God and immortality.^[5]

6. Finally, naturalism fails to explain the “Minimal Facts” of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These historical facts include:

• Jesus died by crucifixion.
• The tomb in which He was buried was found empty by a group of His female followers.
• Appearances of Jesus alive reported by groups and individuals under varying circumstances. 
• First disciples came to sincerely believe that Jesus had risen from the dead despite every natural predisposition to the contrary. 
• The radical and sudden conversion of the church persecutor, Paul.
• The radical and sudden conversion of the skeptical brother of Jesus, James. 

Every natural explanation for these facts has failed. The consensus of scholarship is that the alternative natural explanations are implausible. Therefore, the best explanation for these facts is the explanation given in the Bible: God raised Jesus from the dead. 

Conclusion

The bottom line of Christianity is that if Jesus Christ rose from the dead, Christianity is true. Indeed, the Apostle Paul laid our cards on the table when He claimed, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14, New International Version). 

Naturalists presuppose that only natural explanations should be considered to explain reality, but there is no plausible natural explanation for the accepted historical facts related to the resurrection of Jesus. 

This leaves the Naturalist in a familiar position; namely, “We don’t yet have a natural explanation, but it’s not your God.”I disagree. 

Since the Biblical Christian has not ruled out the supernatural ahead of time, he may follow the evidence where it leads. And where it leads is to the God of the Bible. We saw that with the origin and design of the universe, human morality and experience, and even the historical event of the resurrection. Biblical Christianity is a more plausible explanation of reality than Scientific Naturalism. 

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^[1] William Lane Craig, On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision (Colorado: David C Cook, 2010), 125.  

^[2] Lee Strobel, The Case for Miracles: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Supernatural (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2018), 182. 

^[3] Craig, On Guard, 162. 

^[4] Richard Dawkins, River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life (New York: Basic, 1999), 133. 

^[5] Craig, Reasonable, 73. 

This is a testimony of the goodness of God, and a ‘Thank You’ to those who serve in Youth Ministry.

Last night my family and I were at Mount Southington skiing with another family from the church. By the end of the night, the little ones had gone home, but the ‘big kids’ ages 8-10, stayed to get in a few runs on the more challenging trails.

We had a major dilemma.

One of the more challenging trails at the mountain is the “terrain park.” It’s fairly steep, narrow, and full of jumps. It also happens to be the trail situated directly beneath the chair lift. So, as you ride the chair slowly up the mountain, you’re treated to a view of the more advanced skiers and boarders at the mountain hitting jumps, grinding on rails, and otherwise navigating the challenging terrain.

 The kids wanted to ski down that terrain park “so bad.” But they were rightfully apprehensive about it also. There was a lot of nervous discussion on the chair lift about whether or not to go. That continued at the top of the mountain after we unloaded from the chair. My Dad and I offered to split up – one adult could take the kids who wanted to do the terrain park, and one could do a different trail with the kids who didn’t.

And then it happened.

As the kids were deliberating, one said, “Hey – we could pray about it.” To my amazement and joy, all four excitedly agreed. “Yes!”, “Yea, let’s pray,” “Let’s do it.” There, at the top of Mount Southington, unprompted by their parents, they prayed. Unashamed, they prayed. As my Dad and I looked at each other in awe, they prayed. As I saw what was happening, I fumbled for my phone to capture the moment.

I share this to give ALL of the glory to our God and to say “thank you” to everyone involved in children’s ministry. If you’ve been to our Sunday services, you’ve probably heard me talk about this. Whenever I have the honor of serving as Host, I am responsible for dismissing the children back to their classrooms. Indeed, I had done so earlier that very day. And it always involves an explanation that our youth ministry is not simply “daycare” during church. It is one of the hardest-working ministries in the church. The kids learn age-appropriate Biblical lessons and are surrounded by other believers.

Iron sharpens iron.

Jesus Christ said you will, “know them by their fruit.” Well – our youth ministry bears undeniable fruit. I never imagined my kids would want to go to church to be with their friends. I never imagined a service that would lack the blood pressure spike associated with trying to keep your kids quiet. And that’s why I will continue to encourage other parents to come, “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Thank you to all who serve.

By the way, all four kids went down the terrain park, loved it, and did it about another 10 times after that!

Here is one tip that every Christian can use to make breakthroughs when sharing the Gospel with the lost. This is so very effective – it comes up constantly in discussions with unbelievers. And you’re getting at basically what the entire Bible is about.

I’ve studied this intently. Not as a Pastor, but just as your typical born-again believer. I think teaching it from that perspective has helped make my Christianity Uncomplicated book series so well received in 13 countries and counting!

The one crucial principle is this: pardoning guilty sinners does not make a judge good, loving, or nice. It makes him corrupt. If someone is guilty of breaking the law, the judge knows he’s guilty, and pronounces them innocent anyway, he’s corrupt.

Countless sinners mis assume that God will pardon them because He’s “nice.” But here’s what the Bible says, “Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent- the Lord detests them both” (Proverbs 17:15).

One hundred percent of people are guilty of breaking God’s law. One hundred percent of people are sinners. And the Bible says that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). See, if this get’s a little bit uncomfortable – good. Because people need to know what is so bad about their current state in order to understand what’s so good about the Good News of Jesus Christ.

So, we know God is not corrupt. We know we’re guilty. How do we reconcile that with the fact that God is loving, kind, caring, compassionate, and forgiving? The Bible says that as far as the east is from the west. That’s how far He removes our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12).

How can God be a good judge, but still forgive me (and you!) who’s guilty of breaking His laws.

Door opened. Because there is only one answer to that question, and it’s found in the cross of Jesus Christ.

This is the transcript of a piece of social media content that can be viewed by clicking HERE.

For a deep dive into this topic and the Gospel overall, check out “What Exactly is the Gospel?”

This is an excerpt from my current work in progress – a book all about sharing the Gospel. I’m putting the finishing touches on the first draft and am due to submit the manuscript to my editor next week. I’ll have more info soon! In the meantime, please enjoy the excerpt:

Scripture is clear that God has comprehensive power to do everything and anything He wants to do. God is holy, all-good, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and completely sovereign. Still, somehow, the world He created, the world we inhabit, is full of evil. How do we reconcile this? 

Here is the answer: God allows evil agents to work then overrules evil according to His own wise and Holy plan.^[1] Ultimately, He is able to make all things- including all the evil of all time- work together for (1) the greater good of His people and (2) His glory.

There is a lot there, so let’s draw out some key points: 

Evil proceeds only from the creature – never from the Creator. All evil is committed in rebellion against our Holy God and his Holy law. God is neither the author of nor the approver of evil. On the contrary, He is “Holy, holy, Holy” – separate from everything that is sinful and evil. God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.

Evil is not a disruption to God’s eternal plan. He isn’t scrambling around trying to figure out a “Plan B.” 

God has a good and morally sufficient reason for all evil He allows. Evil is allowed for the greater good of His people and for His own glory. 

To illustrate the answer, we will apply it to the single most vile, rebellious, evil event in history: the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Follow me here:

God allowed evil agents to work. Our Holy, sinless Lord was put to death in an act of rebellion against God. However, this evil was no disruption to God’s eternal plan. The crucifixion was always in His plan. As discussed in Chapter 15, God had been forecasting the crucifixion quite literally since the dawn of humanity (Garden of Eden). We can read prophecies about the crucifixion that were recorded centuries before Jesus was even born. And why was this evil allowed? For the greater good of His people and for His glory. The greater good is the Gospel – the salvation of all who put their faith in Jesus Christ. The glory of God is a demonstration of His perfect attributes. As John MacArthur summed it up: “We wouldn’t know God is as righteous as He is if it hadn’t been for unrighteousness, we wouldn’t know God is as loving as He is if it hadn’t been for sin, we wouldn’t know God is as holy as He is if it weren’t for judgment.” 

There it is, friend. The most evil act in history is no disruption to God’s eternal plan and neither is any other evil. In the moment, the crucifixion was an unspeakable tragedy. But God knows the end from the beginning. It’s His eternal plan. Today, we light up at the sight of a cross – we decorate our homes with them, wear them on chains around our neck, get them tattooed on our bodies, and we thank God for the cross. He took what the enemy meant for evil and turned it for great good. 

There is immense peace that can come from understanding this truth. Now- that doesn’t mean that evil isn’t going to hurt in this life. It will. But we’ll conclude this topic with one more reminder: we have a Savior who can sympathize with us. Jesus Christ willingly became a man and experienced evil. He was tempted by the devil, He had friends who betrayed Him, He was assaulted, He was scorned, He was reviled, He was abandoned, He suffered, and He wept. Jesus willingly experienced every pain that you could possibly experience. And why? Why would He do this willingly? 

Because we are His children, and He loves us. We can take any and all of our pain and bring it to Jesus. He invites us to:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. -Matthew 11:28

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This is an excerpt from my current work in progress – a book all about sharing the Gospel. I’m putting the finishing touches on the first draft and am due to submit the manuscript to my editor next week. I’ll have more info soon! In the meantime, please enjoy the excerpt. Sign up for email updates to have these posts delivered in advance to your inbox!

Brother in Christ, Sister in Christ – your ability to address this challenging question is a powerful tool for your Gospel-sharing toolbelt. I regularly receive comments on social media like these:“If he exists why does he allow so much hate n murder n crime in his so-called loved children?”“What kind of God allows kids to get cancer and murders to occur? A sick god.”Now- this “problem of evil” is a worthy question to tackle for Christians and agnostics. It is important, however, to understand that the existence of evil is a truly absurd reason for an atheist to use as justification for why they reject the God of the Bible.According to atheists, God does not exist. We are cosmic accidents with no ultimate meaning in a universe that does not care. So, what exactly is the problem with a purposeless accident of nature being hungry? Or being killed? Why should anyone care? In an atheistic worldview, there is no good or evil. Dr. Richard Dawkins, the poster child for modern atheists, puts it this way, “The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference.” That is atheism in a nutshell. No good, no evil, just pitiless indifference. The holocaust? Not evil. Slavery? Not evil. Terrorism? Not evil. Because there is no such thing as evil in their worldview. Things just happen and then you die, and you’re gone. So, when an atheist says something like, “Tell that to all the starving children in the developing world that God seems to have forgotten about” – their conscience is revealing the hypocrisy of their purported beliefs. Their moral indignation is a direct contradiction to their stated worldview. Why are they upset if they believe that these starving children are meaningless overgrown germs? It is, in fact, evidence that they are suppressing the truth of God as stated in Romans 1:18. The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.   This argument is summarized masterfully by former atheist, CS Lewis. “My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But just how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe to when I called it unjust? If the whole show was so bad and senseless, so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be a part of the show, find myself in such a violent reaction against it?”  Continued in Part 2…

Saturday 11/08/2021

“Umm… Sir. I just want to let you know that there’s only about 3 hours until we close for the day.”

I knew we were in for an experience when the parking lot attendant seemed genuinely concerned that we had only 3 hours available to explore the Ark Encounter. There would be a lot to take in. The attendant directed us to park and then head over to an on-site bus station where we would catch a shuttle to the Ark site. My jaw dropped as I looked out the shuttle window and saw this gargantuan Ark off in the distance…

As we stepped off of the shuttle, we were greeted by this awesome sight. The rainbow, a symbol of the covenant God made with Noah following the flood.

Did I mention that this Ark is absolutely ENORMOUS? It’s built to the specifications outlined in the Bible– 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet long. Just how large is that? It’s so large that the woman we asked to take our picture with the Ark couldn’t fit it in the frame!

We continued to marvel at the sheer size of the Ark as we approached it. It was time to do some exploring…

The craftsmanship on the Ark’s interior was a sight to behold in it’s own right…

Beyond the engineering marvel that it is, there was a wealth of information about how how many animals were on the Ark, how they all fit, how the calculations for the Ark were determined, etc.

It was also super-helpful to see just how the animals were housed, fed, and cleaned up after.

I appreciated the apologetic resources that the Ark provided to defend against common attacks on the Biblical creation story (aka the truth).

Every Christian parent is tasked with preparing their children to live in this fallen world. We’ve done our job if we train them up to build their lives on the good news of Jesus Christ– the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. The Ark could make for a great family trip before sending off our kids to encounter woke atheist professors and students at our universities!

And for those with younger kids, there is even an on-site petting zoo…

Overall, both the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter were amazing. They were both faith-building experiences and a lot of fun. We did them both in one day, but they each easily could have been full-day excursions. I most definitely would not try to do both in one day if you’re bringing kids. And if I only had one day and had to choose, I think you have to go for the Ark. Our God is so awesome – it’s a joy to explore what He’s created!

My feet were sore from a day full of walking, but that didn’t stop us from waking up the next morning and running 13.1 miles around Louisville! We had a blast completing State #14 in our Fifty State Half Marathon Challenge. And, of course, no race day is complete with our crushing some post-run pancakes!

ALL of the glory, ALL of the honor, ALL of the praise be to our King, the one true living God.

I hope you enjoyed this and I’ll talk to you soon. You can get me at james@authorjamesfinke.com.

-James 

Friday 11/07/21

Twenty-two months. 

Could it really be twenty-two months since our last trip? Nothing like a global pandemic to slow down travel, but we’re back in business. Tiff and I flew down to Louisville, Kentucky on the advice of a friend, and it did not disappoint. 

We spent less than 3 hours in the air – not that we would have minded if the flight had been longer. Sitting quietly and reading on a plane is a vacation unto itself! 

Louisville’s airport gets a thumbs up from me. 

• It’s clean
• It’s easy to navigate
• Rental cars are onsite (no shuttle needed)
• It’s only 15 mins from downtown

No complaints here. 

After checking in and enjoying a great “Bailiff” burger at SideBar, we hit our first Louisville landmark. Since we are baseball fanatics enthusiasts, our first stop was the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. 

The tour was awesome! It ran about an hour, which felt like the right amount of time. There was plenty of history to keep everyone engaged, as well as bats being made for current major leaguers. Very cool, and the mini souvenir bats they give out at the end make for an awesome memento. At $16 a ticket, this place is a home run (Pun intended. All three of my kids are rolling their eyes right now at this Dad joke. You’re welcome.) 

You know you’re in a cool town when you can hit multiple historic spots in a span of about 20 minutes. Next stop: Churchill Downs. 

Even for people who aren’t into horse racing, this place is a sight to behold. Amazingly, they’ve run the Kentucky Derby at this location for 146 years straight. I can only imagine what it’s like during the Derby, but these off-season races made for a fun, laid-back afternoon in the sun. I think the tickets were something like $7. Another steal. 

After a 3 AM wakeup call and a whirlwind afternoon, we were shot. We called it a night after a great dinner at the Fat Lamb (get the spicy fried chicken). We knew we had a BIG day ahead of us. 

Let’s go. 

Saturday 11/06/21

Louisville has two of the leading Christian-themed attractions within an hour and a half of downtown. The question is… with only one day available, how do you choose? 

We opted to do both! We’ll get to whether I’d recommend that later on. 

After some scouting, we opted to do the Creation Museum first. It was a mostly uneventful 90 minute drive from downtown. Mostly…

The 75,000 square foot museum is located on a beautiful property with walking trails, ziplines, a lake, and even a playground for the kids. 

As scenic as it is outside, the real magic is inside. I love how this museum is structured. The exhibits are organized to proceed through “7 C’s in God’s Eternal Plan.” 

We started all the way back at the dawn of creation and took a stroll through the Garden of Eden…

The exhibits hammer home a crucial point: there is no “war between science and religion.” Rather, atheists and Christians are dealing with the same evidence. The exhibits compare how the same scientific evidence can be interpreted through a Christian worldview vs. a Naturalist/Atheist worldview. Evidence like this reminds me of one of my favorite books: I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. Indeed, it requires massive blind faith to believe there is no God. 

There were exhibits that addressed the problem of pain…

We also appreciated that the museum did not shy away from sharing the Biblical view of abortion. I thought they shared the truth in a compassionate manner. 

Finally, even though this was a rare kids-free trip for us, we had to check out what the museum had to offer for the little ones. There were some fun exhibits for them, a bookstore, fossils, and even a playground outside. 

Personally, we think our kids are a bit young (9, 7, 5) for a full day at this museum. That said, not everyone feels that way, because there were lots of young kids there who seemed to be having a great time. This is the part where I’d normally insert a relevant photo, but since I wasn’t going to take a picture of someone else’s kids, I’ll just insert this photo of mine being their usual goofy selves…. 

Overall, this museum is outstanding. It was amazing to see people of all different shapes, colors, accents, and backgrounds together to learn about how GOD created the universe and everything inside of it. We spent about 2 hours there, but it’s definitely the type of place you could spend all day at if you wanted to. Our time was limited since we had a life-sized Noah’s Ark to go explore. A structure so massive needs a post all to itself, and that’s what I’ll cover in part two of this email series. 

God Bless and talk to you soon.

-James 

Realfaith.com has identified the top five objections to Christianity. Those who have left the church and those who were never part of the church share the same top five.  -The Christian faith and I have different views on social issues like abortion and gay marriage.  -Some Christian groups are too intolerant.  -I don’t like how some Christian groups meddle in politics.  -Many Christians are hypocrites.  -There are lots of religions, and I’m not sure only one has to be the right way.  There is an omission so glaring that I had to re-read their list to make sure I wasn’t missing it. Do you see it?  Amazingly, not one of the top objections to Christianity even mentions Jesus! These objections reinforce what we already know: most people aren’t unbelievers because of a lack of evidence. They’re unbelievers because of a lack of obedience. Putting our faith in Jesus means we’re no longer living for ourselves, but for Him.  We’ll explore all of this and more in Jesus: Fib, Dead, or God? And look out because we finally have an official release date! We expect to be live on all retailers beginning November 20th! The clock is ticking…