Mere Christianity
I would not presume to compare myself to C.S. Lewis and the depth of his thinking as he wrote "Mere Christianity". It took me a long time of development in my walk before I could make myself sit and read this excellent book all of the way through. So much of the book is concise, well-stated, yet thorough. Unfortunately, it is also relatively dated by the historical context in which it was written, so some of his analogies might be difficult for "boomers" or "generation X'ers" to relate.
There are those who say we are now in a "post-modern" era of thinking, particularly in the area of spirituality. Organized religion is demonized; "churches are full of hypocrites" is claimed; and "any path to God is acceptable" is championed as the appropriate philosophy upon which basis human peace and prosperity can be achieved. Unhappily for much of the world, that is just not so.
"Good" and "Evil" are NOT subjective; nor are they individual. Happy and unhappy may indeed be subjective and individual; but these are not the same as good and evil. When mankind tries to determine good and evil by some democratic process; it is always subject to the vagaries of individualistic opinion.
I submit that any creed which teaches the forceful or violent imposition of acceptance is inherently evil -even if it is based upon "truth". Any teaching that is not sufficiently compelling in and of itself, for which the benefits to its adherents is not self-evident, or for which those benefits are not readily available to any seeker and which cannot be available to humanity at large should be viewed with extreme skepticism.
Man is endowed inherently with a sense of right and wrong. Even the meanest of sociopaths can wants to be treated "fairly" and is likely to respond to "good" treatment and "bad" treatment in a like manner. As Lewis points out, every honest individual will admit that, at least on occasion, they do not always live up to their own sense of "right" and "wrong". The fact that many "organized religions" corrupt fundamental truths to excuse occasional failures and institutionalize them for the sake of control or power does not negate the fundamental truths that may be the basis of most of their teaching.
The fundamentals of Christianity are: 1) That God created man in His own image, male and female (so this must be a spiritual image, not a physical image. 2) That man did not and does not live up to the Godlike standard that God requires to live forever in His presence. 3) That God Himself provided a mechanism to atone (make up for) for man's not living up to His standard. 4) That that atonement must be accepted. 5) That the reason for the atonement is so that we can continually be made over into God's image walking in those same Godly footprints, and reach out to rescue all of mankind.
There is no hatred or violence in this teaching. There is no hypocrisy. There is no forced submission. There is no rejoicing in misfortune. There is no thirst for revenge. Everyone who accepts the atonement must continually remember the parable of the unjust servant who would not forgive his fellow servant a tiny debt after having been forgiven an insurmountable debt.
No social, criminal, nor economic slight excuses the behavior indicated by the unjust servant, nor does it excuse institutionalized wrongs. It is not that the Christian should not tray to correct any such wrongs - it is inexcusable for a Christian to participate in such wrongs. Rather, it is wrong to try to avenge or violently correct those wrongs against ourselves, for then we become the unjust servants. However, it is equally wrong to idly stand by and watch an innocent be subject to evil when we have the power to intervene. We simply must not do so in a harsh or vengeful manner.
The challenge that we have is how to do this, and to encourage each other to do this on a daily basis. An approach to how to do this on a social and economic basis can be found in Charles Sheldon's "In His Steps" - readily available as either an audio, e-book, or hard copy; and even an updated version of this over 100 year old Christian novel classic.
Think this through, and compare it with the teachings of other religions and with that of extremists of virtually any religion, and comment if you would.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
When God Says "No".
I overheard an atheist/agnostic use what he deemed to be a very logical argument against the existence of a loving God. His logic went like this. If God is a loving God, and He answers prayer, sometimes miraculously healing people of incurable diseases, then He must hate amputees; because I have never met nor heard of God restoring an amputee's lost limb. But, since God is supposed to love everyone, then the cases of miraculous healing must simply be spontaneous healing by the bodies own repair/defense systems or simply very improbable coincidences.
Nice, neat, tidy little argument; except it just does not really work.
God not only loves us as individuals, He also loves us as a member of mankind and a part of His overall creation. A loving parent does not always do what a loved offspring asks them to do.
First, what an offspring asks for may be beneficial only to the child, but not to the family or to mankind as a whole. If the consequences of dangerous activity - drunken driving, reckless play with sharp objects, power tools, etc could be alleviated simply by fervent, repentent prayer, then many more people would engage in reckless activities. Pain and suffering serve a very useful purpose in life - they tell when something is wrong.
Of course God does not want us to suffer, and His decisions and His directions when followed will alleviate a great deal of suffering and sickness. Refraining from illicit sex will result in virtually no unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, etc. Combine that with refraining from illicit drugs, and there would be no AIDS epidemic, and far less cirme.
The reality is that much of the suffering that occurs in the world is brought on by behavior that is contraindicated by God's word, or by counter examples, or just plain minimal wisdom, and we see that it is far wiser to allow some of this suffering to take place to assure that people who want to do God's will will not be tempted to risk the consequences of disobedience.
You may opine that it is not fair that an individual innocently suffer for the sake of someone else's misdeed or misjudgment; and you are right. That is not fair. But that is just exactly what God did himself, taking on the form of humankind, living a flawless life, and then being tortured and dying for each of our misdeeds -so that we need not suffer for eternity.
When God says "no", He is not being unkind, nor is He imposing an unbearable burden. He always provides a means to bear that burden with joy if we seek it out. Sometimes, it may be years before we see the wisdom or the joy in His answers; and if we turn away from Him, we may never see that wisdom. But He is faithful, and in His word He promises that if we seek, we will find, and if we knock at His door, it will be opened to us.
The right sad thing is that there is joy available in prolonged suffering, even when God says "No".
I overheard an atheist/agnostic use what he deemed to be a very logical argument against the existence of a loving God. His logic went like this. If God is a loving God, and He answers prayer, sometimes miraculously healing people of incurable diseases, then He must hate amputees; because I have never met nor heard of God restoring an amputee's lost limb. But, since God is supposed to love everyone, then the cases of miraculous healing must simply be spontaneous healing by the bodies own repair/defense systems or simply very improbable coincidences.
Nice, neat, tidy little argument; except it just does not really work.
God not only loves us as individuals, He also loves us as a member of mankind and a part of His overall creation. A loving parent does not always do what a loved offspring asks them to do.
First, what an offspring asks for may be beneficial only to the child, but not to the family or to mankind as a whole. If the consequences of dangerous activity - drunken driving, reckless play with sharp objects, power tools, etc could be alleviated simply by fervent, repentent prayer, then many more people would engage in reckless activities. Pain and suffering serve a very useful purpose in life - they tell when something is wrong.
Of course God does not want us to suffer, and His decisions and His directions when followed will alleviate a great deal of suffering and sickness. Refraining from illicit sex will result in virtually no unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, etc. Combine that with refraining from illicit drugs, and there would be no AIDS epidemic, and far less cirme.
The reality is that much of the suffering that occurs in the world is brought on by behavior that is contraindicated by God's word, or by counter examples, or just plain minimal wisdom, and we see that it is far wiser to allow some of this suffering to take place to assure that people who want to do God's will will not be tempted to risk the consequences of disobedience.
You may opine that it is not fair that an individual innocently suffer for the sake of someone else's misdeed or misjudgment; and you are right. That is not fair. But that is just exactly what God did himself, taking on the form of humankind, living a flawless life, and then being tortured and dying for each of our misdeeds -so that we need not suffer for eternity.
When God says "no", He is not being unkind, nor is He imposing an unbearable burden. He always provides a means to bear that burden with joy if we seek it out. Sometimes, it may be years before we see the wisdom or the joy in His answers; and if we turn away from Him, we may never see that wisdom. But He is faithful, and in His word He promises that if we seek, we will find, and if we knock at His door, it will be opened to us.
The right sad thing is that there is joy available in prolonged suffering, even when God says "No".
Monday, January 22, 2007
A Life of Joy and Love
It is a very sad comment on our times that divorce is as common among believers as in the society that surrounds us.
Yet, as Christians, we know that directly from His word: “God Hates Divorce.”
It is not that divorce is an unpardonable sin that cannot be forgiven; it is that the idea of it should be a very last resort after all has been given over to God.
Till Death do us part has become – till the disappointment becomes “unbearable”, or my personal growth is inhibited, or just “we have irreconcilable differences”, or “my rights are not being granted”; or…..whatever.
Let me ask each of you. What great burden have you been asked to bear – what grievous wrong have you suffered that could possibly cause you not to rejoice in the blessing of a loving relationship with your spouse, your siblings, or your children. None of these burdens can possibly compare with what Christ bore for each of us so that you might have eternal joy. He bought that joy, that hope, that bliss with his life and his death.
When you accept His grace, and then refuse to be as gracious and loving, refuse to grant that same unconditional, undemanding, unselfish love to those to whom you have pledged it, you become like the unjust servant who was forgiven an unpayable debt; but would not forgive a minor debt. As a result of that attitude, he lost his own forgiveness and the graciousness of his master.
When all is said and done, love only keeps count of blessings, not of sorrows. Good memories can easily wipe out years of suffering and anguish if we only learn to count our blessings instead of our sorrows.
The joy of running the course before us to completion is indescribable; and the sorrow and regret of letting our pride, our selfish interest, our short-sightedness cause us to break a pledge to God in our relationships result in a life-long wound.
In every relationship, let Christ’s words – “by this will men know that you are my disciples – that you love (sacrificial love) one another” be the basis of love in your home; and throw any selfish expectations down at the foot of the cross. Realize how much He loves you, and you will be better able to walk in His steps, and show the world what a joy-filled relationship can be. That joy cannot come from how your loved one treats you, but only from how you treat your loved one.
It is a very sad comment on our times that divorce is as common among believers as in the society that surrounds us.
Yet, as Christians, we know that directly from His word: “God Hates Divorce.”
It is not that divorce is an unpardonable sin that cannot be forgiven; it is that the idea of it should be a very last resort after all has been given over to God.
Till Death do us part has become – till the disappointment becomes “unbearable”, or my personal growth is inhibited, or just “we have irreconcilable differences”, or “my rights are not being granted”; or…..whatever.
Let me ask each of you. What great burden have you been asked to bear – what grievous wrong have you suffered that could possibly cause you not to rejoice in the blessing of a loving relationship with your spouse, your siblings, or your children. None of these burdens can possibly compare with what Christ bore for each of us so that you might have eternal joy. He bought that joy, that hope, that bliss with his life and his death.
When you accept His grace, and then refuse to be as gracious and loving, refuse to grant that same unconditional, undemanding, unselfish love to those to whom you have pledged it, you become like the unjust servant who was forgiven an unpayable debt; but would not forgive a minor debt. As a result of that attitude, he lost his own forgiveness and the graciousness of his master.
When all is said and done, love only keeps count of blessings, not of sorrows. Good memories can easily wipe out years of suffering and anguish if we only learn to count our blessings instead of our sorrows.
The joy of running the course before us to completion is indescribable; and the sorrow and regret of letting our pride, our selfish interest, our short-sightedness cause us to break a pledge to God in our relationships result in a life-long wound.
In every relationship, let Christ’s words – “by this will men know that you are my disciples – that you love (sacrificial love) one another” be the basis of love in your home; and throw any selfish expectations down at the foot of the cross. Realize how much He loves you, and you will be better able to walk in His steps, and show the world what a joy-filled relationship can be. That joy cannot come from how your loved one treats you, but only from how you treat your loved one.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Back from Germany.
The weather was awful on Thursday - winds and rain with winds in excess of 140 km/hr - clay tiles blown off of many roofs - marble facing blown off my hotel - national train system shut down due to blown over tress and downed power lines. Fortunately, I was safe and warm in the offices I was visiting.
Today I shared some observations based on my own experiences and reflections on relationships. I am convinced that the reason so many marriages fail and so many relationships are broken is that people have developed a perverted idea that that their joy is controlled by the actions (or lack thereof) of others. If a relationship is Christ-centered; then the joy and fulfillment of that relationship is determined not by what one gets out of it; but what one puts in to it. Jesus never demanded anything from His disciples for His own sake - He only gave to them. We are commanded to "walk in His steps". How can we be doing that if our thoughts are focused on what we need or what we do not want.
This morning, our minister spoke of the things most people in relationships need to be fulfilled - typically a woman needs to feel cherished, and a man needs to feel respected. Guess what? Both of these are encompassed by the word "agape", or divine love. A marriage in which both partners do not give 100% sacrificial divine love regardless of the the response from the partner will never achieve the joy that God intended when He instituted marriage. If both partners in a marriage have at least an intention of pleasing God, then either one can inspire their spouse to become the husband/wife that God intended by being the wife/husband that God intended for themselves. Of course, this presumes that both want to be Godly, and may simple need an example to begin to let the Spirit make them over into the image of Christ.
Thus, ultimately, the secret to a joy-filled relationship is to choose someone who loves God with all of their heart, soul, and mind so they will continually let God re-make them into the person they were intended to be.
The weather was awful on Thursday - winds and rain with winds in excess of 140 km/hr - clay tiles blown off of many roofs - marble facing blown off my hotel - national train system shut down due to blown over tress and downed power lines. Fortunately, I was safe and warm in the offices I was visiting.
Today I shared some observations based on my own experiences and reflections on relationships. I am convinced that the reason so many marriages fail and so many relationships are broken is that people have developed a perverted idea that that their joy is controlled by the actions (or lack thereof) of others. If a relationship is Christ-centered; then the joy and fulfillment of that relationship is determined not by what one gets out of it; but what one puts in to it. Jesus never demanded anything from His disciples for His own sake - He only gave to them. We are commanded to "walk in His steps". How can we be doing that if our thoughts are focused on what we need or what we do not want.
This morning, our minister spoke of the things most people in relationships need to be fulfilled - typically a woman needs to feel cherished, and a man needs to feel respected. Guess what? Both of these are encompassed by the word "agape", or divine love. A marriage in which both partners do not give 100% sacrificial divine love regardless of the the response from the partner will never achieve the joy that God intended when He instituted marriage. If both partners in a marriage have at least an intention of pleasing God, then either one can inspire their spouse to become the husband/wife that God intended by being the wife/husband that God intended for themselves. Of course, this presumes that both want to be Godly, and may simple need an example to begin to let the Spirit make them over into the image of Christ.
Thus, ultimately, the secret to a joy-filled relationship is to choose someone who loves God with all of their heart, soul, and mind so they will continually let God re-make them into the person they were intended to be.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Here I am, in Germany on a business trip. The weather is ugly - rain, cold, and winds forecast at over 100 km/hr for around noon-time. Back home, the weather is finally on the mend and warmer sunshine is forecast. I had a free evening last night, and no really interesting thing to do. Walking around in the dark rain at 40 degrees Fahrenheit is not my idea of fun. There was not even a restaurant in the hotel, so I walked the 1/2 block to the train station and ate a ahm and cheese sandwich. (Actually, it was a good thing there was no restaurant - I have been eating too well here.)
It seems that for now, my choices of what to do next are made. I will continue to serve as an elder, act as CTO for my company, be a doting grandfather, and see what God has in mind for relationships for the future. While I enjoy "cave time", I am ready to not be so alone as for the last 6 1/2 years.
While I would enjoy a trip to Nairobi and a period of work at "Made in the Streets", I am pretty sure that that is not really my calling. Maybe I am where God wants me to be - at least I do not feel any urging to make any drastic changes in my vocation/avocation.
So I will get back to typing what I hope to be pearls of wisdom on dealing with, recovering from, and generally supporting others in times of adversity, in hopes of helping others see that God always provides a way if we let Him.
It seems that for now, my choices of what to do next are made. I will continue to serve as an elder, act as CTO for my company, be a doting grandfather, and see what God has in mind for relationships for the future. While I enjoy "cave time", I am ready to not be so alone as for the last 6 1/2 years.
While I would enjoy a trip to Nairobi and a period of work at "Made in the Streets", I am pretty sure that that is not really my calling. Maybe I am where God wants me to be - at least I do not feel any urging to make any drastic changes in my vocation/avocation.
So I will get back to typing what I hope to be pearls of wisdom on dealing with, recovering from, and generally supporting others in times of adversity, in hopes of helping others see that God always provides a way if we let Him.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
I'm back!
First, let me explain that the reason I have not posted for quite a while is that I went into what I think was the last phase of grieving. I found that when I tried to write in my Blog, the only thing that came out sounded like whining when I read it; and this was not meant to be something for me, but rather something to edify or help others who might be grieving or going through significant difficulties in life.
O.K., so if it helps you to now that in my own private space and time I whined, then maybe this is useful. I am through whining, even to myself and to God. He has been so good to me, and I will follow His word as it says to "do everything without grumbling or complaining."
The holidays have come and gone. I got to spend an early Christmas with daughter and her family, a quick meal with my father-in-law, ( ? former father-in-law now that Karen is deceased? How does one describe the relationship with someone referred to as "Dad" for nearly 40 years?); then a flight to Temecula to spend Christmas day with my son and his family.
I introduced them to "real" Belgian waffles - the kind with yeast-raised dough and granulated sugar and loads of butter in the batter. They are now completely ruined to our American ersatz Belgian waffles.
Then on to my cabin for a couple of days.
I had a couple of moments only when someone asked how I was doing on Karen's birthday and on our anniversary. Seeing her beautiful headstone in place really brought some closure. She lived the best life that she could with the limitations her disease brought her; and I am glad she is at peace.
I am now fully engaged back at work - spending a week in Germany on business.
I now look forward to the adventures that the rest of my life has to offer. I have dreams, hopes, loved ones, friends; but most especially God to lean on regardless of what happens next.
First, let me explain that the reason I have not posted for quite a while is that I went into what I think was the last phase of grieving. I found that when I tried to write in my Blog, the only thing that came out sounded like whining when I read it; and this was not meant to be something for me, but rather something to edify or help others who might be grieving or going through significant difficulties in life.
O.K., so if it helps you to now that in my own private space and time I whined, then maybe this is useful. I am through whining, even to myself and to God. He has been so good to me, and I will follow His word as it says to "do everything without grumbling or complaining."
The holidays have come and gone. I got to spend an early Christmas with daughter and her family, a quick meal with my father-in-law, ( ? former father-in-law now that Karen is deceased? How does one describe the relationship with someone referred to as "Dad" for nearly 40 years?); then a flight to Temecula to spend Christmas day with my son and his family.
I introduced them to "real" Belgian waffles - the kind with yeast-raised dough and granulated sugar and loads of butter in the batter. They are now completely ruined to our American ersatz Belgian waffles.
Then on to my cabin for a couple of days.
I had a couple of moments only when someone asked how I was doing on Karen's birthday and on our anniversary. Seeing her beautiful headstone in place really brought some closure. She lived the best life that she could with the limitations her disease brought her; and I am glad she is at peace.
I am now fully engaged back at work - spending a week in Germany on business.
I now look forward to the adventures that the rest of my life has to offer. I have dreams, hopes, loved ones, friends; but most especially God to lean on regardless of what happens next.
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