There is a common false generalization, by its critics, of Christians as unthinking, simple minded superstitious religious followers.  Because faith lies at the core of our beliefs, they mistakenly equate biblical faith with the phrase “a blind leap of faith.”

But biblical faith is far from blind.  It is a leap, yes, giant oftentimes, but definitely not blind.  It is a leap that followers of Christ make, but with eyes wide open, and the mind fully engaged.  I would like to make the case that Christianity is for the thinking man because biblical faith is rational, intelligent, and sensible.

Abraham is considered a man of faith.  One of the greatest demonstrations of his faith in God was when he showed a willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac in Genesis 22.  But this was no random act on his part.  He was not acting out of a vacuum.  It was an act of great faith based on solid reasoning. Abraham was not about to simply obey a strange voice he had heard.  This was a voice he knew.  A voice he was familiar with.  This was the voice of a God he knew personally.  A God he knew to be good, faithful and trustworthy.  He couldn’t comprehend at that point why God would ask such a sacrifice of him, but he knew this God.  They had a covenant together.  As he wrestled with the decision, he looked back to his past experiences of God.  Despite the limitations of his understanding, this was a very rational decision.

I find this more rational than a person who goes through life with fingers crossed, hoping he gets lucky that events and circumstances will turn out in his favor.  A person with no framework or system of beliefs to live by except pure chance.  That to me if any is blind faith, blind optimism.

Used to be, these people, coincidentally the loudest critics of Christianity, pinned all of their hopes on the power and “goodness” of man. Humanistic optimism reached its peak at end of the 19th century.  When the 20th century opened up with the bloody First World War, followed soon by the horrors of the Second World War which showcased the evils of Nazism and Communism, this blind optimism came crashing down to be replaced by despair and cynicism.

In the classic words of CS Lewis in Mere Christiantiy, “What Satan put in the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could “be like gods” ­ could set up on their own as if they had created themselves ­ be their own masters ­ invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God.  And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history ­ money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery ­ the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”

Wow.  Think about that for a minute.  So painfully true.

Christianity is the thinking man’s faith because biblical faith is intelligent and reasonable.  We follow and surrender our lives to a God we know:
1.    By revelation through His written word, the Bible.  The Bible has stood the test of time and has stood up to all the scrutiny and criticism critics have hurled at it.  Its reliability, authenticity, and credibility remain unquestionable.
2.    By experience through a personal relationship.  By our own and others’ testimonies of changed lives.  We know God as a Person, not just some concept or theory.  Our firsthand experience of Him is consistent with His written revelation.

For me, to be rational is to follow a good, trustworthy God who is worthy of my worship and devotion.  To anchor my life on nothing but chance, is what I would consider irrational and the more accurate definition of “a blind leap of faith.”