Worth Considering

Thanks to Cliff Klein for this "Friendly Holiday Advice"

Please, take care of yourself this new year. A recent joint study
conducted by the Department of Health and the Department of Motor Vehicles
indicates that 23% of traffic accidents are alcohol related.

This means that the remaining 77% are caused by those who just drink coffee,
carbonated drinks, juices, milk, water, etc. Therefore,
beware of those who do not drink alcohol. They cause three times as
many accidents.

Why Garment Racks Matter

The most prominent thing inside a dry cleaning shop is the automated garment rack. I hand the man my ticket, he presses a button, and all those suits move around in single file until my own suit stands front and center.

If I was wealthy and had a lot of clothes, I could have one of those racks installed in my own giant clothes closet. I could hang everything there, including accessories: scuba gear, cowboy hat, snow skis, Halloween costumes and the rest. I could be ready for virtually any situation just by pressing a button.

The fact is, that is exactly what I have, and that is exactly what I do. Though conventional eyesight can’t see it, there is exactly such a mechanism hovering near me wherever I go. It gives me immediate access all day and night to whatever clothing and accessories I require as various situations arise. From years of practice, I can execute changes with blinding speed; literally, blinding speed.

It’s not a literal, physical garment rack, of course, and they aren’t literal, physical clothes. It’s the guises I put on – a different guise for each unique situation; a different set of accessories for each kind of relationship.

I have my inward protecting-outward attacking military gear for forced conversations with rivals and enemies. I have my show off tux for that meeting with the boss. I have my intelligent, lovable, slightly entertaining, good listener casual wear for chance encounters with attractive members of the opposite sex.

And it’s no different for you, and for everyone else. When a lot of people gather into one place, the air just above us is bursting with wardrobes and accessories, all madly, randomly rotating. It’s really quite a sight; or would be, if we could see it.

Of course, if there is anything like a real self or a real person, then that’s what’s pressing the button each time the situation changes, selecting the appropriate attire for each occasion; or each moment, really.

All of this is relatively easy for most of us to understand – as a mere metaphor if nothing else. It is no great insight yet, but let’s dig a little deeper:

What if, in reality, there are not really all those constantly changing people and situations “out there”? What if there is really only one ill-defined entity – “God,” “humanity,” “self,” – and it’s that whole entity, acting as a complete unity, that keeps changing its many appearances for it’s own mysterious reasons, since there is no one else watching? Is it just being playful – a sort of lonely costume party? Or is something else going on?

Or, if that’s too pantheistic an idea, just consider the possibility that my constant costume changes so confuse and fragment my own perceptions that, who or whatever is “out there” is known by me only very imperfectly, if at all? What if each outfit automatically carries its own perceptive grid along with it so that what I think is “out there” is little more than a series of my own dreamy, changing visions?

What if nothing more is out there than other people, or other living beings of some sort, each with his or her own automated garment rack? Human experience would be little more than a dance of solitary, bouncing, projected shadows and images, and I would just be one of them.

In which case, there would be no “out there” at all, because I myself would be part of everyone else's “out there,” just as they are part of mine. “Out there” and “in here” would be exactly the same location.

And what if each outfit carries with it the perceptive grid to see only its counterpart, so that all that can be “out there” for me is a mirror of my current clothing choices “in here”?

If all or any or even just a little of this is possible, do you see what an absurd madness it all is? Do you see the insanity of what we usually call sanity? The fantasy of what we usually call reality? The unity of what we usually call diversity? The delusion of what we usually call intelligence?

Maybe this is all that human experience is or was ever meant to be. In that case, I simply need to accept the fact and move on; or pretend to.

If there is any hope whatever for something like real sanity, real reality, real objectivity, real intelligence, then that hope can only be in this: the possibility of interrupting my clothes changing habits. I must come to grips with the fact that I have been automatically choosing a certain designated outfit whenever a given situation or person comes into range. My supposed understanding of any given person or situation is pathetically limited by own silly choices regarding appearances.

If there is any hope, I must somehow make myself willing to experiment, to wear for example my mechanic’s overalls for skiing, my best suit for grocery shopping, and my scuba gear to the fair. Perhaps even more bizarre and frightening, I must somehow make myself willing to put on my homeless rags for a meeting with my boss, my church going clothes to meet the guys at the local pub, and my clown suit for church.

But first, of course, I must identify the outfits I wear and the specific situations and people for which I choose them. And it probably will be good to keep in mind that some accessories go with different outfits. Sunglasses go well in several different situations; and running shoes; not to mention both a suit of armor, or almost no clothing at all. That’s significant, I think.

The United Grievances of America

A Partial List of Grievances

Chistians, because their belief and value systems are being attacked
Atheists, because they don't want to have to be offended by overt Christianity in public places
Muslims, because they are subject to prejudice as potential terrorists
Conservatives, because liberals run the media and public education
Liberals, because conservatives want to impose their values on everybody
Undocumented aliens, because the United States refuses to see itself as a nation of immigrants
Citizens, because illegal immigrants get special treatment that should be reserved for citizens
Racial minorities, because they are being held back and mistreated by white racism
White people, because affirmative action keeps them from being fairly rewarded for their efforts
The poor, because they don't have their fair share in "the lottery of life"
The rich, because they pay a disproportionate percentage of the nation's income taxes
Women, because of the culture is an unfair patriarchy
Men, because feminism socially castrates them
Old people, because they contributed so much to society and now are not properly cared for
Young people, because society keeps trying to press them into outdated molds
The homeless, because people with money don't care about them
Homeowners, because economic realities and government fees are too burdensome

Name a category: it's angry about being treated unfairly.
What a horrible country this must be.
Surely, there is no hope.

"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those who have his good will."

Christmas Rap

Time for my joy to be narrated
My Christmas trees were confiscated
Now it's December - time to give some crap
and I'll make it even nicer with my Christmas wrap

You can see the North Pole when I am naked
Santa's checkin' his list. No, I didn't make it
I got somethin' for you; come and sit on my lap
With a bow and some glitter and my Christmas wrap

Even if all year I felt quite sh*tty
The time has come to make it look pretty
with some well placed tape on each folded flap
Everything's a little better with some Christmas wrap

[Note: the following might be confusing to those who do not know the background to it. If you are confused and want the background, see the Deep But Not Boring group on Facebook.]

Thanks for the opportunity to clarify, Ben. The phrase "works righteousness" can have many nuances of meaning. It is important to understand those nuances if we are to think clearly about this subject.

Possible meaning #1: We make ourselves acceptable to God by improving ourselves outwardly (behaviorally). My response: there is almost nothing more antithetical to salvation as it is fully described in the New Testament. If what I am speaking of sounds to you like this, I have failed to communicate my meaning clearly.

Possible meaning #2: Connecting to the love and power and grace of God through true faith will automatically - I would say, even without any effort on our part - lead to improvements (though not "perfection" in the way you mean it) in the way we deal with life and people, as in James' "faith without works is dead." This is clearly the case in the New Testament, but it is not relevant to the original point I was trying to make.

Possible meaning #3: When it comes to Christian faith and live, the most important thing is how we treat others ("works"), along with other externals. My response to this is the same as my response to #1. A quick reading of Matthew 5 will demonstrate the error of this meaning.

Possible meaning #4: There is something about the "works" that the Holy Spirit produces through the life of the disciple of Jesus that is utterly unique, radically good, and in fact impossible to produce through merely human effort. My response: Again, this is absolutely the clear teaching of the New Testament. In fact, I would say that much of the confusion and controversy about the meaning of "works righteousness" is a tragic distraction from our proper focus on "the righteousness of God" or "the works of the Spirit."

How does having the expectation that salvation includes becoming internally more like Christ as well as being accepted via Christ's sacrifice - "diminish the power of Christ"?

Regarding, "I do not believe we need to worry about our fates after death." - Where do you see me saying otherwise? God accepts us. That is not the problem.

Regarding "We must aim for perfection." I'm not sure what you mean by this. If you have a good understanding of what passages like Matthew 5:48 and James 1:4 mean, then I affirm your statement. However, experience teaches me that many people are confused on this point. They tend to have one or both of two kinds of "perfection" in their minds - neither of which applies to God, or to his intent for his disciples.

Regarding, I do "have the hell thing handled" but that does not mean I will not be accountable for my actions. Response: We are in total agreement here. What did I write that made it seem otherwise?

Summary: After conversion (reconciliation, justification), Christians are still bothered about their moral shortcomings. Partially, this is because of a newly redeemed conscience and the presence of the Holy Spirit. But it also involves "the Accuser" - that doubles its nefarious activities against the converted person. The problem is, most Christians are not taught how to challenge their moral shortcomings except via fleshly effort (what you may mean here by "works righteousness"). So they are trapped between two bad choices: 1. Fleshly moral effort that always leads to self-righteousness and/or failure; or 2. Believing "salvation" is little more than being made acceptable to God through Christ's death. --- The New Testament does not support either of these.

Keep in mind, Ben: There is much that has been said in the past two meetings that you have missed. (No criticism here; just felt it was an important factor.)

A Note to my precious DBNB folks

Folks,
I have not been able to stop thinking about all the dialogue we've had about the meaning of "salvation" in the New Testament, especially last night. Let me say something on the subject that I think can point us to the root of the issue.

Many Christians want "salvation" to mean that everything is settled between me and God. When one says, "I was saved on such and such a date," what s/he means – or wants to mean - is that on that date, my status in the eyes of God changed. Because I received or accepted Christ, or prayed the prayer (or however each of you states it) my sins were forgiven and I was accepted unconditionally into the grace, love and complete care of God. And because it is unconditional, that acceptance can not be lost. My fate after death is settled.

All of this is absolutely true. Because of (a) God's wonderful grace, (b) Christ's redemptive work on the cross, and (c) one's embrace of that through faith, that unconditional acceptance and change of status has taken place.

And if that was all the Bible had to say on the subject of "salvation," there would be
nothing more to discuss, and we could move on.

But the fact is, many struggle on a regular basis with this scenario, asking questions like, If I'm "saved," why don't I FEEL "saved"? If I'm "saved," why do I get no persistent victory over my besetting sin(s)? If I'm "saved," why do I still experience so much fear or shame or regret or anger or depression or disfunctionality?

I challenge you to go to one of the several Bible search websites and look up all the many different uses of the words, "save," "saved," and "salvation." If you do, you will be shocked to find that - even though we are unconditionally accepted by God - there is still a lot of "saving" (rescuing, getting back what was lost) to do. There is a great deal going on in our hearts and lives that is not taken care of merely by being accepted by God.

If I see a pathetic lost dog in the street - hungry, cold, wet, weary, beat up, and near death, and I pick him up and take him home, then we can say I have "saved" that dog. But what kind of person would I be if I just brought it home, put it in the back yard, and didn't feed, warm, dry, heal and love it? And if the dog had been in that condition long enough, the fact is, he'd probably respond to me with a great deal of distrust, defensiveness, meanness, and who knows what else. He might even try to run away from me - simply out of habit. It's going to take some time for that dog to heal, and to gradually grow into the kind of happy, fruitful "dogginess" I have in mind for him. If none of that takes place, my initial picking him up and taking him home is still a kind of salvation, but who gives a sh*t?

Honestly, I think that what is often at the root of this problem (the meaning of salvation) is that many want to be able to feel like their status with God and their eternal destiny are secure, so that they are now "free" to govern their own lives, however foolishly or corruptly, without having to worry about any eternal consequences. It's as if some folks say unconsciously, "OK, I've handled the whole Hell thing, and I no longer have to feel condemned for all the sh*t in my life, and I can now feel superior to anyone who isn't "saved." Now I can go on pursuing my own agenda, my own brand of "righteousness" (or the lack of it), and I can seek to build my own little kingdom in which I'm the boss. Without having to worry about my fate after death."

I can assure you that, if such a "salvation" is found in the New Testament, I don't see it. On the contrary, I will fight against it every time I get the opportunity. If that was the "salvation" God had in mind, he would not be worthy of our respect – let alone our devotion. Here's the issue in a nutshell:

God accepts us, but we still have a problem with Him, and with the other dogs he has brought home. In the New Testament, salvation includes solving those problems too, and then much, much more.

Elvis among the Pharaohs

And there was Elvis - first time on
the Sullivan Show. Little Foo
was baby Fooie - pre-politics.
And it was 1956.

Don't be cruel, the king would sing
to anyone and anything
then innocent in crib or shell
way down inside Heartbreak Hotel.

And now he is a god to some
who take their pilgrimages down
to Memphis. Graves of Pharaohs who
now walk their hound dogs in their blue

suede shoes surround him in the sky,
the land of bye and by and buy.