Why Start a Website Dedicated to Thinking Christianly?
I have been a Christ-follower for almost 10 years, and for the first seven of those years, I based the foundation of my faith on a Jesus that I could feel and experience. Jesus is tangible, and through the Holy Spirit, we can experience His presence in our lives. I have seen and felt the Spirit move so often I can’t remember all of them, but three years ago, I was challenged to start seeking God more earnestly in scripture. To pursue Jesus with my mind.
Popular culture believes in the idea that to be a Christian, you must throw your brain in the garbage and blindly follow a deity without evidence for his existence. Christians don’t do a great job of dispelling this misguided notion. Evangelicals, including me, have grown up in a church culture that emphasizes the emotional and downplays the intellectual side of worshiping and knowing God. We as a church forget the part of the Great Command (Mark 12:30-31) that calls us to love God with all of our mind.
“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
C.S. Lewis
The last three years of my discipleship to Christ have been focused on loving God completely by pursuing him with all my faculties; heart, soul, mind, and strength. I was surprised to find out that Christianity is intellectually robust. That the philosophy of Christianity describes the human experience better than any other worldview. Discovering Christianity’s intellectual side has been more exciting than my own radical conversion experience. It has been like going from color blindness to seeing in full color. The famous Christian apologist C.S. Lewis describes the fullness of the Christian faith, writing, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
What Can You Expect from Finish the Race Ministries?
I am a seminary student at Houston Baptist University pursuing a Masters of Arts in Apologetics with an emphasis on philosophy. The faculty at HBU is top-notch, and they are making me work hard, so much of what I publish over the next two years will be topics I am exploring in class.
I will not be the only person adding their thoughts to the conversation. My goal is to have several regular contributors that can add far more depth than I can on topics like discipleship, scripture, Christian doctrine, metaphysical questions, race, sexuality, gender, etc. This collective group of writers will offer winsome conversation for believers in all stages of their faith walks.
“my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me”
Acts 20:24
Finish the Race Ministries is my attempt to help others explore and uncover the vibrancy of Christian thinking. To explore worshiping with our minds by studying scripture, church history, and understanding how to navigate these difficult times with grace and love. Above all, FTRM exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul says, “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24)
Really proud of you Matt! I’d really like to hear your salvation story sometime when you have a minute of free time.:-)
I’m working on a future post or posts that explains my testimony, but I’d love to chat about it with you sometime. Thank you for your support!