Publisher's Synopsis
At first sight, this small book may look like an attempt to explain the reasons why an individual might be a Christian and believe in God. This is partly true however my primary purpose was to first try and take a step back and consider the foundations of the Chris-tian faith. In doing so I also want to consider how one might communicate these foundational ideas to the man and woman in the street. These thoughts and Christian principles are the ideas and concepts upon which I believe our concept of civilisation and mod-ern society have been built for over 2000 years. Questions like how might a modern world view connect with the idea of Jesus if it does not even accept that there is such a thing as absolute morality? Is there is even a reasonable case to be offered for believing that God really exists? How might one expect any child growing up in a socially deprived area of the UK be able to recognise the parenthood of God when they have had no earthly experience to base it upon? How can a young person or even an adult be expected to under-stand the loving fatherhood of God when they have never experienced anything like it in real life? The teachings of Jesus' and by implication one of the commissions of the modern Christian believer is to challenge the generally accepted idea that truth is either non-existent or at best impersonal. If truth is impersonal, then the rules we hold on to will become more important than the people we live along side. However, if truth is personal, if ultimate reality is based on love then morality beautifies the world rather than enslaving it. Morality based upon an under-standing of the love of God can enrich the soul rather than depersonalizing it. Morality viewed through the prism of Christ's teaching returns love and adds value to the world in everything that really matters. In other words, this perspective will build up the human soul. These thoughts and reflections are obviously those of an amateur and open to criticism. They are just thoughts built upon conversations and experiences that have been accumulating in my mind for some time. They often sprang to life following lengthy discussions with ordinary people in everyday situations when I had managed to prompt people to discuss matters eternal. I now feel compelled to develop these thoughts and discussions into these essays. Further-more, having truly experienced the presence of God in my preparation of this book I now have a very human urge to share them.
