Whew

The temperature has been in the low 30 degrees these past few days and my computer is in the warmest room of the house. Plus, I’m having connection problems with my modem. So, if you don't hear from me here it’s not because I’m dead (though that’s a distinct possibility – heat stroke maybe). In the mean time I leave you with this quote from the Canadian Bible Society magazine by Calvin Seerveld, professor emeritus of philosophical aesthetics at the Institute of Christian Studies:

It’s not easy to read the Bible. It’s easier to read it wrong or not read it at all. To read the Bible the way it is written takes some coaching (Acts 8:26-31). But a lot of people don’t want that. They want an easy fix, and after awhile they give up on Bible reading.

That’s because we often read the Bible for what it’s not and seldom read it for what it is. Here’s what it is not: It is not a book you use to prove a point. Neither is it a book written to solve your personal problems.

Here’s what it is: It is a true story of what God has really done in history. It is a true account of how God works and what God wants done on Earth.

To read the Bible the way it is written, you have to give up your own agenda. You have to dwell in the text and see the whole woven tapestry of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. When you do, you will find that God speaks to you and with you.

I don't get it

The result of millions of years of evolution

Will there be a party in hell?

People say if they go to hell at least they’ll at least have plenty of company. Have a party maybe. Could this really be the case? Are not companionship, the pleasures food and drink, raucous laughter all gifts from God? As well, would not the absence of the Spirit deprive those in hell the necessary restraint from performing egregious evils? In the absence of such divine gifts, a mass of people very probably could become a massacre (of sorts). If God took away his influence from our world right now, we’d have hell on earth. Rwanda, Darfur, Auschwitz are mere glimpses of such a situation. Genocides show that even God’s ordained means of restraining moral evil, namely governments, cannot completely control and overcome the insidious tendency of human depravity. Thankfully, God has mercy on us. Human governments are no match for divine grace.

But, some object, isn’t it unfair that God sends people to hell just because they happened to not believe in Jesus? That seems like a good question to me. The answer seems to lie in the fact that no one is sent to hell because he never heard of Jesus. He is sent there because he has committed serious moral crimes against a perfect, holy God. Such crimes require justice. And, as a free moral agent, he ought to have known better because God’s moral law is written on the heart. His existence is made evident in creation. But why does God require justice? This rather long article by Glenn Miller addresses this question (I’m still reading it – looks interesting though).

What in the world am I doing?

Well, notwithstanding my last post, I offer up a few more lame thoughts on different things. Quick, avert your eyes.

The Dea(r)th of blogging

I have nothing interesting to say. Mind you, judging from past posts, this has always been the case. I think I'll bid adieu to blogging for the time being and stick to reading a bunch of books sitting on my shelf. I reserve, of course, the right to leave silly comments on other people's blogs. I wonder what Peter Frampton might say:

Shadows grow so long before my eyes
And they're moving across the page
Suddenly the day turns into night
Far away from the city
But don't hesitate 'cuz your love won't wait
Ooh baby I love your way (everyday)
Wanna tell you I love your way(everyway)
Wanna be with you night and day
Moon appears to shine and light the sky
With the help of some fireflies
I wonder how they have the power to shine, shine (cough)

Er, let's make that, as Snagglepuss would say, "Exit stage left".