Jesus' Bones

The following is a copy of the Thomas Question email devotional. You can subscribe to the email edition from our website and tune into our podcast.

It’s unusual to find anyone in the Canadian media who’s less than violently opposed to anything Christ related. Seize this rare opportunity to enjoy Rex Murphy’s take on this past weekend’s Al Gore Oscar moments (click to follow the link). It tags nicely with something I wanted to address in today’s email devotional, so take a break, take a look and jump back here. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Rex is a favorite commentator of mine. I’ve been following this bit about Jesus’ bones, too, if only half heartedly. These things have always existed back to the hoax theories about Jesus not dying and reviving in the tomb to disciple/body snatchers hiding the corpse. I think God Himself ensures that we will always be force to make a gut choice between two destinies, two histories and two versions of the cross – one as folklore, one as fact.

The answer has always been a matter for our hearts, which is not to say it isn’t truth in the classic sense, only that our hearts are the habitat of all truth period. Would I hang my destiny and walk away from hope based on our best guess at a 2,000 year old set of bones? Not a chance. Especially given the groundswell of real time “data” in my own heart from as early as this morning’s devotional time. Anecdotal and subjective, I know, but no less real (experts not withstanding).

My only real embarrassment in all has been the Christian leaders flocking to TV studios in a mad panic to defend the sanctity of the Christian story. Their stammering half enflamed, half witted angry rebuttals speak louder than their words. It’s screams insecurity. They look afraid. They look as though a house of cards is crashing down around them. Maybe theirs is. If only we had the confidence to calmly cast half our attention towards this debate as though we’d seen it all before (because we have) and simply wait for the same eternal truths to make themselves known to those who look with the right inentions. These truths have always been something best explored with our whole selves, not just the less-than-half ourselves that is our rational mind played out on a chalk board.

These kinds of “revelations” never convert anyone in either direction, they only entrench people already decided on either side. The naturalists say, “see – we told you so”; the theists respond, “there you go again, making things up”. The vast majority of truly reasonable people know what to do with both voices – ignore them. They also know that an ancient historical truth can be mistaken for folklore and that ancient folklore can be argued as fact. We can help them by being honest and bringing them back to the original terms of this most important of life’s questions: in the beginning, there was either some one or some thing, your answer is a matter for your heart and God is a truth best encountered and uncovered rather than argued about.

As I said last Sunday – I know God is fully impossible. I’ve accepted it completely. I’m also very glad He never let that get to Him, bones or no bones.

This Sunday we’re dealing with questions about guidance – how do we get it, why do we want it and how does it work. Visit our website for directions or tune into the podcast through the week.

I hope to see you there,

Chris

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THIS SUNDAY
Guidance - what is it, why do we want it and how do we get it? You can visit our website for directions or tune into our podcast through the week.