heaven

Bosnia isn't a place to peddle cheap answers and cliches. In this country the Truth is rare, and the consequences are catastrophic. "Buy the truth and sell it not," cries the wise King Solomon. "Get wisdom, discipline, and understanding." Since my first trip here in 1998 I've had to examine my methods, my message, and my mission. It's not enough to tell a Bosnian, "Jesus is the answer." He wants to know why. Why is Christianity superior to Communism? To Atheism? To Islam? What does Christianity offer that these other "Isms" fail to produce? So I've been asking myself this question: Why, apart from my life changing encounter with the love of Jesus, am I a Christian? The following are some of my thoughts, and my humble offering to this nation in the name of Christ.

I am a Christian because the Biblical worldview offers the most complete and rational answers to life's most troubling questions: "Who is man?" "What is man's purpose?" "What has gone wrong with civilization?" "How can it be made right?" Biblical Christianity explains my sin, it defines my identity, it clarifies my purpose, and it offers me hope.

I am a follower of Jesus because of the fruit of Biblical Christianity. No other belief system in the world produces such an abundance of mercy, justice, goodness, peace, and order. No other religion spawns charities, defends human rights, champions justice, cares for the sick, delivers humanitarian aid, and promotes generosity like the community of Christ.

I am a Christian because science and archeology bear witness to the Biblical record. Despite countless critics and skeptics who have sought to discredit the Bible, archeology continues to authenticate its narratives, while astronomy, thermodynamics, and DNA research steadily add weight to the Genesis record.

I am a Christian because creation itself demonstrates a natural order that points to a loving Creator. Not only is the hand of God evident in the miraculous intricacies of animal instincts, hearing and sight, reproduction, the seasons, the water cycle, and the natural laws, but man and animal alike exhibit a capacity for love and relationship that could never arise out of an impersonal materialistic universe.

I am a follower of Jesus because the Biblical worldview offers the best and most enduring foundation for a civilized society. It' no accident that almost without exception the most stable, democratic, prosperous, and technologically advanced nations of the world all find their historic roots in a Biblical worldview.

I am a Christian because Christ brings purpose to every area of my life. He gives meaning to my music, significance to my suffering, and value to my vocation. I'm no longer caught in the dead end cycle of "living to eat, and eating to live." Relationships have eternal value, and even death itself serves an ultimate Purpose.

CS Lewis wrote, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen; Not only because I see it, but because by it I see all things." Here in Bosnia the light remains obscured by the darkness of deception, pride, and tradition. Please pray that these dear people will awaken to the Light of Christ, and that their believing will open their eyes to see all things differently.