Because It Is True . . .

Last updated on: April 30, 2017 at 8:52 pm by John Mark N. Reynolds

Because It Is True . . . 2017-04-30T20:52:02-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

On a day like today when I am with the perfectly-named Hope, thinking about God and life, then Christianity is happy. There is great evil in the world, but reason and experience, part of my Faith, assure me that this goodness is more fundamental. While righting the world is complicated (!) and long, justice will win.

When I sit with my colleagues at The Saint Constantine School and we share laughter and purpose, because we are helping kids and adults learn, then it is good to be a Christian. We are motivated, best we can tell, at heart by a desire to serve the church and serve our students. The other day I saw kids in our playground who started school unwilling and unable to play outside (too hot! Where is my screen?), running around, climbing trees, inventing games.We have eaten kale, radishes, and other vegetables from the garden that did not exist this time last year.

It is good.

When Hope plays with Hannah and I hear trumpet blending with trombone in music, then I hear beauty. The children and the college students blend their voices in the School Hymn (thanks JAC!) or the troparion of Saint Constantine and the fellowship is lovely, jolly, and fine. The choir at Saint Paul lifts their voices up in “We have seen the true light . . . ” in the candle light and that is beautiful, too.

My daughter is getting married to a fine young man and we gathered with their friends. These are strong, thoughtful Christian men and women and I am glad.

To be a Christian is to have access to beauty, we can know that Bach was right and Handel perceptive, and to goodness. Of course, to aspire to goodness and beauty is not to posses it oneself. I fall short of the glory and sometimes have chosen the shadow or neon over the true light, but always the light and the glory are there.

Yet none of that is why I am a Christian. There was a moment when all my heart and soul wanted to leave the faith, every desire I had pointed away from God and His Word. Atheism was intellectually unappealing, but there are forms of theism (including deism) that make different demands. Christianity is good and beautiful, but sometimes goodness and beauty are unattractive.

I preferred the broken and the cheap. That is stupid, but is true.

I was saved by truth. I recall sitting surrounded by books at a desk in the University of Rochester library and wanting to deny the Truth, but I could not. The arguments against Christianity, not the cheap and silly ones, but the best ones, did not persuade me. I had read too much to think that there was a killer argument against Christianity and the reality of Jesus, the truth of the Gospels, and the witness of Christian saints through the centuries was compelling.

I had also experienced Jesus. As the old hymn said: “He walked with me and talked with me . . .” And of course I knew I could be wrong, but best I could tell, my experience and reason pointed to Christianity. Jesus was alive.

This was bad news to me before it was good news. I would like to say that I quickly and obediently followed the argument where it led, but still I tried to slip the necessity of the arguments and the experience. Truth kept checking me and then beauty, the sound of Christmas carols, kept calling me to higher joys. Goodness, hard and stern, pulled me up and made me see (as it so often does!) where I was wrong. And so I am a Christian and as I grow old have never been afraid of any question, any problem, any doubt, because Christ is so full of love, even for me, that it is utterly unafraid.

Jesus is good. Jesus is beautiful, but Jesus and all He said is also true.

Spiritual Reflections

Previous Post

April 29, 2017

On An Opening Assumption

Next Post

May 1, 2017 Plato, Math, and Doing Science

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Apologetics Art Culture Education On Books On Education Philosophy Politics Pop Culture Spiritual Reflections Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 July 2025 June 2025 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 December 2023 June 2023 September 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Zion" mean in Hebrew?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Fortress Holy Place Promised Land City of God

Books by This Author John Mark Reynolds

See All Titles »