ad fontes / chains
Posted by: forthrightmag <forthrightmag@...>
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Straight to the Cross
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COLUMN: REALITY CHECK
ad fontes
by Stan Mitchell
tinyurl.com/43ryt3k
The hunter was hot and grimy from the heat of the day.
As he walked across the valley, he came to the river.
It seemingly flowed bright and clear over the rocks,
and he was thirsty.
But he began to reflect on what might lie upstream. Had
he not seen a factory, its smokestack spewing black
smoke into the air?
Perhaps it also allowed effluent into the river, too.
And early that morning had he not seen cattle standing
in the water and drinking? He looked at the hills
beyond both factory and farm, however, and thought,
"The spring must be there. The water there must surely
be pollutant free."
He began to make his way toward the hills. When he
found the spring, the water was, as he had hoped, clear
and sweet. There he drank his fill.
You remember the names from high school history, no
doubt. There was Copernicus and Galileo, Michelangelo
and Leonardo da Vinci. These were the heroes of the
Renaissance. Their philosophy was often summed up in
the Latin phrase, ad fontes, "back to the spring," or
"back to the source."
They believed that the squalor and suffering of the
Middle Ages had to be bypassed in order to recover the
glories of classical Greece and Rome, a period when
civilization seemed to be greatest. One method of
achieving this was to recover the ancient texts of the
classical world — the writings of Plato, Seneca,
Aristotle and so on, and studying them.
It was not long before leaders in Christendom began to
seek a similar renewal by bypassing the clutter and
debris of medieval theological writing and returning to
the Bible.
Such historical figures as Erasmus of Rotterdam sought
the "title-deeds" of Christianity — the Bible itself.
They began searching monasteries across Europe and the
Middle East for manuscripts of the Bible.
They sought the source of Christianity, the spring
itself, where the water would be pure and sweet. That
is still our task today — to find the spring, and drink
from it, and it alone.
Some will tell you that we need to find the latest
ideas, the state-of-the art thinking of best-selling
religious authors. My preference is to dig beyond the
dust and rubble of the ages. No human writer, ancient,
modern, reformation or medieval, can compare with the
purity of the word of God.
Jesus declared:
"If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and
drink. Whoever believes in me, as the
scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will
flow rivers of living water'" (John
7:37,38).
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Read this article online, write your reaction, and
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COLUMN: ENCOURAGING WORD
Chains
by Paula Harrington
tinyurl.com/4x47mb7
I was with a friend recently when we were approached by
a lady she knew. After a brief chat they said their
goodbyes and then we continued our discussion.
A quiet moment passed before my friend began to speak,
but just as quickly stopped herself. It was after I
gave her an inquiring look that she replied, "I know
something about that girl that I wish I didn't. I was
going to tell you but caught myself before I blurted it
out."
The next time you want to gossip, keep quiet and move
on. Be a chain breaker.
Smile and encourage one another. The world is harsh
enough (Matthew 5:16).
Release the grudges you have against others and against
yourself and let the God of peace rule your heart (I
Corinthians 14:33, 2 Thessalonians 3:16).
Get motivated for Jesus. Remember, faith should have
feet (James 2:26).
Watch what you say and how you say it (Colossians 4:6).
Give every thought, word, and desire to Christ (2
Corinthians 10:5).
Let others see Christ living in you (Philippians 2:1-
5). It doesn't mean your life will be flawless. It
means your days will have purpose.
Thankfully, my friend didn't share the news that she
had on the other woman. She let the chains of gossip
fall to the ground and I respect her greatly for that.
Like anchors keeping us rooted to this world, many are
chained to past failures, bad decisions, and
heartbreaking tragedies. Some are fastened to greed,
fear, and hate.
Whatever it is that's keeping you from God, let it go
and anchor yourself to the One who loves you so much,
he gave his only begotten (John 3:16). Life is too
short to live it in chains.
----
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