The Christian Documents

Few figures in history have shaped human thought and life as deeply as Jesus of Nazareth. His influence on the spiritual life — and indirectly on the material well being of the world — is so vast that it naturally draws our closest attention. As we have already seen, what humanity most needs is a teacher who can lift the veil hiding the mysterious Source of the universe, of life, and of our moral sense — a teacher who can point the way to forgiveness and moral freedom. No one else even claims to do this. And no spiritual teacher can be meaningfully compared with the one who sparked the great spiritual movement that has shaped and elevated what is best in human life. For this reason, we search eagerly for every trustworthy source of information about the Founder of Christianity.

Because Christ lived many centuries ago, the only sources available to us are written documents. It is to these documents that we now turn.

Christianity and Christ

When we reflect on the unseen side of life, we quickly realize that we are far from alone. Across history, and in every culture, countless people have wrestled with the same thoughts. These reflections have taken shape in the world’s many religions. They show themselves visibly in temples, shrines, and sacrifices — acts of devotion offered to beings no one has physically seen and whose voices no one has heard. The sheer cost and effort behind these acts reveal a deep conviction: that beyond the visible world lies a greater, unseen reality.

People have often been willing to give up wealth, comfort, and even life itself in hopes of gaining the blessings of that unseen world. And in many cases, this belief has had a powerful moral effect. It has lifted people upward. It has encouraged righteousness. Religion, in all its varied forms, is therefore a phenomenon that deserves serious and careful study.

Evidence of Retribution Beyond the Grave.

If we pay attention to our own inner lives, one thing becomes clear very quickly: whenever we go against our moral sense, the result is always moral decline. We lose strength of character, and with it, self-respect. That inner damage immediately triggers a powerful expectation that harmful results are coming. 

 

We find it almost impossible to shake the feeling that some sort of retribution awaits every person. The moral law carries an authority that commands our respect at the deepest level. Because of that authority, we are compelled to believe that it can enforce its demands through reward and punishment. In other words, sin and suffering, righteousness and well-being, are bound together in ways that cannot ultimately be broken.

Evidence from the Visible World, Confirmed by the Moral Sense

So far we’ve been looking at facts drawn from the visible, external world. Now we need to turn to a very different set of facts — ones we know just as surely, but through direct awareness of our own inner lives.

Every day, we find ourselves judging the actions and character of other people. We pass verdicts on what they do and who they are. These judgments are unlike any others we make. You can see the difference clearly if you compare how we respond to a great tragedy versus a great crime. We mourn the one; we condemn the other. And that act of condemnation — along with our admiration for noble behavior — stands in a category of its own. No other judgments we make carry quite the same weight.

The Visible Reveals the Invisible Beyond and Above It

The first thing that naturally draws human attention is the visible world around us. It is filled with an endless variety of things — lifeless and living, irrational and rational. Many of these things are beautiful in a way that delights us; others show such clear usefulness and purpose that they stir deep admiration. The more closely we observe this world, the more our sense of wonder grows. Everywhere we look, we find objects that reward careful and thoughtful study.

This complexity, combined with the constant change we see in the universe, strongly suggests — indeed, almost forces us to conclude — that the universe is not self-existent, but derived. And so we naturally ask: Where did this astonishing panorama come from — this world that often fills us with such delight?

Among the natural objects that no human hand has made, we also notice the works of human beings. And when we look at these works, we see a clear pattern: the best of them are always the result of deliberate design. Before a great work exists outwardly, it exists first as an idea in the mind. Often that idea develops gradually before it is ever brought into reality. We see this in the many sketches that lead up to a great painting, or in the slowly refined plan behind a major literary work. Humanity’s finest achievements are always the result of careful thought combined with patient effort. And in every case, the creator is far greater than the creation. When we admire a painting, what we are really admiring is the painter.

Religion and Theology

Few words carry more weight in modern life than the word religion. We generally feel we know exactly what it means. We recognize religious people and religious questions, and we speak easily of the world’s many religions. Yet it is striking that the word itself appears only rarely in the English Bible — and when it does appear, it does not always mean what we now mean by it.

In a few passages, such as Acts 25:5 and James 1:26–27, the word refers mainly to outward forms of worship. In Galatians 1:13-14, “the Jews’ religion” corresponds to what we would call Judaism. Elsewhere, as in Acts 13:43, the word religious is better translated simply as devout. This contrast is telling. While Scripture uses the term sparingly and inconsistently, modern speech uses it often and with confidence. That modern usage, therefore, should guide our definition. There is little to gain by forcing the word back into meanings it held only occasionally in biblical translation.

Even so, clearly defining religion is harder than it looks. Although the term feels familiar, popular abstract words tend to be slippery. Different people use them in slightly different ways, which makes precision difficult. In practice, most definitions of religion tell us more about the author’s perspective than about any settled meaning of the word itself. Almost every new book or article on religion offers a new definition. This one will be no exception.

Still, I must explain what I mean by religion before going further. I believe the definition I propose captures what is always meant when the word is used seriously, and that it includes what is common to all its legitimate uses. It is neither broader nor narrower than ordinary usage allows.