Dragnet was one of my favorite TV shows when I was a boy. Sergeant Joe Friday was not interested in personal opinions or conjecture. He would regularly tell witnesses, “Just the facts”. It has become even more difficult in this day and age to separate facts from fiction, opinion or conjecture. I think we are all searching for “just the facts”.
Forensic Faith is a new book by J. Warner (Jim) Wallace. Jim Wallace was a real life police investigator and this book is the third book of a trilogy. His first book, God’s Crime Scene, made the case for God’s existence. His second book, Cold-Case Christianity, made the case for Christ. Forensic Faith helps us understand why we, as Christians, have a duty to defend the truth of God’s presence in our life; develop a strategy to master the evidence for our faith; learn how to use the techniques of a detective to discover new insights from God’s word; and learn the skills of professional case makers as they lay out the facts to a jury.
We don’t have to be shy about sharing the true, logical and compelling basis for our faith. Truth, logic and critical thinking are all from God. The enemy uses half-truths, twisted logic and false criticism proudly put forth by people who mistake them for wisdom. Instead of avoiding or ignoring their criticism, we need to present them with the facts upon which our faith rests. More than 70 years ago, a prominent agnostic professor in Great Britain, C.S. Lewis, began critically investigating the Bible and Christianity. He not only came away a believer, but he became one of the greatest apologists (defenders) of Christian faith. During World War II, Lewis held a number of radio debates with noted atheists. The transcripts of those debates are amazingly thought provoking.
Much more recently, an atheist legal reporter at the Chicago Sun Times, Lee Strobel, began a personal investigation to prove his wife’s Christian faith was baseless. His investigation led him to faith in Christ and to write the story of his search for truth. The Case for Christianity also became a powerful movie.
We don’t have to be a trained police investigator, successful investigative reporter or brilliant university professor to find and express the truth of God’s love, mercy and grace. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit will give us the words and wisdom to answer those who attack faith in Him at just the time we need them. (Mark 13:11) All we need to do is study God’s word and develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit within us.
A good friend of mine told me about giving her unscripted and unplanned testimony at church two weeks ago. She told me that the words just kept flowing out of her mouth without hesitation and the congregation’s response was overwhelming. I know how she felt. There have been times in my life when God has put words in my mouth that someone needed to hear at that precise moment. Many times as I write posts for this blog, my hands on the computer keyboard seem to have a mind of their own. God is good!