What is your favorite place in the whole world and why?
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Sweeping out Some Sacred Space
Deuteronomy 12
What is your favorite place in the whole world and why?
What is your favorite place in the whole world and why?
Monday, May 14, 2007
Interfaith Blog Event #6: FAITH
This is the sixth monthly installment of our Interfaith blog conversation. In these articles various bloggers from a variety of faith traditions discuss topics of spiritual importance. I am writing from an Evangelical Protestant perspective. Links for the other perspectives will be added as the make posts on their blogs. [Mike - Buddhist] [Sojourn - Pagan] [Jeff - Druid] [Matt - Emerging]
The topic today is: What is your view regarding the meaning and the role of faith? What importance does it play in your community and in your daily life?
Faith as a concept stands at the center of Protestant Christian theology. In fact, Sola Fide (Faith Alone) was the primary marketing motto that Martin Luther used in challenging the authority of the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church (AD 1511). I deeply appreciate the topic Sojourn, and it should lead to some interesting discussion. As hopefully will be shown in this essay, faith has deep personal meaning to Christians beyond its historical impact.
Like any abstract metaphysical word, faith is a complicated term with a variety of definitions. Faith can be used to refer to "a faith" which is referring to the set of beliefs and practices that constitute an orthodox creed. Faith can also be used to refer to basic intellectual ascent to something (belief) with or without evidence. Finally, faith can also be used for the personal trust that you place in someone. A Christian concept of faith includes all of these categories, and beyond that insists that a real faith will imply action beyond mere statements.
G.K. Chesterton traces in his work "ORTHODOXY" the process he went through in his life to "discover" the truths of basic Christian teaching. C.S. Lewis calls this basic core of Christian teaching "MERE CHRISTIANITY" and discuss his journey towards those positions in a book by the same name. The creed of the church is the set of beliefs that all people who call themselves Christians (or a particular group of Christians) hold in common. Examples of creeds that all people who consider themselves Orthodox Christians would believe include the APOSTLE'S CREED and the NICENE CREED. Different groups within Christianity also list different creeds, confessions, and statements of faith to further biblically define their theological system as a group. Some famous examples of these would be the WESTMINSTER CONFESSION and the BAPTIST FAITH AND MESSAGE. One thing that can be said about all of the creeds and confessions in general is that Christians do sincerely affirm that the content of one's belief is of equal importance with one's sincerity of belief. In other words, what you believe in is at least as crucial as how you go about believing. There are treasures of thought in the ancient creeds and confessions of the church that Christians do not want to loose, even when they at times do not fully understand them.
Many times atheists and other secularists accuse Christians of having blind faith, faith that has no correspondence with reason, or that indeed challenges reason directly. While Christians certainly would not challenge the validity of such a choice of will to affirm the basic doctrines of the creed with certainty, few actually have truly blind faith. Almost all Christians would argue that their beliefs are at least possible, though they may not understand how. For most Christians there are logical, empirical, or experiential reasons that have convinced them that their beliefs are justified. Those personal probabilities are then confirmed by the will to faith creating certainty beyond probability.
For Christians this intellectual ascent to the creed, while necessary, is never (at least by most) considered "enough" to be real faith. Such belief must be followed by action to prove its validity. It is one thing for me to say I believe that God is love. It is another, and far more powerful thing for me to show my neighbors the love of God by mowing their lawn. The Apostle James argued that faith without works is dead. No one wants the rotting corpse of an insincere faith sitting around!
On a far deeper level, however, faith is more than either intellectual ascent or even the action that follows such beliefs. The closest biblical synonym for faith is trust. Personal trust is the essence of real biblical faith. Kierkegaard discusses this in length in his powerful and beautiful work "FEAR AND TREMBLING." God does not simply want people who say he exists. God wants people who will trust him with their lives, trust him for deliverance, trust him with their futures. Jesus in his ministry continually challenged people to put their trust in him. In a world where trust is so frequently broken that can indeed be a difficult choice to make. The creed and the Scriptures, however, both show us characteristics of God that demonstrate his trustworthiness. He may not do things how we would expect or even desire, but we can know that he has our best interests in mind. We can certainly know that he loves us, and that love is the ground for the trust we as Christians place personally in him.
I can best illustrate how faith works by describing my relationship with my wife. I trust my wife completely. I know I can trust her because I know her character. There are some things that I can logically know about my wife that help me to know her character, but my trust in her goes far deeper than merely the things that I can prove. My experience of her along with my "creed" about her both show that she is trustworthy.
For Christians, it is the common experience of trusting God and the shared creed/confessions that give us grounds for fellowship. Indeed faith makes up the common basis that creates Christian community. Shared faith is the true foundation for every actual Christian church.
Ultimately, this hybrid concept called faith is what is necessary for a person to possess in order to experience what the Scriptures call deliverance and eternal life. Personal trust in the personal God effects every aspect of a Christian's daily life, and indeed directly impacts their experience of eternity.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)
The topic today is: What is your view regarding the meaning and the role of faith? What importance does it play in your community and in your daily life?
Faith as a concept stands at the center of Protestant Christian theology. In fact, Sola Fide (Faith Alone) was the primary marketing motto that Martin Luther used in challenging the authority of the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church (AD 1511). I deeply appreciate the topic Sojourn, and it should lead to some interesting discussion. As hopefully will be shown in this essay, faith has deep personal meaning to Christians beyond its historical impact.
Like any abstract metaphysical word, faith is a complicated term with a variety of definitions. Faith can be used to refer to "a faith" which is referring to the set of beliefs and practices that constitute an orthodox creed. Faith can also be used to refer to basic intellectual ascent to something (belief) with or without evidence. Finally, faith can also be used for the personal trust that you place in someone. A Christian concept of faith includes all of these categories, and beyond that insists that a real faith will imply action beyond mere statements.
G.K. Chesterton traces in his work "ORTHODOXY" the process he went through in his life to "discover" the truths of basic Christian teaching. C.S. Lewis calls this basic core of Christian teaching "MERE CHRISTIANITY" and discuss his journey towards those positions in a book by the same name. The creed of the church is the set of beliefs that all people who call themselves Christians (or a particular group of Christians) hold in common. Examples of creeds that all people who consider themselves Orthodox Christians would believe include the APOSTLE'S CREED and the NICENE CREED. Different groups within Christianity also list different creeds, confessions, and statements of faith to further biblically define their theological system as a group. Some famous examples of these would be the WESTMINSTER CONFESSION and the BAPTIST FAITH AND MESSAGE. One thing that can be said about all of the creeds and confessions in general is that Christians do sincerely affirm that the content of one's belief is of equal importance with one's sincerity of belief. In other words, what you believe in is at least as crucial as how you go about believing. There are treasures of thought in the ancient creeds and confessions of the church that Christians do not want to loose, even when they at times do not fully understand them.
Many times atheists and other secularists accuse Christians of having blind faith, faith that has no correspondence with reason, or that indeed challenges reason directly. While Christians certainly would not challenge the validity of such a choice of will to affirm the basic doctrines of the creed with certainty, few actually have truly blind faith. Almost all Christians would argue that their beliefs are at least possible, though they may not understand how. For most Christians there are logical, empirical, or experiential reasons that have convinced them that their beliefs are justified. Those personal probabilities are then confirmed by the will to faith creating certainty beyond probability.
For Christians this intellectual ascent to the creed, while necessary, is never (at least by most) considered "enough" to be real faith. Such belief must be followed by action to prove its validity. It is one thing for me to say I believe that God is love. It is another, and far more powerful thing for me to show my neighbors the love of God by mowing their lawn. The Apostle James argued that faith without works is dead. No one wants the rotting corpse of an insincere faith sitting around!
On a far deeper level, however, faith is more than either intellectual ascent or even the action that follows such beliefs. The closest biblical synonym for faith is trust. Personal trust is the essence of real biblical faith. Kierkegaard discusses this in length in his powerful and beautiful work "FEAR AND TREMBLING." God does not simply want people who say he exists. God wants people who will trust him with their lives, trust him for deliverance, trust him with their futures. Jesus in his ministry continually challenged people to put their trust in him. In a world where trust is so frequently broken that can indeed be a difficult choice to make. The creed and the Scriptures, however, both show us characteristics of God that demonstrate his trustworthiness. He may not do things how we would expect or even desire, but we can know that he has our best interests in mind. We can certainly know that he loves us, and that love is the ground for the trust we as Christians place personally in him.
I can best illustrate how faith works by describing my relationship with my wife. I trust my wife completely. I know I can trust her because I know her character. There are some things that I can logically know about my wife that help me to know her character, but my trust in her goes far deeper than merely the things that I can prove. My experience of her along with my "creed" about her both show that she is trustworthy.
For Christians, it is the common experience of trusting God and the shared creed/confessions that give us grounds for fellowship. Indeed faith makes up the common basis that creates Christian community. Shared faith is the true foundation for every actual Christian church.
Ultimately, this hybrid concept called faith is what is necessary for a person to possess in order to experience what the Scriptures call deliverance and eternal life. Personal trust in the personal God effects every aspect of a Christian's daily life, and indeed directly impacts their experience of eternity.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Justice in Ancient Israel
Deuteronomy 19: 1 – 21
Why are shows like Law & Order so popular?
Read verses 1 – 14. Describe the city of refuge system.
Why is God so specific concerning their accessibility and the expansion of the system?
What would the existence of this system do for the average Israelite?
What would be some contemporary examples of the case describe in verse 5?
Imagine that you were in a family that suffered a loss, how would the existence of these towns change your perspective?
Imagine that you were one accused of manslaughter. How would it feel to arrive at the city of refuge? How would it feel to live there until the high priest died?
What process is the city to go through if someone who actually committed intentional murder arrives at the city? Why is it so important that they are extradited?
What systems could we create in our lives that would limit our tendency to revenge?
How does the grace and forgiveness God gives us in the New Testament supersede the cities of refuge?
What is something you need God’s forgiveness for tonight?
Why in the world is verse 14 included in this passage?
Read verses 15 – 21. Why is it necessary to have a plurality of witnesses in a case?
Describe the process taken to determine if perjury has occurred. What does this tell us about the legal machinery in Ancient Israel? Why are they reminded that they are in God’s presence?
Why is breaking the 10th commandment considered a capital crime?
Why is the lex talonis applied to cases of false testimony even though no actual harm is done to the accused?
How is the law of retribution actually a limit on revenge?
Who is someone you feel like you need to exact revenge upon?
How can you go about forgiving this person this week
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