Still to Come
Christopher B. Harbin
Mark 13:1-8
As humans, we seem to be experts in getting caught up in spurious issues that are mainly irrelevant or distractions to the more important aspects of life. When it comes to theological issues, it is just more of the same. In the medieval period, Galileo was excommunicated from the church over issues regarding his discoveries in astronomy. Paul writes of clashes over the appropriate day to worship and eating meat offered to idols. At one point, only music written in ¾ time was acceptable as it related to the Trinity. At another point, ¾ time was disallowed, since it was used in ballet and considered scandalous. When I was in high school, one of the issues was whether drums could be used in worship. It seems we can find all sorts of issues to distract us from living out the gospel as Jesus taught.
I have family members who were not allowed to play cards growing up, but dominoes were acceptable. On another side of the family, cards were fine, but dominoes were not. A generation later, both were allowed, as there was a growing recognition that the reason for disallowing games had to do with gambling, and that could be done with or without cards, dominoes, or horse shoes. In politics, we create fake scandals in our attempts to demean our opposition, change the focus of the arguments of others to avoid dialogue, and create issues simply to stir up sentiment for personal advantage.
In doctrine and theology, the very same characters and players seem to be alive and well, as they have been for centuries. There is a kernel of truth to Marx's comments about religion being the opiate of the masses. That truth is not that faith in God is not a positive reality or that God does not exist. It is rather than all too many of us are too willing to allow the charlatans to distract us from where we should be focusing our attention. We allow the name and guise of religion to channel the purposes of the corrupt or ignorant who wo ...
Christopher B. Harbin
Mark 13:1-8
As humans, we seem to be experts in getting caught up in spurious issues that are mainly irrelevant or distractions to the more important aspects of life. When it comes to theological issues, it is just more of the same. In the medieval period, Galileo was excommunicated from the church over issues regarding his discoveries in astronomy. Paul writes of clashes over the appropriate day to worship and eating meat offered to idols. At one point, only music written in ¾ time was acceptable as it related to the Trinity. At another point, ¾ time was disallowed, since it was used in ballet and considered scandalous. When I was in high school, one of the issues was whether drums could be used in worship. It seems we can find all sorts of issues to distract us from living out the gospel as Jesus taught.
I have family members who were not allowed to play cards growing up, but dominoes were acceptable. On another side of the family, cards were fine, but dominoes were not. A generation later, both were allowed, as there was a growing recognition that the reason for disallowing games had to do with gambling, and that could be done with or without cards, dominoes, or horse shoes. In politics, we create fake scandals in our attempts to demean our opposition, change the focus of the arguments of others to avoid dialogue, and create issues simply to stir up sentiment for personal advantage.
In doctrine and theology, the very same characters and players seem to be alive and well, as they have been for centuries. There is a kernel of truth to Marx's comments about religion being the opiate of the masses. That truth is not that faith in God is not a positive reality or that God does not exist. It is rather than all too many of us are too willing to allow the charlatans to distract us from where we should be focusing our attention. We allow the name and guise of religion to channel the purposes of the corrupt or ignorant who wo ...
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