Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

Home Archives for Mark McIntyre

Live with the end in mind?

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I recently got a tweet which said, “Live with the end in mind but remember it’s the journey that matters in the end.”

Without thinking, we might ingest this statement and think it says something helpful. Yet, it is not the journey that matters in the end. A pleasant journey to a wrong destination is a tragedy. The destination is what matters in the end.

There is a measure of truth in this statement. Being finite in our knowledge and wisdom, we often find that detours are forced upon us that end up being pleasant in the end. Enjoyment  of the journey is one of the blessings of life.

Ravi Zacharias points out that every world view must address four core issues:

  1. Origen – Where do I come from?
  2. Meaning – What gives life value?
  3. Morality – How do I judge right from wrong”?
  4. Destiny – Toward what end should I be moving?

Destiny is an important question and no high sounding platitude can sweep this question aside. It must be considered. It is never too late.

Technorati Tags: destiny,journey

Truth Whack a Mole

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Whack-a-moleIn reading the “new” atheists, I see confirmation of the Apostle Paul’s assertion that their unbelief is not due to the lack of evidence but the suppression of it. There is a large difference between those who are truly seeking answers to difficult questions and those who are unwilling to believe no matter what the data suggest.

At times Jesus gave some hard answers to seekers (i.e. “go and sell all your possessions”) but was willing to engage them in a loving manner. He reserved his anger for those who came with certainty about their grasp of the truth. Every believer who pauses to reflect on the issues of life has moments of doubt and questions about what he has been taught and questions about what he observes in the culture around him. Contrary to what some think, doubts and questions are not condemned in Scripture, nor are they outside the experience of believers through the ages.

I have come to realize that those who refuse to believe (it is a will issue, first and foremost) have to spend a lot of energy whacking down those truth moles as they pop up. How are you going to respond to the claims Jesus made about himself? How could the complexity we see in biology happen by chance? Can you really live as though there are no absolute truths? Why is it that so many believe in the supernatural? These are examples of questions, like moles, that pop up and must be swept aside to remain antagonistic to belief. Those who are truly wrestling with these questions are more open to dialog.

Perhaps this is why the tone of several of the recent popular atheist manifestos is so angry. Maybe they’re tired of whacking those moles . . . .

Technorati Tags: Atheism,Christianity,truth,Jesus,Christ

Going against the flow

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Swimming UpstreamIn reading the book of Isaiah, I get the sense that with the advent of electronic media, we have improved the speed of communication but not the quality of the content. Solomon said that there is nothing new under the sun and this passage confirms it. Isaiah describes a nation that is in the midst of political turmoil. Sound familiar?

Here is the situation. The Kings of Samaria and Syria are threatening Jerusalem. The King of Judah is considering an appeal to Assyria for aid against these two kings. Isaiah speaks out against this proposed alliance and gets accused of treason.

Isaiah 8:12–15 (ESV)

12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

I would like to make a few observations on this text:

  • Speaking out against current political wisdom should not be viewed as conspiracy or treason. The error in that day, as is the error in our day, is to ignore God and rely on human wisdom. In current society, there is a drive toward eliminating any reference to God in public discourse.
  • The result of conventional wisdom is fear. A survey of political talk radio (left or right) in America demonstrates this. Both sides teach that if the other side gets or keeps power, certain destruction will result.
  • The faithful are not to give in to this fear or be in dread. God has not abandoned us or surrendered control.
  • If the faithful focus on God and are obedient to him, he will be our protection.
  • A majority of people in the culture will not understand this perspective and will view it as treason against the state.

The bottom line for me is that I choose to stay away from political speech that is designed to engender fear. My hope cannot be in the federal, state or local government. We cannot solve our problems without the help of God. We, as believers in the God of the Bible, need to be willing to stand firm and not give in to the fear that conventional wisdom engenders. We need to go against the flow.

I believe that the only thing that can save this nation from the death spiral that Rome and other great civilizations have experienced is a revival, a return to worship of the God of the Bible. The faithful need to place their hope in God alone and pray for revival or the speedy return of Jesus. I’m OK with either of these.

Maranatha

Technorati Tags: revival,politics,turmoil,maranatha,talk radio

No Matter How Bad it Gets . . .

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The prophet Habakkuk questioned God about the turmoil he was experiencing in his culture. In the opening verses of the book that bears his name, Habakkuk lists the problems he saw around him. Iniquity, injustice, destruction and violence are listed in his complaint. Do these complaints sound familiar? A brief survey of the news will provide multiple examples of each of these items.

God’s response in Habakkuk 1:5 strikes me, “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.”

To me this says that no matter how chaotic and evil world events are, God has not given up control and he is orchestrating events for his ultimate purpose. We wonder why individual events take place; some of them make no sense to us who are finite and bound by time. Yet, God knows what he is doing and there is no-one, Satan included, who can derail his plan.

When I read of an event, I am often tempted to ask why God allowed it to happen. Perhaps instead of asking this question, I should be asking God what he would like me to do in response to it. I cannot control world events, but I can pray for the leaders driving the events. I cannot solve world hunger, but I can seek God as to how I can be a good steward of what he has given me. I cannot meet every need and fix every problem in the people around me, but I can seek to be led by God as to which needs he is asking me to meet.

In Matthew 10:16 we are called to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Perhaps the innocence is fostered by knowledge of complete dependence upon God for his wisdom, strength and leading.

God has been, is, and will remain in control of world events. The question each of us needs to ask is, “am I willing to surrender control of my life to God?” Then ask the follow up question, “what would you have me do in response to the problems I see?”

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