Tag Archives: Religion
What Would Jesus Say to Gandhi and Osama Bin Laden? Some Christian Reflections On Getting What We Deserve
From Fox News to the Huffington Post, Time Magazine to the New York Times, Gandhi and Osama bin Laden are trending in the headlines these days…but for different reasons. But the questions people are asking about each of them are not unrelated. They have to do with good and evil, justice and love, and people getting what they ultimately deserve. But people are also bringing God—and even Jesus (who claimed to be God by the way)—into it too. This sounds like a conversation worth having.
So let’s talk a little about Gandhi, Bin Laden, and the scandal of Christianity.
Is Gandhi in heaven right now because he was good enough?
Is Osama bin Laden in hell right now because he was too evil?
What would Jesus say to each of these men? These questions get to the heart of Christianity.
By our standards Gandhi was a good person. Surely, if people like Gandhi can’t earn their way to heaven, then you and I are in trouble. But we are immediately plagued by a deeper question—how good is good enough? The Bible’s answer? As good as God. Absolute perfection is the standard. “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6 cf. Romans 3:23). As admirable and noble as Gandhi’s efforts were to dignify the invisible of India, he falls short of God’s perfect standard.
That is scandalous in our eyes, but the message of the Bible is clear. Incidentally, this is yet another reason why no one would have invented a religion like Christianity. It has the audacity to tell us—even the most virtuous among us—that we are not good enough (notice I did not say that we are not loved cf. John 3:16; Rom. 5:8). We cannot save ourselves.
So is Osama bin Laden in hell right now because he was too evil?
This is the inverse of the Gandhi question. Can someone be too bad? Are some people simply too evil to be forgiven?
Christianity teaches that there is no one so far gone that cannot be forgiven—even Bin Laden. Here’s why. Christianity teaches that even when we are dead in our sins that God can make us alive with Christ. How does he do this? God “forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Col. 2:13-14). Think of it. Jesus’ death on the cross was sufficient to pay the penalty for every sin ever committed (cf. 1 John 2:2).
Again, scandalous!
Put as plainly as I can, Christianity teaches that you, me, Gandhi and everyone else on the planet are in the same boat as people like Osama bin Laden unless we have accepted Jesus’ offer of forgiveness. Either we pay or Jesus pays—but justice requires someone to pay (cf. Romans 6:23).
But if God is all-loving and all-powerful, then why can’t he just forgive everyone so there wouldn’t have to be a hell at all?
This question gets to the heart of one of the most common objections to the idea of hell. The answer lies in what it means for God to be perfectly good. In The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis addresses this objection by observing the important distinction between condoning evil and true forgiveness: “To condone an evil is simply to ignore it, to treat it as if it were good. But forgiveness needs to be accepted as well as offered if it is to be complete: a man who admits no guilt can accept no forgiveness.”
The goodness of God would be violated if he just looked the other way. Theologian J. I. Packer helps us see this:
“Would a God who did not care about the difference between right and wrong be a good and admirable being? Would a God who put no distinction between the beasts of history, the Hitlers and Stalins (if we dare use names), and his own saints, be morally praiseworthy and perfect? Moral indifference would be imperfection in God, not a perfection. But not to judge the world would be to show moral indifference. The final proof that God is a perfect moral being, not indifferent to questions of right and wrong, is the fact that he has committed himself to judge the world.”
Since all of us expect this level of moral integrity and consistency from human judges, shouldn’t we at least expect the same from God?”
The cross stands as a constant reminder that hellish existence is not the only option for people; it doesn’t have to be this way. We can turn around; we can change our mind. Jesus’ word for this was repentance. The gospel is a universal declaration that hell is not God’s desire for anyone (2 Pet. 3:9). But the Bible is very clear that hell is simultaneously the punishment for our sins and the consequence of our desire for life apart from God. (For more on the question of hell, I address it here)
Lewis once admitted that, “I would pay any price to be able to say truthfully ‘All will be saved.’ But my reason retorts ‘Without their will, or with it?’” No matter what your circumstances may be, you always have a choice. No one is ever “too far gone.” (Read: Osama bin Laden).
And in the same breath, no one can ever be “good enough.” (Read: Gandhi)
The good news is that God has provided in His Love what His Justice required. The great exchange is available to anyone who will embrace the scandal of the cross:
“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:21-25)
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21)
So what would Jesus say to Gandhi and Osama bin Laden?
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)
Christianity, Yoga, and You
At think Christianly one of the main goals is to think biblically about all of life (Matt 22:37; Rom. 12:1-2: 2 Cor. 10:3-5). How should we evaluate an idea, movement, doctrine, practice, argument, etc?
So I naturally found it interesting when Al Mohler wrote an article on Christians and Yoga and then saw all the (many responses) responses from Christians he received. It was as if he kicked a hornets nest. (it even ended up on the front page of Yahoo). In our day and age of being spiritual but not religious (which translated just means I want to feel a certain way without having to bother with truth that could make me uncomfortable), we need to be discerning. In our pluralistic culture and with pop-new age all over the place, this is especially important. and of all people Christians should think twice about adopting stuff just because it may “work” without seriously investigating practices, diets, fads, etc. – you get the idea.
Here is his follow up post:
On Thursday, Dylan Lovan of the Associated Press titled his story, “Southern Baptist Leader on Yoga: Not Christianity.” Well here is the appropriate next headline: “Christian Concerns About Yoga: Not News.” You would think that Christians had never asked the question before. To Lovan’s credit, he framed his story on the controversy that followed my original article, published back on September 20, “The Subtle Body – Should Christians Practice Yoga?.”
Lovan documents the controversy and quotes me as saying: “I’m really surprised by the depth of the commitment to yoga found on the part of many who identify as Christians.” Well, double or triple that now.
Here are the lessons I have learned thus far from the controversy:
1. I have received hundreds of emails and comments against my article from those identifying as Christians. Not one–not a single one–has addressed the theological and biblical issues. There is not even a single protest communication offering a theological argument.
2. Evidently, the statistics reported by the yoga community are right. This is a female dominated field of activity. More than 90 percent of the protest communications come from women.
3. Sadly, almost every protest email makes my point better than I ever could myself. I have heard endless claims that there is no incompatibility between yoga and Christianity because it makes people feel better, it helps spirituality, it is a better way to know God, etc. There is no embarrassment on the part of these hundreds of email writers that they are replacing biblical Christianity with a religion of their own invention.
4. The kind of thinking represented by this avalanche of emails is perfectly illustrated by the comments of Stephanie Dillon, a local yoga instructor here in Louisville who attends the best-known church in our area:
Stephanie Dillon, who has injected Christian themes into her studio in Louisville, said yoga brought her closer to her Christian faith, which had faded after college and service in the Army.
“What I found is that it opened my spirit, it renewed my spirituality,” Dillon said. “That happened first and then I went back to church.” Dillon attends Southeast Christian Church in Louisville and says many evangelical Christians from the church attend her yoga classes.
She said she prayed on the question of whether to mix yoga and Christianity before opening her studio, PM Yoga, where she discusses her relationship with Jesus during classes.
“My objection (to Mohler’s view) personally is that I feel that yoga enhances a person’s spirituality,” Dillon said. “I don’t like to look at religion from a law standpoint but a relationship standpoint, a relationship with Jesus Christ specifically.”
Now, in fairness to Ms. Dillon, she might have said or have meant to say more than is reported here, but taking her comments at face value, we see Exhibit A of the problem. She comments that yoga “renewed my spirituality,” with no reference to anything remotely Christian and Gospel-centered about this renewal. She insists that yoga “enhances a person’s spirituality” without any recognition that this is not what biblical Christianity is all about. But, she prayed before deciding “to mix yoga and Christianity,” so everything must be just fine.
5. I have heard from a myriad of Christians who insist that their practice of yoga involves absolutely no meditation, no spiritual direction, no inward concentration, and no thought element. Well, if so, you are simply not practicing yoga. You may be twisting yourselves into pretzels or grasshoppers, but if there is no meditation or direction of consciousness, you are not practicing yoga, you are simply performing a physical exercise. Don’t call it yoga.
6. We are in worse shape than we thought. I have heard from a myriad of souls who have called me insane, incompetent, stupid, vile, fundamentalist, and perverted. Some others are best left unrepeated. These souls claim to be Christian, but offer no biblical argument nor do they even acknowledge the basic fact that yoga, as a spiritual practice, runs directly counter to the spiritual counsel of the Bible. Instead, I have been treated to arguments like these. From a “devoted Southern Baptist church member who resents your ignorance”: I get much more out of yoga and meditation than I ever get out of a sermon in church. From “a Christian who goes to church every service”: My favorite image I use in yoga is that of Jesus assuming a perfect yoga position in the garden of Gethsemane as he prays. And, to cap it all off: How do we know that the apostles and early Christian guys did not use yoga to commune with Jesus after he left? (MORE)
The point I want to highlight here is that people are responding out of emotion and not biblically. Yoga is clearly not biblical – stretching is neutral. Again, “I have heard from a myriad of Christians who insist that their practice of yoga involves absolutely no meditation, no spiritual direction, no inward concentration, and no thought element. Well, if so, you are simply not practicing yoga. You may be twisting yourselves into pretzels or grasshoppers, but if there is no meditation or direction of consciousness, you are not practicing yoga, you are simply performing a physical exercise. Don’t call it yoga.” As more “alternative” practices are made available, Christians need to carefully evaluate them according to God’s word.
Can New Atheists Be Spiritual But Not Religious?
As always, depends on how one defines the terms. A new article at USA today raises this as a possible way of bridging the gulf, though in reality, there is nothing new about it (see my podcast on “spiritual but not religious”). Here is a juicy place to start:
The old science-religion story goes like this: The so-called New Atheists, such as Richard Dawkins, uncompromisingly blast faith, even as religiously driven “intelligent design” proponents repeatedly undermine science. And while most of us don’t fit into either of these camps, the extremes also target those in the middle. The New Atheists aim considerable fire toward moderate religious believers who are also top scientists, such as National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins. Meanwhile, people like Collins get regular flack from the “intelligent design” crowd as well.
In this schematic, the battle lines may appear drawn, the conflict inescapable. But once spirituality enters the picture, there seems to be common ground after all.
Spirituality is something everyone can have — even atheists. In its most expansive sense, it could simply be taken to refer to any individual’s particular quest to discover that which is held sacred.
Where to begin. Most people don’t fit into either camp? hmm Seems that those are the only 2 camps one could ultimately be in. Either the universe is a random accident, along with all of the rest of life, morality, meaning, values, etc. or it is the product of some personal intelligence or God. Exactly what would be the 3rd option?
Notice Spirituality will provide the common ground and will save the day. So lets see what they mean by spirituality:
Spirituality is something everyone can have — even atheists. In its most expansive sense, it could simply be taken to refer to any individual’s particular quest to discover that which is held sacred.
That needn’t be a deity or supernatural entity. As the French sociologist Emile Durkheim noted in 1915: “By sacred things one must not understand simply those personal beings which are called Gods or spirits; a rock, a tree, a spring, a pebble, a piece of wood, a house, in a word, anything can be sacred.”
We can all find our own sacred things — and we can all have our own life-altering spiritual experiences. These are not necessarily tied to any creed, doctrine, or belief; they grip us on an emotional level, rather than a cognitive or rational one. That feeling of awe and wonder, that sense of a deep unity with the universe or cosmos — such intuitions might lead to a traditional religious outlook on the world, or they might not.
Spirituality just means “feelings.” and everyone has feelings right…even atheists have feelings. Now the quote by the sociologist is an interesting appeal to authority. Durkheim’s point reduces to just things someone might think are important or special. Notice this BIG IDEA – “they grip us on an emotional level, rather than a cognitive or rational one.” Bingo. We aren’t talking about objective reality anymore. Spirituality is not cognitive or rational (because this involves words like “true” and “false”). We are talking about my subjective preferences – like flavors of ice cream. I feel this paper weight is sacred…I feel this big mac is the reason I exist. These are spiritual statements. Finally, feelings could even lead you to become religious (gasp!). But becoming a Christian or an atheist is then taken out of the realm of true or false, evidence, reason, experience all together. After all, Spirituality is unpredictable (presumably because our feelings and moods change so much…maybe the Whopper is the reason I exist).
Interestingly the article goes on to describe Dawkins in an interview where he talks about feeling wonder (there are those feelings again… they’re everywhere!). But Dawkins doesn’t want you to get carried away:
“But,” Dawkins quickly added, “I would be very concerned that it shouldn’t be confused with supernaturalism.”
Of course Dawkins would be concerned if we were talking about anything real beyond (physics, chemistry, biology, and genetics). Thankfully, Chris Mooney, let’s him off the hook because:
It doesn’t have to be. Spirituality in the sense described above does not run afoul of any of Dawkins’ atheistic values or arguments. It does not require science and faith to be logically compatible, for instance. Nor does it require that we believe in anything we cannot prove. Spirituality simply doesn’t operate on that level. It’s about emotions and experiences, not premises or postulates.
Thank heavens…of course this is only helpful if Dawkins is actually successful in his arguments (a point under serious dispute). Notice that faith here is redefined to mean “religious wishful thinking or emotions.” And Spirituality doesn’t even make any rational demands on us…this is sounding better and better, because the last thing I want to complicate my spirituality is thinking hard!
We are then reassured that spirituality just doesn’t operate that way. Why? Because it is devoid of truth or reality.
Here is how the article concludes (with the header of “finally healing”)
So no wonder that other New Atheists have made statements very similar to Dawkins’. For instance, Tufts University philosopher Daniel C. Dennett has remarked, “I have times when I am just transported with awe and joy and a sense of peace and wonder at, whether it’s music or art or just a child playing or some other wonderful thing off of my sailboat, being amazed at the beauty of the ocean. I think that people make the mistake of thinking that spirituality, in that sense, has anything to do with either religious doctrines or with immateriality or the supernatural.”
Sam Harris, author of the best-selling 2004 book The End of Faith, is another thinker commonly associated with the New Atheists. And he, too, embraces a secular form of spirituality. Harris is particularly interested in meditation and its effects on the brain, and has called for “a discourse on ethics and spiritual experience that is as unconstrained by dogma and cultural prejudice as the discourses of physics, biology, and chemistry are.”
A focus on spirituality, then, might be the route to finally healing one of the most divisive rifts in Western society — over the relationship between science and religion. We’ll still have our evolution battles, to be sure; and the Catholic Church won’t soon give up on its wrongheaded resistance to contraception. The problems won’t immediately vanish. But each time they emerge, more and more of us will scratch our heads, wondering why.
Dennett again is quick to distance himself from the supernatural…but for the believer in Naturalism…what is beauty?
Harris then proposes a spirituality that is unstained by cultural prejudices and dogma like science is. Really? Is he free from dogma and bias? The commitment to naturalism is fundamental for Harris et al (that is a philosophical commitment by the way, not a scientific one).
Finally notice how this article ends. Notice the assumptions 1) evolution is beyond dispute 2) Atheism is true. 3) But we still want to feel spiritual, so here is our proposal.
(the whole article can be found here)
So basically sacred spirituality (which is feelings unattached to truth) is the way forward? All of this assumes, that there isn’t good evidence for God’s existence which is not the case. (For a helpful place to start, see my new book with Sean McDowell here)
Also, Nancy Pearcey documents this sacred / secular split and how it is playing out in Total Truth.
As a Christian, let me say that I could be wrong. But Christianity is the kind of thing you could be wrong about…and so is atheism. But let’s decide it by reason, evidence, and investigation, not creating a “sacred spirituality” to make us feel better. Truth brings healing and a way forward not wishful thinking.
Do All Roads Lead to God?
Here is an excellent video by Christian philosopher William Lane Craig:
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12 (1 Tim. 2:3-5; John 14:6)