Two sides

Sometimes my wife finds it frustrating because I always look for two sides to the story. I don’t know why. But I tend to assume that the perspectives of two people are going to be different, at least a little bit, and so I’ll know more and understand better if I can see and/or hear both sides. (Or the three sides, or however many.)

So there is an editorial from Sunday, January 14, 2007, edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer about the religious right. The article compares it to fascism. Nothing like being slammed in the face with a two by four of somebody else’s perspective of who you are, what you believe, and what you think. I’m going to let it soak in a little more – and reread it a couple of more times – before I offer any more thoughts.

On Empathy

Today I picked up Sen. Barack Obama’s book The Audacity of Hope. I found this section in the chapter called “Values” that I thought was simply profound:

It was in my relationship with my grandfather that I think I first internalized the full meaning of empathy. Because my mother’s work took her overseas, I often lived with my grandparents during my high school years, and without a father present in the house, my grandfather bore the brunt of much of my adolescent rebellion. He himiself was not always easy to get along with; he was at once warmhearted and quick to anger, and in part bercause his career had not been particularly successful, his feelings could also be easily bruised. By the time I was sixteen we were arguing all the time, usually ab out me failing to abide by what I considered to be an endless series of petty and arbitrary rules – filling up the gas tank whenever I borrowed his car, say, or making sure that I rinsed out the milk carton before I put it in the garbage.

With a certain talent for rhetoric, as well as an absolute certainty about the merits of my own views, I found that I could generally win these arguments, in the narrow sense of leaving my grandfather flustered, angry, and sounding unreasonable. But at some point, perhaps in my senior year, such victories started to feel less satisfying. I started thinking about the struggles and disappointments he had seen in his life. I started to appreciate his need to feel respected in his own home. I realized that abiding by his rules would cost me little, but to him it would mean a lot. I recognized that sometimes he really did have a point, and that in insisting on getting my own way all the time, without regard to his feelings or needs, I was in some way diminishing myself.

There’s nothing extraordinary about such an awakening, of course; in one form or another it is what we all must go through if we are to grow up. And yet I find myself returning again and again to my mother’s simple principle – “How would that make you feel?” – as a guidepost for my politics.

…

I believe a stronger sense of empathy would tilt the balance of our current politics in favor of those people who are struggling in this society. After all, if they are like us, then their struggles are our own. If we fail to helpl, we diminish ourselves.

If you look at the book yourself, you can find this excerpt on pages 66-68.

Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (New York: Crown Publishers, 2006). ISBN: 978-0-307-23769-9.

The Nativity Story

I’m not sure why I have not heard of this before, but it looks really good, so I thought I’d share. Comes out December 1.

The Nativity Story

Criminalizing faith

I read a couple of entries (here and here) on Al Mohler’s blog today about a man in Britain who was arrested for (evidently) peacefully passing out leaflets with the KJV text of verses condemning homosexuality. He was passing them out at a rally or event promoting homosexuality or other alternative sexual lifestyles. Mostly, the entries are just commenting on the event and lamenting the decline of the influence of the church over the government. But the news recalls another story I recently heard. I believe I heard it from one of the missionaries that our church sponsors. This person said that they were talking to a friend from China and mentioned how we in the West pray earnestly for the relief of the persecution of the underground Christian movement in China. According to the person telling me, the Chinese individual replied (at least to the effect),

Oh don’t pray that! We here in the East are praying for the churches in the West, that their persecution would begin soon. It is the persecution that keeps our faith strong and vibrant.

We Christians have become so lackluster in our faith. We have become so cozy. So comfortable. We forget the words of Jesus when he said,

Matthew 5:10-12
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

In the following verses Jesus goes on to talk about being a light and salt not losing its saltiness. Maybe, by some miracle of God, the Western church, and particularly my own experience of the American version of it, can regain its saltiness and impact on the world. We have given up so much in the last century. Perhaps it would do us good if the Chinese prayers were answered and Christian faith did become criminalized. It would loosen the cultural bonds that we have allowed to be placed on our Passion.

Of plots and theories

Well, as anyone who watches the news, listens to the radio, or spends any time looking at web sites (and thus blogs) knows, the world has changed again.  Overnight.  Literally.  Nothing like packing your bags for that week-long European tour and having your goodie bag carry-on perfectly arranged only to get the airport and find that two-thirds of it you can’t take with you because some people on the other side of the ocean thought it might be a good idea to use similar-looking items to kill untold numbers of their human peers.

What a world we live in.

I am glad that the plot was uncovered beforehand. And I am glad that in the end, the worst harm was to the UK traveler intending to head to the US who could not fathom spending eight hours separated from her IPOD.  Pity.

Matthew 24:3-14 

As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.  Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.  Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.  But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

It has been fashionable in especially conservative and fundamental Christian circles to say that we are living in the end times. Personally, I believe that we have been living in the end times since Jesus spoke these words. I think time and dates are relative to God’s work and we are no closer or farther away from the end of all things than John was on Patmos. But I will say that it seems our world reflects very clearly the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew.

As believers, we have nothing to fear, for our assurance is not of or in this world or its goings on. But it is our duty to go and tell. To go and spread the good news of the Gospel to all the world. The damnation of any should not hang over our heads, so it is our responsibility to tell all that we can what we know and believe and live for.

Copyright notice: Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.