Before making a case for the truth of Christian theism, it is important to discuss why you should consider it at all. Why is this important for you to think about? Though I will not attempt to exhaust all of the possible reasons for you to take a serious look at Christian theism, I will provide four main reasons for at least considering Christian belief. The reasons I will be discussing are the possibility of an afterlife, ultimate truth, purpose/meaning, and human desire.
Four Reasons to Consider Christian Theism
The Possibility of an Afterlife
The most powerful motivation in my heart for considering (and believing) Christian theism is the possibility of an afterlife. Death is something that is inevitable for all human beings (apart from divine intervention, of course). Death is a scary thing for almost everyone. There are probably many reasons. I think one of them is the uncertainty. “What will happen to me?” It brings me comfort to know what the “other side” is like. Moreover, if you are at least somewhat convinced of God’s existence, you may be terrified of dying and meeting your Creator who you have ignored all of your life. If God is a judge of evil actions and you have been unrighteous, dying is certainly a dreadful thing. If you have uncertainties or fears regarding what death will be like, you should consider Christian theism. It claims that there is a God who judges all of mankind for their actions, and what you believe affects the outcome of your eternal destiny. The wicked will be punished forever while the righteous will be granted eternal paradise, most importantly, in communion with God Himself. If this is true, then it is the most important thing for you to think about and consider. Your life, even if you live for 100 years, pales in comparison to eternity.
Ultimate Truth
As I briefly discussed in my very first post, The Quest for Truth, most people that I encounter in my experience of life seem to be seeking pleasure to the sad neglect of seeking truth. This is not to say that truth and pleasure are necessarily opposed. It is merely to assert that humans, at least in modern America, tend to pursue pleasure with little attention to the ultimate truth of reality. One example of this is how we typically educate young people in America starting from elementary school through to graduating high school. I would even claim what follows for some of university education. It seems to me that our education system is primarily focused on setting people up for future careers rather than a deep understanding of reality. Knowledge is primarily instrumentally valuable rather than intrinsically valuable. Think about your education. Have you ever taken a class in school on anthropology? Metaphysics? Epistemology? Worldview? Logic? Philosophy? Have you ever had any classes that spent a significant amount of time on deep questions of life such as: Does God exist? What is a human? Is morality real? Is it objective? Why does something exist rather than nothing? Why do I exist? Let me make it clear that I am not against what schools do teach in science, history, math, and more. Those are valuable pursuits. My only point is that we seem to not seek the ultimate truth of reality along with seeking to answer the deepest questions of life and existence. However, if you do care about knowing truth in this ultimate sense that I am speaking of, then you should consider the claims of Christian theism. As a worldview, Christian theism provides a conceptual framework for understanding all of reality. Christian theism can answer the questions of God’s existence, anthropology, purpose, value, and more. It can also provide good reasons for the valuable pursuits of science, math, etc.
Purpose/Meaning
It is noteworthy that elderly people, after their career is over and as they move closer to death, sometimes have an identity crisis. Maybe they had spent their entire lives investing themselves into a career, family, etc. but eventually wonder if they wasted their life or should have lived for something more. “What was this all for?” Is there “something more”? This is not to suggest that family and careers are bad, but they are not eternal. Nothing in our lives lasts forever. Have you ever wondered why you exist? Surely existence has much more for me than merely going to school, working, retiring, and dying. Some suggest that you create your own purpose, but this is simply using a self-delusion to cover up the issue at hand. Most of us would probably like to know if there is some real, objective purpose for our lives. If you relate to this, then you should consider Christian theism. On this worldview, your life does have meaning–real and objective meaning. You are participating in a grand narrative whereby God’s glory is displayed. As someone who does believe in Christian theism, it is so encouraging to live my life for a reason. I implore you to consider the claims of Christian theism.
Human Desire
C.S. Lewis and others have reasoned that human desires that cannot be fulfilled in this world suggest the possibility of being fulfilled in another world. While biological desires, such as thirst, can be satisfied in this world, it seems that the ultimate desires of the human heart cannot be completely satisfied in this life, especially if God does not exist. Arthur Lindsley in his article, “Argument from Desire” described these ultimate human desires as “spiritual desires such as a hunger for the supernatural, a capacity for awe and worship, a desire for immortality, meaning, dignity, and so on.”¹ However, if Christian theism is true, then all of these desires are fulfilled to a certain extent in this life and will be completely satisfied in the life to come for believers. If you find yourself with these spiritual desires, then you should take a serious look at Christian theism because if it is true, then you have found the greatest treasure you could imagine.
If you are interested in learning more, please examine all of my posts in The Case for Christian Theism. I will provide evidence and arguments for the existence of God, the identity of Jesus, His resurrection, and more.
¹See Lindsley’s article here: Argument from Desire – C.S. Lewis Institute