When people despise the faith, how should we proceed?
Blaise Pascal, who we’ve been considering over the last couple of months, offers help. In his native France of the 17th century, he faced his culture’s sneer with a joy-filled, three-pronged response. He advised that we speak to Christianity’s respectability; its desirability; and its truth. The order is important. It will be nearly impossible to convince our friends of anything they would hate to be true. Humans are too good at self-justification for that.
If I don’t want something to be true, I set the bar for evidence incredibly high and basically nothing will satisfy me. If I want something to be true, I set the bar for evidence very low and nearly anything would convince me. We are heart-led creatures and therefore, if we want to persuade our friends and family, demonstrating the respectability and desirability of the faith is essential.
The elderly and bereaved: a growing gospel need
“Let me put it this way. I don’t expect there to be many people at my funeral.”My new friend …