Quest for Truth

50th Birth Day – 50 years of God’s goodness – Some Reflections

2011-07-27T12:41:00.001+05:30

Dear Friends in Christ the King,

Greetings to you in our Lord's holy name.

Born as the 2^nd of 9 children to my parents (Pastor Paramanandam and Mrs. Susheelamma Mondithoka who were Government School teachers), and studied in Government Schools and Jr College (first 12 years my of education), sinful as all humans are, if I am a child of God and a servant of God today, it is all because of God's grace and mercy. It is grace alone. What I am and what I have, I am and I have because of His grace. I am grateful to my dad and mom (is with the Lord) who brought me up along with my siblings (6 brothers and 2 sisters - I am grateful to God for each one of them) – I still can't understand how they managed to bring 9 of us up and all of us are normal/healthy and in the Lord and who introduced me to Jesus Christ, my Saviour and Lord. My father is both my earthly father and spiritual father and his life has been a challenge for me in the areas of prayer, reading of the Scriptures, and serving the Lord.

I have experienced ups and downs, glad times and sad times, successes and failures, ebbs and flows, mountain top experiences and deep valley experiences. I should have died (humanly speaking) at least on three different occasions, but the Lord has kept me alive and healthy enough in spite of some health issues that I have been facing to enjoy life and serve Him. It has been more of goodness and joy than evil and suffering. God has not given me what I earned/deserved, but has given me what I did/do not deserve out of His amazing grace. This is a story of God's amazing grace and unconditional love and I know I can never thank Him enough for all this. But I just want to thank the Lord with all my heart for all His grace and mercy that He has showered upon me over the past 5 decades. My story has significance because it is inseparably linked to God’s story and He has in His sovereignty ordained things, places, and people for me to know Him, grow in Him, and serve Him by serving people in His name.

I have three graduate (post-graduate) degrees, worked in the Government of Andhra Pradesh as a class II officer, taught Zoology for almost 10 years (and produced doctors, dentist, and many other kinds of professionals), worked with RZIM-India for 12 years (last three years as the National/Executive Director), have been teaching graduate students in seminaries like SABC, SAIACS, and others for 8 years now, and have been the pastor of the English Congregation of our Church for over 4 years now. I am also one of the three pioneers and have been the Director of HITHA (Hyderabad Institute of Theology and Apologetics) for over 2 years.

I have had the joy of knowing the Lord and enjoying Him for almost 35 years now. I have seen thousands of people coming to know the Lord and many hundreds have been strengthened in their faith through my/our ministry. He has taken me to some 15 counties on the Kingdom Business of preaching the gospel to evangelize and teaching God's truth to God's people to edify and transform - spoken in over 150 college and university campuses, in almost all denominational Churches and fellowships, spoken mostly to people in the marketplace - like engineers, professors, researchers, doctors, lawyers, judges, politicians, college and university students, and so on. I am only an unworthy servant and have done what the Lord has asked me to do and enabled me to do (Luke 17: 10) and so there is nothing to boast about, except for boasting in the Lord and His goodness.

I have shared life with my wife, Santhi for almost 20 years (we will be celebrating our 20^th anniversary on the 21^st of September) and these two decades have been very special. What a blessing she has been to me and what a humbling and glorious experience it has been to share life with her and to minister together with her. Our marriage has certainly been a means of sanctification under God. We both have shared life with Shamuel, our one and only son that we received as an answer to prayer (we waited for ten years and God answered our prayers and the prayers of many for us and did it in His time and in His way), for 10 years now (he celebrated his 10^th birth day on June 16). This has been a very blessed period in my life and in some ways very productive two decades, as we kept our home open for people (college and university students as we were involved in the UESI ministry and also the Church ministry) and discipled many that are leaders now in different parts of the country and world, both in the secular and ministry fields. What a joy it is for us to run into such people from time to time in different parts of India and other countries and sometimes to minister together with them.

I can't believe that I am celebrating my 50^th Birth Day today (16^th July 2011). It is a celebration of God's goodness, faithfulness, grace, and kindness - all amazing. As we read in Job 41: 11, no one has previously given to God that He should repay him or her and everything under heaven is His, and so I want to acknowledge that every good and perfect gift that I am enjoying in life has come down from the father of heavenly lights in whom there is not shadow of turning (James 1: 17). I am counting the many blessings that I have received from the Lord over the past 50 years and giving thanks to Him.

I am/we are grateful to God and we want to praise His name and proclaim His greatness among God's people this evening at Centenary Baptist Church, Secunderbad (where I have been the pastor of the English Congregation for four years) from 6:30 pm.

Please join with us in praising God for all His mercies and also please pray for me that I might be more faithful and fruitful both in life and ministry in the remaining years of my life (the youth of old age - the fifties that I am entering into now). I want to know Him more and more in an experiential way, be transformed into Christ's image and likeness, and continue to serve Him and His Kingdom purposes together with my family (Santhi and Shamuel). In Job 42: 12 we read that the Lord blessed the latter day of Job more than his first. In verses 5 and 6, Job says, “I have heard of you by the hearing of the ears, but now my eyes see you. Therefore, I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” I want to be blessed more in the next stage of my life that I have entered into, not with seven sons and three daughters, more camels, etc., but with a new and deeper experience of God and myself – a more direct knowledge of God, the highest and most desirable knowledge one can have, and with more spiritual children. I/we would appreciate your prayers for us.

God has blessed me through many people that I am thinking of at this juncture in my life and I am grateful to God for each one of them. You are perhaps one of them and so thank you very much. The Lord bless you more and make you a greater channel of His blessings into the lives of many more people.

Thank you for your prayers.

In the Lord and His Mission,

Sudhakar (www.mondithokas.com)

The Wounded Healer

2009-06-25T08:56:00.005+05:30

Written by Santhi Mondithoka
(Academic Dean of HITHA – Hyderabad Institute of Theology and Apologetics, lives with her Husband Sudhakar and Son Shamuel in Hyderabad)

Introduction: “ . . . and by his wounds we are healed” says, Isaiah (53: 4). This is referring to Jesus Christ as ‘God’s wounded healer’. There is no one else in human history and in the world of religions that experienced deeper wounds or greater suffering than our Lord Jesus Christ. The books of Isaiah and Hebrews give us glimpses of Jesus Christ as the ‘suffering Servant-Savior’. The wounds of Jesus Christ are God’s answer to the problem of human sin – alienation, suffering, and death and this sets apart both Christ and Christianity from all other gods and religions. The English Poet Edward Shillito wrote,

“The other gods were strong;
but thou wast weak;
They rode, but thou
didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds
only God’s wounds can speak,
And not a god has
wounds, but Thou alone”

The woundedness of Jesus Christ is His uniqueness. The concept of a Crucified Christ (wounded Messiah) was and is a stumbling block to the Jews, foolishness to the Greeks (1 Cor. 1: 23), and may be a contradiction to the Romans. Knowing not what was awaiting me, I preached on the woundedness of Jesus Christ in a Good Friday Service in 2007 and shared with the congregation that out of the 330 million gods and goddesses of India, no god has wounds, because no one suffered and died for humans and that only Christ’s wounds can speak to our wounds. Exactly two weeks after that, I found myself in a Cancer Hospital with a big bleeding wound (because of the surgery) that came to me in a sudden and a surprising or even a shocking manner. When I came out of the influence of anesthesia, the first thought that occurred to my mind was this: “God’s wounds are an answer to our/my wounds.” I came face to face with the many troubling questions about human suffering and found the answers in Jesus, the wounded healer and it is to some of those questions that we will now turn.

Why do bad things happen to Good (God’s) People? When Christians and especially those that serve Him in some full-time capacity face such life-threatening situations many questions come up in our minds: Why do bad things happen to God’s people? Where is God when it hurts? How can a good and omnipotent God allow His people to suffer so much? What about the promises of God’s protection, good health, and long life to His people? What is God doing in the middle of our sufferings? Ironically, just a week before my surgery, I preached on Psalm 91 where it says, “No disease/disaster will come near your tent.” As I was struggling with these questions, the Word of God and the indwelling Spirit of God came to my rescue and gave me insights into the sovereignty of God and human suffering and I was able to understand my suffering from a broader biblical perspective and respond to it in a Christian way. When things went wrong and I found myself in the middle of intense suffering and pain, it was right (biblical) thinking about God, His character, His ways, and His purposes that gave me a clue and brought comfort into my life. The understanding that there was a divine-sovereign purpose behind and in my suffering enabled me to handle my suffering.

Right Thinking When Things Go Wrong in Life: When things go wrong in life, we need to have the right (biblical) thinking about God and His ways. Job was a good theologian (unlike his wife and friends that came to comfort him, but ended up hurting him) and had right thinking about God, His ways, and purposes in the middle of his intense suffering and God himself vindicated him (1: 22; 2: 10; 42: 7). In Psalm 119: 75, David, a man who had gone through much suffering says, “I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.” People like David, Joseph, Jeremiah, and Job experienced great suffering in their lives and yet their knowledge of God and their relationship with Him enabled them to acknowledge God’s goodness in the midst of all their suffering. The biblical truth is that God is good intrinsically and all the time. Even when He allows us to go through intense pain and suffering, He does so with some good that He can and wants to bring out. He is all knowing, all good, all powerful and sovereign and so nothing happens to us unless He knowingly allows it with a good purpose. It is this truth that I understood from the Scriptures, experienced in my life, and taught to others, that enabled me to trust God and entrust myself to Him and drink my cup of suffering with courage and confidence.

Sovereignty of God in the Suffering of Human Beings: Cancer (and any life-threatening disease for that matter) brings one face to face with the sovereignty of God. Cancer treatment is protracted and extremely painful (involving chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, and many other things) both physically and emotionally. One looses much and one gets totally drained out in every way. While the treatment was on, I experienced the following devastating changes:
1. I lost my hair (including my eye-brows and lashes),
2. I lost my appetite and even taste on my tongue,
3. I lost my ability to sleep, and
4. I lost my active life (ability to work) and ministry,

One day, when I looked at myself in the mirror, I could not believe that I looked so horrible with marks all over my body (because of the surgery and chemos), with darkened skin, with no hair (my distinctively feminine feature), . God the Holy Spirit reminded me of the fact that my wounds and marks are only temporary (I will one day have a glorified body free from all deficiencies and deformities), but His marks are permanent (John 20: 24-29; Rev. 5: 6). This realization that Christ suffered for my sake (to give me new life both in this world and in the world to come) filled my heart with gratitude and thanksgiving and changed my attitude towards my suffering and the marks it left.

I realized that when we say that God is sovereign we mean that ‘nothing happens to us unless He either plans it or permits it’, because He is sovereign and He reigns. He is in control of the universe and our lives in it. Nothing can thwart His plans. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. I realized that when God, in His sovereignty, allows suffering in our lives, it advances God’s kingdom in us and through us. Paul says that his chains advanced the Kingdom of God (Philippians 1: 12) and that God comforts us in our troubles, so that we might comfort others that might be in any trouble with the comfort that we ourselves have received from God (2 Cor. 1: 4). The wounded Savior who suffered for us and suffers with us, ministers to us when we go through suffering, and makes us wounded healers like He Himself is. We can meaningfully enter into the suffering of others, identify with them, and minister to them in this suffering world. This is what I have experienced during the past two years, as I have been going through my own suffering. I have been able to sensitively minister God’s grace to many suffering saints and they have been able to receive comfort, because they knew that I could understand their suffering. In a way, I have become more sensitive to the suffering of others and thus have been transformed a bit more into the likeness of Jesus Christ. This is yet another blessing in disguise. All this has helped me to understand that ‘suffering is inevitable in fulfilling God’s plans in our lives’.

Suffering (Passion) – A Means to Fulfill Our Mission: Our Lord Jesus fulfilled His Mission in this world through His Passion. Christ who carried His cross invites His disciples to carry their cross and follow Him. Therefore, like Jesus, all His disciples throughout the history experienced their share of suffering in fulfilling God’s mission. We know from the Scriptures that each of us is brought into this world with a specific mission/purpose. In order to fulfill God’s plan and purpose, we need to embrace our cross or passion by the enabling grace of God who bears our burdens daily (Psalm 68: 19) and who is distressed in all our distresses and carries us and redeems us (Isaiah 63: 9). Whatever we go through in our lives, our God has already experienced it all for us and in our suffering He is with us as our Immanuel and Ebenezer. He grace is sufficient and His love endures forever.

Conclusion: I have come to know all the above truths experientially during the past two years. All the two-year review tests showed normal values and this confirmed to me that His work of healing is taking place in my body and that His plans and purposes for me will be accomplished. I am able to serve Him once again by way of teaching Biblical Greek and other subjects. He has been with us as we have passed through the valley of the shadow of death and His grace continues to sustain us. All of us have our own wounds of different kinds – physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual. It is a suffering and hurting world. If we cultivate the biblical attitude towards our wounds, then we can, like our Lord Jesus Christ, become wounded healers and thus fulfill God’s purposes or mission through our passion. May the Lord help us to be wounded healers in our time and to the present wounded and hurting generation of people among whom He has placed us to be His representatives and agents of His grace.
The nails in your handsThe nail in your feet, they tell me how much you love meThe thorns in your brow, they tell me how, you bore so much pain to love me.And when the heavens pass away, all your scars will still remain, and forever they will say, how much you love me.Forever my love, Forever my heartForever my life, it's yours, it's yours.

The Characters Around the First Christmas

2008-12-19T08:46:00.004+05:30

Rev. Sudhakar Mondithoka

Asst. Pastor, English Congregation at Centenary Baptist Church, Secunderabad and A Visiting Faculty/Professor at SAIACS and SABC, Bangalore

Introduction: It would be a very instructive exercise for us to study the Characters around the first Christmas of the 1st century, because people are the same even today and we can learn many lessons for our lives in the 21st century. When we survey the Gospels, we can find many people around the Christmas story, like the shepherds, the wise men, King Herod, John the Baptist, the Innkeeper, the religious leaders, Joseph and Mary, and so on. On the basis of my observation and analysis of how they responded to the news and the fact of Christmas, I have divided them into three categories and we will consider each one of them briefly and draw out some lessons for us during this Christmas season.
I. The People that Made Christmas Possible: Joseph and Mary are the people that made Christmas possible (see Matt. 1: 18-24; Luke 1: 26-38). In a sense, whole of God’s plan of salvation for humanity that was being worked out progressively over centuries depended on the response of two teenagers for its final fulfillment. Man is God’s method – God in His sovereignty chose to use humans in His plan of redemption to redeem humankind. Imagine what would have happened if Joseph and Mary had responded negatively. The coming of the Savior of the world depended on Mary saying ‘Yes’ to God and accepting the Savior on His terms. We do not find any words of Joseph being recorded in the gospels. We only find his actions. His actions of obedience to God speak for him (see Matt. 1: 24-25).
Commenting on God’s plan of Salvation and how it depended on Mary, C. S. Lewis said, “The whole thing narrows and narrows, until at last it comes down to a little point, small as the point of a spear – a Jewish girl at her prayers.” Yancey, thinking on the same matter, says, “Today as I read the accounts of Jesus’ birth, I tremble to think of the fate of the world resting on the responses of two rural teenagers.”[1] Both Mary and Joseph counted the cost and accepted the Savior at a very high personal cost – shame, disgrace, ridicule, and so on. There was much more at stake for Mary than for Joseph. She was a virgin, a teenager, and was just betrothed (pledged to be married) to Joseph. She did not have any marital (sexual) relationship with Joseph yet. She was perhaps dreaming about her life with Joseph, as she was waiting for the final step of marriage. At such a time, if she became pregnant, any one can imagine what would have happened to her dreams and life. So when the Angel from God told her that she was going to be pregnant, she was quite naturally troubled, she wondered, and said, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1: 29 and 34). She knew enough to understand that virgins do not become pregnant just like that and that the consequences of such a happening would be disastrous for her and for Joseph. Joseph, being a righteous man, did not want to expose Mary to public disgrace, and determined to quietly divorce her (Matt. 1: 18-19). If something like this were to be suggested to a virgin like Mary in our time, the Savior would not be allowed to be born. Malcolm Muggeridge, a great journalist considered Mary’s response from a modern or contemporary perspective and observed that in our days, with family- planning clinics offering convenient ways to correct “mistakes” that might disgrace a family name, “It is, in point of fact, extremely improbable, under existing conditions, that Jesus would have been permitted to be born at all. Mary’s pregnancy, in poor circumstances, and with the father unknown, would have been an obvious case for an abortion; and her talk of having conceived as a result of the intervention of the Holy Ghost (or Spirit) would have pointed to the need for psychiatric treatment, and made the case for terminating her pregnancy even stronger.” Thus our generation, needing a Savior more, perhaps, than any that has ever existed, would be too humane to allow one to be born.[2] However, the Virgin Mary, though her pregnancy and parenthood was unplanned (by her), had a different response. She heard the Angel out, pondered over the repercussions, and replied, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1: 38). Commenting on Mary’s response, Philip Yancey, says, “Often a work of God comes with two edges, great joy and great pain, and in that matter-of fact response Mary embraced both. She was the first person to accept Jesus on his own terms, regardless of the personal cost.”[3]
The obedient response of Mary and Joseph to God and His will at great personal cost made the coming of the Savior of the World (at first Christmas) possible. Thus, they were blessed and became great channels of God’s greatest blessing to the whole world. Today, in our time and in our generation, if we are true followers of Jesus Christ, we have to obey our master in order to be truly blessed and to be channels of God’s blessing into the lives of others – family members, friends, classmates, colleagues, and neighbors. If we obey our master’s command to be His witnesses and choose to give the Christmas message, which is ‘good news of great joy to all the people (or whole humanity) and not just for Christians (Luke 2: 10-11), then we will make the birth of Jesus the Savior in their hearts and lives possible. Christmas is about love, that is, giving and giving sacrificially. God the Father gave His Son (John 3: 16) that humankind might not perish but have eternal life. God the Son, Jesus Christ gave or sacrificed himself on the Cross that humans might not die and go to hell but have abundant life and everlasting life. Mary and Joseph paid a heavy price and submitted themselves to the will of God and gave the Savior to the World (in a sense) and made the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation possible. Christmas is about self-less self-giving for the sake of the others (the agape love of God) and the giving of the greatest gift, the Savior. Self-centeredness and Christmas do not go together. What about you and me? How are we celebrating Christmas? The most Christian way of celebrating Christmas would be to give priority to giving the Christmas good news to others rather than being pre-occupied with ourselves and our enjoyment. Should we not obey the great commission and give the good news to at least a few people this Christmas season and make the Christmas joy, peace, light, and life possible for them also? If not you (and I) who will give the gospel to those among whom we are placed and if not now, when?
II. The People that Missed Christmas: The innkeeper (Luke 2: 7), Herod (Matt. 2: 1-8) and the Religious leaders (Matt. 2: 4-6) are examples of those that missed the first Christmas. The innkeeper in the 1st century hung the shameful words, “no room” outside his inn. There was “no room” for them (Mary and Joseph) and of course for Jesus who was to come into the world that historic day in Bethlehem in the innkeeper’s premises. The creator of heavens and earth, the creator of all humanity, the owner of the whole universe, the earth and all that is in it, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, was coming into the world to be the Savior of the Word and there was “no room” for Him. The innkeeper was business-minded, industrious, preoccupied, and was ignorant of what was happening when he said, “No room.” These words describe aptly most of the people in the 21st century world who are so busy with Christmas celebrations (parties, cakes, cards, candles, stars, trees, clothes, shopping, gifts, carols, events, etc.) that they miss the Christ of the Christmas. They make no room for Jesus. Without even realizing it, most people still miss Christmas just like most of the people in and around Bethlehem on the night Jesus was born.
The innkeeper missed the opportunity to be a part of the most important and significant birth in all history. It was census time (Luke 2: 1-6) and the city was bulging with people descending on it from different directions. Bethlehem was crowded. The innkeeper was not hostile or even un-sympathetic. He was just busy with his own things like many people today that are busy with all kinds of things and activities that compete for attention. And in the middle of all this, many preoccupied people miss the Son of God. There are many so called Christians who are busy with Christmas related things and miss Christmas, because they have “no room” for Christ in their hearts or lives. There are millions of innkeepers in the world today. What about you? Do you have room for Jesus in your heart? Do you have Christ in your life? Have you ever invited him into your life? If not, why not now, during this Christmas season, the reason for which is Jesus the Christ? Christ-less Christmas celebrations will only prove to be a curse.
Herod was a king who missed Christmas, because he was insecure and was troubled by the news of the coming of the King. He was too full of himself. He pretended he wanted to worship Jesus, the King, but he was fearful of the one who was called the King of the Jews. He did not want to be ruled over by another king, the real King, because he wanted to be his own boss and ruler. There are many Herods today in our Churches that do not want to let Jesus have His rightful throne in their hearts and in the Churches where they are leaders. These 21st century Herods (especially leaders in our Churches!) do not want Jesus interfering with their life style, power, plans, prestige or positions. What about you? Have you invited Jesus as the King and Lord of your life? King Jesus said, “What does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Herods ultimately lose in this world and in the world to come as well. It is my prayer that you should not be such an ultimate loser.
The religious leaders (chief priests and teachers of the law, like the pastors, theologians and teachers of our time) missed Christmas, because they were indifferent and self-righteous. They believed in their own religion, traditions, and customs, and their positions in it but not in right relationship with God. They knew that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Matt. 2: 4-6; Micah 5: 1-2). They were there when the Messiah was born on the first Christmas day. Yet they missed Christmas. How sad! They were proud and perfect in their own minds. There are many ordinary people and religious leaders like this in our world now – people that are satisfied with their religion and self-righteousness. Such people miss Christmas and the Savior who was born, because they don’t understand their need of salvation. They don’t openly oppose Him. They just do not receive Him. They do not care about God’s solution or remedy to human misery, because they do not realize their problem or disease, which is sin, the root cause of all the problems. Such people miss Christmas. Like Nicodemus, a religious leader who realized his need and received the Savior we all needs to repent, confess our sins, and receive the Savior through the experience of being born-again (see John 3: 1-18 and 19: 38-42). Unless we are born-again, we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Are you born-again?
III. The People that Met (or Received) the Savior: The wise men that went from the east (Matt. 2: 1-12) and the Shepherds (Luke 2: 8-18) are examples of those that met and received the Savior, and made Him known to others. The wise men followed the star that guided them, went a long way from their country to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem and found the real star of Christ, Jesus. They bowed down and worshipped Him. They gave their gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh, and returned to their country. I believe they would have surely spread the good and exciting news about Jesus, because I see in the Bible that all true worshippers are witnesses also (like the Samaritan woman who witnessed to the Samaritans, as we can see in John 4). Wise men and women still follow the star (the hints that God gives to guide people to the Savior), seek, and find the Savior and not miss the Christmas.
The shepherd that were given the Christmas news of the Savior that was born in Bethlehem, went, verified, and confirmed that what they were told was true (Luke 2: 20). They met or found Jesus. Then they “spread the word” concerning what had been told them (that Christ was the Lord and Savior of all the people) concerning Jesus (Luke 2: 17-18). The implication is that they accepted the truth and received the Savior; otherwise they would not have had the spontaneity with which they “spread the word.” There are at least two lessons that we can learn. One, we need not believe blindly. We can investigate, search, and research and confirm the truth for ourselves. After His resurrection, Jesus gave many “convincing proofs” to His disciples that He was alive again or that He came back to life (see Acts 1: 1-11). It was after that that He gave them His command afresh that they should be His witnesses. Christianity is truth. The gospel is truth. Christ is historical. So we can search for the truth and find it with solid evidences, and be confident about what we believe. For example, our belief in the virginal conception is more believable now than ever before in human history. We have the phenomena like parthenocarpy and parthenogenesis (reproduction without fertilization or the male and female coming together) in nature. Now the cloning techniques enable us to produce young ones without fertilization and just from somatic (non-reproductive) cells. If we humans with limited knowledge and powers are able to do this, then can’t God who is all-knowing and all-powerful do what the Bible says He did (in bringing the Savior into the world through the womb of the Virgin Mary)? Two, whatever we might be doing to make our living, if we know the truth, then we will proclaim and make it known to others like the shepherds. Are we (you and I) witnessing or “spreading the word” or making the truth about the Savior known to others? The Christmas season is a good opportunity for us to “spread the word” about Christ to some of our friends and family members.
Conclusion: Our study has given us much to ponder over. In conclusion, I would just like to say that we should be like Mary and Joseph, the Shepherds and the Wise men and not like the innkeeper, Herod, and the religious leaders. May this Christmas be a Christ-centered Christmas for YOU and your family. May the Lord bless our nation, India with the joy, peace, light, and life of Christmas and use you and me as His instruments or channels of blessing.

[1] See Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995), 31 and 32
[2] Ibid, 32.
[3] Ibid.

Faith Beyond Reason: A Balanced Biblical View of Faith[1]

2008-11-11T06:59:00.001+05:30

Introduction: Faith is some times defined as “unquestioning belief that does not require proof or evidence” and reason is defined as “the ability to think, form judgments, draw conclusions, etc.”[2] The idea is that faith and reason do not fit together or that they are opposed to each other. This is the impression that many people have in their minds about the relationship between faith and reason. Many religious faiths or belief systems are anti-intellectual and discourage knowledge and reason. For example, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (perhaps the most popular Hindu guru now) explains his view of faith as follows: “Whatever you have faith in, do not make it an object of knowing. You do not need to know that in which you have faith. If you have faith in God, do not try to know God. God and Self are not objects of knowing. And you cannot have faith in that which you have made into an object of knowing. You cannot make love an object of knowing. If you try to do so, the love will disappear.”[3] Is faith from the Christian perspective any different? Is Christianity any different from other faiths?

Faith – A Secular and Skeptical Perspective: Many (including some Christians that are fideistic) think that faith is personal and private and it need not and cannot have any rational foundation. For example, Richard Dawkins, Oxford University biologist and one of the most vocal atheists of our time thinks that faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. He thinks faith is belief in spite of and because of the lack of evidence. Bertrand Russell thought faith to be the firm belief in something for which there is no evidence. What is sad is that many Christians, quite ignorantly take the fideistic approach to faith, which says that it is faith alone and nothing else (no evidence and reasons). Fideism is ‘faith-alone ism’. They think mistakenly that it is a biblical view of faith.

Faith – A Balanced Biblical Perspective: However, what do we learn from the Bible? What is the biblical view of faith? We have to turn to the faith of Abraham, the father of the faithful and friend of God to understand the nature of biblical faith (see Heb 11: 8-12, 17-19; Rom. 4: 18-21; Gen 12-18 and 22; Josh 24: 2-4). Abraham is the paradigm for the ‘faith family/community’ (Rom 4: 16). Christian view of faith is such that it cannot exist without knowledge. Biblical FAITH is not against reason (not antirational) or evidence or knowledge. It goes beyond reason and evidence, but is based on evidence or knowledge and reason or experience and certainly not against them. Faith is FOCUSED on God, His Character (characteristics or attributes) or on who God is and what He does in history. Hebrews 11: 11 says “. . . he considered him Faithful who had made the promise.” And v. 19 says, “. . . he reasoned that God could raise the dead, . . . ” (see Rom. 4: 21 also). The work of God that reveals who God is has to be seen in personal as well as corporate (community, national, and global) history. So, truly biblical or Christian FAITH is FOCUSED on GOD, the object of faith and not just on man, the subject of faith – who God is and what He did and continues to do in the world and in our lives. It is REASONED Faith, not an illogical, or a blind faith. This is what we find in Heb. 11: 17-19. Verse19 says, “Abraham reasoned (Gk. logisamenos) that God could raise the dead, . . . ” (see Rom. 4: 18-21 also). What was the reasoning that had gone on in Abraham’s mind? Romans 4: 18-21 (as a result of this reasoning, he was fully persuaded or convinced or assured) gives us some insight into Abraham’s reasoning.

Biblical faith then is confidence, reliance, or trust in the reliable or trustworthy. In the biblical sense, to have faith means ‘trusting someone (or something) that one has reasons and factual evidences to believe and entrusting oneself to that someone or something’. This understanding gets confirmed when we look at the Greek dictionary for the meaning of ‘pistis’, which is translated as ‘faith’. This is a very important term in the NT – it occurs 307 times. Pistis has two aspects to it: 1) Trust or Reliance or Confidence or Acceptance, and 2) Intellectual Content or knowledge that is reflected in the life of the believer. C. S. Lewis says that faith is “. . . assent to a proposition which we think so overwhelmingly probable that there is a psychological exclusion of doubt though not a logical exclusion of dispute.”[4] One of the great expositors of the Scriptures in our age, Stott defines faith as “. . . a reasoning trust, a trust which reckons thoughtfully and confidently upon the trustworthiness of God.”[5] Josh McDowell also defines faith in a similar fashion, but using different terminology, as “the assurance of the heart [mind, the center of our consciousness] in the adequacy of the evidence.”[6] This way of understanding faith actually reflects the significance of Hebrews 11: 1, which says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (KJV). ‘Evidence’ is the translation of the Greek word, which literally means, “proof, or proving.” It is not ‘believing what you know isn’t so’ as Mark Twain opined.

Faith Beyond Reason – A Biblical Illustration: When Abraham and Sarah finally believed that they would become parents, it was certainly belief/faith beyond reason. Humanly/biologically speaking, it was impossible for them to have a son, because they were reproductively dead – Sarah was past the menopause and Abraham was too old (Rom 4: 16-25). Abraham’s body was as good ad dead (he was about 100 years old) and Sarah’s womb was also dead. They went beyond this reasoning and believed what God promised, not blindly or irrationally, but being fully persuaded that God who promised had the power to do what he had promised (vv. 18-21). Abraham considered Him faithful who had made the promise (Heb. 11: 11-12). Humanly speaking, it was hopeless and yet Abraham had hope and believed (had faith), because He brought God into the equation. Thus, his reasoning went beyond the merely human and limited level of reasoning. Later on, this experiential knowledge enabled Abraham to reach a higher level of reasoning, not merely natural but spiritual reasoning that is based on who God is and what He does in history (Heb. 11: 17-19). So we conclude that Abraham’s faith is ‘reasoning faith’ that goes beyond the ‘reasoning that is limited to the natural and the merely human’ and includes God.

Conclusion: We have to follow the example of Abraham. In the middle of our humanly speaking hopeless situations – infertility, financial crisis, health problems, uncertainty in career, unemployment, rebellious children, unbelieving spouse, delayed marriage, etc., we have to learn to live lives of hope that springs from a ‘reasoning faith’ that brings God into the equation. It is God that makes all the difference. If we leave God out, then hopelessness, pessimism, depression, dejection, low self-esteem, grumbling, carnal comparison, and complaining, would be the natural result. On the contrary, if we keep God in the equation (in our daily lives), then we will live lives of hope (in spite of all natural hopelessness), peace, joy, confidence, and obedience for the glory of God and thus be God’s witnesses in this world. This kind of life alone could be truly called a ‘life of faith’. Are we limited to and by what we see or are we able to transcend this and look beyond with the ‘eyes of faith’ and see what merely the natural eyes cannot see? If we live ‘God-conscious lives’ and have the eyes of faith, then we can or should say, like the prophet of the old, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights” (Habakkuk 3: 17-19).

It will be a good and meaningful exercise to put these verses down in our own words using our contemporary categories (Though the share market does not bounce back adequately and there is hardly any balance left in my bank account, though our efforts to own a house fail and the rents keep going up, etc.) to drive home the truth to ourselves in our times.

[1] This is written for the UESI-AP Hyderabad Quarterly News Letter City Link, November 2008.

[2] See Webster’s New World Dictionary.

[3] Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, “What Faith Means,” under Inner Space: Discourses in Religion and Philosophy, The Times of India, Bangalore, Wednesday, September 21, 2005, p. 4.

[4] C. S. Lewis, “On Obstinacy in Belief,” in The World’s Last Night and Other Essays (New York: Brace Jovanovich, 1955), p. 16.

[5] John R. W. Stott, Your Mind Matters: The Place of Mind in the Christian Life (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1972), p. 36.

[6] Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict (San Bernardino: Campus Crusade for Christ, 1972), p. 4.

Do I have the right kind of Faith?

2008-04-27T06:29:00.001+05:30

Do I have the right kind of Faith?
Is my faith truly biblical or Christian?[1]
- Rev. Sudhakar Mondithoka

Introduction: We have to, rather each one of us has to take this question seriously and think about it, for one reason. There are all kinds of ‘faiths’ around us in the world (or society) and often the critics of Religion or Religious Faith(s) keep Christianity along with all others and say this is also as good or as bad as all the others. For example, if you look at Kushwant Singh’s articles in the news papers and magazines and Rajmohan Gandhi’s article on the problem of evil and suffering in the Hindu,[2] you will find this to be true.

It is true that there are religions or faith systems that have many superstitious beliefs. For example, if we look at the Religion(s) of our Hindu Friends, there are all kinds of Superstitious Beliefs (unlike our beliefs!?). For example, look at the following three examples. a) If a black cat crosses your path, and you go ahead, then you are in for trouble, because there is a curse that will come upon you. b) If a widow comes in the opposite direction (towards you) when u are going out on an important work, this is ominous and you will encounter failure. c) If someone sneezes when you are going out on some important work, then you are in for trouble. No one has ever established the causal connections in these cases and many others like this. These are baseless beliefs that are passed on from generation to generation, and people just believe them or take them for granted without examining them at all. And those who critique or attack religion in general or Christianity in particular, treat Christianity as being no different from others. What do you think? Is YOUR or OUR faith or our beliefs different from the beliefs of others? If the answer is YES, then in what way does our faith differ or do our beliefs differ from those of others?

I believe that our beliefs are different from the superstitious beliefs that we find in other religions (of course, not all their beliefs belong to this category). Beliefs are integral to all ‘faiths’ (religious or philosophical systems). Let us get a little bit more clear understanding about belief(s) by looking at what a belief is and the different kinds of beliefs that are held by different people.

What is a belief? To believe means to accept a statement (or a statement of a person) as true. If some one tells me something and I accept it as true, then it means that I believe that person’s statement or claim. Without beliefs, we cannot live and all humans have beliefs. However, not all beliefs belong to the same category. Let us look at the different kinds of belief that exist.

Different types of beliefs: First, there are SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS
and NON-SUPERSTITIOUS or justified BELIEFS. A superstitious belief does not have real or proper justification (basis or support) in terms of reasons, evidences, and verification. There might be some imagined or improper justification (what is supposed to be the basis but is proven to be no basis on examination), but no proper justification. Non-superstitious beliefs or Proper Beliefs are of two types: 1. True Beliefs – A belief is true when the content (what is believed) of the belief corresponds to or matches with the reality. 2. False Beliefs – A belief is false when what is believed and the reality or real state of affairs do not match or correspond. Lot of people, very intelligent ones and religious gurus also believe that all that matters as far as beliefs is concerned is the sincerity with which we believe and nothing else. But the problem is, we can be very sincere and still be wrong or have false beliefs (maybe, sincerely wrong), because sincerity is about our internal state (subjective) and belief is about external state (objective) of affairs. Let us now consider some examples or illustrations of this point:

1. Suppose I believe, and do so very sincerely that right now I have ten crore rupees in my bank account, will my sincerity make my belief true?????

2. The pilot who saw some series of lights (in Ahmedabad) and sincerely believed that they were the lights on the runway, but when he landed the plane, to his shock and everyone’s shock, it turned out that they were the lights on an industrial plant and a number of people died in the tragic accident.

3. Suppose we all believe, and do so very sincerely that the earth is flat (as it was believed by the majority of people, including the scientists of the day, believed some time ago) will our sincerity and strength (number) make our belief true?

4. The belief of some that they and all humans are by nature divine (based on authority) – is it true or false?

What is the Nature of Biblical or Christian Faith? Many times, we ourselves are not sure about our faith (maybe, certain aspects of our faith) and doubts and questions plague us and our young people in the Church. This happens because we are exposed to different kinds of issues, questions, and objections to our faith in the market place of ideas and because of the things we encounter in our personal or corporate lives. This happens because we are not clear about the nature of our faith and what ‘faith’ is according to the Bible. What is Faith really? What does the Bible say about Faith? How do we understand ‘faith’?

There are all kinds of very interesting definitions of faith both in the secular and spiritual world in our time. Once I was waiting in a Bus Station. I saw a young man reading a book. I was drawn to it, because the chapter was on ‘faith’. I was surprised when I realized that it was a business management book and became curious to find out what the author had to say about faith. This is how the author defined FAITH: “FAITH is a state of mind that is produced by autosuggestion wherein you believe that you can do whatever you want to or achieve whatever you set as a target and you will achieve it or do it.” This is a totally subject (man) centered faith. There is no reference to the object of faith (God) in this definition. It sounds somewhat like the ‘power of positive thinking’ that has become very popular among secular as well as Christian people. Keeping this as the backdrop, let us now turn our attention to the biblical understanding of faith.
What biblical or Christian ‘faith’ is not: It is not a leap in the dark nor a mystical experience, nor an ineffable or indescribable encounter with someone totally indefinable and indescribable. It is not faith in faith itself, but faith in the facts of the Scripture, History, Science, Archaeology, etc., and facts of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. It is not related to my believing hard enough - closing my eyes and grinding my teeth and bringing myself to a place psychologically where I say, “Well, I don’t know how, but Christ has indeed risen and I can now believe.” “Faith isn’t a question of shutting our eyes, gritting our teeth and believing impossible things. It is motivated belief, motivated basically by our encounter with Christ” (Dr. John Polkinghorne, Cambridge University). Biblical FAITH is not against reason (not antirational) or against evidence. However, it goes or might go beyond reason and evidence, but is based on evidence and reason or experience and never against them. Now let us contrast this with some other religious perspective on what faith is.

Do you know who the most popular and powerful Hindu Guru is right now in India and around the World? It is none else but Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. This is how he explains his view of faith:

Whatever you have faith in, do not make it an object of knowing. You do not need to know that in which you have faith. If you have faith in God, do not try to know God. God and Self are not objects of knowing. And you cannot have faith in that which you have made into an object of knowing. You cannot make love an object of knowing. If you try to do so, the love will disappear.[3]

This view of faith is exactly the opposite of the Christian view of faith in that it has nothing to do with knowledge, whereas the Christian view of faith is such that it cannot exist without knowledge. Biblical FAITH is not against reason (not antirational) nor
against evidence (unlike the Hindu faith) or knowledge. It goes beyond reason and evidence, but is based on evidence or knowledge and reason or experience and certainly not against them. To have a more comprehensive understanding of what biblical faith is, we will now turn to what the Bible has to say about the ‘faith of the Father of the Faithful and Friend of God, Abraham’.

The Faith of the Father of the Faithful and Friend of God, Abraham: If we examine the FAITH of the Father of the Faithful and Friend of God, Abraham, we will know the nature of true biblical/Christian faith (See Hebrews 11: 8-12, 17-19; Rom. 4: 18-21; Genesis 12-18 and 22; Joshua 24: 2-4). Our FAITH should be like Abraham’s faith, because we are “those who are of the faith of Abraham” (Rom. 4: 16) and he is the ‘Father of all the Faithful’, not just his physical descendents (the Israelites or Jews or Hebrews). Abraham’s faith can be characterized under the following main points:

i) It is based on the Word (spoken) of the Living Lord. His idolatrous
background (Gen. 12: 1-4; Josh. 24: 2-4) will give us an idea of how the spoken word of the only true God would have led him o start off on his journey of a living faith in the living Lord who spoke to him or called him. The spoken word of the living God was enough for Abraham to take the fist step of faith. My guess is that he would have instinctively or intuitively known that this God was different from all the gods and goddesses he was worshiping. For us also, it is the Word (spoken and written – see Rom. 10: 8-17) that is the FOUNDATION of our faith. So, a truly biblical or Christian FAITH is FOUNDED upon God’s Word (both spoken and written), as Abraham’s Faith was, because our God is both a Speaking and a Writing God (see Exo. 20: 1; 24: 12; 31: 18; 32: 15-16). Even Moses, who first heard what the Lord had spoken to him, later on had written it down (Exo. 24: 1-7). Hence, we should be hearing-reading-speaking-writing people.

ii) It is FOCUSED on God, His Character (characteristics or attributes) or on who God is and what He does in history. Hebrews 11: 11 says “. . . he considered him Faithful who had made the promise.” And v. 19 says, “. . . he reasoned that God could raise the dead, . . . ” (see Rom. 4: 21 also). The work of God that reveals who God is has to be seen in personal as well as corporate (community, national, and global) history. So, truly biblical or Christian FAITH is FOCUSED on GOD, the object of faith and not on man, the subject of faith – who God is and what He did and continues to do in the world and in our lives.

iii) It is a TRIED, TESTED, and finally APPROVED Faith. Abraham’s ‘new faith’ in the true God did not remain as ‘nursery or baby faith’, but developed into a ‘robust faith’ (see Rom. 4: 18-25; Heb. 11: 11-12, 17-19; Gen. 22: 1-19) that was approved by God. We see Abraham beginning his ‘journey of faith’ in Genesis 12 with a specific call and promise from God (vv. 1-10). God said, “Leave (your country, people, and father’s household) and go (to the land I will show you) and then gave him the promise (vv. 2-3) and Abraham left, as the Lord had told him (v. 4). This happened when Abraham was 75 years old. Right after this, the narrative has a number of Tests or Challenges that Abraham faced on this ‘journey of faith’:

1) First Challenge or Test (Gen. 12:10-13) – Looking to God in faith (or waiting upon God and seeking His will) or following the worldly wisdom was the issue and Abraham failed the test.

2) Second Challenge or Test (Gen. 13: 1-18) – Going by faith in God or going by sight on the greener pastures and following the worldly patterns was the issue and Abraham passed the test.

3) Third Challenge or Test (Gen. 14: 13-24) – This was firstly, a test of Abraham’s response to some one (his nephew Lot) who did not act fairly or acted selfishly. Abraham passed this test, because he did not respond in a human or carnal way, when he came to know that Lot was in trouble. Abraham fought and brought back Lot, all his possessions, and people. Right after this victory of faith, Abraham faces another test when the king of Sodom (who was among those that Abraham rescued) said to Abraham, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself” (v. 21). Abraham’s response reveals that he did not yield to the temptation of taking advantage of the situation and claiming greatness for oneself. It is temptation to the fame of the world. Abraham gives glory to the Lord and says to the king of Sodom that he would not accept anything belonging to him, so that he would never be able to say that he had made Abraham rich (vv. 22-23). Thus, Abraham overcame the temptations and passed the tests of his faith.

4) Fourth Challenge or Test (Gen. 16: 1-16) – By now Abraham was about 85 years old (ten years had gone by since he began his journey of faith) and interestingly, this comes right after God reaffirms His promise and covenant with Abraham in the narrative. This is a test of patience or perseverance in waiting for God’s time of fulfilling His promise. Once again, Abraham fails the test and this failure engenders a serious problem for humanity – the conflict between the Jews and Muslims.

5) Fifth Test (17: 1-27) – It is a test of Abraham’s faith or trust and obedience and he responds in doubt (cf. Gen. 18: 9-12, here we read about Sarah’s doubt) as well as obedience. He probably overcame the initial doubt and finally took a step of faith (obedience).

6) The Final and Toughest Test (Gen. 22: 1-19) – This again is a test of trust and obedience and Abraham passes the test, rather came through in flying colors and his faith becomes approved by God (see vv. 12 and 17-18). So, a truly biblical or Christian FAITH is Tested, Tried, and Approved Faith, which does have Ups and Downs (not a totally
doubtless faith), but keeps growing gradually (one of the ways it grows is by learning lessons from the failures) and finally becomes a ‘Robust Faith’. What kinds of tests and trials of our faith can we think of? Disease or Uncertainty about Future or Struggling Business or Financial Struggles or Rebellious Children or Infertility (childlessness) or a Spouse who does not show any signs of change? Or is it the issue of getting married? Are we growing in our FAITH? When it is Tested and Tried, are we responding well? Is Our Faith becoming a more ‘Robust Faith’ gradually or are we allowing it to remain as ‘nursery or baby faith’?

iv) It is REASONED Faith and not an Illogical or a blind faith. This is what we find in Heb. 11: 17-19. Verse19 says, “Abraham reasoned (Gk. logisamenos) that God could raise the dead, . . . ” (see Rom. 4: 18-21 also). What was the reasoning that had gone on in Abraham’s mind? Romans 4: 18-21 (as a result of this reasoning, he was fully persuaded or convinced or assured) gives us some insight into Abraham’s reasoning. The following would be the form that Abraham’s reasoning might have taken, if I may put it down in the form a syllogism:

P1 - God promised that we would become parents, when we were reproductively dead,
P2 - God demonstrated that He has power to fulfill His promise by bringing life (Isaac) from our dead bodies, so now
C - Eve if I obey Him and slay/sacrifice my son, He can or will bring him back to life and fulfill His promise and hence I will obey Him

For us also it is the same – when we face such testing or trying situations, we have
to reason (on the basis of biblical, historical, personal, and corporate experiences and facts that bear witness to God’s power, grace, love, and intervention in human affairs) in our minds and thus receive the motivation to trust God (even when we do this, the Holy Spirit God comes alongside and enables us). Therefore, a truly biblical or Christian FAITH is REASONED faith, but not antirational, irrational, blind, or anti-intellectual FAITH. This faith takes into consideration past experiences and biblical, scientific, and historical facts that reveal God’s nature and power.

The God of the Bible never wants His people to believe anything blindly. For example, we notice that Jesus gave many convincing proofs (Gk. tekmeriois) or sure signs to his disciples after He rose again from the dead so that they might have a strong basis for their belief in and witness for His resurrection (see Acts 1: 1-4 and John 20: 24-28). In fact, he appeared to them on 11 or 12 different occasions at different times and places over a period of 40 days and this is one of the reasons for the striking transformation that we see in the lives of the disciples after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Following the example of his master, Jesus Christ, Paul always gave reasons, evidences, and proofs to his audiences (Acts 17: 1-4; 18: 1-4 and 18-19; 19: 8-10) when he invited them to put their faith in Jesus Christ. Even Apollos did the same thing (18: 27-28). It will not be an exaggeration to say that we do not find “blind faith” anywhere in the New Testament. Now, I think, having looked at the faith of Abraham (in some detail), the father of the faithful and a paradigm for all true believers, we are ready to arrive at some conclusion about what faith is biblically speaking, before we could consider one other important truth about Christian faith.

What biblical or Christian ‘faith’ is: We will now try to put down in positive terms what biblical or Christ faith is. Faith is confidence, reliance, or trust. In the biblical sense, to have faith means ‘trusting someone (or something) that one has reasons and factual evidences to believe and entrusting oneself to that someone or something’. This understanding gets confirmed when we look at the Greek dictionary for the meaning of ‘pistis’, which is translated as ‘faith’ in English. This is a very important term in the New Testament – it occurs 307 times. Pistis has two aspects to it: 1) Trust or Reliance or Confidence or Acceptance, and 2) Intellectual Content or knowledge that is reflected in the life of the believer. C. S. Lewis says that faith is “. . . assent to a proposition which we think so overwhelmingly probable that there is a psychological exclusion of doubt though not a logical exclusion of dispute.”[4] One of the great expositors of the Scriptures in our age, John Stott defines faith as “. . . a reasoning trust, a trust which reckons thoughtfully and confidently upon the trustworthiness of God.”[5] Josh McDowell also defines faith in a similar fashion, but using different terminology, as “the assurance of the heart [mind, the center of our consciousness] in the adequacy of the evidence.”[6] This way of understanding faith actually reflects the significance of Hebrews 11: 1, which says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (KJV). ‘Evidence’ is the translation of the Greek word, which literally means, “proof, or proving.”

In the light of the foregone analysis, we can say that it is unfortunate that some Christians think that their faith is something mystical and extra-mental, which can be and should be separated from reason and knowledge. Many Christians seem to be defining faith as “an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable,” as some one said. There is an interesting story that confirms this kind of a tendency that prevails among Christians. A Sunday school teacher asked the class, “What is faith?” A young boy quickly answered, “Believing something you know isn’t true.” Then another student corrected the boy saying, “Faith is believing that something exists when it does not actually exist.” All these betray the thinking that faith is something baseless and blind. However, this kind of thinking is not at all in line with sound biblical teaching and thinking. In the OT, one of the most serious charges God leveled against His people was that they did not know and understand (Isa. 1: 2-3) and He goes on to invite them to come and reason together with Him (v. 18). Jeremiah also says something similar in 8: 4-7. God says that the ox, the donkey, the stork, the dove, the swift, and the thrush know better than His people and hence are all better than His people. In Jeremiah 3: 14-15, God says to the Israelites that if they return to Him, then He would give them shepherds after His own heart, who will lead them with knowledge and understanding. Paul talks about Israel in Romans 10: 1-4 saying that their zeal was not based on knowledge.

God commands His people in the NT to reason with their non-Christian critics and questioners. 1 Pet. 3: 15b says, “Always be prepared to give an answer or defense (Gk. apologia) to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have. Apologia, from which the English word ‘apologetics’ is derived, literally means, “a reasoned verbal response given in defense of” the hope. This means that our hope has reasons and evidences and that it is defensible. In other words, our faith is an intelligent and reasonable faith. Otherwise, God could not have commanded us to defend it. This perhaps is why Schaeffer says that Christian faith is acceptance based on intellectual content. He says, “To say, as a Christian should, that only the faith which believes God on the basis of knowledge is true faith is to say something which causes an explosion in the twentieth-century world.”[7] All this should help us to understand that it is impossible to separate biblical faith from reason and knowledge. When Christians do so, all that they accomplish is to compromise the faith and destroy any possible basis for communicating with the friends of other religious and philosophical persuasions. Therefore, it is dangerous to try to separate Christian faith from reason and evidence or knowledge.

In sum, biblical or Christian faith is all about ‘trusting someone (with a good basis) and entrusting ourselves to that some one’. The old story of the world’s greatest ropewalker at Niagara Falls illustrates this truth quite well for us. This tight ropewalker crossed from one end to the other of the Niagara Falls. Everybody applauded. When he asked if all of them believed in his ability to walk from one and to the other, they all answered in the affirmative. Then he took a heavy log of wood and came back carrying it in his arms. There was a much more overgenerous applause this time. He asked the audience if they all believed that he could take one of them with him and cross to the other side again. They all answered in the affirmative. But when he asked for a volunteer who would want to go with him, there was hush silence. No one was willing to trust him and entrust himself or herself to this great ropewalker. What is missing here on the part of the spectators? The proof is in place. The intellectual assent is there. What is missing is ‘faith’ that leads to action involving risk (of course calculated risk and not reckless or foolish courage) is missing. This should help us to understand what faith is and this leads to the final point about the nature of Christian faith.

Biblical Faith and Action or Obedience are Inseparably linked: This is what we find when we examine Abraham’s faith closely (see Gen. 12: 1, 4 - the Lord said to Abraham, “Leave . . . go . . . ” and “Abraham left . . . set out/went . . . ”). See Gen. 22: 2, 3, 9, and 16 also. God said, “Take your son Isaac, go, and sacrifice . . . ” and “Early the next morning Abraham got ready, set out for the place, bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, . . . ” and thus, in principle, Abraham sacrificed Isaac and figuratively speaking, he got his son back from death (see Heb. 11: 17-19). We cannot imagine a more severe or difficult test of faith and obedience and Abraham came through demonstrating his faith in obedience. True or biblical faith always leads to obedience. Theologically speaking, faith and obedience cannot be separated.

Charles Spurgeon is said to have commented on this faith-obedience link like this: “The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any action that does not flow from faith.” In the NT, we notice that the words faith/belief and obedience are used as synonyms (see John 3: 16-18 and 36). This becomes very clear if we refer to New Century Version or New American Standard Bible or even the Telugu version of the Bible. So truly biblical or Christian faith is demonstrated in action or obedience and is not limited to just good feelings, thoughts, or intentions.

This is what exactly James says in his epistle (see James 2: 14-16). He talks about a faith that is living (seen in action) and a faith that is dead (does not produce any action). Is your or my faith a true and a lively or living faith or is it a dead faith? James says that faith without corresponding deeds is dead. True and lively or living faith is always seen. It shows itself in the practice of life or character. The fruit of a living faith is a holy or godly life marked by obedience to God. Such a faith sanctifies, works by love, overcomes the world, and purifies the heart. On the contrary, ‘dead faith’, which is not true faith, goes no further than the profession of lips. It is limited to ‘lip-service’ (words) and is not seen in ‘life-service’ (works). It is said that ‘if you don’t practice it, you don’t believe it’. Similarly, we can say that ‘if you don’t practice the Christian faith, you don’t have the Christian faith’. While talking about these two kinds of faith, James talks about the faith of the demons (dead faith), which is nothing more than an intellectual assent or theoretical knowledge that does not lead to practice (obedience). Is our faith any different from the faith of the demons? Some one said that “demons are the original ‘faith only’ Protestants.” Satan or Demons also know a much about God (James 2: 19; Mk. 1: 24; Matt. 8: 29; Lk. 4: 33-34). If our knowledge of God, His will, and His ways does not lead us to obedience to Him, then our knowledge of God is not different from Satan’s or demons’ knowledge of God and our faith is dead. How is your faith? Is it being demonstrated in your obedience to God or the Word of God in your daily life? Or is it a dead faith like the faith of the demons? I think it is very important for all of us to examine our lives honestly (from time to time) and see where we stand and to ensure that our faith is living and vibrant. This exercise has to be carried out earnestly by all Christians, because Christians with dead faith or Christians who are not Christ-like are the biggest barrier for people that are considering Christ. Such Christians discredit the Christian faith.

Conclusion: In conclusion, I would just like to say that the faith of Abraham, the Father of the Faithful and Friend of God, is the paradigm for us. We notice that a great man of faith in the NT, Paul followed the example of Abraham. Paul’s faith was seen in the twists and turns, ups and downs, ebbs and flows, and the glad and sad times of his life and ministry. We can learn from Paul that when we feel alone, desolate, and threatened, we need not despair, for “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8: 35-39). True faith is ‘overcoming or conquering faith’. How is our faith? Is it an overcoming and conquering faith or is it a perennially weak and loosing faith? Can our faith, like Paul’s faith, say, “None of us lives to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14: 7-9)?

What is our faith like? Is it biblical or Christian? Is it like the faith of Abraham – based on the Word of God, focused on God, tested, tried, and approved, reasoned, and reflected in a life of obedience to God in all areas of life? Are we growing in our faith or are we building ourselves up in our most holy faith (Jude 20)? Are we growing in our understanding of God and His ways (the strength or quality of our faith is directly proportional to this) and thus growing in our faith (trust in the Lord who is trustworthy)? Are people around us able to see that our faith in the Lord, the only true God is making a difference in the way we live our lives in the middle of all the problems, uncertainties, complexities, struggles, diseases, and so on? Are people around us challenged by our faith-life and forced to consider the object of our faith, the Lord of all, more seriously? May our faith be demonstrated (in the way we live our lives) to be different from other faiths. May the Lord help us (you and me) and may we do our part to be real men and women of real faith in the real God, for His glory, for the blessing of others, and for our own good.

There might still be some questions in your minds about two very important questions related to our topic (that we have dealt with in passing or alluded to in this article): 1. How do we understand the ‘faith-doubt interplay’ in a believer’s life? And 2. How do we understand the ‘faith-fear relationship’ in the life of a believer in Christ? These questions cannot be ignored and cannot be covered here given the space limitation. However, we will be focusing on these two issues in two separate articles that will be published in the future. Until then, may we encouraged you to do your own study and reflection on these two important issues.

Note: You are most welcome to share your questions with the author, so that he might be able to make his future articles more comprehensive.
[1] This essay is based on a series of messages that I have been preaching in our church with the same title.
[2] The Hindu, Magazine, Sunday, August 4, 2002.
[3] Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, “What Faith Means,” under Inner Space: Discourses in Religion and Philosophy, The Times of India, Bangalore, Wednesday, September 21, 2005, p. 4.
[4] C. S. Lewis, “On Obstinacy in Belief,” in The World’s Last Night and Other Essays (New York: Brace Jovanovich, 1955), p. 16.
[5] John R. W. Stott, Your Mind Matters: The Place of Mind in the Christian Life (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1972), p. 36.
[6] Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict (San Bernardino: Campus Crusade for Christ, 1972), p. 4.
[7] Francis A. Schaeffer, The God Who is There (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1968), p. 142.

Reason Vs. Faith -- comment published in Times of India

2007-12-04T07:01:00.000+05:30

Here is my statement on Reason Vs. Faith that was published in Times of India on October the 7th.

"God has given humans the ability to think rationally and the right to express themselves freely. The right to expression is also constitutionally guaranteed in a democracy. I am for that freedom. However, freedom comes with responsibility. I cannot do whatever I want to, particularly if it infringes upon others' freedom.

When Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code was published, I argued for his freedom of speech, and so did many churches. It was not banned in Christian communities in Europe and America. However, highly qualified clergy and even secular scholars responded to his views in a scholarly way.

So, it is about understanding each other in reasonable, logical ways. There can be a healthy debate. Reason has a valid role to play in understanding and communicating faith in a friendly and respectful manner. But Fundamentalism expresses itself in emotional outbursts and if we are emotional then our reason goes down. Loudness of an argument and low levels of logic generally go hand in hand and this is not good."
Published in Hyderbad Times, Times of India, October 7, 2007, p. 1.

The Qur’an or the Bible? Which one is the Word of God for All Humanity?

2007-06-28T09:38:00.000+05:30

Many years ago, while I was still teaching Zoology in a Collage, on a bus journey from Bangalore to Mysore, I realized that the person sitting next to me was a foreigner and a Muslim. I had a sincere desire to initiate a conversation and to share the gospel. After some internal struggle, I was able to break the ice. I asked him for his name and then for the name of his country. He was from Jordan, a Muslim (my guess came true), and a student. He asked for my name and then asked what I was doing. We talked a little bit about education and slowly moved, quite naturally and smoothly into a discussion on religious matters. Initially he was a little guarded and was hesitating to talk. However, as we moved forward, he began to wax eloquent on why he believed in Islam and on why Qur’an was the only true and final revelation from God to all humanity.

After I listened quite carefully and attentively for some time, I said, “What you have been saying is very interesting and in some ways challenging too. But I have a few questions on what you have said so far. May I ask you some of those questions?” He responded positively and so I said, “You have claimed and tried to justify that the Qur’an is the final and perfect Word from God to humanity. Is it the word of God to all humanity?” “Of course,” he said, and then tried to support the claim this way: “There is only one true God and that God is the God of all humanity. Therefore, his revelation to humanity must also be the same for all humanity.” I said, “This sounds quite reasonable. But I have another question.” What is it?” he said. Then I summarized his claims and said, “You said just a little earlier that the Holy Qur’an was given in heavenly and the most glorious Arabic to Prophet Mohammad who was an illiterate, that he passed it on to his followers who then passed it on to their successors, and that it was finally written down just as it came down from heaven. You also mentioned that one has to read it in the Arabic language to know that it has come from Allah and that it is a miracle in itself. However, I am struggling with a few questions that popped up in my mind, as I was listening to you. Would you please answer my questions and clear my doubts?” With great excitement, he said, “What are your questions and doubts? I will be very happy to explain and clarify things to you.”

“If the Qur’an is God’s Word to all humans and is written in heavenly Arabic, and if one has to read it in Arabic to know that it has come down to us from God, through the Prophet Mohammad, then what about the vast majority of the people in the world who do not know the Arabic language?” I said, “and what has Allah been doing to let people know the truth?” This Muslim friend who was very fluent up to this point, suddenly got
into a reflective mode and became quiet. I had to gently bring him out of his long silence and ask him what his response was. He expressed his inability to respond and promised that he would think about it.

Then, I asked him if I could explain the reasoning that prompted my questions. He answered positively and here is the summary of what I said to him (of course with interruptions in the form of questions of clarifications from him):

I agree with you that there is only One True God of all humanity and that His revelation must be the same for all humanity. However, if the One True God has given one universal revelation to all humanity in one language, then He must do something to make sure that His revelation is translated into different languages so that all humans might come to know the truth about Him. Otherwise, the God of such a revelation that is limited to the people of just one language (the original language in which the revelation is given) and not of all humanity. This must be true, because the God of all humanity should love all humans equally and ensure that His revelation is available to all humans in their different languages. But many Muslim friends like you have told me over the years that in the process of translating the Holy Qur’an into any other language, the original meaning would be lost and hence reading any translation of the Qur’an is not equal to reading the Qur’an. This makes us wonder how the Qur’an could be God’s revelation to all humanity.
However, when we consider the Holy Bible that Christians claim is the true, final, and sufficient revelation of the one true God to all humanity, we know that it has been translated into over 1500 languages. It continues to be the one book that has been translated into highest number of languages, highest selling, most read and most influencing book. This is one reason why I am convinced that the Bible is truly the revelation of the One true God to all humanity and am experiencing its transforming power in my daily life, like many millions all over the world. I would encourage you to take a copy of the New Testament part of the Bible and read it in your own language and see for yourself if what I am saying is true or not.

This Muslim friend was very quiet, but attentive as I explained things to him and agreed to read the Bible. Our conversation ended on a friendly note. I was not able to share the gospel with this friend, but I was glad that I was able to present one important truth to him in a way that got his attention.

When I reflected on this dialogue, I realized yet another time that the principles of apologetics that I had learnt came handy and helped me in this dialogue with a Muslim friend. I would like to highlight just three of them: 1) Agreeing with the other person on some things that are true and agreeable makes her/him more open, 2) Raising Critical Questions that have the power of forcing people to open up with their assumptions, consider the evidence afresh, and to realize the errors that might be there in their thinking, and 3) Controlling and directing the discussion/dialogue towards truth by gently raising good questions that bring the real/main issues into focus. It is my prayer that you too might learn and use the principles of apologetics in your evangelistic and pre-evangelistic conversations.

Note: Not all Muslims would agree with us so easily. They would generally raise many tough questions about the reliability of the NT and a number of other Christian beliefs like the Holy Trinity, Deity of Jesus Christ, Death and Resurrection of Christ, etc. We have good answers to most of their questions and we will cover them in the future under some other column. Alternatively, you can visit Answering Islam.Org and find good answers to the many common questions that we get from our Muslim friends.

Does the Christian idea of God as Trinity make sense?

2007-06-28T09:33:00.001+05:30

Some years ago while I was traveling in a train I struck a conversation with one of the fellow passengers. He was a medical doctor and a Muslim. I started the conversation with a desire to share the gospel with him. But he kept asking many questions and the discussion went on for a long time (more than two hours). Most of the questions were related to the reliability of the gospels and the deity of Jesus Christ. He controlled the discussion and took it in different directions. I was not able to share the gospel and was beginning to feel frustrated.

I started the conversation, he hijacked it, and I was feeling helpless. It was at this time that I began to pray and the Lord guided me to stop answering his questions and to start asking some questions instead. So I said, “Sir, you have been asking many questions and I have been trying to answer them. To me it appears that we have not been able to make much progress. I thought we should begin to talk about something that we can agree on. If you do not mind, I would like to ask you one question.” He responded positively and the question I asked him was this: “Do you believe that God is loving?” He thought for a long time and answered in the affirmative. Then I said, “If God is loving, has He always been loving?” This time he thought for a much longer time and became silent.

Then I sad, “Sir, I did not intend to silence you in our discussion. My intention in asking the question was to focus our discussion on the nature of God. Would you please let me know what your thoughts are on this matter.” He told me quite hesitatingly that he got stuck in his thinking. Then I told him that I would be happy to explain the reasoning behind my questions, if he wanted to know. He told me that he would be interested in knowing my reasoning. So I told him something like the following:
We cannot think of God who is absolutely one and loving at the same time. The reason is simple. If God is God, He must be eternal and must be eternally loving. This means that He must have loved something or someone even before He chose to create anything. This must be so, because’ love’ is other-centered and not self-centered. In fact, self-love is not a virtue and in plain language, we call it ‘selfishness’. This shows or necessitates that there must be some plurality in the personality of God, so that love might not just be a possibility, but be an actuality. This is why the Bible gives the teaching that God is tripersonal or that God is a triune being. In other words, God is one (essence) and three (persons) at the same time. If this is not the case, in eternity, God would have only had the potential to love and then He would have had to wait until He created something or someone to actualize His potential to love and such a being that depends on creatures to actualize a potential cannot be God (who must be self-sufficient and pure actuality). What God is, He is in totality and eternally. The Christian understanding of God as Trinity makes perfect sense, because the three persons of the Godhead – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit love one another eternally and such a triune being can be a loving God in Himself and can love or direct His love towards creatures like us as well. That is why the Bible says that God is love. God the Father loves God the Son through the medium of God the Holy Spirit and thus the God of the Bible is a Community of three Persons that share the same divine essence and are bound eternally by love. Only this kind of a God can be truly loving.

The Muslim friend listened very carefully and once again went into silence. I had to bring him out of the silence and back into conversation by asking him what he thought about my analysis. He told me that nobody had ever told him what I told him and promised that he would think more on this. At that point, I gave him the address of a Christian friend of mine who happened to be living in the same neighborhood.

You might be now wondering about my original intention of sharing the gospel. I could not share the gospel, because he was not prepared to take it. But I was glad that I could at least bring the discussion under control and lead it towards the truth, make a reasonable presentation of the biblical or Christian understanding of God, and thus could get a Muslim friend to listen to what I had to say about God. I do believe that God might have brought someone else like me across his path since then to present the gospel to him. As a result of our conversation, this Muslim friend must have become a little more prepared to take the gospel seriously and to understand it.

Note: A condensed version of this was originally published in Apologia: Reasoned Answers for Life (July – September 2003, pp. 27-28).

What is the sex of God? Is God a He or She or an It?

2007-06-28T09:10:00.000+05:30

Many years ago, I was at a University in the State of Andhra Pradesh, India to speak in an Open Forum on the “Evolution-Creation Controversy.” The auditorium was packed with postgraduate students, some research scholars, and a few faculty members. The lecture went well. I presented evidence from different branches of biology – molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, and paleontology that go against the theory of evolution and support the idea that God created the universe and everything in it, instead.

The Q&A time began and after I answered a few questions that were given in writing, the Head of the Department of Zoology stood up, made a brief comment, and then asked a question. He said, “Mr. Sudhakar, we cannot deny the evidence that you have presented to support your claim that the case for evolution is very weak and the evidence supports the conclusion that there must be a God. I do believe that there is a God. But I have a question. What is the sex of this God? Is it a He or a She or an It?

In response to this question, everyone present broke into laughter. I was a bit uncomfortable. I sent forth a telegraphic prayer and the answer came back almost instantaneously. God brought to memory a few things that I had learnt earlier that could help me answer the question. While thanking God in my heart, I was able to give an answer to the professor. I said, “Sir, if you do not mind, I would like to ask you a question, which would be a part of my answer.” The professor responded positively and so I said, “Sir, your question is exactly like that question that I am going to ask and the question is this – How many liters of love do you have for your wife?” The whole auditorium broke into laughter again. The professor was laughing as well, but was a little uncomfortable and I could see it. I then asked the audience if they understood the relationship or connection between the professor’s question and my question. The response I got was silence. They knew something was wrong with the question, but they did not understand. So I explained, saying, “We laugh at some of the questions because we know that there is something intrinsically wrong with them, whether we know it or not. If you consider my question to the professor carefully, you will know that liter is not a unit of measurement that we use when we talk about love. Liter is all right and relevant when we talk about liquids like water, milk, and oil. But you cannot use liter as a unit of measurement when we talk about love, which is not physical and liquid. This type of questions actually confuse categories and in philosophy they are referred to as nonsensical or meaningful questions.”

I pointed out to the professor very gently that just as liter is irrelevant when we talk about love; gender is irrelevant and does not make sense when we talk about God. Then I reminded him of what I had already explained: God was there before anything of the material-physical and time-space universe ever existed and He brought everything into existence. This means that God must be non-physical and non-temporal. If He is non-physical, then He must be non-biological as well, because gender is a characteristic of biological entities like animals, plants, or human beings that are a part of the physical-material universe. I explained further that God is trans-sexual and hence it becomes irrelevant to talk about that being’s gender. It does not make sense. We are mixing categories (the physical and the non-physical) here and making a ‘category mistake’, as it is described in logic. The professor nodded in agreement and sat down.

Then I went on to explain that the Bible uses the term, ‘He’ with reference to God both in the Old and New Testaments, not because He is a ‘male God’, but because God is a person and we are familiar only with male or female persons. This makes sense because the God of the Bible knew that there would be a point in human history when the trans-sexual and non-physical God, who is a Spirit, would come into the history in the form of a human being and that human being would be a man (for reasons well known to Him). So, I think, to maintain consistency throughout the Bible, even in the Old Testament God chose to use the personal pronoun ‘He’ with reference to Himself.

It is also interesting to note that in the Bible the traits that are there both in man and woman are found in God. This means that both men and women received some of those uniquely masculine or feminine traits or characteristics from the same God. God created both man and woman in His image and likeness and it is together that humans reflect the image of God. At this point, I saw people nodding their heads in agreement and the rest of the open forum went very well. I had an opportunity to clarify things further about God and how we could know God. You can see how the principles of apologetics (the principle of using questions that cause others to stop and think) can be put to effective use in our interactions with our non-Christian friends and lead the discussion in the direction of truth.

Note: A version of this was published in Apologia: Reasoned Answers for Life (April – June 2003, pp. 12-13).

Applied Apologetics: Conversations/Dialogues that Count

2007-06-22T02:29:00.000+05:30

No. 1. Should we see God in order to believe that He exists?

It was an Open Forum on the Question of God’s existence in a Collage auditorium. The participants were all science students. During the Q&A time, one of the students posed these questions: Is God visible? Alternatively, can we see God? If not, how can we believe that God exists? By way of answering, I raised a few questions in return: Are you sure that your great-grandfather had existed? He answered, “Yes.” Then I asked, "Have you even seen him?" This time the answer was in the negative. Then I asked, are you still sure that you have a great-grand father who existed at some time in the past? He was apparently a little annoyed and stunned at the same time. He realized that although he had not seen his great-grandfather, he was sure that he existed. I gently pointed to him that he was sure about the existence of his great-grandfather whom he had not seen because he himself was in existence at that point of time and then made the point that ‘seeing’ is not the only basis for believing. He nodded in agreement and sat down.

Then I directed a question to the audience: How many of you believe that electrons exist? Everyone present responded in unison in the affirmative. I went on to raise another question: How many of you have ever seen an electron? The only answer I got was hush silence. It seemed that they got the point. I clarified the truth that though we cannot see an electron, we do not doubt its existence, because we have indirect evidence (its effects) that it exists. I also mentioned that there are many entities that are important in the scientific realm but they cannot be seen (they are invisible). They all nodded in agreement and I went on to make the following final comments.

The question of the origin of the universe brings the question of God’s existence to the surface. God is that invisible cause behind the cosmos who brought the universe into existence. Because He existed before space-time-matter existed, He must be non-physical and therefore we cannot see Him (He is invisible). This is not only reflective of God’s non-physical/material nature, but more of our own finiteness – our limited ability to see or perceive. We cannot or are not able to see God. However, there are many indirect evidences for God’s existence. Therefore, our inability to see something or someone does not prove that the entity in question does not exist. At this point, the student who raised the original question and almost everyone in the audience nodded in agreement. This is an instance of applying apologetics or principles of apologetics (particularly the art of asking right questions in dialogues and moving them towards truth) in a practical real life situation that is still fresh in my memory after many years.

Note: A shorter version of this was published in Apologia: Reasoned Answers for Life (January – March 2003, p. 19).

David and his Three Military Chiefs: Learning Some Spiritual Lessons from a Battle Scene

2007-06-11T08:44:00.000+05:30

(1 Chronicles 11: 10-19)
- Rev. Sudhakar Mondithoka,
(Former National Director of RZIM-India and currently a Visiting Professor of Christian Apologetics, Ethics, and World Religions at SAIACS and SABC, Bangalore)

Introduction: Humans are busier than ever before – our generation is the busiest generation in history. Speed is good. Being busy is good. However, being too busy (busy beyond a healthy limit) has many baneful affects. We are all under tremendous pressure to perform that comes from outside and the unhealthy drive from within and we often end up in the ‘performance trap’. All this leads to increased levels of tension and anxiety (stress). No wonder that 40% of deaths in Urban India are due to life-style disorders or diseases. Look at this Psalm 23 parody – The 21st Century Busy Person’s Version of Psalm 23:
The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.

It makes me lie down only when exhausted.

It leads me to deep depression. It hounds my soul.

It leads me in circles of frenzy for activity's sake.

Event though I run frantically from task to task, dawn to desk, I will never get it all done, for my "ideal" is always with me.

Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.

They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.

They anoint my head with migraines.

My in-tray and in-box overflow.

Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration and desperation forever.

[Lord, please help me to stay close to your Psalm 23 for me and not mine. My Psalm 23 leads me to destruction, yours leads me to peace, and all the good things you want me to enjoy in life. Amen]

With this as the backdrop, let us now look at the context of the text that I want us to consider closely.

Setting/Background/Context: It was a very crucial point in the history of Israel. Their first king, Saul started deviating (going away from God), although he started well and did well for some time. The Lord had chosen David, the youngest son of Jesse and turned the kingdom over to David. Samuel the prophet had already anointed David King of Israel, but Saul was haunting him and he was hiding from Saul. Saul just died, because of unfaithfulness in following/to the Lord (1 Chro. 11: 13-14). After Saul’s death, the elders of Israel anointed David king over Israel at Hebron. However, there was resistance coming from different quarters. David and his men conquer Jerusalem. The Philistines gathered for battle at Pas Dammim. David’s troops fled from the Philistines, but his mighty men, about thirty chiefs (who gave David’s kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land – v. 10) took their stand, struck the Philistines down, and the Lord borough about great victory. At that time King David, their Master (Commander in Chief) was in the stronghold - a rock at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.

A. David and the Three Military Chiefs – A Highly Dramatic Scene on the Battle Field that ends on an Anticlimactic note: While he was in the stronghold, David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” (11: 17). It is like soliloquy, and not a request directed to someone. V. 15 says that three of the thirty chiefs came down to David, their master. We read in v. 18 that they heard their master’s words (as it is implied), broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. Verses 18b and 19 say that when they brought the water, he refused to drink it and poured it out before the Lord, instead.

B. David’s Three Military Chiefs and the Spiritual Lessons we can Learn from them: I want us to now focus a little bit on these three mighty men of David. What can we observe and learn about them? We can learn two important things about them:
1) They were in Physical/Spatial Proximity to their Master and so could hear his words that expressed his longing, and 2) They were in such intimate love relationship with their King that they were willing to put their lives on the line (as we can see in David’s response – vv. 18b –19a) to satisfy the longing of their master. Their courageous/heroic action reveals that they were deeply dedicated/committed to their master. By the way, it was not/does not seem to be careless courage – not merely human, heroic courage, but courage engendered by love. It was not merely determination and drive to succeed in doing something, but doing that flowed out of their being men of love, dedication, and commitment, in their relationship to their master. It was not even something that they did to draw attention to themselves, because they had to break through the enemy lines and so, they must have done it all in a very low-key and unrecognizable/secret fashion. Being in the limelight was not the motivation. It was love.
What lessons can we learn from their example, about our relationship with our master, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, by way of application?
1) We should, like David’s men be physically, emotionally, and mentally in such a situation that we might be able to hear our master (C-in-C) and know his longing, and
2) We should, like David’s men, make ‘being in intimate love relationship with our Master’ the most important thing/top priority in life, so that we might know our king’s longing and do everything we can to satisfy that longing. We should love the Lord our God with all our beings and our dedication and commitment to Him should be such that we will not hesitate even to lay down our lives for Him. This is what we find in the words of Hanani, the seer to Asa in 2 Chro. 16: 9a – “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. . . .” Asa’s son, Jehoshaphat was commended in these words: “His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord;” The text shows further that the ways of the Lord and the Word(s) of God are inextricably linked. And we know that no one is devoted to the ways of the Lord, unless he or she is wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord first. Verse 3 says that the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the ways of his father David, sought the God of his father, and followed his commands. Hear the word of David (his exhortation and warning) to his son Solomon (1 Chro. 28: 9): “And you my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” There are serious and godly instructions.
Friends, as far as our relationship with the Lord is concerned, the heart of the matter is still a matter of the heart (the core of our being). This is what we see in the teaching (that express his longing) of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Matt. 22: 34-40, we read that his archrivals, the Pharisees heard that he silenced the Sadducees and then they planned/schemed to test/trap him. One of them, who was an expert in the law tested him with a question as to which was the greatest commandment of the law. And Jesus responded saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the greatest commandment.” This means that we should love the Lord with the totality of our beings and this should be our preoccupation in life, perhaps, the top or the only priority in life, for if this is in its place, everything else falls in place. Mark says in chapter 3: 14-16 that Jesus appointed the twelve apostles with twin purposes – first, that they might be with him and secondly, that he might send them out. Commenting on this, A. W. Tozer (the Prophet of the 20th Century), said, “Those that have no time to spend with the Lord, have no right to spend time for the Lord.” The first, our being with him and the second, our doing something for Him, be it preaching or teaching or whatever, should always be kept in that order. Friends, the main/most important thing in life is to keep the main/most important thing, the main/most important thing, as Lee Iacoca once said. This is what our Lord Jesus Christ, our C-in-C models for us – he never allowed this order to be reversed, as we can learn from both Lukan and Markan accounts of his life. He was very busy and popular. People were all the time looking for him. However, he never allowed himself to be driven by the tide of popularity nor by the business. He always ensured that his communion with the Father was sandwiched between two busy days of work. This is what Mark captures for us in 1: 35-39. Commenting on this, a lady (commentator) once said, “While others were still snoring, Jesus was soaring in his communion with the Father.” May the Lord help us all and particularly the graduating students to always keep the first thing, the first thing in life, knowing that if we fail here, our whole life would be topsy turvy/upside down.

C. David and the Lesson that we can Learn from him: Now what lesson can we learn from David’s response, which is anticlimactic, to what the three chiefs had done to satisfy his longing? The Bible says that when the three mighty men brought the water to David, he did not drink it. Instead, he poured it out on the ground before/to the LORD, and said, “Far be it from me, O my God, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy? For at the risk of their lives they brought it” (v. 19, NKJV). David’s deed and words both show clearly (at least to me) that he realized that such great (self-denying and sacrificing) love, loyalty, and dedication belonged only to the Lord and not to any man, however great that man might be. What a great leader! And what a great example for us! David, a man after God’s own heart, stands in contrast to many of the contemporary Christian leaders, who knowingly or unknowingly engage in excessive image building and in the process make loyalty of their colleagues to them of such high importance that some of them (some times) try to please them and show loyalty to them rather than to God. Pay close attention, as I quote words of profound wisdom coming from Ordway Tead:
“The leader may consciously enjoy a feeling of superiority and aloofness, showing itself in condescension, vanity, conceit, and self-pride. He may demand too much adulation and personal loyalty, and therefore, try to surround himself with sycophants, “yes-men” and ‘rubber stamps.” He may want his own way too much and too often, and be too opinionated and obstinate about taking counsel with his colleagues and followers.”[1]

Conclusion: May the Lord help us all to guard against this dangerous and deadly tendency in others and ourselves in leadership. Let us thank God for King David and commit ourselves to being like him in our leadership style. May the Lord help us to be like David’s three military chiefs in our relationship with our Commander-in-Chief and like David in our relationship with the Lord and other men and women that we work with. Let us pray and respond to God, who I believe has spoken to us from His Word.

[1] Ordway Tead, The Art of Leadership (New York: Mc Graw Hill, 1935), 215.

The Problem of Evil and Suffering – A Worldview Analysis

2007-04-25T05:47:00.000+05:30

Rev. Sudhakar Mondithoka

All of us encounter the problem of evil and suffering, which is almost as old as humankind is. Yet, it continues to draw the attention of philosophers, theologians, artists, novelists, and common men and women alike, because it touches all, ravages many, and perplexes thinking people. So everyone thinks and wonders about the existence of evil and suffering in the world, their own lives, and the lives of their dear ones. Vanauken thinks it is the hardest subject in the world, which is the tears and groans of mankind, the existence of pain and suffering, the problem . . . the mystery of suffering.

The last five decades have seen an unprecedented amount of philosophical and theological work on this topic. Whitney published a bibliography of over 4, 200 philosophical and theological writings on the topic, which were published from 1960 to 1990, one publication every two and a half days. This shows that the problem we are considering is a very serious and ever relevant one.

In this article, I will focus on how different worldviews respond to it and on which response makes sense of suffering and holds out hope.

Worldview Analysis of the Problem – What do Different Worldviews Say about it?
There is a whole range of responses to the problem of evil and suffering. Some deny God’s reality (atheism), some deny God’s power (polytheism, dualism, finite godism etc.), some deny God’s goodness (Satanism, Pantheism, and Deism), and some deny evil itself (Idealism, Pantheism at one level, and Christian Science). There are two dominant responses – the theistic and atheistic or naturalistic. Before zeroing in on these two, let us consider the Buddhist, Pantheistic, and Polytheistic responses.

Buddhist Response
Response: Buddhism is a system that is centered on the problem of suffering, because it is based on Buddha’s answer to this problem. When he encountered suffering, he started wondering why people fall sick, grow old, and die. While thinking about the question What is the Cause of all this Suffering? he saw a sanyasin and thought that he might unravel the mystery of suffering if he became a sanyasin and became one. Then he sat under a Bodhi tree determined to read the great riddle. After he became enlightened he annunciated his Four Noble Truths, which constitute the essence of Buddhism:
Life is suffering (dukkha) – we are born in and live in suffering, and we die in suffering. Suffering is ‘having what you wish you hadn’t and not having what you wish you had’.
Suffering is caused by desire (tanha, greed or craving or selfishness). When there is a gap between desire and satisfaction, there is suffering (the gap itself).

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The Problem of Evil and Suffering – A Worldview Analysiswritten by Sudhakar Mondithoka.

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The Lost Tomb of Jesus: Searching the Living among the Dead

2007-03-10T02:07:00.000+05:30

An article by Jerry Thomas

Resurrection is undoubtedly the one of the most important cornerstones of Christian faith. “If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty” declared Apostle Paul. We do not preach and put our faith in ideas and concepts. We preach about the crucified and resurrected Christ and having relationship with Him.

Knowing this fully well, each year the critics of Christianity would bring something to discredit the birth, mission, death or the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This year the critics turned to be the Discovery Channel, the supposedly factual channel and James Cameron, the director of the movie, Titanic. On March 4, 2007 Discovery Channel aired the documentary “The Lost Tomb of Jesus.” The documentary claims to have discovered the bones of Jesus Christ, his lost tomb, and the bones of alleged wife, Mary Magdalene and their son, Judah. Before we look at the arguments of James Cameron, let us look at the facts.

Facts First: The Talpiot Tomb, Ossuaries and Inscriptions

On March 28, 1980, a construction crew developing an apartment complex in Talpiot, Jerusalem, uncovered a tomb, which archaeologists from the Israeli Antiquities Authority excavated shortly thereafter. Archaeologist Shimon Gibson surveyed the site and drew a layout plan. Scholar L.Y. Rahmani later published "A Catalogue of Jewish Ossuaries" that described 10 ossuaries, or limestone bone boxes, found in the tomb. Scholars know that from 30 B.C. to 70 A.D., many people in Jerusalem would first wrap bodies in shrouds after death. The bodies were then placed in carved rock tombs, where they decomposed for a year before the bones were placed in an ossuary.

The first of the ossuaries' inscriptions in the alleged tomb, written in Aramaic, reads, ``Yeshua bar Yosef,'' or ``Jesus son of Joseph.'' The second, in Hebrew, reads, ``Maria.'' The third, in Hebrew, reads, ``Matia,'' or ``Matthew.'' The fourth inscription, in Hebrew, reads, “Yose,” a nickname for “Yosef,” or ``Joseph.'' The fifth, in Greek, reads, ``Mariamene e Mara,''. The sixth, in Aramaic, reads, ``Yehuda bar Yeshua,'' or “Judah son of Jesus.”

Though refuted by reputed archeologists, James Cameron argues that these are the bones of Jesus Christ and his family. Let us examine James Cameron’s arguments.

James Cameron’s Arguments from the Inscriptions

The names inscribed in the ossuaries, according to James Cameron are very similar to the family members of the Jesus.

Leaking Holes: Though it was uncommon to call Jesus of the Bible as “Jesus son of Joseph” in the first century, one for the argument's sake may agree that Joseph, Jesus son of Joseph, and Maria look similar to the names of the members in the family of Jesus. But, what about the names like Matthew, Mariamene e Mara, and Judah son of Jesus? If three names matches with the family members of Jesus mentioned in the Bible, the other three does not match with the family members of the Jesus mentioned in the Bible (Mark 6:3).

James Cameron’s Answer:

The name, “Mariamene e Mara”, according to the filmmakers’ means, “Mary the master” or “Mary the teacher.” This Mary according to the film makers must have been Mary Magdalene. And like Dan Brown, the author of the Da Vinci Code, James Cameron also believes that Jesus must have been married to Mary Magdalene and must have had a son named Judah (Remember according to Dan Brown, Mary Magdalene was buried in France and the alleged ‘couple’ had a daughter named Sarah).

Leaking Holes:

First, Mara in this context, according to the New Testament scholar Ben Witherington does not mean Master. It is an abbreviated form of Martha. Moreover, there is not a single document from the first three centuries, whether Christian, non-Christian or heretical which claims that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. For those who are interested to know about it can read ‘Was Jesus Married?” in www.markdroberts.com of which the excerpts are given in our website www.sakshitimes.com. The Da Vinci Code and other fictions which claim Jesus to be married are fictions and are of no historical value. If James Cameron wants to argue from the inscription, then it is a classical case of circular argument. Here we again raise the question of mismatch of three names. If three names are mismatching, how can James Cameron conclude that family tomb is of Jesus of the Bible.

Moreover, it must be noted that some of the family members mentioned in the Bible are missing in the tomb, e.g., James the Just, a prominent member of the family and the author of the epistle James in the New Testament, is buried in a single tomb near the Temple mount. If Jesus of Nazareth had a family tomb in Jerusalem, why would they bury a prominent member elsewhere? Again, it is highly improbable that Jesus of Nazareth would have had family tomb in Jerusalem. If there was one, it should have been in Nazareth.

James Cameron’s Argument from Statistics:

James Cameron, after assuming all the six names to be from the family of Jesus, had Mathematicians calculate the probability of the same cluster of names for any other family. “The numbers range from one in 100 to one in 1,000 that there is some other family,” said Andrey Feuerverger, a professor of mathematics at the University of Toronto.

Leaking Holes:

This probability can be arrived only if we (a) Assume that all the names belonged to the family of Jesus (b) Taking only these six names and without taking into account of the total number of similar names in the first century. While we have already answered the first assumption, we would like to consider the total number of names and calculate the probability. Ben Witherington blog quotes the calculation done by his friend . Richard Bauckham: Bauckam writes:

Out of a total number of 2625 males, these are the figures for the ten most popular male names among Palestinioan Jews. the first figure is the total number of occurrences (from this number, with 2625 as the total for all names, you could calculate percentages), while the second is the number of occurrences specifically on ossuraies. (a) Simon/Simeon 243 59 (b) Joseph 218 45 (c) Eleazar 166 29 (d) Judah 164 44 (e) John/Yohanan 122 25 (f) Jesus 99 22 (g) Hananiah 82 18 (h) Jonathan 71 14 (i) Matthew 62 17 (j) Manaen/Menahem 42 4 (k)

For women, we have a total of 328 occurrences (women's names are much less often recorded than men's), and figures for the 4 most popular names are thus: (a) Mary/Mariamne 70 42 (b) Salome 58 41 (c) Shelamzion 24 19 (d) Martha 20 17. You can see at once that all the names you're interested were extremely popular. 21% of Jewish women were called Mariamne (Mary). The chances of the people in the ossuaries being the Jesus and Mary Magdalene of the New Testament must be very small indeed. Here one must note that the available numbers are from the existing records or artifacts and not the actual number of names existed in the first century. The actual number must have been thousand times more. Thus, we see that if we reject the unfounded assumption or change the methodology, the results change.

James Cameron’s Argument from DNA:

James Cameron argues that DNA test showed that bones of ‘Jesus’ and ‘Mary’ did not match. Therefore, they must have been husband and wife.

Leaking Holes: The DNA test on bones has only shown that these two individuals did not have a blood relation. However, absence of blood relation between bones in a DNA test can never be construed as marriage certificate. Since these tombs have as many as four generations, they could have been even mother-in-law and son-in-law or father-in-law and daughter-in-law. Moreover, even if these bones were of the husband and wife, our question is still valid: How do you know that it is Jesus of the Bible? it is laughable to say that DNA test can prove that it is Jesus of the Bible. DNA test on bones can only prove the relation between the bones but cannot establish the identity.

James Cameron’s Argument from the Absence of Physical Remains of Jesus:

James Cameron argues there are no other physical bones (archeological remains!!!) of Jesus. So, this must be of Jesus.

Leaking Holes: If a person physically resurrects, he will leave no bones for future documentary makers. In fact, this argument shows the bias against Christian scholarship and faith. Jesus, according to the most reliable of all ancient documents, the New Testament, had physically resurrected and the empty tomb is always there for anyone to check. The first century disciples argued from the empty tomb and they were martyred for declaring it. If the first century critics never accused the Christians of searching in the wrong tomb, then how can a 21st century critic do so?

It must be recalled that critics who refused to accept the empty tomb have searched and allegedly found the tomb of Jesus even in Kashmir (http://www.tombofjesus.com/home.htm) and Japan (http://www.thiaoouba.com/tomb.htm).

Our final question to all the skeptics and critics is this: Why do you seek the living among the dead? (Luke 24:5).

An article by Jerry Thomas

Priority Christian Living in the Present Perplexing World

2006-11-15T08:46:00.000+05:30

Often we hear people talking about the need to manage time and to set or reset or ‘re-reset priorities’ and so on. I have also been one of such people. But now I know that ‘it is not time that needs to be managed, but it is ourselves’. When we know how to manage ourselves, then time, financial, relational and all other managements fall in place almost automatically. We cannot manage ourselves without a clear knowledge of and commitment to ‘the purpose of our life’. It is not the priorities that need to be set first, but it is rather ‘the purpose of our life’ that needs to be fixed firmly in our minds and hearts. That is why we are focusing our attention on “Priority Christian Living in the Present Perplexing World.” Priority Christian Living is, in an important sense, living a ‘Purpose Driven Life’. So we will look at the present world that is perplexing in so many way first, then we’ll look at the purpose of our lives from God’s perspective, and finally, in the process, see how the purpose naturally determines the priorities.

Click on the following link to read this complete article
"Priority Christian Living in the Present Perplexing World" written by Sudhakar Mondithoka.

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The Bible – How We Got It and Whether It Is Reliable! (The Origin, Reliable Transmission and Preservation of the Bible)

2006-10-06T03:18:00.000+05:30

If there is one book that has always been under attack, it is the Bible, the book of the Millennia. It is the most widely circulated book and the book that has been translated into more languages (in entirety or in part) than any other book (more than 2000 languages). It is the book that has given birth to modern-western civilization and the scientific enterprise. It is the book that has shaped and transformed not just individuals but nations. Different groups and individuals have leveled the attack on this book in different ways at different times throughout history. The French philosopher Voltaire once said that there would come a time when no one would read this book. But quite humorously his own property was bought by the French Bible Society (after his death) and millions of copies of the Bible have been distributed from there and even Dan Brown’s book Da Vinci Code can’t come anywhere close to the Bible as far as the publication and sales records of a book are concerned. The most commonly raised questions are about the origin, transmission, preservation, and reliability of the Bible and in this essay we will examine the same issues.

Click on the following link to read this complete article
The Bible – How We Got It and Whether It Is Reliable! (The Origin, Reliable Transmission and Preservation of the Bible)
written by Santhi & Sudhakar Mondithoka.

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Being Good Christian Citizens and Facing the Contemporary Social Challenges

2006-09-29T06:31:00.000+05:30

As Christians we enjoy ‘dual citizenship’ – we are the citizens of the Kingdom of God as well as the nation we belong to, India and the world at large. The latter is a transient one where as the former is eternal. But often there are imbalances in the way Christians understand and live out this truth – some live as if this world is all that is and others live as if this world is not ultimately important and hence it does not matter how we live, as long as we are ‘holy in our inner lives’, whatever that might mean.
According to the Bible, we are in the world, but not of the world and we are in the world for a purpose. This purpose is captured for us in many different ways – 1) being salt and light, 2) being the ambassadors of Jesus Christ, 3) being faithful stewards or managers, etc.
In this article we will discuss the issue of the relationship of the Christians to the world in some detail and then deal with some of the contemporary social issues and challenges that we encounter as we live our lives in this world as ‘dual citizens’.

Click on the following link to read this complete article "Being Good Christian Citizens and Facing the Contemporary Social Challenges" written by Sudhakar Mondithoka.

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Truth in Religion(s) – Are All Religions Really the Same?

2006-09-14T00:45:00.000+05:30

“All roads lead to Rome and so any way (religion) will get you there (to God)” is a statement of Religious Pluralism, according to which different religions are like different routes to the same destiny. Religions are like rivers and just as different rivers ultimately merge with the same ocean, different religions take us to the same God. It is said that just as we can reach the top of a mountain from different sides (North, South, East, West, North-West, North-East, South-West, and South-East for example), we can reach God by choosing one of the many religious routes that are available. In this context, any exclusive claims are considered to be expressions of outmoded thinking and of narrow mindedness and religious bigotry. People generally think that all religions are ultimately the same or that they are fundamental similar and only superficially dissimilar. But are all religions really the same or teaching us the same things? Are all religions really like different ways to the same destiny?

I invite you to think with me on this very important question or issue. I want us to approach this question from the perspective of truth. Truth is important, because if we are in error, we will be the losers. Our ancestors in India expressed their intrinsic desire in the well-known Sanskrit prayer: “Asathoma Sadgamay, Thamasoma Jyothirgamay, Mrithyorma Amruthangamay." This means: Lead us from untruth into truth, Lead us from darkness into light, and Lead us from death into life or immortality. This prayer is an expression of the ancient Indian quest for the truth and this quest is a universal quest. In the twenty first century also truth is important, because it is a life and death issue in our lives and in the ultimate sense as well. For example, if God, heaven, and hell are real and there is a certain way in which we need to reach God, and if I do not know the truth about these matters and hold false beliefs, I will be the eternal looser. So, if our aim is to discover the truth regarding this issue, we need to first discuss the subject of truth and then focus on "Truth in Religions," and apply the principles or logic of truth to this discussion.

Click on the following link to read this complete article "Truth in Religion(s) – Are All Religions Really the Same?" written by Sudhakar Mondithoka.

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http://www.mondithokas.com

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Life After Death: Reincarnation or Resurrection?

2006-08-11T02:30:00.000+05:30

Death, a bitter truth about human life, follows us like our own shadow and has a hundred percent success rate. It is the greatest leveller - it stalks the rich and the poor, the educated and the uneducated, the young and the old, and the religious and the irreligious. It is no respecter of race, color or creed and brings all to the same level. Many are terrified by death and die many times in life with the fear of death, before they actually die. Many others do not even like to think or talk about death. But when some dear one dies, we are all forced to think about it. Solomon, a man of great wisdom said, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.” Job asked, “If a man die, shall he live again?” This question should be taken seriously, because if there is nothing beyond the grave, death becomes our final destiny and life becomes meaningless. That is why there is longing in our hearts for life after death. Our ancestors in India cried out saying, “Mrithyorma Amrithangamaya,” which means “From death lead me to life or immortality” (Brihadranyaka Upanishad, I. iii. 28). But are there any good reasons and evidences to believe that there is life after death?

Click on the following link to read this complete article "Life After Death: Reincarnation or Resurrection?" written by Sudhakar Mondithoka.

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Jesus Christ and the Two Natures – Compatible or Incompatible?

2006-07-15T04:48:00.000+05:30

Click on the following link to read a recent article "Jesus Christ and the Two Natures – Compatible or Incompatible?" written by Sudhakar and Santhi.

A shorter version of this article, bearing the subtitle "The Divine-Human Interface in Jesus Christ" as its title has just been published in Apologia – Reasoned Answers for Life.

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Truth and Opinion

2006-06-23T13:34:00.000+05:30

Letter to the Editor: editor@vijaytimes.com and cc to benjaminpn@hotmail.com

Truth and Opinion

Respected Sir,

I am from Hyderabad (and earlier from Chennai). But every time I come to Bangalore I pick up VT (Vijay Times) knowing that it is a popular new paper already. I am back in Bangalore, as a Visiting Professor to teach a course on Ethics at SAIACS (South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies) and have been reading VT again and have realized one of the reasons for your success: You allow Free Interaction, Discussion, and Debate and thus honour the commitment to the good principle of “responsible freedom of expression.” Hats off (salaam) to you.
I am writing in response to PN Benjamin’s article in the Opinion page (Redefine old pedestals of religion and fundamentalism, 14th June) a letter in the Letters to the Editor column (Truth is in Life and Being by GR Ramnathan, 14th June, which refers to another letter published on the 12th). I agree with a whole lot of stuff in both these entrees. But I would like to express my views/thoughts on “Truth & Opinion.” I think that each of us is free to hold any opinion on any matter or believe anything that we want to believe. But our beliefs and opinions need not necessarily be true. So we should honour/respect people as people, because each person is created by the same Creator God with intrinsic worth and dignity and of course freedom of choice, in divine likeness, as the Bible teaches. So when I meet people who believe differently or hold different views than the views I hold, I would not just tolerate (in my view a negative attitude – saying ‘well, your views are different and not good enough, but I still tolerate you’) but rather positively respect them and their freedom. One way I express that respect is by entering into a discussion or dialogue or debate, knowing that 1) they are intelligent, capable of reasoning, and 2) truth matters (in the ultimate sense – Satyame va jeyathe, meaning ‘the truth shall triumph’).
I think that we should take truth seriously in all areas of our life, including the religious sphere, know the truth, and live by it. On this I agree with Mr. GB Ramanathan. I also agree with Mr. PN Benjamin that the best thing to do in response to a book like Da Vinci Code (and the movie) is not to demand a ban on it, but rather study it carefully, analyse it, examine it, and find out the truth. When I did that I found out that it is contradictory (and hence not acceptable) for Dan Brown (and the Publishers of course) to classify his writing as ‘fiction’ and also to put the claim on page one (titled ‘FACT’) that it is all based on facts. The fact or truth is that most of the things that Dan Brown says about Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, Early Christianity, Secret Societies, Leonardo Da Vinci, the Bible, the Gnostic Gospels, Constantine, etc., are out-right false or inaccurate. I have read scholarly works that have listed (and shown with proofs) many historical errors. May we all have the desire to know the truth, like our ancestors (who prayed, Asathoma Sdadgamaya, Thamasoma Jyothirgamaya, Mrithyorma Amrithangamaya, meaning, “lead us from untruth to truth, from darkness to light, and death to life or immortality”), know the truth, and enjoy the freedom and liberty that truth brings into our lives.
Many thanks to VT again for this wonderful freedom to express, dialogue, discuss, and debate in a healthy and respectful manner.
Respectfully,
Sudhakar Mondithoka,
Hyderabad/Bangalore

Reason, Open Discussion, the Da Vinci Code, and Truth

2006-06-21T17:03:00.000+05:30

Letter to the Editor, the Hindu – June 15, 2006 (this was not Published)

Reason, Open Discussion, the Da Vinci Code, and Truth

Respected Sir,
We lived in Chennai for 5 years and always read the Hindu. We moved to Hyderabad recently and are still reading it. Now I am Bangalore teaching a course on Ethics to the MA 2nd year students at SAIACS (Southern Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies) as a Visiting Professor and am continuing to read the Hindu.
This is a response to the Editorial, “On Banning the Da Vinci Code” by N. L. Rajah, and the letter to the editor, “’No’ to ban” by E. Sivasankaran, published on 14th June in the Bangalore edition. I definitely agree with all three writers that the demand to ban the movie, The Da Vinci Code and the positive response of some state governments are both not acceptable and appreciable. I join you in appreciating the Supreme Court’s decision not to accept a petition demanding the ban of the movie and this shows that the Apex Court has rightly upheld the “freedom of expression and artistic creativity.” I am saying all this as a Christian and a Philosopher. In fact, I have openly argued for the release of the movie and tried to help as many Christians as possible to understand the rationale – the constitution of India guarantees this and ultimately the Creator God Himself granted this.
I also agree that open and free discussion with respect to each other (not just tolerance, which in my view is negative – saying ‘you are different and are disagreeing with me, but I still tolerate’) knowing that all of us are endowed with rational capacity to analyse, examine, and arrive at our own conclusions. So when I engage some one in discussion, debate, and dialogue I am actually affirming his or her intellectual-rational capacities and thus honoring that person. Moreover, open discussion definitely helps in gaining better, more informed and balanced understanding and on this I agree with N. L. Rajah. Shunning open discussion is undoubtedly is greatest disservices to national and human welfare. It is my hope that the Hindu is courageously committed to encouraging open discussion.
I would like to say in conclusion that if one’s faith is not deep/strong enough (with rational, scientific, evidential evidences supporting it), then it is not the right kind of faith – it is baseless, irrational/anti-rational, and superstitious. Such faith definitely leads to demands that criticism against it should be banned. But the truth is that ‘all faith is not superstitious’ and if any one thinks so, it only shows their ignorance. Our concern in encouraging open discussion should be ‘truth’, for it is truth that should unite us and truth shall triumph ultimately (Satyame Va Jeyathe). None of us should be afraid of truth. Like our ancestors, we should long for, desire, search for truth. For we know that knowledge of truth matters. This means that we should recognize that writing fiction and claiming that it is all based on well-researched facts, as Dan Brown claims in page 1 of the Da Vinci Code, is a contradiction and unethical. We should also boldly let people know that the novel is ridden with historical errors and inaccuracies to ensure that people are not deceived. It is wrong on Dan Brown’s part to peddle fiction as truth. May we all know the truth and enjoy the benefits thereof.
Sincerely,
Sudhakar Mondithoka
6-1-69/5, 1st Floor, Saifabad (Lakadikapool), Hyderabad – 500 004
Phone: 040-23231010.

Yoga and Meditation: Relaxation or Religion?

2006-06-20T22:41:00.000+05:30

Yoga and Meditation: Relaxation or Religion?
- Sudhakar Mondithoka

Speed has been a mark of modern life. People are becoming busier and busier and stress has become a part of life. So the fast pace of today’s society forces many people to look for ways to reduce stress, increase productivity, and achieve inner peace and yoga and meditation[1] are offered as the best means to achieve this end. It has been this appeal that has been attracting people from different walks of life and religious backgrounds to yoga and meditation, two of the many New Age practices. This article will focus on the claims made by the promoters of yoga and meditation, identifying the issue involved and on an analysis of their true nature and foundations, leading to some concluding evaluation and recommendation of an alternative.

The Claims
It is generally claimed that yoga and meditation are scientific techniques that enable us “to do less and accomplish more.” Yoga and meditation are supposed to be techniques of relaxation that have nothing to do with philosophy and religion. They are presented as exercises that help us to enjoy better health and serenity and to reduce stress levels. The blurb on the cover of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s book Transcendental Meditation read like this: “Serenity without drugs!” He went on to say that life need not be the painful struggle it is commonly represented to be, that we are meant to be happy and that yoga and meditation offer a way for everybody, a way that involves no austere disciplines, no break with normal life and tradition and which gives fuller and deeper meaning to all religions.[2] These words of Yogi and the public pitch of the TM organization try to show that TM is a simple, natural, harmless technique for achieving relaxation, releasing stress and tension, increasing creativity and intelligence, and producing peace, fulfillment, and a host of other benefits. Many people in the corporate world believe in these claims and some companies even make arrangements for their employees to be trained in and to practice Yoga and Meditation. Some Christians have also been attracted to TM and Yogi claims that it is taught by Jesus and the writers of the Bible.[3] Is this all true? Do people understand the true nature of yoga and meditation? I think people do not understand and they are encouraged not to. One of the slogans used by the TM leaders is, “You don’t have to understand what is going on in TM to do it?”[4] This is the problem – people do not think and understand. So we should take a closer look at what goes on in yoga and meditation and understand the issue involved.

The Issue
The issue is whether yoga and TM are simply scientific techniques that help in reducing stress and tension and in increasing serenity and creative intelligence or they are religiously motivated and based on religious beliefs and teachings. To settle this issue or to ascertain the true nature of yoga and meditation we need to consider the history, organization, techniques and the teachings related to Yogi’s TM or Science of Creative Intelligence (SCI).

History of the Movement
Yogi was born in 1911. He studies physics at Allahabad University and after graduating in 1942 he became a devotee of Swami Brahmananda Sarswathi (Guru Dev). When Guru Dev died in 1953 he went into silent solitude for 2 years. He had been commissioned by Guru Dev to develop a new Hindu technique to revive man’s connection with the ultimate reality, “the Being,” known as the Brahman-Atman and he developed his technique and philosophy of TM around 1955. From 1956-’58 he spoke on the Vedic teachings of the unity of Being and the necessity to achieve that unity through TM. He started the Spiritual regeneration Movement (SRM) for spreading TM in 1958 in India and in 1959 in the US. In 1965 Yogi renamed the organization as the Student International Meditation Society (SIMS) and International Meditation Society (IMS) to promote TM and SCI among students and general public respectively. Finally in 1972, Yogi pulled all the organizations (including Maharishi International University) together under one umbrella organization (World Plan Executive Plan). We can tell that the name of the organization has been changed several times to make it appear that TM has nothing to do with religion. Yogi also gradually dropped his movement’s religious terminology in favor of psychological and scientific language.[5] But when we examine Yogi’s writings and the foundations of the TM organization its true nature will become obvious.

The True Nature and Foundations of Yoga and TM
From Yogi’s writings we understand that TM is a revival of the Vedanta philosophy of monism, derived from the Hindu Vedic Scriptures, the Upanishads. He traced inspiration for TM to his divine master, Guru Dev. He says, “It was the concern of Guru Dev, His Divinity Swami Brahmananda Sarswathi, to enlighten all men everywhere that resulted in the foundation of the World-wide Spiritual Regeneration Movement . . .”[6] and Guru Dev was the leader of the Shankaracharya tradition at Jyothir Math. We can see that Yogi’s philosophy of the SCI and his technique of TM are from the Vedanta school (Hindu monistic or Advaitha philosophy developed by Sankara). The technique comes out of the Yoga school of Indian philosophy and encompasses mainly the last three steps of astanga-yoga called raja-yoga, the internal disciplines (the first five are called hata-yoga, the conscious external disciplines).
The six schools of Indian philosophy are Nyaya, Vaisesika, Samkya, Yoga, Mimamsa, and Vedanta. Yoga and Vedanta are currently prominent. Yoga outlines the main technique, practice, and philosophy for transcending to the condition of samadhi. Yoga was systematized around 200 BC by Patanjali. The word ‘yoga’ is derived from two roots, yujir and yuja meaning ‘yoking’ and ‘control of senses’ respectively. Yoga means ‘yoke’ or ‘union’ with God or the Ultimate Reality, Brahman and it is an eight-step process called Astanga-yoga, a spiritual path leading to yoking or merging with Brahman.[7]
The eight steps or disciplines are: yama (restraint or abstention from excesses), niyama (observances or mental disciplines to seek purity of thought through contentment, study and devotion), asana (physical postures, but more than physical exercises and hence psychological disciplines to relax and calm the mind in preparation for transcending), pranayama (control of vital energy or life principle through proper breathing exercises to purify the body physically and spiritually), pratyahara (detachment of the mind from sense organs/sensuality or eliminating thoughts and sensory perception of objects), dharana (concentration of the mind within a center of spiritual consciousness in the body or fixing it on some divine form, either within the body or outside it), dhyana (meditation or continual and unbroken thought directed toward the object of concentration), and samadhi (absorption or unity of the individual with the universe without the sense of individual existence).[8] At the dhyana or meditation stage unity of the individual with the universe is achieved, but with a remaining sense of personal existence and at the samadhi or absorption stage Atman, individual self merges with Paramathman, Brahman (like a drop of water merging with the ocean) transcending the personal, intellectual, tactile level of life and diffuses into the impersonal whole of the universe. So the goal of yoga and meditation is to attain salvation or liberation through disciplined activity. In Sanskrit it is described as citta-vritta-mrodha, which means ‘the stoppage of mental processes’. The ultimate goal is to achieve the state of absorption into the Brahman-Atman, the Impersonal Universe and this is called kaivalya or samadhi.

Conclusion
I hope it is evident by now that yoga and meditation are not what the promoters represent them to be (just techniques of relaxation), but are deeply religious and philosophical being rooted in the philosophy of Advaita Vedantha, a branch of Hinduism. A person who practices yoga and meditation ultimately loses himself or herself without knowing it. The nature of this path of enlightenment is such that it cultures the mind in such a way that it gradually loses interest in the practical life and the experiences of day to day living and such a mind necessarily becomes useless and hopeless for all practical purposes in life. So the end result is not that we become better people with serenity and greater productivity, but that we lose ourselves. Although some degree of success in relaxation can be achieved, the dangers (emotional and spiritual) far outweigh the benefits.
For Mahesh Yogi only Brahman is real (ultimately) and ‘I am That eternal Being, though art That, and all this is That eternal Being in its essential nature’. The lack of knowledge of the ‘divine’ within is the root of all ills and sufferings of human life. But if we are essentially divine, where has the ignorance come from? How cum we find our selves as real individual beings and as sinful beings? The reality confirms that we are human and sinful and not divine essentially. Yoga and meditation are pantheistic in nature and one’s goal is to lose one’s personality in the oneness of the Ultimate that is impersonal. This takes away both from the unique, separate, and infinite personality of God the Creator and well as from the unique, separate, and finite personality of individual humans. The pantheistic view of reality denies the biblical view of God as Trinity, the deity of Christ, and the doctrines of human sin and atonement and salvation by grace through the sacrifice of Christ. It replaces resurrection with reincarnation and both grace and faith with human works. But peace with God (and the resulting peace with one’s self and others) is not achieved by looking inside oneself, but by looking up to Him who loved us and made the provision for our salvation.
There is a biblical (Christian) alternative to TM that I call BM (Biblical Meditation) and that consists of meditation (filling our hearts and minds with God’s word/truth and pondering over or reflecting upon it and allowing it to impact our total being) on God’s Word, the only sure source of real peace. This is not about emptying our minds, but about filling our minds and about focusing on God, His attributes, His promises, His works, etc., so that we might be transformed from inside out and become better people. The Bible, God’s Word to humanity is full of instruction on the right kind of meditation that helps us in deepening our relationship with God and in improving our understanding of God and His Word to us (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1; 77: 12; 119:15-16; 19:14; 5:1-3; Matthew 12:30; Romans 12:2; Colossians 3:2 etc.). In biblical meditation we are not alone. As we meditate God the Holy Spirit comes alongside and illumines our understanding (1 Corinthians 2:6-16) and helps in applying the truth of God’s word (which is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that we might be thoroughly equipped for every good work – 2 Timothy 3:16) to our own lives.

[1] Although I am using the word meditation in a general sense and there are many different kinds of meditation taught and practiced, I am going to focus mainly on Transcendental Meditation because this has been the most popular form.
[2] Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Transcendental Meditation (New York: New American Library, 1968). The original title of this book was The Science of Being and Art of Living.
[3] Ibid, 253-254.
[4] Ronald L. Carlson, Transcendental Meditation: Relaxation or Religion? (Chicago: Moody Press, 1978), 7.
[5] Ram Gidoomal and Mike Fearon, Karma ‘n’ Chip: The New Age of Asian Spirituality (London: Wimbledon Publishing Company, 1994), 160-161.
[6] Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, On the Bhagavad-Gita (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1967), 16.

[7] Ram Gidoomal and Mike Fearon, The New Age of Asian Spirituality, p. 150. See S. Radhakrishnan, Indian Philosophy, Vol. 2 (New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1999), 337-340 also.
[8] See Gidoomal and Fearon, p. 160 and Radhakrishnan, p. 352.