If Christianity is true, how can this be?

“I have to doubt any religion that has so many fanatics and hypocrites,” insisted Helen, a law student. “There are so many people who are not religious at all who are more kind and even more moral than many of the Christians I know.”

“Christianity has (by certain people) been used throughout history as an excuse for some of the most brutal, heartless, and senseless atrocities known to man. The historical examples are not difficult to recall: the Crusades; the Inquisition; the witch-burnings; the Holocaust… I did not see much in Christianity that I considered worth having.” Ken Schei - Atheist

Christianity is responsible for significant injustices and abuses throughout the centuries.

- How is this statement, at least, partially true?

Reason 1 – Many of the abuses carried out in the name of Christianity were NOT carried out by Christians. - Matthew 7:21-23

Reason 2 – When Christians have been responsible for injustice and abuse, they have been acting contrary to the teachings of Christ.

Reason 3 – Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.

Shouldn’t Christians on the whole be better people than everyone else?

This is a misunderstanding about Christians and about the church.  The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.

Quick Review – 1. Many abuses attributed to Christianity were not done by Christians. 2. When Christians have been at fault, they have been acting contrary to the teachings of Christ. 3. Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.

Christopher Hitchens, the author of God is NOT Great: How Religion Spoils Everything, argues that orthodox religion inevitably leads to violence. His argument is that religion takes racial and cultural differences and aggravates them.

Reason 4 – The real issue runs deeper than Christianity or even religion.

Religion is only one of many influences that can make one person feel superior to another. Great abuses have taken place under communist regimes that deny the existence of God.

So we’ve seen - 1. Many abuses attributed to Christianity were not done by Christians. 2. When Christians have been at fault, they have been acting contrary to the teachings of Christ. 3. Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven. 4. The real issue runs deeper than Christianity or even religion. It’s a matter of the heart.

Statement of the problem – The more strongly Christians believe that they are right, the more insistent and aggressive they will be in trying to persuade others to believe as they do.

If the essence of Christianity is salvation by grace, this is profoundly humbling. “For Christians, …the antidote is not to tone down and moderate their faith, but rather to grasp a fuller truer faith in Christ.” - Timothy Keller

- Christians throughout history have been instrumental in confronting social injustice. - Christians and Christianity have been the source of great good for mankind.

Christians are probably the most compelling argument for and against their faith. Ask yourself – Am I an obstacle or a reason for others to believe?