The Decatur Book Festival draws a massive amount of people, bibliophiles one and all, every Labor Day weekend. If you engage in people-watching, you'll see modern human life in a vast passing parade of the 70,000-80,000 people, some of whom look normal, some look just plain weird.
One person wore a T-shirt which featured the outline of Michigan and the words: "Michigan: America's First Line of Defense Against Canada." And then there was the shirt announcing: "Bill Clinton For First Lady 2016." There was a person wearing a Bernie Sanders button. Didn't he hear that Mr. Sanders dropped out?
You'll see purple hair, flaming artificial red hair, and a youth with an earring in his ear that distorted his earlobe to such a large, elongated shape that honest people would weigh it in the balances and pronounce it hideous. Then there was one college-age girl who walked with both shoes untied, which when pointed out by a team member concerned about her safety, stared blankly at him as if saying, "Mind your own business." (There were two separate sightings of those who walked with both shoes untied. It must be some new fad.) There were Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and few Christians, people from all over the place in the passing parade that grew larger and larger as the sun drew closer to its zenith.
We encountered people with an attitude, an edge, and sometimes you could see it in their faces and sometimes you could hear it in their words, words that came with a forced, faked politeness, sometimes with emphasis, and sometimes with rudeness when I invited them to take our survey.
Our venue makes no bones about who we are and what we stand for; both a large poster and banner announce, "FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE," with a smaller notification that we're representing the Hangar Bible Fellowship.
Immediately, passersby see that whatever it is that we are, we have something to do with Christ. When we invite someone to talk to us, we tell him or her exactly what's going to happen--we will interview him to get his opinions on spiritual questions. The banner, the poster, and the verbal invitations are up front; there's no bait and switch, no ruse to get them to come to the table to talk. There's no entertainment to draw them in and then spring the Bible on them. That would be dishonest.
A man walks by and the poster catches his eye. I approach and invite him to take our survey and give his opinions about spiritual matters. He quickly dismisses the invitation, saying, "I'm a self-declared secularist. You wouldn't like my opinions."
I assure him that we would like to hear his opinions (I didn't say that we'd like them, I said we'd like to hear them.) That launches him into what we might call, "The Big I Speech." He begins to talk about himself and I get the impression he's mighty impressed with who he is.
He tells me, "I've studied all the religions of the world [that's one huge exaggeration--there are 4,200 of them] and all of them have invented God," he lectures. "Men have invented God in their image," he explains.
I reply, "We would disagree with that," but he's not interested in how or why we'd disagree. He continues his lecture, and as he does, I notice that he's starting to shake his finger at me, as if filling me in on something I've never heard before. He tells me about living in Eureka, Illinois, the home of Ronald Reagan. I ask, "What does Reagan have to do with what you're telling me?" He ignores the question and says something so forgettable, I have no recollection of it. But I do remember his shaking his finger.
At this point, it's easy to see that the Eureka native is hardened, not interested in hearing anything we have to say. I need to move on to invite other people. I indicate that our conversation is over. He smiles, stops shaking his finger, falls silent, and moves on.
But what about that? What about his study and conclusion of God invented in the image of man?
As smart as he's told me he is, he has no idea how impossible it is for any human being to have invented the God of the Bible because:
1. Who in the world could invent the Trinity? One God in Three Persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each distinct Persons, not one person in three roles, but three co-equal and co-eternal Persons, yet one God. The Trinity is beyond my comprehension.
2. Who in the world could have invented grace? The Second Person of the Trinity in love comes into the human race and pays every man's complete penalty for sin so that an awesomely holy God could now in righteousness extend unmerited favor to all men and offer to all salvation as a gift without compromising that righteousness and holiness.
3. Who in the world could have invented a salvation apart from works? All religions are of man's invention and they all include works to get to heaven. Yet Christianity has zero tolerance for works for salvation and instead of commending man's good deeds, calls them "garbage," and "filthy rags." Religions heap praise on man's good works for salvation; Christianity criticizes and scorns them as worthless. What the world applauds and gives awards for, Christianity denounces.
4. Who in the world would have invented the doctrine that man is inherently fallen and apart from God by his very nature? Like the self-proclaimed secularist, human beings are proud of themselves. Men see themselves as having a few rough spots, yes, but underneath it all, they see themselves as Anne Frank saw the Nazis--basically good. Every mother whose son steals and murders tells the police and the press, "But he's a good boy!" Religions see man as having a divine spark, a spark that needs a bit of fanning, but a spark nonetheless. Christianity says, "There's no spark. Man is born estranged from God from the womb."
5. Who in the world would invent the by-faith way of salvation? The by-faith way of salvation predates all the religions of the world; it goes back to the Fall of man and the announcement of Genesis 3:15. All the religions of the world are the new kids on the block and not one of them proclaims faith alone in Christ alone for salvation.
There's always a part of us that leaves the DBF saddened by what we have seen and heard there. Saddened by seeing so many lost human beings gathered in one place. Not only do we sense their hardened hearts, their edge, but we also sense and are saddened by their disinterest. So many flinty hearts passing by who have not a shred of care about spiritual matters.
We're doubly saddened, knowing that if they wind up separated from God for all of eternity, they will remember seeing the poster and the banner which told them of "Faith alone in Christ alone." They will remember being invited to those tables. They will remember that they said, "No." They will remember taking the survey and then being asked, "Would you like to hear the Bible's answers to these questions?' They will remember they said, "No."They will remember that God's grace and love was extended to them, but they spurned it.
And one will remember shaking his finger at me. (Cf. Luke 16:19-25)
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