"Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." — Jesus (John 18:37)
We have just finished the informative series on how the Christian metanarrative helps us understand how our work fits meaningfully within God’s overarching design. We compared this metanarrative with the key aspects of the traditional four-part literary structure: an original design, a tragedy, a restoration, and a beautiful ending.
Yet, one lingering question remains: Is this metanarrative, the “big story” of Christianity, actually true? Is there any evidence to support this claim, or do we merely choose one of several available stories by which to frame our lives?
Over the next several articles, we will investigate this question: Is the “story” of Christianity a true story?
Before becoming a Christian, C.S. Lewis famously argued with his friends J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson that Christianity just looked like one of the other pagan mythological stories. Yet, his friends ultimately convinced him that he was drawn to myths and stories because they bore witness to something true. This truth, Lewis came to understand, was the ultimate and true story of the coming of Christ in history. He wrote that Christianity was, “a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference that it really happened” (C.S. Lewis, The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis. Vol. 1: Family Letters, 1905-1931, edited by Walter Hooper, HarperSanFrancisco, 2007, p. 977).
How do we go about discovering whether a metanarrative is true? What kinds of questions should we ask and what kinds of evidence should we hope to find? Different worldviews, or metanarrative systems, answer this question in different ways.
If we were to ask this question of a Hindu friend, for example, she may ask you to consider embracing various contradictory sentences to demonstrate that her view of reality did not conform to Western logic. Or a Buddhist friend may merely give some examples from his own life, encouraging you to try the practices that he had found helpful for himself. A Muslim friend would point to the authority of the Quran and its claims about Mohammad. If you asked an atheistic naturalist, you would most likely hear something like, “The only evidence for any truth is the scientific method.” A postmodernist may tell you to stop looking for truth and embrace the most attractive fantasy!
But what about the Christian story? Where should we look for evidence of its truth?
Interestingly, many people over the course of history have addressed this question. Unlike many philosophies, or even religions, the scriptural metanarrative hinges on whether it is true. Being merely a useful myth is not enough.
Consider one of the early apostles or followers of Jesus who wrote the following: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). These early followers claimed that Jesus was a real person, who lived a real life, taught on the kingdom of God, performed miracles, claimed to be the Messiah, died by crucifixion at the hands of the Romans, and raised back to life three days later. Without this historical framework and these events, Christianity is meaningless.
Consider for a moment how this makes Christianity unique among world religions. Most religious systems recommend good practices or philosophical ways of looking at the world in an effort to achieve spiritual enlightenment. Most world religions are also impervious to any attack claiming that their founders were less than historical. For example, if the beliefs of Buddhism were not all spoken by Siddhartha Gautama himself, this would not matter. It is the sayings and ideas that are important. The Eight-Fold path and the Four Noble Truths would remain. The same is true of Hinduism, whose collected scriptures span thousands of years and whose pantheon of gods spans several hundred million different expressions of deity. In the case of Islam, it recommends the Five Pillars as spiritual practice to bring one closer to God. If some of the details of Mohammad’s life are not accurate, the recommended practices could remain unaltered.
Yet, in the Christian story, if Jesus was not the Messiah he claimed to be, or if he did not die and rise again, the belief would be false. Here again, consider Paul’s claims regarding Christ: “. . . if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless. . . . If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied.”
Thus, countless Christian thinkers over the centuries have engaged in the art of “apologetics,” or defending the truth claims of Christianity against criticism while demonstrating how the Christian metanarrative answers the great questions of life. They have viewed the investigation of these questions as an enriching quest, both confirming and bringing fullness to their faith. To leave these great truths uninvestigated would be like arriving at the edge of the Grand Canyon blindfolded and then leaving before enjoying the grand and inspiring view.
The great physicist James Clerk Maxwell ordered Psalm 111:2 to be carved above the entrance to the Cavendish Physics Lab in Cambridge. It says, “Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.” In that spirit, I will write several articles designed to explore the great truth, goodness, beauty, and fullness of the Christian metanarrative.
Dr. Dooyema has a doctorate in philosophy, and he is a co-author of Reasons to Believe.