Can We have a Conversation about God?

There is no greater question humans face than that of God. He is the ultimate mystery. Does he exist? Is he real? Can he be known? Where did he come from? If humans are accidental and random, why do we spend so much time seeking the divine? Why have philosophers, theologians, thinkers and poets in every century asked and sought to answer the question of God?

I’ve certainly spent plenty of nights staring into a star-filled sky wondering about God. I have plenty of questions: If God is real, why does he sometimes seem so silent? Why does he put up with all the junk in the world, especially all the junk that’s been done in his name? Why do children suffer and die from starvation, when there’s more than enough food to feed them in storehouses all around the world? Why doesn’t he do something? If you have ever found yourself wondering why God acts the way he does, you’re in good company. King David, the author of most of the Psalms, had his own questions: Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? (Psalms 10:1)

We all wonder, we all have questions. And for many, it’s time to start taking about them together. Beginning this month in my hometown of Austin, nearly 350 churches are promoting the largest, most unified spiritual initiative in our city’s history. It’s called Explore God. We’ve posted billboards all around Austin encouraging people to just have conversations about God. Those participating churches are all preaching on some of the most pressing questions about God:

Is God real?
Why does God allow suffering?
Is the Bible Reliable?
Is Jesus God?
Is the Christian faith too narrow and exclusive for today’s cultures?

Beyond that, a group of Austin Christian business men created the Explore God web site. It’s a world-class resource designed to help people process where they are in their respective pursuits of God. Atheists and agnostics, people from other religions and world views, and even seasoned Christians will find the site compelling and again, a great conversation starter.

That really is the point of Explore God. Those of us who are participating in the effort know that nothing could be better for our city than for hundreds of thousands of our fellow Austinites to be discussing, reading about, researching, trying to prove or disprove, meditating on and even arguing over God. Because as they do, many of them will find him. And you know what? The same is true for your city as well. Maybe it’s time for you to lead an Explore God initiative where you live.

So, can we have a conversation about God? For the next several Tuesdays (I usually blog on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) my blog posts will focus on some aspect of the Explore God initiative. We’ll wrestle with the tough topics together. I’ll offer links to helpful resources and include links to my own messages on the subject that I share at Austin Christian Fellowship.

Until then, let me encourage you to do two things.

Visit exloregod.com .
Start a conversation about God. You may be surprised where it takes you.