"Now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian." - a certain mover and shaker of TEcThat pretty much sums it up folks. This is where TEc, much like the Israelites in the final verse in the book of Judges, is following whatever wind of change spins their weather vanes.
"In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what he thought best." Judges 21:25 (NAB)Sigh...
Sinking lower in despair...
Is there Anybody out there...
Why should I care...
For some strange reason I hear a Pink Floyd tune coming through the wall.
Hey you, out there in the cold
Getting lonely, getting old
Can you feel me?
Hey you, standing in the aisles
With itchy feet and fading smiles
Can you feel me?
Hey you, don't help them to bury the light
Don't give in without a fight.
Hey you, out there on your own
Sitting naked by the phone
Would you touch me?
Hey you, with you ear against the wall
Waiting for someone to call out
Would you touch me?
Hey you, would you help me to carry the stone?
Open your heart, I'm coming home.
But it was only fantasy.
The wall was too high,
As you can see.
No matter how he tried,
He could not break free.
And the worms ate into his brain.
Hey you, out there on the road
always doing what you're told,
Can you help me?
Hey you, out there beyond the wall,
Breaking bottles in the hall,
Can you help me?
Hey you, don't tell me there's no hope at all
Together we stand, divided we fall.
Pink Floyd: The Wall (Available at Amazon.com)
Poor Pink, trapped in madness, haunted by delusions of his disciplinarians, protected by his wall.
Our Episcopalian quoted above has made the classic mistake of walling away the disciplinarian to gain liberty, when the real problem is the multilayered walls that he himself has created.
Another of the warnings from the disciple Peter might help break down that wall.
2 Peter 2:17-22
These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm; for them the deepest darkness has been reserved. For they speak bombastic nonsense, and with licentious desires of the flesh they entice people who have just escaped from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for people are slaves to whatever masters them. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment that was passed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb,
‘The dog turns back to its own vomit’,
and,
‘The sow is washed only to wallow in the mud.’
What is man that he dares to deny the power and justice of God?
A slave to his own desires.
My loving God,
take and receive
all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, my entire will
and all that I have and possess.
You gave it all to me.
To you, my God, I return it!
All is yours, dispose of it according to your desires.
Give me your love and grace.
This is enough for me.
---- The offering of Ignatius of Loyola
The disciple accepts the discipline with thanks, for the rewards are more than enough. - U.P.
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Ya know, in my old circles as a Holy Roller, there was an expression that went "That'll preach!" Well said.
ReplyDeleteThanks Andy.
ReplyDeleteOne wonders where the "no longer subject to a disciplinarian" comes from? Query, has he not heard of the whole "bond servant of Christ" thing of which St. Paul speaks? I thought we, as Christians, were supposed to be dead to ourselves in order to allow Christ to live through us. Not that we impose our own desires on Christ and hope that by His death and resurrection he simply grants His
ReplyDeleteimprimatur to whatever we want to do.
(BTW, I find it interesting that his life-long inability to feel like a "real" Christian is chalked up to Christianity's failures and not conviction by the Holy Spirit.)
Cheers.
Randall,
ReplyDeleteI think it comes from the idea that the God of the O.T. has changed from a God of Wrath to a God of Love and that we are now only subject to the God of Love.
Who is, in this case, Eros.
Every time hear the "God is love" canard without mentioning judgment, I want to throw stuff. It is the existence of Judgment, which makes His love and grace so profound.
ReplyDelete(BTW, the few of God in the OT as a big meanie ignores numerous stories where some of the people of Canaan repented and acknowledged Him as God, only to be recipients of His mercy. From Rehab at Jericho to the Assyrians of Jonah's day, the examples are legion. The dichotomy of Wrath v. Love you mention implies that with the resurrection, the rule book has been completely eliminated, an assertion debunked in the Sermon on the Mount, among other places.)
Cheers.