Somethings never change!
TOTT

Christianity and Culture

The Southern United States has been coined "The Bible Belt". Citizens in this part of the nation go to church on Sundays and Wednesday nights, and believe in God and Country. You can still hear a howdy neighbor and receive a friendly wave as you drive through town. It's a great place to raise your children,and the "Golden Rule" is still the standard, but what does this have to do with the Bible? The danger with the Bible Belt is the potential if not the actual culturalization of the Christian faith. When Christianity becomes part of the routine of society, rather than it's very heart, it's moral and spiritual impact are lost. The Gospel should transform societies and has, but it should never be absorbed by them.

This may have been a similar problem that was addressed to the Ephesians in Revelation 2: "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

This is the danger of going through the motions. Even if the tradition is virtuous, tradition is not the goal of the Christian faith. Christ is not to be part of the cultural dynamic, he is the cornerstone from which the culture is developed and expressed. Church on Sunday's is a Christian tradition going back two thousand years, but to beleive this is Christianity, or that attendance on Sunday and Wednesday makes one a Christian is to be misled.

Paul preached to the Corithian's that if they gave their bodies to be burned, or had all knowledge, but did not have love, they were nothing. A society can have all the marks and traditions of the Christian faith, but still be ultimately far from the mark. Christ called the cultural Jewish leaders of his time, "whitewashed tombs, full of dead men's bones". They had all of the outward signs of the true religion, but did not recognize the one who was before them. Tradition without love and truth will save no one, and although it may create a great place to live, it will not impart eternal life. TOTT

Science Needs The True Religion

The religion of the twentieth and twenty first century is science. Society has put it's hope for a more meaningful, comfortable, and healthier future into the hands of a new priesthood of scientist. Many believe science will answer all of the nagging questions of man's origins and purpose, and when the priesthood speaks, the theories become dogmas and creeds preached from the pulpits of university campuses.

The big question is, can we find meaning in a testube? The problem with having too much faith in science, is that by it's very nature, it is limited in answering many fundamental question such as, what is good, what is truth, what is meaning, or the meaning of meaning. Science is a weak and an a-moral god, and can be used by its followers for any means to any end.. Think of the atom. Science has given us atomic energy and an atomic bomb. How does science determine our ethical responsibilities to each of these discoveries?

Can science validate immaterial concepts such as logic and reason, love, self-sacrifice, human rights, and equality, with bilogical theories? Science might tell us what area of the brain functions as self-control, but it cannot inform us if self-control ethically matters. Scientist can discover what biological factors occurr when I "fall in love", but can it tell me to love my enemies, and do good to those that hate me?

Science is a dicipline not a diety, and society must decide which diety will rule science. Science needs something or someone (the true God) outside itself to guide it's hand for the good of all people. Left to man (pluralism) science will blindly lead the blind, and we all know where they wind up. TOTT

Heavy Contemplation.

TOTT

Desperate Housewives Part Two

Last night on Desperate Housewives, the show featured a segment on each Character, and reviewed each storyline through this season. This was helpful to me because I have only seen four or five shows, and now I have a bit more background on which to base my opinions. DHW is a bit of a male basher, but this does not diminish the interesting ethical conflicts, and human struggles explored in the show.

Felicity Huffman plays housewife Lynette Scavo. The Scavo character hits the closest to reality, and her struggles should connect with any stay at home mom. I discovered last night, that Lynette became dependant on her son's ADD medication to the point of stealing some from her neighbor’s medicine cabinet. The fatigue of raising young children takes its toll on Lynette, and in an emotional scene, breaks down in front of her friends, as she confesses her feelings of failure as a mother. Lynette soon finds herself surrounded by friends who comfort her with their own confessions of struggling parenthood. She suddenly realizes she is not alone in her experience, and through tears of relief, she ask why nobody ever said anything to her before. Lynette needed to know what we all need to know, that there are no perfect husbands, wives, dads, moms, children, friends, or Christians.

My friend once said to me "I don’t believe in binaca breath Christianity". What did he mean? Christians who hide behind a wall of self righteousness are helping no one. How do we comfort and encourage a fellow believer or neighbor if we pretend we have no struggles with living out our faith? I am not saying we should sin, so that we may comfort those who do. We all struggle, and we are no less Christians or human because of it. When we struggle or wrestle with sin or life in general we are affirming our desire to obey God. There are millions of Lynette Scavos out there who are looking for a true friend and neighbor. Christians are commanded to comfort with the comfort God has given them, and there are many who could use some comforting.

We should live our lives in openness and integrity before God and each other. There is always the potential for individuals to take advantage of our weaknesses, so we should choose our friends carefully. We need each other for companionship, mutual comfort, encouragement, and the occasional reminder that we are not alone in our frailties and weaknesses. We can forgive and uplift each other in our relationships, and become a comforting presence of God to those who struggle around us.