Oh boy, months have passed since my last post! To those few people who read my blog: I am truly sorry. I actually started writing this post on Feb 28 and then somehow never finished it! So here I go, venturing into finishing this post...
The first section I really liked was entitled SEEING WITH THE HEART. Eldredge begins by pointing out the fact that Jesus is the son of God, come to earth to rescue the human race . . . and yet his method of teaching is through stories. He writes, "What's with all these stories? Some of them rather puzzling, I might add. Jesus is not entertaining children; he is speaking to adults about the deepest things in life. And I think it's safe to say he knows quite well what he's doing. As Dallas Willard reminds us, Jesus is brilliant. He is the smartest man who ever lived. So what's up with all the stories? We children of the Internet and the cell phone and the Weather Channel, we think we are the enlightened ones. We aren't fooled by anything - we just want the facts. The bottom line. So proposition has become our means of saying what is true and what is not. And proposition is helpful . . . for certain things. (...) But proposition fails when it comes to weightier things in life. (...) God loves you; you matter to him. That is a fact, stated as a proposition. I imagine most of you have heard it any number of times. Why, then, aren't we the happiest people on earth? It hasn't reached our hearts. Facts stay lodges in the mind, for the most part. They don't speak at the level we need to hear. Proposition speaks to the mind, but when you tell a story, you speak to the heart. We've been telling each other stories since the beginning of time. It is our way of communicating the timeless truths, passing them down" (pages 23, 24) Right after I read this section I thought, "That is so true! It really makes sense!" and yet I had never thought of it before. Maybe you have and it's always been obvious to you, but not to me. The reason Jesus told stories, the reason we love stories, the reason God gave us imagination, is to speak to our hearts! Isn't that great that we have a God who wants to get down to our level and touch our hearts through stories?! I'm happy and relieved that though our cultures have lost numerous values and traditions, we at least still have, tell, and write stories!
Are stories what keep us sane in this crazy world?
The next section that was really interesting to me was called AND I WILL GIVE YOU A KNEW HEART. Eldredge surprised me with another fact that should be obvious to everyone. "The cross is the symbol of Christianity worldwide. However . . . The cross was never meant to be the only or even the central symbol of Christianity. That you are shocked by what I've just said only proves how far we've strayed from the faith of the New Testament. The cross is not the sole focal point of Christianity. Paul says so himself: "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith . . . If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:14,17)."
Here are some more quotes I enjoyed:
"We were created to reflect God's glory, born to bear his image, and he ransomed us to reflect that glory again."
"You'll hear it come up almost automatically whenever Christians talk about themselves: "I'm just a sinner, saved by grace." "I'm just clothes for God to put on." "There sure isn't any good thing in me." It's so common this mind-set, this idea that we are no-good wretches, ready to sin at a moment's notice, incapable of goodness, and certainly far from any glory. It's also unbiblical." (p. 75)
"You have a new heart. Your heart is good. That sinful nature you battle is not who you are. Twice, in the famous chapter of Romans 7, where Paul presents a first-person angst about our battle against sin, he says, "But this is not my true nature. This is not my heart." (p. 76)
""You shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life" (Phil. 2:15-16). As Shawn Mullins sings, "we're born to shimmer; we're born to shine." You are supposed to shimmer. "Let your light shine before men" (Matt. 5:16). All this groveling and self-deprecating done by Christians is often just shame masquerading as humility. Shame says, "I'm nothing to look at. I'm not capable of goodness." Humility says, "I bear a glory for sure, but it is a reflected glory. A grace given to me."
"Certainly, you will admit that God is glorious. . . . You are his offspring. His child. His reflection. His likeness. You bear his image." (p. 77) Therefore, we are glorious, too!
The next section that was really interesting to me was called AND I WILL GIVE YOU A KNEW HEART. Eldredge surprised me with another fact that should be obvious to everyone. "The cross is the symbol of Christianity worldwide. However . . . The cross was never meant to be the only or even the central symbol of Christianity. That you are shocked by what I've just said only proves how far we've strayed from the faith of the New Testament. The cross is not the sole focal point of Christianity. Paul says so himself: "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith . . . If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:14,17)."
He then quotes Art historian Kenneth Clark, who says that the first time the Crucifixion appeared in the first art of Christianity was on the doors of Santa Sabina in Rome [around A.D. 430] but is "stuck away in a corner, almost out of sight . . . early Christian art is concerned with miracles, healings, and with hopeful aspects of the faith like the Ascension and the Resurrection."
Eldredge's response to this (as I think all of our response is) "What? Christians don't even begin to use the cross as a symbol until four hundred years after Christ, and then only in a minor role?"
He then says that just like the early church we should also focus on the Resurrection, healings, and miracles because "Those are the point. Those make Christianity such very good news." He adds, "We say Christ died for us, and that is true. But Christ was also raised for us. His resurrection was as much for us as his death was." (pages 64, 65)
Isn't that strange and sad how the church slowly focused more and more on the Crucifixion and on sin? Christianity has changed so much since the time of the disciples! I hope that Christians in the world today (including me and you) can focus more on the hope and life we have in Christ than on the death and suffering. There's already enough death in the world!
Later on, (on page 67), Eldredge says "The Resurrection affirms the promise Christ made. For it was life he offered to give us: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). We are saved by his life when we find that we are able to live the way we've always known we should live. We are free to be what he meant when he meant us. You have a new life - the life of Christ. And you have a new heart. Do you know what that means? Your heart is good." And this goes with the quote that's on the first page of the book, "The glory of God is man fully alive" by Saint Irenaeus (which is such a powerful quote!!).
Eldredge's response to this (as I think all of our response is) "What? Christians don't even begin to use the cross as a symbol until four hundred years after Christ, and then only in a minor role?"
He then says that just like the early church we should also focus on the Resurrection, healings, and miracles because "Those are the point. Those make Christianity such very good news." He adds, "We say Christ died for us, and that is true. But Christ was also raised for us. His resurrection was as much for us as his death was." (pages 64, 65)
Isn't that strange and sad how the church slowly focused more and more on the Crucifixion and on sin? Christianity has changed so much since the time of the disciples! I hope that Christians in the world today (including me and you) can focus more on the hope and life we have in Christ than on the death and suffering. There's already enough death in the world!
Later on, (on page 67), Eldredge says "The Resurrection affirms the promise Christ made. For it was life he offered to give us: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). We are saved by his life when we find that we are able to live the way we've always known we should live. We are free to be what he meant when he meant us. You have a new life - the life of Christ. And you have a new heart. Do you know what that means? Your heart is good." And this goes with the quote that's on the first page of the book, "The glory of God is man fully alive" by Saint Irenaeus (which is such a powerful quote!!).
I wish more and more people would realize this, instead of focusing on all the negative, the death, the sorrow, the sin in this world. Why has the church become satisfied with being zombie-like (not fully alive, not fully dead)? Why aren't we realizing the fact that Jesus came on earth from heaven to be tortured and killed not just for our sins, but so that we can live, free and wholly? He raised from the dead so that we could do the same! We are Christians, little Christs, his disciples; we're supposed to imitate what he did!
I wonder how many times Jesus watches our churches (mostly those in rich countries) and sadly sighs, wishing we would get it.
Here are some more quotes I enjoyed:
"We were created to reflect God's glory, born to bear his image, and he ransomed us to reflect that glory again."
"You'll hear it come up almost automatically whenever Christians talk about themselves: "I'm just a sinner, saved by grace." "I'm just clothes for God to put on." "There sure isn't any good thing in me." It's so common this mind-set, this idea that we are no-good wretches, ready to sin at a moment's notice, incapable of goodness, and certainly far from any glory. It's also unbiblical." (p. 75)
"You have a new heart. Your heart is good. That sinful nature you battle is not who you are. Twice, in the famous chapter of Romans 7, where Paul presents a first-person angst about our battle against sin, he says, "But this is not my true nature. This is not my heart." (p. 76)
""You shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life" (Phil. 2:15-16). As Shawn Mullins sings, "we're born to shimmer; we're born to shine." You are supposed to shimmer. "Let your light shine before men" (Matt. 5:16). All this groveling and self-deprecating done by Christians is often just shame masquerading as humility. Shame says, "I'm nothing to look at. I'm not capable of goodness." Humility says, "I bear a glory for sure, but it is a reflected glory. A grace given to me."
"Certainly, you will admit that God is glorious. . . . You are his offspring. His child. His reflection. His likeness. You bear his image." (p. 77) Therefore, we are glorious, too!
We
Are
Glorious.
We shine like the stars in the universe!
The Word of God is so beautiful and amazing...
And with that, the post has finally come to an end! And wow, is it long!
...Well, I hope you enjoyed it anyway =)
Hopefully, you won't have to wait another few months to hear from me again!
I will try my best to write some more soon (I know...I said that last time...).
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