Faith That Makes Sense

            Living in the contemporary pluralistic world, where ‘fairness’ has become a greater arbitrator than truth, this has become a significant question. I first encountered this question on the streets of Queens, New York while sharing gospel tracts to Hindu immigrants from Guyana during the 1980s. I must admit that I did not fully grasp the extent of the question then. Since then, reading about the direction in which Christian soteriological thinking is progressing and where we are today, I think it is beneficial to consider this question again. (In this blog, we are not comparing the concept of salvation of various religions. Our goal is to discuss the inhouse debate pluralism has spawned within Christianity and see what should be our stand in the 21st century).             During the second half of the 20 th century, Christian soteriological thinking ended up in three camps- pluralism, inclusivism, and exclusivism. The first two positions have been forced upon us because of

                 The Greek word apokatastasis means restoration of things to their original condition. It came from the Greek word Apokathistemi which means restore. This word was part of Greek thinking concerning the end of things.             This Greek word is used only once in the New Testament. That is in Acts 3:19-21. The passage reads like this: Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. (NKJV) . The ‘times of restoration of all things' is where the word apokatastasis is used.             Restoration of all things in Christ is a theme in the New Testament. The Bible presents it as a result of Jesus reconciling mankind and eventually the entire creation wit

                 Recently, I had to read Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton for an assignment. One of the topics he discusses in that book is the place of miracles in the Christian faith. Anyone who wants to embrace the Christian faith has to address the issue of miracles in the Bible. C. S. Lewis found the same to be true and ended up writing an entire book on the topic.             As a rationalist and ‘reasonable agnostic’ (as he calls himself), who eventually embraced Christianity, Mr. Chesterton presents his arguments interwoven with the evolution of his own thinking and the maturing of his own convictions. He had effectively proved the ineffectiveness of modern arguments against Christianity and the hopelessness it brings in his previous book, ‘Heretics.’ His contemporary Europeans who came from a Christian background also were complaining that the creeds of Christianity was many times not clear and it did not make sense to the modern mindset. The critical historical analysis had al

When you look around, you see nature. It spans from your horizon to the end of the universe. We are not sure we have seen the end of the universe yet. Thus we all agree that nature is a reality that we all can behold. For an inquisitive mind, the questions do not end there. How did nature come into existence? Was it always like this? Will it always be like this? Obviously, we can come to three different conclusions about this. One, as Carl Sagan declared, 'universe is all there is.' Many people believe that the universe existed like this forever and it is the ultimate reality. Many others believe that this universe had a beginning and it will have an end. The Big Bang Theory, which is very popular today, shows us this. It leads to another question though- what will happen after that? Everyone who believes that this universe had a beginning has to ask a question: What caused that beginning? How did it take place? The Big Bang Theory is viewed by different groups differently.

            It was at the end of the 20 th century that a huge influx of articles and books attacking Christianity started to emerge. The presence of the internet gave them unprecedented publicity globally. I used to wonder what is behind this push to replace Christianity with something else in the west. Then I began to hear the ‘Age of Aquarius’ is here. When I searched it out, it all began to make sense.             According to the Zodiac calendar of astrology, as our entire solar system revolves around the galactic center of the Milky Way, it takes about 26000 years for the earth to go through all the twelve zodiac signs.  It is said that it takes 2100 years for the earth to pass through one zodiac sign. When the earth enters a new zodiac sign, one age ends and a new age begins. Many who follow the astrological calendar saw a New Age coming in the 21 st century. (Thus the name New Age movement). Currently, March Equinox occurs when the Sun is in Pisces. But this was not alway

 1. Seed of a woman.          Genesis 3:15. " And I will put enmity   Between you and the woman,   And between your seed and her Seed;   He shall bruise your head,   And you shall bruise His heel.” New testament fulfillment: Mathew 1:18.    Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 2. Promised Through the Seed of Abraham: Old Testament Prophecy:  Genesis 12:7.  And the  Lord  appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there built he an altar unto the  Lord , who appeared unto him. New Testament Fulfillment:  Matthew 1:1.  The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2. Promised Through Isaac: Old Testament Prophecy:  Genesis 21:12.  But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her v

 It was in the 1990s that the public started hearing more about the Gospel of Mary. It naturally created a curiosity in the minds of believers and non-believers alike. The stir created by Jesus Seminar made room for many other books to see light and popularity. The common theme of these books as extra-biblical sources about Jesus was that the canonical Gospels have hidden many things about Jesus and that for the first time in history people have access to the ‘truth’ about Jesus. The political and faith climate in America was ripe to receive these books without much critical investigation about the veracity of these claims. I remember reading many years ago about the response of Julian Huxley to Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. His response was that it provided a guilt-free escape from the moral demands of the Christian church. (I do not remember the source now). Similarly, in an America where sexual freedom had become the most desirable social trait, books that portrayed Jesus as