October 29, 2006
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Wow, this is really strange. And sad. It's interesting how it's hard to get the full/accurate perspective on war events until years afterward (cf. USA War for Independence, Civil War, WWI, WWII, Vietnam, etc). Who knows how much more crucial information we're missing about current world conflicts...
God knows.
I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!"
- - Jesus Christ
It is quite plausible that Jesus Christ knew what He was talking about.
Comments (9)
A clever fellow indeed was Jesus.
Things work in ways we don't understand. Electrons appear and disappear in unpredictable ways, and can even be in two places at once. There have always been things that humans can't understand, and I believe there always will be things that humans can't understand. Beyond that, I'm unsure - hence, agnosticism.
~Sol
wow. it's amazing to think how many people throughout history have been unwittingly caught in the crossfire of sociopolitical and even religious events. i guess Jesus also knew what He was talking about when he urged us to be "wise as serpents, harmless as doves." we should always try to be as informed as possible about the events of our day, and to avoid accepting any political or social "improvements" blindly.
ryc: feel free to make your suggestion anytime. no need to wait for boldness; i don't bite.
Well I can see your view of the EC as a reaction. I have mixed thoughts on this. The first is that since the EC doesn't adhere to any set thoughts or ideas there is a HUGE spectrum of voices and critics involved. So you have people on one end that are extremely pissed off with the modern church for various reasons(abuse, hurt, frustration, dogma, etc) and are involved with the EC movement as a reaction. There really is this idea of "screw you" that exists with many of these people. hen on the other end you have people(like many of Calvin's professors which is why i got into it) that believe the church isn't engaged enough in American(or whichever culture you live in) culture and we as Christians are called to redeem all aspects of our culture, not assimilate but reform/redeem. Brian Mclaren is more of this mindset as well. This end of the EC is much more conversational and less reactionary. check out TheOoze for a good idea of the spectrum. I have a less cynical view of the EC so i would say it's a conversation but i've seen enough that confirms that there are lots of reactionary(maybe even the majority) people involved with the EC. i am struggling with keeping myself out of that area. Many of the EC people are also huge into technoculture. Graphic design, webpages, blogs, and podcasts are exploding. I think that is a good and bad thing. Good in the sense that intelligent people are involved in conversations where they learn how to exist with others with opposite and similar beliefs (the fact that i am writing a comment on a blog to you bears witness of this). It is bad in the sense that there are so many OTHER blogs/casts/etc that are reactionary(i struggle w/ this as well) that anyone can find an idea that supports their bias. So the EC needs to constantly be asking itself the same questions it wants to ask more traditional churches. It isn't though.
As far as the questions the EC is asking always existing, i couldn't agree more. My mother would call it the "hermeneutical spiral." Constantly challenging the hegemonic views in our culture and subcultures in regards to media, theology, interpretation, etc is important. I personally believe we need to really start working toward an understanding of media in regards to the church or else we will be lost. A professor of mind said that in the early nineties something extraordinary happened, church goers started to wrap their bible studies and prayers meetings around times for ER and Friends instead of the other way around. lol. SO true. Calvin places a huge emphasis on redeeming pop culture so that is one of my pet projects.
At a recent convention that my mother went to, Scott McKnight said that the EC is not concerned about theology. THIS is a problem. I am concerned about this. How can you accurately redeem the culture if you are not committed to theology? How can u do anything if you are not concerned with what the Bible has to say... i don't know. I hope this doesn't remain a predominant view!!
On Buddhism, the goal is the end suffering and to reach enlightenment. I believe Jesus fits this idea. Saving you from suffering (caused by sin) and reaching enlightenment (holiness/sanctification). The problem that you outlined w/ Buddhism is exactly why i really really believe that China is undergoing a revival. Hope is being mixed with the hopeless moral codes they've been living by. Basically i want to be able to share Jesus in a relevant and compassionate way with Buddhists. Instead of saying "you are wrong here here and here" i want to connect what a Buddhist believes with what I believe the truth is. I just don't want to be negative towards someone's culture and ideas. I mean most of my life I've been taught that i need to engage in apologetics. Well that's all well and good if i was smarter or C.S. Lewis or someone like that but I'm not. So I'm extremely excited that I'm learning ways that I can be a part of this crisis Response team. Buddhism isn't the only way I'm learning to show Jesus. All sorts of media contain truths about God and Jesus but there is so much junk thrown in that Christians and non-Christians miss it. If you ever wants some good recommendations for music and movies that contain these truths, let me know:) i love sharing that with people!
Archon is a Greek term (archos) meaning leader. However, I dredged up the term from a book previously called the Archon Conspiracy where what is presumed to be a demon takes a hold of a dead body and writes "Death to Promitheus. Archon." on the floor next to the corpse. It gives the impression of a hidden but powerful figure making a subtle allusion to his existence. Rider of the Pale Horse was definitely a allusion to Revelations but in the context that I was the leader of a gaming clan called the Four Hoursemen. Answer the questions?
Archon
Rider of the Pale Horse
History is written by the victorious.
I believe Jesus was very intelligent, but haven't studied his life enough to really have much of a say in the matter of his particular divinity; when I get free time, I'll look into it more.
~Sol
P.S. I guess agnosticism is an interesting thing with me because I'm powerfully opposed to religion. Not God, just religion. That's part of my viewpoint.
It would be very interesting indeed to talk about these things in person. If you have instant messanger of some variety, that might be the next best thing.
~Sol
see, i have no idea why you hesitated. i think that's a FANTASTIC idea... and it's something i've actually considered before.
i'm struggling to find any real definitive leading in my life right now, but it's something i think God might have in store for my future.
Hmm, why am I not the least bit surprised? This is the enemy that Americans believe is best dealt with via diplomacy and complacency - dare I say appeasement?
That being said, I appreciate your keeping everything in perspective by reminding us that none of this should be surprise to us as Christians. Jesus, Peter, Paul and others reminded us time and again that this should be expected.
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