Two years ago I shared my faith publicly on this blog for the first time and it was scary. I recognize many people do not share my beliefs and, for me at least, it takes vulnerability and courage to discuss ideas that go against the cultural grain.
But I believe an uncomfortable truth. I believe that there is a Heaven and a Hell and that every human on this planet is destined for one of those two places for eternity.
That’s weighty. Who wants to say – or write – those words?
Can I be honest? Not me.
In trying to decide what to write today, I kept coming up “empty.” Then our pastor shared the following quote from Penn Jillette – who, in addition to being a famous entertainer, is a staunch atheist.
At the end of a magic show, an audience member took the time to seek Jillette out and give him a Bible. He didn’t preach fire and damnation. He didn’t flagellate Jillette for his lack of faith. He complimented him on the show and handed him a pocket-sized Bible. Here is Jillette’s response to that experience:
“I’ve always said that I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward—and atheists who think people shouldn’t proselytize and who say just leave me alone and keep your religion to yourself—how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?” [My emphasis.]
Penn Jillette
I love you. I’ve never met most of you in person, but I love you. I love you enough to say something you may not want to hear or with which you disagree.
Here’s the thing – you get to reject Jesus. I can’t force and coax you to believe. But I want to make sure you know who you’re rejecting.
I keep coming back to C.S. Lewis’ quote: Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.
How can I believe something of infinite importance and not share it with others? How much would I have to hate you to do that?
Penn Jillette is still an atheist. That audience member’s quiet display of faith, that Bible – they didn’t change his mind about Jesus. But Jillette felt loved and respected because of one man’s willingness to share his faith. And I hope you feel the same. Wherever you are on your faith journey, I love you. But, of infinitely more importance, Jesus loves you.
I respect the diversity of faith groups represented in this space. You may agree, doubt, or outright reject the Jesus I love. You may believe this life is temporary; that death brings a complete and total end to our existence. We all get to make a choice about what we believe and where we put our hope.
I’ve made my choice – and all my hope is in Jesus. And that is the happiest thing in my life.
Since I can no longer link to blog posts prior to September 2023, here is what I wrote two years ago on Good Friday.
I believe the following truths are of infinite importance:
I believe every human is of infinite value, created by a God who loves us and longs to have a relationship with us. The message of Easter is how Jesus’ sacrifice provided a way for us to enter into an eternal relationship with Him.
On a personal level, I believe I am saved by the grace of God by acknowledging I am in need of salvation due to my personal sin. Sin is anything and everything (in word, thought, or action) that separates me from a Holy God. Salvation is the restoration of that broken relationship. I cannot earn God’s favour, and only a perfect Saviour can redeem and restore that relationship, by doing so on my behalf. It requires trusting in the sacrifice that Jesus made – death on a cross despite His blamelessness – to cover all my sin, past, present, and future (that’s right – it continues).
His perfection was accepted in place of my imperfection. His pleasure in me is not based on my performance; it is based on my acceptance of that which I couldn’t do for myself. And my first response to this grace is to love and cherish this Saviour – my Jesus – and “to enjoy Him forever.” My next response is to love my neighbour (everyone around me in this world).
Depending on where you are in your spiritual journey this could sound radical (most world religions suggest there is a scale or balance – that we earn rewards, on our own merit) or like something out of a fanciful myth where things like “sin” and “eternity” and “salvation” have no basis in reality.
Sadly, some may also see “grace” as the rationale behind horrific abuses that have been carried out at the hands of so-called Christians. This is wrong – these people are not following the Jesus of the Bible.
Wherever you are in your faith journey today:
- I’m not here to convince you to love and follow Jesus; that’s between you and Him. But I do want to share the Good News that impacts my everyday life.
- I don’t have all the answers (and be wary of anyone who says they do). I’m just a simple girl trying to live out her faith to God’s glory. Being a Jesus follower doesn’t mean I get everything right or that I’m promised or expect health and prosperity. It does mean I view the world, the people in it, and my purpose on this Earth with a God-shaped lens for now and eternity.
- It can be easy to get lost in the weeds – in arguments over denominations and church politics or to focus on the countless atrocities carried out under the banner of faith. But at the heart of the matter is the simple message that I have been saved by Grace alone (absolutely nothing I’ve done – or could ever do -would be enough to “earn” this), am loved and secure with a current hope and an eternal future. All the rest can quickly become noise distracting me from the heart of the message.
- I don’t want you to think God asks us to check our questions and doubts at the door. When I wrestle with God it’s a full-contact sport and I believe it is always better to engage with Him honestly than to ignore Him completely. God meets me where I am – weary and broken, fighting and reluctant, joyful and assured.
And that brings us back to the words of C.S. Lewis. You, the reader, are entitled to think I’m wrong or silly or misled – to believe Christianity is false and of no importance.
But I hope we can all agree the message of Easter can’t be moderately true.
