| I was raised by committed Christian parents, although I later spent at least ten years with serious questions about my faith. Currently, I am an ordained minister, attend my local church whenever I’m in town, and speak frequently.
Probably the most formative force in my life was the driving need to answer some basic questions about the veracity of Christianity. My ten-year plus period of doubt was highly influential.
There are two things for which chiefly I strive. These are to establish the fundamental underpinnings of Christianity, and to attempt to live my everyday life by walking biblically with my God.
God asks us to believe most firmly in those doctrines that are most central to our faith, which also happen to be the doctrines that are the most firmly evidenced. So it works like this: if it is true, we ought to believe it.
The US Church is miles wide and sometimes only a few inches deep. In other words, the polls indicate that a great many Americans identify themselves as Bible-believing Christians, but for many years I have found myself wondering why we don’t see more radical commitment to the cause of Christ. To pick just one example, it seems to me that believers are far too willing to be materialistic rather than use their resources more fully in the work of the Kingdom.
My theme is that the gospel proclamation of the divinity, death, and resurrection of Jesus can be established on firm grounds. I think that believers can affect society by proclaiming this central message of faith in Jesus Christ, as opposed to peripheral items for which Christians are too often known.
I would say that, next to the Lord, my family is my chief love. This has been true for me ever since childhood, but especially since my wife of 23 years died of cancer in 1995. (I remarried later.) This experience deepened my appreciation for life, and made me more grateful than ever for the influence of our loved ones.
At a very young age, I felt called into Christian ministry. In time, I realised that the Christian ministry was potentially broader than the pastorate alone, although I did serve as a pastor for several years. Emerging from my lengthy period of doubt pushed my concept of ministry more in the direction of apologetics, where I have been working ever since.
I think I can say honestly that I don’t regret a single major decision in my life. I am searching my mind, but I don’t recall any such items.
I guess I would most like to be remembered for my work on the historicity of Jesus’s resurrection, my attempt to live as blamelessly as possible before my Lord (though I fail too often), and for my love for my family.
My life is filled with people who have affected me greatly. This includes my godly parents, my godly grandparents with whom I lived for a few years, and my immediate family members, from whom I have learned so much. Further, I’ve been pleased to teach with some of the greatest colleagues a person could ever have, who have helped to hone my views through the years. Lastly, my life has been filled with great authors who have influenced me at different times and for different reasons.
My favourite sermon was probably John Piper’s address years ago to the Evangelical Theological Society, where he challenged us above all else to be committed to the Lord first and foremost, above our separate disciplines. The sermon was enough, but watching the effect on my colleagues was another lesson in itself.
Like everyone, I have several favourite passages of scripture. These would include the entire book of Psalms (especially 91 and 148), other individual chapters such as 1 Corinthians 15, 2 Corinthians 4, 1 Peter 5, along with several other texts. Since I am presently working on the issue, I would probably say that for me, the least understood portion of scripture would involve the Israelite conquest of Canaan.
I guess my personality is such that I very seldom ever get angry. If I forced myself to pick something, I get most annoyed by two things: someone who was knowingly unethical or knowingly illogical.
For me, relaxation comes in the form of time spent with my family, often celebrating a holiday, birthday, or enjoying a wonderful sporting event, like football or ice hockey. I also enjoy sitting in an easy chair and pursuing my latest reading project.
My ministry thrills me. I awake every day to the most exciting task in the world. Beyond that, being with family members is exhilarating, especially in the context of cheering during a sporting event.
I am a lake and woods sort of guy. I favour particular spiritual practices, such as biblical meditation, preferably when done on my back porch overlooking a small lake. For me, this is where the best of nature meets the best of personal spirituality.
I used to coach university ice hockey. But at present my favourite hobbies include being alone with a good book, or being with my family as we share a meal or enjoy a good game.
Every day, I most regularly pray by name for family members, for a number of individuals who have shared their doubts with me, and for my spiritual walk with the Lord.
I would most like to get locked in a church with either one of the intellectual giants who have influenced me greatly, or one of the deeply spiritual individuals whose writings and lifestyle changed my life. If you have to have someone, I guess you could say Wolfhart Pannenberg. But to tell you the truth, if you called me before you printed the article, I’d probably give you a different name.
Professor Habermas chairs the Department of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia. Among his books is The Historical Jesus: Ancient evidence for the life of Christ.
He was talking to Terence Handley MacMath.
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