The Coming Storm

There is a great deal of diversity within the Church, and even within our own little local Body of believers in St. Albans. There are people who believe in soul sleep, while others believe in 'absent from the body, present with the Lord'. There are people who believe we should do communion every week, others think once a month or once a quarter is fine. Some believe in the possibility of Holy living here and now, others believe in strictly progressive sanctification. Some like choruses, some like hymns. In the larger Body it becomes even more diverse. Some believe that the Pope is God's Vicar on Earth, some don't. There are those who believe liturgy is the heart of worship and others who believe in freedom in worship. Some think that organ music is the only good music, while others think that rock bands are alright, and some who use no instruments at all. There is an immense diversity in the Christian experience in the world at large and even here in our own corner of Vermont.

It has always been my view and that of the churches I have served that we should take a "Kingdom Perspective". What that means is that our particular church and even our denomination is not for everyone. Some people may come in our doors, find the Lord and decide our church is not where they need to be. Maybe our organization, doctrines, focus and mission of the church or the worship style does not 'fit' with them. We will do our utmost to find a place where they DO fit in. Maybe they would be more at home in a Catholic church, maybe a Baptist or Assembly of God church, perhaps a larger local church like Essex Alliance. What really matters is that they are part of the Kingdom of God and going to a solid church.

Recently I have had my eyes opened to some interesting items that pertain to the 'End Times'. I have never been a student of the 'End Times', because I know God has it all in His hands. However, it has made me aware that there is a coming storm. Exactly when I don't know, nor do I want to know. But this one thing I do know. Not everyone is as "Kingdom" oriented as I am. There are many people out there who hold that their way is the only valid way of doing things, and no one else is right. This one is too liberal, that one uses the wrong translation of the Bible, the other one has the wrong structure and this one over here doesn't dunk enough times for the baptism to count.

My comment to this is very blunt and to the point. Get over it! When the storm comes it won't matter who is sitting next to you or what their faith tradition looks like, the storm will be hitting everyone equally. All the enemy will see is that you both call yourselves by the Name of Jesus the Christ, denying the rule of the beast (Rev 20:4) and you will likely both suffer the same fate, as martyrs.

Do I think the differences we have between us mean nothing? No, no mamby-pamby ecumenism here...that's not what I am saying at all. Our distinctiveness's are important, no doubt, and God has given us those distinctives for a reason. But I think we need to recognize we are brothers and sisters in Christ as long as we hold the same core beliefs that make us Christian; Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and other such-like do not hold to this short list of core beliefs and are not Christian. We cannot ever join with them as spiritual brethren. But Baptists, Catholics, Pentecostals, Orthodox, Methodists, AG, CMA, independents and all the other Christian denominations, we need to come together on the important matters and agree to disagree on the other "non-Salvation issue" items.

The storm is coming. We know that. We simply can't afford to be divided when it arrives.

"I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought" 1 Cor 1:10 (NIV)

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The Consequences of Atheism

A recent book by Stephen Hawking's, "The Grand Design", has caused more than a little stir in both scientific and theological circles. I'm sure I will get questions about this sooner or later, especially since Vermont has a fair contingent of atheists.

The most radical theological statements which Hawking makes in his book are, "Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist", and "It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the Universe going." In other words Hawking has explicitly rejected the possibility of any Deity or the necessity of Deity in creation.

Rather than touching on the various arguments for or against these statements, I'd like simply to focus for a moment on the implications of what he said, and explore the meaning of atheism in everyday life. Here are a few things for thought.

You are composed of several pounds of chemicals and a fair bit of water. Everything you are is simply a result of chemical reactions within your body. Each perception you have, every thought you have, every emotion you feel is simply a chemical reaction. A complicated reaction, perhaps, but just a chemical reaction in the end. Love is not real, neither is pain, joy or grief.

The sensation of being 'alive', or having thoughts and feelings, is basically a chemical reaction which creates an illusion of self-awareness. 'Alive' is simply just a temporary state of chemical equilibrium.

All creatures, plant and animal, are the same and have the same level of significance. There is a matter of scale and influence which sets the more complicated organisms apart, but in the words of PETA co-founder and President Ingrid Newkirk, "A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy" (Vogue, Sept 1, 1989).

There is no afterlife. There is no soul, no Nirvana, no Heaven, no Hell and no Happy Hunting Grounds. When your body ceases to function sufficiently well to support what we call 'life' or 'self-awareness', you will simply return to your constituent chemicals and what you were; the essential part that makes you who you are will be forever gone.

There is no reward for good behavior, there is no punishment for bad behavior except for the consequences of our own actions here. Other people may impose consequences upon you (fairly or not) but that is all that can happen.

When something bad happens to you, there is no underlying purpose. If you can get away with doing something to benefit yourself, even at the expense of others, go ahead and do it. There is no outside basis for morality, so don't worry about it. Ethics is a constructed fable.

There is no 'absolute truth' where behavior is concerned, it is simply a matter of your own desires being satisfied. Since you have only a small amount of time on earth and it all ends in oblivion, you might as well enjoy your time here. Party up! Get drunk, shoot up, sleep around. Just make sure you enjoy it all.

Since all life is simply a chemical phenomenon, there is nothing sacred about it. Want an abortion? Go ahead! Want to kill someone? No problem (just don't get caught)! Do what feels good and don't worry about others...they can look out for themselves.

Does this seem harsh? These are simply the logical consequences of following a belief in atheism. That is not to say that you cannot construct an ethos based on atheism (i.e. all human life is unique and can never be duplicated, so it is a crime against the universe to harm another person), but it is entirely optional and completely relative to the person.

The biggest issue I see with atheism and with the viewpoint of people like Hawking is that there is no hope anymore. This life is all there is. "Life sucks, then you die." As a Christian, I believe that there is indeed hope, and hope in the sense the ancient Greeks knew...not "pie in the sky thinking", but "confident expectation". It has been said that man can live without most things, but he cannot survive without hope. In what, or in whom, do you put YOUR hope?


"If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." 1 Cor 15:19-20 (NIV)


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No Religion?

Living here in the North Country you hear lots of interesting comments. This area is part of what is known as the 'burned over' region, where religion in general has seen better days. According to a recent survey Vermont has the lowest per capita level of church involvement of all fifty states. Does that mean that people don't have spirituality as part of their lives? No, not really.

Churches in general here are small. Roman Catholic parishes can tend to be large, but in many cases their numbers are not very enlightening. People tend to be kept on the rolls long after they have ceased attending. The largest Protestant churches are two Alliance congregations running in the multiple hundreds, perhaps low thousands, but still small compared to churches in the Bible Belt. Most Protestant churches have some sort of process where if they haven't seen you in a few years, you'll be labeled as inactive. My own pragmatic cut-off is to regard anyone who has not attended church or mass in two years as an unchurched person, whether they are on a church roll book or not. If they have not been in a church for six months, I look at them as inactive members. All this assuming, of course, that they don't have a good reason for not going to church. Someone who is bedridden, in a nursing home, deployed in the military or similiar circumstances does have valid reasons for not going to church.

Vermonters are funny in regard to spiritual matters. On the one hand they are fiercely independent. They don't trust most authority figures including spiritual authorities. On the other hand, they want the comfort of community. They want structure, but not rules. They are willing to deal with diversity, but have little idea what others really believe and don't care to learn.

We knew someone a few years ago who moved back south after living in Vermont for a few years. They told us that they couldn't stand living here anymore, that Vermonters were cold and unwelcoming people. Our experience has been totally the opposite. We have found Vermonters, especially the old-time residents, to be very warm and hospitable. They are, however, upset about the fact that 'flatlanders' have come into the state in droves over the last 30 years and changed the character of the state so dramatically. They feel as though Vermont has been hijacked from under them. In many ways this is true.

So, how do you reach a people who have spiritual thoughts and inclinations, but don't want to think about them, who are upset about outsiders coming in and taking over, feel they belong to a spiritual fellowship when they haven't attended for 30 years or who want the comfort of community but don't want to join in any formal way? I am still struggling with this. I know that God has insight into all of this. I know, too, that His power is superior. I know He wants ALL to be saved. So I'll keep praying, keep talking to people as a friend rather than as an authority figure, and leave the rest up to His Holy Spirit. After all, this is His field of harvest, not mine, and His job to convict others (John 16), not mine.

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)


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