(9:46 AM PST) - This morning while working out at the gym I was listening to chapter 12 of The Great Controversy by Ellen G. White. This chapter was recounting part of the Reformation history that sweep Europe. The Reformation impacted every country and everyone even little countries like Sweden were specifically mentioned. This got me thinking. As I continued listening I couldn't help but wonder, why is Europe so secular today?
I think it is safe to say that Europe is the mother of modern day western Christianity. Whether this is positive or negative, good or bad those who espouse Christianity today must necessarily trace their faith heritage through the world of European Christian culture (this is not to say that it started or stops there).
So why is Europe so secular today? Why have they lost their religious Christian faith heritage? Is it because Christianity doesn't work? Is it because they have found something better? What factors played a role in the dismantling of Christianity in Europe?
What can we or should we learn from this historical record? Has modern day Christianity been attacked and weakened by similar factors that caused Christianity to crumble in Europe? What were the obvious factors? Were some factors more philosophical and subtle than others?
I recently attended a lecture at Regent College in Vancouver, BC on the Campus of the University of British Columbia dealing with Secularism & Postmodernism. The presentation by Prof. John Stackhouse was very provocative and overall very good. At the beginning of his presentation he carefully defined secularism and it's various derivatives as follows:
- Secular: something common “of the world”
- Secularization: a process of something sacred becoming profane (or ordinary)
- Secularity: a condition (no concern or care for religious things---this condition does not have to infer negativity
towards Christians)
- Secularism: an ideology (this term by definition includes a negativity towards Christianity)
In partial response to my own question, why is Europe so secular? I wonder if it "secularization" played a role. It had to of in some capacity or another, but maybe it played a significant role in a more subtle way.
And maybe as followers of Christ today we are faced with this same subtle attack of secularization. I don't know I'm just thinking out loud...and the thinking continues.
(10:45 PM - PST)
Monday, December 7, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Rescue...
(9:14 PM PST) - Last night I dreamt that I was visiting (maybe living in) a coastal city. The details are becoming more foggy because I am some 18+ hours removed from the dream. I think it was a tropical region and the specific location in the city was a resort like area right on the beach. Once again I don't remember much regarding the entire context, but the scene involved a major storm that was ravaging the resort and everywhere up and down the coast. Hundreds of people were being swept out to sea.
It was a dramatic scene and very terrifying. In the dream I felt compelled to do something. I couldn't just stand there and watch people die. I had to try and help. Now the truth is in real life it would have been 100% IMPOSSIBLE for me to help without professional equipment. Because the waves crashing the shoreline were way to powerful and the wind was exhaustively destructive, but in the dream it was a different story and I was able to rescue a number of people.
The reason I share this dream is because it was a very moving scene and when I woke up the only thing I could think about is our responsibility as followers of Jesus to rescue people from the destructiveness of sin. Ultimately we cannot rescue or save anyone. Jesus is our only Saviour, but we can help people accept salvation—we can facilitate in that process.
It would be a tragedy for anyone of us to stand idly by and watch people suffer and die without a hope, without THE hope of Jesus! I remember in the dream thinking two things: 1) I had to try, and 2) I did not know who I could help—I remember attempting a rescue but was unsuccessful, yet other attempts were successful, because in the attempt to rescue one person who missed my reach I was able save another.
In the salvation of humanity we must do our part, we must try. We don't know what will work when or with who? But we do know our efforts will not be unsuccessful. Ecclesiastes 11:1 tells us to cast our bread upon many waters and after many days you will find it. This is imagery teaches us that we must do our best to share the love of Jesus with as many people as we can. Because when we share Jesus the living water and the bread of life far and wide we will find it again after many days. Our efforts will yield a rich harvest. We don't know what will produce a harvest or where, so we must cast the bread of life everywhere and to everyone.
Let's be active in sharing the love of Jesus, let's be active in getting to know Jesus and then we will have something to share with everyone we meet.
(10:15 PM PST - the next day)
It was a dramatic scene and very terrifying. In the dream I felt compelled to do something. I couldn't just stand there and watch people die. I had to try and help. Now the truth is in real life it would have been 100% IMPOSSIBLE for me to help without professional equipment. Because the waves crashing the shoreline were way to powerful and the wind was exhaustively destructive, but in the dream it was a different story and I was able to rescue a number of people.
The reason I share this dream is because it was a very moving scene and when I woke up the only thing I could think about is our responsibility as followers of Jesus to rescue people from the destructiveness of sin. Ultimately we cannot rescue or save anyone. Jesus is our only Saviour, but we can help people accept salvation—we can facilitate in that process.
It would be a tragedy for anyone of us to stand idly by and watch people suffer and die without a hope, without THE hope of Jesus! I remember in the dream thinking two things: 1) I had to try, and 2) I did not know who I could help—I remember attempting a rescue but was unsuccessful, yet other attempts were successful, because in the attempt to rescue one person who missed my reach I was able save another.
In the salvation of humanity we must do our part, we must try. We don't know what will work when or with who? But we do know our efforts will not be unsuccessful. Ecclesiastes 11:1 tells us to cast our bread upon many waters and after many days you will find it. This is imagery teaches us that we must do our best to share the love of Jesus with as many people as we can. Because when we share Jesus the living water and the bread of life far and wide we will find it again after many days. Our efforts will yield a rich harvest. We don't know what will produce a harvest or where, so we must cast the bread of life everywhere and to everyone.
Let's be active in sharing the love of Jesus, let's be active in getting to know Jesus and then we will have something to share with everyone we meet.
(10:15 PM PST - the next day)
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