A well-rounded perspective

Like any other red-blooded human being, I have an opinion and preference about all sorts of things.

Crunchy is better than creamy peanut butter.

Diet Coke is better than Coke.

Y'all is better than you guys.

The "south" is better than the "north."

George Bush is a great and honorable president.

Elephants over donkeys.

Fine.

But that's stuff that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Ultimately those sorts of issues don't effect the whole of my life and potentially my eternity (and I believe there is one). My real concern for you is, what about the issues that truly may have a profound impact on your future well-being?

My question is: Aren't those issues really worth investigating both sides of the coin? If something really looks like it matters, shouldn't you spend the time and effort discovering the whole of the truth?

Here's why I ask. Dan Brown's book "The Da Vinci Code," the sequel to his book "Angels and Demons," is about to become a movie this summer. Now for those of you non-readers out there, you may not know what all the fuss is about. But if you like movies, I'm certain you'll find this one truly fascinating.

The truth is, the books are actually a lot of fun to read. They are masterfully written, fast-paced and cover a lot of ground in a relatively short period of time. I enjoyed reading them. As a matter of a fact, I couldn't put them down. So my concern isn't for the book as a work of good ol' fiction reading. My concern is much deeper and I think you should consider these things.

The real issue is that while the book can be found in the fiction section of any bookstore, the very first page of the book prepares the reader for something quite different. Dan Brown states that the material on that page is all FACT. And then he makes claims that are at the very least debatable. Without going into details, there were some extremely bold statements, many of which are causing much debate in the realm of religious politics. But even that doesn't bother me. That sort of argumentative banter goes on endlessly in every arena.

My real concern is for the average person that has a tendency to believe everything he/she reads, especially when something is claiming to be FACT. We are real good at making up our minds about something and then going through the rest of life never questioning what we believe. And it doesn't matter much about things like peanut butter and party adherence. But when it comes down to something like Christianity, which claims to be the way to eternal life, the stakes are too high to simply believe everything Jo Shmo says.

Reading books that make these sorts of claims are fine as long as you are willing to hear the other side of the coin. Don't remain ignorant by being so lop-sided in your understanding of the world. Instead create a balanced opinion about the big things. And that goes for you Christians too. Don't just take your preacher's word for it. Discover for yourself why Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. Dig deep. Explore. Hear both sides...seek wise counsel...listen to other's opinions of certain issues. Then and only then will you truly be making the decision to believe the way you do.

Read "The Da Vinci Code." Then read "The Gospel Code" by Ben Witherington or some other good rebubtle to Dan Brown's claims. You don't have to be ugly about it...just be informed and don't be so easily swayed.

Think. Read. Learn. Develop your well-rounded perspective.