I was raised in church, but I think that made words like Faith and Grace meaningless. It was the lingo of the liturgy.
I left Christianity for 20+ years, and Jordan Peterson reeled me back. He did so with that intellect which seeks to describe things through multiple disciplines, which I think helps get closer to what the meaning of a concept.
It's interesting that Jordan Peterson influenced you in a way that brought you back to the church, since he is not a believer. I think he is also on a spiritual journey and is a theist now, at least. It wouldn't surprise me if he became a born-again Christian. I will say that sometimes the church tries to be a substitute for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and it just falls short.
I understand what you mean, Spencer, when you talk about code in church, and I’m a cradle Catholic, who went to Catholic school. But I’ve found the best definition of faith has come to me , not from the Church or parochial school, but from the original Miracle On 34th Street.
When Fred quits his job and decides to defend Kris, he says to Doris, “Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to.”
You've done it again, Young Klavan. That is, you've taken a complicated, fraught word like "faith" and spread it out in simple terms like peanut butter across whole wheat bread. I love them both (the explanation and the peanut butter).
Just yesterday I was exploring scriptures about Joy, considering how we can experience joy even during grief, as I have witnessed in a friend. I came across a verse in 1st Peter chapter 1 where Peter says that we are guarded by the power of God through faith. I realized my understanding of faith is vague and simple. This verse lead to the question; "what is faith, really?". The timing of your article today is surely orchestrated by our Father. I think we do experience joy during grief if we have faith that God is orchestrating everything to bring us to Him, and home again. It's all so beautiful, simple and complex at the same time!
Faith is proof of things not yet seen. These things have substance or evidence for those who believe in God. Faith is real. Faith is a reality. You’re all in or not in at all—no hedging, no doubt.
There was a French family who were ardent Marxists. They wanted to raise their baby daughter with absolutely no Christian influence, so they took her to the Moroccan wilderness where there were no people around. Yet she still found God in the beauty of a sunset. The thing that convinced her there was something out there was upon witnessing a beautiful sunset after a violent sandstorm, she found that she was naturally grateful for the sunset, but gratitude, by definition, requires someone else that you're grateful to. This beautiful reality of the setting sun and gratitude for it led her on a journey of faith to find who it was that had given her that beauty. Her story can be found in A Memory for Wonders: A True Story
The Chinese writer, Watchman Nee, suggests that a better definition of "substance," as used in Hebrews 11, is "substantiation." I think this lines up with your thinking nicely, Spencer.
I was raised in church, but I think that made words like Faith and Grace meaningless. It was the lingo of the liturgy.
I left Christianity for 20+ years, and Jordan Peterson reeled me back. He did so with that intellect which seeks to describe things through multiple disciplines, which I think helps get closer to what the meaning of a concept.
Would you write one about Grace now, Spencer?
It's interesting that Jordan Peterson influenced you in a way that brought you back to the church, since he is not a believer. I think he is also on a spiritual journey and is a theist now, at least. It wouldn't surprise me if he became a born-again Christian. I will say that sometimes the church tries to be a substitute for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and it just falls short.
I can’t think of anyone who has converted more people to Christianity this century.
My compliments Spencer, that’s the best definition of faith I’ve seen yet. I plan to pencil it in the margin of my Webster’s forthwith!
I understand what you mean, Spencer, when you talk about code in church, and I’m a cradle Catholic, who went to Catholic school. But I’ve found the best definition of faith has come to me , not from the Church or parochial school, but from the original Miracle On 34th Street.
When Fred quits his job and decides to defend Kris, he says to Doris, “Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to.”
You've done it again, Young Klavan. That is, you've taken a complicated, fraught word like "faith" and spread it out in simple terms like peanut butter across whole wheat bread. I love them both (the explanation and the peanut butter).
Just yesterday I was exploring scriptures about Joy, considering how we can experience joy even during grief, as I have witnessed in a friend. I came across a verse in 1st Peter chapter 1 where Peter says that we are guarded by the power of God through faith. I realized my understanding of faith is vague and simple. This verse lead to the question; "what is faith, really?". The timing of your article today is surely orchestrated by our Father. I think we do experience joy during grief if we have faith that God is orchestrating everything to bring us to Him, and home again. It's all so beautiful, simple and complex at the same time!
Faith is proof of things not yet seen. These things have substance or evidence for those who believe in God. Faith is real. Faith is a reality. You’re all in or not in at all—no hedging, no doubt.
There was a French family who were ardent Marxists. They wanted to raise their baby daughter with absolutely no Christian influence, so they took her to the Moroccan wilderness where there were no people around. Yet she still found God in the beauty of a sunset. The thing that convinced her there was something out there was upon witnessing a beautiful sunset after a violent sandstorm, she found that she was naturally grateful for the sunset, but gratitude, by definition, requires someone else that you're grateful to. This beautiful reality of the setting sun and gratitude for it led her on a journey of faith to find who it was that had given her that beauty. Her story can be found in A Memory for Wonders: A True Story
The Chinese writer, Watchman Nee, suggests that a better definition of "substance," as used in Hebrews 11, is "substantiation." I think this lines up with your thinking nicely, Spencer.