Tuesday 2 December 2014

First Fix Your Metaphysics: How Christians hope and do not despair

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Too many Western Christians have absorbed secular metaphysics - that model of the basic structure and nature of fundamental reality - absorbed it so fundamentally that it frames even their Christianity.

Then they come to despair - because (by all secular Western criteria) Christianity is weak and getting weaker, corrupt and getting corrupter - and what can one man do?

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Any informed realist will acknowledge that there is no way that the powerful sources of evil in the modern world are going to allow the Christian message to spread via the main channels - and Christianity will be subverted and opposed at attacked in the mass media; including official propaganda, 'science' and 'research', the educational system, in laws and in regulations. ALL the secular sources of information and influence.

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IF you believe these are the ONLY significant factors in the world - then you will despair (I mean, you will despair of the world ).

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But WHO SAYS that the mass media is the only real and strong mechanism of communication, measure of influence, conduit of power?

Who says? The mass media and official power says. The secular metaphysics says.

What they say is "If we are against you, then you have no chance - so give-up and despair".

Well, they would say that, wouldn't they?

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But what Christianity says is that there are other and more significant media than the mass media - there are other ways that communication, influence and power can operate.

There are other ways in which one Christian person, in one place, at one particular time, can irradiate immense and unmeasured positive influence - ways that are not detected by the mass media and official institutions.

You personally can be one of these ways; and you personally can (and probably already do) benefit from many of these ways. 

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If your metaphysics does not allow for this, if it does not does not - indeed - regard it as potentially realer and more significant than the mass media; then you need to fix your metaphysics.

Otherwise you are setting yourself up for inevitable despair and defeat.

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First Fix Your Metaphysics!

If you don't, you are going nowhere. 

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1 comment:

Gary Seven said...

Very good advice. I encourage clergy to unplug for a time and then reevaluate how they view the world. I'm often able to reach knee-jerk progressives that way.

BTW, I thoroughly enjoyed your book "Addicted to Distraction."