Thursday, May 15, 2008
Great Quotations
Douglas Groothius recently posted some interesting quotations. One:
We seem to be driven by two very compelling, and related, urges. It is the urge to be attractive, hence the lack of differentiation from the world, and to be a part of community, hence the sameness. What I find truly fascinating is that we cannot seem to understand that the ultimate expression of those urges lies in being wholly devoted to God in such a way that we are startlingly different from the world and each other.
How could finally and fully realizing the image of God in us not be attractive and what could be more communal than being bound together in our differences? The problem is we keep looking to each other instead of looking at our Lord. I love the chorus of the hymn:
There is a danger in this discussion; however. Many confuse the iconoclastic personality with being alone. If that is the case, then it is being done wrong. A true Christian iconoclast will live in the context of a larger community and will be bonded strongly to that community.
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In an age of idolatry,Two:
not to be an iconoclast is to be an idolater.
"In popular culture, even the Second Coming would be just another barren thrill to be watched on television till Milton Berle came on."What both have in common is the theme that Christians will look very different than society at large. And yet, in my experience, we seem to end up looking just like society and we end up looking very much like each other.
We seem to be driven by two very compelling, and related, urges. It is the urge to be attractive, hence the lack of differentiation from the world, and to be a part of community, hence the sameness. What I find truly fascinating is that we cannot seem to understand that the ultimate expression of those urges lies in being wholly devoted to God in such a way that we are startlingly different from the world and each other.
How could finally and fully realizing the image of God in us not be attractive and what could be more communal than being bound together in our differences? The problem is we keep looking to each other instead of looking at our Lord. I love the chorus of the hymn:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,The key is very much where we look. If we look upon Christ we have a very iconoclastic example upon which we concentrate, which gives us the freedom to accept the other in a fashion that builds community without conformity.
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
There is a danger in this discussion; however. Many confuse the iconoclastic personality with being alone. If that is the case, then it is being done wrong. A true Christian iconoclast will live in the context of a larger community and will be bonded strongly to that community.
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