Nine more places to look for answers
At Silverton Evangelical Church we believe
that a really fulfilled life only begins when we get to know Jesus
Christ for ourselves. The trouble is, that's a difficult idea for people
in our society. We know bits and pieces already, but a lot of it's
distorted or confused. We're misled by wrong ideas and false claims in
the media. It takes time to sort the whole issue through for ourselves. |
Fortunately, we're living at a time when there are more resources around than ever before in world history, which can help us sort it out for ourselves. Where, without pressure, boredom or embarrassment, we can have a look through the evidence and sort out what we really can believe... what makes the most sense to us. And we Silverton Christians are absolutely convinced that if you do it right, you'll end up (as we have) with the conviction that Jesus Christ is the vital key to everything.
But don't believe that because we say so. Have a look for yourself. Here on this page you'll find nine key resources that will help you explore completely on your own, without any nudges from us...
(Mind you, if we can help you in any way, you can always get hold of us - Andy for example - and we'll do our best to answer questions or dispel wrong impressions. We're here to help. But not to push you into accepting stuff that doesn't ring true with you. What you end up believing will always be up to you.)
So here goes... We have nine possibilities to suggest to you. There are lots of others, but if you want to explore what Christianity is all about for yourself... here are nine great places to start.
Lots of people think Christianity is a bit crazy. Why would you choose to go that way? Well, The Crazy Way is a brilliantly produced booklet, for men especially, which explains exactly why. You can read it online, turning pages virtually as you go, and it promises: "The
Crazy Way booklet uncovers the myths surrounding Jesus, the Church, and where
we stand in this anything-goes world.
The Crazy Way booklet includes real life
no-holds-barred stories from Portsmouth FC legend Linvoy Primus and ex-SAS
Sergeant Major Mark Davies, the story of Jesus and the cross in real
down-to-earth language, and a bunch of other stuff to get your head round." Great stuff - thoroughly recommended by us.
Prayer? It's OK if you're used to it. But if you're a non-religious person... where do you start? This website aims to show you how. It's based around a booklet which you can get free with just one click. And it says, "Trypraying is for those who are not religious and don’t do church. It’s the work of a traffic planner, a shop manager, a writer, a designer, an entrepreneur, a civil engineer and others...The trypraying booklet is a 7 day prayer guide for those who are not religious. Get one to carry with you."
3. Science and God
Now that's the big problem to many people who would like to believe... but aren't sure they can. Hasn't science disproved all of this stuff? Can you really be a Christian and accept today's scientific discoveries? Well, relax. Some of the greatest scientists in the world are believers in God - and the Christians in Science website shows why. If this is your field of interest, you'll find articles and arguments by top scientists and science writers, in lots of different areas. There are links to loads of valuable resources in areas such as these:
- Creation
- Education
- Environment
- Ethics
- General Science & Faith
- Higgs Boson
- Interviews
- Miracles
- Science & Atheism
- Students
- Suffering
- The Universe
One of the most interesting and colourful voices in the science/faith debate today is Professor John Lennox of Oxford University, a disarming and friendly Irishman whose debates with Richard Dawkins are now legendary. On his website he claims, "Far from science having buried God, not only do the results of science point towards his existence, but the scientific enterprise itself is validated by his existence.” Outrageous claim? Well, judge for yourself. The website contains loads of interesting stuff backing up his thinking.
This website was designed for student, but why should they get all the good stuff? It's crammed with articles, videos and sound files exploring what Christians believe and whether it makes sense. There's a particularly interesting section comparing Christianity to other kinds of belief, and asking: why should you be a Christian instead of anything else? Here are just a few of the no-punches-pulled features you can look at there:
Isn't the Bible full of errors?
This is another pretty academic one, but if you really want to get to the heart of the issues, and explore things as fully as possible, it's a great resource. Veritas brings together Christian and non-Christian thinkers to discuss key issues in many fields like these:
Success ("the challenge of suffering and the search for meaning")
Science ("cutting edge content from presenters at the forefront of their fields in the sciences")
Pluralism ("question your assumptions about truth in a pluralistic world")
Justice ("examine the relationship between faith, justice, and human rights")
You won't find more brillliant thinking, or more careful arguments, anywhere on the Internet. If you're ever tempted to think that Christians are a bunch of unthinking idiots, five minutes here should change your mind.
Zacharias is an Indian intellectual with an incredible gift for explaining Christian ideas in a way that makes perfect sense. But instead of doing it all himself, he's drawn around himself a bunch of extremely clever young thinkers who are equally talented at giving good reasons for their faith in a compelling way.
There's a lot on his website, but we've linked directly to the podcast page, where you'll find loads of fascinating short talks. There's Ask Away, for example, "a podcast that recognizes that we all have deep questions. How we answer those questions will determine who we become and how we live". Or the famous Just Thinking - "a 15-minute podcast exploring issues such as life's meaning, the credibility of the Christian message, and the uniqueness of Jesus Christ". Or The Defence Rests, "a podcast in which you're the jury... You'll hear objections from atheists, agnostics, and other religions to see whether Christianity holds up to courtroom level scrutiny". Access them all (and several others) from the link.
Oxford graduate Justin Brierley has made a name for himself with his radio show in which well-known Christians (historian Tom Holland and scientist Francis Collins, for example) argue things through with well-known non-Christians (Anthony Grayling, Daniel Dennett, Christopher Hitchens, Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks...) Compulsive listening and great food for thought. Listen live on Saturdays, or backtrack through dozens of superb podcasts.
If you're thinking, "I thought he'd died", yes, you're right, but the organization he started goes on helping people to discover peace with God for themselves. This website tells you briefly and simply how you can become a Christian, and be sure about it. If you don't understand what it's saying, just click the "I have a question" button and ask them anything you like. Or alternatively, ring up Andy!
And a final thought... The Christianity Explored website has several videos exploring the Christian faith, looking at some tough questions and hearing people's stories. Click here. |
If you have a look at any of these resources, we'd be really fascinated to know what you thought of them. Do let us know. And if they raise any questions in your mind that you'd like to think through, we're here to help at any time you like.
Back to "Explore for yourself"