Wednesday, August 3, 2011

truth, values, and influencing society (and such)

"Christian values...cannot be accepted as a superior utilitarianism, just as a means to an end. The biblical message is truth and it demands a commitment to truth. It means that everything is not the result of the impersonal plus time plus chance, but that there is an infinite-personal God who is the Creator of the universe, the space-time continuum. We should not forget that this was what the founders of modern science built upon. it means the acceptance of Christ as Savior and Lord, and it means living under God's revelation. Here there are morals, values, and meaning, including meaning for people, which are not just a result of statistical averages. This is neither a utilitarianism, nor a leap away from reason; it is the truth that gives a unity to all of knowledge and all of life. This...means that individuals come to this place where they have this base, and they influence the consensus. Such Christians do not need to be a majority in order for this influence on society to occur." -Francis Schaeffer in How Should We Then Live, The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture...Very well said, and very refreshing in this modern liberal, everything goes, hopeless, no meaning to life, quantitative, measurable, faithless society we live in. We are not here by chance, and that should make us grateful. He is reason, He is truth. And we have been blessed with values and morals to live by. Many times people believe that standards, values, and guidelines are put in place to discipline us, to put us in our place, and to keep us humble. This may have some truth to it, but it is not the entire picture. Without reason, without God's revelation, without His truth and holiness, and high standards, we are hopeless, wandering this earth by chance, on our own, to live to whatever truth we deem relevant at that chosen time. But here we sit pursued by a passionate God who desires us. Desires our hearts, our minds, our service. We can resist His truth and values, choosing to live our life as another meaningless statistic. Or we can embrace His holiness and change the world...

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