Why Sift Through Facts & Folly in Fragile Times

     In these fragile times, it would take more faith for me to be an atheist than to believe in God.     
     I don’t say this to “dis” my atheist friends whom I respect for their good and hard questions. I say this because of evidence I sifted through. As a young adult, I wondered whether Christianity stood up under the test of science and history, or whether it was just a bunch of Santa Claus at the North Pole.     
     I entered into a skeptical study of the historical Jesus, and especially during these times I encourage you to do that if you haven’t. One approach I’ve appreciated is the one taken by hard-core atheist Lee Strobel when he sought to disprove Christianity. Using tests of evidence he learned in earning a masters degree from Yale Law School, Strobel considered categories of proof - eyewitness, documentary, corroborating, rebuttal, scientific, psychological, and circumstantial.     
     Strobel says he “read books, interviewed experts, asked questions, analyzed history, explored archaeology, studied ancient literature….”     
     In his book “The Case for Christ,” he says, “Based on the avalanche of evidence that pointed so powerfully toward the truth of Christianity, I concluded that it would take more faith for me to maintain my atheism than to become a Christian.”     
     That’s where I landed, too, and I’m thankful for this solid ground under my feet when everything on planet Earth is shifting these days. It clarifies my value and purpose.     
​     To explore on your own, here’s a link to “The Case for Christ” movie.