I am a Christian because there is compelling evidence for the faith. The Christian faith rests on the reliability of the Bible and the resurrection of Jesus—there is good evidence for both.

January 27-28, 2018

Introduction:

In this series, Why I am a Christian, I’m giving reasons for my faith. Reason and faith are not opposed to each other; a “reasonable faith” is not an oxymoron.

ILL: My friend Bob is a pilot, and a good one. A couple years ago, I flew with Bob and a couple buddies to Oregon. I had no apprehension about flying with Bob. I knew that he had lots of hours, was a skilled and licensed pilot who took extra precautions for safety sake. I also knew that planes can fly; I’ve seen them fly, and flown in them before. So I trusted my life with Bob, and got on board that plane and flew to Oregon.

I exercised faith, but it was based on sufficient reason. Was it based on absolute certainty? No. Could Bob make a mistake? Could the plane have a mechanical failure? When I boarded the plane, I didn’t have absolute certainty that we would safely get to Oregon and back; but I did have a high probability. I had sufficient reason to believe that we would make it.

Imagine Bob landing his plane somewhere in the bush in another country where planes had never been seen. Bob is a stranger and his plane is a novelty. When he invites someone to fly, if they say yes, it will be an unreasoned leap of faith. Unlike me, they would not have sufficient reason to believe Bob or trust the plane.

Now which kind of faith is it that God expects of us? Does God expect us to ignore the nagging doubts and perplexing questions, and “just believe”? Or does God invite us to examine the evidence and make a reasonable choice to believe. Is Christian faith a leap into the dark, a suspension of intelligence and reason? Or is it more like my flight with Bob? Christian faith is based on compelling and adequate, although not absolutely certain, reasons.

You can be a Christian without leaving your brain at the door. Many brilliant people have found the Christian message satisfying intellectually as well as spiritually. I’v