Blindness can oftentimes be something much more than a physical disability. I do not mean to be insensitive with this comment because there are those who are very near and dear to me who suffer with literal blindness and loss of sight. I mean this to say that we all, and I mean all, miss things which are right in front of our noses. These things can be very small and somewhat insignificant, but they can also be very damaging.
For instance, this past week, I had a meeting scheduled on Wednesday with a representative of a company that sells playground equipment. We had corresponded by email, and in her initial contact, she relayed to me the contact information she had for me–including the church’s phone number. I hastily read through the email she sent, and replied setting up a meeting. She said she would call me when she was arriving. The appointed meeting time came and went. No phone call. After a period of time, I checked my email, and the sales rep said, “I waited for you for 30 minutes. I tried to call the number I had for you, and all I got was a busy signal. We can try again sometime later.” She left her cell phone number, and I scratched my head. Both Sam and I had been in the office, and no phone call had come. I scrolled down to the bottom of the email correspondence, and I read the contact number she had for the church 979-854-5444. Those of you who know the church number know now what the problem was. The church’s number is 979-865-5444. How had I missed this obvious mistake? How had I overlooked it? How is it that I had eyes but didn’t see? Fortunately, I made contact with the sales rep. She hadn’t gone too far, and we were able to meet. However, my “blindness” almost prevented us from conducting the business we had scheduled and could have led to hard feelings.
That one is minor. Unfortunately, not all such blindness is minor. There are other such things that are major. When I was on internship in Waco, I remember vividly driving through town one evening. Dawna and I were heading out to eat when we approached a stoplight. The light turned red, and a truck ran through the light and hit a motorcycle–at least that’s what I saw. The motorcyclist lay in the middle of the intersection, and people began rendering aid. Dawna and I stopped as witnesses to the incident. Police arrived, and I sought them out and gave a statement. Then, a guy walks up and says, “What about my truck?” Not only had the motorcycle been involved, but another vehicle had as well. I never saw it–even though I saw it. That added a whole other layer to the situation–which thankfully the police officer worked out.
I know I am not the only one this happens to. I know most of you here this morning have had similar things happen. You’ve been stopped at an intersection. You’ve looked both ways. You start easing off the break and driving forward only to see out of the corner of your eye a car coming. You wonder, “How did I miss that?” You work through paperwork on your job. You glance over it several times, and someone still manages to find an error on it. You are walking around in the grocery store looking for an item, and you walk by a section ten times. Suddenly, you finally see it, and you wonder, “Am I going insane?”
No. You and I are not going insane. We just simply miss things. Sometimes we are moving too fast or events are happening too fast around us. Our brains cannot process the information our eyes see fast enough. Gaps get automatically filled in. We think we see it all, but in reality, we don’t. We catch only in part, and our brains fill the rest in. And it doesn’t just happen when we are at an intersection or in the grocery store or looking at an email or paperwork. It happens in the rest of our lives as well. Whenever we see a situation unfolding, our brains take all sorts of information and link them together filling in missing information–and here’s the kicker–based upon a particular set of assumptions that govern the way we view the world.
Let me repeat that. Our brains automatically fill in missing information and construct a way of looking at the world based upon a particular set of governing assumptions. This is why two people can look at the same facts and come up with two very different ways of reading those two sets of facts. Oh, and here is the icing on the cake–if new information is added that contradicts our original “story” we are more apt to disregard the new evidence and cling to our particular, original story. Why? Not because the facts are irrelevant, but because we have to change our assumptions. We have to change the very foundation of the way we look at the world.
I know it may seem like I am talking way up here, but let me pull it into perspective by turning to our lesson this morning from Mark chapter 8. As we work through this, I hope you will see what I am talking about:
This text follows Jesus’ feeding of the 4000, an event that the disciples wanted nothing to do with because those gathered were Gentiles. The disciples had a major assumption that God would restore the Kingdom of Israel through the work of the Messiah, and the Gentiles would kowtow to the Israelites. The disciples believed that Israel mattered most in the eyes of God, and everyone else were second class citizens. This is the same thing the Pharisees believed way back in Mark chapter 7 when they had forgotten the basic premise of the covenant that God made with Abraham–that the Jews would be blessed to be a blessing. Jesus is working to unravel these assumptions, and He is having a difficult time.
For right after the feeding of the 4000, Jesus and His disciples have another encounter with the Pharisees. The Pharisees come to challenge Jesus, and they demand a sign. Now, we need to be very careful here in understanding what is going on. The Pharisees are not asking for another miracle. They have witnessed some of Jesus’ miracles. They have heard eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ miracles. The Pharisees come up to Jesus and ask for a sameion–the Greek word for sign. Mark uses the word dunamis in Greek to describe a miracle, so the distinction is very important. You see the Pharisees wanted to know the source of Jesus’ power. They wanted to know the source of His miracles, and they were asking for confirmation that God was working through Jesus. In effect, the Pharisees are saying, “How do we know that you are from God. Show us that you truly are from God. Give us a direct signal from God that He is responsible for what you are doing.”
Jesus sighs deeply. It’s a sigh of indignation. It’s a sigh of almost despair. The Pharisees, who were religious leaders should have gotten it. They should be able to see plainly that everything Jesus is doing is from God. There is no need for any sort of sign, and Jesus says exactly that. The language in the Greek is actually much stronger than the English translation we have before us. Jesus essentially says, “If any sign is given to you, may I die!” It’s really an interesting comment given what will eventually happen to Jesus, but I will get there in a little while.
The Pharisees just don’t get it. They are incapable of seeing God’s actions. Their assumptions run too deep. Their worldview is too entrenched, and they cannot even come close to seeing what Jesus is doing. One of the commentators said it best, “...the unbeliever despite the evidence will always find grounds for unbelief, especially if believing means abandoning the familiar, the source of security. For those who had the eyes of faith, Jesus’ ministry provided an ample “sign from heaven” of God’s confirming work. For those blinded by unbelief no sign could adequately reveal the nature of Jesus words and work.”
But it isn’t just the Pharisees who are having difficulty. It isn’t just the Pharisees who are blinded by things. The disciples are in that boat as well–literally and figuratively. When Jesus and the disciples leave the Pharisees, Jesus turns to them and says, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod!”
The disciples are very dense here. They fail to grasp what Jesus is trying to get across to them. In one of those very curious responses, they say, “Oh, it’s because we forgot to bring bread.” WHAT???
How in the world does “Beware the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod” have anything to do with a lack of bread? Maybe the disciples had heard just a few too many of Jesus’ teachings. Maybe they were looking for all sorts of hidden meanings, but this one seems just a little too far fetched.
Jesus, patiently tries to bring them around. “You think I am talking about bread? How many lunch boxes of bread did you take up after I fed 5000?” The disciples say, “12.” How many large baskets did you take up after I fed the 4000? “Seven,” the disciples respond.
Jesus says, “And you still don’t get it?” Mark leaves us hanging right there. We don’t see the disciples response to this. Maybe they do get it now. Maybe they don’t. One think we can see for certain is that Jesus isn’t talking about bread. He is talking about something much more important. Jesus can produce bread out of thin air. He can take five loaves and provide for 5000. He can take seven loaves and provide for 4000. He can take that one loaf and provide for 13. There is no issue here!!! But there is an issue with being able to see. There is an issue with trusting Jesus. The disciples aren’t there yet. They may be starting to see. They are in the boat with Jesus, but they only see dimly!
Which brings us to this next part of the text. It is a very, very intriguing story. It’s almost at the center of Mark’s gospel, and as I have studied it, I think it is a very, very important piece. It is the healing of a man who is blind, but it is unlike any other healing we find Jesus doing. No other Gospel has a healing like this, and most of the commentators I read, and I agree with them–is this healing is both a healing and a metaphor exposing the blindness of the Pharisees, the semi-sight of the disciples, and ultimately pointing to what can bring us sight.
People bring to Jesus a man who is blind, and much like He did with the man who was deaf and tongue tied, Jesus takes the man away from the crowd. Jesus spits in the man’s eye, lays His hands on him and then asks, “What do you see?” This is the only time Jesus ever asks this question of someone He is healing. Nowhere else does He ask such a thing.
The man replies, “I see people, but they look like trees.” Now, here is an interesting statement because it implies that the guy once was able to see. He must have known what trees looked like at one time. He must have known what people looked like at one time. This is a restoration miracle, but it isn’t complete. He cannot see clearly. Did Jesus mess up? No. As I said earlier, there is a metaphor–a teaching taking place. Why would I say this? Who would the blind man have seen? Who would be the men looking like trees? The disciples. The disciples must have been the ones the man saw who looked like trees walking around. The disciples would have been the ones seeing this healing taking place in stages. Jesus healing in this manner would hopefully be a lesson for them–a lesson about their own stages of belief, unbelief, blindness, and being able to see.
Jesus then takes the man, lays hands on him once again, and then the man can see clearly. Jesus doesn’t ask the man whether or not he can see. Jesus knows He’s completed the task. Jesus knows what He can do. Jesus then orders the man to go home and not to tell anyone what has happened–once again to show that Jesus is not simply here to be a miracle worker. He has a greater purpose.
And what is that purpose? We know that Jesus is here to redeem and save the world. We know that Jesus is the incarnate Son of God who has come to reconcile the world unto God by living the life we are supposed to live and dying the death we deserve. We know Jesus is here to bring about salvation. The Pharisees can’t see this at all. They are blind. The disciples have gotten a glimpse of this, but they don’t grasp it fully. They are partially blind. They can’t grasp it either–partially because their assumptions still have not been changed. Next week, we will see this very clearly–no pun intended.
The Pharisees’ blindness, and the disciples’ blindness will not be fully cleared until their basic assumptions about who the Messiah is supposed to be are changed. They will not be able to see Jesus for who He is until their very worldviews are shaken to the core.
And we will not be able to see Jesus for who He truly is until our assumptions are shaken as well. We will not be able to see what Jesus has done until our worldviews crumble and fall. We will not be able to understand what it is like to see clearly until we take a journey with Jesus to the cross. Next week is our youth service, so you will have to wait until the following Sunday to see how this is all brought about, but for today, we will have to stop here.
Let us pray. Gracious God, you so loved the world that you sent your only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. You sent Him into the world not to condemn the world but so that the world might be saved through Him. We have heard this good news. We have heard of Jesus’ work, but for some reason, we remain blinded. We still cannot seem to see but dimly. We ask that in the next couple of weeks, you will work on our hearts and minds that we may one day see clearly. Amen.
Showing posts with label worldview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label worldview. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Do We Have a Purpose?
This morning, as I was running, my thoughts turned to whether or not human beings have a purpose.
Of course, I believe we do. As a believer in God, particularly the Christian God, I believe we were created for a reason which is highlighted in the Christian worldview.
But my thoughts actually turned to several debates I have watched on Youtube; particularly those debates involving Richard Dawkins. Richard was asked questions about the purpose of human life several times, and (if I am remembering correctly) he seemingly dismisses them as absurd questions.
Many seem to be revolted at Dawkins' comments, but I think I understand them. I think.
Dawkins, as a biologist does not think in terms of purpose. Plants and animals don't have a purpose. They are, and they strive to survive. A dog does not think of itself as having a purpose. Neither does a cat, dolphin, eagle, giraffe, whale, and so on and so forth. As far as we know, no animal ever debates and wonders about why it is here. IF (a big if) we are simply another animal in a long line of animals that has ever lived on this planet, then why should we be any different? Why should we contemplate our purpose? The question is actually irrelevant and not worth asking. We are here. We evolved from other animals. We are driven to survive, and one day we will either evolve or die out. End of story. There is nothing more to contemplate.
IF, (as I said earlier) we are simply another animal.
Now, here is the rub, at least as I see it.
IF (a big if) we are simply like another animal, then what is to prevent us from acting like animals? I mean, I study nature--not as a biologist, but as a hunter. I know how animals act in nature--and even in domesticated settings. They vie for power; for food; to be the apex predator or mate. They cooperate, but only when it is in their best interest to cooperate--so that they can get something out of it.
I'm waiting...
And will remain waiting.
Philosophers have wrestled for eons trying to figure out what distinguishes us from other animals. Whenever something has seemed adequate, it is usually found lacking in some particular manner. This is why Stephen Hawking famously said, "Philosophy is dead." Philosophy hasn't been able to give us the answer.
Hawking tries from a scientific perspective. So does Dawkins. In my estimation, they leave much wanting. They fail to offer any insight as to why we should behave any differently than any other animal in the animal world.
This is one of those reasons, I believe science is incomplete. Because of its base assumptions, it cannot address these important questions.
Something more is needed.
I believe we need purpose.
Of course, I believe we do. As a believer in God, particularly the Christian God, I believe we were created for a reason which is highlighted in the Christian worldview.
But my thoughts actually turned to several debates I have watched on Youtube; particularly those debates involving Richard Dawkins. Richard was asked questions about the purpose of human life several times, and (if I am remembering correctly) he seemingly dismisses them as absurd questions.
Many seem to be revolted at Dawkins' comments, but I think I understand them. I think.
Dawkins, as a biologist does not think in terms of purpose. Plants and animals don't have a purpose. They are, and they strive to survive. A dog does not think of itself as having a purpose. Neither does a cat, dolphin, eagle, giraffe, whale, and so on and so forth. As far as we know, no animal ever debates and wonders about why it is here. IF (a big if) we are simply another animal in a long line of animals that has ever lived on this planet, then why should we be any different? Why should we contemplate our purpose? The question is actually irrelevant and not worth asking. We are here. We evolved from other animals. We are driven to survive, and one day we will either evolve or die out. End of story. There is nothing more to contemplate.
IF, (as I said earlier) we are simply another animal.
Now, here is the rub, at least as I see it.
IF (a big if) we are simply like another animal, then what is to prevent us from acting like animals? I mean, I study nature--not as a biologist, but as a hunter. I know how animals act in nature--and even in domesticated settings. They vie for power; for food; to be the apex predator or mate. They cooperate, but only when it is in their best interest to cooperate--so that they can get something out of it.
- I had two female dogs who wanted to be dominant. They fought constantly; horribly; terribly; over things my wife and I considered minor. But any "minor" pack violation would set them off. We ended up having to keep them separate for over 8 years.
- One day, while sitting in a deer blind, I heard the most God-awful sound. A hawk swooped down out of the sky and killed a quail right before my eyes. The strong killed the weak to devour it and gain strength.
- Oftentimes, the offspring of another male is killed by a dominant male looking to spread his genes. Survival of the fittest and natural selection.
- Beta males and females turn to manipulative ways to further their advancement within particular colonies of species bypassing honesty and justice for self-serving need.
- Again, observations from a deer stand: one morning I watched 11 whitetail bucks in a field. Half the time they spent eating the other half fighting for dominance.
- Nearly every animal species lives in a hierarchy. There are those at the top and those at the bottom. Those at the top live well. Those at the bottom aren't so lucky. That's just the way nature is organized for the most part.
- Polygamy is the rule in nature. Monogamy is the exception.
I'm waiting...
And will remain waiting.
Philosophers have wrestled for eons trying to figure out what distinguishes us from other animals. Whenever something has seemed adequate, it is usually found lacking in some particular manner. This is why Stephen Hawking famously said, "Philosophy is dead." Philosophy hasn't been able to give us the answer.
Hawking tries from a scientific perspective. So does Dawkins. In my estimation, they leave much wanting. They fail to offer any insight as to why we should behave any differently than any other animal in the animal world.
This is one of those reasons, I believe science is incomplete. Because of its base assumptions, it cannot address these important questions.
Something more is needed.
I believe we need purpose.
Friday, December 20, 2013
GLAADly Shooting Ducks and Boycotting A&E
Just step back for a minute. Just a minute.
Don't try to judge whether or not Phil Robertson's comments were good, bad, or indifferent. Don't make this about free speech or freedom of religion. Don't try to judge whether or not A&E's decision to suspend Phil Robertson was good, bad, or indifferent. Don't make it about someone trying to push a particular agenda.
Step back to try and grasp a big picture scene. Try to see the competition between several worldviews clearly clashing in this ordeal. There are at least three that I can see, probably more.
First: GLAAD's worldview and how it plays out:
“Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil’s lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe,” GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz said in a statement. “He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans – and Americans – who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. Phil’s decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to reexamine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families.”
Essentially: if you do not agree with us, then you are unclean "a stain" and those who associate with such a person should reevaluate their "friendship status." GLAAD also quite happily approved of A&E's decision to suspend Robertson affecting his financial status.
Worldview: Our way is the right way, and if you don't agree with us, there should be punitive measures taken to deal with you.
Second: The response by those supporting Phil:
Boycott A&E until they bring Phil back! We have freedom of speech and freedom of religion! Phil is suffering persecution by the PC police!
Worldview: If you do something to someone we care about, we will take retributive steps against you.
Third: Phil Robertson's worldview:
Homosexuality is a sin, and as a culture we have begun having a much higher tolerance for things the Bible calls sin. However:
“We never, ever judge someone on who’s going to heaven, hell. That’s the Almighty’s job,” Robertson told GQ. “We just love ‘em, give ‘em the good news about Jesus – whether they’re homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort ‘em out later.”
and
“I myself am a product of the 60s; I centered my life around sex, drugs and rock and roll until I hit rock bottom and accepted Jesus as my Savior. My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together. “However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other.”
Essentially: I may disagree with you, but I can respect you without judgment. We are all created in the image of God, and we would be better off if we loved God and loved each other.
Tell me, which worldview do you want to live in?
Note: There are considerably more worldviews out there. For a worldview which is atheistic and pro-gay yet still take GLAAD and A&E to task calling for respect read here.
Don't try to judge whether or not Phil Robertson's comments were good, bad, or indifferent. Don't make this about free speech or freedom of religion. Don't try to judge whether or not A&E's decision to suspend Phil Robertson was good, bad, or indifferent. Don't make it about someone trying to push a particular agenda.
Step back to try and grasp a big picture scene. Try to see the competition between several worldviews clearly clashing in this ordeal. There are at least three that I can see, probably more.
First: GLAAD's worldview and how it plays out:
“Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil’s lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe,” GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz said in a statement. “He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans – and Americans – who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. Phil’s decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to reexamine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families.”
Essentially: if you do not agree with us, then you are unclean "a stain" and those who associate with such a person should reevaluate their "friendship status." GLAAD also quite happily approved of A&E's decision to suspend Robertson affecting his financial status.
Worldview: Our way is the right way, and if you don't agree with us, there should be punitive measures taken to deal with you.
Second: The response by those supporting Phil:
Boycott A&E until they bring Phil back! We have freedom of speech and freedom of religion! Phil is suffering persecution by the PC police!
Worldview: If you do something to someone we care about, we will take retributive steps against you.
Third: Phil Robertson's worldview:
Homosexuality is a sin, and as a culture we have begun having a much higher tolerance for things the Bible calls sin. However:
“We never, ever judge someone on who’s going to heaven, hell. That’s the Almighty’s job,” Robertson told GQ. “We just love ‘em, give ‘em the good news about Jesus – whether they’re homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort ‘em out later.”
and
“I myself am a product of the 60s; I centered my life around sex, drugs and rock and roll until I hit rock bottom and accepted Jesus as my Savior. My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together. “However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other.”
Essentially: I may disagree with you, but I can respect you without judgment. We are all created in the image of God, and we would be better off if we loved God and loved each other.
Tell me, which worldview do you want to live in?
Note: There are considerably more worldviews out there. For a worldview which is atheistic and pro-gay yet still take GLAAD and A&E to task calling for respect read here.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
A Good Question
If it is o.k. for us to seek to change one another's minds in the political sphere and convert a person to our point of view, why then is it seemingly not o.k. for us to seek to change another's mind and convert another to our religious point of view?
Discuss.
Discuss.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Stay Rooted
There is a wonderful little joke I tell myself if I ever get a sudden itch to pursue a doctorate degree. I also tell the joke whenever someone tells me I should pursue such a venture. It goes like this:
The president of a rural congregation decided to call upon several of the members who had stopped attending. On one of these visits, he met Farmer Joe while Joe was working out in the field.
“Joe,” the congregation president began, “we’ve missed you in church. You should really come back.”
“Well,” Joe replied in his slow drawl, “why exactly should I come back to church?”
The congregation president responded, “Why, Joe, we’ve got a new preacher, and he’s great.”
“What makes him so great?” Joe asked.
“Joe, you wouldn’t believe it, but he’s got a B.S., and M.S. and a PhD!” the congregation president said enthusiastically.
Joe spit onto the ground with disgust, “That settles it. I ain’t a goin’ to church as long as that guy is there!”
The congregation president was aghast! “Why would you say such a thing, Joe?”
“Well,” came the response, “we all know what B.S. is. M.S. is just more of the same, and P.H.D. is piled high and deep!”
Remember what I said last Sunday about laughter. Believe me, it’s o.k. to laugh, but that’s not really the point, at least this week. I have a different point, but one that is quite related to this little joke as well as to our second lesson this morning from the book of Colossians.
For you see, the joke I told has a biting criticism of higher education buried within it–a criticism that goes a bit too far, I admit, because one could think that based upon that joke, I don’t agree with people getting a good, robust education. Nothing could be further than the truth. In order to be a pastor, I had to get a master’s degree. During my educational tenure both at college and in seminary, I learned many, many valuable things–things that I have used throughout my calling to serve as a pastor.
However, I was also exposed to many, many other ideas and trains of thought. I was exposed to many, many philosophies and human traditions that were not rooted in Christ–as our second lesson would say. Some of those philosophies and human traditions were blatantly anti-Christian; anti-Christ; anti-God, and what have you, and exposure to such things does indeed challenge one’s faith.
Now, on the one hand, there is something very wholesome about having one’s faith challenged. Whenever your mind is stretched, you are forced to dig down deep and truly reflect upon why you believe what you believe. You are forced to deal with the very core of yourself and your being. You are forced to understand yourself and your beliefs by these challenges, and oftentimes, we don’t take the time to allow ourselves to really and truly understand why we believe as we believe. This is the good part about such education.
But there is a part which is not as wholesome. There is a part which causes no small amount of trouble both in the academic setting and in society in general. We see evidence of this all over the place in our nation today–the seeming need of one group to force its philosophies and beliefs upon another. And much of this forcing is done within the academic realm. Unfortunately, many Christians are not well equipped to deal with this.
I mean, let’s take the example of a teenager who is heading off to college for the first time. I am going to deal with the reality of teenagers these days, and not the ideal. For many teens these days do not have a strong understanding of faith. Most teens these days are not raised to attend Sunday School and church on a regular basis. Many teens do not understand even the basics of Christian doctrine or the basic Bible stories. Now, we can pose all sorts of blame for this, but now is not the time. The problem is a complex one and not likely to be solved by a 10 to 15 minute diatribe given by a country preacher in Cat Spring, TX. But it is the reality, I can assure you.
This teenager, who does not have a very strong background in the Christian faith heads off to college. He decides to take several science classes. It’s no secret that there are many science professors who are atheistic in their beliefs and practices, and many of them are not afraid to share that perspective in the midst of teaching their classes. You and I both know the prominence science holds in our society. You and I know how many times science and reason is hoisted as the pinnacle of knowledge and truth. Our kids pick up on this quickly–they aren’t dumb at all. And when a respected professor of science begins articulating the non-existence of God based upon the principles of science and reason, this has a tremendous influence on our teenager–sometimes so influential, he or she drops the faith because it no longer makes sense–or at least makes as much sense as a scientific worldview.
Now, what happens to our teenager? Does he ever return to church? Does he ever give a second thought to the weak Christian faith he once held? No. Not a chance. In fact, there are many voice which will fill his head with the thought that his faith was actually a limitation upon him and that now he is truly free without his faith! That’s quite an assertion considering Jesus told us, his followers that if we continue in His Word we are truly His disciples and we will know the Truth and the Truth will set us free!
The interesting thing of note is that there is an intriguing correlation regarding higher education and belief in God or belief in Christianity. As one’s education increases, the likelihood of one’s belief decreases. That’s an important thing for the church to wrestle with since we tend to put a very, very high value on education. It seems that the church may be defeating itself by encouraging education! “We all know what B.S. is M.S. is more of the same and P.H.D...”
Now, once again, with this background in mind, please listen to the words of our second lesson from the book of Colossians, “ 6As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.”
The important part of this piece is not necessarily the warning against philosophy and human traditions. The important part is the emphasis on having one’s life rooted and built up in Christ. For, you see, there is something quite unspoken in the academic world–that world we generally hope to send our children into. The unspoken truth about the academic world, the scientific world, the rational world is that this world rests all of its assertions about truth on faith.
Oh, I know they might quite deny it, but I can assure you, it is true. There are numerous philosophers who know this quite well. Even science rests it’s assertions in faith. For instance, many assume reason is the best method to ascertain the truth. In fact, they will make the assertion: reason is the best method to ascertain the truth. Now, I challenge those who make that assertion to prove that assertion by reason. For those not acquainted with logic, that’s an impossibility due to circular reasoning. And if one looks at any academic discipline, one finds such unprovable statements.
What does that mean? Well, quite simply, it means faith reigns supreme. It means we have no shame in stating that the very basis of our understanding–the very basis of the way we view the world is the assertion that Jesus is Lord. At the very root of every human philosophy and tradition is a leap of faith! The only question is: which one do you want to be rooted in? I’d argue the one that makes the most sense and forms the best, coherent picture is the one rooted and grounded in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is no need to be ashamed of this assertion. Embrace it with joy. Amen.
The president of a rural congregation decided to call upon several of the members who had stopped attending. On one of these visits, he met Farmer Joe while Joe was working out in the field.
“Joe,” the congregation president began, “we’ve missed you in church. You should really come back.”
“Well,” Joe replied in his slow drawl, “why exactly should I come back to church?”
The congregation president responded, “Why, Joe, we’ve got a new preacher, and he’s great.”
“What makes him so great?” Joe asked.
“Joe, you wouldn’t believe it, but he’s got a B.S., and M.S. and a PhD!” the congregation president said enthusiastically.
Joe spit onto the ground with disgust, “That settles it. I ain’t a goin’ to church as long as that guy is there!”
The congregation president was aghast! “Why would you say such a thing, Joe?”
“Well,” came the response, “we all know what B.S. is. M.S. is just more of the same, and P.H.D. is piled high and deep!”
Remember what I said last Sunday about laughter. Believe me, it’s o.k. to laugh, but that’s not really the point, at least this week. I have a different point, but one that is quite related to this little joke as well as to our second lesson this morning from the book of Colossians.
For you see, the joke I told has a biting criticism of higher education buried within it–a criticism that goes a bit too far, I admit, because one could think that based upon that joke, I don’t agree with people getting a good, robust education. Nothing could be further than the truth. In order to be a pastor, I had to get a master’s degree. During my educational tenure both at college and in seminary, I learned many, many valuable things–things that I have used throughout my calling to serve as a pastor.
However, I was also exposed to many, many other ideas and trains of thought. I was exposed to many, many philosophies and human traditions that were not rooted in Christ–as our second lesson would say. Some of those philosophies and human traditions were blatantly anti-Christian; anti-Christ; anti-God, and what have you, and exposure to such things does indeed challenge one’s faith.
Now, on the one hand, there is something very wholesome about having one’s faith challenged. Whenever your mind is stretched, you are forced to dig down deep and truly reflect upon why you believe what you believe. You are forced to deal with the very core of yourself and your being. You are forced to understand yourself and your beliefs by these challenges, and oftentimes, we don’t take the time to allow ourselves to really and truly understand why we believe as we believe. This is the good part about such education.
But there is a part which is not as wholesome. There is a part which causes no small amount of trouble both in the academic setting and in society in general. We see evidence of this all over the place in our nation today–the seeming need of one group to force its philosophies and beliefs upon another. And much of this forcing is done within the academic realm. Unfortunately, many Christians are not well equipped to deal with this.
I mean, let’s take the example of a teenager who is heading off to college for the first time. I am going to deal with the reality of teenagers these days, and not the ideal. For many teens these days do not have a strong understanding of faith. Most teens these days are not raised to attend Sunday School and church on a regular basis. Many teens do not understand even the basics of Christian doctrine or the basic Bible stories. Now, we can pose all sorts of blame for this, but now is not the time. The problem is a complex one and not likely to be solved by a 10 to 15 minute diatribe given by a country preacher in Cat Spring, TX. But it is the reality, I can assure you.
This teenager, who does not have a very strong background in the Christian faith heads off to college. He decides to take several science classes. It’s no secret that there are many science professors who are atheistic in their beliefs and practices, and many of them are not afraid to share that perspective in the midst of teaching their classes. You and I both know the prominence science holds in our society. You and I know how many times science and reason is hoisted as the pinnacle of knowledge and truth. Our kids pick up on this quickly–they aren’t dumb at all. And when a respected professor of science begins articulating the non-existence of God based upon the principles of science and reason, this has a tremendous influence on our teenager–sometimes so influential, he or she drops the faith because it no longer makes sense–or at least makes as much sense as a scientific worldview.
Now, what happens to our teenager? Does he ever return to church? Does he ever give a second thought to the weak Christian faith he once held? No. Not a chance. In fact, there are many voice which will fill his head with the thought that his faith was actually a limitation upon him and that now he is truly free without his faith! That’s quite an assertion considering Jesus told us, his followers that if we continue in His Word we are truly His disciples and we will know the Truth and the Truth will set us free!
The interesting thing of note is that there is an intriguing correlation regarding higher education and belief in God or belief in Christianity. As one’s education increases, the likelihood of one’s belief decreases. That’s an important thing for the church to wrestle with since we tend to put a very, very high value on education. It seems that the church may be defeating itself by encouraging education! “We all know what B.S. is M.S. is more of the same and P.H.D...”
Now, once again, with this background in mind, please listen to the words of our second lesson from the book of Colossians, “ 6As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.”
The important part of this piece is not necessarily the warning against philosophy and human traditions. The important part is the emphasis on having one’s life rooted and built up in Christ. For, you see, there is something quite unspoken in the academic world–that world we generally hope to send our children into. The unspoken truth about the academic world, the scientific world, the rational world is that this world rests all of its assertions about truth on faith.
Oh, I know they might quite deny it, but I can assure you, it is true. There are numerous philosophers who know this quite well. Even science rests it’s assertions in faith. For instance, many assume reason is the best method to ascertain the truth. In fact, they will make the assertion: reason is the best method to ascertain the truth. Now, I challenge those who make that assertion to prove that assertion by reason. For those not acquainted with logic, that’s an impossibility due to circular reasoning. And if one looks at any academic discipline, one finds such unprovable statements.
What does that mean? Well, quite simply, it means faith reigns supreme. It means we have no shame in stating that the very basis of our understanding–the very basis of the way we view the world is the assertion that Jesus is Lord. At the very root of every human philosophy and tradition is a leap of faith! The only question is: which one do you want to be rooted in? I’d argue the one that makes the most sense and forms the best, coherent picture is the one rooted and grounded in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is no need to be ashamed of this assertion. Embrace it with joy. Amen.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
The Hardest Sermon: Published
Luke 6: 32-38
32 ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’
I think perhaps, this is one of the most difficult sermons I have ever had to deliver. You may wonder why.
This may come as a shock to some. Those closest to Chris know this; most of you probably do not. Heather was raised as a Christian, but as time went on, she eventually renounced her Christian faith and became an atheist. I hate to be the one who breaks this news to many of you today, but it is true. This puts me in a rather difficult position considering the world we live in today–and considering the love and respect that you all had for Heather. Because what we have happening here this evening is a collision of worldviews. We have the Christian worldview which many of us embrace, and we have the atheistic worldview which Heather and her husband embraced. Each have very different understandings about what happens after death–understandings which are seemingly incompatible. So, how do we reconcile such things? Is it even possible?
To begin, please allow me to quote Christian author and speaker Ravi Zacharias who said the following in his Veritas Lecture on the campus of U.C.L.A. in January of this year. He says, “Whatever our worldview...whatever our convictions, because a conviction is different to an opinion–an opinion is something you have a preference for sort of a hierarchy of options and you make a choice this way somebody else makes a choice another way. But a conviction is that which is then in many ways rooted in your very soul; it is in your conscience. And to change a conviction will involve a changing of who you are as a person...And so, when two worldviews collide, when two convictions collide, the best thing that one can hope for is at least the cordiality with which we can disagree and the civility with which we can interact in the midst of that disagreement.”
The cordiality to disagree and the civility to interact in the midst of that disagreement. Is such a thing possible? Is it possible for a Christian worldview and an atheistic worldview to cordially disagree and civilly interact? Historically, I believe those of us who are Christians have not done such a good job of handling such things. There are usually two avenues which are chosen by most Christians, and one comes across as very self-righteous and the other comes across as both self-righteous and wishy-washy.
On the one hand, you have those who almost gleefully proclaim that those who do not believe in Jesus Christ are eternally damned. Usually, they are quick to quote all of those Bible verses and quotations of Jesus and Paul and others which paint the eternal destination of those who do not believe in a none too positive light. They use these verses as fearful motivation–trying to convince others to avoid the same fate, repent and believe in Jesus Christ. They use those verses to fearfully get those gathered to “get our stuff together” so that we don’t end up in such a horrid place. I honestly believe the folks who preach in this manner are trying to promote the Kingdom of God. I believe they are trying to win souls for that Kingdom. However, whether they know it or not, they usually come across as self-righteous and sanctimonious and do more harm to Christianity than good. I do not want to go down that road this evening.
Then, on the other hand, there are those who quite willingly and quickly pronounce that it doesn’t matter what one believes or does not believe–all enjoy a trip to heaven to be with God. In their desire to promote comfort and to ease peoples' consciences, they will ignore the words of Jesus; the words of Paul; and other such comments in scripture. They do not honor the closest witnesses to Jesus as reported in the Bible and so water down what is revealed in Scripture. Convictions get thrown out the window. But that is not the least of it. For in proclaiming this particular worldview, such folks fail to honor or respect the beliefs, convictions, and worldviews of those who believe differently. In effect, they say, “I don’t care that you believe you will just cease to exist when you die. It doesn’t matter what you say, what I say about God is more important than your beliefs and understandings.” As I look at such things, it seems rather disingenuous, and I do not want to travel down that road tonight either.
And so, what does one do? How does one handle such situations? There is no doubt that Scripture reveals to us some very troubling words about those who do not believe in Christ. There is no doubt that Scripture reveals to us some very disturbing words about those who renounce their faith. I am not going to sugar coat those this evening, but I am also not going to gleefully proclaim them. Instead, I am going to hold up the dynamic tension Jesus asks us to hold.
For, you see, the same Jesus who spoke words of exclusivity announcing that He is the way and the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him also said, “Do not judge and you will not be judged for with the measure you give, the same measure you will receive.”
Jesus makes it quite clear to you and to me how we are to act toward anyone who does not share our particular beliefs. He makes it quite clear how we are to proceed with those who have a different worldview. “Do not judge for with the judgment you give, you will receive.” In my estimation, this call is a call to humility as we interact with those who do not believe as we believe. How?
Well, it goes back to the core convictions and beliefs at the foundation of Christianity. It goes back to the fact that we all deserve judgment. We all deserve God’s anger at us for we do not live according to His commands. Take a read of Matthew chapter 5 through 7 and see how well you do at following Christ’s commands. Be honest as we look at our own lives and realize how we do not live as though we depend only on God for our sustenance and livelihood–we work and slave to store up wealth and property for our future instead of depending on God for our daily bread. In doing so, we break a basic command of Christ. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; we cannot earn any sort of salvation through our own actions. It is only by His grace that we are saved through faith.
And that is not the half of it. We cannot even believe in God without His help. You may shake your head at that one, but if you do, take a moment to read 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and see that wonderful little snippet by St. Paul who says, “No one says Jesus is Lord except by the power of the Holy Spirit.” You cannot even come to believe in Jesus on your own! You can walk away on your own, but you certainly cannot believe in God through your own reason or strength. You and I are totally dependent upon God not only for our salvation but for our very belief in Jesus Christ.
So what does that mean? I don’t know exactly what it means to you, but for me, it means that I am humbled. I am totally dependent upon God, and I honor Him by following Him and the teachings of His Son who died for me. And that Son was absolutely clear in His teachings: “Those who want to be first in the Kingdom of God must be last of all and servant of all.” All, mind you. Not just those who share the same belief, but we are called to love and serve all no matter what they believe–even if it is vastly different than what we believe. We are to love others as God loved us. Now, how is this possible?
This was the exact same question Chris and I talked about as Heather’s life was coming to a close. She and I had several conversations about this as she struggled with the question, “What should I do?” The answer: love her. Plain and simple. Of course, Chris also witnessed to Heather. Of course, she wanted her daughter to believe, but it was not her job to arm twist. It was not her job to use her love or the revocation of her love as a tool of manipulation. This is not what a parent does. A parent never stops loving his or her children. A parent never withdraws that kind of support. But a parent also respects a child enough to allow that child to go his or her own way.
I’ve got three kids, 8, 7, and 5. Do you think they do everything I tell them to do? Of course not. Does that mean I stop loving them? Never. You see at a certain point and time, a good parent realizes his or her children are independent. They make their own decisions. They blaze their own paths. They choose to go their own ways. Those ways may be very different than our own, but a good parent respects his or her children enough to allow them to go their own way. And even though there may be disagreement, a parent loves and supports his or her child until death claims one or the other. Chris showed that kind of love to Heather until the very end. It’s what good parents do.
It is what God does as well. He loves us so much that He respects our choices–even if those choices take us away from Him; even if those choices lead us to cease believing in Him. But that doesn’t mean He stops seeking us out. That doesn’t mean He ever stops loving us. He loves us to the very end. Period.
And now, we arrive at that crucial moment–that time where you may wish for me to announce Heather’s eternal resting place. I must apologize for I am afraid I must disappoint you. I am afraid the best answer I can tell you is that such a proclamation does not rest on me or in my hands. It rests in the hands of One and One alone. Such matters are now in God’s hands. And thankfully, those are very good hands to rest such matters in. Amen.
32 ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’
I think perhaps, this is one of the most difficult sermons I have ever had to deliver. You may wonder why.
This may come as a shock to some. Those closest to Chris know this; most of you probably do not. Heather was raised as a Christian, but as time went on, she eventually renounced her Christian faith and became an atheist. I hate to be the one who breaks this news to many of you today, but it is true. This puts me in a rather difficult position considering the world we live in today–and considering the love and respect that you all had for Heather. Because what we have happening here this evening is a collision of worldviews. We have the Christian worldview which many of us embrace, and we have the atheistic worldview which Heather and her husband embraced. Each have very different understandings about what happens after death–understandings which are seemingly incompatible. So, how do we reconcile such things? Is it even possible?
To begin, please allow me to quote Christian author and speaker Ravi Zacharias who said the following in his Veritas Lecture on the campus of U.C.L.A. in January of this year. He says, “Whatever our worldview...whatever our convictions, because a conviction is different to an opinion–an opinion is something you have a preference for sort of a hierarchy of options and you make a choice this way somebody else makes a choice another way. But a conviction is that which is then in many ways rooted in your very soul; it is in your conscience. And to change a conviction will involve a changing of who you are as a person...And so, when two worldviews collide, when two convictions collide, the best thing that one can hope for is at least the cordiality with which we can disagree and the civility with which we can interact in the midst of that disagreement.”
The cordiality to disagree and the civility to interact in the midst of that disagreement. Is such a thing possible? Is it possible for a Christian worldview and an atheistic worldview to cordially disagree and civilly interact? Historically, I believe those of us who are Christians have not done such a good job of handling such things. There are usually two avenues which are chosen by most Christians, and one comes across as very self-righteous and the other comes across as both self-righteous and wishy-washy.
On the one hand, you have those who almost gleefully proclaim that those who do not believe in Jesus Christ are eternally damned. Usually, they are quick to quote all of those Bible verses and quotations of Jesus and Paul and others which paint the eternal destination of those who do not believe in a none too positive light. They use these verses as fearful motivation–trying to convince others to avoid the same fate, repent and believe in Jesus Christ. They use those verses to fearfully get those gathered to “get our stuff together” so that we don’t end up in such a horrid place. I honestly believe the folks who preach in this manner are trying to promote the Kingdom of God. I believe they are trying to win souls for that Kingdom. However, whether they know it or not, they usually come across as self-righteous and sanctimonious and do more harm to Christianity than good. I do not want to go down that road this evening.
Then, on the other hand, there are those who quite willingly and quickly pronounce that it doesn’t matter what one believes or does not believe–all enjoy a trip to heaven to be with God. In their desire to promote comfort and to ease peoples' consciences, they will ignore the words of Jesus; the words of Paul; and other such comments in scripture. They do not honor the closest witnesses to Jesus as reported in the Bible and so water down what is revealed in Scripture. Convictions get thrown out the window. But that is not the least of it. For in proclaiming this particular worldview, such folks fail to honor or respect the beliefs, convictions, and worldviews of those who believe differently. In effect, they say, “I don’t care that you believe you will just cease to exist when you die. It doesn’t matter what you say, what I say about God is more important than your beliefs and understandings.” As I look at such things, it seems rather disingenuous, and I do not want to travel down that road tonight either.
And so, what does one do? How does one handle such situations? There is no doubt that Scripture reveals to us some very troubling words about those who do not believe in Christ. There is no doubt that Scripture reveals to us some very disturbing words about those who renounce their faith. I am not going to sugar coat those this evening, but I am also not going to gleefully proclaim them. Instead, I am going to hold up the dynamic tension Jesus asks us to hold.
For, you see, the same Jesus who spoke words of exclusivity announcing that He is the way and the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him also said, “Do not judge and you will not be judged for with the measure you give, the same measure you will receive.”
Jesus makes it quite clear to you and to me how we are to act toward anyone who does not share our particular beliefs. He makes it quite clear how we are to proceed with those who have a different worldview. “Do not judge for with the judgment you give, you will receive.” In my estimation, this call is a call to humility as we interact with those who do not believe as we believe. How?
Well, it goes back to the core convictions and beliefs at the foundation of Christianity. It goes back to the fact that we all deserve judgment. We all deserve God’s anger at us for we do not live according to His commands. Take a read of Matthew chapter 5 through 7 and see how well you do at following Christ’s commands. Be honest as we look at our own lives and realize how we do not live as though we depend only on God for our sustenance and livelihood–we work and slave to store up wealth and property for our future instead of depending on God for our daily bread. In doing so, we break a basic command of Christ. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; we cannot earn any sort of salvation through our own actions. It is only by His grace that we are saved through faith.
And that is not the half of it. We cannot even believe in God without His help. You may shake your head at that one, but if you do, take a moment to read 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and see that wonderful little snippet by St. Paul who says, “No one says Jesus is Lord except by the power of the Holy Spirit.” You cannot even come to believe in Jesus on your own! You can walk away on your own, but you certainly cannot believe in God through your own reason or strength. You and I are totally dependent upon God not only for our salvation but for our very belief in Jesus Christ.
So what does that mean? I don’t know exactly what it means to you, but for me, it means that I am humbled. I am totally dependent upon God, and I honor Him by following Him and the teachings of His Son who died for me. And that Son was absolutely clear in His teachings: “Those who want to be first in the Kingdom of God must be last of all and servant of all.” All, mind you. Not just those who share the same belief, but we are called to love and serve all no matter what they believe–even if it is vastly different than what we believe. We are to love others as God loved us. Now, how is this possible?
This was the exact same question Chris and I talked about as Heather’s life was coming to a close. She and I had several conversations about this as she struggled with the question, “What should I do?” The answer: love her. Plain and simple. Of course, Chris also witnessed to Heather. Of course, she wanted her daughter to believe, but it was not her job to arm twist. It was not her job to use her love or the revocation of her love as a tool of manipulation. This is not what a parent does. A parent never stops loving his or her children. A parent never withdraws that kind of support. But a parent also respects a child enough to allow that child to go his or her own way.
I’ve got three kids, 8, 7, and 5. Do you think they do everything I tell them to do? Of course not. Does that mean I stop loving them? Never. You see at a certain point and time, a good parent realizes his or her children are independent. They make their own decisions. They blaze their own paths. They choose to go their own ways. Those ways may be very different than our own, but a good parent respects his or her children enough to allow them to go their own way. And even though there may be disagreement, a parent loves and supports his or her child until death claims one or the other. Chris showed that kind of love to Heather until the very end. It’s what good parents do.
It is what God does as well. He loves us so much that He respects our choices–even if those choices take us away from Him; even if those choices lead us to cease believing in Him. But that doesn’t mean He stops seeking us out. That doesn’t mean He ever stops loving us. He loves us to the very end. Period.
And now, we arrive at that crucial moment–that time where you may wish for me to announce Heather’s eternal resting place. I must apologize for I am afraid I must disappoint you. I am afraid the best answer I can tell you is that such a proclamation does not rest on me or in my hands. It rests in the hands of One and One alone. Such matters are now in God’s hands. And thankfully, those are very good hands to rest such matters in. Amen.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Opinion Versus Conviction
A conviction is something that actually then in many ways is rooted in your soul. It is in your conscience. To change a conviction will involve a changing of who you are as a person. So, we are really not talking about preferences or opinions, and so when two worldviews collide, when two convictions collide, the best thing one can hope for is at least the cordiality with which we can disagree, and the civility with which we can interact in the midst of that disagreement. –Ravi Zacharias, Veritas Lecture "Is Tolerance Intolerant? Pursuing the Climate of Acceptance and Inclusion
I heard the comment many times in my first congregation, "That's just your opinion."
But it's not just an opinion for many. It's a conviction.
Ravi Zacharias put it succinctly in the above paragraph from his linked Veritas Lecture.
I don't think we are very good at making this distinction in our society today. We love spouting commentary about another's opinion. We actually denigrate their stances by calling them such. For the truth of the matter is, when it comes to many of the things we debate in this day and age, we are dealing with conviction.
And convictions, more often than not, cannot be proven. They are taken by faith.
For instance, a person who is a believer of God believes in two types of knowledge: knowledge gained by reason and knowledge gained by revelation.
A person who does not believe in God believes in one type of knowledge: knowledge gained by reason alone.
Which conviction is correct? (I would also add here, one could call these convictions "assumptions.")
The person of faith cannot prove there is such a thing as revelatory knowledge--at least not by reason alone. He or she assumes that such knowledge is real.
The person who believes all knowledge comes from reason is making an assumption as well. The statement "knowledge comes from reason" is an assumption. It cannot be proved by reason. That's called circular logic and has long been acknowledged as a fallacy.
Both convictions are taken upon faith. Period.
These basic convictions lead to very, very different conclusions about life. Period.
To change these convictions changes the entire worldview a person holds. Period.
And how easy is it to change a worldview? How easy is it to change one's basic assumptions/convictions about life? Very, very difficult. Period.
And so how can we discuss things when people hold vastly different convictions, those convictions are so difficult to change, and they lead to such vastly different conclusions about how the world operates and our place in that world?
...when two convictions collide, the best thing one can hope for is at least the cordiality with which we can disagree, and the civility with which we can interact in the midst of that disagreement.
Cordiality and civility. Two things hardly evident in much of our discourse in these days, especially since we are hardly taught to be humble. Everyone has to win. No one's self-esteem can be harmed. Everything has to be fair.
I call B.S.
If we are to have a civil and cordial discourse in this day and age, a massive dose of humility must be given to each and every person.
Christians, shouldn't have much of an issue as The Man instructed us, "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted." --Matthew 23:12
I heard the comment many times in my first congregation, "That's just your opinion."
But it's not just an opinion for many. It's a conviction.
Ravi Zacharias put it succinctly in the above paragraph from his linked Veritas Lecture.
I don't think we are very good at making this distinction in our society today. We love spouting commentary about another's opinion. We actually denigrate their stances by calling them such. For the truth of the matter is, when it comes to many of the things we debate in this day and age, we are dealing with conviction.
And convictions, more often than not, cannot be proven. They are taken by faith.
For instance, a person who is a believer of God believes in two types of knowledge: knowledge gained by reason and knowledge gained by revelation.
A person who does not believe in God believes in one type of knowledge: knowledge gained by reason alone.
Which conviction is correct? (I would also add here, one could call these convictions "assumptions.")
The person of faith cannot prove there is such a thing as revelatory knowledge--at least not by reason alone. He or she assumes that such knowledge is real.
The person who believes all knowledge comes from reason is making an assumption as well. The statement "knowledge comes from reason" is an assumption. It cannot be proved by reason. That's called circular logic and has long been acknowledged as a fallacy.
Both convictions are taken upon faith. Period.
These basic convictions lead to very, very different conclusions about life. Period.
To change these convictions changes the entire worldview a person holds. Period.
And how easy is it to change a worldview? How easy is it to change one's basic assumptions/convictions about life? Very, very difficult. Period.
And so how can we discuss things when people hold vastly different convictions, those convictions are so difficult to change, and they lead to such vastly different conclusions about how the world operates and our place in that world?
...when two convictions collide, the best thing one can hope for is at least the cordiality with which we can disagree, and the civility with which we can interact in the midst of that disagreement.
Cordiality and civility. Two things hardly evident in much of our discourse in these days, especially since we are hardly taught to be humble. Everyone has to win. No one's self-esteem can be harmed. Everything has to be fair.
I call B.S.
If we are to have a civil and cordial discourse in this day and age, a massive dose of humility must be given to each and every person.
Christians, shouldn't have much of an issue as The Man instructed us, "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted." --Matthew 23:12
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