1. INTRODUCTION
Evidence that helps us to accept Christian faith for ourselves, and believe in God, MUST meet sound evaluation criteria!
The “About this website” article states that this site’s main objective is to give you, the reader, the ability to test the truth and accuracy of Christian faith and its effectiveness when applying it to our lives. That is like I did, as the senior auditor that I was, when I began my own ‘appraisal’ of Christian faith.
I seriously put Christianity (i.e. Christian faith) into practice within my life, then evaluated the end results. And yes, I firmly came to believe that God is indeed the ‘real deal’!
(As mentioned above I am from a senior auditing background. And the majority of my advisory team are Christian clergy. To glimpse the ‘who’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ of this website again please click here.)
2. EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE
So firstly, how do we effectively build our belief in God? Indeed, ‘belief’ that WILL stand the test of time. Well, as suggested already, by applying “evidence-based practice” to our journey. Please glimpse the image in the intro above.
The methodology follows these five steps:
- Ask by defining your needs: e.g’s. “Does Christian faith offer an acceptable path for believing in God?” then “Can I come to believe in God?”, and finally “Will Christian faith, as such, deliver positive outcomes for me in life?”
- Acquire by ‘finding’ the evidence necessary to meet your defined needs.
- Appraise that evidence to see whether it really is ‘genuine’.
- Apply that ‘genuine evidence’ to your questions, to know whether it offers the ‘level of proof’ you need?
- Analyse the processes continually for effectiveness and possible improvement.
3. ‘ASK’ THE QUESTIONS
Yes, as listed above under Heading 2 above, each of us wants to know as a minimum, “Can I believe in God?” and then, “Does Christian faith offer me positive outcomes in life?”
Let’s now work through the rest of the steps …
4. ‘ACQUIRE’ THE EVIDENCE
Well, what we do here is go in search of the evidence that can THEN be ‘appraised’ as explained under Heading 5 below.
I really hope the articles on this website WILL help you in your search for that evidence. You can for example begin by reading the article, “How to believe in God”. It also gives advice on how to use the rest of the website to expand your search for answers and results regarding that subject.
Please read on though for a brief explanation of where evidence can actually be found.
4.1 Evidence in church
The Christian Church itself, from my experience, is a great place for guidance PLUS evidence in its own right. If you like, just begin with the article, “God’s presence in the Church“.
For starters, our ‘chosen church‘ helps each of us, in a Bible-based approach, to understand Christianity and our loving God. As I continually state on this website, we need to understand WHAT we are trying to believe in, BEFORE we go in search of proof.
I also maintain you can experience events there in the Church, relevant to evidence of God’s presence/ existence itself. And some are even categorised by me as ‘palpable’. In some cases, YES, you can literally ‘feel them‘ (i.e. spiritual experiences) as they happen to you. And I’ve added a little about the world-wide “Pentecostal/ Charismatic movement” later in this article. This is all related to Bible-based stuff too. If you have ANY doubts about all this, just stay with me please …
You may also WITNESS spiritual events, relating to other folk attending there, that are obviously NOT just ‘physically based’. And I also give some of my examples later in this article.
NOW, from my experience, when faced with these church events within the “movement” for the first time, ‘my questioning mind’ did have some trouble just accepting them. BUT, as I continued witnessing them over time, I had no option other than let them ‘rock my socks’. The events etc were certainly related to the Bible’s scriptures.
There are some relevent links to related articles to be found under Subheading 6.2 below. So yes eventually I HAD to accept them, again as the ‘real deal’!
Mind you, not all spiritually-based experiences available throughout the entire Christian Church are of that strength. BUT, it is also possible to experience events, that Christians have long interpreted as God ‘engaging with them’ in their church, in a MUCH gentler way. And that occurs in almost any church service … anywhere. Once we know ‘how to recognise them‘ of course.
4.2 Evidence in everyday life
When it comes to day-to-day life, we can also recognise what I refer to as ‘God’s presence there‘. And as a result, we can experience the benefits that flow from that evidence with regularity. That is when we willingly engage/ connect with God, there in our lives, as the Bible advises and supports.
It’s all about “God’s unconditional love for us”, God’s grace, as the Bible explains! That’s briefly discussed under Heading 2 in the article “Christianity explained simply“. A deeper explanation of “grace” can also be found in the article, “God’s Grace; God’s unconditional love“.
Bear in mind that the evidence of God’s presence, recognised during life, will not be as dramatic as in the “Pentecostal/ Charismatic movement”. No, it’s usually a case of ‘more of the same’, ‘more of the same’, ‘more of the same’ etc. And I’m NOT writing about “flukes” just happening now and then! I’m meaning ‘high odds of things’ repetitively happening in your life as you ‘walk with the Lord’, again just as the Bible guides and supports. And I’m really talking about ‘positive outcomes‘ for you, and others close to you, as solid examples. Eventually it CAN literally all come to seem … well … natural, expected and oh, so very real.
More often than not, they may relate to something you have prayed about … or some event/ issue you have deliberately trusted to God’s guidance or assistance. This website, within its “God in life section”, offers advice on HOW to apply (and appraise) many genuine Christian ‘practices’ like those mentioned above … ready for YOUR use to gain positive outcomes in life. Again, as expected, they ARE based on the Bible’s scriptures. That critical ‘appraisal function’ is explained under Heading 5 below.
Mind you I am absolutely NOT referring to goals in life like ‘fame and fortune’, or getting your ‘wishlists’ delivered, here. No, God’s support is directed towards our NEEDS, rather than our WANTS, once we have connected with him. Please read the article, “What does faith offer us?” for an explanation.
Please also see the heading, “God in life” in the Menu Bar above. And yes, maybe just begin by reading the article, “God’s presence in our lives” for overall guidance.
4.3 Evidence in the Bible
It is also true to say that we can even find recognisable hints of God’s very existence within and throughout the Bible itself. Yes, it can take time, but amazing threads, themes etc run through its entire contents. I am talking about ‘deep and meaningful’ stuff in there, offered by 35 plus writers over 1,500 odd years, that more than likely didn’t just happen through incredibly good luck!
Have a quick look at the article, “Jesus as God” for simple examples. Your “church of choice” will also guide you, highlighting related threads and themes, as you build your Bible-based knowledge there.
And remember that helpful hints, related to current challenges facing you in life, may just unexpectedly ‘pop out’ from Bible scriptures facing you as you read them through the week! No, that is not uncommon at all.
5. ‘APPRAISE’ THE EVIDENCE
Fundamentally, this step relates to deciding whether the evidence we have located IS really ‘genuine’. It is a vital step, at that.
But, what do I mean by the term “genuine evidence”? Well, for someone of my professional auditing background, ‘definitions’ of evidence that CAN ‘prove’ something to us will include words like “valid” and “relevant” for starters.
In simple words: we may accept that evidence, gathered by us, of God’s presence and his impact on our individual lives is ‘genuine’ … if as a minimum it fits the following framework:
- Firstly, evidence as defined above must be based on OUR OWN solid experiences
(it is ‘valid’ evidence). - Secondly, evidence must be compatible and NOT be in conflict with the Bible
(it is ‘relevant’ evidence).
6. ‘APPLY’ THE EVIDENCE
Let us now look at how we can individually make our own ‘credible’ judgements based on the ‘genuine evidence’ we HAVE gathered. That is, DOES “all the evidence” actually offer “enough proof” of God’s presence: his very existence? Does it really indicate to us that God, as a minimum, DOES seem to be real? And importantly do our lives ‘have a greater quality’ as a result of his presence there?
Also, our evidence must NOT be in conflict with our Bible-based Christian faith. In fact the evidence MUST support it!
Let’s discuss then what the word “proof”, in this regard, really means for us here.
6.1 Minimum ‘evidence’
Certainly, we each need to gather enough evidence to satisfy ourselves that God IS present in our lives and our church, i.e. God is real. AND obviously, if the evidence we find is powerful enough, we won’t need as much of it to accept that he is.
But again, let me explain what “proof of God’s existence” does NOT mean on this website. It does NOT refer to ‘proving in a scientific’ sense. In essence, the average human being normally accepts things as ‘believable’ in life when they do locate enough seemingly ‘genuine evidence’ to support the standard of “beyond reasonable doubt”. That is they DO consider they have enough proof at that point of time. Now … that level of proof is sufficient in a court of law, AND it is ‘primarily’ accepted as just as reasonable in our search for evidence of God.
6.2 But, how ‘real’ CAN the proof be?
Remember the powerful events and experiences, that I mentioned earlier, available in churches within the Pentecostal/ Charismatic ‘movement’. Some are ‘palpable’ (yes again, you can feel them). Other events there can also truly ‘rattle your cage’, particularly when you or someone known to you closely does experience them. No exaggerating!
This relevant evidence can readily be both ‘personal’ and ‘irrefutable’ for each of us, as far as my auditor brain is concerned. Please read the article, “Experiencing the Holy Spirit” for supporting information. Or try reading the article, “Are experiences of the Holy Spirit real?” for my final evaluation. I can genuinely write that my own belief in God became virtually “without doubt” … after experiencing those (Bible-based) spiritual events. And please continue to read on for a bit more info about it shortly.
Now you may well think the following example of mine is fairy-tale stuff! But my wife and I first became involved with the ‘movement’ in our early years of attending churches. And, as one example, I witnessed a healing miracle there. The miracle actually involved my wife. And it was ABSOLUTELY ‘for real’. I mean her previously destroyed brain cells, resulting from a stroke long before, were ‘just’ replaced right there and then in that church healing service! And as a result, her existing and significant health issues just DISAPPEARED in that instant. (Click the last link above to read more about it.)
Please note that I would gain nothing by exaggerating/ lying about all this stuff to you, i.e. there is no advertising on this website. There is no reason for me to keep you here reading!
BUT always remember, PLENTY of evidence on a smaller scale can also be found in your ‘day-to-day life‘, and within just about ‘every church‘ out there. This is particularly likely once your relationship with God grows ‘closer’ and more ‘faithful’. The evidence, as such, just becomes all the more recognisable. And with time, as we become faithful Christians, each of us CAN indeed come to hold belief, again virtually ‘without doubt’. My word, YES!
6.3 But, proof is yours only
So, proof of God’s presence CAN be so very convincing to each of us … because we CAN indeed experience it. And yes it CAN fit that ‘framework for evidence’ detailed above.
Your proof may not convince others
Bear in mind though, as absolutely ‘special’ some of this proof may be to us as individuals, it CANNOT be termed “scientific” OR classified as “objective” by someone else.
So, it may be ‘rock-solid’ to each of us, yes! Possibly even ‘irrefutable’ to us, yes! But, *scientific? No! And we CANNOT usually pass our evidence on to anyone else, so they might also be ‘convinced’, under normal circumstances.
(*However, that does NOT mean ‘science’ and ‘Christianity’ are in conflict. Please click here.)
Normally, to an outsider, our own ‘findings’ can only be considered as ‘subjective’ information to them at best. I am the first to admit that a so-called ‘third party’ cannot normally verify OUR religious beliefs, or the overall proof we each obtained in order to ‘believe’.
You see, generally, God only ‘proves himself’ to each of us ‘individually’. And for that to happen WE must willingly connect with God. Oh yes, God may well encourage us to connect with him. But normally WE must do the engaging, particularly in everyday life.
So, as I have explained above, your experiences probably won’t mean much to an outsider?
A simple example of mine
And here is an example. I relayed details of my wife’s ‘miracle healing‘, that I mentioned above, to a close family relative. That ‘relative’ truly knew of my wife’s pre-existing, long-term stroke damage. He was aware that her doctor had made it clear that her remaining damage was most likely permanent. And that relative also knew the stroke damage HAD now disappeared after that relevant church healing event. But, as a hardened atheist, he would NOT believe our explanation of events.
He just wrote it all off as a natural “spontaneous healing event”! I retaliated with these words, “What … that just happened as a Christian healer’s hand touched her during that church service?” He shrugged, unable to even accept the possibility of any supernatural cause!
7. ‘ANALYZE’ THE PROCESSES
Remember also, each of us must continually keep analyzing all of our ‘evidence gathering processes’ for effectiveness and possible improvement.
Evidence and acceptance of it, as actual proof, MUST fit that ‘framework’ provided above. That is, if it is to be used for “Building sound faith” and “proving that God is real“, i.e. courtesy of God. Indeed, all as explained in the article, “What does faith offer us?”
8. CONCLUSION
So, for a Christian, true ‘belief’ in God, and sound Christian faith, really can shape up through the use of ‘evidence-based practice’.
The ‘genuine evidence’ for analysis, within that practice, is gained through our own personal and positive experiences of faith. That can occur within ‘our lives‘, ‘the Church‘ and even ‘the Bible‘.
Unfortunately, due to the personal nature of our own faith and belief, it is unlikely that we can convince other people to accept our results as valid for them. Everyone simply has to do it all for themselves by starting out on their own ‘journey of faith‘. They gather their own evidence for ‘appraisal’ and ‘application’ as they travel. And that journey, with its valid experiences, MUST soundly comply with the Bible’s contents.