Always a Treat / A Consequential Faith
Posted by: forthrightmag <forthrightmag@...>
http://www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross
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In today's Forthright:
Always a Treat, by Tim Hall
A Consequential Faith, by Greg Tidwell
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COLUMN: Heavenly Connections
Always a Treat
by Tim Hall
"Trick or Treat" is a phrase I once used with
gusto. In my younger years, my cousins and I would
dress in outlandish garb and roam from one house
to the next. After knocking loudly at the door, we
would yell "Trick or Treat!" when the resident
appeared. And we meant it. If a satisfactory treat
was not forthcoming, we had bars of soap in our
pockets with which to write messages on their
windows. (We weren't like the wild ones who would
overturn outhouses!)
Some view God as a Being who is full of surprises.
Sometimes He might bless you; on other occasions a
curse might be flung your way. The Greek pantheon
was filled with such capricious gods. They
regularly used humans as their playthings, seldom
acting from selfless motives. Knocking on the door
of these gods was a risk, for you never knew
whether a treat or a trick would be given.
Thankfully, that's not the God described in the
Bible.
Deuteronomy is a collection of Moses' final
exhortations to Israel. He knew the time of his
departure was near, and he wanted to impress on
the people the will and the nature of God. His
statement in Deuteronomy 6:24 is worth
highlighting:
"And the Lord commanded us to observe all these
statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good
always, that He might preserve us alive as it is
this day" (New King James Version).
"For our good always" -- Moses said a mouthful
with those four words. It means that God's motives
are always good toward us. We don't have to worry
about the kind of mood He is in. If our lives are
found in a bad spot, it's because we refused the
good that the Lord wanted to give.
Jesus affirmed this image of God in Matthew 7:9-
11: "Or what man is there among you who, if his
son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if
he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If
you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
to your children, how much more will your Father
who is in heaven give good things to those who ask
Him?"
Or consider Jesus' words in Luke 12:32: "Do not
fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good
pleasure to give you the kingdom". Unlike the gods
of human imaginations, the true God derives
pleasure from giving good things to His children.
If God is our Father, we can be assured that He
will do only good for us -- even if we at the time
question His goodness.
Paul summed up the idea in Romans 12:2: "And do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove
what is that good and acceptable and perfect will
of God."
God's will sometimes requires great adjustments on
our part. But those adjustments are worth the
effort because of the resulting goodness that will
come.
In many communities across our land, hospitals
will invite concerned parents to bring their
children's bags of treats to be scanned for hidden
needles or razor blades. It's a sick mind that
plays such tricks on the unsuspecting innocents.
You needn't fear such handouts from God.
Everything you'll receive from Him will have one
common trait: It will be good for you!
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Welcome Tim back after a few weeks away:
forthright.antville.org/stories/564912/
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COLUMN: Outlines of Faith
A Consequential Faith
by Greg Tidwell
A bitter dispute has engulfed Cosmology, the
scientific study of the universe. The universe,
baffling the scientists, gives every indication of
having been planned. In particular, looking at
life on earth, it appears that the world in which
we live was made for us.
To make sense of these apparent facts, some
scientists have embraced the "anthropic
principle." This theory holds that life in
general, and human beings in particular, are more
than accidental byproducts of time and chance. The
anthropic principle puts forward that the universe
is designed with us in mind.
Keeping God Out
This line of thinking is not welcome by all
researchers. Dr. David Gross, recently addressing
"The Future of Cosmology" conference at Case
Western Reserve University in Cleveland, warned
his compatriots not to embrace an approach that
opens the door to religion. Such a path, he
claimed, is "dangerous."
Most nonbelievers treat religion with a passive
tolerance. They view the faith of others as quaint
superstition - eccentric, perhaps, but not
dangerous. Reflective atheists, however, those who
have seriously considered their position, are a
different story.
A Faith that Matters
Atheistic scholars, men of the caliber of Karl
Marx, Sigmund Freud, or Bertrand Russell, are
often quite militant in attacking faith. Perhaps
these misguided intellectuals can help Christians
refocus our attention to a central truth: belief
in God matters in every area of life.
Dr. Gross rails against the anthropic principle
because it opens the door to belief in God, a
belief Gross holds to be dangerous. Gross, in
actively opposing belief, highlights the truth
that belief does matter in scientific study.
Those of us accepting the existence of God as the
foundation of all truth should be equally
passionate in our position. Belief in God matters
in academic work, just as it matters in all of
life.
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Get a link to further information on this
conference at Greg's article online:
forthright.antville.org/stories/564720/
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You can help us get the word out. Here's how:
forthright.antville.org/stories/340415/