While I love research and statistics, most of my blogs are based more on my perceptions of the world. I read books that have done the statistical legwork and it usually just affirms what I suspected anyway. Once again, this blog is simply my perception of the world around me — how I see things. In a sense, it's truth to me. You may or may not find it truthful to you. That's the reality of life. All I have is my perception of truth. That's all any of us have, really.
My latest read has been, Letter To A Christian Nation, by Sam Harris. Harris, like Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens, is in a class that's been called The New Atheists. These gentlemen all wrote books, many on bestseller lists, that attack and denounce religion. Their arguments include asking thought-provoking questions such as why a loving God would kill children and why so much abuse and violence occurs due to religious beliefs. Sam Harris's book intrigued me. He made a great number of valid points and arguments against Christianity. Atheism has never looked so tempting.
It would be easy to be an atheist. Ah, to live in the land where logic reigns. To live in a place where what is seen is what is true. We could still have morals, but we wouldn't have to deal with all of those pesky Bible verses that contradict one another and are so utterly confusing. Sarcasm aside, I can only see two real cons against the whole proposition — accountability and motivation.
I work in the ministry field — some days for better, some for worse. Today was a better. I saw the validity in what I do. I saw another reason for belief in the unseen God that I follow. As a coworker and I were on our way to help a local resident with a chore, I felt a lack of motivation for the task. It was a busy day and I had more important things to do — at least I thought so. The resident we were to help is a widow and my coworker happened to point that out, in reference to Jesus's teaching about caring for the widows and the orphans. And like an uppercut to the jaw, the reality of her statement hit me. "Yeah, that is our job," I thought. Even as a Christian who works in the field of ministry, I was having trouble following the commands that I'm supposed to model.
Later this question arose: If I, as a Christian, struggle to do good things in this world, how would I ever do those good things as an atheist? I'm not suggesting that atheists are immoral people who don't care about helping others. I'm just stating that, without the accountability of my faith, I would have a hell of a hard time finding the motivation to help people in need.
At the end of the day, how do I come to terms with the enticing logic of atheism and the beautiful absurdity of faith? Some days the historical evidence and apologetics of Christianity prove to be enough. Some days I struggle as the logic and reason of atheism grabs at my will. In the end, it comes down to who I want to be. And, ultimately, faith is the helping hand I need toward that destination.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Missing The Point
My mom always had an apt saying. She'd say, "Pick your battles." This mainly applied to my brother receiving a punishment much less harsh than I would have received for an identical misbehavior. But she was a tired mother and knew that some arguments just weren't worth picking. Better to have a peaceful household than one filled with anger and bitterness, even if it meant being a little lenient on the rules.
This principle shouldn't be lost on Christians. Sometimes we need to carefully "pick our battles." At times I wonder if we get so caught up in the rules that we miss the point of it all. In his book, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers, Dan Merchant said, "The thing that's particularly troubling to me is that when we engage with people we may not agree with, we seem to forget the essentials, love one another." Well put. And while most Christians are guilty of gravitating to Bible verses that fit our mindset, we can't deny the essentials. Be compassionate and humble. Live in harmony with one another. Be sympathetic. Don't judge each other. Love others deeply. These themes are repeated over and over again throughout Scripture. Many teachings in the Bible are a bit hazy and have multiple interpretations — these principles are clear.
We know the essentials; the hard part is living them out. It's sometimes easier to condemn than to show grace.
So how do we have an open mind and an open heart while still standing firm in our beliefs?
I believe there is a balance. We can show love and acceptance to a person by simply acknowledging that we don't have all of the answers. Some issues are black-and-white and we feel very confident in our position. Others, however, aren't so clear and we need to embrace a humble spirit when discussing these issues with others. It's easy to argue someone down. However, is that really the right approach? Phillip Yancey once said, "No one ever converted to Christianity because they lost the argument." We must hold love for one another higher than anything else. That's what the Bible teaches and simply put: it just feels like the right thing to do. We can disagree on homosexuality, stem-cell research, church doctrine, politics, whatever. However, if these issues divide us, we've failed. We've missed the point. The point is to love, above all else. We should look to live in harmony with others, even when we don't see eye to eye. We really can agree to disagree. Or disagree to agree. However you view it, it's better than being divided.
One definition of reconciliation is to "win over to friendliness." That seems a worthwhile goal for Christians. We're not going to draw anybody to our side if the discussion becomes a debate. Civil and respectful dialogue can go a long way. When we find ourselves wanting to impose our viewpoint, let's remember that adults are stubborn. We're not likely to change anyone's mindset, anyway. Leave that up to the Holy Spirit.
This principle shouldn't be lost on Christians. Sometimes we need to carefully "pick our battles." At times I wonder if we get so caught up in the rules that we miss the point of it all. In his book, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers, Dan Merchant said, "The thing that's particularly troubling to me is that when we engage with people we may not agree with, we seem to forget the essentials, love one another." Well put. And while most Christians are guilty of gravitating to Bible verses that fit our mindset, we can't deny the essentials. Be compassionate and humble. Live in harmony with one another. Be sympathetic. Don't judge each other. Love others deeply. These themes are repeated over and over again throughout Scripture. Many teachings in the Bible are a bit hazy and have multiple interpretations — these principles are clear.
We know the essentials; the hard part is living them out. It's sometimes easier to condemn than to show grace.
•••••••••••••••
So how do we have an open mind and an open heart while still standing firm in our beliefs?
I believe there is a balance. We can show love and acceptance to a person by simply acknowledging that we don't have all of the answers. Some issues are black-and-white and we feel very confident in our position. Others, however, aren't so clear and we need to embrace a humble spirit when discussing these issues with others. It's easy to argue someone down. However, is that really the right approach? Phillip Yancey once said, "No one ever converted to Christianity because they lost the argument." We must hold love for one another higher than anything else. That's what the Bible teaches and simply put: it just feels like the right thing to do. We can disagree on homosexuality, stem-cell research, church doctrine, politics, whatever. However, if these issues divide us, we've failed. We've missed the point. The point is to love, above all else. We should look to live in harmony with others, even when we don't see eye to eye. We really can agree to disagree. Or disagree to agree. However you view it, it's better than being divided.
One definition of reconciliation is to "win over to friendliness." That seems a worthwhile goal for Christians. We're not going to draw anybody to our side if the discussion becomes a debate. Civil and respectful dialogue can go a long way. When we find ourselves wanting to impose our viewpoint, let's remember that adults are stubborn. We're not likely to change anyone's mindset, anyway. Leave that up to the Holy Spirit.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
The Mother That I Can Only Hope To Be
It's 4:22 a.m. Yep, that's twenty-two minutes past four in the morning. Not long ago I only theoretically knew this time of day existed. I was never up this early to prove it. Yet as I sit here typing, my wife is one room away, feeding our new daughter. That simple act is the spark that triggered this blog. Let me start by saying that I'm a Christian. My wife is also a Christian. While I'm aware that term has many negative connotations surrounding it these days, to us being a Christian means living a life of service, loving people, and accepting God's grace when we fail at the first two. The interesting thing that I've found to be true is that my wife, now as a new mother, embodies Christ far better than I could ever hope to.
Let me provide a quick explanation.
My wife, being a new mother, has now inherited certain duties, whether she wants them or not. She is called to take care of our little girl no matter how she's feeling, what time of day it is, or what else is going on in her life. Our daughter's needs come first, period. The sacrifice that this requires is astounding to me. It's a job she excels at, much more than I do. In comparison to a mother, being a father is relatively easy. On any given night you might hear me say, "Honey, do you need me to get you a glass of water while you're feeding the baby? Okay, here you go. I'm going back to bed now." My problem is sleep, or the lack of it to be more specific. Sleep is one of our most fundamental needs. Without it, we aren't going to be productive for very long. In the middle of the night, when my wife and I have to get up to take care of our baby, I'm about as coherent as a zombie in a George Romero flick. My wife does a bit better. The truly inspiring thing is that she does it every night, without wavering. She pops out of bed and unhesitatingly meets our daughter's needs. She will be up with our little girl for an hour, sometimes longer, in the middle of the night. I'm only up a small portion of that time in a pitiful attempt to show my support.
This type of sacrifice and love for another human being is the true essence of being a follower of Christ. Moms everywhere embody it better than most men I've met. While this isn't meant to be a which-gender-is-better illustration or anything, my point is that when it comes to truly living a Christ-like example, mothers epitomize it.
I use the example of a mother caring for her child as an example because it truly exemplifies the type of selfless life Jesus calls us to. In the past, I've tried to live out my faith in a number of ways — mission trips, homeless ministries, soup kitchens, service at the church — but these things were all on my timetable. I chose when I would serve (and at which activity). While at times I was out of my comfort zone, I wasn't in the desert for forty days by any stretch. Mothers, though, have to constantly surrender themselves with a newborn. I see this most when my wife sits in her rocking chair at three in the morning, nursing our daughter. I can hardly stay awake, but she fights through to meet our daughter's needs. I am truly inspired by that.
To all the mothers out there who continually put their childrens' needs first, you're due much praise. As honored as I feel to be the father of a precious little girl, my wife is the one who deserves the glory. She serves not only as a model mother, but also a shining example of what a Christian should be.
Let me provide a quick explanation.
My wife, being a new mother, has now inherited certain duties, whether she wants them or not. She is called to take care of our little girl no matter how she's feeling, what time of day it is, or what else is going on in her life. Our daughter's needs come first, period. The sacrifice that this requires is astounding to me. It's a job she excels at, much more than I do. In comparison to a mother, being a father is relatively easy. On any given night you might hear me say, "Honey, do you need me to get you a glass of water while you're feeding the baby? Okay, here you go. I'm going back to bed now." My problem is sleep, or the lack of it to be more specific. Sleep is one of our most fundamental needs. Without it, we aren't going to be productive for very long. In the middle of the night, when my wife and I have to get up to take care of our baby, I'm about as coherent as a zombie in a George Romero flick. My wife does a bit better. The truly inspiring thing is that she does it every night, without wavering. She pops out of bed and unhesitatingly meets our daughter's needs. She will be up with our little girl for an hour, sometimes longer, in the middle of the night. I'm only up a small portion of that time in a pitiful attempt to show my support.
This type of sacrifice and love for another human being is the true essence of being a follower of Christ. Moms everywhere embody it better than most men I've met. While this isn't meant to be a which-gender-is-better illustration or anything, my point is that when it comes to truly living a Christ-like example, mothers epitomize it.
I use the example of a mother caring for her child as an example because it truly exemplifies the type of selfless life Jesus calls us to. In the past, I've tried to live out my faith in a number of ways — mission trips, homeless ministries, soup kitchens, service at the church — but these things were all on my timetable. I chose when I would serve (and at which activity). While at times I was out of my comfort zone, I wasn't in the desert for forty days by any stretch. Mothers, though, have to constantly surrender themselves with a newborn. I see this most when my wife sits in her rocking chair at three in the morning, nursing our daughter. I can hardly stay awake, but she fights through to meet our daughter's needs. I am truly inspired by that.
To all the mothers out there who continually put their childrens' needs first, you're due much praise. As honored as I feel to be the father of a precious little girl, my wife is the one who deserves the glory. She serves not only as a model mother, but also a shining example of what a Christian should be.
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