Data Driven Weirdo

People who are data-driven - like those who strive to be “evidence-based” - are often logical, reasoned, thoughtful, and strategic. At least, we want to be.

We want to come to the best possible conclusions guided by the most accurate decision-making criteria.

We want good data. We want to analyze it well. We want to make good decisions based on the data we’ve analyzed.

In my adult life, I have tried to make decisions based on data.

I have worked as a planning analyst, a merchandise planner, and a marketing planner. I like Excel. I love charts. I had a brief side gig playing online poker that showed me the financial upside of making statistically sound decisions over and over again.

I have had other job titles that have included words like “strategy”, “market solutions”, and “category management”. Today, I have a small digital marketing consulting company that focuses on data collection and analytics. I’m far from the smartest or the best at any of this, but it’s how my brain works. I want all the relevant data to try to make the best possible decisions.

And I’ve also realized I’m kind of weird.

Not creepy weird (hope not, at least), but strange weird. Doing strange things like sharing songs and lyrics about Jesus on my LinkedIn page or sharing links to Tim Keller sermons on my digital marketing YouTube videos. Believing things like the strange sequence of events that led me to leave my online poker habit (addiction), were not merely a coincidence. These are strange things, at least relative to the previous trend of my life.

And there’s really just one reason for it.

I’m convinced it’s all real.

And for me, truly believing in something is as crazy as God coming to earth to live and die and live again, means being a bit weirder than I ever was before.

Here are my 6 reasons why, starting with some deductive reasoning about the nature of reality and ending with my own personal life.

But first, an important disclaimer.

A Freeing Disclaimer

I believe in God. I believe we can know God in the person of Jesus Christ. But not everyone believes that. In fact, you might believe 100% the opposite!

I used to be scared by the thought of sharing this. I didn’t want to be open about a faith that many people don’t share. I didn’t want to offend or, you know, look weird. It still does scare me, to be honest, but not like it used to. That’s because I realized I was giving myself far too much credit.

Here’s what I realized:

My belief in God has no power to determine whether or not He is actually real.

The same thing goes for your beliefs, whether you’re a believer or if you think God is a fairy tale. God is either real or He is not. He exists, or does not exist, independent of what you or I may choose to think. That realization of my nonexistent power is quite freeing. It leaves me to review the data that I have before me and make the best decision I can.

So with that said, these are the 6 categories of analysis that have led me to believe as I do.

#1 Existential Questions Lead Me to God

The French mathematician and philosopher Rene Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.”

I wrote this. I exist. You’re reading this. You exist. That is data. But the big question on the road to finding meaning is how do we exist?

Even those who affirm a purely scientific approach to all things face a dilemma. Science has no answer to how something can come from nothing. And yet, we are here.

We are something.

Believing in the supernatural simply means a belief in something that can’t be explained by the laws of nature. And the laws of nature can’t explain how we can get something (i.e. the cosmic ingredients that go into the Big Bang) from nothing.

If I’m going to make a decision, there are two options for where I can place my faith:

Option 1: An exclusive faith in science. That somehow, the natural laws of science will be further understood and somehow, we can learn that our current evidence-based understanding of science is wrong and something can truly emerge from nothing. Ultimately, science will be able to fully explain itself.

Option 2: A belief in a Creator, who created the scientific laws that we are gradually uncovering.

The latter seems like a more plausible explanation to me, and allows me to believe that both God and science are real.

#2 The Bible Explains the Nature of Human Reality

Some people believe that the big questions of life can all be explained by evolution or psychology or sociological study.

They may say we don’t need God to understand the reality we live in. Sociological frameworks or philosophical approaches can do just fine. But somehow, those frameworks only seem to tell part of the story.

Let’s take a Nietzschean perspectivist approach, for example. According to his worldview, there is no such thing as absolute truth, no absolute values like “good” or “evil.”

Frederick Nietzsche: There are no facts, only interpretations.

Instead, Nietzsche thought the pinnacle of human existence was to craft one’s own identity without being burdened by belief in the transcendent.

It was Nietzsche, after all, who was famous for his belief that “God is dead.” Without any God to set the rules, Nietzsche believed man’s highest calling was to become one of the ubermensche. A superior “overman” or “superman” unhindered by any objective truth or universal morality.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche The Übermensch shall be the meaning of the earth! I entreat you my brethren, remain true to the earth, and do not believe those who speak to you of supra-terrestrial hopes!

Nietzsche believed these supermen (and women) would assert primacy and dominance over a world that lacked their vision and strength by boldly taking what was needed on the quest for self-actualization.

Was Nietzsche wrong that powerful humans could assert dominance over one another?

Well, no. The Nazis certainly didn’t think so.

They gladly added their own twist to the idea of the ubermensche by positing that non-Aryans were the untermensche (meaning “sub-man” or “underman”). It’s not hard to see how this conviction was instrumental in leading towards the Final Solution.

So it would seem Nietzsche identified something true in human nature, but (hopefully!) not the objective of human existence. In other words:

• Yes, humans desire power in our default state.
• No, it’s not ideal if we all construct our own realities designed to optimize our own pursuits of power.

Not only does it quickly lead to a dark place, it also doesn’t capture all of what it means to be human.

After all, why can we feel inspired and drawn by feelings of love and affection if our chief end is become an “overman”?

Is mercy only a weakness like Nietzsche believed? Or is there virtue when we feel a natural sympathy for others, instead of a missed opportunity to assert ourselves at their expense? We see so much suffering and pain and we realize that something is wrong.

We often want to help others, not simply exploit them for our benefit! We want more love and less suffering. We want to fix the broken world we live in.

How can we explain our human nature that yearns for wholeness and love with our fellow humans while being all-too-often willing to chase our own satisfaction at the expense of others?

The Bible provides a framework for understanding the beautiful, yet broken world we live in.

The Bible says God created the world, and the humans in it, and it was good.

And yet, there was a problem. Humans decided not to trust God and rely on themselves instead. And so, we went our own way. The Bible calls that problem sin.

We sin against God and our fellow humans when each of us is convinced that we alone know best. We grow in distrust and we feel disdain for others and God. It’s what happens when we set ourselves up as lords of our tiny skull-sized kingdoms to become one of the ubermensch.

Sin causes anger, self-justification, the strong devouring the weak, division, misery, and isolation from God. In other words, life on earth throughout the ages and in the year 2024.

The Bible says the opposite of sin is Jesus Christ.

The Bible says Jesus claimed to be the Son of God who came to Earth to live a sinless life, die to pay the penalty for the rest of mankind, and live again to conquer sin and death. It says we can put our ultimate faith in Him instead of ourselves, and be raised to new life in Him. Yes, we still suffer, but the suffering is not meaningless. We have a new purpose. It is to love God, love others, and to become more like Him. And He gives us new life, both in this life and in the life to come.

To me, this sounds like it would be pretty amazing.

If it were really true, we could stop trying so hard to craft an identity to place our trust in. We could instead follow someone who says that instead of relentlessly elevating ourselves, we should follow his lead to give ourselves away and love both our neighbors and our enemies.

This is how the Gospel of Luke says Jesus announced his ministry. Before he does any miracles. Before he has any disciples following him around. He was in his hometown synagogue (church) with people who would have known him for much of his life.

He stands up and reads the following prophecy from the scroll of Isaiah.

Luke 4: 18–19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then, he rolls up the scroll, hands it back to the attendant, and sits down. And then, with everyone staring at him, he basically says, “That’s me. I’m the guy. I’m the one you’ve been waiting for. This is what I’m here to do.”

No one does things like this!

Was this completely made up by imagining the boldest / wildest claim someone could ever make? Or did this guy actually exist?

#3 Evidence For Jesus From Writers Outside the Bible

The Gospel accounts tell the story of Jesus. And the Apostle Paul wrote the first of his letters to the early church within 20 years of the crucifixion of Jesus (First Thessalonians is believed to have been written between 49 and 51 AD).

But what about extra-biblical sources? Does the historical record outside of the Bible have anything to say about Jesus and those who followed him?

Yes.

We have evidence from the Roman historian Tacitus, who wrote the following in 64 AD regarding Emperor Nero’s decision to blame Christians for a fire that tore through Rome (many thought it was Nero himself who was actually responsible).

Nero fastened the guilt … on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius…

Only about 30 years after the death of Jesus on a cross outside Jerusalem, there was already a Christian community in Rome big enough that the emperor could use them as his scapegoat. And Tacitus knew this “Christus” to have suffered the “extreme penalty” (death by crucifixion) during the reign of Emperor Tiberius who was emperor from 14–37 AD.

There’s also this selection from a letter of Pliny the Younger to the Roman Emperor Trajan in 112 AD? The two were corresponding about the best legal way to deal with people who were accused of being Christians.

Pliny is in doubt about how best to prosecute these cases, particularly because the accused didn’t admit to much that seemed nefarious. As he writes:

But they declared their guilt or error was simply this — on a fixed day they used to meet before dawn and recite a hymn among themselves to Christ, as though he were a god. So far from binding themselves by oath to commit any crime, they swore to keep from theft, robbery, adultery, breach of faith, and not to deny any trust money deposited with them when called upon to deliver it.

What was Pliny to do?

Monotheistic belief was a big problem in an empire that embraced many gods, but the Christians otherwise were fine, albeit odd, citizens. So he resolved not to actively seek out Christians for punishment, but to imprison those who were brought before him and did not recant their beliefs. And Trajan, as you can read below, agrees wholeheartedly.

You have adopted the right course, my dear Pliny, in examining the cases of those cited before you as Christians; for no hard and fast rule can be laid down covering such a wide question. The Christians are not to be hunted out. If brought before you, and the offense is proved, they are to be punished, but with this reservation — if any one denies he is a Christian, and makes it clear he is not, by offering prayer to our gods, then he is to be pardoned on his recantation, no matter how suspicious his past

These are just some of the reasons that virtually all serious historians believe in the historical Jesus.

Of course, not all historians believe Jesus was the Son of God. Many do not! But they believe he was really here and that he made some incredible claims about himself. And that is something I need to deal with.

But was this guy actually who he said he was? Some Bible scholars say there are over 300 Old Testament prophecies that are about Jesus. But even if I ignore the Bible on that score, there is compelling evidence.

#4 The Existence of the Early Church

Does the progression of history lead me to believe that Jesus was more likely a fraud or the real deal?

Well, as our Roman friends above can attest, Christianity was not exactly accepted in the world following the death of Jesus. In fact, Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire until the Edict of Milan in 313 AD.

Movies like the Da Vinci code would have me believe that Christianity came to dominate the Roman Empire through a grand conspiracy between church and state. Yet for nearly 300 years — longer than the existence of the United States — people chose to believe in Jesus despite being persecuted for those beliefs.

People like George of Lydda, who was a member of the vaunted Praetorian Guard during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. George was killed on April 23 of 303 AD for refusing to recant his Christian beliefs during the persecution of Christians under Diocletian.

At that time, following an out-of-favor faith meant the risk of death, not simply being cancelled or looking backwards. It leads to an important question.

What is a more likely explanation for a persecuted religion to not only survive but thrive in the 280 year period that it was not legal?

Option 1: Was it that the early community of house church believers were collectively deluded generation after generation by other house church believers? That they were so credulous that they were willing to face persecution and indoctrinate their own children into beliefs that could get them killed as well?

Option 2: Or, did these house church believers face persecution and sometimes death for their beliefs, because the miraculous evidence of life, death, and resurrection were so clear and had been passed through the generations?

Both are fantastic and present difficulties. But for me, it’s far more difficult to imagine a scenario where a fabricated or non-miraculous account of Jesus had the staying power to not just endure, but to thrive during generations upon generations that Christianity was illegal.

#5 It Helps Me Understand Miracles in Others

Have you seen any modern day miracles?

There was a time (most of my life) that I didn’t think miracles were possible. But I have seen them in the lives of people around me.

How could someone being killed by alcohol and anxiety, turn his life around completely and find health and happiness and joy? He would tell you it wasn’t by trying harder or some new medication. It was finding a power in the world far greater than himself.

It was God. That he was utterly powerless on his own and only found strength in placing his trust outside of himself.

The skeptic in me says that the human mind is a powerful thing and that we can convince ourselves of anything. And of course, that is one explanation for the countless people who have “found God” and have made a complete turn in their lives: creative imagination.

The other explanation, of course, is that those people actually found God. This doesn’t require me to pretend that the human mind is not a powerful thing…but to recognize that it is especially powerful when it is focused on the true power that both created it and holds the universe together.

#6 It Helps Me Understand My Own Life

I once heard a speaker who said he never shared from his own life when he was talking about Jesus. After all, the Christian life is personal and he wouldn’t expect his own story to be compelling “evidence” for others.

And I think he was really on to something.

The Bible is either true or it is not. If it is true, it is the Word of God. If it’s not, it’s a waste of time. If Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead, then it’s all a farce and Christians deserve nothing but mockery and pity. The Apostle Paul wrote this in his first letter to the church at Corinth.

1 Corinthians 15: 17–19 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

So I affirm what he said about personal experience being rather unimportant in the grand mission of determining truth.

But I’d add an important distinction.

At the same time, I also know that I cannot explain my own life without divine intervention.

When I look back through the years, I now see a mysterious, powerful, and incredibly faithful God who was chasing me down even when I was doing my best to believe He wasn’t really there.

At first, I thought some of these interventions were coincidences. I tried to forget about them and move on. But I see things differently now. I see that I need God in order for the course of my life to make any sense.

And so, I thank Him for His goodness and grace and I know I will never forget what He has done for me.

Do I Choose to Believe?

Sometimes it feels easy to believe. And there are some days when it’s harder to believe. When it’s a choice to believe. And this is a choice that I will make again and again, whenever I am faced with it.

The evidence, when taken together, overwhelms me. It points, as wild and amazing as it is, to a personal God behind the universe. A God who not only knows us, but loves us. Loves us enough to come to Earth in human form to live and die so that we could be reconciled to Him.

A God who calls me to follow Him, despite my fears and my personal shortcomings.

And I’m following, regardless of how weird that might be.