Theology Friday… Psalm 8

Today we live in world where many humans have lost their identity and purpose. Many are seeking to understand who they are and what they are here for. It is not surprising that we can turn to Psalm 8 in our struggles of identity and purpose. Philosophical anthropologists point out that, historically, human beings have sought their identity by comparing themselves to animals, to others, and to God. Only the second is absent from theis psalm. Here the human is not known by comparison to other races, nations, cultures. The omission is not accidental, and its absence must be emphasized. The notion of universal humankind has been around for a long time, but the drift of history does not favor it. Tribalism, nationalism, racism, (all the ways of being human in distinction from others and in hostility to others), govern the self-consciousness of the majority of the species. Yet in every crisis of culture and at every transition in history, we have to learn again how to say “human being”. The biblical view of our relationship with God is critical to our understanding of this and the identity of us being human.

Theology Friday… Ecclesiastes

Life is more complex than good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people, something that may have been consistent with the general view on life at the time of the writing of Ecclesiastes (it certainly is a philosophical world view that is prevalent in many cultures today). A revelation in this strange, Biblical book, is the fact that life is more complex than that. Life is a concept that develops from the abstract, moving to the practical outcomes, and culminating in leading us to finding meaning in a divine God. The questions through which this revelation is found outlined by Ecclesiastes, questions written well over two thousand years ago, are the same questions many of us are asking today.

Within this framework the author views human beings living in a world that is in every way out of human control (a rallying cry for our own generation). Nothing that people do or have is ultimately lasting. All things that happen in the world are confusing and incomprehensible. Yet, in all of this, Ecclesiastes acts almost like an observation tower, reflecting on the people and the world in which they lived. They were preoccupied with all sorts of social and economic issues, much like us today. Although they were confronting new economic possibilities and perils, the real issues that they faced were, in fact, nothing new (Ecc. 1:9-10). Others had already wrestled with life’s inconsistencies, contradictions, and absurdities. People in every generation and every place had always been, and always will be, caught in a world that is beyond human control. In such a world, Ecclesiastes proclaims the absolute sovereignty of God, who freely gives and freely acts. How much more does that apply to us today? Some of us feel like we are jelly fish, caught helplessly in the tide of life, with little or no control.

In summary, what Ecclesiastes is saying is this: enjoy all the material things of the world. There is nothing wrong in that. They are gifts from God. However, remember that these things cannot last forever nor can they give real lasting happiness. The purpose and meaning of life cannot be found in any of these things. So, acknowledge God as the source of all enjoyment; He alone can give meaning to life; He alone can give eternal significance to our lives. That in itself brings joy and eliminates any sense of pessimism.

Word of the Day – May 6

The one constant thing of our times is that nothing is constant. Being a change agent I truly enjoy change, but there are many things that change that don’t sit well with me… losing friends, moving away, death… It reminds me of something I heard a while back:

There is one constant in life though… 

When Pigs Fly…

It is estimated that 36,000 people die every year in America alone from the “regular” flu… and yet we are more afraid of the swine flu that has a far lower death rate. Why?

It is not a political agenda as most here in America would like to think (Health Care being a sensitive issue right now). The fear is worldwide… in Australia, Europe, Asia… We would not close down schools if a couple of kids came down with the regular flu, but if one of them has the swine flu, then let’s close down the whole school district!!! 

Today we are told that the swine flu is not particularly dangerous and that it is “very similar to the seasonal flu“.

…And tell me that the media doesn’t control our social behaviour!!!

Word of the Day…

I love G. K. Chesterton, anyone who could gracefully where slippers in public is worth noting. He was also a relatively large man and when, during World War I, a lady in London asked why he wasn’t ‘out at the Front’; he replied, ‘If you go round to the side, you will see that I am.’ His words were poignant though, and I love this quote of his: