Ignorant Historian

“In our quest for the extraordinary, we often overlook the importance of the ordinary, and I’m proposing that a radical lifestyle actually begins with an extraordinary commitment to ordinary practices that have marked Christians who have affected the world throughout history.” – Radical by David Platt, p. 193

“Why can’t others think and see the world the way I see it?” – Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork, p. 23

“Lyman firmly believed that the best fisherman was he who caught the most fish, regardless of the bait used.” – The Most Famous Man in America: the Biography of Henry Ward Beecher by Debby Applegate, p. 57

“And most pastors in Germany had always preached Christ crucified without seeing–who does?–that he was being crucified all around them every day.” – They Thought They Were Free, The Germans, 1933-1945 by Milton Mayer, p. 87

“When I went back into Darfur with my first reporters, the African journalists, I was asked why I was taking the risk, and I told them, not trying to be too dramatic, that I was not safe because my people were not safe–and how can you be safe if your people are not safe? And so who are your people?  Perhaps everyone is your people.  I was wondering about that.” – The Translator by Daoud Hari, p. 173

“To do its worst, evil needs to look its best.  Evil has to spend a lot on makeup.” – Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., p. 98

“And the bitterest single disappointment of Nazism–both to Simon, the insensitive bill-collector, and to Hofmeister, the sensitive policeman–was the fact that Hitler had promised that no officer would get more than 1,000 Reichsmarks per month and did not keep his promise.” – They Thought They Were Free, The Germans, 1933-1945 by Milton Mayer, p. 102

“There’s a big difference between not being a bad person and being a good one.” – Life After Yes by Aidan Donnelley Rowley, p. 252

“It also bugs me when I hear about ‘Angelina’s adopted son’ or ‘Rosie’s adopted children’ — as if that word will always separate them instead of binding them together.” – A Little Bit Wicked by Kristin Chenoweth, p. 14

“Fair enough: evil fascinates people who walk down the Tornabuoni and also those who channel surf across daytime TV.  The fastest way to kill the dramas on daytime TV would be to rewrite the scripts so that shows would begin to dwell on moral stabilities–on marital fidelity, loyal friendship, and generous cooperation in the workplace.  Nobody would watch.” – Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., p. 91

“I know now that there are rare people who will help you carry your burdens through this life.” – The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, p. 139

“[debating]…whether it was God’s will to install a woodstove to warm the meetinghouse in winter.  Surely, some argued (out of piety or stinginess it was hard to say), such an indulgence would send them down a slippery slope to decadence.” – The Most Famous Man in America: the Biography of Henry Ward Beecher by Debby Applegate, p. 24

Recently, a friend asked me why I believe in God.  So much of what I write here has that as a base assumption, but I shouldn’t assume everyone thinks on the subject of God’s existance, because I know many of you don’t.  Here’s my answer, only slightly edited:

You asked me why do I believe in God, and as I said, it’s two-fold.  First, it logically makes sense…though I grew up with many of the same truths that I hold today, by and large, they aren’t unquestioned.  I’ve studied, compared, and pondered and while I by no means have everything figured out, I’ve never found anything that is uncompatability within my worldview and how it relates to the real world (or when I have, I’ve changed it).  I think that my worldview will continue to be refined for the rest of my life, or as long as I commit to seeking truth.

Secondly, and the part that is way more than academic (and because of that seems more “real”), is the emotional/spiritual side, whatever you want to call it.  I’ve had too many situations that may be explained away as coincidences by some, but I can’t logically believe that I’ve had so many fortuitous coincidences…the simpler explanation to me is that there is a God who is working in my life and the lives of those around me.  One example is that in last Friday’s mail I received the exact sum (from 3 different people) needed to make my first Turkey payment due two days later.  Repeat this type of occurance over and over, and you have a good idea why I believe that these things are answers to prayers, not cosmic accidents.

But then there’s the bad stuff.  As you know, I’ve had very little evil in my life and I can only thank God that He spared me, because there’s so much out there.  Even in the little hardship I’ve faced (like the fire, or my ongoing, rather unwanted singleness), the good that came from it was quite apparent.  I don’t mean to intimate that this is always the case.  You’ve already faced more evil and hardship than I’m likely to ever see God-forbid.  I don’t think that I have all the answers to this, but rest assured that because the greatest evil ever done was our putting Jesus Christ, our innocent Lord, to death with our sins, God understands and has purposes far larger than we can see.  My biggest question for God is why did He ever create man in the first place knowing that we would be such wretched messes?

I don’t expect you to go, “by jolly, I’ve got it!” when you read this, but I do hope that it was helpful, if only to understand me a bit better.  I know there’s nothing I can say to convince you, nor would I want to.  I’d seriously love to hear your thoughts on this.

And that goes for all of you as well, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!

Photo by lfar