I'm so glad we live in a country where there is freedom of religion!
Think about it - you have the freedom to be an atheist, an agnostic, a Buddhist, a Muslim, an Hindu, a Mormon, a Jehovah Witness, a Christian or any brand of religion you want to invent. Even among Christians you get your choice of flavors ... you have the freedom to be Catholic, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Baptist, Nazarene, Presbyterian, Methodist, Church of Christ, Church of God, a born-again Christian, a charismatic Christian, a non-denominational Christian, an inter-denominational Christian, a post-modern, pre-, mid- or post-trib Christian, a conservative fundamentalist or a Bible-beating, devil-chasing, tongue-talking, chandelier-swinging-holy-roller! There are a lot of countries where you cannot do this and in fact you could lose your life in the process. This is America and thank God we have that freedom. I love that!
As we approach Easter - the most important event in the Christian faith - let's chat. Like many of you, we've been asked the classic, Easter-season, rhetorical question many times: What makes Jesus and Christianity different from other religions and religious leaders? And although many people more brilliant than myself have debated this topic for years; it's safe to say the bottom line at Easter is simply this: God came to earth in the Person of Jesus Christ; He died on a cross to shed His blood to pay the penalty our sins demanded; He rose from the dead where He is now seated in heaven and He will come again. Most Christians, regardless of their denomination label will concur with this summary.
To me, there is a better question. I think the bigger question is: Why? Like many of you, I heard all the "gospel" stuff in church as a kid, but the dots were not connected in a relevant way, for me. It was just religious mumbo-jumbo. I wanted to know, if it's true that this Jesus person lived on earth, claimed to be God's answer for our sins, died on a cross and rose from the dead - why?
I wonder if there are multitudes of "unbelievers," not because they haven't heard the Easter story; and not because they don't believe the Easter story; but perhaps they are unbelievers because they don't know why there even had to be an Easter story. I know that sometimes we Christians can be obnoxious, overbearing, seemingly intolerant and politically incorrect and often we inadvertently do more damage than good through our efforts to share the gospel. I wonder what would happen if we believers spent more time answering the why questions unbelievers were asking ....
Years ago, one of my cousins wrote me a letter and asked me this simple Easter question. "If God is so loving, how could He send His own Son to the cross? Why the gory, bloody details?" Why? Why? Why? I think a lot of people have this question and I encourage you to spend some time this Easter season finding out why!
Beth
Recommended reading: "Why The Gory, Bloody Details?" Click here to buy!
