In these modern times, who has the audacity to believe in miracles? Of course we have all heard of the "supposed" miracles of ancient times, which some people claim are easily attributable to exaggerated accounts or magnified hyperbole, continually embellished over time as the stories were handed down from generation to generation through word of mouth. Some skeptics go so far as to call such accounts outright fiction or fable. Such a caricature of the miraculous however, is far from the truth, as those who have experienced modern-day miracles would themselves readily testify. What is the nature of a miracle that makes it so convincing to those who have witnessed and experienced it? In this world of self-proclaimed scientific skeptics, is there empirical evidence that can reliably establish the existence of miracles? And even if so, have any miracles occurred in modern times that rival the famed miracles documented in the scriptures of the Hebrew people?
The questions and uncertainty surrounding this topic are endless, as are the passionate proponents for and against the existence of miracles. On the one hand, every fervent believer of miracles can point to not just one, but many, documented cases with full proof, consistent eyewitness accounts, certified confirmations from experts, doctors or scientists that something definitely happened, which normally would have zero probability of occurring in the natural world, but nevertheless, it happened, and it was confirmed. There are thousands if not millions of such cases. On the other hand, every fervent skeptic of miracles has a ready answer to every aspect of every purported miracle, sufficient to debunk the proof, the eyewitnesses, the experts, doctors or scientists and their official certifications. It seems a skeptic's veracity is based on the very fact that the purported occurrence would have zero probability of happening in the natural world, therefore no matter who says what, who saw what, who claims what, as facts, they are convinced the incident clearly never happened, or if it really did happen, there is simply some missing link or logical explanation that just hasn't been found yet.
And so, this debate rages on. I believe the question of miracles and supernatural activity is the primary underlying issue separating the "believing" and "unbelieving" multitudes, a great divide permeating the fabric of modern-day society, namely the legitimacy and the credibility of the Christian faith. Those who put the utmost priority on adherence to their Christian faith are emboldened that the scientific and logical processes provide empirical evidence to support the existence of the supernatural activity that is consistent with the clear descriptions in the Bible. Those who bristle at the notion of supernatural activity being somehow validated, and oppose any such beliefs, are similarly confident that the scientific and logical processes flatly discredit anyone claiming the existence of supernatural activity. There are also some in-between, those who believe in the supernatural but still vehemently oppose the validity of the Christian faith, and those who do not believe in the supernatural but still proclaim the importance of Christianity and Christian values. So then the heart of the debate is not science, but rather the exploration of the very foundations at risk of either being upheld or discarded, simultaneously the most heralded and the most despised, that are voraciously attacked and defended at the same time by this polarized populace.
An exploration of the foundations by its very nature is a deep and vast undertaking. This further fuels the discord, for few people in this fast-paced demanding modern life have the time, patience, or inclination to enter into a deep study and the depth of dialogue necessary to engage in a reasonable exchange of ideas. Rather, most people are content to sling mud in the form of one-liners, catchy sound bites, standard stereotypes, and oppositional politics to simply preserve their preferred psychological positions. This essentially becomes a debased standoff of mutually exclusive psychological superiority. The tragedy of such overconfidence on either side of the debate, is the assumption that the opposing viewpoint is so idiotic, so moronic, so unbelievably stupid, or even worse, so despicably manipulative and purposefully malicious, that the nation has descended into vile, bitter, angry, riotous tantrums of destruction, from the self-righteous outrage of these polar opposites. In order to overcome the political stalemate into which the nation has descended, it is imperative that the willing voices of cooperation and integrity begin to reach across the aisle in goodwill dialogue in which both sides commit to seeing the other as legitimate, caring, respectable, intelligent concerned citizens, and begin the deep undertaking of searching out and discovering the common ground that brings unity among the people.
The effort to engage in dialogue attempting to bring disparate people into unity is in and of itself fueled by a belief that all things are possible, a major miracle that can be accomplished. For those who look at the chaos in this world and still have hope, their very starting point is a strong belief in miracles. For others that have lost hope or are on the verge of losing hope, I would suggest that somewhere on their destination map for the future, there must be a willingness to entertain the possibility of miracles. Without hope for the future, the entire purpose of existence is meaningless. And here we begin to bump up against the root belief foundations that are so important to explore, in all of their vastness.
Contrary to popular belief, the Christian faith is based on an incredibly deep assessment of the human condition, a very pragmatic assessment of social norms and destructive habits, and a profoundly compassionate treatment of human failure and suffering. To acknowledge that humans are born with unique differences, that some have gifts of thinking, judgment and senses, while others have gifts of feeling, perception, and intuition (and in fact such differences are widely acknowledged), then we must also acknowledge that the learned wisdom of academics, rules, and laws are only half of the available wisdom, and that there are spiritual wisdoms that may seem to contradict those worldly wisdoms, but are paramount and essential nonetheless. All humans are capable of possessing great wisdom that matches the fundamental way they were created, which happens to vary from person to person, some more pragmatic, some more spiritual. Therefore, the fundamental starting point for dialogue about human dignity and unity must allow for the existence of wisdom that is beyond one's own understanding. Therein lies the great depth of the Christian faith, and yet for this same reason so often misunderstood and minimized. Those who discover this depth of wisdom, joy, and effectiveness from the root foundations of the gospel of Jesus Christ have empirical evidence from the way their lives have been supernaturally and miraculously transformed.
As a compassionate gift extended to a person, or as a self-discipline of humble assessment, the beauty of the salvation gospel of Christianity is the complete liberation from the warring darkness of this world, by fulfilling both the worldly wisdoms and the spiritual wisdoms that appear to be at odds. If a person clings too stubbornly only to the wisdom that they know, they will never discover the fullness of their potential, the depth of their purpose on earth, and the ever-present peace and joy that overflows even in the midst of great turmoil. The empirical evidence supports the promises written in the Bible, that every soul is precious and redeemable regardless of past mistakes, that everything is not what it appears to be simply by sight, that there are wicked spiritual forces of darkness intent on destruction of souls, but that every soul can be saved from destruction by the profound and amazing strategy of Jesus' supernatural life on earth, that His victory over death is a finished work and freely available for all to receive by grace, that the wise are confounded by simple things in order that they may gain true wisdom, and the simple can gain wisdom beyond their natural abilities, so that no man boast exceedingly in himself, but rather give praise to the miraculous gifts from heaven, and give thanks for a life of blessings and abundance available here on earth.
If we can reach this starting point, to allow for the supernatural dispensation of gifts among the countless unique individuals on earth, so that no person can claim or validate a position of superiority over another person to implicitly wage a war of destruction over that other person, then we can begin an earnest dialogue of dignity and unity among the incredibly diverse multitude of humankind. This ensuing dialogue by nature is one of great depth, and cannot avoid the certainty of the sinful nature of humans. This is difficult for some well-meaning people to accept about themselves, who would rather retreat to a position of superiority than to allow themselves to be seen at the same level as a wretched purveyor of evil, and yet the simple contentions and strife born from such subtle superiority evolves into the darkest evils of separation and contempt. So this all-important dialogue among polar opposites will gain traction when there is an understanding of why Jesus walked the earth, how and why He loved us to go to the lengths that He did, and what it means for our lives when we embrace His gift to become a victorious beacon of light in a dark and fallen world.
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