Quod Scripsi, Scripsi

Dostoevsky on Humble Love

At some thoughts one stands perplexed, especially at the sight of men’s sin, and wonders whether one should use force or humble love. Always decide to use humble love. If you resolve on that once for all, you may subdue the whole world. Loving humility is marvellously strong, the strongest of all things and there is nothing else like it.

-Brothers Karamazov

Protestantism and Atheism

I’m currently reading Alister McGrath’s The Twilight of Atheism and in it he raises the question whether the protestant reformation and resulting worldview shift contributed to the general acceptance of an atheistic worldview in the modern era. He makes some interesting points, particularly about Calvin and Zwingli and the sterilization of the Christian imagination. I’ve long felt a discontent with the “pure” intellectualism of conservative Protestantism. God gave us Reason and His Word, but He also gave us a spirit, as sense of beauty and wonder, and yes even Imagination.
I think Christianity is waking up from a long slumber under the spell of Modernism. I think we’re rediscovering both Spirit and Truth, in Scripture, Tradition, Liturgy, Music, Service and Charity. If you know Church history you’ll recognize that this isn’t the first time we’ve been awakened, reformed, challenged and reborn. It’s not new, but it is different each time.

I know I am.

The Kingdom of Heaven

I’ve been wondering what the relation might be between the things I’m reading by McLaren and things I’m reading by Zacharias and others in his ministry. The concept of the Kingdom of Heaven being on Earth, here and now, and being relevant to every aspect of our daily lives is certainly counter to the major trends of the protestant church. I subscribe to “A Slice of Infinity” from rzim.org, and I got a jolt from today’s missive: “On Earth as it is in Heaven“.

Comparing this to McLaren’s books like “The Secret Message of Jesus” and “A Generous Orthodoxy” makes me wonder how much they read of each other. Something is happening…

The Emergent Church

I’ve been reading Brian McLaren’s books lately. He says a lot of things that I’ve been thinking for a long, long time. I come from an interesting religious background, part Roman, part Orthodox, mostly conservative Protestant. My political views are not easy to categorize, but tend to be based on the actual situation rather than any party line. I’ve taken some heat for arguing that no Christian can be a politician and remain true to the faith. The essence of democracy is compromise, and representation of the majority view even when that view conflicts with the personal views of the representative. I’m not sure yet what to think about some of the arguments McLaren makes about the teachings of Jesus and their relation to political and social involvement. I’m trying to sort out my own biases from genuine criticism.

I do absolutely agree with much of his thought on ecumenism, liturgy, cultural versus transformative Christianity, and a host of other issues. The ways that Christians have read and used Scripture have always intrigued and somewhat baffled me. I remember sitting in sunday school when I was only six or seven and hearing the teacher say that we know that the Bible is perfect because it says it is. That made my little head hurt.

As I continue to wrestle with the issues McLaren is raising, I’m getting a little nervous. I thought I’d found a nice box to keep my faith in, wrapped in Apologetics and debate, sipping tea and reading C.S. Lewis by the fire. McLaren quotes Lewis quite a bit, along with many other brilliant Christians. In fact, there seems to be quite a bit of crossover with the types of quotes and arguments in the books I’m reading by Ravi Zacharias. Hmm. My little head hurts.

Sola Scriptura

One of my oldest personal struggles has been the concept of the exclusivity of Scripture. I’m speaking here of the contrast between Protestant primacy of Scripture and the Apostolic/Catholic teaching of Scripture as written tradition.

Actually, I guess I have an ongoing reaction to what I perceive as the sterility and western rationalism of the Protestant movement. This is an interesting problem to have when you’re as deep into apologetics and reason as I am. I used to revile C.S. Lewis as a sterile rationalist who sought to remove the mystery from the faith.

Then I read him. Funny, how so much has been written and discussed about what he actually believed, in terms of the Protestant/Catholic axis. I find myself drawn to Orthodoxy and it’s powerful spiritual tradition, I have some history there and I still maintain that Orthodox Liturgical music is as close as we will get on Earth to hearing choirs of Angels. I still have some serious issues with Roman Catholic doctrine. I attend an Evangelical Protestant church with roots directly in the great revivals of the last two centuries. I’m reading the Philokalia.