Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism

by John C. Lennox

The heart of monotheism is that God, who is outside history, is the guarantor of meaning.

The awe of the holiness of God, which the glory of Jerusalem’s temple was designed to convey, is easily lost. And when it is lost, the danger is that symbols that once pointed the way to deeper spiritual and moral realities tend to become ends in themselves. An admiration for church architecture, or an appreciation of religious art and ritual, is not the same as the worship of a glorious God. After all, one does not even have to believe in God to admire the towering spires and the lofty vaulted roof of a cathedral, or to enjoy the singing of a well-trained church choir.

Our objective should be to befriend people as Jesus did – not simply to target potential converts. If I am not interested in a person as a person, it is understandable that they are not going to be interested in me or in my faith.

The idea that we can witness without words is highly misleading. God’s method of communication is his Word. It will only be credible if it is backed up by a consistent lifestyle. But lifestyle is not enough. To explain the Word, you must use words.