Spiritually Speaking: Be Prepared to Defend Your Faith
By Staff Report
By Dr. Ron Woodworth
“There is no such thing as Christianity…there are no universal truth claims…everything is relative to the cultural context.”
I was shocked when I heard these words come out of my Religious Studies professor on the first day of class. I was a graduate student in a World Religions course at a large public university.
Equally stunning was when the same professor asked me to substitute for him later in the semester.
Class just started when another student raised his hand and asked, “Is it true that there are no universal truth claims in Christianity?”
I thought to myself: Is God awesome or what?
With a little trepidation – who knows what the potential consequences of telling the truth would be – I nevertheless asserted that there were at least five universal truth claims in Christianity (See 1 Cor. 15:3-5; Acts 1:10-11).
Jesus Christ was sent from God to accomplish the redemption of the human race.
Jesus was crucified for sin and buried.
Jesus was bodily raised from the dead.
Jesus ascended to heaven where he is now reigning as Lord of all.
Jesus is returning in the future to render judgment and make visible his everlasting kingdom of which all the redeemed are heirs.
“That is very interesting,” replied the student.
When the professor returned to class the next week his first words to the class were, “I feel a little out-of-the-loop. What did you discuss when I was gone?”
That same student raised his hand and reported about how “Ron had told the class about the five universal truth claims of Christianity.”
My substitute teaching days were over.
What’s the moral of the story?
We need to know what we believe and be prepared to defend it, without getting defensive. You never know when God will open a door for us to share our faith.
Dr. Ron Woodworth is an online faculty member at Grand Canyon University. He teaches Christian Worldview, University Success, Philosophy, Communication and Information Literacy. He is a published author, organizational consultant and leadership coach. He is a retired senior and associate pastor, having served for more than 25 years.
