In this marvelous lecture, James K.A. Smith posits that all of life is both religious and liturgical. He sees the importance of ritual and patterns of life in the formation of the cultures in which we live. For him, “formative institutions” are those institutions that want to shape our identity by shaping what we love.
The Church, in its liturgical function, in its worship, is a culture that can reshape the broader culture by giving us a greater understanding the role of liturgy and ritual generally.
This lecture is a bit long – but well worth the time invested.
His work is undertaken at the borderlands between philosophy, theology, ethics, aesthetics, science, and politics. Informed by a long Augustinian tradition of theological cultural critique–from Augustine and Calvin to Edwards and Kuyper–his interests are in bringing critical thought to bear on the practices of the church and the church’s witness to culture.
He is the author of numerous books, including “The Devil Reads Derrida–And Other Essays on the University, the Church, Politics, and the Arts” and his most recently released “Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation.”
In a New York Post online article entitled Meltdown of the climate ‘consensus’, the first line makes an assertion worth considering: “If this keeps up, no one’s going to trust any scientists.”
The article is specifically about the issue of man-caused global warming, and the notion that “the best scientists” are 1) not unified on the question, and 2) fighting among each other about which side is engaged in pseudo-science and downright public deception, and 3) loosing the confidence of the worldwide audience who are witnessing the confusion.
I , for my part, don’t know what to think. How could I? What do I know about the science, one way or another? What I am inclined to is a robust mistrust of the man-caused global warming crowd and their pronouncements because of their underlying assumptions and worldviews. However, I generally wonder whether the presuppositions and worldviews of the anti- man-caused global warming crowd are any better. More often than not – it seems more like a political debate and less of a scientific one anyway.
But what about the question posed earlier? Will people stop trusting scientists altogether? And what would be the result if they did?
The materialist assumptions that modern culture has about the nature of reality promotes a general trust of science as a more reliable arbiter and establisher of truth than religious authorities (e.g. the Christian Bible). If there is nothing authoritative outside of our material world that can give us truth, who better to provide authoritative pronouncements of truth than scientists (of all kinds)? Because our culture has not given up on its materialist worldview in favor of another – I think it unlikely that people will stop trusting scientists generally.
What about us Christians? Should we trust scientists?
As far as I’m concerned, science should be viewed as an important gift from God. It is a method that is used to help us learn things about God’s work of creation. It has provided a means of developing many technologies that have been good and useful in our world (as well as some pretty useless and poorly and sinfully used ones). However, not all that science determines to be true is indeed true. Further research, testing and analysis often over turn previously announced “scientific facts.” Science is not an infallible source of knowledge and truth – Therefore, it should not be treated as one. It must be remembered that rebellious men suppress the truth of God (both in the Bible and in creation) in their unrighteousness.
Thus, Christians can and should be scientists. Christians should receive with thanksgiving the gifts that God gives to us through the works of scientists. Christians should learn about the work of scientists to better understand our world, worship God more gratefully, and provide scientists with insight about what is being learned. Christians should reject any scientific claims that contradict the Scriptures. Because scientific truth claims are often later determined to be erroneous, Christians, therefore, should exhibit patience and let time and more scientific work help us to understand the truth of the specific claims. In other words, we cannot allow ourselves to be tossed about by every whim of scientific doctrine – but constant in faith and faithfulness; and exhibit biblical wisdom in the use of the products of the scientific endeavor.
An increasing healthy mistrust of “scientists” generally in our culture would be a good thing, in my opinion. They would be forced to limit their statements of truth, be more careful in their research and conclusions, and be less willing to engage in thinking more highly of themselves than they ought. We have such a mistrust of politicians, lawyers, etc – and I believe it does us a great deal of good by causing us to hold them accountable in significant ways for their truth claims. There are certainly good and godly men in all fields of human endeavor, but the works of both the godly and the wicked need to be tested by the truth of God’s Word – our final authority for all truth.
I have significantly mixed thoughts about this book.
One the one hand I found it a fascinating description of modern (post-modern) life. His descriptions of the difficulties people face within an ever-changing world was both revealing and horrifying, especially for those who have nothing outside of this way of living by which to gain perspective and solidity. Christians have faith in God that can provide a means of overcoming the fears and hopelessness of the liquid life that non-Christians struggle with. But to the extent that Christians have compromised their faith, or bought into the assumptions of liquid life, they too will feel the affects of insecurity and inability to cope with life as it is.
Something I am most thankful for about the book is his very thorough and helpful description of the problems of consumerism. Critics that I have read over the years of the post-modern world inevitably discuss materialism and consumerism, but I struggled to see the importance of the point being made, until now. Bauman helped me to see that the assumption of consumerism is that every need and desire that people have, all solutions to problems, and relief from every pain and anxiety can be bought and sold. Instead of belief in God and faith that He will provide all that we need, modern belief is that only other people will, through things that we can purchase and consume, provide all that we need or want. To the extent that our culture has turned away from faith in a good and loving heavenly Father that delights to bless His children – to that extent we are condemned to find alternatives in shops, and only in shops.
On the other hand, I found the book a bit exasperating because it reads mostly as a description of modern life without offering any commentary whether this is either a good or bad way of living, or what the alternatives are. This is just the way of things. It offers no solutions or hope. His final paragraph revealed what I suspected all along: He doesn’t know what to think about it all. He wrote:
“We feel, guess, suspect what needs to be done. But we cannot know the shape and form it will eventually take. We can be pretty sure, though, that the shape will not be familiar. It will be different from everything we’ve got used to.”
Grammy, diligent as ever, has released her pictures of Christian at one week old. He is doing well, and mommy and daddy seem to be all smiles and love.
Grammy got the call from Jon and Michelle yesterday morning that they went to the doctor and were headed for the hospital. It wasn’t long before it was determined that they would not be sent home and that Christian would be coming that day. Fairly early on Michelle was given an epidural, which enabled her to go through labor without much of a notice of the pain and feeling of the contractions. However, her body continued to do its work.
Mommy had to catch her breath during labor!
The family gathered to wish the growing family well – Even Great Grandma and Grandpa Hayes!
As the time grew closer, things got more intense for both Mommy and Daddy! In the last couple of hours things went much faster, and became somewhat difficult at the end. Michelle was wonderful about it all, but it was still a little scary and exhausting. Jon was, it is reported by all, a big help and was instrumental in getting the medical staff back into the delivery room at the right time – just 5 minutes before Christian was born!
Getting Close Now!
Proud Father!
Moments after Christian was born Jon came out to the family in the waiting room and announced that the happy moment had arrived. He was still shaken by the ordeal – but happy that baby and mommy we doing fine! Shortly thereafter we all were allowed just a few minutes with the new family.
Daddy showing Christian to his twin brother, Uncle Ben
Gracie & Grandfather's First Look At Christian
Uncle Adam and Daddy
Grandfather and the handsome little guy!
Grandfather's Newest Little Monkey!
Happy Grammy
Uncle Ben
Uncle Adam Finally Gets to Hold Christian!
Proud Father and Grandfather Looking At The Family Joy!
After everyone left for the night, not surprisingly, Grammy stayed up all night to help with the baby. She let Mommy and Daddy sleep and held the baby for about 4 hours straight.
Grammy Loves Christian!
After about 5-10 minutes most everyone was asked to leave to get some rest, and to let Mommy have some time with Christian. The nurse said that it was “skin to skin time.”
Christian Is A Very Happy and Contented Little Guy
Daddy and Christian Napping the Next Morning
Uncle David
Aunt Kathy
Aunt Gracie: "Uh, you're so cute!
"I have a cousin!"
"How fun, he's so little I can steal his toys!"
How Sweet!
Hello Mommy - Nice to Finally SEE You!
“You are He who took Me out of the womb;
You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.
I was cast upon You from birth.
From My mother’s womb You have been My God.” Psalm 22:9-10
Abandon Earth or Face Extinction, Stephen Hawking Warns -- Again
It’s always fun to interact with the big thoughts of some of the greatest thinkers of our time. One such commonly acknowledged mental giant is the British astrophysicist, theoretical physicist and ostensible philosopher/prophet: Stephen Hawking. In a recent interview with Think Big, Hawking warned that the long-term future of the planet is in outer space. The interview is provided to us in the video link below. Sadly, his voice is slightly garbled due to “our technical ability to change the environment for good.”
Now, being the mental midget that I am, its probably the height of foolishness to display my ignorance so publicly and against such a tremendous intellect as his – I just can’t help myself.
My thoughts, such as they are, can be seen in bold below.
Stephen Hawking: I believe that the long term future of the human race must be in space. It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster on planet Earth in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand, or million.
Well, at least (like me), he has a long term view of the human race. But unlike me, the earth is central to humanity’s survival and blessing. Jesus has not given up on either man or earth, and will sustain both by His gracious will and power. I too believe that space is a place of man’s dominion activity and will indeed occupy areas of space that we cannot now contemplate.
The human race shouldn’t have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet. Let’s hope we can avoid dropping the basket until we have spread the load.
The analogy seems a strange one, and although I have no desire to stretch it too far,what is it exactly that he intends for us to spread? I’m guessing that it is the eggs that we are blessed with, and not the chicken waste that we wish be rid of. But he seems to be saying that we should not be placing all of our hope for survival as a race on the resources of earth, and yet what resources are we likely to find in space? It seems to me that, for the most part, much of what we will need for survival in space will have to be brought with us. Maybe I’m missing something.
I see great dangers for the human race. There have been a number of times in the past when its survival has been a question of touch and go. The Cuban missile crisis in 1963 was one of these.
OOOOhhhh, aaawwww! [I can't get it our of my head that in the first sentence he sounds like some fortune teller speaking from out of a trance] Great dangers that require our leaving the earth to survive! That sounds bad. What evidence is there that the human race has been in danger of extinction? Oh, yes – the Cuban missile crisis. I should have thought of that. Even in retrospect, it’s hard to see that 1963 was such an ominous time that we should remember it as a watershed moment for the human race. Such events are that scary only to those what place their hope in men, rather than Jesus, who has all been given all authority on earth and in heaven and will bring humanity and the earth through to a glorious future.
The frequency of such occasions is likely to increase in the future. We shall need great care and judgment to negotiate them all successfully.
Really – why? Certainly we have many more crisis to negotiate through – but will these necessarily be more frequent? Is it merely that they have happened in the past? Is it because we have more destructive power and weaponry and less restraint than before? Will we see an increase of world extinction possibilities because men are less careful and less able to negotiate with our enemies?
But I’m an optimist. If we can avoid disaster for the next two centuries, our species should be safe, as we spread into space.
What a relief! I was beginning to think there was no hope when such a great mind is predicting that we will have more frequent crises times than before. If we can leave all the bad people on earth, maybe we can be safe in space. What a relief to know that we can so effectively parcel out the good from the bad and send the good elements of our “species” to the peaceful environs of space. Or did he mean we should send the bad ones into space? I’m not sure. But at least their is hope, if we can only make it though the next 200 years. By the way: why 200 years? What happens after that? But at least he’s optimistic.
If we are the only intelligent beings in the galaxy, we should make sure we survive and continue.
What if we aren’t the only intelligent beings? Does that mean we will not survive? Oh, maybe he means that since we are the only intelligent beings we just need to work harder to survive – since we can’t expect any help from anyone that is not of our world. Maybe we should consider that God is an intelligent being, and we should pray to Him for survival, and trust His promises that we humans will indeed continue! Oh, yeah, I forgot, there is no God! Or at least, not a God that is not bound by the laws of science.
But we are entering an increasingly dangerous period of our history. Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth, are growing exponentially, along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill.
Here we go again with the increasingly dangerous and more frequently crises prone prognosis for the future. What happened to the optimism? Our over population problems (read: modern myth) and resource gobbling habits are a serious threat – but I wonder if the science and technological abilities of man (in which he so ardently trusts) can indeed provide solutions to many of the planetary problems we face?
But our genetic code still carries the selfish and aggressive instincts that were of survival advantage in the past.
Now we get to the nub of the problem for humanity – Genetics! Poor us – we have not found a way yet to manipulate the code sufficiently to eradicate our selfishness. If only the The Human Genome Project (HGP) could be relied upon to tame our aggressive instincts, we wouldn’t have to abandon the earth for space! If only we could stop the evolutionary process so that we didn’t need to use the same survival tools we did when we were more primitive. But then again, maybe the evolutionary process needs to continue and our genetic codes do not need to be modified because the survival of the fittest will assure our safety and continuance.
No sense in seeing our problems as based in sin and rebellion to God who reveals His wrath against those who suppress the truth in their unrighteousness. That would involve admitting that there is a God that is not bound by scientific laws. No sense in that!
It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand or million.
Things are getting worse already. I thought we had two centuries to avoid disaster – but now only 100 years? Lions and tigers and bears, Oh, my!!!
Our only chance of long term survival, is not to remain inward looking on planet Earth, but to spread out into space.
Okay, good – we are back to hope again for long term survival. Our hope is to spread out into the black beyond! May be can leave Cuba and our genetics here! That’s got to be what he means, right?
We have made remarkable progress in the last hundred years. But if we want to continue beyond the next hundred years, our future is in space.
What’s with the magic number of 100 years? Are we doomed to not making any more progress here on earth in the next 100 years? Has the progress of the last century simply ceased? Or do we just need more room to do experiments in?
That is why I’m in favor of manned, or should I say “personed,” space flight.
Yikes – He almost made a politically incorrect gaff. At least he caught himself at the last moment so that we can be assured that he’s not a misogynist, sexist pig! Maybe inequality is the great evil on earth that threatens us with extinction! I can’t see anything else in what he said that would lead me to share his concerns!
But then again – I have only a little bird brain compared to his brilliant insights!
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. ” (Romans 1:16–25, NKJV)
I have been considering lately the charge that Christians are homophobic, i.e. fearful of homosexuals. We shrink from the thought that we may be afraid of certain people, when in fact we are not. Still more, we cower from the accusation because we don’t want to be thought of as either unloving or wrongly discriminatory.
But it occurs to me that we are indeed homophobic to the extent that we are fearful of the danger that homosexual practices, politics and that general cultural acceptability of the lifestyle will undermine what God has established as good, honorable and His creation pattern for mankind. We can indeed say that we love homosexual people and desire their salvation and blessing – and do not have any fear that we will be somehow made unclean or unholy because of them. However, we can, in fear of God, be fearful of the consequences of the transformation of marriage into something that it was never designed to be, never has been in history and that can never provide a solid foundation for society.
My latest installment of Lord’s Day Bible Study materials produced for Reformation Covenant Church is for Galatians, with an Introduction to the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul.
For the last two Saturdays I had the opportunity to return to the John Day river for bass fishing. Last weekend I went with David Spears & Brandon King and had a wonderful time.
Yesterday I had one of the very best days ever on the river! I had the pleasure of having both Amy and my good friend and brother-in-law Mitch Teixeira go with me.
Mitch & Amy
Between the three of us we caught nearly 400 bass!!! We had to make ourselves quit.
Only One of Mitch's 126 Fish Landed!
At one point in Amy’s life she aspired to be a nurse. Now she takes care of me and the kids. Yesterday she styled herself as a bass surgeon doing her very best to remove hooks without damaging the poor things.
Amy's Surgical Technique
Believe it or not – I think all of the 104 fish she caught survived – At least they swam away!
Amy's Catch
What an unbelievable blessing it is to have a wife who is also your fishing buddy!
May God bless me with many such days as these – and with such beloved friends!
In a New York Post online article entitled Meltdown of the climate ‘consensus’, the first line makes an assertion worth considering: “If this keeps up, no one’s going to trust any scientists.”
