Friedrich Nietzsche Helped Me Believe in Jesus

I remember walking out of a Philosophy class one day during college and feeling like my head was going to explode. Our class had spent the previous hour arguing against the existence of God and the ability to truly know anything at all. It’s always an interesting adventure for a Christian to have to argue against the existence of God which I had to do that day and gave the exercise everything I had. After class I walked into the school cafeteria, sat down with some friends and said, “Please tell me that God exists.”

That happened numerous times that semester as we contemplated how and why men should live without the existence of God. Even though I often left class feeling like my head was going to explode, by the end of the semester I feel like I found something valuable. Strangely enough, I felt more sure about my faith that I ever had before.

I knew that that following Jesus was more true and worthwhile than any other belief in the world. I could see the evidence and order of an omnipotent God all around me. I ended my semester confident that Christianity belonged at the forefront of any logical discussion on Truth and the essence of existence. (Thank you Jean-Paul Sartre, Friedrich Nietzsche and Existentialism)

Growing up it sometimes felt like Christians were supposed to live in fear. We were afraid to think too hard or search too deeply in fear of what we might find. It’s kind of like being unable to swim but jumping into a murky lake, unsure if you’ll be able to touch bottom. Over the years, I’ve made that jump repeatedly and find I land on solid rock.

I’ve read numerous articles recently attacking those who follow Jesus and questioning what we believe. You can read an example below. I think it’s important for followers of Jesus to read articles like this. Our faith is not a pet mouse we need to hide in a box in the corner of our bedroom in fear of it  getting lost or being eaten by some other larger animal. Our faith is a lion that can walk proudly through any arena, knowing it has what it takes.

Click this picture for one article that will make you think.

What can we learn from articles like this? 

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My Favorite Article from College

One of my favorite articles I read in college was called Existentialism is a Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre. You can actually read it for free here.  He was trying to sum up Existentialism and explain how a person can live an “authentic” life free from the strings of things like religion. I love how he really works through what it means to truly live a life without God.