I am loving this abundance of Klavan-ness easing the sorrows if ny Klavanless week. And so abundantly beautiful in its topic. Unlike those who chastise and turn their nose when you mention God on the show I always want more - the New Jerusalem is my perfect Klavany goodness fix
I’m so glad that you always bring our duty - and joy - as Christians back around to love. When Christ was questioned by the Pharisee about the greatest commandment, Jesus said that it was to love God with all of your whole heart, soul, and mind, and that the second was like unto it: love your neighbor as yourself.
If you look back at the Ten Commandments in Exodus, you’ll find that the first four line up with the greatest commandment, and the last six commandments line up with the second one that Jesus gave. So loving God and loving your neighbor isn’t just a warm fuzzy that you feel in your tummy. Loving is really taking action.
Andrew - thank you for mentioning St. Anthony the Great since you’ve given me the opportunity to post this wonderful quote from him, about the nature of God:
“God is good, and passionless and immutable. If a man accepts it as right and true that God does not change, yet is puzzled how (being such) He rejoices at the good, turns away from the wicked, is angered with sinners and shows them mercy when they repent, the answer to this is that God does NOT rejoice and is not angered, for joy and anger are passions. It is absurd to think that the Deity could be helped or harmed by human deeds. God is good and does only good; He harms no one and is always the same. As to ourselves, when we are good we enter into communion with Him through our likeness to Him, and when we become evil, we cut ourselves off from God through our unlikeness to Him. When we live virtuously we are God’s own, and when we become wicked, we fall away from Him. This does not mean that He is angry with us, but that our sins do not let God shine in us, and that they link us with the tormentors — the demons. If later, through prayers and good deeds, we obtain absolution of our sins, it does not mean that we have propitiated God and changed Him, but that through such actions and our turning to God we have cured the evil in ourselves and have again become able to partake of God’s goodness. Thus, to say that God turns away from the wicked is the same as to say that the sun hides itself from those who lose their sight.”
Enjoying female beauty without wanting to possess it is something I think comes with age. As a young person you don’t really know what that means or rather, it’s really hard to feel it.
I think that this is true of appreciating beauty generally, although of course a young man appreciating the beauty of a woman has a particular twist on this. For instance, I'm reminded of when you take children on a hike, you have to constantly remind them to not pick the flowers; the flowers are pretty and the children want to have them. Or even the current tendency of some in our society to photograph and share photographs of everything beautiful to one's social media feed. (<raises hand> It's me! I'm some in our society!!) Not that every photograph of an sunset is a sinful attempt to possess it--but it is an attempt to capture its evanescent beauty in some way. I think that as one ages, it's easier to leave the flowers alone, and to just admire the sunset.
"Through moral discipline, charity of hand and mind, and ritual, Christ is offering a path to love, joy, and life in abundance" Perfectly said. Being a Christian is a practice. Often falling, but reaching for the hand of God, who is always there to lift you up.
“Judge not” does not mean sin is not condemned. It means that only God will be the ultimate judge of the person, bc only He knows the human heart, which, as Jeremiah tells us, is very good at self deception. Saving us *from sin does not mean saving us *for sin.
Great insight as always Andrew. I agree with Allie's comment - I always look forward to your religious discussions and want more and more! Your comments have been very helpful as I find my own path.
Also, thank you for reading my comment out at the beginning of your show! I couldn't believe it, I had to rewind and watch again. I excitedly told my son, 'I wrote that!', unfortunately he is three years old so he wasn't super impressed. It definitely made my day though!
Judgment. Least popular? I’m not sure about that. Perhaps it isn’t the popularity, so much as the difficulty. I find myself reciting to myself multiple times every single day. I may make a mental criticism of someone and, as it should, the voice in my head warns, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”
So, I don’t think it’s unpopular, I think it’s just so difficult to always adhere to St. Matthew’s warning.
“Unlike Buddha, though, Jesus does not detach from the world to rise above suffering. He calls us to take up the cross of suffering and live life in abundance — through him, who is the way to that life and the truth of it and the life itself.”
Indeed. In contrast to detachment from suffering, Jesus enters completely into our suffering as He invites us to participate in His redemptive suffering and to join our suffering to His, bringing forth meaning and salvation, and yes, even beauty. I recall an older episode of the Klavan podcast on Daily Wire about the lawyer asking “Who is my neighbor?” Drew went on to speak of having to say goodbye to a dear friend who’d received a bad diagnosis. Drew spoke of his deep sadness but said that it was “a beautiful sadness”. And more recently, on his podcast, Drew answered a question on theodicy in such a wonderful way, saying that if a human, namely Michelangelo, could create such an amazingly beautiful sculpture as the Pieta from a moment of the worst grief possible in human experience, how much more could an infinite God bring forth?
Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
While challenged intellectually, my four-function math skills are pretty good. So I was wondering if these last two letters were supposed to be numbered (so I can recall the sequence when reviewing later). More likely, Spencer's travel really did send us into a Klavanless void.
I am loving this abundance of Klavan-ness easing the sorrows if ny Klavanless week. And so abundantly beautiful in its topic. Unlike those who chastise and turn their nose when you mention God on the show I always want more - the New Jerusalem is my perfect Klavany goodness fix
I love the respectful contrast that you’re bringing this week between Christianity and Buddhism.
I’m so glad that you always bring our duty - and joy - as Christians back around to love. When Christ was questioned by the Pharisee about the greatest commandment, Jesus said that it was to love God with all of your whole heart, soul, and mind, and that the second was like unto it: love your neighbor as yourself.
If you look back at the Ten Commandments in Exodus, you’ll find that the first four line up with the greatest commandment, and the last six commandments line up with the second one that Jesus gave. So loving God and loving your neighbor isn’t just a warm fuzzy that you feel in your tummy. Loving is really taking action.
Andrew - thank you for mentioning St. Anthony the Great since you’ve given me the opportunity to post this wonderful quote from him, about the nature of God:
“God is good, and passionless and immutable. If a man accepts it as right and true that God does not change, yet is puzzled how (being such) He rejoices at the good, turns away from the wicked, is angered with sinners and shows them mercy when they repent, the answer to this is that God does NOT rejoice and is not angered, for joy and anger are passions. It is absurd to think that the Deity could be helped or harmed by human deeds. God is good and does only good; He harms no one and is always the same. As to ourselves, when we are good we enter into communion with Him through our likeness to Him, and when we become evil, we cut ourselves off from God through our unlikeness to Him. When we live virtuously we are God’s own, and when we become wicked, we fall away from Him. This does not mean that He is angry with us, but that our sins do not let God shine in us, and that they link us with the tormentors — the demons. If later, through prayers and good deeds, we obtain absolution of our sins, it does not mean that we have propitiated God and changed Him, but that through such actions and our turning to God we have cured the evil in ourselves and have again become able to partake of God’s goodness. Thus, to say that God turns away from the wicked is the same as to say that the sun hides itself from those who lose their sight.”
Enjoying female beauty without wanting to possess it is something I think comes with age. As a young person you don’t really know what that means or rather, it’s really hard to feel it.
I think that this is true of appreciating beauty generally, although of course a young man appreciating the beauty of a woman has a particular twist on this. For instance, I'm reminded of when you take children on a hike, you have to constantly remind them to not pick the flowers; the flowers are pretty and the children want to have them. Or even the current tendency of some in our society to photograph and share photographs of everything beautiful to one's social media feed. (<raises hand> It's me! I'm some in our society!!) Not that every photograph of an sunset is a sinful attempt to possess it--but it is an attempt to capture its evanescent beauty in some way. I think that as one ages, it's easier to leave the flowers alone, and to just admire the sunset.
"Through moral discipline, charity of hand and mind, and ritual, Christ is offering a path to love, joy, and life in abundance" Perfectly said. Being a Christian is a practice. Often falling, but reaching for the hand of God, who is always there to lift you up.
“Judge not” does not mean sin is not condemned. It means that only God will be the ultimate judge of the person, bc only He knows the human heart, which, as Jeremiah tells us, is very good at self deception. Saving us *from sin does not mean saving us *for sin.
Great insight as always Andrew. I agree with Allie's comment - I always look forward to your religious discussions and want more and more! Your comments have been very helpful as I find my own path.
Also, thank you for reading my comment out at the beginning of your show! I couldn't believe it, I had to rewind and watch again. I excitedly told my son, 'I wrote that!', unfortunately he is three years old so he wasn't super impressed. It definitely made my day though!
Judgment. Least popular? I’m not sure about that. Perhaps it isn’t the popularity, so much as the difficulty. I find myself reciting to myself multiple times every single day. I may make a mental criticism of someone and, as it should, the voice in my head warns, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”
So, I don’t think it’s unpopular, I think it’s just so difficult to always adhere to St. Matthew’s warning.
Love this, thank you Andrew!
Aye. 👁️ Eye agree that disgusting plucking needs to be avoided. But not the kind of avoidance of Buddhism.
This reminds of Dr. Jordan Peterson saying that life has unavoidable suffering in it. But why make it into a living hell on top of that?
Drew writes:
“Unlike Buddha, though, Jesus does not detach from the world to rise above suffering. He calls us to take up the cross of suffering and live life in abundance — through him, who is the way to that life and the truth of it and the life itself.”
Indeed. In contrast to detachment from suffering, Jesus enters completely into our suffering as He invites us to participate in His redemptive suffering and to join our suffering to His, bringing forth meaning and salvation, and yes, even beauty. I recall an older episode of the Klavan podcast on Daily Wire about the lawyer asking “Who is my neighbor?” Drew went on to speak of having to say goodbye to a dear friend who’d received a bad diagnosis. Drew spoke of his deep sadness but said that it was “a beautiful sadness”. And more recently, on his podcast, Drew answered a question on theodicy in such a wonderful way, saying that if a human, namely Michelangelo, could create such an amazingly beautiful sculpture as the Pieta from a moment of the worst grief possible in human experience, how much more could an infinite God bring forth?
Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
“Where the pathway is a Person that you’ve come to love and so, you can stop pretending that it all depends on you.
For it’s not how much you love but how much He loves you.”
“The Way Of Wisdom” by Michael Card
The Way of Wisdom starts out
With a step of holy fear
And it makes its way along
By every good word that you hear
It has to do with passion
And it has to do with pain
It has to do with One
Who has both died and rose again
Died and rose again
And the Way of Wisdom is living
The Path of Peace is forgiving
Behold the Man of Meaning
Behold, He is the Lord
The way of understanding lies
In not how much you know
Where the pathway is a person
That you’ve come to love and so
You can stop pretending that it all depends on you
For it’s not how much you love
As much as how much He loves you
How much He loves you
And the Way of Wisdom is living
The Path of Peace is forgiving
Behold the Man of Meaning
Behold, He is the Lord
And the Way of Wisdom is living
The Path of Peace is forgiving
Behold the Man of Meaning
Behold, He is the Lord
The Way of Wisdom beckons us
To find the end of fear that perfect love pursues
Wisdom did not come to simply speak the words of truth
He’s the Word that makes us true
The Way of Wisdom starts out
With a step of holy fear
That’s only the beginning
And there’s much more that is clear
The path leads on to love
And love is fearless in its ways
For Love Himself was not afraid
To die that we’d be saved
To die that we’d be saved
And the Way of Wisdom is living
The Path of Peace is forgiving
Behold the Man of Meaning
Behold, He is the Lord
And the Way of Wisdom is living
The Path of Peace is forgiving
Behold the Man of Meaning
Behold, He is the Lord
Behold, He is the Lord
While challenged intellectually, my four-function math skills are pretty good. So I was wondering if these last two letters were supposed to be numbered (so I can recall the sequence when reviewing later). More likely, Spencer's travel really did send us into a Klavanless void.
I just upgraded my subscription so I won’t find myself Klavan-less. (Horror!)
Thank you for this peek into your inspirational conversations with your son of no relation:)