If Jesus Christ returned today would we believe it, or would he be Fake News?
If Jesus Christ came back today, his return would stream live on Twitter, come with Facebook posts, a video on Instagram and its own TikTok.
But would we even believe it?
Never have we had so much access to so much information. Never have we believed so little of it.
Technology, and the politicization of something as innocuous as a sunrise, has draped skepticism over all of it.
To answer this question I turned to a most trusted friend, Rev. Eric Youngdahl, pastor of the House of Prayer Lutheran Church near Houston.
“I don’t know. I can’t answer that for you,” he said. “If I am back in that time, when Jesus was resurrected, would I be a disciple walking with him? Or would I think he’s just some crazy guy? I don’t know.
“There is so much misinformation right now. As you look at it, we’re in this global pandemic, this is probably the perfect time for it to happen.”
Never has believing in anything beyond the nose on our face been more difficult than today. If ever there was a time when we needed to believe in something that defies our eyes, it is Easter Sunday 2020.
We don’t believe in anything. Facts, data, video, stories, eye-witness accounts convince us of nothing.
We only believe what we want to believe. The rest we dismiss as a manipulation of the truth, or a product of the latest conspiracy on just another biased media platform.
I believe in God. I believe in Jesus Christ. I am, however, skeptical about the reporting in the Bible.
“You should question it,” Youngdahl said. “Those questions that make you explore your faith and make it deeper are not bad to ask.”
How do I believe in the most widely accepted, unbelievable, fact in recorded history, the resurrection?
How do I believe this deluge of information that I see today, which often appears far more credible than the story of a man coming back from the dead?
In our hour-long visit this week over the phone, Youngdahl gave me the answer that is as applicable to the day of Christ’s resurrection to Easter Sunday 2020.
“What I know is that Christ came for us to show us how to live. To me, that helps me put a filter on all of the information that I see and I read,” Youngdahl said.
“If I use the lens of Christ, hopefully I can figure out what is right, and what is wrong. Are we helping people? Are we being exclusive, or we being inclusive? How am I making this world a better place? Am I being generous, or am I being selfish? Those are the things that I tend to struggle with.”
Eric and I were dorm mates our freshman year in college. This is why I revere this man: No one I know preaches the word of Jesus more than Eric, without actually preaching.
A close second would be Pat Doney of KXAS NBC 5 here in town.
Both just live it.
It’s inspiring, and humbling.
Too much of what we watch, hear and read today is hard to believe because we know there is ulterior motive.
If you are unafraid to question the legitimacy of some of what you read, see and hear today on “the news,” don’t be shy about questioning the veracity of the resurrection.
Don’t be afraid to believe it, either.
“For me, I have to trust in something and believe in something,” Youngdahl said. “This is something that I believe in my heart to be trust. Can I explain it? Sorry, I can’t do that.”
That’s the essence of faith, which God only knows we need now more than ever.
This story was originally published April 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
