Is There a God—or Just Wishful Thinking?

That question isn’t new. It’s been asked for as long as people have buried their dead, wondered about justice, and stared at the night sky. Some dismiss belief in God as a psychological crutch—something people invent when life feels uncertain. Others believe without ever stopping to ask why.

Christian faith doesn’t begin by telling people to stop asking questions. It begins by taking them seriously.

If there is no God, then meaning, right and wrong, hope, and love are finally just personal preferences. Useful, perhaps—but not true in any lasting sense. And yet most people live as though some things really matter, as though injustice is actually wrong, and love is more than chemistry.

Christians claim this isn’t wishful thinking. They claim reality is personal—that the world exists because Someone willed it, and that human longing for meaning isn’t an accident.

This column won’t ask you to believe blindly. It will ask you to think carefully. If God exists, that changes everything. And if He doesn’t, honesty requires facing what that actually means. Either way, the question is worth asking. Christians believe God has not remained silent—but has made Himself known.

What Kind of God Are We Talking About?

When people talk about God, they often mean very different things. Some picture a distant force behind the universe. Others imagine a moral referee, keeping score. Still others think of God as whatever gives them peace or meaning. The word is familiar, but the content is vague.

Christian faith doesn’t speak about God in general. It makes a specific claim: that God is personal, purposeful, and involved. Not an idea, not an energy, not a projection of human hopes—but a living God who acts.

That matters, because the kind of God you believe in shapes how you live. A distant God doesn’t care. A moral scorekeeper is never satisfied. A God made in our image changes whenever we do.

Christians confess something different. They believe God creates, speaks, and makes promises. He does not remain hidden behind human guesses, but reveals Himself in words and actions, so He can be known rather than imagined.

In the weeks ahead, this column will ask where Christians believe that revelation is found. Because before asking whether faith is true, it’s worth asking what kind of God is actually being claimed.