Can somebody die and come back to life? Honestly, ask yourself if you think people can come back to life. Do you believe it? Can somebody die -- see they're dead now -- and then three days later, get up again? That's ridiculous, and I believe it can happen with all that is in me. In fact, I believe it did happen. I believe this, and so you can call me a Christian.

Now it really sounds ridiculous of course, I know. And one should wonder, how many loons like me are out there, people who believe that you can die and then come back to life? What is interesting is that you may not know who in your life believes such a thing, and that often times, those people who believe in such an insane idea act just like regular everyday citizens who still carry a healthy respect for the grim reaper. I don't mean to scare anybody (too badly), but according to data from 2014, if you're reading this and sitting on a bus with 19 other people, it's likely that at least 10 of those individuals around you believe death is not in every case final. Do you think that you can spot them?

America is a society that went from extremely religious to... I'm not sure yet. It's still going somewhere. I wrote an article a few weeks back about how culture is changing and how we have the power to affect how we change it. Now if you're a Christian with a little bit of theology stuck up in your head, you may know what I mean when I mention "the great commission." If you don't know what that is, it's the idea that Christians have some very important news, and it's our responsibility to share it. The great commission isn't preached about too often anymore, at least it isn't at the churches I've been attending. This is weird because a rapidly changing world is one which (if you're a Christian) desperately needs some great commission theology. If you're not a Christian, I would invite you to pursue a kind of anti-great commission attitude. We're a rapidly advancing society, information is our lifeblood and this idea that death isn't permanent somehow isn't talked about. To bring up religion in conversation is faux pas, and I think that is an unfortunate and outdated element in society.

In conclusion, I challenge you to talk about religion, even if it is with someone who is of the same religious beliefs (or lack thereof) as yourself. Social media is populated with selfies and pictures of food, and I hear on Pintrest there's a bunch of cupcakes. These things are of very little importance in comparison to views on religion. One reason you might not do this is that it's a divisive and challenging topic. That's true. Strong statements of personal belief (regardless of whether that belief is religious or atheistic) are likely not going to get you more followers. So make the call. What is more important to you, being white noise with tons of friends or being a human being with an opinion and the guts to speak it?