Every human belief or opinion is based upon a presupposition - a faith commitment that cannot be proven but can only be assumed. For instance, the difference between Christianity and atheism is not the difference between “faith” and “reason”, between opinion and fact, between superstition and rationality; instead, both positions are based on unprovable, faith-based assumptions - presuppositions. Christians believe God exists, atheists believe God does not exist. Neither can prove their position is correct, so both hold their position based on faith. And starting from those presuppositional foundations, each builds out logical explanations of how the universe works based on those presuppositions.

The question is which presupposition makes for the best logical conclusions; does faith in God or does faith in no-God make best sense of the universe? Does Christianity or atheism make best sense of the inborn sense of justice all humans have? Does Christianity or atheism make best sense of the quest for beauty that all humans strive for?

For Christianity, the logical conclusions of belief that God has revealed himself in Jesus make sense of our world in ways that no other presupposition can.

Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert

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Some Christians have held that cremation is not permitted by the Bible, on the grounds that bodies buried intact, or “sleeping”, are a concrete anticipation of the resurrection of the dead on the last day. But the Bible never expressly forbids cremation, and in at least one place cremation is approvingly performed (1 Samuel 31:11-13).

The key issue is the question of what the resurrection from the dead means: if the body has been created by God and is fundamentally good, then our funeral and burial practices must center around and focus on the belief and confession that God will raise all the bodies of his children someday to new life in his new creation, whether they have been buried or cremated.

Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert

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Virtue, in the ancient world, was the word for moral and physical excellence. Those who were brave, those who were honest, those who accomplished great things, were excellent, therefore virtuous.

The Bible, too, picks up on this ancient idea and calls humans to pursue virtue. But the Bible, unlike the Stoics and other ancient philosophies, holds that virtue is something that is only located in God’s character. In 2 Peter 1, Peter first claims that glory and virtue are something that are God’s alone, and then calls God’s people to live in His virtue, making ever effort to supplement our faith with this excellence. And if Christians are living in Christ’s virtue, then there is no need for “virtue signaling” - having to tell people we have virtue, to cover up our lack - because the genuine virtue and excellence of Jesus will be manifest in our day to day living.

Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert

Subscribe to the show at https://cacg.saintjamesglencarbon.org.

To comment on this episode, visit https://saintjamesglencarbon.org/cacg-ep100.