gravity always wins: Radiohead and Christianity Part IV

Part I, Part II, and Part III

¹⁹ For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.  ²⁰ All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.  ²¹ Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?

- Ecclesiastes 3:19-21   

² It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath.  ³ This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.  ⁴ But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.  ⁵ For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.  ⁶ Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.

- Ecclesiastes 9:2-6   

              This might seem weird, but I’ve always found it oddly comforting that the Bible doesn’t sugarcoat death.  Unlike other religions or worldviews that see death as a way of transcending our earthly shells, the Bible views it as an unnatural enemy and curse that must be destroyed (1 Cor 15:26).  For me, this affirms the ghastly reality that is death.

Letting God be God in Light of Sandy Hook

                Originally I was going to stay silent on the blogosphere concerning the tragedy in Connecticut.  The last thing I thought we needed was a bunch of pastors and wannabe theologians (like myself) theoretically waxing on why God would allow such a tragedy to happen.  As the days progressed though explanations began to surface that to me seemed contradictory, unbiblical, and even cruel.

gravity always wins: Radiohead and Christianity Part III

Part I and Part II.

“Ecclesiastes 1:15  ¹⁵ What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.”

                These words penned by Qoheleth of Ecclesiastes are some of the most penetrating in the entire cannon of the Bible.  In one sentence the great teacher poignantly expresses what we all know: something is wrong that we can’t quite fix.  Thousands of years later the Apostle Paul expanded on Qoheleth’s observations by plainly stating just what is crooked and lacking. 

"gravity always wins:" Radiohead and Christianity Part II

View Part I here.

                Outside of Christ we are all under the law.  Whether we wish to acknowledge it or not, this is a universal fact of existence.
  Now, when I say law, I’m not speaking of any particular laws found in the Bible, but rather any form of outward standard that plays the voice of accusation in our lives.  Sure, the laws found in the Bible are included in this, but the fact of us being under the law is something we all know deep down (Romans 2:14-16).  Paul Zahl is insightful here:

The principle of the divine demand for perfection upon the human being is reflected concretely in the countless and external demands that human beings device for themselves.  In practice, the requirement of perfect submission to the commandments of God is exactly the same as the requirement of perfect submission to the innumerable drives for perfection that drive everyday people’s crippled and crippling lives.  The commandment of God that we should honor our mother and father is no different in impact, for example, than the commandment of fashion that a woman be beautiful or the commandment of culture that a man be boldly decisive and at the same time utterly tender.[i]  

Simply put, the world is full of laws.  We can see this in every facet of life.

"gravity always wins": Radiohead and Christianity Part I

                I really like Radiohead.  They’re not my favorite, but they never fail to move me.  The first reason is because their music is from another planet.  From the aggressive guitar work and multi-instrumental genius of Jonny Greenwood, to the rhythmic bass of his brother Colin, to the subtle brilliance of Ed O’Brien’s guitar creativity, to the drum machine precision of Phil Selway, and the utter id like artistry of Thom Yorke; Radiohead is second to none when it comes to stretching the musical horizons of rock.

Afterthought: "Pulpit Freedom Sunday"

To last week's Colbert inspired post on Pulpit Freedom Sunday I'd like to add this bombshell of a quote from Kierkegaard:

"What Christianity needs is not the suffocating protection of the state; no, it needs fresh air, it needs persecution, and it needs God's protection.  The state only works disaster, it wards off persecution and thus is not the medium through which God's protection can be conducted.  Above all, save Christianity from the state.  By its protection it smothers it to death."

Colbert on "Pulpit Freedom Sunday"

I thought Colbert had some interesting insights last night into the intersection of politics and religion.  This is true particularly in his interview (see second clip).