Worth Doing

I had a rather rare night at work where I was reminded of something that I think I often neglect. Namely my position as a working man, and what my attitude should be regarding it. In the sixth chapter of The Incomparable Christ, J. Oswald Sanders says:

"It is a challenging thought, and one that should be closely observed by those who are preparing for a life of service for God, that our divine Lord spent six times as long working at the carpenter's bench as he did in his world-shaping ministry. He did not shrink the hidden years of preparation."

From Jesus' example, he goes on to draw a few conclusions. First, it showed that Jesus identified with common, working class people, a fact that would continue to play out in preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Christ also worked hard as an example of how we should labor for the Father's glory. He drew on his experience from his earthly occupation in his ministry. His mentioning of the "easy yoke" was a possible reflection on this. Finally, he used this time of earthly training to build up stamina for his later ministry. From we have recorded in the gospels, he traveled at least 2500 miles on foot over three years, not counting the mental and spiritual strain. His long hours as a carpenter prepared him for what came next.

As far as my own work goes, last night I was reminded that I have an opportunity to minister to people in subtle ways. There was a lady and her husband who live in the independent units on the campus of the assisted living facility I work for. She is very weak after battling cancer for many years and he is too frail to help her up. I got to bring comfort by helping her to bed twice in one night. She cried each time, and hugged me close while her husband just smiled and said "She just wants a little loving, you know?" Now, my job isn't rocket science. It's not overly hard (other than being away from my wife two/three nights a week), but it does get rather monotonous. It more of a mental battle to stay away and diligent. Sometimes it's easy to forget Colossians 3:17 : that in "whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

I want to be more grateful for the things I take for granted. Hopefully, this is a good first step.

The Rationality of God

Weather or not you consider yourself religious or nonreligious, regardless of your worldview, you seek truth; you affirm and reject things based on various presuppositions, facts, notions, ideas, ect. The most foundational question one can ask oneself is "Does God exist?". Regardless of how one answers this question, there is another that follows it: "Is my conclusion on this matter rational?" How you answer this question, and what methods you use to ultimately arrive at your answer, if taken seriously, shapes how you view the world, interact with people, and how you live your life.

Many people believe in what is called classical foundationalism. This is the belief that everything must be based on sensory experience or self-evident truths. This leads to eventialism, which is probably best summized by a quote from English mathematician and philosopher William K. Clifford from his essay The Ethics of Belief:

"It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence."

There is certainly a lot to be unpacked from that statement, but a more formal way of wording this argument as it applies to belief in god looks like this:

(1) Belief in God is rational only if there is sufficient evidence for the existence of God.

(2) There is not sufficient evidence for the existence of God.

(3) Therefore, belief in God is irrational.

Now, as this is a valid argument, the theist has a few options. Either the theist accepts what is said as true and either a) forsakes belief in God. or b) admits the belief is irrational and continues believing anyway; or the theist works to refute one of the premises and show it to be an invalid argument.

A large number of Christians, especially evangelicals, tend to argue against the second premise. They point to things such as the universe existing in the first place (the Cosmological Argument), the universe showing signs of intelligent design (the Teleological Argument), the concept of morality (Moral Argument), or the fact that we can conceive of God in the first place (the Ontological Argument). While these arguments are valuable, they are also easy to dispute. Random chance with an assumption of eternal matter takes the place of the Cosmological argument. Macro-Evolution takes the place of the Teleological and Moral arguments. The Ontological Argument is often written off as bad grammar.

The second way of refuting this argument, called Reformed Epistemology, attacks the second premise. It makes belief in God foundational, that is, it says that belief in God is rational without the support of evidence or argument. Some of the grounds for this are as follows:

Demand for "sufficient evidence" can't be met consistently. That is, many things that people consider to be completely rational do not have a shred of evidence attached to them. Try proving the existence of other people, or that yesterday happened. No one can prove these things, yet it is perfectly rational to know that these things will happen. So belief in God is more akin to belief in other people, rather than belief in an scientific equation. Secondly, as it is rational to trust in what other people tell us, in the belief of the past, ect. so it is rational to belief that we are rational if these experiences produce in us belief in God. (This is what Calvin called the sensus divinitatus, or "sense of the divine".)

In wrapping this up, I think it is important to examine and question one's belief. Understanding what you believe and why you believe it are essential regardless of one's worldview. Doubting your faith, or having a theistic argument make sense to you (for the atheist), does not mean that one should instantly tear down everything you believe in. People have good reasons for belief as well as disbelief. As long as healthy dialogue and intellectual honesty is maintained, truth will prevail. As a theist, I find that reformed epistemology works well in explaining my conversion and it helps me in retaining my faith. "Believing so that I may understand", I continue in spite of my doubt.

Links to lots of things that cover what I talked about in much, much greater detail:

Without Evidence or Argument: A Defense of Reformed Epistemology
Religious Epistemology (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Philosophy of Religion
The Ethics of Belief by William K. Clifford
The Knowledge of God the Creator by John Calvin (Institutes, book I)

Pride Comes Before

As the apartment fills with the smells of simple Japanese cooking, I'm feeling a little depressed. Ever since Megan and I traveled to Kyoto last March, we've been aching to go back. I'm still under the strong impression that we will go back to Japan eventually, possibly for a long term assignment, but the in-betweens are hard. It's been a few months since I've graduated and I've had to confess that I've felt comfortable in my role as a house husband. I'm not very good at it either. It's been a real struggle to find motivation to do anything - which has always been my number one flaw - but this time it feels different. It feels like active denial. Like warfare.

I'm not one to see a demon behind every bush. In fact, I'll admit that 99% of the time, I don't think that Satan has to do anything to us directly to get us exactly where he wants us. The heart of man is born wicked and deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9) and so starts the T(otal Depravity) of the TULIP of reformed thought. But, Satan is looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8) and most often he gets me when I feel my strongest. This is probably why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:12 " Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. " More often than not, I start to make a little headway in learning to lean on grace and before I know it, I've slipped back into sin, starting with the aforementioned pride.

Thankfully, I know that because Christ died for sinners (Romans 5:8), my sins are taken care of. Seeking active repentance and being turned away from the old ways are point number one when learning to "walk in it" (2 John 1:6). I'm still learning and I need help. One day at a time, I know that I'm being conformed to Christ's image ( Romans 8:29). . .but that he doesn't always work on my timetable.

So I'll have to wait and rest, and lean on some stronger brothers.