My friend Derrick didn’t warn me what he was up to, so when I jumped on a motorbike to pick a couple of files from him that Thursday evening.

I suddenly found myself in a strange meeting, quite impressed, quite.

Impressed that a group of Ugandans could actually care to meet and ask questions about what they believed.

Among the outstanding self-descriptions of the night were “Agnostic” “atheist” “deist” etc —not a good meeting to simply “drop files”  and head off-  I should have known.

However, “former Christian” is the one self-description that caught me off guard — Whether it is possible to be Christian today and be none tomorrow is a subject I thought deserved further biblical reflection, but that would have been “my agenda” for the night,. So I let it—among many other concerns—pass.

I loved the outdoor feel of the venue and most importantly, the composure of the discussants in handling seemingly fiery objections to and in support of themes like, “Can the Bible be trusted as a source of truth? (Which I later learned was the theme of the evening.)

Long story short, arguments ranged from Science to Bible credibility, to morality, to absolute truth,  and what not.  However, a few rehearsed central objections to the Bible as absolute truth stayed with me through the night.

I, therefore, thought to raise them here (alongside an accompanying song) may serve somebody out there readying to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3)

1. That for the Bible requires historical external sources and collaboration to be true.

Scripture was written over millennia, and whereas eyewitness accounts attest to its reliability, God did not rely on the approval of external sources to stand by his truth- his word, which ultimately speaks of who he is.

When the coming Messiah is foretold, he speaks through Isaiah, when you doubt the Jonah fish story, He cites it to explain his death and resurrection. Whoah!  Just when you think the Passover lamb is just some Jewish Leviticus stuff, boom! Paul uses it to introduce the new Passover lamb.

Sure 1st century historians like Josephus may have cited Jesus in their work, but God already talks about God, way earlier, (perhaps that’s why there’s no book of St Josephus) because faith comes by hearing,  and hearing the word of God (Rom 10:17) not just the word of historians —bless their effort.

2. Evidence for Jesus matters, especially evidence of his all-satisfying nature.

Whereas Jesus made historical claims about himself, he also presented himself as ultimate satisfaction, that’s what bread and living water, thirst, and hunger meant to his original audience. (John 6:35) To only assess him rationally is to miss him as fulfillment, and consequently the ultimate satisfier of our deepest spiritual quest for heavenly bread that satisfies and living water that ultimately quenches.

3. Unbelief blinds, even professing believers.

I was baffled that evening, baffled how unbelief can grip a human heart so tightly, far from what my what I am used to in my Christian circles.

Here I was listening in to “former Christians” as I pondered what may have happened. Which led me to ponder the danger of unbelief among those who only profess the faith, today.

4. Faith comes not by hearing more evidence.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God, (Rom 10:17) sure we don’t shelve our minds when we come to God, in fact, “we take thoughts captive,” and present our minds for renewal, renewal means something went amiss earlier, and Paul calls this whole process “transformation” in Romans 12.

After we have gathered all the evidence in the world for Christianity, there still remains room for faith, for, without it, “its impossible to please God.” (Heb 11:6)

Time did not permit me in that meeting and space does not permit me in this post but I will squeeze in a couple more responses to the night’s rehearsed objections, against the sufficiency of scripture.

Namely; God did not say I am who the external sources say, he said I am who I am – empathy for any argument– and for this case any Christian argument–  means we approach him as a self-existent God, considering what he has said about himself, first and foremost. After all,  a God who needs external historical sources to verify his word would not be God enough.

5. Christians always remember to sing.  I sang that night, nobody should sing louder than a former prisoner, true believers are happiest in their countenance especially before unbelievers, this is our loudest apologetic, in fact, my local language (Luganda) version of scripture paraphrases Ephesians 5:19 to say “Mukubenga enanga mumitima gyamwe” to mean “always play a piano in your heart.”

I love this because I actually left that meeting not only intellectually enthralled but singing in my heart too, I left singing an ancient hymn derived from 1 John 5:4.

And so it went,

 Faith is the victory

Faith is the victory
Oh glorious victory that overcomes the world.