Skeptical?

I hope so! Being skeptical is healthy. Nobody wants to duped. It is good to discern between truth and error using facts and logic. The question is, are you equally skeptical of all viewpoints on a given subject (including the view that you hold to)? Do you critique and scrutinize other views holding them to a higher standard of proof, than your view? Could you be forming your beliefs on "old data" that may no longer be accurate or misleading data that has been challenged? Are you skeptical beyond a reasonable doubt? If your view ends up being wrong, how severe are the consequences? As Chuck Missler would say, "The biggest barrier to learning the truth is the presumption that we already have it". If you put the same burden of proof on "macro-evolution" theory as you would for "intelligent design" theory and honestly compare them, you might be surprised at how many "miracles" are required for a reductionist, materialistic worldview to be possible. It is very difficult for people to change their worldview. Most people are not willing to consider any new information that challenges their established beliefs. They only look to people that they know will confirm their bias (echo chamber) instead of investigating themselves. This is a big problem in our society.

The famous "Dateline" cold-case detective, J. Warner Wallace (Video) was an atheist until 35 years old when he decided to investigate the claims of Christianity. After a lengthy, in-depth investigation, he found the evidence so compelling that he became a Christian even though he started out "not wanting it to be true". Lee Strobel, who was an award-winning legal editor of "The Chicago Tribune", used his investigative reporter skills with the stated goal to prove Christianity to be false. After through & lengthy investigation, he agonizingly realized that the historical facts of the Bible were overwhelming. An excellent auto-biographic re-enactment "70's" movie was made of his journey, "The Case for Christ" (2017) video trailer. I could go on and on with many other people like Professor Sy Guarte, Dr. Hugh Ross, Rosalind Picard, C.S Lewis and Günter Bechly who was raised with an atheistic worldview. After getting his Ph.D., summa cum laude, in paleontology, he was trying to defend Darwinism and discovered that scientific evidence was not in Darwin's favor. Contrary to popular belief, honest reasoning and searching for the truth is actually encouraged by God (Acts 17:11, 18:4 & 1 Peter 3:15).

Recent discoveries in science, history and archaeology (recent list) continue to reinforce the Biblical record. A quote that may (or may not) be attributed to Mark Twain seems to have some insight, "It is easier to fool the people, than to convince them they have been fooled". A lot of scientific progress has been made since Darwin proposed his macro-evolution theory but instead of getting closer to solving the problems, they have compounded with a multitude of extreme complexities being discovered. We are still trying to comprehend all the mysteries of the nano molecular machines and complex DNA information that makes life possible. At every turn, life becomes even more complex. As reality sets in, the odds that life came from non-life have become beyond absurd (see Dr. James Tour).

For those who are ultra skeptical about anything they have not personally experienced, you must choose to either trust other people's research or only trust what you have personally witnessed. Do you believe in atoms? Have you ever seen one? Well, even the most powerful light-focusing microscopes are just now advancing to the point where they can visualize a single atom in a super cold state. There are so many fields of science that we must rely on others for research or we will spend the rest of our life "reinventing the wheel", learning only a fraction of the available data. This does not mean that we should trust all of the conclusions (even if the data is reliable) because worldview presuppositions can greatly bias interpretation of the data espically when it is historical data that is not repeatible. If you honestly take the hard line skeptical view and do not trust anyone else, then there would be no point in going to college or read any books because how could you believe anything you were taught?

But even if you are the ultimate skeptic, there is still a way that you can personally know God. If you are honestly searching for the truth, then try this experiment. Sincerely and humbly ask (verbally, out loud) each day: "Jesus, are you real? Is the Bible your message on how to know You? If it is, please soften my heart & show me. Lead me to repentance & to Your forgiveness. Allow me to turn towards You. If you make Yourself real to me, then I will follow Your truth as I learn it by studying Your Word the Bible. I will then give up my desires and plans to follow You, no matter where You take me."

Print out this challenge, or write it out on a 3x5 card. Put it in a place that will help you remember to recite it. This honest plea will take less than one minute per day. I challenge you to do this faithfully, as soon as you wake up & also just before you get into bed, for one full month and see what He will do. If you know any Bible believing Christians, ask them to pray for you and explain the challenge that you are taking. This will help give you accountability and if Jesus is real, then the prayers of others could make a difference as they battle the spiritual forces that are actively working against you. You may want to spend another 12 minutes a day and read through one of the accounts of Jesus' life (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) & see how unique and powerful Jesus' words are even today, almost 2000 years later.