Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 84
July 17, 2022
Prayer for Greater Insight
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
Father of all signs and wonders,
All praise and honor be to you, for you fashioned us in your image, calmed our nerves so that we can study the world around us, and served as an example of what love looks like in a world bereft of such love.
Forgive our unwillingness to mirror your image, to participate in your stability, and to extend your love.
Thank you for the many blessings of health, family, community, and material wealth.
In the power of your Holy Spirit, nurture our faith in spite of our intransigence that we might more nearly reflect your image, today and every day.
In Jesus’s precious name, Amen.
Prayer for Greater Insight
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
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Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
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July 15, 2022
Parting Words
And going a little farther he fell on his face
and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me; nevertheless,
not as I will, but as you will. (Matt 26:39)
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
The who question is surprisingly important in understanding the creation account in Genesis and, with it, our understanding of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Anthropology means the study of humanity, but we normally wink at the subject in our rush to uncover more distant truths. But our veiled hearts not only cover our shadow side, they hold the key to interpreting everything else.
Because we are created in the image of God, he is familiar and we immediately recognize him (metaphysics). Because we worship the God who created the universe, we expect the universe to be orderly and worthy of scientific study (epistemology). Because God loves us, we can love those around us who make up God’s family (ethics). Our anthropology is accordingly an interpretive key that colors how we see everything else.
This key, our need for God, often embarrasses us because we deeply desire to be independent. The desire for independence today presents itself as a kind of death wish, as mortality rates in the U.S. rise primarily for preventable reasons: Suicide, drug overdoses, and obesity-related illnesses. Refusing to be vaccinated and wear mask in the middle of a pandemic is just another example. Freedom is nothing left to lose, as Janis Joplin reminded us just before she overdosed.1 If freedom means taking unnecessary risks, are we truly free?
The freedom that matters presents itself as a Gethsemane moment: When confronted with pain, do we turn to God and give it over to him or do we turn into the pain and wallow in it? Our response to these Gethsemane moments big and small define our personalities and, taken together, our cultures because as human beings we have a special relationship with pain. We remember pain more clearly than joy, which is why it defines our personalities. “Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker.” Nietzsche reminds us.2
True freedom arises not in denial but in accepting our need for God. This is simple, authentic life. Centering on the image of God is not a pain-free existence, but it means that we are prepared for the opportunities that life presents. In following Christ, we are blessed to be a blessing to others and do not compound our griefs with missed opportunities.
Footnotes
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_and_....
2 What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twiligh....
Parting Words
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
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July 14, 2022
Parting Words
And going a little farther he fell on his face
and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me; nevertheless,
not as I will, but as you will. (Matt 26:39)
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
The who question is surprisingly important in understanding the creation account in Genesis and, with it, our understanding of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Anthropology means the study of humanity, but we normally wink at the subject in our rush to uncover more distant truths. But our veiled hearts not only cover our shadow side, they hold the key to interpreting everything else.
Because we are created in the image of God, he is familiar and we immediately recognize him (metaphysics). Because we worship the God who created the universe, we expect the universe to be orderly and worthy of scientific study (epistemology). Because God loves us, we can love those around us who make up God’s family (ethics). Our anthropology is accordingly an interpretive key that colors how we see everything else.
This key, our need for God, often embarrasses us because we deeply desire to be independent. The desire for independence today presents itself as a kind of death wish, as mortality rates in the U.S. rise primarily for preventable reasons: Suicide, drug overdoses, and obesity-related illnesses. Refusing to be vaccinated and wear mask in the middle of a pandemic is just another example. Freedom is nothing left to lose, as Janis Joplin reminded us just before she overdosed.1 If freedom means taking unnecessary risks, are we truly free?
The freedom that matters presents itself as a Gethsemane moment: When confronted with pain, do we turn to God and give it over to him or do we turn into the pain and wallow in it? Our response to these Gethsemane moments big and small define our personalities and, taken together, our cultures because as human beings we have a special relationship with pain. We remember pain more clearly than joy, which is why it defines our personalities. “Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker.” Nietzsche reminds us.2
True freedom arises not in denial but in accepting our need for God. This is simple, authentic life. Centering on the image of God is not a pain-free existence, but it means that we are prepared for the opportunities that life presents. In following Christ, we are blessed to be a blessing to others and do not compound our griefs with missed opportunities.
Footnotes
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_and_....
2 What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twiligh....
Parting Words
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/hot_2022, Signup
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July 12, 2022
McGrath: The Rise and Fall of Atheism, Part 2
Alister McGrath. 2004. The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World. New York: DoubleDay. (Goto part 1; goto part 3)
Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra
A defining moment in my understanding of my home country occurred in February 1979 when I visited Berlin and saw the Berlin Wall. Driving through East Germany on the autobahn, we stopped at a rest stop for lunch. When I attempted to engage an East German traveler in conversation, he began to shake and could hardly speak. When I later saw the crosses on the wall where people had been shot trying to escape, I understood with deadly seriousness why the man was afraid—I was a American and he could be imprisoned for nothing more than talking with me.
McGrath tells the story of the rise of atheism, in part, through biographical sketches. Let me highlight three: Karl Marx (1818-1883), Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), and Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900).
Karl MarxMarx famously referred to religion as the “opium of the people”. He opposed religion and advocated its abolishment because:
“Religion…dulls the pain of an unjust world, enabling the downtrodden people to cope with its sorrows and distress, and indirectly encouraging them to collude with the existing order” (66).
Today’s overwhelming preoccupation with the material world is, in part, a reflection of Marx’s belief that “ideas and values are determined by the material realities of life.” (63) Marx’s cynicism had a very personal root. His father enthusiastically converted from Judaism to Protestantism after moving to a different village in Germany because it was good for business. Marx’s father insisted that he do the same (62).
While only 11 people attended Marx’s funeral with Friedrich Engels delivering the eulogy, millions died in Russia, China, and elsewhere over the next century as communist governments attempted to implement his ideas.
Sigmund FreudFreud thought of religion as wishful thinking, an illusion (74). He is best known as the father of modern psychoanalysis. McGrath reports that he was an atheist before he became a psychoanalyst and became a psychoanalyst precisely because he was an atheist—for Freud, his atheism was a presupposition. McGrath writes:
“His infatigable harrying of religion reflects his fundamental belief that religion is dangerous, not least because it constitutes a threat to the advance of the Enlightenment and the natural sciences. Freud’s approach to religion rests upon the perceived need to explain why anyone would wish to take the extraordinary step of believing in God, when there is obviously no God to believe in…Freud declared that religion was basically a distorted form of an obsessional neurosis. The key elements in all religions, he argues, are the veneration of the father figure (such as God or Jesus Christ), faith in the power of spirits, and a concern for proper rituals.” (70-71)
Interestingly, Freud drew his impression of religion, not from scientific study, but from an adaption of Ludwig Feuerbach idea that: “the concept of God was fundamentally a human construction, based on the ‘projection’ of fundamental human longings and desires” (68). Feuerbach was himself, like Marx, a student of Hegel and also a student of Schleiermacher (53)—the patron saint of theological liberalism in the 19th century. Feuerbach was largely unemployable as a theologian, in part, because he “lampooned Christianity as ‘some kind of insurance company.’” (54)
Friedrich NietzscheNietzsche is best known for the will to power which has become the core principle of deconstructionism. For example, Vanhoozer (1998, 57) writes that “Nietzche, a non-realist, contends that meaning, truth, and the world itself are human constructions.” This implies that those in power determine the construction of meaning and truth. McGrath (151) writes of Nietzsche: “If there is no God, or if God has become a culturally discredited notion, then there is no absolute values or truths.” The death of God is accordingly the death also of meaning and the beginning of nihilism (149).
McGrath has a more sympathetic view of Nietzsche than many commentators. He sees atheism losing its appeal ironically because it has discredited its opponent—the church. If religion is no longer a credible, cultural alternative, then its protagonist—in this case, atheism—likewise loses its relevance. This insight McGrath credits to Nietzsche (219).
Nietzsche, though a darling of many postmoderns, is usually panned by commentators because Nazi Germany put his ideals to direct use. In a nation of equals, a person of supreme ability (übermensch or superman) can arise to assume leadership. Nietzsche’s will to power accordingly provided the intellectual bona fides for the idea of a führer (leader) which was employed directly by Adolf Hitler. Death and destruction quickly followed.
Although the death toll due to Nazi death camps (circa 3 million by one account]) looks small relative to the deaths precipitated by the communists, the point is that atheism in its official manifestations has been a plague on humanity. So why have today’s secular culture and even the postmodern church so readily embraced the ideas that led to these horrors?
If God is dead, then we cannot have been created in his image and human rights are an anachronism, not an inalienable right. Without the existence of God, the intellectual underpinning of social justice is vapor in the wind. The Berlin Wall was a tangible reminder of how different life can become when God’s presence is not acknowledged—I will never forget.
AssessmentAlister McGrath’s book, The Twilight of Atheism, is a helpful book to spend time with. As my review suggests, interpreting McGrath requires background in modern and postmodern history and philosophy. Here in part 2 of this review, I have focuses on the some of the personalities of the High Noon of atheism. In part 3, I will turn to McGrath’s argument for the Twilight of atheism.
FootnotesI was a foreign exchange student in 1978/79 at Göttingen University (www.uni-goettingen.de).
Estimates are cited in the range from 85 to 100 million people killed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_kil...).
Jung, a Christian and student of Freud, was more sensitive to the needs of human beings for God in maintaining the careful balance between order and chaos. He writes: “This is why the medicine-man is also a priest; he is the savior of the body as well as of the soul, and religions are systems of healing for psychic illness.” (Jung 1955, 240).
For example, Metazas (2010, 168) writes: “Hilter worshiped power while [he viewed] truth [as] a phantasm to be ignored.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extermin...
East and West Berlin were separated by only about 100 yards, but they were night and day different. West Berlin was busy and loud, a lot like visiting Manhattan, New York during the day. East Berlin was deserted and silent like visiting a graveyard at night.
ReferencesJung, Carl G. 1955. Modern Man in Search of a Soul (Orig. Pub. 1933). Translated by W.S. Dell and Cary F. Baynes. New York: Harcourt, Inc.
Metaxas, Eric. 2010. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy—A Righteous Gentile Versus The Third Reich. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Vanhoozer, Kevin J. 1998. Is There a Meaning in This Text: The Bible, The Reader, and the Morality of Literary Knowledge. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
McGrath: The Rise and Fall of Atheism, Part 2Also see:Webb: Analyzing Culture Books, Films, and MinistryOther ways to engage online:Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.netPublisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/hot_2022, Signup
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July 11, 2022
Lost Transcendence: Monday Monologues (podcast), July 11, 2022
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Lost Transcendence. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).
To listen, click on this link.
Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!
Lost Transcendence: Monday Monologues (podcast), July 11, 2022
Also see:
Monday Monologue On March 26, 2018
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net,
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July 10, 2022
Prayer Looking Up
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
Almighty Father,
All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours, for you stand outside of time and space, having created them all.
Forgive our dimmed eyesight, stopped ears, and limited imagination. Give us eyes that see, ears that hear, and a mind able to perceive spiritual realities, not at our finger tips.
Thank you for food to eat, a roof over our heads, and doctors to attend to our needs for we know that such things are remote from many in this world.
In the power of you Holy Spirit, teach us your ways, oh Lord. Do not leave us in our ignorance, happy not to know the state of others or to look up to you.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
Prayer Looking Up
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
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July 8, 2022
Lost Transcendence
There shall not be found among you anyone
who burns his son or his daughter as an offering,
anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes
or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium
or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead,
for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD.
(Deut 18:10-12)
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
Suppose that you are asked to visit with an elderly Baptist who says that they are frequently visited by a dead parent who advised them not to trust any of their siblings. Do you respond by referring them for psychiatric help, offering a comforting presence, or advising that that the Bible teaches that the dead are not supposed to speak with the living? (Deut 18:10-12; 1 Sam 28)
Your response to this question depends heavily on your worldview. The first alternative in this example is motivated by a materialistic worldview, where the physical realm is the only realm. The second is motivated by a liberal Christian perspective, where consolation is prioritized over transformation. The third is motivated by a traditional Christian perspective, where the Bible guides dealings with the spiritual world. What divides and orders these responses is the attitude about transcendence.
Transcendence Denial and Ethics
In creating the heavens and the earth, God transcends both, just like a carpenter is not part of the cabinet that he crafts. The materialist perspective limits reality to sensory objects: Things that you can touch, feel, taste, hear, and see. The materialist reality includes the earth and heavenly objects, like the moon, planets, and stars, but does not include God or heaven, as described in the Book of Revelation.
The materialist cannot believe in God because nothing outside of the physical realm can by definition exist, which implies that the materialist is by definition an atheist. The influence of the materialist view grow rapidly in the twentieth century because of the political power of communist governments.
Materialism immediately influences ethics because accountability is limited to the physical realm. A materialist does not believe in accountability to God or any other authority outside of culture. This implies that communist governments were accountable to the communist party, the source source of authority. Even communist principles, constitutions, and law may be fluid because nothings transcends party authority, which changes with circumstances.
The increasing influence of materialism chips away at concepts, like human rights and democracy, which arise because we are created in the image of God. Atheists and other secularists often embrace human rights and democracy as political views, but deny the theological link to God’s image. The problem arises, however, that political views and other values are seldom held as deeply as religious convictions, which is why they are so easily abandoned when moods change. The war in Ukraine and the events of January 6th, 2021 are just the most obvious manifestations of mood change.
Transcendence and Law
The value of human life stems from being created male and female in God’s image. Because the materialist denies God’s existence, ethics are determined primarily by law and regulation. In a democracy, this implies that ethics are subject to political debate and manipulation. Under authoritarian regimes, ethics reflect the preferences of elites. Customs good and bad also have their influences.
Transcendence and the Church
The influence of materialism on the church appears as a sense of lost transcendence. The Apostle Paul writes: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” (1 Cor 15:17) In other words, if Jesus was not resurrected, then he could not have died for our sins. Transcendence is critical to Christian theology.
Transcendence is a human need. We want to believe that the material world is not all there is. If God existence is defined away by our practical materialism, then other things slip into the equation to substitute for the lost transcendence.
Outside the church, we see greater interest in ecstatic experiences, such as drug use, binging, hyper sexuality, paranormal events, and unnecessary risk taking. Inside the church, we see greater interest in uplifting worship, charismatic experiences, religious tourism, mountain top experiences, and desire for consolation instead of transformation. The list of substitutes for transcendence is endless.
Faith and Transcendence
The Good News is that centering on God’s image helps us to recognize God’s work in our lives. This is a practice of contemplation, much like Lectio Divina contemplates scripture (Peterson 2006,91) or counting your blessings. Each of these practices help make God’s existence more real to us. In my case, I journal in the morning, taking note of the activities and experiences of God in the previous day, a practice known as a daily examine.
Faith is a step-by-step process, not a big gulp requiring strenuous effort. Our routines either open us up to God or make awareness of God’s presence more difficult.
References
Peterson, Eugene H. 2006. Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
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Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
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July 5, 2022
McGrath: The Rise and Fall of Atheism, Part 1
Alister McGrath. 2004. The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World. New York: DoubleDay. (Goto part 2; goto part 3)
Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra
Religion is composed of our core beliefs. Just like every house must begin with a foundation, these core beliefs, hence religion, are not optional—everyone has them. Atheism, which means no gods, is a particularly curious religion because it is defined by what it is not. In this sense, it is parasitic drawing its strength from its host . Because the line of argumentation in atheism is much longer than for traditional religions, atheism requires more intellectual energy to maintain. Nevertheless, atheism is popular because it makes fewer practical demands of its followers than traditional religions . For that reason new flavors of atheism keep popping up like ticks on a dog.
IntroductionAlister McGrath begins his book, Twilight of Atheism, with a citation from Winston Churchill: “The empires of the future will be empires of the mind.” Atheism is one of these empires which McGrath defines as: “rejection of any divinities, supernatural powers, or transcendent realities limiting the development and achievements of humanity.” (xi).
McGrath states his purpose in writing as:
“To tell something of the story of the rise and fall of a great empire of the mind and what can be learned from it. What brought it into existence? What gave it such credibility and attractiveness for so long? And why does it seem to have lost so much of its potency in recent years?” (vii).
Official State Atheism in DeclineMcGrath has in view, not every form of atheism, but rather official state atheism that began its ascent with the fall of the Bastille in 1789 and crashed with the Berlin Wall in 1989. McGrath goes on to write:
“The fall of the Bastille became a symbol of the viability and creativity of a godless world, just as the fall of the Berlin Wall later symbolized a growing recognition of the uninhabilitability of such a place.” (1)
Whis is Alister McGrath?Dr. Alister McGrath is the Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at the University of Oxford and, most recently, the new Gresham Professor of Divinity . The Twilight of Atheism is an expansion of a speech given at Oxford Union in February 2002 (xiii). He writes in 11 chapters divided into two parts—The High Noon of Atheism (chapters 2-6 and Twilight (chapters 7-11). The chapters are:
The Dawn of the Golden Age of Atheism,The French Revolution,The Intellectual Foundations: Feuerbach, Marx, and Freud,Warfare: The Natural Sciences and the Advancement of Atheism,A Failure of the Religious Imagination: The Victorian Crisis of Faith,The Death of God: The Dream of a Godless Culture,The Unexpected Resurgence of Religion,Disconnection from the Sacred: Protestantism and Atheism,Postmodernity: Atheism and Radical Cultural Change,The Atheist’s Revolt: Madalyn Murray O’Hair and Others, andEnd of Empire: The Fading Appeal of Atheism (v-vii).These chapters are preceded by an introduction and followed by a list of references and an index.
The Priests of AtheismLike another other religion, atheism has its priests. McGrath writes:
“Intellectuals became a secular priesthood, unfettered by the dogmas of the religious past, addressing a growing audience who were becoming increasingly impatient with the moral failures and cultural unsophistication of their clergy. At some point, perhaps one that can never be determined with historical accuracy, Western society came to believe that it should look elsewhere than to its clergy for guidance. Instead, they turned to the intellectuals, who were able to portray their clerical opponents as lazy fools who could do no more than unthinkingly repeat the slogans and nostrums of an increasingly distant past.” (49)
Ouch! My guess is that the Scopes Trial in 1925 was probably a tipping point for American characterization of clergy as unsophisticated.
Atheistic ReligionsThe idea in my mind that atheism was a real religion was planted by McGrath’s discussion here . McGrath writes:
“the philosophical argument about the existence of God has ground to a halt. The matter lies beyond rational proof, and is ultimately a matter of faith, in the sense of judgments made in the absence of sufficient evidence…The belief that there is no God is just as much a matter of faith as the belief that there is a God.”(179-180)
In other words, atheism is a religion. The reason why we care about this characterization is that religions dressed up as something other than what they really are has important implications for other atheistic religions that followed and transformed postmodern culture. For example, a non-religion, religion can be taught in public schools while a formal religion cannot be taught. Unmasking the priests of an informal religion is a critical point in responding to their claims.
AssessmentAlister McGrath’s book, Twilight of Atheism, is an erudite but accessible and fascinating read. It is refreshing to see such clear and logical writing. In part 2 I will focus on McGrath’s High Noon of atheism in terms of 3 key personalities—Marx, Freud, and Nietzsche. Then, in part 3, I will turn to McGrath’s view of the Twilight of Atheism.
Footnoteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism
McGrath writes: “Voltaire’s insight is of fundamental importance to our study of the emergence of atheism. His argument is simple: the attractiveness of atheism is directly dependent upon the corruption of Christian institutions. Reform those institutions and the plausibility of atheism is dramatically reduced.” (27)
This is unlike Christianity, for example, which requires that believers model their lives after Christ. Following a review of the sadistic and salacious work of the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814), McGrath notes that “Atheism made sexual experimentation legitimate and interesting.” (35) In other words, rather than making demands of its followers, atheism offers them a kinky sort of freedom.
Limiting is the key word here because a brief survey of any television guide will leave one in awe of the number of supernatural illusions referenced. However, like other pagan gods before them, zombies, ghosts, witches, wizards, werewolves, and vampires make no particular demands on those that believe in them and model their lives after them. Instead, they offer the illusion of eternal life and supernatural power without accountability.
http://alistermcgrath.weebly.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_T...
McGrath: The Rise and Fall of Atheism, Part 1Also see:Webb: Analyzing Culture Books, Films, and MinistryOther ways to engage online:Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.netPublisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/hot_2022, SignupThe post McGrath: The Rise and Fall of Atheism, Part 1 appeared first on T2Pneuma.net.
July 4, 2022
Under God: Monday Monologues (podcast), July 4, 2022
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on being Under God. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).
To listen, click on this link.
Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!
Under God: Monday Monologues (podcast), June 27, 2022
Also see:
Monday Monologue On March 26, 2018
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Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net,
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July 3, 2022
Prayer for the Undeserving
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
Most Merciful Father,
We praise you for the many undeserved blessings and miracles of this life for you alone are trustworthy and worthy of our praise.
Forgive us when we turn our heads away from you when life is good and we credit our own efforts for your blessings. Forgive our faithless lives and the opportunities lost during our intransigency. Have mercy on us and bring us back to you.
Thank you for the guidance of godly friends and faithful churches.
Heal our sin-sick ways. Seal our hearts in faithful service. Bring us back into communion with your church. Give us eyes that see, ears that hear, and hearts for those in need.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
Prayer for the Undeserving
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
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Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
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