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Sunday, 12/25/13
Theology of the Kingdom
Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson have edited a very fine volume on the Kingdom of God, with contributions from many of the best and most reliable evangelical scholars of the day (The Kingdom of God, Crossway, 2012). Here are excellent and extensive discussions of the Biblical teaching concerning the Kingdom, the understanding of the Kingdom at various periods of Church history, the relationship between the Church and the Kingdom, the character of the Kingdom, the “already/not yet” aspect of the Kingdom, and the implications of the Kingdom for Christian living in the world. As far as this very accessible volume goes, I have almost no quarrel with it. However, it could be improved in three ways – first, by a more “boots-on-the-ground” explanation of how citizens of the Kingdom should conduct their daily lives (disciplines, expectations, duties, etc.); second, by a fuller discussion of the implications of the Kingdom for culture, together with some help in thinking about the way Kingdom citizens use and make culture; and third, be elaborating on the need for a new vision of the coming of the Kingdom analogous to that which Jesus cast, but in terms and media more directly applicable to the daily lives of people, in or beyond the Kingdom. This last is properly, I suppose, the work of poets, novelists, artists, and, oh yes, preachers.
Discipleship
In Fear and Trembling Kirkegaard observed, “faith is convinced that God troubles himself about the smallest thing.” His struggle with faith, and what it requires, is that, in everything, all things, and at all times, faith requires of us what it did of Abraham, that we give up, beyond what is reasonable, whatever is most meaningful and most dear in order to be obedient to God Whom we cannot see. Faith is thus a kind of suicide and of murder – we kill ourselves by forfeiting what is most dear to us, including our very lives (cf. Rom. 6), and we destroy to ourselves that which is most dear to us, in order to give it to God. And, since “God troubles himself about the smallest thing”, everything in our lives, if truly done in faith, is at once a thing of anguish, hope, and deepest joy. Why would anyone prefer to live this way? “Love so amazing, so divine...”
Monday, 12/16/13
Science
Jon Turney reports on the use of models in the work of contemporary science (“A model world,” Aeon, December 16, 2013). While the work of science still proceeds in the usual way – observation, hypothesis, experiment, adjust or confirm – modeling is becoming increasingly a new way of deciding future courses of action. Scientists construct a computer model, based on data accumulated and equations derived from that, which they use to project future scenarios and prescribe courses of action. In a field like chemistry, this can work quite well. But as the scope of the field expands and the variables increase and the equations become more complex, modeling is not nearly as reliable. Epidemiology, climate science, economic theory, and so forth can create different models, but we need to be careful about how much confidence we place in these. At some point, trusting in models of our own devising – given our limited knowledge and experience, the uncertainties of the overall field, the fallibility of our equations, and the relative strength of our computing power – trusting in models can become a kind of religious faith. Repetition of models helps, but human beings are neither omniscient nor prescient. In particular, those modelers who factor out of their thinking, computing, and forecasting Him Who is omniscient and prescient – as well as omnipotent – should be regarded warily when they presume to tell us with authority how we ought to act. Or so it seems to me.
Tuesday, 12/17/13
Philosophy
Costica Bradatan is worried that, in these days of ever-advancing improvements, failure might go out of style (“In Praise of Failure,” The New York Times, December 15, 2013). Failure is to thriving as necessity is to invention, or something like that. Our failures make us truly human and open doors for new possibilities of improving ourselves and getting better. This piece is a fine example of the “hope springs eternal” school of thought, and while I don’t disagree with his argument, it’s important that people have something to reach for in the midst of failure, something beyond the conviction that failure’s OK and that whatever I try in order to get out of this mess will probably fail miserably as well. We are not necessarily doomed to accept the inevitably of failure, especially not those who believe in Christ and know how to access the power of His indwelling Spirit and Word. Every setback or misstep should lead us, not to shrugging complacency but to greater pursuit of holiness and the presence of the Lord. We may rejoice in the midst of our failures, but let us learn from them, grow through them, and do our best not to repeat them. At least, not the same ones. We have plenty of other failures ahead, so let’s not be bogging down in the same ones over and over. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/in-praise-of-failure/?_r=0
Environment
George Monbiot reports on the resiliency of creation in responding to the disruptive and often destructive presence of people (“Accidental rewilding,” Aeon, 4 June 2013). On a visit to Slovenia he was shocked and surprised to see forests completely regrown and utterly beautiful, as he compared them with photos of the same region from just thirty years earlier, showing the region ravaged by human activity. He writes, “Slovenia is just one example of a global phenomenon: most of the rewilding that has taken place on Earth so far has happened as a result of humanitarian disasters” (a curious oxymoron). It is the grace of God that creation bears with us as it does, continuing to offer us beauty and fecundity while we ignore, merely use, or, worse, abuse the gifts of God. Here is an example of what the psalmist means by saying that “the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD” (Ps. 33.5).
Wednesday, 12/18/13
Culture
We should not feel upset or betrayed because culture is not what we think it should be and people’s taste in culture is not up to our level. This is Chuck Klosterman’s live-and-let-live view of contemporary culture, and his prescription for a calmer and more contented life (“Culture Got You Down?”, Esquire, January 2014 http://www.esquire.com/features/chuck-klostermans-america/ESQ0105-JAN_AMERICA_rev). He writes, “Culture can’t be wrong. That doesn’t mean it’s always ‘right,’ nor does it mean you always have to agree with it. But culture is never wrong. People can be wrong. Movements can be wrong. But culture--as a whole--cannot be wrong. Culture is just there.” I find it a bit difficult to believe he really holds this view. No one is this completely relativistic when it comes to culture. And how can a person be wrong or right but culture – which people make and use – is only ever right? Are there no forms of culture that he would regard as wrong? Death camps? Police brutality? Snuff films? Such flippancy may sound “hip” in a chic magazine or conversation over a drink, but it’s really quite absurd and, well, juvenile. Like most of the culture Mr. Klosterman recommends we simply smile at and accept.
Thursday, 12/19/13
Time
Time does not go faster as we age. It simply appears to do so, and there are some pretty good reasons why. Jordan Gaines Lewis reports at blogs.scientificamerican.com on several studies confirming the view that the older we get the faster time seems to go (“Why Does Time Fly as We Get Older?”). This is because we tend to measure time in term of firsts or big events, and these are fewer and further between as we get older. Also, we’re busier as we get older and so don’t have as much waiting time or dead time as when we were young. Increased stress also plays a part, as does the “slowing of our biological clock.” I much prefer time to speed along rather than drag (as in meetings). I wonder if there are measures to determine one’s sense of the quality of time passing. This would be a most useful measure, I would think. But I suppose it would be mainly subjective and relative, geared to one’s sense of purpose in life, values, “To Do” lists, and so forth. Still, given that time is a gift from God, we must not be content merely to use it – whether slowly or rapidly – but to invest and improve it as we do. Teach us to number our days and make the best use of all our time, O Lord. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/2013/12/18/why-does-time-fly-as-we-get-older/
Friday, 12/20/13
Poetry
Robert Frost was America’s best known and most loved poet during the last century. An imperfect man in many ways, he nonetheless commanded a following that spanned more than half a century, and his verses remain unsurpassed for artistry and profundity in American letters (“Extracting the Woodchuck,” Harvard Magazine, January-February 2014). Adam Kirsch explains Frost’s genius lay in his ability to use metaphor in order both to enthrall readers and to convey his deepest sentiments and meanings, even if these were not always understood. Metaphor for Frost was not merely the secret of poetry but the power of all language: “in Frost’s view, speaking in metaphor—saying one thing in terms of another thing—was not just the principle of poetry; it was at the heart of all speech.” Frost often leaves readers baffled and wondering about his meaning, even as they delight in the sounds and images of his verse: “This sense of baffled understanding, of nearly but not quite grasping the world’s meaning, is one of the constant themes of Frost’s verse. It can be found even in so seemingly pastoral and innocent a poem as ‘Birches, where the image of a boy rising to the top of a tree and then bending back down to earth becomes a metaphor for almost reaching the Godhead that human beings can never quite experience.” I do enjoy Frost’s poetry, especially because he is able to capture the beauty and mystery of simple, everyday situations and people. What might some poet with Frost’s abilities and a message of grace, truth, and hope be able to accomplish for the Kingdom of God?
http://harvardmagazine.com/2014/01/extracting-the-woodchuck#article-images
Saturday, 12/21/13
Human development
The great ideas and breakthrough innovations of human history do not come from the experts, the single-track “monopaths” whose PhDs uniquely qualify them to make a difference. They come from the generalists, the polymaths who work and think across many disciplines and fields and are thus able to cross-fertilize in their creativity. So argues Robert Twigger in “Master of many trades” (Aeon, 4 November 2013). This, however, is not the general understanding: “Someone who has just one overriding interest is tunnel-visioned, a bore, but also a specialist, an expert. Welcome to the monopathic world, a place where only the single-minded can thrive.” But in fact, he insists, “To come up with [innovative] ideas you need to know things outside your field. What’s more, the further afield your knowledge extends, the greater potential you have for innovation.” Human beings are natural-born polymaths. We are made to know widely: “We can’t all be geniuses. But we do all still indulge in polymathic activity; it’s part of what makes us human.” We can all learn more than we think we can, but we must be willing to work at it diligently. A casual approach to learning does not discipline the synapses in the brain the way a more focused effort can. “Monopathy, or over-specialisation, eventually retreats into defending what one has learnt rather than making new connections. The initial spurt of learning gives out, and the expert is left, like an animal, merely defending his territory. One sees this in the academic arena, where ancient professors vie with each other to expel intruders from their hard-won patches. Just look at the bitter arguments over how far the sciences should be allowed to encroach on the humanities. But the polymath, whatever his or her ‘level’ or societal status, is not constrained to defend their own turf. The polymath’s identity and value comes from multiple mastery.” I think he is right, and I believe his view of learning – polymathic rather than narrow track – is in line with the a Biblical teaching about the image of God and our calling as stewards over the earth.
http://aeon.co/magazine/world-views/anyone-can-learn-to-be-a-polymath/