It seems maybe Jesus didn’t die on a cross.

Yep.  Apparently, we kind of flubbed that fact.  At least that’s what Gunnar Samuelsson is saying.  He thinks there’s no evidence of crosses or nails being used for executions in Roman times, and we just assume that when the Bible says “crucifixion” it means “on a cross.”

That’s one I didn’t expect.  I would’ve thought that a notorious method of executing criminals and enemies of the state would be well known and rather indisputable.  People have debated since the Monday after whether Jesus actually came out of the grave.  But I’ve never heard of anyone arguing that he didn’t died on a cross.  Thing is, this guy is a Christian.  He says that Jesus was in fact executed by the Romans…just not on a cross.  He just thinks we should stop “reading between the lines” in the Bible and read what it really says. 

While my first reaction to the guy was, “Cram it, Captain know-it-all,” I thought of three slightly better reactions to this news.

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What would it take for you to give up your faith?

Not just a pile of cash or something like that.  More like what kind of scientific discovery would it take for you to give it up, stop going to church, admit to yourself that it’s all not true?

It kind of amazes me how no matter what scientists discovers, Christians usually find an explanation that leaves Jesus unharmed by science’s evil advance.

For example, scientists have come up with lots of data about the brains of religous people and all the chemical reactions that happen when people pray and go to church.  There’s archaeologists who make new finds that don’t always line up with the Bible.  Plus, there’s all those fossils that “prove” we came from apes, and Stephen Hawking, who can prove everything about the universe with just his brain.

This week, it was announced that babies seem to have an internal sense of morality, that they know the difference between good and evil.  This seems pretty obvious to me.  Babies cry everytime something remotely ”evil” happens to them.  Then they turn two, and choose to be evil.  I’m sure some people will think this points to a genetic disposition toward religion, or other ethical belief systems.  I happen to think it proves more of what C.S. Lewis was saying in Mere Christianity.

Anyway, it got me thinking about all the things Christians hold dear, hoping that some loudmouth scientist doesn’t come along and “proves” that belief is wrong.  What would it take for you to admit Christianity might be a hoax?

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Doubt Month is finally coming to a close.

Ironically, after a few weeks of unpacking all the things that make us uncomforable about faith, I can say this has been one of the best times I’ve had at blogging yet.  That’s thanks to you, readers.  Your comments and participation have blown away what I anticipated in variety, challenge and encouragement.  It makes me think blogging with a “theme” in mind might be something I want to do again.

So, I’ve shared with you my various and sundry doubts and difficulties with my faith.  I have a hard time believing healings, “miracles” and “prophets.”  I don’t know how to read my Bible a lot of the time.  I am bruised by friends “breaking up” with Jesus and I, and lost on what I am to do with them.  I think much of what we do as churches is phony and emotionally damaging.  As I have gotten to know God, He has refused to conform to my standards of…well, anything.

So where does that leave me?  How could I still be a Christian? 

Seems fitting to end Doubt Month on a note of faith.

I was asked by my wife rather randomly why I’m a Christian, while hiking on vacation in sweltering heat and humidity.  As a preacher’s kid, I had struggled and come to terms with my faith years ago, but I had never really talked about it until then.  I’ll tell you what I told her. 

First, is the personal evidence.  I’ve experienced God in my life.  He’s given me a great many things that I just don’t believe would exist if He were not real and interested in me.  I am not the same person I once was, and that’s not to say I didn’t try to stay the same.  I really liked me.

Second, is the physical evidence.  Despite all the difficulties someone might have with the Bible, there’s an awful lot of smart people who study it.  They go digging in sand for evidence of old cities and places in the Bible.  And you know what?  They’ve found a lot of stuff!  Bible people left behind a lot of junk for us to find.

Finally, is the fact that Christianity is an absolutely ridiculous, insane, what-on-earth-were-you-thinking religion.  I mean really, people used to sing a hymn about a “fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins.”  Gross. 

Is this the best religion we can come up with?  If I was to make up a religion, I would leave that out.

I would leave out…yes, just about everything Christianity says.  I’d leave out the virgin birth.  I’d leave out the blood of Christ and all that mess.  I’d leave out loving your neighbor as yourself…I would keep “wives submitting to husbands,” but not the verse after that.

The way I see it, humankind is not all that creative.  Sure, Michelangelo had a bit of a muse, but the rest of us are pretty much dolts.  That’s why Hollywood keeps churning out crap, and sequels to crap and we stare, slack-jawed in amazement.  I want to say this in the nicest way possible: you take practically all world’s religions and boil them down to their bare essence, and they look basically the same.  The main guts of most major religions are: you try to be a good person, (whatever that means), please the god(s) and work your way up the ladder to the afterlife, whether or not there is a god who cares or not.  Sounds good to me, because I know I’m a good person!

And then there is Christ.

There is Christ who says we can’t be good enough.  Give up, losers.  Talk about audacity. 

That really goes against what everyone else has ever thought about God.  I think even if all the people in the world were given indefinate time and infinite typewriters, they’d never think of God being born of a virgin woman and being executed to pay for the sins of mankind, just out of love.  It just wouldn’t occur to us.  It had to be told to us. 

Did it occur to us before Jesus?  No.  Are there a bunch of religions copying the Christian formula?  No, Christianity is still stupid and offensive to most people.  I call that the audacity of Christianity.  If there was ever a religion that should’ve died out, it was Judaism.  The Israelites seemed determined to not be God’s people!  Then there’s Christianity, which goes against every natural instinct any human acts on.  Why would anyone willingly fabricate and follow this religion?  There’s a lot of Christians who don’t even like Christianity!  They like promises of money and heaven.

As full of ourselves as we are, it never occurred to us that a deity would care that much for humans.  The one guy who did think that got nailed to a cross.  The monkeys would’ve written Shakespeare before we’d come up with Jesus.  Christianity is crazy…just crazy enough to work.

So in a weird way, the highly improbable God whose presence is so doubted and questioned by all of us is somehow evidenced by his almost total improbability.  God is the only one who could make himself up.  We would never want to be that creative.

Well it works for me.  Maybe it’s the stupidest thing you ever heard.

I doubt it’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard.

Doubt month is over, but doubt will always cloud us.  Despite all your doubts, what makes you believe?  What are the lingering, pesky doubts and questions that still hang in your mind?  What “theme” do you think we should spend a few weeks on in the future?

Yes, that’s the book for me.

I bet you love your Bible, don’t you?  I know I do.  I love it so much, that I’ve even got a couple of my favorite sentences from it memorized! 

I love my Bible so much, that I like to exaggerate to other people how much I read it, even though it seems about as productive as bragging to my friends that I made out with my wife last night…for ten minutes.

Sometimes, when I’m alone with my Bible, I like to whisper sweet pet names in it’s ear.  My Bible loves it when I call it “inerrant.”

We’re almost done with Doubt Month, and I just had to talk about our sometimes strange relationships with our Bibles.  That’s a big issues that divides Christians – how we treat the Bible.  We get defensive about it, like a bunch of jilted lovers or something.  Lots of churches like to nickname the Bible ”inerrant” or “literal” or “double edged sword.”  Many churches who spend a lot of time praising the Bible like this warn about “liberals” who try to “destroy” the Bible, (or heretic bloggers who joke about whispering sweet nothings in its ear.)

Some churches I’ve visited checked me at the door and nearly made me discard my NIV Bible like it was a video camera at a concert.  That’s the other thing some Christians can’t stand – the letters on the spine of someone else’s Bible.  Some people look at your NIV like it’s a leather-bound hooker sitting in the pew next to you with your name tattooed in cursive across her exposed buttocks.

There are certainly a lot of lines drawn when it comes to what you believe about your Bible, or even which Bible you fancy. 

I’m just beginning to doubt that it matters so much…

I’m a guy who believes what my Bible says.  I believe Jesus performed literal miracles.  I believe He rose from the dead.  If He didn’t, I don’t see much point in the Bible.  I generally take a literal view of most of the Bible.  And you know what?  I went to seminary, which means I know how to study the Bible, and I know lots of big words, and God’s mind is no longer unsearchable to me, because I’m so learned…

Well, I thought so anyway.

Recently though, a close friend called me on something.  He loves his Bible too.  He loves Jesus and his miracles and his resurrection.  But one day he said to me, “Matt, I think this “inerrancy” thing is a stumbling block that Christians need to help soften for seekers.”

Woah!  No way.  If someone wants to get in my church, they’re going to have to buy into the Bible, all of it.  You can’t go picking and choosing which parts you like…

But he asked, “Say a non-believer is having trouble with the story of Jonah.  Are you going to draw a line in the sand over whether a man literally was swallowed by a fish?”

Well, no I guess not.

“You have to admit, if Jonah were not in the Bible, it would the most ridiculous story you ever heard.”

Well that’s true.

“But it’s in the Bible, so we’re quick to defend an otherwise indefensible story.  Say someone is having trouble with the entire Old Testament.”

Well, that is half the Bible.  I’m not sure they can be saved if…

“Wouldn’t it be more important to just ask them if they can believe that God loves them?  If they can consider that, doesn’t it make Jesus much more plausible?  Does it really matter if God created the world in six literal days?  Does the message of Jonah change if it happened literally or if God put a story in someone’s heart?  Does it really matter if we look as if we know exactly what the Bible is saying at all times? Or does it really matter that God loved us enough for Jesus to die?”

I guess you’re right.

I still love my Bible.  I still think Jonah got swallowed by a fish, for real, but I don’t think it’s that important that I believe that.  On the other hand, I think the virgin birth is important, and I’d be happy to tell you why if you asked.  Some things are important to believe, or it’s just a book.  I’ll admit, if someone says they have doubts about that much of the Bible, I have doubts if they’re that much of a Christian.  But should I have those doubts?  I’m starting to doubt the importance of every Christian having the exact same beliefs about every last story in the Bible.

What do you think?  Do you believe all the Bible literally?  Are there stories you have trouble believing?  Do you have trouble believing that someone who doubts parts of the Bible can be a Christian?

To kick off our final week of Doubt Month, I want to ask you a question.  Has church ever insulted your intelligence?

When I was a teenager, my friends and I used to rent really bad movies, just to laugh at them.  It was impossible to “suspend our disbelief” and buy in to the movie.  The terrible writing, acting, and special effects made them worth nothing more than fodder for being shamed by teenage boys.  Even our very small teenage intelligence was insulted by these movies, and we responded by mocking the hard work of the filmmakers.  If you’d like to try this, AMC is running a Tommy Lee Jones marathon with “Volcano” in the mix.  It’s terrible.

That’s the problem with church.  You’re supposed to believe it.  You’re supposed to buy into it.  Sometimes, it’s difficult to believe what’s happening at church.

I’ve visited a lot of churches.  A lot of those churches and pastors seemed to spend a lot of time trying to convince me that they are awesome.  One pastor went on a long bragging tirade about all the ways they are the best church in town.  Another praise team performed a prayer in song that told Jesus that he wanted to bless their ministry, repeatedly.  Before this, I had never heard of praying to God by telling him what he thinks. 

Now, my church does some stuff that’s good, and I make announcements about it.  And I’d like to think that Jesus wants to bless our ministry.  But I’m not one to need to remind everyone each Sunday about how awesome we are.  We just are awesome, and everyone sort of picks up on it.  I’m also not one to tell Jesus what he wants to do.  I think he knows what he wants to do without me telling him.  But maybe I can try some reverse psychology.  “Jesus, you don’t want to help us build a new multi-million dollar building.”

I know why pastors do this. 

They’re trying to pump up the crowd.  They’re trying to convince visitors that they are the most dynamic, spiritual, above all exciting place to be.  They’re trying to remind the burned out or doubtful members that the church might not be perfect, but they certainly won’t do any better with the Methodists, so don’t bother going church shopping. 

The pastors are trying to convince people that their church is worth giving money to, and they are worth their paycheck. 

It’s important that the people buy in to the church, believe in it.  It’s important for a lot of churches to spend a lot of time creating hype over every little thing they do.  It’s also important for the people who may think the pastor is full of baloney to carry the water and not make the church look bad.

One of the biggest cogs in the hype machine of many churches is still the altar call.  That’s when the pastor tells everyone to close their eyes, so Jesus can finally do his thing and save some sinners.  Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

The pastor will call for people to raise their hands who want to get saved.  Then he’ll acknowledge this hand, that hand, thank you.  And all the while, some sinner will be watching the whole time, and see no hands being raised.  It’s almost a cliche.

Other churches allow the members to look, because there are always people going down to the altar.  It looks really impressive.  What the average member may know is that most of those people are members who are designated to go down, to encourage the wayward sinner to quit being a wimp and go down there to face Jesus.

Whether churches do the altar call or not, they judge themselves every week on whether or not they were “successful.”  Churches like to feel “successful.”  They like big numbers in the attendance and the budget and the baptisms.  It validates them.  It makes the pastor feel he’s worth something.  But what if the numbers aren’t there?  What if everyone in church is already saved?

Fake it.

In a culture where failure is worse than death, the church leaders put on a performance, and the audience is wowed.  Everything is okay.  People still buy into it.  They still put money into the offering, even if the whole production sort of insults their intelligence a little, like a stupid movie they paid $8.00 to see.

Everyone still leaves feeling good.  Well…almost everyone.  The pastor goes home Sunday afternoon, knowing that the hype was hot air.  The altar call was a lie.  His personal accomplishments, his church’s influence are not what he would like.  And so, of all the people who carry a little water for the sake of creating an image, he carries the most.

It must be exhausting.  It must make being a pastor the toughest job on earth.  I cannot imagine the emotional drain it must put on the man who absorbs that week after week for the sake of making everyone else feel good.  I wonder if he ever asks Jesus why he won’t send anyone to the altar.  I wonder what he thinks of his worth as a pastor or a person.

And guess what?  Even if the numbers in attendance doubled, even if a hundred people were saved every Sunday at the altar call, even if Jesus himself appeared at church, we’d still want more.  We’re not addicted to Jesus.  We’re addicted to hype and success, and we’re usually willing to suspend our disbelief for a pastor who will deliver the hype.

Is your church big on hyping itself?  Does your church do the altar calls? Are they legit, or all hype?  How have you carried the water at your church?  Has your pastor ever done something that made you say, “Yeah, right.”?  Is your church happy with what it is, or does everyone sort of wish it was something else?

Ever been dumped?

I dated my first girlfriend in high school.  Yes, we dated, the way old-fashioned teenagers used to.  Picture soda fountains and holding hands and poodle skirts…except it was nothing like that because it was the 90s.

She dumped me.  It hurt.  It kind of seemed like she kind of enjoyed dumping me.  After that, I had to find out if dumping people was as fun as it looked. So when the time was right, I dumped my next girlfriend.  Not really fun, as it had seemed, but definately better than being on the recieving end.  Most people break up the same way.  There’s usually some grievances aired and a lot of drama and of course, hurt feelings.

Breaking up is hard to do. 

Have you ever been dumped by a Christian?  What I mean is, have you ever been on the recieving end of a friend who’s formally, publicly giving up her faith?  I’ve been there a few times.  Actually, my wife and I and our friends have suddenly been getting dumped a lot lately.  It’s pretty tough to handle, a lot like a high school sweetheart telling you they’re in love someone other guy who’s a total weiner. 

It’s almost like you’re being dumped on behalf of Jesus. 

It’s different than watching those friends who just slowly grow apart from Jesus.  This is a cataclysmic event that seals the deal.  It’s over.  You’ll feel blindsided.  They’ll try to explain how it happened.  It’s usually just as dramatic as getting dumped by your sweetie.  Accusations are thrown around about truth and love and hypocrisy, and it’s a big awkward mess.  Jesus and I have heard a lot of break-up lines. 

See if you can guess which lines I’ve been dumped with, and which ones I’ve heard Jesus get dumped with…

“I’ve just fallen out of love.”

“I don’t feel like you’re really there.”

“The more I find out about you, the less I like.”

“You just aren’t who I thought you were.”

“I realized I’ve kind of been faking it, just going through the motions.”

“I just feel like I’ve grown up and I can’t relate to you anymore.”

“I just can’t love someone who would let that happen.”

“All of your friends are hypocrites.”

“It’s like I talk and I talk, and I can’t get through to you.”

“I don’t like your beard.”

“I hope we can still be friends.”

Yes, there are a lot of reasons to break up with me or Jesus.  However it goes down, it’s not easy to listen to a friend break up with Jesus.  It always feels like a personal attack, and their reasons for breaking up never seem that good to you.  Sure, Jesus has his quirks, but he’s a good guy, and I personally cannot picture what it would take to get me to leave him behind.  Then again, I can’t imagine why any girl would want to dump me either…

And what do you do afterward?  It is really hard to stay friends after you and Jesus have been dumped.  There’s a bond that Christians share that has been broken.

How do you recover?  Does the whole event make you question your own faith, or does it make you even more resolved as you withstand the onslaught of doubt?  I’m personally the type to lick my wounds when dumped by getting defensive and pointing fingers.  But they always bring up issues I have to deal with in my own mind eventually.

It seems hard for me to talk to Jesus right away right after we’ve been dumped.  It’s hard for us to decide who’s to blame. 

But soon, in your confused little emotional mind, you try to hatch a plan to win them back.  I thought I’d try to win back that girl who dumped me.  But it turned out she had actually found someone else before she made it official with me.  Jesus finds that to be the case most of the time with him too.  They’re always dabbling…

So how do you handle it – that really un-fun conversation when they tell you things have changed, they’re leaving Jesus behind?  What was their reason for the break-up?  Have you been able to woo your now non-Christian friend back?  Have you been able to remain friends? Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?