Skip to main content

It All Depends

 “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,” (Matthew 6:9)

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1)

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.  (Hebrews 11:6)

          Let’s do a thought experiment. In your mind, walk out your front door and turn left. Continue through the first cross street to where the street Ts. Turn left. At the second traffic light, turn right, Take the first left.  Are you in the parking lot at Tops Markets? Are you even anywhere near a Tops Market? If you followed my directions, you must be in the parking lot. How can you not be?

          Of course, there may be two dozen houses in the universe where following those directions will get you to a Tops Market. The crux of the matter is where you start. This is the core of the problem faced in the debate between higher criticism, scientific naturalism, atheism, etc. and Christianity. If you begin with a foundation that there is no god, or (at its most lenient) the deistic view that if there is a god, he created the universe and went off somewhere, leaving us on our own, you will find any discussion of miracles impossible to comprehend.

          Oddly, it seems as though the person who does believe in God is better able to follow the argument of the person who doesn’t. My reading of White Fragility may have helped me to explain this to myself. A White person, the author insists, sees the world from his/her own culture, while a Black person (as a minority of the population) not only lives in a world where Black cultures exist, but also a world in which the White culture is imposed on them. If you replace the word White with World, scientific naturalism or atheism, and the word Black with Christian, you’ll find a parallel.

          Another reason for this is that the supposedly scientific perspective very explicitly excludes God and religion, while (contrary to some opinions) God and Christianity are able to include a large percentage of science. In other words, while you may not live where I live, you may know the area well enough to be able to follow the instructions in my thought experiment and end up at Tops.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Right Road

          Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (Psalm 139:7-12)                  For years before GPSes existed, I told people I wanted something in my car that would tell me, “Turn left in half a mile…turn left in a quarter mile…turn left in 500 feet… turn left in 100 feet…turn left now …You missed the turn, Dummy!” The problem isn’t necessarily that I get lost so much as I’m afraid I’ll get lost. I don’t want to have to spend my whole trip stressing over the next turn. I have the same problem with my spiritual journey.   
Post a Comment
Read more

Died as a Ransom

                 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9:15)                  This is something I’d really rather not think about but here it is and it’s important. I was reading in Bold Love about seeking revenge.  The author wrote of seeking justice when a supposed Christian does something sinful, harmful, and/or horrific, like sexually abusing a daughter.  And the thought that came to mind was of God asking if Jesus’ death was sufficient payment to me for the sin committed against me.                I have no specific longing for revenge, vengeance, or justice. I’m sure there are some lurking somewhere in my heart, but this wasn’t a response to one. It was more a question of principle. Jesus’ death was sufficient payment for to God for our sins.  That’s the standard Sunday Schoo
1 comment
Read more

Out of the Depths

  Out of the depths I have cried to You, Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleadings.   If You, Lord, were to keep account of guilty deeds, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, so that You may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and I wait for His word. My soul waits in hope for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; Yes, more than the watchmen for the morning. Israel, wait for the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his guilty deeds . (Psalm 130)             I like Mr. Peterson’s interpretation of the first line. “The bottom has fallen out of my life!” Of course, the problem for some of us is the fact that we’re drama queens, and/or we’re weak. Any time anything happens that disturbs our sense of mastery and control, the bottom has fallen out of our lives. If the past couple of days have taught me anything, they’ve t
1 comment
Read more