The Center of Truth

Leah Libresco Sargeant was an atheist who found the arguments for God too strong to resist.

Since 2012, she has been one of us–a believer.

The question that moved her from disbelief to faith was this one: “How is it we come to know truth?” She couldn’t reconcile the notion of no God with the idea of man-made morality, moral laws originating within people.

Moral law transcends people. It comes from outside them, not from within them.

For where did moral law come from if not from God?

Her acknowledgment of truth as something that transcends humanity emerged from the study of C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, and Augustine.

It was a process–one that took time–of reconciling what she grew up with–an assumed atheism–with truth, what she came to understand through study. Eventually, the truth of God became obvious to her.
 
Libresco Sargeant’s journey was an intellectual one. Not everyone who believes takes such a path to faith.

My own journey wasn’t nearly as intellectual as Libresco Sargeant’s was. My path certainly had nothing to do with mathematics as hers did.

But I assumed truth. Not that I knew all of it, just that I knew it existed.

I didn’t realize until later that I had begun by presuming truth.

When we come to faith, we arrive at truth–and perhaps we’ve reached the center, the bull’s eye circle. We’re standing in it, but there is always more to know, more to seek. There is always a journey toward a better understanding of God.

We spend the rest of our lives trying to find and inhabit that center. Every day, we move closer to truth–or of our own wills–further away.

Others who aren’t standing near us are on their own journeys to the truth. How quickly they arrive at the big circle of faith may depend on us.

And how close we are to the center of the bull’s eye may depend on how well we treat those not standing right next to us.

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Porn as a Drug to Conceal Truth

“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.
“Remember, all I’m offering is the truth, nothing more.” The Matrix, 1999
Morpheus offers Neo the truth. It’s a key scene in the movie, a crucial moment. Do we want to know the truth–or would we rather just go on believing “whatever you want to believe”?
Recent, secular recognition that pornography is bad for us is evidence that some Americans see the truth about the harm porn causes. But does that mean we will act on this truth–or will we choose to look away?
The Kansas City Royals are trying to discourage porn usage among the team members. A recent seminar for players featured speakers from a “non-religious” organization called “Fight the New Drug,” a group that invites participants to make an “informed decision regarding pornography by raising awareness of its harmful effects using only science, facts, and personal accounts.” Continue reading “Porn as a Drug to Conceal Truth”

The Battle Against Noise

“Silence allows man to place himself joyfully at God’s disposal. It enables him to overcome the arrogant attitude that would claim that God is at the disposal of his children.” (Sarah 121 [230])
The battle is ongoing and almost universal.
We live noisy lives. And most of us don’t know how to find quiet contemplation–or even why we should try.
We dwell with noise all around us–and more importantly without internal silence.
The kind of silence that lets us connect to God. Continue reading “The Battle Against Noise”

BLOGPOST: When Unity Can’t Happen

“Much of Christianity’s retreat from the truth or tempering of our witness in the West has been motivated by good intentions—not to offend or be judgmental, the desire to feel more personally connected to God and to make Christianity more relevant and culturally acceptable.
“The history of Christianity…shows the reverse to be the case. While we always want to be sensitive to other cultures, we cannot be co-opted by them.”  Charles Colson
One of the most amazing aspects of the Gospel is its universal appeal. It tears down the walls of culture. It is for people of all races and from all nations. Rather than being exclusive, it is inclusive. All may come.
Churches need to guard against the perception that they are closed communities, that minorities need not participate.
One thing the Gospel cannot do is deny truth. And coming to Christ means commitment to truth and striving in obedience toward holiness. Continue reading “BLOGPOST: When Unity Can’t Happen”

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