Book Review: The Faith by Charles Colson

In a day when biblical Christianity is being watered down and morphed into a more tolerated version of itself (which I don’t tolerate well), it is imperative that true, born-again Christians come together and unify around the fundamentals of the faith. Beth Moore calls them the “backbone issues”. . .those issues that essentially define Christianity. . .as opposed to those issues that Christians can safely disagree on without damaging the faith.

Chuck Colson, esteemed and internationally known author, has written a book that is a must-read. It is called The Faith, and it clearly and compellingly takes the reader through “what Christians believe, why they believe it, and why it matters.” Colson is a master at weaving foundational biblical truth through the issues that face us as a society, and leaving us with practical and life-altering application.

Here are a few of his best statements and subjects:

Attacking Christianity – After giving us a brief run-down of 4 or 5 authors who have published and released books touting atheism, Colson points out that “according to the Wall Street Journal, these authors sold close to a million books in one twelve-month period alone.”  Colson says that “attacking God” has become quite “lucrative.” 

Textual Integrity — “The ancient manuscripts possess an astounding consistency and integrity.  Scholars have a wealth of documents to work from, far more than are available with ancient manuscripts that no one challenges.  For example, in the case of Aristotle, there are forty-nine ancient manuscripts, the oldest of which was copied 1,100 years after Aristotles’s death.  In the case of the Bible, there are 14,000 manuscripts of the Old Testament alone.  No other book even comes close.  The next closest is Homer’s Iliad with 600.  The devotion of Christians to their Scriptures ensured their transmission to future generations.”

He continues, “Why are the manuscript copies of Scripture so accurate?  Jewish tradition provides one answer.  According to Hebrew practice, only eyewitness testimony was accepted; and when copying documents, the Jews would copy one letter at a time–not word by word, not phrase by phrase, not sentence by sentence.”

Original Sin — “Our culture’s refusal to accept the truth of original sin has created a mentality of wholesale denial.  We find the judgment in the word ’sin’ a far greater offense than the failings to which it’s applied.”

Satan — “As we’ve seen, Satan practices his deception not only on individuals but on whole cultures.  He uses false religions and false ideas to ensnare cultures in evil.  If he can turn a whole people toward worshiping a false god, he can compromise millions of consciences at once.”

The Great Commission — “We have two divinely authorized commissions.  The first is well known, the Great Commission, to make disciples and baptize them (Matthew 28:19).  But the second is equally important.  It is to bring the righteousness of God to bear on all of life. . .to bring a redeeming influence into a fallen culture.  I call this the Cultural Commission.”

Unity and Reconciliation — “The modern apologist Francis Schaeffer wrote a booklet called The Mark of the Christian, describing the importance of our unity and love for one another.  Bitter division, Schaeffer wrote, gave the world the right to disbelieve the Gospel.  That is our scandal.”

The Church — “The Church is a reclamation project, reestablishing God’s rule in the midst of a world still mostly under Satan’s sway.

Holiness — ‘The hard truth is that too many see Christianity in terms of self-improvement or as a guide to successful living; the command to holiness, the impetus for such change, is too often ignored.”

Believing in Life’s Sanctity — “Conservative Christians are seen as concerned only with personal morality, issues related to the family and sexual practices, ignoring issues such as social justice, the welfare of the poor, and human rights.  And daily we hear the hue and cry about conservatives wanting to ‘impose’ their views on an unwilling society.  Interestingly, that fearsome phrase originated not in response to Robertson and Falwell but goes back to the 1860 political campaign when Lincoln’s opponents charged he was trying to ‘impose’ his will upon slave holders.  We can be grateful he did and freed the slave holders as well as the slaves from a morally corrupt and corrupting institution.

The simple fact is no one has the right in a free society to impose his will on anyone.  All any citizen can do is contend for his point of view in the democratic process.

So Christians do not impose; they propose a vision of a culture of life, to educate and persuade, as a marvelous Evangelicals and Catholics Together document on life puts it, so that through ‘deliberation and decision: we might realize the promise of a more just and humane society, committed in life and law to honor the inestimable dignity of every human body created in the image and likeness of God’

Why should we love our neighbor, sometimes sacrificially, if his life is not sacred?  No secular philosophy has ever answered this question satisfactorily.  The Christian commitment to the sanctity of life is the ground from which the Christian’s love for his neighbor and community springs. . .love for neighbor begins with respect for the neighbor’s right to life; that is, to exist.”

Bold Truth — “People may call you an absolutist and accuse you of being judgmental.  This fear of offending, I’m convinced, has caused many evangelicals to weaken their view of the Gospel.  It’s true many see it as politicized, which is sometimes legitimate, and absolutist, which is not true any more than any other truth-claim, such as the sun rises, is absolutist.  Some younger evangelicals and the emerging-church movement, when the shy away from truth claims, are reacting to stereotypes, and so rather than preaching or taking strong positions, they basically want to start a conversation, hoping somebody discovers Jesus.  But ever since the Gospel was first proclaimed, the Good News has had a specific content: Christ is risen!  A bold truth-claim if there ever was one.”

Science — “The belief of Christians in reason - the very meaning of Logos - also drove the scientific revolution.  In fact, science itself might never have been invented if not for Christianity’s belief that all the world could be explored for God’s glory, thus initiating the inductive methods essential to scientific advance.”

The West’s Success — “In Beijing, an American journalist recently encountered one of China’s foremost scholars, a man who had spent long years studying the West.  His colleagues and he had investigated the reasons for the West’s success and preeminence, examining our history, politics, economics, and culture.  Their first conclusion was the West’s success was due to its more advanced military; later they believed it might have been the political system; or perhaps the economic system.  But ‘in the past twenty years,’ one investigator said, ‘we have realized that the heart of your culture is your religion: Christianity.  That is why the West has been so powerful.  The Christian moral foundation of social and cultural life was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then the successful transition to democratic politics.  We don’t have any doubt about this.’ “

Orthodox Faith and Changed Lives — “The orthodox faith is the one source that can renew Western culture.  Why?  Because the faith teaches how God can change humanity, and faithful Christians have demonstrated time and again this truth.  If I didn’t believe Jesus changed my life or could change the lives of others, I’d have gone back to the law long ago.”

This book was one of the best (if not the best) books on the Christian faith and its basic beliefs that I have ever read.  Check out The Faith by Charles Colson.

 

A Moment of Real Pride and Hope

As I’ve been watching the news the last couple of days, I’ve seen something wonderful — something that makes me so proud and also hopeful that conservatism can rise again in America. 

I saw seniors at Notre Dame preparing to peacefully protest President Obama’s visit there this weekend.  Many pro-life students are disappointed over the school’s decision to invite a radically pro-choice president to speak as a guest of honor.

I saw Miss California, Carrie Prejean, standing up in defense of traditional marriage. . .and allowed to keep her crown. 

I saw that Chad Farnan, a student at Capistrano Valley High School, is suing the school district over his European history professor’s daily anti-Christian tirades and indoctrination of his students.  Chad Farnan is standing on truth, no matter the opposition.

I see groups like Family Research Council being a loud voice around the world (and frequently in the media) as they stand up for faith, family and freedom.  Others such as the National Right to Life, Randy Alcorn’s Eternal Perspective’s Ministries and Watchman Fellowship are groups that make me proud to be fighting for the causes I believe in, no matter the popularity – causes that I believe to be straight out of the Bible.

In these days where it seems like our culture, morality and freedoms are falling prisoner to political correctness, tolerance and an “anything-goes” mentality, I am encouraged to see people standing up for truth.  Following the Lord is not about winning a popularity contest, it is about living our lives grounded in the Word of God, regardless of the world.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).

Recommended Books for Seekers

How Good is Good Enough by Andy Stanley

How do you get to heaven?  Is it by good works, as the world would have you believe?  Andy Stanley, son of pastor and In Touch Ministries founder Charles Stanley, walks us through the only way to eternal life with God.

 

The 3:16 Promise by Max Lucado

Experience God’s grace and plan of salvation as the author walks you through John 3:16.

 

The Case for Faith:  A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity by Lee Strobel

Former atheist, Lee Strobel, raises (and answers) the toughest objections to Christianity.

 

More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell

Do you doubt the deity of Christ?  This short and compelling book by a former atheist will challenge your doubts.