Suspended in Air

Ever had something like this happen to you?






I have.  On more than one occasion during my student years.

If you're a young Christian  heading soon to college and the realm of "higher learning", be prepared.  There's a very good chance this type of scenario will confront you, too.   Or perhaps you've already encountered it in high school?  Were you prepared to give an answer?

1 Peter 3:15 says:

¹⁵ But sanctify the Lord God^[a] in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

That word "defense" , in the original Greek translated apologia, which means to defend, or a speech in defense.  So, contrary to a prevalent Western understanding, Christian apologia, or apologetics is a formal defense of the faith, not an expression of regret.

St. Peter, the rock upon whom Christ built His church, implores us to stand firm and to be ready when questioned about the faith we hold.  But how many of us can do that?  How many are even interested in doing that?!  Are your beliefs just suspended in air or do they have a firm foundation?  

There are two reasons why this should matter to you as a Christian:  1)  If you have a heart for Christ and desire to fulfill His commandment to spread the Gospel, then you need to know what you're talking about.  And 2)  because without this firm foundation, you are in danger of blindly accepting another worldview because it's the latest trend...it's "common sense" you may say.  Or collective ignorance.   So, at least be honest with yourself and be able to defend whatever view you hold.  Facts are stubborn little things.

Why do I bring all this up?  Well, because I have my finger on the pulse of our young generation.  I pray for them, I speak to them and encourage them whenever I can.  I see a need for critical thinking skills, for our youth to be proud of their Christian beliefs rather than cowering to worldly voices.

I know several teenagers who have abandoned the faith of their upbringing in order to espouse an "enlightened" worldview that sees Christianity as fairy tales and secular humanism as their new salvation.  They would never identify humanism as religion though,  because they think they can escape definitions and paradigms with which to view the world and make their moral choices.  It's a fascinating study, human nature.  

In my case, those years ago in the classroom, I made my case for Christ to my professors because I'm a loud mouth and don't ever mind to share my opinion.  I rather like confrontation when it involves Truth.  But I've learned a lot since that time and am now embarrassed at some of the things I said.  Well, a little bit.

For example, it doesn't do much good to say "Because the Bible says so!"  if the person you're speaking to doesn't believe the Bible to be true.  You must be able to explain the Bible itself ... it's history and why you believe it's accuarate and authentic.  This involves evidence, historical data, corroborating facts.  When someone says, "religion is just a crutch"  it also doesn't help to point a finger at their addictions as their own "crutch" to get through life.  Lord have mercy. Apologetics should never involve barbed wire.

If you're someone interested in Christian apologetics, let me share a few nuggets of wisdom that I learned the hard way:

- Not everyone is a Truth seeker; don't assume they are.  You can waste a lot of time and energy on someone who just wants to debate at best and ridicule you at worst.  

- As follows the above, to give Truth to him who does not love the Truth is only to give more reasons for argument.

-Debate is healthy and follows logic;  it's adherents can agree to disagree peaceably.  Arguing can lead to anger and violent tempers; Truth is tossed to the wind in these cases.

- In the case where debate turns to arguing and anger, shut up and ask God to forgive your unbridled tongue.

- The Christian religion is a historical one.  That means you can do  research on it's claims outside of the Bible.

- The study of Christian apologetics is rewarding -- it will undoubtedly increase your knowledge and quite possibly facilitate a measure of wisdom.  All the while increasing your faith.

- Do not make judgements about those with a different worldview.  There are many good and intelligent atheists out there, for example, and some of them genuinely do want to understand why you believe the way you do.  

 - Always separate the human being from the worldview they hold; criticisms should remain on the theological plane.  


I encourage you, Christian, to be able to give a defense for the faith you hold, remembering the words of Scottish author and minister, George MacDonald: 

"It is often incapacity for defending the faith they love which turns men into persecutors."

Wisdom from George MacDonald

I have a particular fondness for George MacDonald, the 19th century Scottish author and poet. The strength and wisdom of his words caused renowned author C.S. Lewis to proclaim, "I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself."

It's remarkable to me, being the philosopher and minister that he was, that he was raised in an atmosphere of Calvinism, and yet he never accepted some aspects of this doctrine, such as predestination and atonement.

A few favorite quotes/excerpts from George MacDonald:

The Birth of Persecution

"Clara's words appeared to me quite irreverent... but what to answer here I did not know. I almost began to dislike her; for it is often incapacity for defending the faith they love which turns men into persecutors." -Wilfred Cumbermede, Chapter 18

Sacred Idleness

"Work is not always required of a man. There is such a thing as a sacred idleness, the cultivation of which is now fearfully neglected." -Wilfred Cumbermede, Chapter 55

With regard to this sacred idleness, I am wondering, what do you, dear reader, do to cultivate this quiet time? The bane of our age is busyness and relationships suffer for it. For my own part, I'm aware of it, but struggle with knowing how to slow down, how to jump off the cycle and cultivate silence. Disconnecting from the internet maybe?

I'd love to hear from you.

Mere Consumers?

“Have pity on us for the look of things,

When blank denial stares us in the face.

Although the serpent mask have lied before

It fascinates the bird.”  George MacDonald

The obstinate illusion before us each day is that which shields an honest view of ourselves.  We create masks, those images we want people to see and quietly sweep the ugly stuff under the rug.  Our addictions remain, our justifications all the same...tomorrow we will conquer the clutter in our lives ...tomorrow.   

Fr. Andrew delivered a powerful sermon on Sunday reminding us that our nation sees society as mere consumers, but what does that really say about us as human beings?  Do we live in a disposable world where every material item is easily replaced?  Are we so absorbed by instant gratification that we’re missing what’s real...what’s pure?

From his sermon:

“What are the fruits of this endless appetite for something else to eat, something else to consume, something new and interesting? For one thing, we are often bored. We spend so much of our time voraciously consuming the latest bit of entertainment, gossip, information, politics, and possessions that when we encounter things like beauty, permanence, or—dare I say it?—eternity, our response is “I’m bored.” As consumers, our attention spans get more and more childish.

Our appetite as consumers is such that we don’t just use up entertainment and information, but we also use up people. We see other people primarily in terms of what they can provide us rather than for who they are and the communion we can have with them. This corrupts not only friendships, but also marriages and families. “

Fr. Andrew has posted his full sermon, "Consumption and the Dignity of Man", here.

Praise God for illuminating our darkened hearts and minds, praise the Father of Lights for granting us grace to cast off the mask!

*Painting is by John William Waterhouse, "The Crystal Ball"

Troubled Soul, Do Thy Work

Reviewing the news over the last few months concerning the financial crisis, in at least one article I read that church attendance had increased in the areas around Wall St.  ...pub attendance increased, too.

Intense times of turmoil and difficulty have this effect; we either drop to our knees and renew our relationship with the Almighty or we wring our hands and fret looking to ANYTHING else that will seem to ease the inner stress.  Worst of all is halting all fruitful activity in lieu of constant self-examination, condemnation and the path of destructive thinking -- the delight of demons.

A pearl of wisdom that I’ve known to be true for years but am just now prayerfully asking God to make real in my life is eloquently described by George MacDonald:

“Troubled soul, thou are not bound to feel but thou art bound to arise.  God loves thee whether thou feelest or not.  Thou canst not love when thou wilt, but thou art bound to fight the hatred in thee to the last.  Try not to feel good when thou art not good, but cry to Him who is good.  He changes not because thou changest.  Nay, He has an especial tenderness of love toward thee for that thou art in the dark and hast no light, and His heart is glad when thou doest arise and say, “I will go to my Father” ... Fold the arms of thy faith, and wait in the quietness until light goes up in thy darkness.  For the arms of thy Faith I say, but not of thy Action: bethink thee of something that thou oughtest to do, and go to do it, if it be but the sweeping of a room, or the preparing of a meal, or a visit to a friend.  Heed not thy feeling:  Do thy work.”

Such treasures to be found there...  for me, it is armor for spiritual warfare.  Heeding not our feelings of anxiety, relentless self-examination and doubt and instead, doing our work with faith in God --carrying on-- is the defeat of Satan.  Or, as St. Ilias the Presbyter said:

“Shaking a stick at dogs provokes their fury;  forcing oneself to pray in purity provokes the fury of the demons.”  

*Painting is by Charles Grant Beauregard (1856~1919)