Addressing Atheism's Difficulty With the Supernatural

These thoughts came as a response to some friends of mine we've been discussing addressing atheistic/agnostic/new-age ideas and realizing that the proponents of such ideas are not irrational, not always dishonest in their approach, and should be treated with respect, not dismissal. Richard Dawkins, the prominent atheist was one example mentioned. One of their problems is that they just cannot accept the supernatural claims of Christ. I can't remember the exact context that this occurred to me a little while ago. It seems the reason that they look at us in frustration is because they associate our position with "magic". After all, we believe in supernatural things, and that's the same thing in their minds as carriages turning into pumpkins at 12:00. How do we hold to one thing and deny the other?

It's interesting, that when you study the new birth (read Piper's new book, I highly recommend it, "Finally Alive") that it is the, if I can use an evolutionary term, "big bang" of all spiritual life. By it is created a new life, a new nature, a new attitude, a new thinking, new desires, new passions, new pursuits, new understanding, new action, new effects; What is not is made to be, by the word of God. The pattern of creation is repeated in the soul of the one who is regenerated, God speaks life into being.

This is miraculous in the literal sense of the word. It's not like saying, "oh, I got saved from being run over a bus, that was miraculous." That's not literally a miracle, the laws of nature were at work (unless you were saved by teleportation or the like), and it safe to say that how you were saved from that bus can be naturally explained - cause and effect. Of course God was involved, but he didn't need to supersede the laws he created for you to be saved from the bus. The new birth is a technical miracle in the literal sense since the laws of nature cannot account for it. How a rebellious, determined sinner becomes a permanently God-pursuing saint is without satisfactory human explanation. It is, if you want to put it crassly, true magic.

The irony is that the person who reacts against this as "magic" is denying the very thing that he or she needs in order to experience the existence of the thing that he or she denies. Therefore, this is a self-limiting belief system.

I reiterate, it is true that these people are rational, that many of them are attempting an honest pursuit. But their very approach, as I think I have shown, is self-limiting. How do you explain the existence of light to a single blind man but by relating your own experience? If he denies it, because his experience tells him otherwise, you'd call him a fool - but he is undeniably consistent in his own system. But if a million blind men lived together, then all of a sudden their belief that light is a myth takes on a new strength, and becomes a valid belief system. But that doesn't change the truth... no matter how rational their argument. And we should realize the parallel is very much the same. It's just that there are more blind people than light-exposed in the spiritual realm, that is why the power of their belief is so palpable, if misguided.

In this context, it is interesting then, what John says (from John 1):

4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it...
...9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

The light analogy here is vivid. And I'll relate it to my point. They cannot see the light, therefore they reject the light. And why?

3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

While rationality cannot be denied of those who reject Christ... it all comes back to one thing... their sin keeps them from Christ.

On one hand, it can be very discouraging. But on the other hand is God, who is outside the system, who supersedes it. He is the only one who can and does intervene, and because He is who He is, and because He is who we are not, it is why we are not cowed in the face of an onslaught by the blind Richard Dawkinses of the world. For we can face the onslaught with a secret smile, knowing, that just by one word by the Lord whom he denies, Richard Dawkins would bow His knee and come to love Jesus, who is the one true Lord and eternal life. It is not for us to cause the change, and this is good news both for both the Richard Dawkinses and those who preach Christ to him.

We don't need to "save" Christ as Deepak Chopra so snarkily puts it. We just preach Him, and He does the saving.

So stand strong, in Christ.

Skepticism? Supernaturalism? Ambivalence?

I've been thinking lately about skepticicm vs spiritualism. On the one hand, we have multitudes that are looking for experiential spiritual manifestations, and on the other hand, we have people who believe nothing, because nothing can be proved.

An example: James Randi - he's most certainly not a believer, but I admire his work because it challenges us to be balanced as stewards of the Truth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOsCnX-TKIY

But we're left in an interesting predicament, because it seems that on one hand, because of the extreme of spiritualism, real experiences of God's work are lost and buried under the inane and banal, in exchange for sensational things like psychic readings and faith healing and talking to the dead. On the other hand, skepticism breeds a closed mind to anything that requires faith, as a reaction to the extremes of spiritual gullibility.

How do we respond? How can we display ourselves as credible? (by "we" I speak of regenerate individuals, people who have placed their trust in the divine person and justifying cross work of Jesus Christ) Well, it is true that the Gospel of Christ speaks for itself - we do not need to defend the Lion of the Word and The Spirit. But consequently, we need to renew our minds with the Word, so that our faith is evidenced as a rational faith.

On the one hand, we are unapologetic supernaturalists - the work of God and the power of God is abundantly clear. Jesus told Nicodemus that the miracle of new birth is like "the wind" - you cannot see the wind, but it exists, because you see the effects of the wind (John 3:8 - "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."). In that sense, we are unapologetic supernaturalists. God has wrought an undeniable change in us when He saved us. The effects of our Justifying faith are evident, and in that sense Sanctifying faith is not at all pie in the sky, because it is based on assured evidential, experiential truths (Heb 11:1 - Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.) That mantra, "by faith", meaning "just believe with no rational reason" is misleading, and can be detrimental to a true biblical faith. But the point is that at root, these are assurances based on the miraculous. A denial of the miraculous (intended or inadvertent) closes the door on the Son of God.

On the other hand, we are skeptic supernaturalists. John later tells us to "test the spirits". (1 John 4:1 - "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.") John is not speaking of an esoteric "spiritual" realm, where all kinds of weirdness is said to happen. In that passage, John recognizes that the spiritual realm is at work, but not in the way we expect. Rather, false spirits support false realities. John continues, "every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. (v3)" In essence, we can say that any claim or practice that undermines the person of Jesus Christ (in the full sense, of His Godhood, His Lordship and His exclusivity for justification) is from the evil one. And it is true that much "supernaturalism" of the day is ultimately a facade (intended or inadvertent) for an assault on the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Whether the false reality is over-sensationalized supernaturalism or a total denial of any supernatural existence, both then are backed by false spirits.

Let's not be gullible, but measure what we see with the ruler, the guidepost of God's Word. On the other hand, lets not be so skeptical that we become practical agnostics, because God's work escaped our attention. The enemy must love our overreactions, one extreme to the other, because in that yo-yo swing, we're missing the Son. Let's be skeptic supernaturalists, who walk with care but, like the man born blind, when we see the work of God, can respond with absolute unashamed certainty about it - "One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." (John 9:25)

What a deathly blindness it was! What beauty is this sight of the glory of God in the face of Christ!