my burg

  I'm currently reading Wisdom and Wonder: Common Grace in Science & Art (Christian's Library Press; English translation, 2011) by Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920). Kuyper was a Dutch Reformed theologian, founder of the Free University of Amsterdam, who also served as the prime minister of Holland from 1901 to 1905. Based upon his view of common grace he demonstrates that, despite the dangers inherent in scientific and artistic studies, Christians are called to participate and dignify these disciplines that God has given graciously to be shared by all humanity.   In part one, Kuyper is arguing for Christians to maintain their work in the sciences without succumbing to materialism (philosophical naturalism) in their worldview and approach. He observes that the western world has been "led to the increasing materializing of all science, feeding the false notion that spiritual life arose from material causes." Below are some excerpts taken from this section.  On the natu...

I love words, and the power of words . Human language is amazing, and it is a miracle of God's creation.    Being made in God's image includes the ability to communicate by way of language. This often involves a high level of abstraction -- ideas, purposes, meanings, desires, intents, reasons, connections -- not merely verbal sounds representing material objects.  Language is the medium of exchange for ideas, and for revealing the hidden things in our hearts. We come to know one another through our words. Granted, there are additional ways we learn from one another -- our lifestyle, shared experiences, ethical choices, etc. But the language of words is vital for knowing and understanding one another. Community is built upon communication, the giving and receiving of thoughts, knowledge, and ultimately (hopefully) truth. True and lasting community is built upon true ideas. Words can be used to deceive and to harm, but words can also be used to inform, enlighten, build up, ...

"For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:5-6 ESV) "Preaching the gospel, far from being unnecessary, is indispensable. It is the God-appointed means by which the prince of darkness is defeated and the light comes streaming into people's hearts. There is power in God's gospel -- his power for salvation (Rom. 1:16). "In our day there is a widespread disenchantment with words. People are bombarded with words by advertisers, politicians, and propagandists, until they become 'word-resistant.' In countries where television is available, words lose their power because of the greater power of images. After all, what is a word? Only a puff of breath, and in a moment it is gone, so intangible and tr...