Kevin Alan Wells

From start to finish, Christianity is nonsense.

The ancient story would have you believe that the creator of the universe came to Earth in the first century disguised as a backwoods Jewish Mediterranean peasant born from an unwed teenage girl who needed an explanation real quick for her fiancée (“Honest, sweetheart; God did it”). This heavenly child grew up to become an unemployed construction worker who traveled from town to town as a homeless public nuisance with authority issues that ultimately led to his death sentence for high treason. But three days after his execution he got better, and proved it by showing himself to everyone that already believed in him. Then like a birthday balloon, he slipped away from Earth, floating through the clouds, past the atmosphere, and into outer space where he continued on his way, floating to heaven. From this lofty adobe, the 2,038-year-old man now reigns as the supreme ruler over all creation to whom you must submit with absolute obedience, because 12 guys from the equivalent of Hayfield, Nebraska, said a ghost told them so, and because if you don’t, you’ll be thrown into a lake of boiling lava that will for all eternity burn but never kill you.

An eight year old child has enough sense to know this is absurd. And while the above paragraph is not the totality of the Christian message, it does represent a part about which the eight year old child is right. From the details of Jesus’ identity to the notion that a perfect God died for imperfect humans, the beliefs of Christianity are foolish. But do not be troubled by this; far from a glaring defect, this is God’s design:

For as it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will baffle the cleverness of the intelligent.”

Since the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it pleased God to save those who believe by foolishness. For some demand miraculous signs and others want to be convinced by wisdom, but we preach about a crucified Christ, a stumbling block and foolishness to the whole world. Yet to those who are called to believe, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position. God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong. He chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, and set it apart to be regarded as something, so that no one can boast in his presence. He is the only reason we have salvation, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who brags, brag about God.” (1 Cor 1.19-31)

From start to finish, God made Christianity to be nonsense to the human mind—in order to humble those who think they’re too smart to believe in him, and to ensure that he is praised through all eternity not only as Creator and Savior, but also as Genius.

Photo by pictalogue. The mosaic is of Christ the Pantocrator, located in the south gallery of the Hagia Sophia, dedicated Dec. 26, 537 A. D.