Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)
@#$%
Senseless Christianity
As I recall
– it’s a recollection because I tossed all of his books after reading them for
academics of no consequence because, as Tony often says, there’s nothing more
funny than a smart guy saying such incredibly stupid things – Bertrand Russell
wrote his essay “Why I Am Not a Christian” because he believed the
soteriological claims and social ethics of Jesus are senseless.
Back in the early 70s when I had to
pretend my professors’ syllabi were worth the paper used to print them, I did
the usual brown-nosing thing, tilted my head in profound pseudo-attention,
puffed on my pipe which really improved my grades in Europe, and waxed
eloquently in saying nothing like a recent President because scholarships often
depended upon the aforementioned.
Of course, when you think about it,
Christianity does sound senseless in a lot of ways.
Really, “In the beginning, God
created…”
That means God was before the
beginning.
Then there’s this from Jesus –
Emmanuel or “God with skin on” which is another mindblower – “I am the alpha
and the omega…”
Whoa.
That means He was before the beginning
and after the end.
I can’t begin to tell you how many
bottles of Excedrin that compelled.
O.K., while I prefer to believe I’m
not related to a tadpole though looking at the behavior of some people begs the
question and makes those Planet of the Apes movies seem reasonable, I’m
one of those guys who doesn’t take the bait on those creationism versus
evolution debates that keeps freshman philosophy and religion classes going
when professors run out of notes and have to fill out the hour.
While I’m sure I’ll be wished dead –
that’s how Democrats and Republicans and progressives and traditionalists and
mainline denominationalists and other fundamentalists have taught us to
discourage dissent – I think God could have done it by evolution or just, you
know, kinda willed it.
I’m Lutheran in that
regard; letting God be God and doing whatever the heaven that He wants/wills to
do.
Bruce Ennis, a really smart guy from
MIT who said really smart things, said just before I presided at his funeral
back in the early 80s, “If this Someone, whom I call God, has the power to
grant life on earth, simple logic would dictate that He could also grant life
elsewhere, which I call heaven…To any intelligent and perceptive human being
exposed daily, as he is, to the beautiful miracles of this earth, and realizing
that only some Power greater than he could produce such miracles, it must seem
that an atheist has a low degree of intelligence, coupled with an abysmal lack
of perceptivity, a deplorably egotistical self-esteem, and an unseemly
arrogance.”
Kinda like Russell.
Or as somebody once said, “To believe
that everything on earth and in the universe just happened without God
as Creator is akin to believing there was a big explosion in the print shop and
the dictionary just happened/appeared when the dust settled.”
Tony is right.
Really smart people often say really
stupid things.
But, admittedly, Christianity can seem
so senseless at times.
If it weren’t for God being God and
doing Godly kinda things which is why we refer to Him as almighty or capable of
doing whatever the heaven that He wants/wills to do, nothing this side or that
side of whatever would make any sense.
It only makes sense because God is
sovereign.
God.
Get it/Him?
God!!!
And the Bible keeps reminding us that
He loves us, came in Jesus to prove it, and we’ll live happily ever after if we
accept that/Him.
That really makes no sense.
God loves us even though we break
every behavioral rule that He gave to us from Genesis through Revelation.
God loves us even though we keep
crucifying Him in government, courtroom, classroom, commerce, media,
entertainment, and even churches that increasingly ignore or defy Him and
pretend He never meant what He so clearly and conclusively communicated in
Jesus by the book about the sanctity of all human life, marriage, lifestyle,
mercy, forgiveness, unconditional love, and…other stuff so obviously more
important to Him than us.
It doesn’t make sense that God keeps
loving us when we have this anything but heavenly repeated history of not
loving Him back.
Truth is we are no heavenly good
without Him.
So as we look at all of the things
that smart jerks like Russell say prove Christianity is senseless – eternal
life and loving enemies and miracles and incarnation and resurrection and all
the rest – I think, and I may be wrong, the most senseless thing about
Christianity is God just keeps on loving us and wanting us to be His in time
and forever and keeps inviting us and welcoming us and including us when we
return to Him when we’re so bent on doing things that are no heaven good by
commission or omission.
The only thing that makes Christianity
sensible is God.
God says He is gracious.
Grace- filled.
He provides what we don’t deserve –
confident living in the assurance of eternal life by grace through faith in
Jesus – and doesn’t decree what we deserve which is anything but heavenly.
So, O.K., let’s admit it.
Christianity doesn’t make sense.
Praise God!
@#$%
Blessings and Love!
@#$%
Salt! Shine! Leavenate!
Look up! Stand up! Speak up! Act up for Jesus!
@#$%
@#$%
@#$%
6 comments:
Just think how long our GOD has been around Millions & Billions of years. All this time making the universe. Some say the earth is only 15000 years old. I don`t know.
We live in a Beautiful world. When you Love the LORD everything is Beautiful. When I get up it`s always a good day. I always get up with a smile.
I guess I`m Rambling again. God Bless
Pastor you have a very good writing today God Bless.
Walton
One of the best so far!
Bob,
EXCELLENT!!!! You say it so well!
His ways our not our ways; His thoughts are much higher!
Thank God!
Merci, mon ami!
Bob,
You be right. God don't make sense, yet without God, nothing else makes sense.
I just finished John H. Walton's book, "The Lost World of Genesis One." His brilliant and insightful take on the creation narratives and science are worth the easy effort and moderate time required. Read it in light of your comments. I think you'll find a new friend.
By the way, this is one of your better columns, in Kierkegaardian sort of way. And I like Soren, and I like you. Keep preaching, writing, and speaking truth. Power cannot resist.
Humbled, brother
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