"Syntheotics"

"The wind is old and still at play While I must hurry upon my way, 
 For I am running to Paradise".

Y B Yeats 
 As Quoted in Oliver Stone's, 'Wild Palms'.

It's a day of strong delusions.
The 'fakery' of what people can now put on screen and make the well known say has reached a new level this year, and whilst some of the voices aren't quite there yet, they're getting close. We're not far away from the point where we'll be able to get someone to say anything and you won't know if they really said it or not.

Back in the 90's, Bruce Wagner wrote a series of near future stories in which a power-hungry senator merged television, holography and narcotics to begin a new religion which allowed people to engage with three dimensional environments to manufacture their own reality. Wild Palms was the televised rendition of the basic idea, and focused on a culture war between those who wanted to use the need of the masses to make themselves virtual gods (the fathers), and the resistance (friends) who struggle against massive odds to show people the truth.

The fascinating connection between these two forms of projection is the growth of our buying into illusion whilst deeper, harder truths are marginalized.

What's true of culture is also mirrored in trends in theology.

I recall, some years ago, talking to a friend who, after spending several years in learning, had turned from his faith to atheism. His argument to me was that Paul (the Apostle) simply couldn't be trusted - his assessment of the historical worth and pivotal role of Adam in the history of mankind was at best mistaken and at worse comprehensively misleading. My response, in respect to the anthropology was the jury is still out, but in regards to theology, without that (Paul's) 'gravitational pull' in respect to Adam, the entire weight of the Biblical view would indeed be little more than a string of untuned notions in collision with each other(1)

It's the significance of what scripture actually states to us on a spectrum of vital issues that makes their message imperative, but the prevalent thinking today is that there is no cohesive and clear 'word' given by the Bible - it's a far more nuanced procedure of picking out what is deemed relevant in respect to current pluralistic aspirations than seeking to understand what's stated in its own terms. To take scripture plainly, in other words, as Luther and others instructed in most cases, is deemed foolish and lacks any voice in our present climate.

One area where this has been particularly true of late is the theology of the atonement, and particularly with respect to Christ's substitution for us, which has been defined as a relatively 'modern' development in Christianity.

In his work, The Crucified King, after making an exhaustive analysis of the books of Isaiah and Mark to show how integral substitution is to the biblical message, Jeremy treat notes how contemporary "surveys of the doctrine of the atonement typically sweep through church history", assigning he notes particular theories to various ages in an almost hermetically sealed fashion, but the reality is very different. Anselm, for example, speaking of recapitulation, victory and substitution all in one brief statement concerning the magnitude of the work of Christ's death, and such statements are clearly present in various key theologians of different periods. That is because they are merely seeking to express something of the scope of the meaning provided by scripture.

 Do we see what is at stake here? If we truncate our approach to what the Bible is actually seeking to say to us to the supposedly wide (but in effect deaf) interpretations of our time, we will, in effect, miss the truth entirely and find ourselves, like the peddlers of syntheotics in Wild Palms, given over to the strength of our own delusion.

The scriptures speak very clearly on issues such as our fallen state and its ramifications, the redemptive work of God in Christ and the nature and message of the good news that comes to us through Jesus Christ. These truths cannot be marginalized without us loosing the very essence of the faith and our becoming muted in our message to the world.

God calls us in Christ to seek something deeper than the 'suitable', convenient and soothing to itching ears - to comprehend truths that are deep and mysterious because they address the full nature of what is real in respect to both our Creator and the estate we presently inhabit.

Time to see the illusions for what they are and return to the essential nature of our faith.

(1) A useful work on this whole subject is 'Adam, the Fall and Original Sin', edited by Hans Madueme and Michael Reeves.

Kiling (and healing) me softly

Where Life and death need to lead us.

Identify...

"For although there are many so-called gods, yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom and for whom all things exist, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and by whom we exist".  1 Corinthians 8:6.

The politics of the last few weeks has certainly allowed people to show where they stand in respect to numerous issues. Whether it's the current administration of America, the elections in Australia, the horrifying purge in North Korea, or the turmoil of change in the European sphere, it's clear that strong convictions exist across the board, and many want to see what they believe to be right in the results.

Ideology is like that. There's no lack of passion and meaning derived from such notions, but the problem is that we can be so caught up in such fervor that we can miss asking what really counts - is what I'm doing here truly good and right?

On his way to trial for his faith in Rome, Paul had the opportunity to address Felix, the Roman governor of Caesarea. 

Felix had listened to the case the religious authorities had against Paul - how the sect he advocated profaned the religion of the Jews - but he was  going to be stunned by what was spoken by the prisoner himself.

Paul makes it clear that he had done everything well in what was required by his ancient faith, but something had happened to him that had shown what more was required. He could declare his adherence to all that his accusers believed, but the moment that the resurrected Jesus appeared had changed and challenged him. Felix may have been from a pagan background, but he clearly saw something in what Paul was conveying that was deep. The account tells us that a few days later, he summoned Paul again to speak to him and his wife about his faith (Acts 24:24) - the start of a series of conversations that would continue for the next two years.

Felix ended his office, leaving Paul in prison.

In everyday terms, we wouldn't look upon what happened here as successful, but the next two chapters of the book of Acts informs us of the opportunities that followed for him to speak further to those in authority.

We so often think what defines us is what we're about - our actions or convictions. We, no doubt, would have been doing everything we could to get ourselves freed, but what defines Paul in the midst of these troubles isn't just what he is or what he wants - all of that feeds into a far more vital reality; that of the resurrected Jesus that he had met and the ramifications of that fact for the whole world.

That's why he writes in the manner he does to the church in Corinth.

The issue isn't what's eaten or rejected, he tells them - the world is full of strange ideologies about such things - it's that we understand who really gives us such gifts (The Father and Jesus Christ) and that we partake of them with thanksgiving to Him, rather than viewing them purely as a means to serve our greed or humanly devised superstitions.

Paul could be taken to Rome in chains because his body and soul belonged to the one who had died for him, and rose to show that we have a future beyond the smallness of our current days.

As we considered last time in respect to suffering, it's vital that we come to understand that the world doesn't revolve around us - that many things are here to make us stop and consider what is really going on and where we fit in that much larger picture.

In the last few years before his death, renowned atheist Anthony Flew began to look afresh at the 'big picture' that was emerging from the sciences and especially biology. What he discovered left him totally convinced there was a God, and that he had been thoroughly mistaken for much of his life in respect to the nature of what was true.

Like Paul, after meeting Jesus, we need to find the place where our identity is truly made secure and whole, and that is possible in the freedom and value that comes through the creative and redemptive work of God evidenced through love in the giving to us of Jesus Christ.

So much of life will leave us dissatisfied and deeply frustrated, but there is so much more than this in the eternal goodness and care of the one who gives Himself to make us truly free.

Damaged Underneath

"The tragedy of the streets means few can delude themselves into thinking they have it under control. You cannot ignore death there, and you cannot ignore human fallibility. It is easier to see that everyone is a sinner, everyone is fallible, and everyone is mortal. It is easier to see that there are things just too deep, too important, or too great for us to know. It is far easier to recognize that one must come to peace with the idea that ‘we don’t and never will have this under control.’ It is far easier to see religion not just as useful, but as true.” Chris Arnade. Dignity.

It's not comfortable, or comforting.
Death chills us to the bone, and suffering tares like a wild beast, because we know where it's pointing - towards us coming to an end.

That's no doubt why we back away from thinking about God being the author and authority of life and death. It's the moments we have no control over, and when we suffer, we're bluntly reminded that destiny isn't ours and everything we do here is equally as fleeting.

That's why we need heros, no doubt; characters that transcend the norms even if they do die because they do so in a way that revels in their worthiness, making the universe better because they were here.

Our real heroics, of course, take on a much different guise.
Years of physical, emotional and psychological pain are carried by those of us who have been irreparably scarred by the cauldron that proves to be reality - a living hell for some, a terrible burden for others.

It's weird, then, that so many try to find answers in the temporary, when we need a far stronger medicine. A remedy as deep as the pain itself. As far reaching as lasting beyond our own small time and the dread of death.

That's where God comes in.
In one place He says:
"Can a woman forget the child she has nursed at her breast, that she would not have compassion on the offspring of her womb?
They may forget, but I never will.
See, how I have engraved you on the very palms of my hands".

Isaiah 49:15 &16.

Watching a scene from a recent TV soap last night on You Tube, which was speaking of how a woman's life is one of pain, pretty much from puberty to menopause, I found myself thinking just how little we can inhabit the skin of another, but how amidst all our different woes, we all know that life is totally astonishing and meant to be for something meaningful. We can play at saying we're just a bunch of atoms if we like, but deep down we know, like with our heros, that the pain has to count - it has to go 'into' something worthwhile to not be pointless and destructive.
Many who suffer do so for the sake of others, or because, in their lonely hardship, they hope someone will notice and value what they're doing.

Suffering can be worthwhile, when it leads to healing, not just in alleviation (what we deeply need) but in knowing that it is meaningful.

In our own sphere, suffering brings nothing but questions (even some answers merely amplify these), but God wants to look deeper - to see the marks on His hands that tell us life is like this for a far greater purpose.

When we step into a sphere of thinking where we can look beyond the moment and the transitory values of today, we find a much, much larger truth about reality.

In the opening scene in heaven of the last book of the Bible, all of history is focused on the appearance of one person. He doesn't come forward as some Caesar arrayed in triumph, but as one marked as a slain Lamb from the very foundation of the world. This is God's beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

The scene staggers John, the writer.
How can this be?
All of time and space, of what will unfold as history, will do so because of the centrality and significance of such a one.

The one who truly defines what counts is marked, bathed, in suffering and death, that from those ruinous depths, from those dreadful horrors, life might be made something precious and free in the totality of its goodness forever.

We look at ourselves, and we don't understand.
Why this trial, this loss, this suffering.
It doesn't add up - it just makes us think we're nothing but creatures made for the worst. Death rightly scares us rigid, and there seems no way out of our nightmare.

Christ identifies wholly with us in our need.
He is the one hanging in the agony of crucifixion, carrying our burden - our sickness and our sin - that He might deliver us from this on the day when our bodies are clothed with life without any more trouble.

The purpose so often is to bring something better, but the present is blighted only by the pain.

He comes to us, for us, that we can become whole again.

Amidst the trails, ask that Jesus to walk with you.
The pain will remain, but reality will become sharpened by a clearer, worthwhile truth.
Suffering won't last forever.

Troubling developments

A merchant, in whose hands are false balances... loves to oppress. Hosea 12:7.

One of the privileges I've enjoyed living where I do, at least for the better part of my life, has been the opportunity to express myself and speak about truth.

In my youth, this was often in the form of getting out in the streets to talk to people, pretty much every weekend, and in later years, this has become possible in respects to writing,  first in publishing a book, and over the past decade, by creating posts for this site, as well as teaching theology in my local church.

I've been monitoring the changes that have been taking place in respect to social media over the past eighteen months as new rules have appeared on the sites, and new laws have begun to be introduced through various bodies.

Whilst the 'voices' speaking out against the curtailing of free speech have been various and numerous, the intention to cull and corral what is allowed in many public forums continues, so unless there is a radical reversal of what is underway in the near future, it may prove increasingly difficult for people to speak out against some very troublesome trends currently growing in the world.

A recent article on the Christian Post site by Michael Brown sought to examine some of the ways that this trend has directly impacted upon Christian media over recent times.
Most of us currently use social media in a variety of ways, including to speak about our faith, so I'd encourage you to be aware of what's happening in this area, both in respects to the culture at large and in respect to Christian truth.

Tasting forever

Enjoy this taste of heaven.

Piercing the Void

"When we say that a friend 'helped' us, two meanings are possible. In the case where our need was for something practical, we have in mind material assistance, but when nothing can be done along those lines - when the beloved are lost to death - we mean something different. The friend has 'done' nothing to prevent the unwanted outcome, or to change it, yet we value them and are glad of them, because we know perfectly well we would not have gotten through the ordeal without them. It was their presence which made the difference". Based on Robert Farrar Capon's insight in his book, the Third Peacock.

Ours is an age of pretense.
We have made huge strides in what might be termed the 'mechanics' of things - technology at every corner, 24/7 global coverage of all that's new - and yet, with all our verbose success and secular swagger, we have lost ourselves when it comes to becoming whole in respects to identity and value.

Ours is the day of loneliness, of alienation, of lack of genuine worth and purpose, because if you tell people long enough and hard enough that there isn't anything but the 'mechanics' - the random knocking together of stuff that just happens to express itself in, oh, forming a universe - then everything is, in truth, pretty pointless.

We all know that life isn't really about that.
The Biblical record is astonishingly short on the details of the 'how'; it seeks to underline the point that the real causes for what binds the elements and produces the miracle of life are deeply mysterious. It's interesting that no matter how hard we try to explore those depths, what we so often find is not a solution, but further questions. 

The meaning we actually gain about existence begins and ends elsewhere.
When I lost my wife to cancer some years ago, what made it bearable was the care and comfort of friends, both kin and those who decided to draw close and be there, whatever it cost. The value of such warmth amidst darkness cannot be measured, and I know that I was able to not just survive but engage with life again because that love was there.

It's by love that we become people fully alive, because truly giving yourself to another, however deep the cost that may be involved, brings out the true value of our time here - in giving, we so often discover something deeper about the wonder and the marvel of this gift of life.

Our capacity to share in this way expresses something vital about what we're meant to be - cherished people who truly belong to each other through a bond that no hardship, not even death, can end, because we truly value each other deeply - beyond our own desires or needs.

That's the centre point of Christianity, diametrically opposed to the folly of selfishness. It informs us that the real treasures of this world revolve around a love that gives itself fully and wholly to the rescue and redemption of what had been swallowed in the darkness of pride and vanity, what had become so lost that it could not see how empty its existence was.

The world we inhabit will no doubt keep on getting 'smarter' in its manipulation of things, but it will also continue to become more evil as people themselves progressively become just another 'thing' to manipulate.
The answer was given to us 2,000 years ago on a hill outside an ancient city wall, and at the empty grave a few days later.

Make time, dear friend, to consider these things, that genuine love may make you whole.