Knowing Your Faith

I love having a study Bible. Every time I open my Bible to read a passage, I get caught up in the footnotes, which leads me on a little path of discovery to other passages. I discover something new every time I dive into my Bible. I guess that's to be expected from a book that spans 2,000 pages.

I think growth and continued learning is an important part of our faith. The past couple of weeks I thought about this while watching different documentaries. The first was "The Case for Christ." For those not familiar with the program, it is based on the book and story of Lee Strobel, an attorney who sought to get the facts about religion before it really took root in his heart.

His search for answers and the truth, coupled with the interviews with leaders in the field, provided plenty to think about. There were ideas and facts presented in the film that were new to me as well, even though I've been a Christian for more than 20 years and even attended Bible college. I guess that just goes back to my point about continuous learning.

The second reason I thought about the importance of studying the word can in a completely different context. While having dinner before a meeting, I caught 45 minutes of Bill Maher's documentary "Religulos." Obviously Maher is sardonic, sarcastic, and an atheist. He was, purposely, trying to mock many of those he interviewed for their beliefs.

But under that was someone who is intelligent, well-read, and curious. There is really no defense against someone who is close-minded and intent on mocking you, but you should still be able to answer basic questions about your faith. Many he interviewed couldn't.

There was one statement in particular that bugged me. Maher said, while talking to several Christians, that they were relying on a record written by people who had never even seen Jesus in person or had first-hand knowledge of his actions. Maher was referring to the Gospels and the New Testament books written by the Apostle Paul. His statement went unchallenged.

I couldn't believe it. Two of the Gospels (Matthew and John) were written by disciples. The disciples accompanied Jesus during his ministry and were nothing if not first-hand witnesses. John also wrote three other epistles and the book of Revelation. Peter, another of the disciples, wrote two books of the New Testament and the book of James was written by Jesus' brother. The Apostle Paul, who wrote 13 books in the New Testament, also encountered Jesus first hand, and spent time with the disciples. And that is just the response to that statement I could think of off the top of my head.

You see, I love things like the Maher documentary for the simple reason that they sharpen our skills as believers. It's not enough to claim to be a Christian, you have to know what that means, know what you believe, and have a working knowledge of the Bible and church history if you want to reach people with the Gospel. When I watch things like "Religulous," instead of focusing on the negatives associated with someone attacking my beliefs, I consider the questions posed and try to answer them for myself.

We may never be able to reach Bill Maher. Judging by what I saw, his mind is pretty much made up. But if you can answer the questions he poses and counter his "facts" with the truth, you can reach those that saw the film and had questions of their own.

But you can't do any of that unless you're in the Word every day. Like so many other things in life, it's a discipline. But it's a discipline that's worth pursuing.