The Reason for God

1. Religious belief and skepticism are both on the rise globally

The enemies are both right. Skepticism, fear, and anger toward traditional religion are growing in power and influence. But at the same time, robust, orthodox belief in the traditional faiths is growing as well.

Global religious landscape. Contrary to predictions of religion's decline, Christianity and other faiths are experiencing significant growth, especially in the developing world. In Africa, Christians now outnumber Muslims. In China, Christianity is spreading rapidly among all social classes.

Coexisting trends. While secularism increases in some areas, passionate religious belief is surging in others. This polarization challenges simplistic narratives about the inevitable triumph of either secularism or religion.

• Growing secular population in U.S. and Europe
• Explosive growth of Christianity in Africa, Latin America, Asia
• Resurgence of religion in academic philosophy

2. Moral obligation and human rights require a divine foundation

If there is no God, then all moral statements are arbitrary, all moral valuations are subjective and internal, and there can be no external moral standard by which a person's feelings and values are judged.

Basis for morality. Without God, there is no objective foundation for moral standards or human rights. Attempts to ground ethics in purely secular reasoning ultimately fail to provide a compelling basis for universal moral obligations.

Unavoidable moral knowledge. Despite claims of moral relativism, people invariably act as if objective moral truths exist. This points to an innate moral sense that reflects a divine origin.

• Evolutionary explanations fail to account for moral obligations
• Secular thinkers struggle to justify universal human rights
• Moral relativism is self-defeating and impossible to consistently live out

3. Suffering and evil don't disprove God's existence

If I don't believe that there is a God who will eventually put all things right, I will take up the sword and will be sucked into the endless vortex of retaliation. Only if I am sure that there's a God who will right all wrongs and settle all accounts perfectly do I have the power to refrain.

Problem of evil. The existence of suffering and evil is often seen as incompatible with an all-powerful, loving God. However, this argument assumes that if God exists, he would have no good reasons for allowing evil – an assumption we are not in a position to make.

Redemptive perspective. The Christian worldview offers a unique perspective on suffering, seeing it as tragic but potentially redemptive. God himself, in Christ, enters into human suffering to ultimately overcome it.

• Suffering can lead to character growth and deeper faith
• A world without any suffering would lack free will and moral significance
• The resurrection offers hope that evil and death will be ultimately defeated

4. Christianity offers freedom, not constraint

Freedom cannot be defined in strictly negative terms, as the absence of confinement and constraint. In fact, in many cases, confinement and constraint is actually a means to liberation.

True freedom. Contrary to the perception that Christianity restricts freedom, it actually provides the basis for genuine liberty. Freedom is not the absence of constraints, but finding the right constraints that align with reality and human flourishing.

Liberating faith. Christian faith liberates people from enslaving self-centeredness, fear, and the need for self-justification. It provides a secure identity based on God's love rather than human achievement.

• Freedom requires boundaries and discipline to reach full potential
• Unconstrained "freedom" often leads to addiction and fragmentation
• Christianity offers freedom from the burden of self-justification

5. The historical evidence for Jesus's resurrection is compelling

If you don't short-circuit the process with the philosophical bias against the possibility of miracle, the resurrection of Jesus has the most evidence for it.

Early testimony. The New Testament accounts of Jesus's resurrection date to within decades of the events, far too early for legendary embellishment. Paul's letters, written just 15-20 years after Jesus's death, already contain the core resurrection claims.

Cultural context. The idea of an individual bodily resurrection was inconceivable to both Jews and Greeks of the time. Only a real event could have produced the radical shift in worldview among Jesus's followers.

• Multiple, independent eyewitness accounts
• The transformation of the disciples from cowards to martyrs
• The rapid spread of Christianity despite persecution

6. Sin is self-centeredness that only God's grace can overcome

Sin is: in despair not wanting to be oneself before God…. Faith is: that the self in being itself and wanting to be itself is grounded transparently in God.

Nature of sin. At its core, sin is not merely breaking rules, but a self-centered orientation that seeks to find identity, worth, and security apart from God. This leads to personal and social dysfunction.

Grace, not works. Christianity teaches that we cannot overcome our self-centeredness through moral effort alone. Only by receiving God's unearned love and forgiveness can we find the security to move beyond self-focus.

• Sin manifests in both immoral behavior and self-righteous moralism
• Attempts at self-salvation lead to pride, insecurity, or despair
• God's grace provides the basis for genuine humility and love for others

7. The Christian view of creation, fall, and redemption makes sense of reality

Christianity makes the most sense out of our individual life stories and out of what we see in the world's history.

Coherent worldview. The Christian narrative of creation, fall, and redemption provides a framework that explains human experiences of beauty, morality, and longing, as well as the brokenness we see in the world.

Hope for restoration. Unlike other worldviews that see the physical world as illusory or evil, Christianity affirms the goodness of creation and offers hope for its ultimate renewal. This motivates efforts for justice and cultural renewal in the present.

• Accounts for both human dignity and human depravity
• Provides basis for environmental stewardship and social justice
• Offers hope for ultimate resolution to evil and suffering

8. Jesus's death on the cross demonstrates God's love and justice

On the cross, Jesus suffered not only the physical pain, but the cosmic rejection and abandonment. He did this so that someday he can end evil and suffering without ending us.

Divine self-sacrifice. In the Christian understanding, God himself, in Christ, bears the consequences of human sin and evil. This demonstrates both God's justice in taking sin seriously and his love in providing forgiveness at great cost to himself.

Transformative love. The cross reveals a God who is willing to suffer for his creatures, providing the ultimate example of self-giving love. This has the power to break cycles of vengeance and transform human hearts.

• Addresses both the gravity of evil and the possibility of forgiveness
• Provides the basis for human forgiveness and reconciliation
• Offers hope that injustice will ultimately be addressed

9. Christianity provides a coherent worldview and basis for human flourishing

We were designed, then, not just for belief in God in some general way, nor for a vague kind of inspiration or spirituality. We were made to center our lives upon him, to make the purpose and passion of our lives knowing, serving, delighting, and resembling him.

Meaning and purpose. Christianity offers a comprehensive worldview that provides ultimate meaning, moral guidance, and a basis for human flourishing. It addresses the deepest human longings for significance, love, and hope.

Cultural engagement. Rather than retreating from the world, Christianity motivates believers to engage in cultural renewal, scientific discovery, artistic creation, and pursuit of justice as ways of honoring God and serving others.

• Integrates faith, reason, and human experience
• Provides motivation for both personal transformation and social reform
• Offers a hopeful vision for the future of humanity and the cosmos

Last updated: September 9, 2024