The Intersection of Faith and Culture
ALL IN C.S. Lewis once said, “I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity”. That’s a tough line for a wide section of […]
Hidden, unfelt, unconfessed iniquity is the true leprosy, but when sin is seen and felt it has received its death blow, and the Lord looks with eyes of mercy upon the soul afflicted with it. Nothing is more deadly than self-righteousness, or more hopeful than contrition.
The irony in this story doesn’t escape me. At the time, I was doing so much for the kingdom of God that I didn’t see the kingdom right in front of me. I was so busy trying to do God’s work, I hadn’t taken the time to see the world through God’s eyes. Ultimately it was an issue of honest worship. How could I presume to lead people to worship a God of grace and compassion if I didn’t allow his grace and compassion to flow through me?
Within religion, God becomes static, He becomes quantifiable almost, He becomes stagnant and rigid. But once a person realizes that God is a person, and that a relationship with Him can be as real and dynamic and exciting as a relationship between me and you, then religion turns to relationship.
Some may mourn the fact that Jane was martyred at the young age of 17. Certainly it was awful and evil, but I can’t help but rejoice when hearing about her life. Something about her young age is especially encouraging, as it challenges young people to live a life of boldness, courage, and devotion to God – even to death.
Neither of us expected our stories to turn out this way. Our other college friends got married, had kids, and lived in the cities they’d planned on with the jobs they’d hoped for. But not us. God doesn’t have us on the group plan.