The Experience of Humility
A few years ago I heard a story that has since been my favorite "defense" of Christianity. An old man attended a university debate between a Christian academic and an atheist academic. The old man had once been an atheist, but he had been born again late in life. After the debate, during which the atheist scholar mocked the Christian experience as unenlightened and worthless, a few members of the large audience were allowed to ask questions. When the born-again old man was given the microphone, he stood and pulled an orange from his suit pocket. Eager to defend his faith, the old man held up the piece of fruit and then addressed the atheist on stage. "What does this particular orange taste like?" the old man asked. "Is it sweet, sour, rotten, tasteless?"
Unsure of the old man's meaning, the atheist responded, "I don't know. I haven't tried it."
To the smirks and "amens" of the other Christians in the audience, the old man said simply, "I rest my case." Then he sat down.
The old man knew the power of Jesus because he had experienced it. He had "tried" Jesus and found that the Savior of the world is indeed all that the word of God makes Him out to be. Scripture eloquently bears out the truth of the old man's point to the atheist. Jesus Himself says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened" (Matthew 7:7-8).
I love the story about the old man, but I've recently come to realize that it's not as strong a "defense" of Christianity as I once thought. While it might be a good response to some atheists, it's a weak reply to people with worldviews and religious faiths which teach that people can somehow become God or Godlike. New Agers, for instance, do not deny the existence of God as atheists do. Rather, they believe that one can actually become God or Godlike with rigoruous mental exercises (sometimes aided by drugs). Many New Agers believe that humans have reached their full potential when they have reached a mental state in which they are, essentially, God, or the universe, or whatever you want to call it.
To this, James W. Sire, author of The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog, makes an important point for the Christian trying to witness to the New Ager:
One thing must be clear: There is no use denying that people have the [New Age] experiences reported. [That is, people reach a mental state in which the world as we know it no longer exists and they feel as if they are God or something Godly.] Experience is private. None of us has each other's experience. If a person reports a strange experience, he or she may be lying, misremembering, embellishing, but we will never be able to critique the account. Even if it appears to be intrinsically self-contradictory, we can deny its existence only on an a priori basis--that such and such state of affairs is inherently impossible. If a person holds to his or her report, say, under cross-examination, then at least for that person the experience remains what it was or what it was remembered to have been.
In other words, the old man's approach with the orange is no good to us if we're debating people who believe that their religious practices will help them become God or realize Godly powers or a Godly perspective. The atheist has no experience--hasn't "tried" anything--so the old man's approach is logical. The New Ager, however, already has an experience. Why, then, would the New Ager need to seek another one?
In order to effectively witness to people who believe ultimate power rests within themselves, I believe we need to identify a fundamental difference between the Christian experience and other "religous" experiences. James W. Sire is again on the mark when he says that "the place to start is in humility." Humility is the difference between the Christian experience and most other spiritual experiences. Christians begin by recognizing that they are accountable to a benevolent, independent being who is all powerful. On the other hand, many other religions teach that people can, in some form, become God.
It might be worth our efforts as Christians, then, to try and convince the misled who try to become God that the ultimate folly of existence is a lack of humility. As believers we know that Scripture speaks plainly to the issue. Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all knowledge," and we all know why the devil was cast out of heaven. But scientologists, for instance, who believe they can control certain events and situations by realizing their godlike power, do not believe in Scripture as we do. So how can we convince them about the need for humility?
One way might be to point out how a lack of humility has often led to death and destruction. Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, Bin Laden, Hussein, etc. All of these men lacked or lack humility. They saw or see themselves as the ultimate authority.
Of course, New Agers would respond that they would use their "godly power" for good, to which I would respond that all of the men mentioned above believed they were bettering mankind with their destructive behavior.
Even the animal kindgom teaches us the importance of a need for basic humility. Hawks have enough respect for lions to not attack them.
History teaches us that a basic lack of humility can lead only to horror and destruction. To believe that one can be God, or the universe, or everything all at once is obviously a dangerous arrogance. Perhaps a few New Agers and other lost souls could be reached with this line of reasoning.
I realize, of course, that it is the Holy Spirit who must ultimately convict of truth, and God must prepare hearts. I also realize that both New Age worldviews and the issues Christians may encounter in reaching the proponents of such ideologies present more complications than this essay addresses. However, we must act with wisdom and logic in trying to reach the arrogant lost. I believe the lack-of-humility issue is one that Christians should philosophically wrestle with on an intellectual level. If "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all knowledge," we must try to convince the arrogant about the importance of embracing a basic humility.
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