Did We Make God?

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." — 1 Peter 3:15

On Sunday we began a new series for lent, Really?, that will look at different myths about the church each week. I'm really excited about this series, and the idea of considering some of these bigger questions as we head toward Easter. And I plan on writing a little bit of what these questions and discussions stir in me each week.

The first week tackled the idea "We Made God." Pastor Tim began with a question, "what do you do when someone says they don't believe in God?" That's an important — and terrifying question. My honest answer is that I try to extricate myself as quickly as possible, because I'm worried that I won't be able to answer their questions and that it will be a disaster. And I think that's natural. But that's not what God wants for us, and it's not what we're called to as believers.

I love the key verse for this series — 1 Peter 3:15 copied above — because it really sets the stage for our response here. We must always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks. That's apologetics — being ready to declare what you believe and why.

A few years ago Ricky Gervais wrote and starred in the movie "The Invention of Lying," which basically took place in a world where people were incapable of telling a lie — accept for Gervais' central character. And as he's able to lie, he essentially creates the idea of God. Gervais — an avowed atheist — did this in his film for laughs, but also because it gave a window into why he thinks faith is a man-made creation.

He's hardly the first. He boiled it down to the idea that we don't know why God allows suffering, but if we're generally good people we'll be rewarded for eternity. That's something similar to the level of theological depth in "The Good Place," which I wrote about last week.

I found an interesting interview with Gervais where he talks about when he lost his faith. It happened when he was about eight years old. He was working on a project from Sunday School and his brother challenged him why he would believe there is a God. His mother, who had taken Gervais to church presumably to instill faith, was annoyed that her other son would introduce this argument. Gervais noted that, based on her body language and reaction, he knew that his brother was right and there was no God.

That, obviously, isn't what I believe. But it was a fascinating answer, and it really made me think about the passage. Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks. When the idea of God was challenged, Gervais' mother didn't give an answer, she was just upset someone raised the question. And it set Gervais on a path that led him away from God. That might sound overly simplistic, but it was a moment, and one that obviously had a big impact on Gervais to the point that he came to it right away when asked the question more than 30 years later.

We must be prepared to share why we believe what we believe. It's crucial. And it's not about us. God is with us, and He speaks through us. We just have to have the courage to engage.

But it's also important to consider the rest of that verse, starting with why someone would ask the question — because they see our hope. That's right, as people of God, we have a hope. And when we have that hope, it should be evident to everyone who sees us. And that should lead them to ask where that hope comes from. We're called to be set apart, and our lives should reflect that.

But possibly most important is what it says about how we answer those questions — with gentleness and respect. Pastor Tim noted you can't argue people into a relationship with God. And I think that's where the modern church has sometimes struggled. We should attack people and brow beat them into belief. We simply say what we believe, where our hope comes from, and plant the seed. The rest is up to God.

But it begins with living like the hopeful people we're called to be, and always being ready to answer the question.