Spiritual Experience - Spiritual Growth - Christian Faith

Spiritual Experience, Spiritual Growth, and the Christian Faith. Randall Niles reviews the number one evidence for the Christian faith, a transformed life.

Origin Destiny Meaning Suffering Purpose Evolution Design Chance Fate Grace Freedom Justice Judgment Humanity Hope Eternity God.

Powerful words, underlying profound questions, argued passionately for centuries.

Although the science is more progressive, the tools more technological, and the media more dramatic, the debate is still the same. Logic, reason, and rhetoric -- evidence, experience, and emotion the great thinkers in science, philosophy, and theology continually unpack the same basic quandaries of existence.

But when the dust settles on each century of apologetic skirmish, it seems one moment with God conquers all

Augustine of Hippo (AD 354 -- 430) was 19-years-old when he read an essay by Cicero on truth. He spent the next 12 years pursuing his illusive foe, jumping from philosophy to philosophy, theology to theology, trying to intellectually reconcile seemingly irreconcilable tradeoffs between doctrine and experience. At the age of 31, Augustine had a one-time, supernatural experience, as if a light of relief from all anxiety flooded into my heart. It was then that all the shadows of doubt were dispelled and he accepted God as the ultimate truth in his life.

Thomas Aquinas (AD 1225 1274) was the timeless apologist of his century. His Summa Theologica still stands as a pillar of theological thought 38 treatises asking and answering over 10,000 questions across 3,120 separate subsections! Remarkably, after decades of written debate and discourse, Aquinas had a transformative (some would call mystical) experience in church that changed everything for him. He immediately ceased work on his Summa and nobody (not even the Roman Catholic Church) could get him to return to it. He simply declared, I can do no more. Such secrets have been revealed to me that all I have written now appears to be of little value.

Blaise Pascal (AD 1623 1662) was the brilliant scientist, mathematician, philosopher, and apologist of his era, debating the existence of God and other theological issues with the greatest minds in Europe. His logic, reason, and rhetoric are still the foundation of university courses to this day. Yet, it was Pascals personal encounter with God as he read by his fireplace one night that delivered the final apologetic for his life -- you cant know God through intellect alone. He later wrote, "The heart has its reasons; that reason knows not of."

Wow, powerful stuff!

It seems a transformed life through an individual encounter with God must be regarded as the greatest apologetic evidence for His existence! Although these personal experiences mean nothing to the critical, cynical, or skeptical mind, they mean everything to those that experience them!

Visit http://www.allaboutreligion.org/christian-faith-video.htm and http://www.allaboutgod.com/spiritual-growth-video.htm to explore other apologetic evidences for Christianity, including God, the Bible, Jesus Christ, and spiritual experience.

Also, go to http://www.RandallNiles.com/videos.htm to watch more videos dealing with spiritual experience / spiritual growth underlying true Christian Faith.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Spiritual Experience
• Spiritual Growth
• Christian Faith
• Christianity
• Randall Niles
• Augustine
• Aquinas
• Pascal
• You Tube
• Video

[bmgsings]

hopefully Colorado Springs, but ...whatever the Lord provides is fine, of course.

[reflect7]

Excellent -- Keep me posted,

Randall

[bmgsings]

This guy's video made me interested in who he was. Just from his apologetic speaking, I looked him up, found out he taught at Colorado Christian University, and since I had been looking for a Graduate university, I chose that one.

Thanks!

[reflect7]

That's great -- I hope we connect -- Are you looking to study at the Lakewood campus or at one of the other centers in Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, or Grand Junction?

[ClassicRockfan79]

@11leeman ha ha. and then you became the Fresh Prince?? who are you Will Smith?

[imingzee]

How did Cane and Abel have kids?

[11leeman]

i can relate to James. I grew up in west Philadelphia and spent most of my time getting in fights at the playground. My grandma finally sent me to my uncle's house in bel-air where I straitened out and found the words of Jesus. 

[alo754]

I like to question everything that sorrounds and effects my overall life. I was curious to see if Niles could proof christianity to be back up by anything at all. Unfortunately, the question was never answered. Personal experiences do not count as proof nor evidence.

[wavular]

@skinlesscougar ok-I am just pointing out the "Obvious" instances,imagine the ones not printed in the news?And i know jesus,i just don't like looking or hearing about the pure hatred and corruption going on in the religious groups today,even jesus lost his temper...once mind you,but did he ever whoop ass when he did!!

[skinlesscougar]

@wavular Two things first of all the Roman empire became the most powerful empire of it's time not because of the abuse but because they had a republic kind of like the U.S and they were originally free people. However the senate learned how to abuse the system.

Secondly, why do you let other people who can't get their faith right stop you from knowing a God who loves you and showing them how they should live their faiths. One thing I will do is debate other Christian's who behave wrongly.

[wavular]

"Christian faith" I grew up in a christian household,-i was abused,second,this so-called faith tells you you should love your brother,then why is it the back-stabbing happened in church? And so it's "Roman" catholic? The Roman's- the most brutal establishment in history-and handed jesus over to the jews? the king killed by his own people?-Priests that molest little boys,a pope that covers it up,mafia connections...the list goes on -Hypocrites all of them,And liars all.you should all be lawyers.

[HippieDrummer06]

@reflect7 How do you know your religion is right and all the others are false? Where's your proof? All the others claim to have proof of the fallacy of yours... where's your evidence? What makes yours more truthful than the others? Why are you taking this bronze age mythical (1 out of 5 major ones that attempted to explain everything before we knew about science) book so seriously? I'm not attacking anyone I'm just curious.

[ClubAmplified]

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