Collision

Last night I was watched the documentary Collision with my husband and a whole host of college students. (Lots of fun!)

The movie is a documentary of a discussion concerning whether Christianity is good for the world. The debate is between anti-theist Christopher Hitchens and well-respected Christian Douglas Wilson. It was well-done for the most part. (My main criticism is in the actual filming….sound quality is poor in some scenes and camera movement is too busy at times.) Both men are well-educated and able to speak at a philosophical level that was intellectually invigorating. Neither was afraid to poke a little fun at the other’s beliefs which added some great comic relief. They spoke in different venues which provided an opportunity to see more of their personalities.

Things I liked about the debate:
1. I enjoyed the hard questions that were put to Douglas Wilson. I loved to hear him answer, not with an “all the answers” attitude but with factual discrepancies in the presupposition of the actual question and in the axioms from which the question was asked. In other words, the anti-theist has some holes in his logic!
2. I really like the demeanor of both men….very professional, very knowledgeable, very kind even when difficult things were said.
3. I loved that the Bible can stand the “heat” of criticism. The Bible is a complex set of literature. It cannot be easily tossed aside as an ancient “fairy tale” book. It can stand up under literary criticism. Douglas Wilson on more than one account was able to point out how quickly Hitchens dismissed a particular passage but in so doing missed the point altogether.
4. I loved that I was challenged to think better, to read more, to study harder, and to engage more. I really do enjoy learning and I love it when I am highly motivated to learn. I totally plan to read Hitchens’ books, some more C.S. Lewis, and some more of Wilson but most of all, I plan to study my Bible more!
5. I liked the last remarks!

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The Nation and the Gospel

“The Nation and the Gospel” is the title of an article written by James Russell Lowell (1819 – 1891). He was a professor of modern languages at Harvard University. I ran across the article because I am getting ready to teach American History next year.   I decided to print it here because I have run across so much secular thought lately.  It seems that every time you turn on the news, there is more information about how determined we (as a society) are to deny that Christianity has positively affected and directed this nation.  It is the height of ingratitude.  So here it is.

The worst kind of religion is no religion at all, and these men living in ease and luxury, indulging themselves in the amusement of going without religion, may be thankful that they live in lands where the gospel they neglect has tamed the beastliness and ferocity of the men who, but for Christianity, might long ago have eaten their carcasses like the South Sea Islanders, or cut off their heads and tanned their hides like the monsters of the French Revolution.  When the microscopic search of skepticism, which had hunted the heavens and sounded the seas to disprove the existence of a Creator, has turned its attention to human society and has found a place on this planet ten miles square where a decent man can live in comfort and security, supporting and educating his children unspoiled and unpolluted; a place where age is reverenced, infancy respected, manhood respected, womanhood honored, and human life held in due regard- when skeptics can find such a place ten miles square on this globe, where the gospel of Christ has not gone and cleared the way and laid the foundation and made decency and security possible, it will then be in order for the skeptical literati to move thither and then ventilate their views.  But so long as these men are dependent upon the religion which they discard for every privilege they enjoy, they may well hesitate a little before they seek to rob the Christian of his hope, and humanity of its faith, in that Savior who alone has given to man that hope of life eternal which makes life tolerable and society possible, and robs death of its terrors and the grave of its glooms.

There are plenty who will take issue with this article and point out the deficiencies of Christians on an individual basis.   To that reader I say, yes, Christians need the law and moral code of the Scripture too, for without it they can easily lose their way because of their own sin.   The point of the article is that this country’s sound moral basis came from Scripture.  The astounding piece of literature known as the Bible has guided this country for many years and as our leaders look away from it and try to operate without the Truth of the word, this country will become more and more dangerous and most will live without regard for God or His Word and will not regard neighbors as important as themselves….already we see that.

I hate ending on a gloomy note so if you are still reading this rather lengthy piece, let me end with this Scripture…

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13