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Your Question:
What's the difference between faith and fantasy?
Answer:
As a pastor and a Christian, I've often grappled with the concept of faith and its distinction from fantasy. In our modern understanding, faith is often seen as a blind trust or a decision to believe something without evidence. However, this definition misrepresents the biblical understanding of faith. In the Christian tradition, faith is not just a choice or a decision, but a gift from God that allows us to trust in the invisible reality of God's presence and promises. Faith, in this sense, is not about abandoning the quest for tangible realities, but about opening our hearts to the grace of God and allowing Him to bring us into His future. It involves obedience, turning our backs on self and trusting in God's goodness and sovereignty. This understanding of faith is rooted in the biblical concept of trust, which is closer to the biblical sense of faith. Trust is not just a decision, but a deep-seated confidence in someone or something, and in the case of faith, it's a confidence in God's character and promises. The distinction between faith and fantasy is crucial, as fantasy often involves a rejection of the tangible reality and a pursuit of something that is not grounded in evidence or reason. Faith, on the other hand, is a source of belief that is grounded in the knowledge of God and His will, obtained through revelation and personal experience. As a Christian, I believe that faith is a gift from God that allows us to trust in Him, even when the circumstances around us seem uncertain or unpredictable.
Sources:
biblical critical theory
christopher watkin
god
j i packer knowing
colossians philemon
n t wright
christianity and liberalism
j gresham machen
elemental theology
emery bancroft
scientism and secularism
j p moreland
christian theology
millard erickson
where the conflict really lies
alvin plantinga
systematic theology
wayne grudem
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