I received an email from a great pastor-friend of mine – Dean Inserra, pastor of The Well in Tallahasse, FL  (check him and his church out at www.nomorethirst.org and www.deaninserra.com).  He wanted me to comment on an email he received.  Here’s what the email said…

I was told by a member of your church of the “youpick” series that you are hosting at your church. I recently had a discussion with him about God and religion. I told him a few truths about my spiritual life — or lack thereof — and how I had attempted to counter such. I spent three and a half years searching for God, trying to find some semblance of His existance, some substantiation of the fact that Christ is God’s son — not simply an exemplar of morality. I told everyone I was Christian, but I could lie to myself no longer. I knew that if God was real, He would know I did not truly believe in Him. While most naturally assume I am Christian be it either my high levels morality or the fact that Christianity sort of comes standard around America for white middle-class families, I cannot claim Christianity., nor the belief in any higher power. I know not your extent of religious knowledge outside of the theology of Christianity, but I find myself in correspondence most with Theravada Buddhism. However, I was told to come to you with any questions I had about the faith. While I have innumerous questions, one I care to start with actually comes from a philosopher I disagree with on most every aspect, a philosopher from the days of Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero; the philosopher Epicurus.

Again, I could ask a million questions, but I suppose this one is as good as any to start.

Here was my honest, concise, short, and Christ-centered reply: