The Merry Go Round

Contributed by SM

In this modern world with its problems there are some people who have lost hope, other people people doubting and some who hope regardless. And their concerns? For some it’s climate change. For many threats from disaffected immigrants, ebola in Africa, starvation in too many countries, and, yes, even slavery. Refugees in many numbers in camps wait seemingly forever to move on, while political feuds, fanatics in Iraq, power strugglers in Syria and other issues unmentioned worries are concerns day by day of others So are we being targeted specially in our time? Are we really meant to be getting it by the bucketful? Well, read this written by Bishop George Berkeley, Bishop of Cloyne and a famously brilliant British philosopher. He wrote it in 1721.

“I know it is an old folly to make peevish complaints of the times, and charge the common failures of human nature on a particular age. One may nevertheless venture to affirm that the present has brought forth new and portentous villainies, not to be paralleled in our own or any other history. We have been long preparing for some great catastrophe. Vice and villainy have by degrees grown reputable among us; our infidels have passed for fine gentleman, and our venal traitors for men of sense who knew the world. We have made a jest of public spirit, and cancelled all respect for whatever our laws and religion repute sacred. The old English modesty is quite worn off, and instead of blushing for our crimes we are ashamed only of piety and virtue. Our symptoms are so bad that, notwithstanding all the care and vigilance of the legislature, it is to be feared the final period of our State approaches”.

So it’s not new. Interestingly enough Wesley followed some years later and brought about a great revival and re-interest in Christianity.People flocked to Church. That was the end of that period of woe. But what to do when we are in the middle of trouble with little light? Let’s see what happened even earlier and how people coped. The Bible writer, Ecclesiastes has to say about life some thousands of years before Berkeley. He may not be famous but he does know a thing or two. There is a wryness, at times, about his observations which ring true. Consider these-

“Wisdom is better than weapons of war, often a single error spoils good strategy. A poisonous fly makes perfume putrid”:

““ Man knows not what is to be: who can tell him what happens when he is gone?”

“ Take shares in several ventures; you never know what will go wrong in this world.”

“ Remember your Creator when you are young, before evil days come…(and before)… the day when the silver cord is snapped, and the golden lamp drops broken,… when your dust returns to Earth once more, and your spirit to God who gave it.”

He argues that all human effort ultimately is negated by death,; to labour for great riches to leave after death to others is ridiculous; that few are remembered after death by their good works and, in a way, all human effort is temporary, unremembered and therefore vain. His final words might even be confirmed by the lack of detailed knowledge in our own families about the daily lives of those who preceded us – their sufferings and their joys. Read him for yourself – it’s easy reading. So what gives meaning to lour lives? Simply that Christ came from the Beyond, from God, and promised that where He was going when he left the Earth was where he he would take all those who believed in Him to be with him after they died. He even said to the thief on the cross beside him that the thief that day would be in Paradise with him. Jesus was acknowledging that the thief knew goodness which did not deserve punishment .and He was merciful.

Can any of this help you to cope? Berkeley with his measuring the world against his faith and making an assessment? Ecclesiastes with his acceptance of mortality and his always remembrance of God? Or the hope that Christ gives us all if we believe? If you would understand more discuss this with your minister, pastor or priest (SM)

A Charming Failure?

A ‘Think About This’ article written by JSDM

 “There is something innately charming about the ordinary folk who came in droves to see the charismatic preacher (Billy Graham): men in their dark suits and hats, women wearing frocks, hats and gloves, girls with their plaits and bobbysocks, clean-cut lads with short-back-and-sides haircuts, all in a conscious effort to look their best.”

The words “innately charming” appeared in a recent article (extract above) on Billy Graham by a TV presenter. They could be judgmental as well as descriptive but can one judge the standards of another time? The clothing mentioned in the above paragraph, for example, was as normal in those days as is the “dress down” aspect of today’s custom of no ties, non-ironed trousers, rumpled clothes, torn and faded jeans and so on. Do we judge the dress of the Elizabethan era? As well, remember that most of those “well dressed” people were the war generation who grew up in the Depression. They conserved clothes and wore their “best clothes” – as expected – in those days, to such events. Those with a knowledge of that time would agree. Not to know that is to misread the scene.  “What’s acceptable and worn at the time“ applies to both eras.

More importantly, what were the results of Graham’s charisma? “Passing” seems the judgment by that writer – a non-continuance into the next generation. Was the transience of his message due to a failure in preaching done by a “slick preacher with movie-star looks and a sonorous voice”? That seems too easy an explanation – Graham could not achieve everything, surely, in one sermon to a massed audience. Follow up education was needed.  It was provided. Did the many, though, follow through or was the rally the beginning and the end – which I suggest it was. If the many didn’t attend what was their reason? Lack of time or inclination are possibilities. So many attendees would never have gone past the “God exists and Jesus calls you to know that” step.

As well there were the loosely connected people who did not know or could not teach/explain the essence of Faith, “Love one another” to their children.  Among them, were the many parents who stayed at home but sent children to Sunday school – a childminding facility on Sunday morning. Did the parents come later to worship with their offspring? Well, see the result to-day – empty pews.

So, if any hard-line view is taken of the Billy Graham campaigns then “parent-failure” has to be seen as a factor. As the parent so the child. Further, Christian educators of those days tried to “make it easy” to learn and discarded learning by heart/rote from the Bible and a little book called the Catechism with its question-and-answer method fell into disuse. That contributed to ignorance and the fall away in worshippers.

In Queensland’s Presbyterian Church the reverend gentlemen of the 1960s were told annually at their State Assembly that youth numbers were falling – that there was a real need to act. Did it happen? The words fell on deaf ears. That wasn’t Billy Graham’s fault.

Indeed, one can ask if theological colleges even now realise the need for high communication skills in students.

The “after Billy Graham generation” consequently – largely uninstructed and uninformed – went into a world of beguiling influences and of wonderful singers – the Beatles and suchlike – and welcomed the advent of the Pill in the 1960s. So the Pill was there, the Bible said, “Not before marriage”. Was “why” ever explained? Who won?  The Church?  No way, so the old Greek god Eros, with the help of the Pill, won by many lengths. Who was Eros?  Sex. You’ll no doubt see some aspects in the Mardi Gras which, this year, celebrates its start up 50 years ago – about the time we are referring to above. It is now described as “Australia’s greatest pageant”. It may well be.

The real question, though, has to be, did Graham fail or was it lack of skilled Church involvement/education/illumination as well as indifference by send-them to Sunday School parents and other non helping adults as well? By the clergy’s lack of communication skills? Billy Graham’s so called “pretty faith” lit the glimmer of belief in a lot of people but lack of extra fuel caused it to fail. 

 

There’s hope, though, tune into Jordan Peterson by clicking here – you won’t sleep!

[SM]