Jeff Fountain is a friend and thoughtful believer who expresses the hope of millions of followers of Christ simply and clearly in the following words. He writes,

 

"I believe:

 

One, because of God's Book of Works (Creation). I simply do not have the blind faith to believe that this awesome cosmos, our incredibly finely-tuned earth, our fearfully-and wonderfully-made bodies and our deep instincts for love, beauty, justice, meaning, imagination and story, resulted from an impersonal, freak accident of slime-plus-time. To conclude that a super-intelligent and personal Being initiated the cosmos is, to me, most reasonable.

 

Two, because of God's Book of Words (The Bible). Even secular philosophers acknowledge this book as the source of concepts often taken for granted, such as the dignity and sanctity of human life, equality, democracy and freedom. To dismiss the Bible as outdated and irrelevant is to expose our ignorance of its unparalleled, profound and ongoing influence on our lives.

 

Three, because of God the Living Word (Jesus). One thing we cannot reasonably say about the central figure of the Bible is that he was simply an outstanding moral teacher or a great prophet. Jesus made such outlandish claims for himself that he was either a clever liar, a dangerous lunatic, or who he claimed to be: Lord and Saviour.

 

Four, because of God's Story (History). While atrocities have been committed in the name of Christendom, those faithfully spreading the story of Jesus have tamed tyrants, liberated slaves, emancipated women, defended orphans, championed the voiceless, reconciled enemies, comforted the suffering and transformed communities like no other movement in history.

 

Five, because of my story (Experience). In my own life and in the lives of many friends and family members, I have personally and repeatedly experienced the transforming power of God's love, his guidance and provision. I know of no other reasonable alternative.

 

That's why I believe."

 

Jeff Fountain

(From Jeff's "Weekly Word" of 4 Oct 2010)