It's a little after midnight, Shannon and Jayden are asleep, and I don't have any seriously pressing homework due tomorrow. I guess that means I have some free time on my hands, since I'm a good 45 minutes away from my typical bed time. I've got so much I want to get out, but don't know where to start. Even if I did know where to start, I wouldn't have time to get very far. Still, I do have a little free time and want to post something.
I have five classes this semester, including American Government, Intro to Ethics, and New Testament Survey. Just as I managed to do with history last semester, I underestimated the extent of thought-provoking information that would be covered in American Government, so, once again, I find my brain seemingly overloaded. It's funny that, no matter what the class, previously held ideas of mine are questioned constantly. Now, this is not always a negative thing. In a number of ways I find where I may be imposing my own reason over the words of Jesus, putting words in His mouth that He really didn't say. On the other hand, however, I am realizing very clearly that the war between wrong and right is thicker and heavier than we tend to consider. By the way, Biblical Christianity is more on the defensive side of the ball than we like to think, too.
Now, I understand that by going to a secular school I freely put myself in the middle of it, and had I continued my education under more conservative instruction my mind would be more at ease. I didn't think that was the way God wanted me to go, though, and still don't. Even though I am facing challenges and criticisms quicker than I can turn my head, I am certain God is working in all of it to get me where He wants me to be. In the mean time, He has helped me understand the value of faith.
The analogy of the armor of God in Ephesians is very popular among Christians. There has been an innumerable amount of discussion and preaching on the matter, and we have been given a lot of different perspectives on application. Lately, though, the shield of faith has been of particular interest to me.
It's simple, really, so I won't try to drag it out. As I mentioned before, nearly every day I find myself in the middle of the ongoing attack against Biblical Christianity. I've learned a lot by way of defense of my belief, and in plenty of cases the absurdity of the ungodly claims are too simply clear. There are other cases, though, where the answers aren't so clear, and the arguments against Christianity seem to have some validity.
So what do we do in those cases? The shield of faith. Satan's attacks against the truth of God have been called "fiery darts." I like to imagine an antagonist realizing arrows are dangerous, but lighting them on fire causes a rush of destruction before the attacked can even think about what to do. Satan likes these kinds of arrows: "blow them away before they can even realize it." Now I like to consider the words, "take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." (Ephesians 6:16 NIV). Extinguish the fire, eliminate the "shock and awe" of the attack, give yourself some time - time to think, read, study, consider, seek the perspectives of others, weigh the evidence, and, most of all, PRAY. After all, why would you storm out on Someone with whom you've had a relationship at the heated accusation of some unrelated third party? And don't let the third party accuse you of ignoring reason to side with faith. That's what the attacker wants you to do! He wants you to trust his "reasoning" before taking time to consider the whole of the issue.
As I've stated before, I believe there is an acceptable answer to every criticism of true faith in Christ. Sometimes it takes faith - the shield of faith - to make possible the search.
I have five classes this semester, including American Government, Intro to Ethics, and New Testament Survey. Just as I managed to do with history last semester, I underestimated the extent of thought-provoking information that would be covered in American Government, so, once again, I find my brain seemingly overloaded. It's funny that, no matter what the class, previously held ideas of mine are questioned constantly. Now, this is not always a negative thing. In a number of ways I find where I may be imposing my own reason over the words of Jesus, putting words in His mouth that He really didn't say. On the other hand, however, I am realizing very clearly that the war between wrong and right is thicker and heavier than we tend to consider. By the way, Biblical Christianity is more on the defensive side of the ball than we like to think, too.
Now, I understand that by going to a secular school I freely put myself in the middle of it, and had I continued my education under more conservative instruction my mind would be more at ease. I didn't think that was the way God wanted me to go, though, and still don't. Even though I am facing challenges and criticisms quicker than I can turn my head, I am certain God is working in all of it to get me where He wants me to be. In the mean time, He has helped me understand the value of faith.
The analogy of the armor of God in Ephesians is very popular among Christians. There has been an innumerable amount of discussion and preaching on the matter, and we have been given a lot of different perspectives on application. Lately, though, the shield of faith has been of particular interest to me.
It's simple, really, so I won't try to drag it out. As I mentioned before, nearly every day I find myself in the middle of the ongoing attack against Biblical Christianity. I've learned a lot by way of defense of my belief, and in plenty of cases the absurdity of the ungodly claims are too simply clear. There are other cases, though, where the answers aren't so clear, and the arguments against Christianity seem to have some validity.
So what do we do in those cases? The shield of faith. Satan's attacks against the truth of God have been called "fiery darts." I like to imagine an antagonist realizing arrows are dangerous, but lighting them on fire causes a rush of destruction before the attacked can even think about what to do. Satan likes these kinds of arrows: "blow them away before they can even realize it." Now I like to consider the words, "take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." (Ephesians 6:16 NIV). Extinguish the fire, eliminate the "shock and awe" of the attack, give yourself some time - time to think, read, study, consider, seek the perspectives of others, weigh the evidence, and, most of all, PRAY. After all, why would you storm out on Someone with whom you've had a relationship at the heated accusation of some unrelated third party? And don't let the third party accuse you of ignoring reason to side with faith. That's what the attacker wants you to do! He wants you to trust his "reasoning" before taking time to consider the whole of the issue.
As I've stated before, I believe there is an acceptable answer to every criticism of true faith in Christ. Sometimes it takes faith - the shield of faith - to make possible the search.
posted by Jonathan Branch at 11:13 PM
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