On my mind this morning. "If one implies that Christianity has an answer to all social and political questions of the world, so that one would only have to listen to these answers to put the world in order, then this is obviously wrong. If one implies that from its vantage point Christianity has something specific to say about worldly things, then this is correct...The kind of thinking that starts out with human problems, and then looks for solutions from that vantage point, has to be overcome--it is unbiblical. The way of Jesus Christ, and thus the way of all Christian thought, is not the way from the world to God but from God to the world. This means that the essence of the gospel does not consist in solving worldly problems, and also that this cannot be the essential task of the church. However, it does not follow from this that the church would have no task at all in this regard. But we will not recognize its legitimate task unless we first find the correct starting point". (From Ethics, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer) For example, there is no specific Christian rule about which fork to use at a fine dinner party to eat a perfectly cooked steak. In this situation, it is cultural etiquette that answers the question. We would, though, have something to say about a situation where a starving man grabs a steak from a meat counter and devours it raw. The conversation would start with the order of a society where there are people who are hungry. It would also include conversation about how a order of society becomes chaotic when theft becomes an acceptable standard. Both of these are rooted in the belief that God brings order our of chaos so that all humanity may flourish. May you be blessed with the gift of wisdom and discernment this day. Blessings. Pastor Tim
Posted on: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 11:18:21 +0000