imagine that for just one day
you were unafraid
no one could threaten you
no one could shame you
no one could rebuke you
what power you would have
you would be completely free
you could do whatever you wanted
you could change the world
all this in just one day
if somehow you were not afraid
GeekList: Intelligence Report on Subject #M33P135: The Meeples.
This be funny.
For those who don’t know, a “meeple” is a little human-shaped game piece, particularly from the Carcassonne game series.
From the Baylyblog:
For physicians of the body and the soul…
It becomes every person who purposes to give himself to the care of others, seriously to consider the four following things:
First, that he must one day give an account to the Supreme Judge of all the lives entrusted to his care.
Second, that all his skill and knowledge and energy, as they have been given him by God, so they should be exercised for His glory and the good of mankind, and not for mere gain or ambition.
Third, and not more beautifully than truly, let him reflect that he has undertaken the care of no mean creature; for in order that he may estimate the value, the greatness of the human race, the only begotten son of God became himself a man, and thus ennobled it with His divine dignity, and far more than this, died to redeem it.
And fourth, that the doctor being himself a mortal human being, should be diligent and tender in relieving his suffering patients, inasmuch as he himself must one day be a like sufferer.
-Thomas Sydenham (1624-1689)
In a recent announcement, Blogger has revealed its source for the words that it uses for word verification.
“It seemed best to us to use a Slavic language,” said Mary Webster, public relations director for the blogging website. “And what better way to raise humanitarian awareness than to use the language of the former Yugoslavia?”
Various civil rights groups are already objecting. “It’s simply un-American to exclude other oppressed races,” argued Chinese-American activist John Lu. “We demand that Blogger.com begin to include kanji-based verification to represent our people’s suffering.” When it was mentioned that most Western keyboards are unable to produce kanji, Lu noted that this was more evidence of discrimination.
Today I spent several hours with some deeply spiritual folks. While I sat with them, I heard them discuss the challenges of homeschooling their children, the importance of maintaining close familial ties, the best ways to engage the larger culture with their beliefs, and even how to allow their children to participate in the rites of their faith while still being respectful to other worshippers. I felt right at home. After all, these are all issues that are important to me and that I wrestle with from time to time. These were folks who want to integrate their faith into every area of their lives, just like me.
Except they weren’t like me. They were Pagans.
Once again, the Ben-Ezra family is selling stuff on eBay, getting rid of stuff for cold, hard cash. Here is a listing of the items for auction. Buy stuff. Tell your friends to buy stuff. Thanks.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled blathering.
I have another thought about the Reformed approach to God’s love and God’s wrath. I’m going to get at this thought by asking a question: “What is the gospel story?â€
I think that most Reformed Christians would probably answer this question in terms of TULIP. Man is found in his sinful, corrupted state. Then, God acts: the Father ordains salvation, the Son accomplishes it, and the Spirit applies it. Finally, those who have been saved from their sin and corruption are preserved until the end of their days.
This is all true, and I don’t want to deny any of it. However, I think that this formulation tends to overlook a vital part of the story.
Before our current state of sin, before our father Adam’s sin, God created humanity. And why did He create us?
God created us to love us.
Pause a moment and consider this.
While you are considering this, I want to affirm my agreement with the orthodox creeds and the teaching of Scripture about God, especially the aseity of God. This is important, in order to understand what I say next.
As Reformed Christians, we confess God’s foreordination of our salvation from the beginning of time. However, I think that we are so careful to stress God’s sovereign prerogative to choose that we overlook the purpose of His creation and election.
God created me and elected me, because He was full of so much love, that He wanted to spend all of eternity with me.
He didn’t need any of us, but He chose to need us. He was not alone, yet He says, “It is not good that the [M]an should be alone.†It was not good that He was alone, so He made us.
That is the beginning of the gospel. The beginning of the good news is not the bad news of our sin. The beginning of the good news is that God created you because He wanted to be with you and love you forever.
But instead, you spat in his face and walked away.
I’m going to play a game here that I don’t normally play. I think that I’ll call it the “logical priority†game. This is a game that gets played a lot in Reformed theological circles. Which has logical priority, God’s decree of Redemption or God’s decree of Sin? Or, what about regeneration and faith? Sometimes, there are significant points of concern at stake. Other times, I fear that it is simply a game.
But today, I’m going to play the game. Which has logical priority: God’s love or God’s wrath? Or how about this? Is God’s default “emotion†love or wrath? But these are perhaps silly ways to ask the question. Let me rephrase it.
What is the fundamental nature of my relationship with God? Is it fundamentally a relationship of love, or fundamentally a relationship of wrath? Of course, all the good Christians out there in the crowd have already answered the question. Our relationship with God is fundamentally one of love. That’s what we all say.
Right?
Or do we?
I’m going to stroll out on a limb here and suggest that, at least within Reformed circles, we do not really believe that our relationship with God is fundamentally one of love, nor do we believe that God’s default “emotion†is love.
I submit that, in Reformed circles, we believe that God defaults to being angry. However, God, in His sovereign indifference, randomly selected some to be saved. To these exceptions, He has opted to show His love, but this love functions largely to stifle His default wrath. So, those who are elect and have been saved now have a buffer zone between God’s wrath and us. Therefore, it’s possible to make God happy now. Of course, God is still the Picky Stickler in the sky, so even those who are loved by God still need to tiptoe around Him.
But is this how the Bible describes God?
I’m going to start by acknowledging, nay, embracing the Biblical teaching that God becomes angry. Only a fool or an idiot could read the Bible and say otherwise. But, is the wrath of God really His default state?
Here’s how God describes Himself. “Yahweh, Yahweh God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.†(Exodus 34:6-7) Is there wrath in this passage? Certainly. However, what is the overwhelming emphasis? Love. (A side note. As I was transcribing this passage, I was struck by the apparent contradiction. God punishes the guilty, yet He forgives. How do these two things fit together?)
Or what about Psalm 103? ”Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:8-12) Notice how David starts by quoting from Exodus and then elaborating. For some reason, David doesn’t think that the point of the Exodus passage is God’s wrath, but God’s love.
And then, of course, one of the classic passages: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.†(1 John 4:7-8) God is love. God is not wrath. As a result, we are to be characterized by this love.
It is love that is supposed to be the root cause for our obedience. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.†(John 14:15) Jesus doesn’t threaten us with a wrathful God, just waiting for one of us to slip up. Rather, He calls us to obey because of our desire for the One Who waits for us at the end of our journey.
There is a place for fear in the Christian life. Our God does become angry, and we are wise to remember this. Jesus did say, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.†(Matthew 10:28) And yet, I cannot help but think that this is a secondary motivation. I compare fear to the safety net that trapeze artists use. We are given fear to catch us when our love fails, but it is the lower motivation.
John writes, “By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.†(1 John 4:17-18) Perfect love casts out fear. For now, our love is not perfect, so we are given fear. But, in the end, there will be no fear.
Proverbs says that the fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Yet the end of wisdom is love.
When I’m not feeling creative, I merely link to other people’s creativity. It’s like I’m basking in their awesomeness and thereby partaking of it somehow.
Er, or something like that.
So, here, read Pastor Leithart’s thoughts about how we exalt scientific description.
“No physical/chemical/biological description of love is “truer” than Solomon’s “Your love is better than wine.” The contrary is the case.”
Have you ever noticed how people tend to greet each other? “How are you doing?” they ask. This is supposed to be ceremonial language, merely a formality. The proper answer, of course, is “I’m fine. How are you?” Because, you see, once we’ve made genuflections in the direction of caring for each other, we can get on with the business of getting what we want out of a conversation.
I’m not pointing fingers. I’ve done this. We’re all guilty of it.
Then one day, my father figured out that he was doing it. So he decided that he would take the question seriously. If someone asked him how he was doing, he would–are you sitting down?–give an honest answer. And I, being his son, have tried to follow in his footsteps. Of course, being my mother’s son, I can be a little pushy about it. Not only do I give honest answers, I tend to push for honest answers when I inquire as to how someone is doing.
Be careful what you say around me. You just might come to regret it.
Which brings us to today.
I’m still sick.
I’m still sick, and most of my family is still sick.
Justice started coughing.
I haven’t been to work or worship in weeks.
I feel lonely.
My sleep last night was fragmented, trying to care for a squalling baby and a frustrated wife.
I feel scattered and confused.
I’m scared.
I’m worn out.
I’m not all right.
So, when a woman from our church called and asked how we were, I asked her if she really wanted to know.
And she did.
So, I told her. I told her about how we’ve been sick for so long that it’s beginning to feel normal. I told her that I haven’t been driving, because I’m afraid that I’ll crash during a coughing fit. I told her that Justice is coughing and we’re afraid that he’ll be seriously ill. I told her that we’re tired and lonely and scared.
And she listened. God bless her for it.
The Bible says, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.” (Ephesians 4:25) This truth-telling begins by stating what should be an obvious truth: I’m not all right. The Gospel tells us that we are sinners living in a broken world. This means that we get sick and we get tired and we hurt each other and we lose heart and we fall apart and that sometimes we just can’t take it anymore.
It means saying that I’m scared that my son is going to die from whooping cough. It means saying that I’m not nearly as good a person as you think I am. It means saying that I desperately wish that I were at work, struggling with a stupid last-minute project because it would mean that life was normal again. It means saying that I can’t stop coughing and it hurts so bad sometimes and I don’t have it together. I don’t have it together.
I’m not okay.
And that’s the truth.
Thoughts on Twister, the human body, and kissing. All good.
See? Talking about games can be profound.
Hitherby Dragons: The Arachnophobe
It’s an odd story, but it has this great quote:
“Social security lost my birthdate,” says Martin. “When you don’t have good social security records, you’re only as young as you feel.”
I finished reading The Gospel According to America by David Dark. A very helpful and thought-provoking book. In order to take advantage of the opportunity to read this book, I had put down another book, and, once I had finished The Gospel According to America, I returned to my previous book. Funny, actually. I have owned this book for years, having purchased it at some used-book sale, but I have never read it before now. The title: The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes. It’s a fairly hefty book, coming it at 886 pages (including indices and such), but I’m almost finished with it. I would highly recommend it. Somehow, Mr. Rhodes manages to take a topic that has wide-ranging connections to theoretical physics, politics, and ethics, and manages to describe all the various issues and personalities involved in the massive undertaking that led up to the development and use of the atomic bomb in World War II.
I’ve been having a hard time reading the book recently, though. I’m past all the theoretical developments, the building of the Los Alamos labs, and the test firing at the Trinity site. Now, I’m reading about the bombing of Hiroshima. Seventeen pages of eyewitness accounts. Seventeen pages. Here, try these on for size:
I heard a girl’s voice clearly from behind a tree. “Help me, please. ” Her back was completely burned and the skin peeled off and was hanging down from her hips.
A man with his eyes sticking out about two inches called me by name and I felt sick….People’s bodies were tremendously swollen….you can’t imagine how big a human body can swell up.
There was a charred body of a woman standing frozen in a running posture with one leg lifted and her baby tightly clutched in her arms.
At the base of the bridge, inside a big cistern that had been dug out there, was a mother weeping and holding above her head a naked baby that was burned bright red all over its body, and another mother was crying and sobbing as she gave her burned breast to her baby.
I had to cross the river to reach the station. As I came to the river and went down the bank to the water, I found that the stream was filled with dead bodies. I started to cross by crawling over the corpses, on my hands and knees. As I got about a third of the way across, a dead body began to sink under my weight and I went into the water, wetting my burned skin. It pained severely. I could go no further, as there was a break in the bridge of corpses, so I turned back to the shore.
And they had no faces! Their eyes, noses and mouths had been burned away, and it looked like their ears had melted off. It was hard to tell front from back.
Mother was completely bedridden. The hair of her head had almost fallen out, her chest was festering, and from the two-inch hole in her back a lot of maggots were crawling in and out.
According to The Making of the Atomic Bomb, between the initial blast and the radiation poisoning that followed, 54% of the population of Hiroshima died as the result of this atomic attack.
And now, a quote from The Gospel According to America:
George Washington asserted that the Declaration of Independence was a claim, on the part of the colonies, to the rights of all of humanity, and, in an interesting paradox, he believed that the rights, for which the colonists fought, should be applied to enemy combatants. He wanted British prisoners to be treated with more humanity than the colonists received at the hands of British soldiers. When the war was over, thousands who fought against America’s independence chose to remain in the land where they would enjoy more rights than they could hope for elsewhere.
Remember what the Declaration said: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. ” For better or worse, this is the creed that makes us Americans. But apparently, during the World Wars, we let this slip. Apparently, “all men” didn’t include Jerry or the Nips. Therefore, apparently it was okay to light their cities on fire so that their old men and women and children boiled away. Apparently then it was okay to light the atomic fire in their cities, wiping away entire cities until they did our pleasure. Apparently the rights of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” didn’t extend to them. Does that mean that we thought that the Japanese were merely animals, worthy of extinction?
I’m not speaking here as a Japanophile. The sneak attack on Pearl Harbor was an underhanded act, but oh so Japanese. Amoral pragmatism is acceptable, so long as the forms are followed. A samurai doesn’t kill a sleeping opponent; he kicks him so that he is awake, and then he kills him. It’s still a sneak attack, but the forms were followed. That is the Japanese way, and it is so very wrong.
Yet the Japanese did not claim to be anything other than this. Yet America has claimed to be a champion of human rights and freedom throughout the world…unless you are on our bad side, of course. Suddenly all the noble platitudes that we mouth don’t quite seem to apply anymore.
And so I begin to wonder about American hypocrisy. We are perfectly willing to condemn the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, the London subway bombings, the Oklahoma City bombing, and other assaults on civilians. But bring up the Hamburg and Dresden firestorms, the incendiary attacks on Japanese cities, or the atomic destruction that we wrought on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and suddenly the justifications begin to roll out. We needed to break their morale. They would never have surrendered without these measures. We wanted to shorten the war. We wanted to save lives.
Did you know that the gas attacks in World War I were justified using exactly the same reasoning?
And now, we come to Hurricane Katrina. An American city has been shattered. At this point, it remains to be seen if New Orleans will be able to be rebuilt. And some choose to shake their fists at the sky and demand that God make an accounting. Recently, on NPR, I heard Daniel Schorr issue his challenge to God: ” [I]f this was the result of intelligent design, then the Designer has something to answer for. ” Well, sir, I believe in an intelligent Designer, and I do not believe that He has to answer to you. (Job 38:1-3; 40:1-2) But, I also believe that the atomic bomb was the result of intelligent design. Do you think that its’ designers have something to answer for? What about those complicit in its use? What about those that rejoiced as their enemies burned? What about their descendants, who continue to justify this murderous sin as a necessity? Is it not justice for our nation to have its cities shattered while we look on in impotence?
Why does this make me angry? It makes me angry because we as Americans have become Pharisaical. We claim the moral high ground, demanding that all must acknowledge our rightness or be struck down. We claim that God is on our side, that our military missions have the sanction of the Almighty, that we have a manifest destiny to spread freedom and democracy across the globe.
But if you stand in our way, we will destroy you, grind you into the dirt, light you on fire, nuke your cities, and then claim that it was “necessary” in the cause of freedom.
What I want to see in our country is humility. I want us to repent of our pride that says that God’s Kingdom has arrived and that it flies the Stars and Stripes. I want us to acknowledge that our country has sinned grievously, that we have not lived up to our own creed, let alone the demands of the Glory of God. I want us to confess that we have presumed upon the goodness of God, claiming to be righteous when we are not. I want us to proclaim that we are not a good, decent, upright people, but that we are horribly depraved, proud people, who have laid claim to the prerogatives of God Himself.
If we do this, then we will flourish. God is still merciful. We still have time.
If we don’t, then we may find that Hurricane Katrina was only the warning shot.
And by then, it will be too late.