Having reached the age of 65, and realizing that some of the people who are dearest to me, and for whom I've been praying daily for many years have, for one reason or another, been persuaded to place their hope elsewhere or nowhere, I feel compelled to share with them the basis upon which I have chosen to embrace the biblical claims of Christ, and have placed therein my hope and trust.

I have chosen this means in order to avoid a "debate" environment, which would inhibit each participant's opportunity to consider the merits of the position of the other, as he must be concentratating on the preparation of his own rebuttal.

First, I must acknowledge the several obstacles to accepting and submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ:

(a) If there is an all-powerful God, why would he permit the pain, hunger, cruelty, injustice etc. etc. that we witness in the world?

(b) How could a God of love give specific orders to his "chosen people", to practice genocide?

(c) Hasn't religious fervor been the motivation for some of the most ghastly inhumanity, and hasn't the Church historically been adversarial toward scientific enlightenment, and alleged to be the cause of the Dark Ages?

(d) Why would God choose to keep his Kingdom a "mystery", relying on BELIEF rather than PROOF? i.e. Why doesn't he just reveal himself in physical form, and answer all our questions?

(e) Does not the intellectual community, by and large, ridicule the very concept of a living, Creator God? And isn't the biblical record disproven by evolutionary "proofs"?

(f) How can the individual searcher for truth, having chosen to believe in God, know which religion's "god" is the real God?

(g) If he chooses to believe in the biblical Jehovah God, how does he decide whether to follow Jewish, or Christian tradition?

(h) And if he chooses to become a Christian, which of the many conflicting sects should he trust to lead him on the path to truth?

UNFORTUNATELY, these questions are not adequately addressed by those who would persuade us to commit to Christ, leaving many thoughtful seekers in a state of confused inaction.

So permit me to share my thoughtful observations made over 50+ years as a Christian pilgrim. (And let me first say, that at NO TIME during these 50-years have I regretted my decision to follow Christ.....For that matter, in a world full of regrets, I've never heard of anyone who regretted having lived his life for Christ; quite contrary to the experience of many who have denied the faith.)

First, we cannot with any degree of honesty deny that there are supernatural forces and intelligence present in the world. We have all witnessed these, and have had the benefit of countless credible reports from others. Those who choose to deny their existence have chosen to join "the blind, led by the blind".

Second, having acknowledged the presence of these forces and intelligence, we must then acknowledge the overwhelming evidence of a supernatural conflict between "good" and "evil".

So then, how do we fit in?

HAPPILY, we have the biblical record, passed down to us through thousands of years of history. And while it doesn't agree at every point with contemporary science, the obvious observation is that if it DID, next year's scientific "truth" would declare it to be in error. Thus, we must face the fact that any eternal truth MUST NECESSARILY conflict with today's science. That, of course, is not to say that everything that conflicts with science is truth, but we must guard against regarding contemporary science as the measure of religious truth.

SO WE'RE AT A POINT WHERE BELIEVING ANYTHING IS A REACH, BUT BELIEVING NOTHING IS UNACCEPTABLY PERILOUS.

Is there a reasonable resolution to this dilemma? I think so.

Those who have studied Bible prophesy have come to the conclusion, again and again, that it is accurate beyond all conceivable odds. (Messianic prophesy included.)

Additionally, those who study the sciences find that everytime they achieve a breakthrough in discovering an answer, they are confronted with an array of new questions they hadn't previously known to ask. They cannot but marvel at the order and complexity of the universe, and of each minute part.

For example, one cannot reasonably conclude that the EYE, or EAR, with all its interdependent parts and neural system, without any of which, no other part would serve any useful function, occurred through a series of accidental mutations. Anyone willing to accept this hypothesis while rejecting out-of-hand the validity of the biblical account, is without excuse.

I will make no attempt here to validate Creation Science, as this topic has been dealt with at length, to the satisfaction of minds every bit as competent as those putting forth opposing theories. Let me briefly quote, however, from the beginning of the book of Genesis: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep." The above allows for what later scriptures indicate: that the earth had a prior "life" which met a cataclysmic end. The Genesis account does not conflict with the geoligical record.

SO WHAT ABOUT THE MULTI-FACETED ASPECT OF GOD'S LOVE AND VENGEANCE?

How can I hope to understand all that God is, or to pass judgment on his acts and motives? I've been unsuccessful in any attempts to accomplish this with even the PEOPLE in my life...or with MYSELF, for that matter.

To me, it makes good sense to just accept the fact that I am living in a world full of a mixture of pain and pleasure, a world few of us are eager to exit, created by a power and consciousness far beyond my mortal comprehension. And I am grateful that this entity has chosen to communicate to me, by the method and in the manner that seems best to him, instructions for living my life in a discipline which will greatly enhance its quality, with the bonus of a promise of eternal life in an environment I will enjoy immensely.

Furthermore, he reveals to me his "personality", invites me to enter into a relationship with him, and tells me he loves me and has, at extreme cost, provided The Way for me; that if I CHOOSE to believe, HE will provide me with all he requires of me: whether faith, courage, love, wisdom, resources, resistance to temptation, or whatever.

I SURRENDERED MY LIFE TO CHRIST at a Nazarine boys' camp when I was 11, and since then have grown in my knowledge of God and his will, and my love and appreciation for Him and His Word.

I've been somewhat dismayed at each juncture to find that my "religious experience" differs from that of my mentors, but this has merely caused me to search the scriptures to learn just what I should expect in my relationship with Christ. And I've found that many expectations are based upon tradition, rather than scripture. God has been faithful to the promises He's made to me. And in his care, I've certainly experienced divine provision, guidance and deliverance many times over.

I see the various Christian denominations as segments of Christ's Church seeking to honor God to the best of their knowledge and ability. While I have doctrinal differences with them all, I'll leave that problem to God. If it troubles him enough, he can reveal His Truth to whomever he will, even to me. Of this, however, I'm thoroughly persuaded: There are surrendered, transformed and saved people wherever the Gospel is proclaimed.....sometimes despite false teachers.

THE WORLD claims that Christians unreasonably choose to believe biblical "myths". I hold with the Bible's claim that the World has chosen to believe a delusive, outrageously incredible LIE, rather than acknowledge THE TRUTH that stares them in the face.....proclaimed by all nature, and declared in the heavens.

E-Mail:  dale@suncoastMUSIC.com