Monday, November 17, 2008
Thoughts From a Tea Bag
Really? The highest achievement?
Ironically, the portion of Knowing God I had just read was how those who know God have energy for Him. I had also recently read of Christ's example in John 2, when He cleared the temple of business transactions: "So He made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables....His disciples remembered that it is written: 'Zeal for Your house will consume Me.'"
Of the true calmness resulting from trust in God, I'm sure I could use more. But the kind of calmness that comes from rationalizing away sin, and not feeling the pain of others-- I want to lose any semblance of that sort of calm. I want to echo Jim Elliot in his diary: "I covenanted with the Father that He would do either of two things: either glorify Himself to the utmost in me or slay me. By His grace I shall not have His second best."
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Beauty & A Book
As we mentioned before, Lindsey and I are excited to take part in Jim Spiegel's blog tour for his recent book, Gum, Geckos and God. Somewhere in between an apologetic for Christian doctrine and a day-in-the-life of a father of four, Gum, Geckos and God centers around theological discussions Mr. Spiegel has shared with his children.As Mr. Spiegel is a Professor of Philosophy at Taylor University, Lindsey and I were eager to ask him some questions, especially about the nature of beauty (aesthetics.)
In the context of Psalm 139:13-16, as a Christian philosopher, do you believe physical beauty is objective or subjective?
SPIEGEL: I strongly believe in the objectivity of beauty. Furthermore, I would say that the notion that beauty is subjective (that beauty is "in the eye of the beholder") is an indirect result of the deteriorating belief in divine creativity in our culture. To recognize genuine artistry implies belief in the existence of an artist. So when the Cosmic Artist is denied, as is so common in our culture, there necessarily comes with this a loss of the sense of the world as a beautiful work of art.
Biblically, how would you define the nature of beauty?
SPIEGEL: While I don't think Scripture gives us an actual definition of beauty, a sound Christian theology would tell us that beauty (i.e. artistic excellence) must be grounded in the being of God. Just as God is the source of all truth and goodness, he must also be the source of all beauty. In fact, these are basic categories which describe God himself. He IS truth, goodness, and beauty. And all true, good, and beautiful things we experience in this world are merely reflections of their source--God. Scripture confirms this with its many references to God as true, good, and beautiful. With regard to the latter, see such passages as Ps. 27:4 and Ps. 45:11.
Do you think physical beauty has been impacted by the Fall? (i.e. Has humanity lost it's level of physical beauty since the Fall, or is it merely our perception of beauty that has altered as a result of sin?)
SPIEGEL: Yes, the Fall has affected the whole of creation and how it reflects its Creator in the three main categories I just noted: truth, goodness, and beauty. I do believe our ability to perceive beauty has also been compromised (just as has our ability to ascertain truth and goodness), but this is just another aspect of the problem. The Fall into sin, and the consequent curse, has marred all aspects of creation, making it less beautiful and compromising the human aesthetic sensibility.
Many times in the book, your children seemed to begin the theological conversations by asking a question. Are there any specific conversation starter-questions you would recommend asking the child who perhaps isn't so eager to initiate deep discussions?SPIEGEL: I would recommend starting those conversations in contexts where a child is already interested, such as sports, movies, cartoons, or nature. In Gum, Geckos, and God I share how my kids' thinking about God is impacted by everything from bugs to Star Wars. The more a parent can show her/his child that God is the ultimate source of all such things, the more s/he will be inclined to draw theological connections from them. Also--to bring the question back to your blog's theme--note how a kid's interest in such things is, at bottom, a search and appreciation for beauty. Nature in all its aspects is beautiful. Sports is enjoyable to us, in large part, because of its aesthetic appeal. And, of course, films, cartoons, and other creative art forms have fundamentally to do with beauty. Like all adults, children hunger for the beautiful. We should help them in this quest, assisting them in appreciating beauty in so much of human experience and reminding them that God is the source of all of it.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Popping My Watermelon Head
Yesterday afternoon, in between bites of lunch, I chatted casually with a new acquaintance sitting across the table. One thing led to another, and our conversation took on a more serious turn. “I believe that all people are inherently good,” the friendly woman commented, smiling widely.A few minutes later, this pleasant lady revealed that she was unconcerned about what would happen to her after she died. She shrugged, “Some questions can never be answered.” Morality is grey, she explained, not black or white. All religions are equally valid. Then she handed the discussion off to her friend, an animated young man in his twenties, who had been listening to snatches of what we were talking about.
He jumped into the conversation eagerly, and we began to discuss Christianity. It was immediately apparent that I was speaking with a highly intellectual and well-read individual. He had perused the entire Bible, to conclude that the Old Testament God was inconsistent with the God of the New Testament. Paul, he claimed, could have very well been a homosexual. And as for Christ? Well, He was certainly an “enlightened being”, but we cannot possibly know if He actually claimed deity. Perhaps, he suggested, the Lord’s Prayer can be interpreted to mean that we are all God. Ultimately, we must each fashion truth for ourselves.
This is our world. These are the people you pass by on the produce aisle—the cousin at a family reunion—the neighbor next door. And they need answers—answers that require a thorough knowledge of Scripture. Never before has our culture seen so many competing ideologies vying for attention. And yet, beneath all the clamor and chaos, our world is starved for truth.
My friend's father loves to pose thought-provoking questions. As we’re discussing some attribute of God, he always asks, “Now, tell me: how does this doctrine effect your neighbor?” It’s a pivotal question to consider. If we can talk at length about the omnipotence of God, but cannot draw the connection to real life and real people, there is a serious problem.
Why? Because if theology is simply loved and studied for itself, the knowledge is not only futile; it is dangerous.
Like the Pharisees, our heads will swell up like ripe watermelons, as we grow increasingly enthralled—not with God, but with ourselves. Intoxicated with the staggering grandeur of our own high contemplations, we’ll miss the point altogether.
Incredibly, instead of falling flat on our faces in adoration and worship, Christians are easy prey to pride within the enticing web of lofty knowledge. Rather than being unspeakably humbled and awed, we can even have the audacity to approach our Maker as if He is a grand scientific specimen—dissecting His words, toying with them carelessly, and twisting them whenever it suits our theological purposes.
And then, I'm tempted to be impressed. Not with the Holy One, who I examine detachedly, but with my own meager intellect. Astounding, isn't it? Unless our hearts are postured in humility, a dose of good theology will only inflate our egos. Once infested with pride, even the study of theology becomes detestable in God’s eyes. But when theology is studied truly, the very opposite is true. It is impossible to evade being humbled, as the pages of the Bible trumpet the truth about our Lord, and ourselves.
Studying theology is not enough. It must also be studied for the correct reason: To magnify the name of our God, and show others how to join us in doing so.
Labels: pride, theology, worldview
Monday, January 28, 2008
Glazed Eyes and Bored To Tears
"So, you’re a junior, right? What subject do you enjoy the most?” Erm… “Well, I enjoy many aspects of my education, but I’m most passionate about theology, actually.” Blink, blink. Say again? Theology? For a teenager? And a girl? That’s… interesting.---------------
A wizened old man sits hunched over a desk. It's strewn with scattered papers, and heavily laden with books by greats like Athanasius, Augustine, Luther and Edwards. In the flickering candlelight, he pores over Calvin’s Institutes of Religion with scholarly intensity. Mmm… he pauses, and scratches at his white beard. What a beard, too. It’s spilling over his chair and onto the floor. He looks almost as old as those texts he’s reading. Ah, that’s it! He snatches up his pen again. Far from an adiaphorous controversy, Simi Pelagianism undermines the efficacy of the penal, substitutionary atonement… he drones on to himself in a slow, flat voice, as his pen scratches noisily on the paper.
This… is a theologian. Right? Well, yes and no. Yes, he could call himself a theologian. Thankfully, however, the beard is not a prerequisite. (I’m glad. Frankly, I like my chin the way it is.) And just because he can spout off long words about free will doesn’t mean a thing.
The portrait I painted is exaggerated, but you get the general idea. There is a common, curious misconception floating around the church: Theology is dry, dull, inaccessible, mostly irrelevant, and far too difficult for the average person’s comprehension. Let the pastors and the teachers and the brilliant minds deal with it. The rest of us should read our Bibles, of course, but we can't all be expected to devote ourselves to the diligent, earnest study of theology.
This misconception is rarely stated explicitly, but it is shouted out, clearer than words, in the pointed silence surrounding the subject of doctrine. And so, a generation of Christians is being raised that takes more interest in lipgloss than wrestling with the holiness of God, and can boast more knowledge about their iPods than the salvation purchased for them with the Savior's drops of blood.
The consequences of this are not light. Wherever the study of theology is neglected, our perspective on God warps. Disillusionment and doubt settle in, because we misconstrue the character of God. We flounder about in a sea of confusion, because we have not cared to learn how to "rightly divide the Word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). We become like leaves, blown here and there in the wind by every stray doctrine, as Paul speaks of in Ephesians 4:14. This is a tragedy. Thus unequipped, how can we hope to triumph in the world, with a faith that we don't even know?
Wayne Grudem said it well.
“I do not believe that God intended the study of theology to be dry and boring.(Systematic Theology, pages 16, 23, 29)
Theology is the study of God and all his works! Theology is meant to be lived and prayed and sung! All of the great doctrinal writings of the Bible (such as Paul’s epistle to the Romans) are full of praise to God and personal application to life. Nowhere in Scripture do we find doctrine studied for its own sake or in isolation from life. The more we know about God, about His Word, about His relationships to the world and mankind, the better we will trust Him, the more fully we will praise Him, and the more readily we will obey Him.”
Theology, dry? Try ineffably glorious, unspeakably thrilling, supremely delightful, utterly mind-blowing, and breathtakingly beautiful. Inaccessible? Not by a long shot. Irrelevant to daily life? It is far, far more applicable, life-transforming, and rewarding than anything else you could ever study in the world. I'm not a huge advocate of the white beard, but as Christian young women, we should all aspire to be theologians.
Click here to read Part 2.
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Speaking of theology, do check out our friends' new blog, Forthright Fixation. These girls are truly passionate about cherishing their Savior above all else--and it shows. It's worth your time, and a bookmark, too.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Don't Follow Your Heart
Imagine that I've taken you to a quaint coffee shop for a treat. I've just handed you a steaming mocha latte. Your favorite. Smiling your thanks, you sit down, and take a small sip. Suddenly, a strange, steely glint enters my eyes. "The coffee has been poisoned. You have less than twenty-four hours to live," I say in a low voice.
Another sip. I crease my brow in confusion. I expected fear and panic to grip you, and sobs to shake your body. Instead, you lazily stir the latte with a straw and comment on its flavor. But stop— Why? Why didn't you run out of the coffee shop, wailing in distress? What triggered your careless reaction?
It's obvious, of course. You didn't believe me.
Beliefs influence thoughts, and thoughts influence feelings. One way or another, all our emotions, both positive and negative, overflow from what we're inwardly convinced of. Think about it. If you believed that I had poisoned the latte, you would have had an entirely different response.
So, what am I getting at? Don't ever go to a coffee shop with a Beauty from the Heart contributor if you value your life? No, not really. My point is actually serious, and I don't want you to miss it.
As Christians, we often allow our emotions to wreak havoc with us. We don't always feel like God loves us. We don't always feel zealous for the gospel. We don't always feel overwhelmed with joy. We don't always feel forgiven. We deeply desire to feel these things, but sometimes... well, the feelings just aren't there.
The core issue here is still belief.
Take a look at Job. On a day during the height of his enjoyment of God's blessings—without any warning—two things happen that change his life forever. A breathless servant arrives, carrying a message: Job's wealth has been obliterated. Before he has even a second to absorb this, another messenger arrives, with even worse news. Job's children have met sudden, violent deaths. And what does he do? Not what most people would expect. Job stuns me. He falls to the ground, and there, face down... he worships. He worships! In the midst of Job's greatest crisis, the exclamation, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised" springs spontaneously from his lips. It blows my mind. Job's reaction doesn't make rational sense. In fact, it defies cause and effect. How could his first, knee-jerk reaction be to praise God? Acceptance is one thing, but adoration?
There's only one explanation. Job's emotional response came from a firm, unshakable conviction. It was his belief in the goodness of his God that compelled him to humble worship. Job's relationship with God wasn't based off of circumstances, or the feelings produced by those circumstances. The reason he didn't "curse God and die", as his wife advised, was because his relationship with God rested on one solid, reliable foundation. Truth.
Fred Webedou used to tell a story about a terrifying experience he had as a fighter pilot in the Vietnam war. At times, a thick blanket of white fog would surround the entire plane. Nothing else was visible, either above or below. After some time, a panicked feeling of disorientation would begin to creep in. This sensation would grow in intensity, and become overpowering to the point where it felt like the plane was flying upside down. Instead of trusting the instruments, many pilots allowed their senses to dictate their course of action. In desperate attempts to "right the plane", they blindly maneuvered headlong into the ground. The pilots were warned not to heed their instinctual feelings, but to devote their whole attention to the instruments instead. Fred testified that this took a tremendous amount of willpower, but it saved his life.
If we allow ourselves to be directed by our feelings, we will quickly find ourselves obscured in fog, upside down, and headed for disaster. Our relationship with God will prove to be a painfully shallow and inadequate, and when difficult circumstances ensue, whatever semblance of a relationship is left will invariably buckle. We need a stronger foundation— a foundation informed by the truth and supported by belief, not sustained by emotions. Only this kind of relationship will enable us to produce God-glorifying feelings in any circumstance.
Christ wants to have full reign over of us, and that includes our emotions. He wants us to trust Him, and not fear. To be filled with peace, not anger. To brim with joy in His love, not sink under the weight of anxiety. Whether we encounter challenging or pleasant situations, He desires our feelings to be guided by Him. And the only way that this can happen is if we deliberately choose to immerse ourselves in the Word of God, confidently placing our trust in the beautiful truths He reveals there. Our emotions simply are not trustworthy enough gauges to lead us. We must first get a grip on the solid, unchangeable Truth, and believe it. Then, when our fluctuating emotions start to wreak havoc with us, we can put them in their place— in submission to the Lord of our hearts.
Labels: Biblical womanhood, emotions, theology
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