What does having a good time mean?
Among my peers it seems that by having a good time you have to be getting into mischief. Stirring up trouble where ever trouble can be stirred. Why is it that getting into "trouble" is what makes something fun or enjoyable? Why isn't virtue "fun" anymore. When someone is considered prudent or virtuous in anyway they are automatically a "party pooper"! The things which are good, true, and beautiful are no longer worth aspiring to. "They are not exciting enough," one might say. We value the antagonist more than the protagonist!
Yet we fail to realize that by valuing evil, we are missing out on the long lasting joy of searching out the good, the true, and the beautiful. Because virtue is not instantly gratifing or "funny" we dismiss it.
The sad part about this is, because something is "funny" it is instantly justified. Making a crude joke isn't bad unless it is not "funny". When in actuality, the crude joke is just as bad even if everybody does laugh at it (or at you for that matter). Where is the line drawn?
I have a hard time enjoying the company of my peers because of this. How do I make them see that virtue is "fun". Anytime I try to bring up something related to this subject it is immediately rejected due to the fact that it is either, "to serious," or "who cares?"
How does one make others see? It is the question. Many great thinkers have pondered this question and if they did not come up with a definite answer then I certainly won't within the next five minutes!! However, it definately deserves some of my time. Paul said, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
Friday, October 28, 2005
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Friday, October 21, 2005
Quote of the day
"Saints love true peace. They also hate false peace, peace based on lies. Saints hate violence and intolerance against sinners. But they also hate tolerance of sin. Saints love sinners more, and sins less, than anyone else does. Both of these eccentricities puzzle people and often offend them."
~Peter Kreeft
~Peter Kreeft
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Faith
Faith described by James, in its essence is works. James primarily talks about faith in chapter 2:14-24, where he says,
"What does it profit, my brethren if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitue of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works,' show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe-and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?"
This being the case, then what Paul said in Romans 1:17 makes a little more sense. "as it is written, 'the just shall live by faith'." For it is by good works that the true believers will live and be justified. However, good works isn't what saves us, it is the fruit of our belief. This now erases even the slightest conception of using Christ as a crutch. It is by grace alone that we are saved. Not so that we can keep on sinning but that we would realize how wretched we truly are, and recognize the need for Christ in our lives.
Faith I believe also plays a part in our own personal conversion. Sheldon Vanauken in the book, "A Severe Mercy," describes to CS Lewis the frustraiting gap that he is dealing with. The gap between paganism and Christianity. In a letter to CSL he writes, "My fundamental dilemma is this: I can't believe in Christ unless I have faith, but I can't have faith unless I believe in Christ. This is 'the leap'."
Faith now has been established as an action. The paganist must then have faith to believe. After the initial act of believing, his faith will be stregnthend as he begins to grow and mature in his walk with Christ. God will slowly remove those desires for worldly things as long as the former paganist continues to keep his faith alive. Hence the reason why the Christian walk is so hard at times. It takes self-control and a self-will to supress the desires which are contrary to Christ's standards.
To summarize, faith is an action. It is the by product of our own personal relationship with Christ. Faith is not something one says he has, but something that must be proven over and over. "Faith without works is dead..."
"What does it profit, my brethren if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitue of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works,' show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe-and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?"
This being the case, then what Paul said in Romans 1:17 makes a little more sense. "as it is written, 'the just shall live by faith'." For it is by good works that the true believers will live and be justified. However, good works isn't what saves us, it is the fruit of our belief. This now erases even the slightest conception of using Christ as a crutch. It is by grace alone that we are saved. Not so that we can keep on sinning but that we would realize how wretched we truly are, and recognize the need for Christ in our lives.
Faith I believe also plays a part in our own personal conversion. Sheldon Vanauken in the book, "A Severe Mercy," describes to CS Lewis the frustraiting gap that he is dealing with. The gap between paganism and Christianity. In a letter to CSL he writes, "My fundamental dilemma is this: I can't believe in Christ unless I have faith, but I can't have faith unless I believe in Christ. This is 'the leap'."
Faith now has been established as an action. The paganist must then have faith to believe. After the initial act of believing, his faith will be stregnthend as he begins to grow and mature in his walk with Christ. God will slowly remove those desires for worldly things as long as the former paganist continues to keep his faith alive. Hence the reason why the Christian walk is so hard at times. It takes self-control and a self-will to supress the desires which are contrary to Christ's standards.
To summarize, faith is an action. It is the by product of our own personal relationship with Christ. Faith is not something one says he has, but something that must be proven over and over. "Faith without works is dead..."
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Interesting
There is a professor at Washinton University who wrote an essay called "In Defense of Homophobia." Needless to say this is making some people very unhappy.
I found this article to be very interesting. Interesting in the sense that the a student from W.U. who is fighting against what this professor has said, mentioned that there needs to be a discussion about tolerance. When in fact he is now the one who is intolerant becuase he does not agree with the professor. The hypocrisy is amazing!!
The professor brings up a lot of good points and even quotes the Bible regarding the issue of homosexuality. I'm not sure if he is a Christian or not.
This is the news article:
http://www.ksdk.com/news/education_article.aspx?storyid=85334
Here's Katz actual web page:http://wuphys.wustl.edu/~katz/defense.html
I found this article to be very interesting. Interesting in the sense that the a student from W.U. who is fighting against what this professor has said, mentioned that there needs to be a discussion about tolerance. When in fact he is now the one who is intolerant becuase he does not agree with the professor. The hypocrisy is amazing!!
The professor brings up a lot of good points and even quotes the Bible regarding the issue of homosexuality. I'm not sure if he is a Christian or not.
This is the news article:
http://www.ksdk.com/news/education_article.aspx?storyid=85334
Here's Katz actual web page:http://wuphys.wustl.edu/~katz/defense.html
Monday, October 03, 2005
Its coming.....
Yes the Chronicles of Narnia, "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe," will be out Dec. 9!! http://www.narnia.com I hope Disney does a good job....
On the Fringe of Reality
What is it about "teenagehood" that makes it so unbearable at times? The random mood swings, and the need to rebel? Those mountain peaks closely followed by very low valleys. I believe it has to do with reality.
As a kid (0~12) one has been pampered by their parents. There is literally no responsibility, and the world revolves around how one feels. And then around the teenage years something starts to happen. One begins to see glimpses of what it means to be self-sufficent. To have an income and have to pay for expenses. At first this all seems very fun, "Look at all the freedom I have!!" However, this "freedom" doesn't come without a price.
Work becomes boring, school seems to overwhelming, and ones parents won't get them out of doing what has to be done. All of a sudden the social life which seems to be SO important at the time must be put on the back burner.
When looking at this initially, it all seems so boring and wearysome. Where's the fun in providing for ones self and living on ones own? Should this be how we look at the future? Or is there something which is worth looking forward too?
Its as if one is stuck between reality and dream world. That feeling you have when you first wake up in the morning. Here you have just woken up, dream world is slowly slipping away while reality is about to hit you right in the face. You long to go back to dream world but you know that that is impossible. Reality must be met with fervence. It must be met with a readiness, knowing that the promise of once more going back to dream world is only a short time away. The better you deal with reality the better your slumber will be.
And so it is with the Christian life. We must take on the world, trying to further Christs kingdom. All the while remembering the promise of spending eternity with Him. Where He'll wipe away every tear and where everything will be perfect!! So take heart and run the race to win!!
As a kid (0~12) one has been pampered by their parents. There is literally no responsibility, and the world revolves around how one feels. And then around the teenage years something starts to happen. One begins to see glimpses of what it means to be self-sufficent. To have an income and have to pay for expenses. At first this all seems very fun, "Look at all the freedom I have!!" However, this "freedom" doesn't come without a price.
Work becomes boring, school seems to overwhelming, and ones parents won't get them out of doing what has to be done. All of a sudden the social life which seems to be SO important at the time must be put on the back burner.
When looking at this initially, it all seems so boring and wearysome. Where's the fun in providing for ones self and living on ones own? Should this be how we look at the future? Or is there something which is worth looking forward too?
Its as if one is stuck between reality and dream world. That feeling you have when you first wake up in the morning. Here you have just woken up, dream world is slowly slipping away while reality is about to hit you right in the face. You long to go back to dream world but you know that that is impossible. Reality must be met with fervence. It must be met with a readiness, knowing that the promise of once more going back to dream world is only a short time away. The better you deal with reality the better your slumber will be.
And so it is with the Christian life. We must take on the world, trying to further Christs kingdom. All the while remembering the promise of spending eternity with Him. Where He'll wipe away every tear and where everything will be perfect!! So take heart and run the race to win!!
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