DAY 29- 3/29/17- SOLUS CHRISTUS- AND
PLURALISM
11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)
Thoughts- E pluribus unum- “Out of many one” is a motto of the United States on the Great Seal. Ironically the official motto of the United States (1956) is “In God we trust.” This trust in God can be a uniting thing that brings people of different races and backgrounds- rich and poor together. In our day the ‘E pluribus Unum” motto has taken precedent in a kind of reverse. Today we seem so divisive that perhaps a better descriptive motto (that I do not recommend) is “E Unum pluribus” (out of one- many). The sense of oneness is disappearing along with the spiritual and purposeful bonds that once helped us pull in the same moral and spiritual direction. What is missing is a sense of love. The idea of True Love has been derided and confused with lust. We have elevated an ever- hungry but never-satisfying-government into the role of the One who cares for us above all others. Though all religions in America are equally protected, not all are equally useful for the good of the state nor are they all equally valid. For example, some religions do not encourage charity but instead encourage focus on self in order to find inner peace. Arkansas struggled in 2015 as the government put a Ten Commandments statue up. Some Satan worshipers asked to put a statue of the devil up claiming equal treatment and equal validity and were recently (1/25/17)given the green light to move ahead. For some, this is simple fairness- everyone should be on equal grounds. But this goes beyond common sense into the realm of silly moral ineptitude. The solution is not to get rid of all statues- or even all religious monuments. The solution is to begin to make a distinction. Who makes that distinction? The people should be able to make (by vote or by representatives) that distinction. For a Satanic symbol could quickly become an idol and an object for worship for some, and Satanists elevate hate and division over love and unity. There are those who think Christianity is evil- but it is a religion that teaches love. There are some who believe Christianity is judgmental- but Christianity teaches to leave judgment to God and it is the Christians who teach “he who is without sin cast the first stone” and “Judge not lest ye be judged.” Yet, having said that, Christianity has always been a believer in truth. God is the ultimate judge of truth. What we believe matters. If we really believe that all religions are alike, would we allow ISIS to have a monument on the statehouse grounds out of fairness? It matters what you believe. There is a difference between those who behead Christians (like ISIS) and those who are beheaded for simply being Christian. It is not wrong to affirm Christ as our model for belief and practice. The Reformers were right to affirm the truth of Christ. We would do well to not be ashamed of the truth of the Gospel- the truth of the one, true, Christ whom alone we worship and serve.
11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)
Thoughts- E pluribus unum- “Out of many one” is a motto of the United States on the Great Seal. Ironically the official motto of the United States (1956) is “In God we trust.” This trust in God can be a uniting thing that brings people of different races and backgrounds- rich and poor together. In our day the ‘E pluribus Unum” motto has taken precedent in a kind of reverse. Today we seem so divisive that perhaps a better descriptive motto (that I do not recommend) is “E Unum pluribus” (out of one- many). The sense of oneness is disappearing along with the spiritual and purposeful bonds that once helped us pull in the same moral and spiritual direction. What is missing is a sense of love. The idea of True Love has been derided and confused with lust. We have elevated an ever- hungry but never-satisfying-government into the role of the One who cares for us above all others. Though all religions in America are equally protected, not all are equally useful for the good of the state nor are they all equally valid. For example, some religions do not encourage charity but instead encourage focus on self in order to find inner peace. Arkansas struggled in 2015 as the government put a Ten Commandments statue up. Some Satan worshipers asked to put a statue of the devil up claiming equal treatment and equal validity and were recently (1/25/17)given the green light to move ahead. For some, this is simple fairness- everyone should be on equal grounds. But this goes beyond common sense into the realm of silly moral ineptitude. The solution is not to get rid of all statues- or even all religious monuments. The solution is to begin to make a distinction. Who makes that distinction? The people should be able to make (by vote or by representatives) that distinction. For a Satanic symbol could quickly become an idol and an object for worship for some, and Satanists elevate hate and division over love and unity. There are those who think Christianity is evil- but it is a religion that teaches love. There are some who believe Christianity is judgmental- but Christianity teaches to leave judgment to God and it is the Christians who teach “he who is without sin cast the first stone” and “Judge not lest ye be judged.” Yet, having said that, Christianity has always been a believer in truth. God is the ultimate judge of truth. What we believe matters. If we really believe that all religions are alike, would we allow ISIS to have a monument on the statehouse grounds out of fairness? It matters what you believe. There is a difference between those who behead Christians (like ISIS) and those who are beheaded for simply being Christian. It is not wrong to affirm Christ as our model for belief and practice. The Reformers were right to affirm the truth of Christ. We would do well to not be ashamed of the truth of the Gospel- the truth of the one, true, Christ whom alone we worship and serve.
Reformers Statue Geneva
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