Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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What CSI Tells Us About Our Desire for Truth

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CSII recently read a post by Jill Carattini of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. In the post she discusses the reason for the popularity of forensic criminal science dramas on television such as CSI, NCIS and Bones.

The shows center around the desire to find out what really happened to the victim and to bring the murderer to justice. The investigators are driven to solve the mystery through scientific investigation.

What is behind the popularity of these shows? Jill sees part of the answer to this in the need to find truth in the midst of the cacophony of opinions that are in the market of ideas. She writes:

In a world where truth is subjected to the murkiness of taste and opinion, the attraction to a self-evident, one-dimensional truth is understandable. All the lofty humility of the abstract pluralist cannot beautify the noise of a million clashing voices and truth claims; eventually, we grow weary of the end product and seek a less polluted scene. In the words of the illustrious detective Joe Friday, “All we want are the facts.”

This seems right to me. When I have watched these shows, I want the truth to win out and I want the bad guys caught. I assume that this is also true for other viewers and at least a partial explanation of the popularity of these shows. For one hour my world becomes increasingly ordered and the truth is determined and acted upon as the drama is played out.

But where does this desire for truth and justice come from? Apart from the Judeo Christian world view, we are taught that there is no absolute truth; each of us has to make up our own truth. If this anti-god philosophy is true, why then would we care if the truth about a particular murder is found out? What difference does it make? Why invest any energy and resources into solving it?

Could it be possible that in spite of the anti-god bias of much of our educational system, we still desire ultimate truth? We are told that the world is grey. Do we want black and white, right and wrong, good and bad?

I think we do. Perhaps the popularity of these dramas highlights the disconnect between our stated philosophy and the way we live. Even those who most vociferously denounce moral absolutes will call the police when they find they have been robbed. We can’t live as if truth doesn’t matter.

The problem in western society is in determining which truth is the one that we will follow. Science, as it is taught us in the public schools, tells us that the truth can be determined without the aid of God or the Bible. We are taught that the Big Bang started a chain of events and random mutations that resulted in humans living on a planet perfectly suited to their existence. If we are the products of random events apart from any supernatural aid or governance, then we are free to choose our own morality and it is up to humans to determine what is right or wrong.

On what basis then do we condemn Adolf Hitler, Charles Manson or Bernie Madoff? On what basis is my truth better than Herr Hitler’s if we are products of time plus chance? Herr Hitler did what he thought was right for himself and for his country. Yet, with the exception of those whose minds are clouded by hatred of the Jews, Adolf Hitler’s actions are universally condemned.

Perhaps the popularity of dramas like CSI is a clue that we desire absolute truth, and we can find comfort, for one hour at least, that someone is in control and truth will win out.

For those of us who are Christians, we follow the one who claimed to be The Truth. If you are open to it, I suggest you examine his claims. The end result is way better than just catching the bad guy.

A Real Sense of Community

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CommunityA few days ago I read a story about a man with 100,000 Twitter followers who took his own life. I know nothing about his history or the reasons behind the suicide. But I am struck by sadness that none of the 100,000 “friends” was close enough to prevent this tragedy.

I often hear that social media is intended to build a sense of community. I suppose it does to a limited extent. I read certain blogs and have some knowledge of the writers. We can comment on each other’s blogs. In a very limited fashion, we could call that community.

Yet isn’t a real community supposed to prevent tragedies like suicide? Shouldn’t a following of 100,000 people have at least a few that would be close enough to know when something is terribly wrong?

Because of my interest in blogging and the church, I find articles which present social media as a platform for church growth. But as this tragedy illustrates, social media connection may not equate to real growth.

The church is a community and fellowship of the redeemed. We are a bunch of imperfect people who are brought into relationship with each other because of our individual relationships with Jesus Christ. We bring dysfunction and ignorance and God uses the community to work these problems out of us.

Social media can be a tool to build community, but let’s not think that a large on-line following is a real community. We still need to worship together, break bread together, study together, perhaps even argue with each other if we want to be a real community. Real community can be a messy business because there are times when each of us is a mess.

The church should be a place where flawed people feel accepted and air their struggles. Each member should feel valued and have a sense that the community suffers when one member is suffering. We should know each other well enough to know when something is wrong.

This type of community may not prevent tragedies like the suicide mentioned above, but it should minimize their occurrence. Real community provides real help to those who seek it.

Let’s focus on being a real community and not be satisfied with a sham based on follower counts.

The Storm Before The Calm: Why Utopias Fail

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StormI am not an expert on Biblical prophecy. I read prophetic passages and have interest in them, but it is not my calling to find correlation between current events and Scriptural predictions. I think that this type of study is useful, and I’m glad someone does it, but it is not my primary interest.

That being said, I see indication in Scripture that things will get worse before they get better. Scripture indicates that the world will move into a storm before it will experience the calm that follows the culmination of history.

Contrast this with utopian predictions by people such as Ray Kurzweil who see technology solving all of man’s problems. In this writings, Kurzweil does a good job of demonstrating that the pace of technological advancement is accelerating. We can be grateful for much of this advancement. I am writing this blog post on a personal computer which has speed and computational power that would have been unimaginable just a few decades ago. I am also grateful for the advances in medicine and technologies that provide for better living conditions. Technology has proved effective in correcting what is wrong with the physical aspects of life.

Those who believe that man can solve all his problems through technological innovation ignore one basic fact. Man is inherently flawed in a way that no technology can fix.  Technology cannot address or correct man’s moral problem. Utopian schemes fail because they refuse to acknowledge the moral problem with all men. Every elitist scheme fails because the elite are as morally flawed as those to whom the elite feel superior.

Every advancement in technology can be used for good or for evil. We live this out every day. I have virus protection software because some very smart people are intent on destroying what I create on this computer. Criminals use computers and other technology to commit crime. Dictators use technology to force their will on their people. Advances in weaponry increase the ability of would-be conquerors to kill and subjugate.

I am grateful for technology, with it we can do much good. Therefore I am not against technology. I do see, and Scripture predicts, that the advances in technology will be used for evil purposes and that it will not go well for humanity until Jesus returns.

I began writing this post before I knew that Hurricane Irene was bearing down on the east coast of the United States. I am reminded that this physical storm and the havoc it can bring, is a picture of the moral and political storm that is brewing. The moral and political storm will be more destructive and ruin more lives than the physical one.

Yet, I am comforted that the one who calmed the storm when he walked the Earth, is still living and active. For those who embrace him he offers salvation out of the storm until that day when he will cause all storms to cease.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10 that eventually every knee will bow to the name of Jesus. It is then that all will experience calm.

You shall know them by their . . . excess?

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I am reminded of something I read about John Stott a while ago. He said that he wanted to live a lifestyle that would not cause the richest person in his congregation to feel sorry for him. Nor did he want the poorest person in his congregation to be put off by ostentation. He wanted to have a home where everyone would feel welcomed and comfortable. He wanted his home and lifestyle to be a platform for ministry.

The Apostle Paul was a good example to us in living in such a way as to make clear that his reason for ministry was only to bring the Gospel to those who desperately needed it. In 1 Corinthians 9:12, Paul tells his readers that while he had the right to expect the Corinthians to support him in his ministry, he worked to support himself lest his motive for ministry be questioned.

I have no idea what motivates the church leaders mentioned in the article. That is the problem, we don’t know. Their life style gives reason for some to question their motives, or assume that they are in ministry only for the money.

Of course, the church leaders who get it right and who work outside the church or who make do on small salaries for the privilege of sharing the Gospel do not make splashy headlines. For every church leader who participates in the abuse mentioned in the article, there are thousands or perhaps millions of men and women who serve their Lord in the church with no expectation of financial reward.

So, if you are one who is outside the church, I ask forgiveness for these abuses. I also ask you to look beyond what a few knuckleheads have done and judge the Church by her body of work through the ages. The abuse of a few does not nullify the fruitful sacrifice of the many.

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