I’m a big fan of transparency. And, let’s add to that humility. Is there anyone out there who’d like to argue that the things that really matter are incredibly simple?

One of the things that’s great about being both a student and a teacher is that I’m constantly amazed by both the things I do know and the things I don’t. And, I’m not afraid of either one. I think they go hand in hand very nicely.

Which brings me to this topic, prompted by a series of excellent questions I recently received from a very thoughtful person. They are tough and don’t deserve simplistic answers. When someone’s belief system is being questioned (a healthy thing), it’s important to give reasonable answers or to admit that we just don’t know. Of course, it’s a two-way deal. Anyone who asks questions of another’s beliefs must expect to respond in similar fashion when the questions come back.

Here are the person’s questions, in order:

(1) What evidence is there that Christianity works?

(2) Is there a higher percentage of good people now amongst humanity than there was 2000 years ago?

(3) Is the percentage of good people greater amongst Christians than non-Christians?

(4) If you think the answers to these is “yes,” I would like to hear why you think so because I don’t see it.

The questioning continues.

If the answers are “no,” then one must ask the question, is it just a fraction of people who “really get it” who turn out better? And, if so, what good does that do? Why would God make it so difficult to succeed for so many people? Or is it just about the struggle, in which case that sound like Hinduism? And, if the answers are really complicated, then de facto they are not available to most people, because most people can’t deal with anything complex (to some degree because they are taught to believe, not question, and not think for themselves).

Ok, then. Guess this puts me in the hot seat! We’ll just have to see where this goes.

I’ll begin by admitting that this line of questions is one of the great arguments against the truth claims of Christianity. The questions are very reasonable and I’m actually grateful for the chance to address them, however poorly I end up doing so. I’m not sure how my response will come out as the questions are related. I may end up grouping some of them together. We’ll have to see.

The first set asks for evidence that Christianity, in two full millennia, has done anything significant to increase the amount of good in the world. Additionally, the questioner asks for evidence that Christians reflect a higher number of good people than non Christians. In other words, does Christianity actually work?

I’m going to struggle with answering these in any kind of concise manner. I’m afraid that trying to frame a response briefly will prove very dissatisfying while responding in the length I believe the questions deserve will prove too unwieldy. Hopefully, I’ll explain why this is as part of my response to the final conclusion above.

Stay tuned.