Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. (Jeremiah 20:9)
As A Fire Ministries exists to battle unbelief and anti-intellectualism amongst Christians and to encourage thought through promoting sound theology and apologetics. There is a page for theology and a page for apologetics which appear as pop-ups when the navigation drop list above is used. There is also a forum for discussion below.
Does It Matter?
Apologetics
Believing in God does not take some sort of blind, "childlike faith". The very notion of "childlike faith" is not found in Scripture. If all Christianity took was some sort of blind faith then it would be just as reasonable to believe in atheism or the giant purple bunny on the moon who desires our worship. It is probable that Matthew 18.2-4 is the passage of Scripture some have in the back of their minds when creating this idea of a childlike faith.
And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18.2-4)
It should be noted that this passage does not refer to a childlike faith at all, but rather to childlike humility. We are to become like children in the sense that children are so dependent upon others. We should be dependent upon God (and acknowledge it) in the same way as children are dependent upon others. This is what true humility consists of. God loves it, and God requires it.
Non-Christians (and usually more specifically atheists) are not smarter than Christians. Of course, some non-Christians are certainly smarter than Christians, and some Christians are smarter than some non-Christians, but there is no sense to making some type of blanket statement either way. The reason that non-Christians do not have faith in Christ is not because they think too much instead of just believing. This is not even the way that Scripture uses the term "believe" or "faith". Instead, the term in its proper context means what we usually do by "trust". It is not mere intellectual consent, and it is certainly not an irrational leap.
And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." (Matthew 22.37)
It is also false that Christians should not think or study philosophy. Those who say that we should not argue about the existence of God and the Bible do so contrary to Scripture. The very nature of the majority of the New Testament is that of a defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
When the Apostle Paul says in Colossians 2.8, "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ." he warns against vain philosophy, not all philosophy. This is analogous to the condemnation of religion by Scripture on the one hand and the praise of it by Scripture on the other hand. There is a vain, human centered religion and a religion pure and undefiled before God. There is also a vain, human centered philosophy and a philosophy that is according to Christ.
Paul, the author of Colossians, was a philosopher! He was well trained in philosophy, and even quoted from the philosophers of his day in Acts 17.28, Titus 1.12, Acts 17.17, and Acts 17.34.
Christians should be able to exhort and convict those who contradict the truth (Titus 1.9). Paul is a huge advocate of this idea. He considered himself appointed for the defense of the Gospel (Philippians 1.17). Paul understood just as much or more than everyone that in order to discern truth and error in vain philosophies and to be able to refute them we must have some awareness and understanding of them.
In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. (1 Peter 3.15-16)
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