1 Peter 3:15 says, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."
God is giving me opportunities to give answers for my faith here in Kyrgyzstan. As always, they are unexpected opportunities. Today's was the most recent. As I walked through one of the city parks, a young man, probably mid 20's, asked me in English if I knew what time it was. We recognized each other as American's and began chatting a bit. Come to find out, he is from Brooklyn and is traveling around Central Asia writing articles for a magazine, as well as a book on the people of Central Asia. I also learned that he comes from a Jewish family, was born in Israel, his father and grandfather are rabbis, he rejected Judaism sometime in his teens, and now seems to be trying to blaze a trail for Atheism (a religion of its own) here in Central Asia. His name is Baruk, which means blessed in Hebrew.
After telling him that I am here teaching English for a year and that I am on my way to my pastor's flat, he recognized me as "one of those people who just want to push their ridiculous Christian beliefs on people and just use teaching English as a cover-up." This recognition quickly led to a discussion on the reality of absolute truth in the universe. Baruk explained to me that he believes in a reality where truth is always changing. He didn't call it this, but I would label it an idea of progressive truth. Any critical thinker (which, according to Baruk, no Christians are) can see this idea is completely self-contradictory and by definition, illogical.
Many people, especially in America, have this understanding of truth. But no matter how many people think this way, it doesn't make the belief true. Truth is unchanging. By definition, truth cannot change. Most people have never thought about truth before, at least not how truth is, or should be defined. Baruk is not alone in his thoughts. If you yourself have never questioned this before, I encourage you to do so. Ask yourself, "How do I know the things that I believe are true?" It's something every person should consider. I am copying a paper I wrote on absolute truth to the following journal entry. If you have never considered these things before, I encourage you to read it. It might seem long on the journal site, but its length is only about four typed pages.
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