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Made By Him!
Should we show respect for everyone? The arrogant
or the selfish, scoundrels, the weak, outcasts? The unlovely, the
uninteresting? Those with offensive behavior and disagreeable opinions?
Yes, even for them. Let us show respect for everyone, each one his
creation, the work of his hands.
A Prayer begins . . .
Our Father in heaven, we adore you. Our hearts are yours. Help us show respect to everyone.
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Only God can make a flower! He made one, and then another, and then thousands with
an amazing variety of vivid colors, incredible complexity, and breathtaking beauty.
Created by the same God, it is only natural that we love to give and receive flowers
as gifts. The flower graphics on this and every other page are to remind you of God's creativity.
They are also a convenience for you in case you need to, want to, or on the spur of the
moment decide to buy flowers for yourself or someone you love. Rest your pointer on the
graphics, pause a second, and for most of you, depending on your browser, a ToolTip will come up describing
the flowers. For all of you, to buy, just Clickle the graphic and follow the link to an Internet Florist we have confidence in.
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Two selected book quotations begin . . .
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A Bear Conclusion
Category: Christian Living
Keywords: finite, human,
infinite, wisdom, Kreeft, Fordham University, Yale, Villanova University, Boston College,
God, bear, trap, hunter, compassion, trust, Zondervan Publishing House, Strobel,
Lee Strobel
" 'How can a mere finite human be sure that infinite wisdom would not tolerate certain
short-range evils in order for more long-range goods that we couldn't foresee?'
he asked.
I could see his point but need an example. 'Elaborate a bit,' I prodded.
Kreeft [writer of more than forty books, doctorate from Fordham University,
postgraduate study at Yale, thirty-eight years as a philosophy professor at Villanova
University and (since 1965) at Boston College] thought a moment. 'Look at it this way,'
he said. 'Would you agree that the difference between us and God is greater than the
difference between us and, say, a bear?'
I nodded.
'Okay, then, imagine a bear in a trap and a hunter who, out of sympathy, wants to
liberate him. He tries to win the bear's confidence, but he can't do it, so he has to
shoot the bear full of drugs. The bear, however, thinks this is an attack and that the
hunter is trying to kill him. He doesn't realize that this is being done out of
compassion.
'Then, in order to get the bear out of the trap, the hunter has to push him further into
the trap to release the tension on the spring. If the bear were semiconscious at that
point, he would be even more convinced that the hunter was his enemy who was out to
cause him suffering and pain. But the bear would be wrong. He reaches this incorrect
conclusion because he's not a human being.'
Kreeft let the illustration soak in for a moment. 'Now,' he concluded, 'how can anyone
be certain that's not an analogy between us and God? I believe God does the same to us
sometimes, and we can't comprehend why he does it any more than the bear can understand
the motivations of the hunter. As the bear could have trusted the hunter, so we can
trust God.' "
SoAmazing Review: Lee Strobel presents the questions
he had when he was an atheist. Using his journalistic skills he interviews top
scientists and challenges them to provide satisfactory answers. As you read the book you
judge whether they succeed.
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Humans Are Incurably Religious
Category: Christian Living
Keywords: Christian, Western, culture, spirit, religious, organized religion, Christianity, out-of-touch, agnostic, atheist, churches, Zondervan Publishing House, McLaren, Bruce D. McLaren
"Also, Christian or not, you are aware of Western culture's spiritual vacuum, of its
deepening sighs for a life of the spirit. This need will only intensify on the other
side. If the late old world taught us anything, it is this: Human beings are indeed
incurably religious, and we--as individuals, as groups, as a civilization--need a
spiritual resource.
For a variety of reasons, organized religion, including Christianity; seemed to have lost
its power to satisfy us in the late old world. It seemed ingrown, tired, petty,
crotchety,
and out of touch--or else manic, wild-eyed, and lunatic. As a result, many of
us disengaged from religion. But we eventually learned--from totalitarian materialism on
both sides of the Iron Curtain--that there is no alternative: If we cannot find good
religion, and cannot do without, we will turn to bad religion.
Even an agnostic or an atheist, then, can see the need for new kinds of churches in the
new world--churches that once again replenish the spiritually hungry and thirsty, that
understand them and connect them with the mysteries they seek; churches that promote a
healthful, whole, hearty spritually rather than an ugly, thin, hateful, insipid, or
anemic religion. Which churches will meet this need? Who will design, build, lead,
join, support, and encourage them? Where will you and I fit in?"
. . . Someone has said that the learners will inherit the earth while the learned are
equipped to face a world that no longer exists."
SoAmazing Review: In The Church on the Other Side,
Brian D. McLaren abandons the church as it was and wonders what it needs be like to attract the spiritually
needy. He makes his case, explores the possibilities and challenges us to contribute.
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presents selected quotes from the best books ever written.
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