I recently taught a Sunday School Class on the topic of human suffering. Just like people that have lived for thousands of years, we still find ourselves perplexed by the reality of human suffering.
We find ourselves perplexed because of the classic contradiction of ideas that Leibniz call "the theodicy." I put the concept together this way: 1) We all taught that God is all knowing, loving, powerful, etc. 2) We find ourselves in a world of suffering. No matter what one's answer might be, this is the classic formulation of the answer.
Here are some of the classical answers to the question: 1) God is not all powerful, and does not have the ability to stop all suffering, 2)God is not all loving, 3)God uses suffering as a way to punish us for wrong doing, 3) a kind of theory of atonement, i.e. we must make up for our sins---and if we do not we are punished. None of these make anyone feel particularly good.
This is always made the most sense to me: 1)we have the freedom to choose, 2)God lets us "wrestle' with our proverbial "demons", even to the point of tragedy, 3) the world operates by a series of "physical laws' which cannot be changed all the time, 4)this life is not the fulfillment of my "existence; there is more to come.
So, I do blame humanity for the Holocaust. We could have done more to stop it. I do not blame God for the hurricane that destroys my home. That same hurricane is cooling global water tempuratures. I do blame myself for the bad choices I make. Finally, I deal with much suffering in this way: I have a choice not only to "act" correctly, but I have a choice to control how I think and feel about the bad that happens to me.
I invite you to comment with your thoughts.
Ray Province
Ray Province is a retired minister and owner of The Celtic Ozarkian, a website that chronicles life in the Ozarks. He is an IT Programer by trade, and freelances in SEO, website developments, social bookmarking, and blogging on things he loves.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Did Paul Found the Christian Movement?
I ran across an article recently on the apostle Paul. In short, the article contended that Paul may have had a bigger influence on the Christian movement than Jesus of Nazareth. Needless to say, the article got my attention.
This type of thinking about the role of Paul in early Christianity is not new. I have seen the same argument from Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and others from the so-called “enlightenment era.” I can even remember sitting in a philosophy class in college studying the same argument from a German philosopher named Nietzsche. If you are so inclined, do a Google search on the “historical Jesus” or “historical Jesus movement” and check out what they have to say on the matter.
There are several issues, which have been “branded’ to Paul, that help to keep this age old argument alive: the so-called anti female, anti marriage, anti gay, and anti Semitic movements. Almost all literature I have ever seen from someone with this sort of political slant will fall back on the teachings attributed to Paul for “biblical’ support of the cause. A second issue that has lasted through the years is the concept of “predestination.” This issue, steeped in the Pauline tradition, asks “how free will do I have to accept or reject God?” A third issues centers around the idea of human beings coming into the world as “sinners” from the get go. The original sin of Adam and Eve has left a mark on us all, and continues down through the ages via our progeny. Finally, the fact that Paul never spent time with Jesus continues to be a point of debate. As one might recall, Paul meets a glorified Jesus on the road to Damascus.
I think it is fair to say, based on the accounts we have, that Paul and the original twelve disciples did not get along well. I am not sure I would have trusted the sincerity of Paul conversion either! The stories from the book of Acts inform us that a “peaceful co-existence’ finally comes to fruition between the original twelve and Paul. This may be part of the reason that Paul becomes the missionary to the Gentiles. To me, this issue can be overplayed. If we do not wish to look to Paul for the answer on why the good news came to the Gentiles, we need only look as far as the folks with which Jesus interacted and ministered.
If you look at the writings left to us about early Christianity, you have to take Paul into account. There are 13 letters in the New Testament attributed to Paul (though most scholars today would tell you only 7 are Paul’s). We have none from the hand of Jesus himself. There is just a lot of stuff missing. Even Paul makes mention of other works that have not survived the test of time.
Given that, the letters of Paul are as close to Jesus as anything we have. The work in our canon of Scripture gives us the best look at the life and ministry of Jesus we have. I also try to remember that, like any good movement, thought and beliefs evolve over time. The early writings of Paul are very close to the stories told about Jesus in the gospels. I am not surprised that time allowed for fuller thinking, even in an educated Paul (take a look at Romans for instance.)
Like it or not, the gospel took root quicker in the outlands, in the Diaspora. The early Jesus movement took on a life of its own. To me, every person who help spread the news in this critical point in history is just as responsible for the shape of Christianity today. I would even contend that all of us in the 21st Century are doing the same thing. I think I’ll keep a spot in my heart for Paul, and pray the history remembers me as well.
Ray and Robin Province are the owners of The Celtic Ozarkian website, dedicated to issues surrounding life in the Ozarks. You can find us at: http://ping.fm/W0mRn or http://ping.fm/Js7VE
Ray is a retired minister who is currently an IT programmer in the healthcare industry, and freelances in SEO and website development. Robin is a semi retired ICU nurse who now works in coding and compliance in the healthcare industry. She is the co-owner of http://ping.fm/SdbiZ
This type of thinking about the role of Paul in early Christianity is not new. I have seen the same argument from Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and others from the so-called “enlightenment era.” I can even remember sitting in a philosophy class in college studying the same argument from a German philosopher named Nietzsche. If you are so inclined, do a Google search on the “historical Jesus” or “historical Jesus movement” and check out what they have to say on the matter.
There are several issues, which have been “branded’ to Paul, that help to keep this age old argument alive: the so-called anti female, anti marriage, anti gay, and anti Semitic movements. Almost all literature I have ever seen from someone with this sort of political slant will fall back on the teachings attributed to Paul for “biblical’ support of the cause. A second issue that has lasted through the years is the concept of “predestination.” This issue, steeped in the Pauline tradition, asks “how free will do I have to accept or reject God?” A third issues centers around the idea of human beings coming into the world as “sinners” from the get go. The original sin of Adam and Eve has left a mark on us all, and continues down through the ages via our progeny. Finally, the fact that Paul never spent time with Jesus continues to be a point of debate. As one might recall, Paul meets a glorified Jesus on the road to Damascus.
I think it is fair to say, based on the accounts we have, that Paul and the original twelve disciples did not get along well. I am not sure I would have trusted the sincerity of Paul conversion either! The stories from the book of Acts inform us that a “peaceful co-existence’ finally comes to fruition between the original twelve and Paul. This may be part of the reason that Paul becomes the missionary to the Gentiles. To me, this issue can be overplayed. If we do not wish to look to Paul for the answer on why the good news came to the Gentiles, we need only look as far as the folks with which Jesus interacted and ministered.
If you look at the writings left to us about early Christianity, you have to take Paul into account. There are 13 letters in the New Testament attributed to Paul (though most scholars today would tell you only 7 are Paul’s). We have none from the hand of Jesus himself. There is just a lot of stuff missing. Even Paul makes mention of other works that have not survived the test of time.
Given that, the letters of Paul are as close to Jesus as anything we have. The work in our canon of Scripture gives us the best look at the life and ministry of Jesus we have. I also try to remember that, like any good movement, thought and beliefs evolve over time. The early writings of Paul are very close to the stories told about Jesus in the gospels. I am not surprised that time allowed for fuller thinking, even in an educated Paul (take a look at Romans for instance.)
Like it or not, the gospel took root quicker in the outlands, in the Diaspora. The early Jesus movement took on a life of its own. To me, every person who help spread the news in this critical point in history is just as responsible for the shape of Christianity today. I would even contend that all of us in the 21st Century are doing the same thing. I think I’ll keep a spot in my heart for Paul, and pray the history remembers me as well.
Ray and Robin Province are the owners of The Celtic Ozarkian website, dedicated to issues surrounding life in the Ozarks. You can find us at: http://ping.fm/W0mRn or http://ping.fm/Js7VE
Ray is a retired minister who is currently an IT programmer in the healthcare industry, and freelances in SEO and website development. Robin is a semi retired ICU nurse who now works in coding and compliance in the healthcare industry. She is the co-owner of http://ping.fm/SdbiZ
Monday, March 2, 2009
How To Spend A Day With God
I wanted to share some information on how to spend a day with God. It is a plan for more than just a time of prayer. It is an attitude that can allow you to have quiet moments with God throughout the day. Here it is:
1. Thanksgiving
Begin with thanksgiving. Psalm 100:4 tells us, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise." Thank Him for His patience and forgiveness. Thank Him for the privilege of coming into His presence. Thank Him for what He has done in and through your life in the last year. Take time to list what God has done for you. Be specific. Think through every area of your life.
2. Confession
Ask God to search your heart. Psalm 139: 23,24 Confess any sins the Holy Spirit reveals. Psalm 19:12 Remember the certainty of forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 Make certain you are walking and praying in the Spirit. Ephesians 5:15-20
3. Praise
Become still before the Lord. Psalm 46:10 Consider who God is. Psalm 103 Praise Him for His attributes. Psalm 145 Rejoice in your fellowship with Him and that He delights in you. Proverbs 15:8 Read passages of Scripture and pray them back to God. Psalms 146 - 150 Sing to the Lord.
4. Intercession
Pray your way around the world with unhurried, detailed intercession for others. Ask God to reveal the world to you from His point of view as you read Psalm 33. Begin with your non-Christians, friends, relatives, neighbors and others the Lord puts on your heart. Pray that the people who have never heard about Jesus would have an opportunity to hear and understand the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 Pray for those in authority - federal/national, provincial/state and municipal/county government leaders.1 Timothy 2:1,2 Pray for Christians ,using Paul's prayers in Philippians 1:9-11, Colossians 1:9-12, Ephesians 1 :16-19. "By intercessory prayer we can hold off Satan from other lives and give the Holy Ghost a chance with them. No wonder Jesus put such tremendous emphasis on prayer!" - Oswald Chambers
5. Personal Life Evaluation
Ask for understanding as you read an entire book of the Bible. Record insights God gives you. Ask God what He thinks of your life. Wait. Listen for His answer. Evaluate the use of the time, talent, treasure, education and experience God has entrusted to you. Are they glorifying to God? Do you need to change what you are doing? Discuss with the Lord your joys, your sorrows and decisions you are facing. Find promises and directives in the Bible which you can record.
"The greatest answer to prayer is that I am brought into a perfect understanding with God, and that alters my view of actual things." - Oswald Chambers
6. Concluding Your Day With God
Praise and thank God for the fellowship you had today. Schedule the next "Day with the Lord" in your appointment book.Share with someone about your day.
Ray and Robin Province are the owners of The Celtic Ozarkian website, dedicated to issues surrounding life in the Ozarks. You can find us at: http://www.celticozarkian.com.
Ray is currently an IT programmer in the healthcare industry, and freelances in SEO and website development. Robin is a semi retired ICU nurse who now works in coding and compliance in the healthcare industry.
1. Thanksgiving
Begin with thanksgiving. Psalm 100:4 tells us, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise." Thank Him for His patience and forgiveness. Thank Him for the privilege of coming into His presence. Thank Him for what He has done in and through your life in the last year. Take time to list what God has done for you. Be specific. Think through every area of your life.
2. Confession
Ask God to search your heart. Psalm 139: 23,24 Confess any sins the Holy Spirit reveals. Psalm 19:12 Remember the certainty of forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 Make certain you are walking and praying in the Spirit. Ephesians 5:15-20
3. Praise
Become still before the Lord. Psalm 46:10 Consider who God is. Psalm 103 Praise Him for His attributes. Psalm 145 Rejoice in your fellowship with Him and that He delights in you. Proverbs 15:8 Read passages of Scripture and pray them back to God. Psalms 146 - 150 Sing to the Lord.
4. Intercession
Pray your way around the world with unhurried, detailed intercession for others. Ask God to reveal the world to you from His point of view as you read Psalm 33. Begin with your non-Christians, friends, relatives, neighbors and others the Lord puts on your heart. Pray that the people who have never heard about Jesus would have an opportunity to hear and understand the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 Pray for those in authority - federal/national, provincial/state and municipal/county government leaders.1 Timothy 2:1,2 Pray for Christians ,using Paul's prayers in Philippians 1:9-11, Colossians 1:9-12, Ephesians 1 :16-19. "By intercessory prayer we can hold off Satan from other lives and give the Holy Ghost a chance with them. No wonder Jesus put such tremendous emphasis on prayer!" - Oswald Chambers
5. Personal Life Evaluation
Ask for understanding as you read an entire book of the Bible. Record insights God gives you. Ask God what He thinks of your life. Wait. Listen for His answer. Evaluate the use of the time, talent, treasure, education and experience God has entrusted to you. Are they glorifying to God? Do you need to change what you are doing? Discuss with the Lord your joys, your sorrows and decisions you are facing. Find promises and directives in the Bible which you can record.
"The greatest answer to prayer is that I am brought into a perfect understanding with God, and that alters my view of actual things." - Oswald Chambers
6. Concluding Your Day With God
Praise and thank God for the fellowship you had today. Schedule the next "Day with the Lord" in your appointment book.Share with someone about your day.
Ray and Robin Province are the owners of The Celtic Ozarkian website, dedicated to issues surrounding life in the Ozarks. You can find us at: http://www.celticozarkian.com.
Ray is currently an IT programmer in the healthcare industry, and freelances in SEO and website development. Robin is a semi retired ICU nurse who now works in coding and compliance in the healthcare industry.
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