We live in a world where information comes at us from different angles. Where belief is open to any and everyone without judgement. Part of the problem is that we are often faced with misinformation or come to believe things about a worldview or system of belief that proves to be untrue. However, in today’s world of online rumours and rampant misinformation, discerning fiction from facts can be challenging. For example, people consider Christianity and religion simply a way for organizations like the church to profit, leading to a crisis of faith amongst our communities. To help you steer clear of the misconceptions, Randy Loubier has debunked some of the most widely believed myths about Christianity. Myth 1: Christianity stifles personal freedom Many people forego Christianity over the belief that if they commit to faith, their lives will be filled with much less rather than much more. They think they will be burdened by so many dos and don’ts that their current quality of life will deteriorate. The truth is being a Christian is very freeing. Take 2 Corinthians 3:17, where it says, “Now the lord is the spirit, and where the spirit of the lord is, there is freedom.” and John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Does that sound like less or more to you? The truth is Jesus’ way is much more freeing and much less cumbersome than most people think. Clinging to your habits and your vices won’t free you, but allowing Jesus into your life most certainly will. Myth 2: Science is in conflict with the Christian faith The popular image of the relationship between science and Christian faith is one of antagonism, conflict, and even warfare. It is true that there was a decline in religious faith among scientists following the publication of Darwin’s Origin of Species in 1859. Nevertheless, Darwin’s work does not seem to have shaken the faith of the great physicists of the 19th Century. Michael Faraday, James Joule, Lord Kelvin, and James Clerk Maxwell, for example, were all devout Christian believers. In the 20th Century, the astronomer Arthur Eddington, Charles Towns and William Phillips, Nobel laureates in physics, and Francis Collins, the director of the Human Genome Project, have publicly affirmed their belief in God. Collins has expressed the spiritual wonder of scientific research in these words: “When something new is revealed about the human genome, I experience a feeling of awe at the realization that humanity now knows something only God knew before.” Myth 3: You will go to heaven by praying a prayer For many years, evangelists and preachers have used terms like “receive Christ” or “invite Jesus into your heart” to describe Christian conversion. The decision to receive Christ is often accompanied by a prayer of commitment. The problem is Christians disagree on precisely what this prayer is. Still, for many, the essential idea is that the only way to get into heaven is to pray at some point in your life, asking God to forgive you and telling God that you accept Jesus, you believe Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for your sins, and you want to go to heaven when you die. This raises more questions. What about people who have said some form of “the prayer” at some point in their life, but it means nothing to them today? What about those who said it in a highly emotionally charged environment like a youth camp or church service because it was the thing to do but were unaware of the significance of what they were doing? The fact is praying to receive Christ as your Lord and Savior isn’t a magical incantation or a spiritual prescription. It’s a commitment to follow Jesus and make Him Lord of your entire life. If it’s a decision you make lightly or in an emotional moment, and you don’t keep that commitment, then you were never saved, to begin with. Remember, it’s not the words that save you. It’s the commitment of your heart that makes you a genuine follower of Jesus. If you’re looking to steer clear of these myths, reach out to Randy Loubier. Randy Loubier is the pastor of a small country church in a small town in the small state of New Hampshire, USA. Slow Brewing Tea is his third book and first novel. Some geography and settings were sketched from memories of growing up in New England and his time in Misawa, Japan (1978-1980). For Randy, his years in Japan were an adventurous pursuit of the culture with an attitude and shy personality, not unlike Isaiah. As a slow brewing tea himself, he spent much of the first fifty years of his life denying God the Father and pursuing numerous eastern and new-age faiths. He wrote Slow Brewing Tea and the accompanying series The Tea Room Scrolls as “I found something I’d like to share with the world.” If you have any questions about Randy Loubier, he’d love to hear from you. Please contact Randy here.
Comments