When Bonhoeffer analysed the Sermon on the Mount, he indicated that what could seem inconsistent - the ideas of being salt and light and the idea that our righteous acts should largely be hidden - is really very consistent. He says we as individuals can never know our own righteousness, lest we become enthralled with it and it becomes a massive missing of the mark. We must only know Christ, him crucified, and use all our power to follow the example he set. It's relational. It's immediate and present in every moment. It's not tied to big sets of rules. It's the complete opposite of idolatry. It's loving the fully God and fully man, Jesus, more than the cold logic and easiness of ideologies. Thank you for an excellent reminder of this fact!
Causing me to muse upon Greeks, Hebrews, and Christians. Thinking that in Greek thought, although Zeus was "king" of the many gods, it was the Titan-god Prometheus, who was not an Olympus inhabitant, who created the human. What does that imply about the relative position of king-god and human? Moving on to the Hebrews: they perceived God as creator of universe and men, as judge, but very distant. He did not even provide them with His own name until Moses was sent to "do diplomacy" with Pharaoh. Enter upon the stage, Jesus of Nazareth, who speaks over and over again, of God as not only creator of men, of the universe, but as Daddy, who reaches out to embrace each of His children. See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called the children of God. And so we are.
Glad you have been absorbing McGilchrist. My big takeaway: reading a great poem aloud ignites the whole person (right hemisphere); explaining how that works through massive research and precise formulation is totally persuasive to those who understand and feel poetry, but it is still not poetry, as McGilchrist would immediately agree. The great McGilchrist gets us to appreciate right hemisphere perception by going through left hemisphere particulate analysis. A supreme accomplishment.
"But I also can’t help noticing this syndrome in conservatives, who celebrate the very real triumphs of capitalism, say, without acknowledging its equally real spiritual costs."
Always bowled over by these exchanges! If anyone is interested, we also happen to be talking about Iain McGilchrist's work this week. Would love for you to have a look:
I've had on my mind Recently the scribes and the pharisees. If everything that has gone before Is a type of things to come, The bible become a mirror. I have had to wrestle with some of my own pharisaical tendencies and folly when I find myself resentful or disgusted with the elites.This is the gathering and refining time. Only a few recognized him the first time. I hope for courage enough to be centered in Him and not miss the singular opportunity -called life- to know Him. " Thank you for giving my story time and attention. After all, that is the most valuable currency we can give to anything."
Hmmm. I never like Conservative attacks on capitalism. It’s just a tool. It’s like saying hammers have a bad side because you could kill somebody with one. Capitalism is merely a means for allocating resources and it’s the best way because everyone gets to make their own decisions instead of someone else making them for them. The decisions they make might be immoral but having the choice isn’t immoral.
I don’t understand what you’re referring to as the “spiritual costs” of capitalism. There are certainly spiritual risks associated with it, excessive greed or an unhealthy focus on one’s own self-interest, but these are human failings present in all economic arrangements. What spiritual elements must we sacrifice in order to function in a capitalist society?
Star Trek was the epitome of the bold , adventurous American culture lead by those courageous characters Kirk & Spook then star fleet hire a DEI officer and a HR department then they could get their own astronauts down from the space station above earth , did anyone see that episode?
Me I grew up with the old series and thought it was great , then it all went downhill with every generation.
Till Red Dwarf where all of star fleets DEI programs lead to. Spook became Rimmer & Kirk was Lister . A bunch of ruined relics trying to make sense of their meaningless existence floating through space.
We’ve had “Class Marxism”, “Gender Marxism” & “Race Marxism” Red Dwarf was the culmination of “Space Marxism” , I commend my thesis to the ladies & gentlemen of the jury to dig out a copy of this space odyssey (or idiocy ) to prove my point !
When Bonhoeffer analysed the Sermon on the Mount, he indicated that what could seem inconsistent - the ideas of being salt and light and the idea that our righteous acts should largely be hidden - is really very consistent. He says we as individuals can never know our own righteousness, lest we become enthralled with it and it becomes a massive missing of the mark. We must only know Christ, him crucified, and use all our power to follow the example he set. It's relational. It's immediate and present in every moment. It's not tied to big sets of rules. It's the complete opposite of idolatry. It's loving the fully God and fully man, Jesus, more than the cold logic and easiness of ideologies. Thank you for an excellent reminder of this fact!
Causing me to muse upon Greeks, Hebrews, and Christians. Thinking that in Greek thought, although Zeus was "king" of the many gods, it was the Titan-god Prometheus, who was not an Olympus inhabitant, who created the human. What does that imply about the relative position of king-god and human? Moving on to the Hebrews: they perceived God as creator of universe and men, as judge, but very distant. He did not even provide them with His own name until Moses was sent to "do diplomacy" with Pharaoh. Enter upon the stage, Jesus of Nazareth, who speaks over and over again, of God as not only creator of men, of the universe, but as Daddy, who reaches out to embrace each of His children. See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called the children of God. And so we are.
So well said. Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see You.
Thanks again Klavan
Glad you have been absorbing McGilchrist. My big takeaway: reading a great poem aloud ignites the whole person (right hemisphere); explaining how that works through massive research and precise formulation is totally persuasive to those who understand and feel poetry, but it is still not poetry, as McGilchrist would immediately agree. The great McGilchrist gets us to appreciate right hemisphere perception by going through left hemisphere particulate analysis. A supreme accomplishment.
"But I also can’t help noticing this syndrome in conservatives, who celebrate the very real triumphs of capitalism, say, without acknowledging its equally real spiritual costs."
"There are no solutions, only tradeoffs"
Thomas Sowell
Always bowled over by these exchanges! If anyone is interested, we also happen to be talking about Iain McGilchrist's work this week. Would love for you to have a look:
https://open.substack.com/pub/refiguringreality/p/are-you-paying-attention?r=2je56w&selection=afebaa38-de57-4673-a3fe-2f3527b1d253&utm_campaign=post-share-selection&utm_medium=web
I've had on my mind Recently the scribes and the pharisees. If everything that has gone before Is a type of things to come, The bible become a mirror. I have had to wrestle with some of my own pharisaical tendencies and folly when I find myself resentful or disgusted with the elites.This is the gathering and refining time. Only a few recognized him the first time. I hope for courage enough to be centered in Him and not miss the singular opportunity -called life- to know Him. " Thank you for giving my story time and attention. After all, that is the most valuable currency we can give to anything."
Daniel Nayeri
Hmmm. I never like Conservative attacks on capitalism. It’s just a tool. It’s like saying hammers have a bad side because you could kill somebody with one. Capitalism is merely a means for allocating resources and it’s the best way because everyone gets to make their own decisions instead of someone else making them for them. The decisions they make might be immoral but having the choice isn’t immoral.
I don’t understand what you’re referring to as the “spiritual costs” of capitalism. There are certainly spiritual risks associated with it, excessive greed or an unhealthy focus on one’s own self-interest, but these are human failings present in all economic arrangements. What spiritual elements must we sacrifice in order to function in a capitalist society?
Star Trek was the epitome of the bold , adventurous American culture lead by those courageous characters Kirk & Spook then star fleet hire a DEI officer and a HR department then they could get their own astronauts down from the space station above earth , did anyone see that episode?
Me I grew up with the old series and thought it was great , then it all went downhill with every generation.
Till Red Dwarf where all of star fleets DEI programs lead to. Spook became Rimmer & Kirk was Lister . A bunch of ruined relics trying to make sense of their meaningless existence floating through space.
We’ve had “Class Marxism”, “Gender Marxism” & “Race Marxism” Red Dwarf was the culmination of “Space Marxism” , I commend my thesis to the ladies & gentlemen of the jury to dig out a copy of this space odyssey (or idiocy ) to prove my point !