In her very recent book, "With Or Without God", Rev Gretta Vosper writes:
The Christian Church, as we have built it and known it, has outlived its viability. Less and less vulnerable to religion's absolute and supernatural claims, people are no longer content with its ethereal promises.
Christianity scrambles for relevance in a world that, for the most part, is ill suited to address. And yet, it is precisely because of the challenges present in today's world that we most need the strength church might be able to offer, should it survive the mess in which it currently finds itself.
Thoughts??
David
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4 comments:
I am so excited to hear from someone in the ministry who has the fortitude to present an honest idea. Modern science and objective research have about done away with human need of a mysterious entity in control.
Lacking fear of the supernatural will not lead to moral decline if we teach honesty and set moral examples.
Actually, 'modern science' has done nothing of the sort. In fact, just the opposite. To deprive the universe of its Creator is to deprive it of its purpose and goal. If we have no purpose or goal, if there is no Being, mysterious or otherwise, of Whom we can ask our most searching questions, to Whom we can take our deepest needs, then life itself loses meaning. The BBC in recent years has taken up the anti-God cause in a big way. If you want your own show on the BEEB, like sergeant Lewis, Morse's old sidekick, you have to renounce and denounce God in public. 'Let's be honest,' they seem to be saying, 'life is ultimately meaningless.' Then they're surprised when young people start stabbing each other for no reason.
No doubt we are too much in love with the institutions we have constructed, sometimes on the base of Jesus' teaching; often not. Jesus thought the same of 'good religious people' in his own day. But he didn't throw out God; just the opposite.
Doug Perry
(former member of Westminster)
What science has done lately, in quantum physics, in evolutionary biology, even in mathematics, is show that even the simplest parts of our world are incredibly complex. There is a theorem in mathematics called the Banach-Tarski paradox which says that you can cut up a sphere the size of a pea, and put it back together and make a sphere the size of a planet. The proof is long, but it works. But with all this uncertainty, complexity and weirdness how is it that there is anything that we can be sure of?
Science has not taken away the need for God, instead it has made faith an important part of being a scientist. The Quantum Physicist has formulas that describe our observations of the world very well, but the formulas are bizarre. To believe in quantum physics is a leap of faith.
To be a Christian, has always required a similar leap of faith. God's existence cannot be proven using scientific logic (though there have been many attempts). I feel that the fundamentals of Christianity (doing good things, do unto others, etc.) are still as strong and as important as they were two-thousand years ago. I feel that many have got caught up in the incidentals, (interpreting Genesis as refuting evolution, marriage definitions, etc.) when the important part is doing good things, helping the poor and being kind to each other.
Thanks for your time. I'm considering coming to worship for the first time soon. :)
In this post modern world it is easy to "create" our own philosophy or philosophies!
Two places I go back to are creation and the complexity of human life and our world...read....
Hidden Face of God by Gerald Schroeder.
This recent book was one of the top philosophy books written by a nuclear physicist at MIT.
This book is captivating! Even Antony Flew the famous Atheist changes his mind to say everything had to be started by a great intelligence or intelligent designer.
Second I look at Jesus Christ how historical actually undeniably historical. Who fulfilled over 200 prophesies! Its amazing how he was born! The life he led, the things he claimed and his death and resurrection....
even look at the Dead Sea scrolls how they confirm the scriptures as so accurate! Like the book of Isaiah confirming the prophesies of Jesus...just look at all the prophesies!
Look at the RADICAL explosion of the Christian Church and to see the 10000 who believed immediately after the resurrection!
What about all the apostles that lost faith when Jesus died and then after the resurrection each and everyone of them gave their own lives to preach what they witnessed!
Look at Apostle Paul and his conversion!
Read Resurrected by Dr Gary Habermas who debates Atheist Anthony Flew!
It's easy for Vosper to say things but she has taken away from Historical Jesus and the great supernatural created universe!
Jesus claimed to be God and one with him and THE WAY and The TRUTH no one comes to the Father but through him. He claimed to forgive sin.
I know many post modern thinkers want to take away the truth about only ONE GOD and who Jesus is and why he came.
God wasn't a God impersonal out there who is disinterested but a God who through his justice came to dwell amongst us! Through the humble way he came through his Son, lived an extraordinary life with NO sin to show us the way...Ultimate gift to the world because we couldn't save ourselves. Not by works...Jesus did it for us on the Cross and the Resurrection! Paid once and for all and the free GIFT of salvation. Since we all fall short it was done for us as a gift! Either you believe by faith or reject it. Create your own life philosophy....if you reject it.
Gods ultimate gift was ultimate love. His son. Historical despite what many modern thinkers say. Check out Dr William Lane Craig top Christian mind out their if you have your doubts and follow some of the debates on Youtube. He's likely to get you thinking or Lee Strobel ...read Case for Christ or Case for a Creator! Great books or Dr Norman Geisler....I don't have enough faith to be an atheist. Why do you think Richard Dawkins ...(god delusion) will not debate Dr William Lane Craig in England Nov.2011...There is a chair waiting for Dawkins at the Nov date ...will he show.
Fruit for thought...just google Prophesies Jesus Christ fulfilled...just might get skeptics thinking that its no coincidence that Jesus is the most popular man in history! Further reading....Dr Gary Habermas, Phillip Yancey, Ravi Zacharias.
Blessings to all!
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