In our increasingly secular culture, Christians are beginning to feel like strangers and aliens in their own land. Perhaps, however, we’ve felt much too at home in this world in the first place. As it becomes more apparent that we live in Babylon, confusing the gospel with the American dream may become less plausible. But will we be able to stand if and when our faith is tested? On this episode, Shane Rosenthal talks with Alistair Begg about the insights into these issues he has gleaned from his study of the book of Daniel. Alistair recently published a book on this topic titled Brave by Faith: God-sized Confidence in a Post-Christian World.
Show Quote:
Christians frequently speak to others about the difference God makes in their lives, which though real, is not unlike the way Buddhists and Scientologists might commend their faith as well. Yet, even more important than whether our faith is helpful, is whether it’s actually a true account both of this world and the next. Secularists believe that this world is all there is and that nothing will happen when we die — which, if you think about it, is a prediction of future events that requires faith, just as much as all the other religious beliefs in the world. But why should we believe this faith, or any faith for that matter? And it seems to me that we have solid evidence in support of the Christian faith, since the words recorded by Daniel match with an incredible degree of precision things that later came to pass in world history, particularly relating to the succession of empires and the expansion of Christ’s eternal kingdom to the ends of the earth. In fact, with Isaiah, he correctly foresaw that Israel’s messiah would be killed (Dan 9:26, Is 53:8).
Shane Rosenthal
