probably wrote this in 2003 sometimes..
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As evangelicals or products of our society and culture, we sometimes
subscribe to science or the ways of man to convince others, even ourselves,
that God is real and true. Though the other extreme of blind faith is also
reeked with fallibilities, solely based –relative - on one’s experience of
God, it does mean that we should be completely be objective in our
perception and even our witness of God. Indeed, God neither operates on
such a superficial level of objectiveness, nor such an unfounded and
relative level of subjectiveness. However, believing in God does not
necessitate an “either or”; an objective and subjective perception of God
are not mutually exclusive. For God is both truthful and personal. What
other God equates himself like Christ when he proclaims to be the truth?
Yes, Jesus is the personification of truth. A person whose life reflects
the original intent of creator and the original purpose of creation, humans
whose lives is rendered into personal and truthful relationship – perfect –
with their Creator, their Lord.
Therefore, as we fellowship and witness, our lives should reflect the
fullness of this relationship. The objectiveness needs to point towards the
validity of a subjective relationship, while subjectiveness needs to point
towards a humble need for truth – an absoluteness.
How we approach witnessing is determined by our society or their worldview.
So in western society, it needs to be objective that provides some viability
of an innate longing in the human makeup of a relationship with God.
Admittedly, I have been very guilty of concentrating so much on objective
truth, reasoning through logic, that I failed to reflect the most important
reason, even my motivation, to believe and continue to believe. The
relationship is by far more personal, and makes that much more vulnerable.
Yes, if I share that part of me, I can definitely be viewed as a freak, even
an ignorant and dogmatic person. Yet somehow, I believe that in humbleness
and dependence on God, the realness of this relationship can only be
conveyed in such a manner. For it is not along concepts or theories that
God is made real, but along the rigors and relatable human experiences. It
involves decisions made from our knowledge, our mind, our emotions, our
longings, and our heart. Thanks goodness that is such, for if the meaning
of the life was solely knowledge or logic, our life would be as mundane and
stoic as the concept of truth itself, or if our lives were solely based on
experiences, our lives would be as fleeting and erratic as our groundless
and unfounded interpretation itself.
Without going into it further, religion or a subscription to a greater
meaning of life needs to be both subjective and objective. All other
religions offer that to a certain extent, but only one offers it to the
fullness in the observance of these measures – in a relationship.