Faith & Reason

From Erick Erickson:

Some hear the story of the Christ and hear myth. Others hear it and believe. Honestly, while it matters, for our context here it does not matter. It just is. Whether you believe it or not, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most profound event in human history. Empires were built—forged on faith in his name. Arts and sciences grew and prospered as products of faith. Philosophers and kings lived and died in ways that would have been dramatically different, but for that act on Calvary.

Today, in the United States, we struggle as perhaps the last religious people in western society. The concept of the puritan work ethic has defined us as a nation and, through it, the doctrine of vocation premised on what some see as a near divine right or blessing within this country, has allowed us to prosper. But, as you read this, more and more Americans get their wealth from government. Not since the Great Depression have more Americans taken from the treasury than given to the treasury. The puritan work ethic and the Christian ethos of America are slowly replaced by dependency on government and the secular god of tolerance wherein everything is embraced save everlasting Truth.

When you go out today on Good Friday, remember that two thousand years ago, one act changed forever the course of human history. But for it, this country we have would not have happened in the way it did or with the character it has. And the cool part is, while some may choose to call it fiction, so many more have believed and acted accordingly, the timeline of human history itself has been impacted in so many positive ways. The death and resurrection of Christ remains the greatest act of sovereign grace ever displayed in the universe and also the biggest story that ever will be.

— Erick Erickson