Think about a hobby, interest, or talent you know the most about. Now, think about all the things you know about it. Let’s say it is basketball since it is March, and the Madness is about to happen. As an example, you love basketball, you play it at school, and you keep up with your favorite teams. Now, continuing this example, let’s say you get into a discussion with someone about the rules of basketball.
The person you are talking with claims that the foul rule is unimportant and that dribbling should be optional, but you, a student of the game and a true believer in the sport, firmly disagree. As you know, these rules are fundamental to the game, and competition wouldn’t work without them. But what if you were unsure why dribbling and fouls were essential to the game? What if you played basketball all your life but still didn’t understand the rules of basketball yourself? How unusual would that be?
If you have been involved in church and have been following Jesus for any time, you know some of the basics of the Christian faith. You know that Jesus died on the cross to save those who would believe in Him (John 3:16). You know that everyone is a sinner (Romans 3:23), that sin will lead to eternal separation from God, but that Jesus has made a way to draw us back to Him (Romans 6:23). These are the fundamentals of why you are a Christian, but what if those truths are challenged? What will you do when your spiritual belief system is challenged (notice I said “when” and not “if”)?
In this post, I want to introduce you to Sean McDowell. Sean is a Christian speaker, professor, and one of the leading Christian defenders of faith today. Sean’s father is Josh McDowell, and you can ask your parents or youth pastor about him. In this video, Sean tells his story of doubting his faith in college and having to talk to his famous father about it. Watch this video and then think about some of the questions below. Later this week, come back to the blog for another post featuring Sean McDowell defending false claims of the Christian faith.