Mean-spirited Messiah (Mark 4:10-12)

A new posting in the Mark series at Rom Phra Khun Bible.

To Regulate or Not: That is Not the Question

The regulation of behavior has become one of the hottest issues in the culture wars.  Many conservatives, including esp. those on the right end of the scale, fear the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) because they believe that it expands the areas of life that the Federal Government can regulate.  The issue is the role of government in getting us to do things we know we should, such as eat healthfully and behave in ways that are safe.  It is a matter of balance, finding the line between what government should and should not regulate.  Gun control.  Light bulbs.  There is a dozen issues where regulation of behavior is the issue at hand.  Where do we draw the line?

One of the most important and possibly most contentious points of friction could eventually have to do with sugar.  If not a drug, it is certainly an addictive substance that is widely abused with devastating consequences for society—at least as bad as smoking. A February posting on WebMD entitled, "Americans Sweet on Sugar: Time to Regulate?" describes the case for treating sugar in the same way we treat tobacco and alcohol. The case against "unnatural" sugar consumption (i.e. sugar that is added to a food, not naturally occuring sugar such as in fruit) is a solid one. Two possible types of regulation are described: (1) tax sugar; and (2) prevent children up to a certain age from consuming  sugar additives. It is worth remembering that we control other substances partly by taxation, and we already require infants and children to sit in car seats when in an automobile.

There is only one way to decide on which side of the regulation line sugar falls, and that unfortunately is by way of the political process.  I say "unfortunately" because as a health issue the whole thing is an open and shut case.  Refined, "unnatural" sugar is a social menace and its consumption should be controlled.  Still, there was a time when Sunday morning worship was regulated.  The populace was expected to attend worship and attend it in a government approved house of worship.  In England, for example, there was a time when citizens were to attend worship in a Church of England church and by law forbidden from holding their own "free" services.  Conservatives rightly raise the question of what behaviors should be regulated and by whom. We should note, however, that while culture conservatives are adamantly opposed to some forms of regulation, they are in favor strongly of other kinds of regulation, such as outlawing abortion.  The question is not then whether or not we should regulate.  The issue is one of where we draw the line and what falls on which side of the line.

A New Review at Rom Phra Khun Reviews - Tippett, "Einstein's God

There is a new review of Krista Tippett's Einstein's God at Rom Phra Khun Reviews.  Enjoy!

More Thoughts on the Parables

A new posting in the Mark series at Rom Phra Khun Bible.

Modern Myths Reconsidered

One of my favorite websites is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's science page, ABC Science.  It often has fascinating articles, some of which feed naturally into my conviction that Christians today have to pay attention to science and its findings.  ABC has posted two science news articles that probably don't have any theological implications but are still interesting.  Both take a jab at modern myths.  The first posting, entitled, "Can a full Moon affect behaviour?" offers a succinct answer to that question: no.  Evidently, numerous studies have found no link whatsoever between human behavior and full moons.  The other posting, "Some chocolate-eaters have lower BMI," raises questions about the link between eating chocolate and obesity.  Research indicates that moderate consumption of chocolate paired with exercise can actually be beneficial esp. since it is known that chocolate does have a positive impact on heart health.

If you're interested in science in general and/or the relationship of science to faith in particular, I recommend that you keep an eye on ABC Science.

Thinking About Jesus' Parables

What did it actually mean that Jesus taught in parables?  Could his use of parables suggest a weakness in his teaching method?  For some thoughts, go to "He Taught in Parables".

The Far Country

God is at home. We are in the far country.

Meister Eckhart

Source: Unknown

From: inward/outward

Following Up On Mark

Two days ago, I announced a new member of the Rom Phra Khun family, Rom Phra Khun Bible and moved the long series of postings on the Gospel of Mark there.  It turns out that only one of you (out of an average of 30-50 readers a day) followed the series of reflections on Mark to its new home.  Very clearly, I have failed to communicate the importance of such exercises as that series for the church in the early 21st century.  One of the things we must do in the 21st century is to discover new ways of looking at scripture.  If we don't, the church will become an increasingly isolated right wing religious sect out of touch with contemporary society and its needs—out of touch with reality, actually.  For us as Protestants, re-engaging with the Bible in ways that make sense is one key way of rediscovering the significance of our faith in the new ages that are going to come tumbling down on the human race at an ever-accelerating rate.  The Mark series of postings grappling with the historical and theological nature of that book are one very humble attempt to reengage with scripture.

So, let me invite you, patient RPK readers, to give Rom Phra Khun Bible a look and, from time to time, check on the progress of the Gospel of Mark postings.  They have a purpose.  Thanks.  Herb

Serendipitous Lord

Dictionary.com provides the following definitions of the word "serendipity": "an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident" and  "the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident."  For the origin and history of "serendipity, it states, "1754 (but rare before 20c.), coined by Horace Walpole (1717-92) in a letter to Mann (dated Jan. 28); he said he formed it from the Persian fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip," whose heroes "were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of." The name is from Serendip, an old name for Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka), from Arabic Sarandib, from Skt. Simhaladvipa "Dwelling-Place-of-Lions Island." Serendipitous formed c.1950."  Some online browsing indicates that some scientists acknowledge that their discoveries can be at times the result of serendipity.  The idea seems to be related to the experience of having good luck, but there is more to it than that.  Serendipity merges luck with an ability to see something in chance or random events and experiences that others don't see.  It suggests an ability to make connections between things that don't seem to be connected.

While a brief foray into the wild world of the Web, didn't turn anything up, I assume that someone in the world of theology has made a connection between the idea of serendipity and the way God works in the world.  For me, the whole idea of God's involvement in human affairs has always been problematic.  For one thing, we inhabit the tiniest speck of a grain of sand in the immensity of the universe.  Why would God even be interested?  More to the point, within the limitations of our biological programming we do have a fair degree of freedom, and most Christian theologians agree that God "respects" our freedom.  If that is true, then God's ability to act is severely limited.  Still more to the point, it makes no sense whatsoever to blame God for the ugly, evil things that happen in life as do many faithful Christians.  If God was in Christ, then God doesn't work that way.

So, how does God work in our lives and in human history?  Just suppose for a moment that God the Holy Spirit has an unusually refined (divinely refined!) ability to work serendipitously.  The Arab Spring presents an interesting possibility.  After generations of suffering under oppressive misrule, a street vendor in Tunisia sets himself on fire to protest local injustice, and then the Spirit goes to work making connections and the result is the Arab Spring.  Only the Spirit could make the connection between a vendor and a regional revolution for justice and freedom.  I'm still working on this, but it does seem to me that the God who is Present in our lives lurks in places where most of us don't see the divine lurking, tugging at our hearts and minds, making connections that we don't make without inspiration (meaning the indwelling of the Spirit).

Sending Mark off to a New Blog

Lion of St. Mark, Piazza San Marco, Venice

That's enough for the Gospel of Mark, at least here at Rom Phra Khun.  What I've decided to do is to start a new blog and continue the Mark series of postings there (there's another 40-some to go!).  I've named the new blog Rom Phra Khun Bible.  Rather than try to keep posting something here at Rom Phra Khun every day, I'll move back and forth between the two blogs and keep readers here notified when a new posting appears at Rom Phra Khun Bible.  For the time being, I plan to post here M-W-F and maybe Sunday and there T-Th-S.  We'll see how it goes.

So, I encourage readers to check out the new blog.  It looks very different from this one.  But both share the same ultimate goal, which is to continue to chew on matters that matter, especially ones that have to do with faith in Christ.