Christmas Message to Unbelievers: Just Take the Bet!

To what effect?

One effect I observe has been to make suffering a "problem," rather than a default expectation. It ought to be a no-brainer: if you're alive, your life is going to include a lot of hardship ... some of it your doing, a lot of it just the course of nature.

On the other hand, I think the idea that Christian faith "should be" a worldly positive is pretty natural, because right choices in life are usually, from a practical standpoint, smart choices: don't steal, don't kill, be honest, don't screw around, be considerate to others, etc.

You're welcome. I'm currently reading a book by N.T. Wright, a retired Church of England bishop (yeah, I know, CoE, but he's not a flake). When God Became King. He emphasizes that Christianity is not mostly about buying into a cute story about the birth of a baby, and it's not mostly about a set of generally smart moral choices.

It's about taking a position in a Kingdom that it ultimately opposed to everything we view as "the way the world is" and all the powers that control it. That's where the hard part comes in.

What if coming to Christ completely tears your life apart and sets you at odds with family, friends, job, etc.? What if it brings an upheaval and lack of â€œsuccessâ€? Is it still worth taking a bet?

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:34-39 ESV

This is not the kind of feel-good stuff you'll hear from must pulpits, but Jesus thought it was important to say. He never soft-peddled what following Him would mean while He was alive the way His body does today.

But, to answer your question, what if realizing that Conservatism is the only way to govern completely tears your life apart and sets you at odds with family, friends, job, etc?

Learning Truth in a society that values lies will most certainly do that. And human societies value lies.

But I believe learning Truth is always worth it.

Of the two, only Islam offers you a choice. And of the major religions we add Christianity.

In all other religions what will be will be regardless of what you believe. But Islam and Christianity offer you a chance to determine your eternal destiny.

As to why you would chose one over the other, just compare Jesus as an oracle of God to Mohammed. I don’t think that’s a tough call at all.

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