Posted on by Abe Austin

False Agendas

Justified Suffering)

An ideology predicated upon a lie is perhaps the most destructive force in the world. More than nuclear weapons, more than natural disasters, a false agenda that takes hold will fracture an entire society, kill millions of innocents, and leave the survivors in disarray.

The danger of a misaligned belief system is our innate understanding that suffering is justified for the greater good. Under normal conditions, this instinct is a wonderful good, a necessity for overcoming the evil of the world. Being able to stand up for what is right, no matter the cost, has seen the end of slavery, the birth of liberty, and the restoration of spiritual truth.

But now see how that virtue is twisted when applied to a false cause. Because the cause is false, meaning it is contrary to what is true and right, it will inevitably tear large gashes into society as it is pushed forward. But because it has already been decided to be the right thing to do, the painful consequences are excused as the necessary cost for progress. Thus, we gravely wound our society, and don’t even end up getting something good out of it!

An Example)

Perhaps the most recent example of this in western culture has been the feminist movement. First, the ideology was established by the twisting of a truth. It was correctly noted that men and women are created equal, sharing the same promise in Christ, exactly as taught by Paul:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:28-29

But then the metrics of equality were dragged down to earthly standards. First, the stations of men were inappropriately exalted. Leadership offices were seen as positions of power, not of service and obligation. The making of money and acquiring of fame became markers of success, rather than the creation and cultivation of the family.

Next, it became the agenda that women should be elevated to the same levels of power idolatry as men. It became the “greater good,” worthy of inflicting damage and suffering to achieve it. Ever since, we have paid the terrible costs of the family system being completely deconstructed, men and women competing as enemies to one another, the cratering of the birth rate, the collapse of civil society, and the murder of millions of unborn children! We have suffered all of this, and all to gain progress in a false agenda!

The Wrong Solution)

This is worse than short-term gains for long-term losses, for there aren’t even the short-term gains! What we should have done is re-established the notion of servant leadership demonstrated by our Savior, eschewed the temptations of fame and fortune, and preserved the cooperative union of men and women as intended by God.

Now things are twisted, hurting, and many more false beliefs have been sown in the cracks of our society. The potential for continued false agendas, which further push suffering and confusion on the world, is great. The path back to genuine truth and healing is growing smaller and harder by the day. If we are not at that point already, soon only an act of God will be able to get us back to what is right. Thank heaven that acts of God remain the one thing we can always rely on!

Posted on by Abe Austin

Kindness in Suffering

If you were an all-knowing God,
And aware that harder and more dangerous times were ahead,
It would be an act of unkindness
To not prepare your people with progressive trials and hardship.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Conception and Hardening

In times of comfort, we are able to derive ideals based on pure principles, our logic uncompromised by the instincts of self-preservation or self-advantage that might possess us in times of trouble. But it is only in times of suffering that those ideals are actually tested, transformed from theoretical belief to lived reality. Thus, perfect theory becomes raw conviction, all according to the seasons and wisdom of God.

Posted on by Abe Austin

God’s Body: The Problem of Pain

Yesterday I spoke briefly about Western philosophy and its emphasis on individualism, and Eastern philosophy and its emphasis on collectivism. I spoke of benefits and drawbacks to each, and today I will present another unique effect of Western Individualism. First, though, let us address a problem that everyone will face whatever philosophy they live by.

Blind Spots)

When a large culture adopts a particular philosophy, it quickly becomes ingrained in their lives and shapes the way that they think. Certain perceptions and reactions will be culled from their range of possible responses. Thus, their view is controlled by their philosophy, but they are blind to the fact that they are being influenced at all. They just think their view is self-evident and are incredulous that anyone could feel otherwise.

As I say, this is common for any culture. All people have assumed premises, regardless of their background. This idea is captured very well in the famous joke of a fish that does not realize it is in water, because the water is so ubiquitous that the fish has ceased to perceive it.

Discomfort at God’s Wrath)

Let us keep that idea of cultural blind spots in mind as we consider what is arguably the most controversial aspect of God in Western culture: Him commanding the destruction of certain civilizations. Throughout the Bible there are some instances where God either wipes out a people by His own hand, or He orders the Israelites to carry out the extermination of another kingdom. I recently devoted an entire study to examining this matter, and how I wrestled to resolve my discomfort with these passages.

But the criticism of God goes even deeper. Just the fact that He allows tragic things to happen, even if not by His own hand, is greatly distressing to many. We often hear the example of childhood cancer as the sort of thing that a loving God simply wouldn’t allow. This complaint is so prevalent that renowned Christian author C. S. Lewis dedicated an entire book to it entitled The Problem of Pain.

And this logic seems to be entirely self-evident to us in the Western world, a matter that every religious person would have to deal with, no matter their conception of the divine. I was surprised, then, to learn that this matter is actually not a great concern to people of other cultures. There seems to be evidence that this moral dilemma is a product of our Western philosophical blind spot as opposed to an obvious universal truth.

A Different View)

But how could anyone actually believe that it is acceptable for God to be good and also allow suffering? Why would our Western Individualism cause us to feel this discomfort, and how could another philosophical view dispel it? I’ll answer these questions in my next post.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Finding Our Purpose- Genesis 45:4-5

And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

COMMENTARY

God did send me before you to preserve life
I believe that most of us think of our calling and our trials separately. A calling is something beautiful and meaningful that we are meant to accomplish. A trial is something we have to endure to prove our faithfulness.
But it would seem that Joseph did not see them as so apart from one another. He was taken from his family, sold into slavery and imprisoned unjustly. And yet in all those monumental afflictions he had seen the hand God. Through his suffering he found purpose.
This isn’t to say that we should seek out suffering, or that we shouldn’t try to mitigate pain when it is in our power to do so. We are encouraged to avoid pain wherever possible.
But when we have been dealt a hard hand we should pause now and again to look for greater meaning in it. If we are being required to pass through something, then certainly there is a reason why. What is the bigger picture yet to be revealed?