A Case for Easter: Faith’s
Foundations
Published in Marietta Daily Journal April 16, 2017
One of my newest and most intelligent
friends is a serious, sincere atheist.
We have been meeting for coffee lately to talk and learn. He is New York born and bred. I’m a Southern boy. He worked for a time in the White House. All of my days have been spent in a schoolhouse.
Despite his atheism, he was educated
by Catholic nuns. My learning came from
strong public schools and Protestant parents.
He’s a decade younger than I and rides his motorcycle just about
everywhere he goes. I’m not getting on
anybody’s motorcycle.
What shall I say? He and I are proof that a Christian and an
atheist, a conservative and a libertarian, an educated redneck and an astute
New Englander can respect each other. My
friend, of course, will not be celebrating Easter.
In his own words, “The only reality
is matter and energy.”
“But what about love and other such
non-material things?” I recently asked.
“You can’t see them but you know they are real. What about fresh little
babies and all of the emotions they inspire?
What about laughter, sorrow, even patriotism? Don’t all of these things testify of
non-material reality?”
“I dunno,” was his reply, a reply I
respect because there are things about my own faith and life in general that I
don’t know.
I do know that love, selflessness,
and sacrifice are realities that cannot be charted or quantified. Yes, there is much reality beyond the laws of
biology, and Easter is a testimony to the fact.
Easter is the premier Christian holy
day. What are the prospects of this
day’s survival? Is Christianity flourishing or is western civilization sliding
into a post-Christian era as my friend and several historians claim?
These questions are important, but
not as foundational as the following: Did God actually put on an earth suit: Is
Jesus who He said He was? Can we believe
the testimonies of Chuck Colson, Phil Robertson, Tim Tebow and many others,
famous and not, who claim their lives were dramatically changed because of the
resurrection message?
The pluralism of our day questions
the claims of Christianity, the resurrection particularly. Pluralism speaks of “my truth” and “your
truth.” To those who celebrate Easter,
however, truth is an objective reality.
Moderns simply don’t like the idea
that truth has boundaries. Many view the
word truth as narrow and
onerous. Truth, of course, has always
been narrow. Water freezes at 32 degrees
Fahrenheit, Old Death visits us all, and we are powerless to change it.
Easter is the celebration of the
resurrection of Jesus, an event that most certainly defies our so-called
physical laws. Millions of Christians
today are exulting in the reality that what we call death is not the end after
all. In the words of John Donne, “Death,
thou shalt die!” Resurrection is the centerpiece of Christian
theology, yet this treasured centerpiece is also the bone in the throat of
modern, “scientific” man.
It is the Gospels (Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John) and the epistles (letters) of the New Testament that provide
the historical record of the resurrection.
It is on the testimony of others and on their own transforming Christian
experience that Christians stake the resurrection Gospel’s veracity. For example, the Apostle Paul, a former
terrorist and persecutor of Christians, became the most prolific writer of the
New Testament, expounding on and defending the resurrection. Obviously something life-changing happened to
him.
Many reject the resurrection and
judge the Christian faith generally by its misrepresentation and
misapplication. The Crusades, the KKK,
and Westboro Baptist Church are not a fair measure of Christianity. Billy Graham’s “long obedience in the same
direction” and one’s Christian neighbors who have consistently lived out their
faith are far better gauges of the Christian Gospel’s credibility and power.
One of the most contentious
arguments in contemporary America is the role of Christianity in the nation’s
founding. Even if Jefferson and others
did not believe in miracles such as the resurrection, it is the Holy Bible,
particularly its 10 Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount, that has formed
our national character. It is the
Apostle Paul’s “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where thy victory?” that
has lent Christians hope.
Every individual, institution, and
nation needs an occasional renaissance.
For the individual Christian believer, it is the resurrection that pulls
him or her back to what is foundational.
That’s the purpose of Easter.
As Paul the transformed terrorist
wrote, “If Christ be not risen, our preaching is vain and your faith is also
vain.” That’s foundational.
Roger
Hines
4/13/17
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