Pastor's Corner 
By Rev. Dr. George Hancock-Stefan
Central Baptist Church
Atlantic Highlands, NJ

Throughout the history of Christianity, there was a group of people that addressed themselves to the intellectuals of various cultures. They were called apologetes, Christian philosophers, the culture lovers. It could be Origen speaking to Greeks, Pascal to the French, Schleiermacher to the Germans, or C.S. Lewis to the 20^th century English speaking world.

These were people who had a great relationship with God, but who in the eyes of the cultural elite of the days could not be sidelined without listening to them. D. D. Runes’ Treasury of Philosophy (1955) has these introductory words about Pascal: Pascal, Blaise (1623-1662). Scientists honor Pascal as one of the greatest mathematicians and physicists, as one of the founders of hydrodynamics and the mathematical theory of probability, and as a man who also made significant contributions by his investigations of vacuum, and gravity, and by his theory of conic sections. Men of all creeds, revere Pascal’s piety which was free from bigotry. Historians of literature admire Pascal’s prose which contributed to the formation of modern French style. Philosophers highly esteem him as a profound psychologist and a thinker devoted to truth.

In the 17^th century France was already deluged with skepticism and unbelief. Pascal

found that many of his scientific colleagues no longer believed in God or in life after death. For Pascal the existence of God and life after death were certain. However, he was aware that for many of his friends, instead of certainty, they had doubts. He encouraged them to wager on God.

Pascal goes on to explain that if there is no eternity all ends with him living a good and honorable life. However, if there is eternity, and eternity depends on a relationship with God while the person was on earth, then his colleagues, by not knowing God and serving Him, have condemned themselves to an endless life of torture of misery. A wise person would always place his wager on God!