About the "Death Ticker"

**The "Death Ticker" on this blog has changed since this was first posted. The new ticker is aimed at non-believers. Most of the below response is still applicable, however, since the criticism to which I was responding was very poorly constructed.**

I know that not everyone appreciates the so-called "Death Ticker" at the bottom of this blog, which reminds people of the reality that (*gasp*) people die. I also know that not everyone thinks that Christianity is True, or relevant, or even sane.

Recently, I read this criticism about the "Death Ticker" from an atheist who thinks the concept of Hell is silly.

Yes! You're all going to hell- unless you believe exactly what I do! I know the secret, and the rest of you will burn! Only I know the answer- follow me without thinking or suffer for all eternity

Unfortunately, this individual has missed the point of the ticker completely. This is not uncommon for those who criticize Christianity ... most criticisms that I encounter are based on faulty understanding of the Bible or Jesus (not all, but most). In this particular case, the errors are many.

First, the "Death Ticker" is not for non-believers, but for believers. It is a motivator for Christians to go out and share their faith. Regardless of whether you believe Christianity or not, the Bible does clearly states that without having our sins forgiven through repentance and faith in Jesus that our final destination will be in Hell. If you don't believe that, that's fine. But since I believe that, I ought to be telling everyone I can about it. Therefore, the ticker exists as a stark reminder for Christians to put their beliefs into practice, to follow the commandment of our Risen Lord and Savior, and to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I [Jesus] have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20a). In fact, at the bottom of the ticker the question is asked, "Who have you shared with today?" Notice that the question is not, "What are you gonna do about it, sinner?" The ticker is aimed at professing Christians who are being negligent in their first and foremost duty: the proclamation of the gospel.

Secondly, the encouragement for Christians to go out and share has nothing to do with telling people, "You're all going to hell- unless you believe exactly what I do!" as is erroneously asserted. In fact, you need not believe many of the things that I do. Quite frankly, my beliefs are unimportant to a large degree. There is one central belief that is critical however, and that is concerning the identity of Jesus of Nazareth. Many people believe many different things about him. Some think he is coming soon. Others think he has already returned. Some think they are him. Some think he was a myth. Some think he was a good teacher whose followers made him into something he never claimed to be.

Jesus said, "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins" (John 8:24). We can make up our own version of Jesus if we want to. Meek and mild. Baby Jesus. Just a man. It doesn't matter if you believe everything that I believe about Jesus ... what matters (according to Jesus) was that you believe what He said about himself. The core content of Christian faith that is necessary for salvation is simple:

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve" (1 Corinthians 15:3-5).

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved (Romans 10:9-10).

According to the Apostle Paul and Holy Scripture, these are the basic content of belief that are necessary for salvation. We aren't saved by knowing facts about God, but by putting our trust in this fact that Jesus will save us if we ask him to.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him (John 3:36).

Third, this doosy: "I know the secret, and the rest of you will burn! Only I know the answer ...". This is plainly a false statement. The point of the ticker is that it's not a secret. Many people know and aren't telling people about it. I knew about Jesus before I knew Jesus. The difference is life and death. Secrets are meant to be kept, the gospel is meant to be shared. Christianity is one of the three major monotheistic religions ... clearly, I'm not the only one who knows/believes it.

Fourth, the last statement: "follow me without thinking or suffer for all eternity". Following Christ is not about not thinking (yes, that was a double negative). Following Christ is about being reasonable.

Nearly 2000 years ago a man named Jesus lived, he had followers, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius Caesar, and his earliest followers believed (and were willing to endure torturous deaths for their belief) that they witnessed him alive after his scandalous execution as a criminal. This belief of the earliest followers and the inability of the Romans or Jews to provide proof that these claims were false, which would have been easy if they simply produced the corpse, exploded despite the severest persecution into a worldwide phenomenon. These facts are virtually undisputed by historians, although some like Earl Doherty have attempted to make case that Jesus never lived (not a tenable hypothesis, but it does sell books!).

In order to convince the churches of Galatia, Paul writes 18 years after the supposed crucifixion and resurrection: You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. How could Paul try and convince people 18 years after the supposed events happened, that they had seen something that was mythical? How convinced would you be if I said, "You fool! Who has bewitched you, who yourselves rode upon a unicorn just 18 years ago!" I'm guessing not very .... Similarly, to the Corinthians Paul writes: After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. If you were trying to convince someone that Jesus was raised from the dead, would you tell them that there were hundreds of people still living who could vouch for it if you knew it was a lie? He was providing a way for his claims to be falsified (very scientific method ... go Paul). Yet, belief flourished.

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead. (Acts 17:30-31, emphasis added)

God gave evidence that Jesus was who he claimed to be. The Apostles pointed to this evidence. I talk to people about this evidence. Yet the same peope who believe without a shadow of a doubt that the universe began 15 billion years ago without the help of a god or outside intelligence (a unscientific thought in itself, since nothing doesn't make something, no matter how much time it has), and are thoroughly convinced that non-living material produced life, that consciousness sprung out of non-consciousness ... these same people don't believe that we can know with certainty that Jesus was raised from the dead, or even if he ever existed when we have historical documentation from intelligent beings, both friendly to the movement and against it (e.g. Jewish and Roman historians). And yet, it is the Christian who is accused of asking people to "follow them without thinking" ... give me a break.

Finally, this criticism completely misses the central tenet of Christianity (thus demonstrating the complete misunderstanding of this particular critic): follow me without thinking.... Following me will get you nowhere. Following Christ is all that matters. He is alive, follow Him.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. (John 14:6-7)