"Would You Believe..."

There was a running gag on the spy show, “Get Smart.” It went something like this:

“You think you have me now, but you are surrounded by the force of Control!”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Would you believe ten agents?”
“No.”
“How about a canine officer and his dog?”

That is the first thing that comes to mind when reading reviews of the new book: “ A Plausible God” by Mitchell Silver. (Mohler’s blog review, by the way, is a good thought provoking read.) The fact is that a lot of theologians and people in ministry today have seen their job of engaging the culture become a lot like Maxwell Smart trying to back-peddle his way out of a tight spot.

“Did you know that there is a personal God who created you and wants to have a relationship with you?”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Would you believe an all powerful creative force?”
“No.”
“How about an energy that wants you to expand your influence and have success?”

NonModern and others have tried for years to engage people by pointing out the bits of truth found everywhere in culture that can lead people into thoughts about God as He is presented in the pages of Scripture. The danger is when the Scripture part of that endeavor gets left out and a “new” version of the Gospel…a plausible gospel with a plausible god is created. It may be easier for people to accept this version of a supernatural and ethical living, but it won’t do them any good.

The fact is that God is. He is not plausible. He just is whether you believe in Him or not. Don’t water down who God is or what He demands in an effort to make Him palatable.