Posted by Rob Borley | Posted on 09-05-2006
Category : Society
21 Grams, the DVD I watched last night is apparently the amount of body mass we loss the instant that we die. The premise of this film, which was ok, was to look at what we lose (even gain) with those 21 Grams. But that’s not really the point of my post.
One of the major themes of the film was; what exactly makes us, us? Without giving away too much of the plot, the film follows the story of a guy who, after receiving a heart transplant goes on a journey of discovery to find out who he now is. He finds himself being drawn more and more into the life of the previous owner of his new heart.
So this made me think, what does make us who we are? For many a dark year people believed that we were the sum of our parts. If you lose an arm, a leg, maybe a finger then that made us less of a person; or at least a different person. Of course we know this not to be true.
But what about the inside? People are often described as having a good heart if they are nice person. Would a transplant of the physical heart really change our personality; would it change who we are?
Possibly the biggest general suggestion now is that our mind; our thought processes, are what make us who we are. So if brain transplants become possible, which is probably not light years away from being science fact, then would having a new brain change who we were?
I realise that this is a little philosophical but as Christians surely we believe that we are greater the sum of our parts. We have a soul, a spirit, not sure what you want to call it, but something that lives on beyond our physical death (I wonder if it weighs, 21 grams *smile*). Is this the true us or could such medical procedures; science fiction or fact, have an effect?
I doubt if there are any medical philosophers who read threedays but you thoughts are valued all the same.
Posted by Felix Page | Posted on 16-03-2006
Category : Religion, Society
So I read this� on Sunday.
Quickly, I jumped to the conclusionÃ? this makesÃ? us Christian types look bad…Ã?Â
….. and that IÃ? most certainlyÃ? would notÃ? give up my faith like that if anyone I loved was killed.
I would realise that God is in totalÃ? control and I would forgive the suicide bomber as Jesus forgives me…Ã? just like I would have not committed adulteryÃ? if put in David’s position;Ã? I wouldÃ? not haveÃ? run away from my calling like Jonah and I most certainly would have completelyÃ? trusted Jesus. I would haveÃ? walked on water, understood all his teachings and parables first time, I wouldÃ? not haveÃ? panicked during the storm or denied that I knewÃ? him three times…… errrrrm.
I ask myself, why� is it that when� I see other people being so openly truthful,� honest and admitting weakness in their� faith, that I get so high and mighty?
My ‘religiousÃ? mind’Ã? jumps to the conclusionsÃ? that they must not beÃ? reading their bible or praying enough… orÃ? even more outrageousÃ? ….Ã? that it is probablyÃ? becauseÃ? they don’t knowÃ? what it ‘really’ meansÃ? to loveÃ? God anway…. ouch 
On the other hand you have this� story.
Is itÃ? the secondÃ? articleÃ? that contains theÃ? ’better’ Christian? Some might say…Ã?Â
But let me ask a better question…
Who would God be more� disappointed� with? The lady who was honest, the other� lady who was honest, or my� heart, that� I decide to� judge other people with such blatant hypocrisy?
Mercy and Grace for me please……
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Posted by Felix Page | Posted on 13-03-2006
Category : Religion, Society
Recently in my day toÃ? day work with young people,Ã? I have been addressing myÃ? thinking about the approachÃ? thatÃ? we as youth workersÃ? take towards Christian events, specifically, ‘Youth’ events. I am starting toÃ? ask myself questions thatÃ? shake the very foundations of my guitar playing soul!
In some� situations, I� have� found that the attempted� answer to a lack of provision of true biblical teaching and� discipleship� for young people, is to launch an event, with lights and sound and funky tunes and games and such like, with a gospel message of some description being sneakily tied in� at the end.
Why do I feel� that sometimes� we are attempting to� trick young people into accepting Jesus?
As� followers of� Jesus,� can we� potentially� feel the need to impress young people with how hip we can be? By flashing some lights at them and hoping that they will be so delighted and emotionally convicted� with our use of a heart wrenching power point presentation that they will accept Jesus!?
Now don’t get me wrong, I met with Jesus for the first time at one of the youth events I have described, andÃ? He blew me away.Ã? I also see that in a culture where image and attitudeÃ? seem toÃ? beÃ? the only way of attracting people toÃ? follow the latest craze,Ã? is itÃ? becoming more andÃ? more common to think that JesusÃ? must want us toÃ? do the same?
I guess what itÃ? comes down to is that IÃ? am scared that to attempt toÃ? reverse the trend of declining ‘traditional’Ã? church attendancesÃ? we will look to ‘cool events’ to attract young people. I am scared that is all they’ll be, an ‘event’ in the young person’s life, with no support or true discipleship after the hype of theÃ? ’event’ has subsided.
Father, I pray that you remind us that you have the power to move� in anyway you choose to� reach your lost children.� Help us to trust in your� agenda and your� plans and not our own.
Amen.
