This really rang true to me when I read it yesterday and I would like to share it with you...
"Apologetics means, of course, Defense. The first question is - what do you propose to defend? Christianity, of course. . .
We are to defend Christianity itself - the faith preached by the Apostles, attested by the Martyrs, embodied in the Creeds, expounded by the Fathers. . .
The great difficulty is to get modern audiences to realize that you are preaching Christianity solely and simply because you happen to think it true; they always suppose you are preaching it because you like it or you think it good for society or something of that sort. . .
Secondly, this scrupulous care to preserve the Christian message as something distinct from one's own ideas, has one very good effect on the apologist himself. It forces him, again and again, to face up to those elements in original Christianity which he personally finds obscure or repulsive. He is saved from the temptation to skip, or slur, or ignore what he finds disagreeable. . .
From this there follows a corollary about the Apologist's private reading. There are two questions he will naturally ask himself. (1) Have I been "keeping up," keeping abreast of recent movements in theology? (2) Have I stood firm. . .amidst all these "winds of doctrine" (Ephesians 4:14)? I want to say emphatically that the second question is the far more important of the two. . .
I am speaking, so far, of theological reading. Scientific reading is a different matter. . .
While we are on the subject of science, let me digress for a moment. I believe that any Christian who is qualified to write a good popular book on any science may do much more by that than by any directly apologetic work. . .
(AMEN! <-- that's me :)
Our business is to present that which is timeless (the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow) in the particular language of our own age. . .
Do not attempt to water Christianity down. . .
One last word. I have found that nothing is more dangerous to one's own faith than the work of an apologist. No doctrine of that Faith seems to me so spectral, so unreal as the one that I have just successfully defended in a public debate. For a moment, you see, it has seemed to rest on oneself: as a result, when you go away from that debate, it seems no stronger than that weak pillar. That is why we apologists take our lives in our hands and can be saved only by falling back continually from the web of our own arguments, as from our intellectual counters, into the Reality - from Christian apologetics into Christ Himself."
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
My First Steps
I have been looking forward so much to the New Testament Challenge. I have been feeling a desperate need to turn away from distraction and immerse myself in Jesus so I learn how to love him more and desire to align my will to his, allowing God to take over my life. But the beginning for me was a rocky start. Many times during the first four days of readings I felt myself pulling away from the gospel, questioning its tone, Matthew's portrayal of Jesus... But thankfully when I feel myself pull away, even if it is with my whole body and mind, a thin string remains.
I kept at it and on the fifth day I had an interesting experience. I was having difficulty concentrating on the reading. The words were not sinking in. (I read my Bible often, but little tidbits, often chosen at random or referenced in a book that I'm reading. During the NTC I want things to really sink in, and to recognize and explore every emotion that comes up for me - from doubt to elation.) So I forged ahead through the fog. And all of a sudden the landscape changed and I felt like I was there with Jesus and Peter hovering above the water they were walking on (Matthew 14:22.) Jesus became three dimensional and I began to understand the emotions, the nuances, the message as they applied to my life. I am praying for insight into parenting and this stood out as a parallel. What really grabbed me was Matthew 14:31 "Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him."
The closest thing I can compare it to is a stereogram where you stare at the image until you become immersed in it.
This is the first time something exactly like this has happened to me and I hesitate to put it into words. Ironically, the following Sunday's sermon alluded to this in a way (the idea that when we immerse ourselves in the Word daily and fully, it begins to illuminate to us our own lives and selves.) I have not yet listened to the sermon. This is what Chris told me (Sofia napped through church.)
Here is a link to the sermons - click on the one from February 5, I heard it was very good.
Ideally I should go back to the beginning of Matthew, when I was staring at the stereogram with no success. I think it would look different to me now.
I have spent the last three years growing intellectually as a Christian. After an intelligent friend attacked my viewpoints, it sent me on a hunt for "proof" or validation of my faith. A few things that helped me on my path were Mere Christianity and Screwtape Letters along with other books by CS Lewis. To help me through some issues I had (have) with the Old Testament I read "The Bible Jesus Read" by Philip Yancey. I also seeked out intelligent arguments against Christianity which was difficult. There are some seemingly good ones. But the more I dug, and oh how I dug, exhaustively, daily, nightly, til 3 am some nights, the more my faith grew, on an intellectual level.
Here are my prayers - I am much more interested in my personal walk with Jesus now. I want my personal relationship with him to grow. I also really desire to be a model, an example of Jesus Christ in my parenting - I want to totally commit myself to this mission. Please pray for me.
I kept at it and on the fifth day I had an interesting experience. I was having difficulty concentrating on the reading. The words were not sinking in. (I read my Bible often, but little tidbits, often chosen at random or referenced in a book that I'm reading. During the NTC I want things to really sink in, and to recognize and explore every emotion that comes up for me - from doubt to elation.) So I forged ahead through the fog. And all of a sudden the landscape changed and I felt like I was there with Jesus and Peter hovering above the water they were walking on (Matthew 14:22.) Jesus became three dimensional and I began to understand the emotions, the nuances, the message as they applied to my life. I am praying for insight into parenting and this stood out as a parallel. What really grabbed me was Matthew 14:31 "Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him."
The closest thing I can compare it to is a stereogram where you stare at the image until you become immersed in it.
This is the first time something exactly like this has happened to me and I hesitate to put it into words. Ironically, the following Sunday's sermon alluded to this in a way (the idea that when we immerse ourselves in the Word daily and fully, it begins to illuminate to us our own lives and selves.) I have not yet listened to the sermon. This is what Chris told me (Sofia napped through church.)
Here is a link to the sermons - click on the one from February 5, I heard it was very good.
Ideally I should go back to the beginning of Matthew, when I was staring at the stereogram with no success. I think it would look different to me now.
I have spent the last three years growing intellectually as a Christian. After an intelligent friend attacked my viewpoints, it sent me on a hunt for "proof" or validation of my faith. A few things that helped me on my path were Mere Christianity and Screwtape Letters along with other books by CS Lewis. To help me through some issues I had (have) with the Old Testament I read "The Bible Jesus Read" by Philip Yancey. I also seeked out intelligent arguments against Christianity which was difficult. There are some seemingly good ones. But the more I dug, and oh how I dug, exhaustively, daily, nightly, til 3 am some nights, the more my faith grew, on an intellectual level.
Here are my prayers - I am much more interested in my personal walk with Jesus now. I want my personal relationship with him to grow. I also really desire to be a model, an example of Jesus Christ in my parenting - I want to totally commit myself to this mission. Please pray for me.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Hunger and thirst for God
Paul Gieschen mentioned during our group and then Margaret Goins reiterated it on Sunday morning just how important it is that we hunger and thirst for God. I am meditating on that this week. I feel like without seeking God constantly I get wrapped up in my world and lose that humbleness I need to have before the Lord.
It's easy for me to do this right now because I've been working like crazy while battling an illness, so I feel depleted. And I tend to turn to God when times are rough like this. I pray that I will have this hunger when my load lightens.
It's easy for me to do this right now because I've been working like crazy while battling an illness, so I feel depleted. And I tend to turn to God when times are rough like this. I pray that I will have this hunger when my load lightens.
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