Why are you a Christian?
Perhaps, you are considering it.
Perhaps, you are reasonable.
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We need to be a little skeptical in life.
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There is a place for wondering if Christianity is reasonable faith.
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There is the Gospel. There is the imitating of salvation by the Holy Spirit, for no human can seek God (Romans 3:11). There is hearing or reading the Gospel. There is conviction (again the Holy Spirit’s work). There is knowledge, assent, then faith and trust.
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Christianity is most reasonable.
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I already wrote my story. What is yours?
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I ran across an article by Ivar Fahsing titled How to Think Like a Detective. This definitely worth the time to read. If nothing else, it will help you solve some of the problems and decisions in your life used along with the principles taught in Scripture.
A criminal investigation is a complex, multifaceted problem-solving challenge. Detectives must make critical decisions rapidly – sometimes involving life and death, based on limited information in a dynamic environment of active and still-evolving events. Detectives are responsible and empowered under the law to make judgment calls that will dramatically affect the lives of those involved. The stakes are high, the settings are ugly, and there’s no room for error.
Detectives are often portrayed as misanthropic masterminds. They seem to possess almost mythical personal gifts that the average person can only dream of. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but this isn’t entirely true. Not all detectives are masterminds, and you actually don’t need to be a detective to think like one. A few tools and methods can improve your inner detective, help you find facts, and learn to better understand the relationship between them.
Most of us, whether we’re highly educated or not, have never actually learnt how to think and make safe judgments under pressure. Yet good thinking is important for every aspect of life. Learning how to think like an expert detective can boost your incisiveness and creativity. It can make you less judgmental and a better listener. Honing your detective-thinking skills could help you solve everyday issues, such as planning the perfect vacation or choosing the best job candidate…
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Step 1: Assume nothing and find out what you really know
To think like an expert detective, you have to embrace a so-called ‘investigative mindset’. The terms ‘possibly’ and ‘could’ should be your watchwords as they are in every real investigation and at every crime scene. In detective handbooks, this is called the ABC principle:
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Assume nothing
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Believe nothing
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Challenge and check everything
Nothing should be taken for granted or accepted at face value. Expert detectives will always take a sceptical approach to any information or evidence. All stories are possible, until they are not. Always ask yourself ‘What do I know?’ and ‘What do I not know?’ Doing this is sometimes very hard, but even just attempting to slow down your otherwise conclusion-jumping brain will prove helpful. Keep reminding yourself: correlation does not imply causation. Hence, the safest way to test any hypothesis is to try to disprove it. Suppose you think your house keys are lost or stolen. In this situation, it might be a good idea to double-check and eliminate all other options before you decide to change your locks. The only true investigative mantra was formulated in 1890 by Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. It goes like this: ‘[W]hen you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’
It might sound pretty straightforward, but believe me, it’s not. There’s a reason why…
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So, take the 20 minutes or so to read, think, and apply it.
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Romans 12:2 NLT Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Proverbs 14:15-16 NLT Only simpletons believe everything they’re told! The prudent carefully consider their steps. 16 The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence.
Proverbs 15:28 GW The heart of a righteous person carefully considers how to answer, but the mouths of wicked people pour out a flood of evil things.
Acts 17:11 NRSV These Jews were more receptive than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so.
See also Isaiah 1:18, John 7:24, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, Acts 17:2-4, Acts 18:28, and Luke 20:41-44.
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1 Peter 3:15-16 CEV Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life. Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope. 16 Give a kind and respectful answer and keep your conscience clear. This way you will make people ashamed for saying bad things about your good conduct as a follower of Christ.
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Christianity, Reasonable faith, Skepticism, Why are we Christians