Thursday, April 23, 2009

A Question for You

Lately, I have been wrestling with the concept of the Kingdom of God. What does this mean term even mean? This subject has haunted me like no other!

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.

What is so important about this Kingdom and what are the implications for people here on earth? I will explore this topic in several upcoming posts, but as I try to grapple with this subject, I wanted to initially ask your opinion. What do you think about the Kingdom of God? What are your reflections on this topic? What does a person look like if they truly followed the Kingdom of God?

Thursday, April 16, 2009

The House of Darwin

I have discovered that humanity needs some core focus, something to place their hope in. For billions of people, that hope is in some sort of deity. Whether it is Allah or in mystical self realization there is something that grounds our actions and informs our decisions. In short, there is a god that rules over us and commands our allegiance. Even people who are atheists and deeply scientific place their hope in science and the achievement of reason. The BBC had an article by atheist Andrew Marr who explores this concept and points out the reality that Darwinism can be a religion. Darwinism seeks to uproot religion and plant another form in its place, albeit a secularized version.

The French Revolution sought to uproot the ideology of God and replace it with reason. The regime removed the altar devoted to Christianity in theNotre Dame and replaced it with the goddess of reason. Whether it is the belief in a divine purpose for life or an accidental explosion, the assumptions on the origin of life informs one's worldview. Marr wrote about religion, "I believe Darwin was right and that as science advances, he is proved more prescient, not less. But religions are absolute. They bring their truth and then repel all boarders. They divide mankind into the saved and the ignorant damned." The same can be said of Darwinism. Man turns to science for the answers and will shun those who say differently. Religion is dressed in a different cloak of reason.

I do not believe that Christianity hampers logic, instead it helps build a foundation for it. While Christianity can stifle growth (Galileo's trials are perfect example of this), it also has fostered expansion in science, government and social issues. Darwinism does not merely uproot religion and replace it with science. It places reason upon a pedestal for all to behold. While Darwinism can solve scientific dilemmas, it cannot solve the thirst for worship. It could even open up problematic areas in terms of ethics and morality. While someone can believe in evolution and also in God, the belief in a purposeless world designed on accident has philosophical implications. As Vonnegut would say "so it goes," the belief in a cosmic accident frees up an individual from having a purpose and gives them the space to act on their own accord. There is no firm basis for morality because might will always make right. In the end, Darwinism morphs into the target that it intended to disprove, a dogmatism steeped in intolerance.

Thursday, April 09, 2009

He Who Knew No Sin

As my choir was practicing for Maundy Thursday services I could not help but think about the dark days that descended upon Christ. Darkness. Rejection. Loneliness.



He who knew no sin was made sin for the world.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.

As I reflected on this event the images of icons at a Greek Monastery flashed before my eyes. The centurion marveling at this man who must have been the 'Son of God.' The few followers who did not run into hiding stood at the cross, shocked at the outcome of this movement. The agony and terror that must have been upon the minds of the dejected disciples. Their fate, they must have thought, could also lie upon that tree. What terror and darkness!

He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

Fortunately, the darkness was soon eclipsed by brilliant beauty. Venom was replaced with honey and our wounds were healed.

Thursday, April 02, 2009

You are Rest


You are rest, gentle peace; the longing, you, and that which satisfies it.

I consecrate to you, full of joy and sorrow, as a dwelling place here, my eyes and heart.

Come commune with me, and close quietly behind you the gates.

Drive other pain from this breast.

Full may this heart be of you joy.

The temple of these eyes from your radiance alone brightens; oh, fill it completely.

- Franz Schubert