Friday, March 28, 2008

Open Hands

There are few teachings of Christ more difficult to apply (and more commonly ignored) than Matthew 5:38-48. When given flesh and bones, this act of obedience has great potency to change lives steeped in sin and utterly stupify mockers of righteousness. Incidentally, this teaching may also be the best barometer of how entrenched materialism remains in the life of a believer. A follower of Christ cannot simultaneously love the soul of a lost one and hold his/her possessions in a tight fist.

From the streets of New York comes this testimony of the power of kindness and a love freed from worldly trappings.

“If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money.”


Julio Diaz, speaking with the teenager who robbed him. (Visit NPR to hear audio version)

March 28, 2008 -- Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner.

But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn.

He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife.

"He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says.

As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm."

The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, "like what's going on here?" Diaz says. "He asked me, 'Why are you doing this?'"

Diaz replied: "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me ... hey, you're more than welcome.

"You know, I just felt maybe he really needs help," Diaz says.

Diaz says he and the teen went into the diner and sat in a booth.

"The manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi," Diaz says. "The kid was like, 'You know everybody here. Do you own this place?'"

"No, I just eat here a lot," Diaz says he told the teen. "He says, 'But you're even nice to the dishwasher.'"

Diaz replied, "Well, haven't you been taught you should be nice to everybody?"

"Yea, but I didn't think people actually behaved that way," the teen said.

Diaz asked him what he wanted out of life. "He just had almost a sad face," Diaz says.

The teen couldn't answer Diaz — or he didn't want to.

When the bill arrived, Diaz told the teen, "Look, I guess you're going to have to pay for this bill 'cause you have my money and I can't pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I'll gladly treat you."

The teen "didn't even think about it" and returned the wallet, Diaz says. "I gave him $20 ... I figure maybe it'll help him. I don't know."

Diaz says he asked for something in return — the teen's knife — "and he gave it to me."

Afterward, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, "You're the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch."

"I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world."

Produced for Morning Edition by Michael Garofalo.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Pornography and the Golden Calf

In his powerfully real book, Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller confesses that he desired false gods "because Jesus wouldn't jump through my hoops..." Instead, he sought after gods that would satisfy his desire for novelty and philosophical variety. He sees parallels in the way the people of Israel committed spiritual adultery as a means to control their situation and fulfill their legitimate longings. Wandering in the wilderness, following a mysterious, frightening God, they built an idol more familiar to them, an idol they could see and touch and that would condone any pleasures they so desired. In this, we see the catastrophe of the human condition, The Fall replayed in all its horrid detail. Men seeking to harness the universe and bend life to meet their own lusts bring destruction upon their heads.

Several thousand years later, men use pornography as an idol to scratch their lustful itches. Unable to get their wives to jump through their hoops, many men have escaped to a twisted, on-demand form of sexuality they can control. Though this hateful idol is the very one worshiped by unbelievers and held up as a sign of human progress in upending "traditional" morality, Christian men return to its familiar comforts at the risk of bringing a plague upon their homes. That plague has devastated America as family upon family have blown apart in the forces of bitterness, distrust, and hurt. Oh that we could crush pornography into fine dust as Moses did to the golden cow!

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Review--The Shadow and Night

The Shadow and Night - Chris Walley - A+

Suppose modern Evangelicals have it wrong. Suppose that Christ's return isn't imminent and that He has no plans to rapture the Church. Suppose instead that the Lord ushers in a Golden Age in which the universe has been cleansed of Satanic influence and the corrosive effects of sin. Given thousands of years to build a harmonious society called The Assembly, mankind in Walley's speculative future has spread across the galaxy on hundreds of Made Worlds, planets made in Earth's image to host the thriving human race. On the edge of the Assembly lies Farholme, home to the protagonist Merral d'Avanos. After his teenage cousin witnesses a disturbing, unfathomable creature in the northern woods, events unfold that signal the end of an age of peace and stability. Evil has returned to the Assembly, beginning its destructive rampage on Farholme. As Merral and company confront the growing threat, they discover the problem reaches deeper than they'd like; sin has begun its dark march across their own hearts as well.

The novel's portrayal of a world free from the corruptive influence of sin strikes a chord deep within. The reader instinctively recognizes the "correctness" of Merral's world before the invasion, that is, life as it was meant to be. Men and women enjoy their work, receive rich pleasure from creativity and craft as they mimic their Creator, and thrive in relationships untainted by battles of the ego. This setting creates within the reader a sense of longing for such a world, and drives one to recognize what he/she has given up in order to enjoy the bitterness of sin. A true sense of loss is conveyed as evil corrupts Merral's world.

In contrast to many Christian protagonists, Merral has a genuine heart complete with all its resident contradictions. Facing evil for the first time, he quickly learns the "heart is deceitful above all things." Merral confronts his own culpability in the vilification of Farholme as he faces his own moral failures and weaknesses. His confusion about the changed spiritual landscape adds to a sense of reality as, for example, Merral ponders an apparent silence from heaven after he prays.

While some may complain, the book's length is sufficient to portray a culture characterized by innocence and ego-free human activity. A full and proper description combined with the reader's longing for such a state causes the reader to hurt and mourn with Merral as his world begins to unravel. Additionally, a well-crafted exposition serves to heighten the suspense and sense of horror about the invaders since the reader must wait helplessly as events unfold.

To fully appreciate this book, Christian readers must lay down their presuppositions regarding end-time events and be willing to entertain a post-millenialist view. Mature individuals should be able to hold several views simultaneously for any issue with substantial uncertainty and disagreement such as this one. An overly-dogmatic perspective sucks much joy out of the exploration of our universe.

Finally, the book's incorporation of science-minded individuals was quite refreshing. Similar treatment by other respected authors can go a long way in removing perceptions that Christians are ignorant of the workings of the natural world. Unexamined beliefs regarding Genesis have pushed Christians away from using science as a tool for proper exploration and stewardship of our world.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Heavenly Counterpoint

In addressing the problem of evil in the world and its train of attendants--sorrow, pain, sickness, death, despair--many observers have recognized the hand of redemption at work. God, in His infinite wisdom allowed The Fall and its consequences as a means of heavenly counterpoint. In other words, to fully appreciate joy in this life, one must understand sorrow; to enjoy health, sickness must be a shadow in the past, and so on.

I've often wondered what infinite joy would do to a human being...how will we handle or rather withstand perpetual joy in the Heavenly Jerusalem without emotional meltdown? With this present age behind us serving as a contrast, eternal life in God's presence can be fully enjoyed for what it is. But, will this effect lose its power as our memories of our earthly sojourn stretch thin into eternity?

In thinking of Heaven and infinite bliss, I've always considered the obliteration of the terrible opposites as God makes all things new. In their place I've projected pure blessed experience. However, it occured to me that perhaps instead of the sorrow-joy antithesis, in eternity we will experience times of joy juxtaposed with times without joy. Now, non-joy does not mean sorrow, and as such it could serve as the needed reference point to richen the experience. This is a novel thought for me since I've never expected that our experiences in Heaven may include moments of...what...stasis? I don't recall Scripture indicating this won't be the case, only that there will be no more sorrow, crying, or pain.

On the other hand, we too will be made new. Perhaps our capacity to handle complete, infinite joy will also stretch to infinite. Or, will the experience of Heaven differ so completely from this present age as to defy projection utterly? We shall see...

Friday, March 07, 2008

The Shadow and Night -- A+

The Shadow and Night - Chris Walley

Finally! Modern Christian science fiction that can truly claim to be descendant from C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. Set thousands of years in the future on a Made World on the edge of the settled universe, Shadow tells the story of a Eden-like world that once more must face the corrupting, insideous evil that spoiled our world so long ago. Hard to summarize...a must read. (Rating: A+ / G.L. 6+)

Review forthcoming....