...or maybe it is.
My first thought was: This is like an anti-globalist, secular, human-hopeful version of Don't Waste Your Life ...if that's possible.
Hang with me a second.
See, as a Christian I believe some of the same things: Everything is not OK. Yes, there is a delusional quality to culture that keeps us blind to to what is really important. And, when you look at it like this guy does... our modern culture does seem uncomfortably similar to the "conditioning" of Huxley's Brave New World: Consume consume consume, never be alone, never allow quiet, if you feel bad - buy something, and above all conform!! ....Oh, and when it comes to Soma? Well our omnipresent techno saturation probably has more euphoric and numbing potential than Huxley's pill.
...Of course we still have lots of pills to.
Sure, you can dismiss the guy as a sarcastic libertarian or an anti-globalist anarchist or something, it's probably true. I don't agree with everything of course, or endorse this guys whole message. I just see that he is onto at least one uncomfortable truth isn't he? a truth we Christians already know.
My first thought was: This is like an anti-globalist, secular, human-hopeful version of Don't Waste Your Life ...if that's possible.
Hang with me a second.
See, as a Christian I believe some of the same things: Everything is not OK. Yes, there is a delusional quality to culture that keeps us blind to to what is really important. And, when you look at it like this guy does... our modern culture does seem uncomfortably similar to the "conditioning" of Huxley's Brave New World: Consume consume consume, never be alone, never allow quiet, if you feel bad - buy something, and above all conform!! ....Oh, and when it comes to Soma? Well our omnipresent techno saturation probably has more euphoric and numbing potential than Huxley's pill.
...Of course we still have lots of pills to.
Sure, you can dismiss the guy as a sarcastic libertarian or an anti-globalist anarchist or something, it's probably true. I don't agree with everything of course, or endorse this guys whole message. I just see that he is onto at least one uncomfortable truth isn't he? a truth we Christians already know.
...don't we? people are blind, numb, and perishing.
We know that the world is blind, but thank God we also know why the world is blind and we know who turns the lights on ..and who is The Light.
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 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.
2Cor. 4:3-6
So, people are blind numb and perishing ...I'm with ya...I already knew that ...so now where are we going with this? Because there is more than More, Marx, or the Matrix going on here. Waking up from the Matrix without the Gospel is not fully waking up. You might "wake up" to some social and political realities but still have no True Light, still blind, numb, and perishing in the most important eternal way.
It seems to me that those who become aware of the futility of life but don't catch sight of the Light are the most susceptible to further delusion. For most its just "Quick!! change the channel!... too much reality! Dude! Plug me back in already!"
Others respond with cynicism...pick your metaphor: the world is a barge of rats, a cruel joke, and the answer to life the universe and everything is 42 but we forgot the question.
Others attempt to rebel against the absurd, exercise a will to power, or call the workers of the world to unite. its all been done.
Still others grasp at some Utopian political-social engineering scheme, or globalism, anarchism, techno-shamanism... or whatever. Whatever Babel is of the moment.
Some just give up on reality and head east chanting "Atman is Brahman."
Yeah, when you ask questions about reality it can be dangerous. There's a hundred dirty needles and broken bottles to step on in the half light. But there is also the chance that it is Light shining out of darkness and into hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
That's an act of God. ...this other guy is just politics.
Now I don't want to compare Paul to this guy in the video, certainly not him to Paul. Nor do I think this would make the best evangelism method (...at least not in every situation.)
It's just that the whole thing got me thinking: What would Paul look like if he walked into London today? Not that he would choose off the rent a cops... but the guy did start riots...regularly. Not because he was a mere provocateur, but because the message of the Gospel turned the lights on on the self-deluded, self-satisfied, and self-righteous. And men suppress the truth in unrighteousness and love darkness rather than light.
We know that the world is blind, but thank God we also know why the world is blind and we know who turns the lights on ..and who is The Light.
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 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.
2Cor. 4:3-6
So, people are blind numb and perishing ...I'm with ya...I already knew that ...so now where are we going with this? Because there is more than More, Marx, or the Matrix going on here. Waking up from the Matrix without the Gospel is not fully waking up. You might "wake up" to some social and political realities but still have no True Light, still blind, numb, and perishing in the most important eternal way.
It seems to me that those who become aware of the futility of life but don't catch sight of the Light are the most susceptible to further delusion. For most its just "Quick!! change the channel!... too much reality! Dude! Plug me back in already!"
Others respond with cynicism...pick your metaphor: the world is a barge of rats, a cruel joke, and the answer to life the universe and everything is 42 but we forgot the question.
Others attempt to rebel against the absurd, exercise a will to power, or call the workers of the world to unite. its all been done.
Still others grasp at some Utopian political-social engineering scheme, or globalism, anarchism, techno-shamanism... or whatever. Whatever Babel is of the moment.
Some just give up on reality and head east chanting "Atman is Brahman."
Yeah, when you ask questions about reality it can be dangerous. There's a hundred dirty needles and broken bottles to step on in the half light. But there is also the chance that it is Light shining out of darkness and into hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
That's an act of God. ...this other guy is just politics.
Now I don't want to compare Paul to this guy in the video, certainly not him to Paul. Nor do I think this would make the best evangelism method (...at least not in every situation.)
It's just that the whole thing got me thinking: What would Paul look like if he walked into London today? Not that he would choose off the rent a cops... but the guy did start riots...regularly. Not because he was a mere provocateur, but because the message of the Gospel turned the lights on on the self-deluded, self-satisfied, and self-righteous. And men suppress the truth in unrighteousness and love darkness rather than light.
That's what I wondering. How often does that happen? Some kind of reaction to the Preaching of the Gospel. No, not trying to make one, there is a difference. Why don't we see happen what so many Christians have seen when the Gospel light shines? Lots to think about there.
I have never caused a riot, I've only been heckled a couple times, in Romania. ...and when you can't understand Romanian that hardly counts as heckling right?
I have never caused a riot, I've only been heckled a couple times, in Romania. ...and when you can't understand Romanian that hardly counts as heckling right?
So, I look at this guy on the megaphone in London willing to confront and preach and try to open people's eyes because he believes in a political or social ideology.
God! I wish I had that guy's courage for the Gospel. (that's a prayer BTW not a violation of the 3rd commandment.) And, I want to pray that God could use me to help make some lights come on.
Paul preached, prayed, and the lights came on. Lots of people beat him, some stoned him, even more laughed, and others shrugged and said we will hear you more on this some other time.
But others woke all the way up.
Paul preached, prayed, and the lights came on. Lots of people beat him, some stoned him, even more laughed, and others shrugged and said we will hear you more on this some other time.
But others woke all the way up.
Posts
2 comments:
I loved that video.
Great article Ethan! Some good food for thought. Thanks for posting it. I'll make you a deal. I'll pray that God would use you as you asked and in return you pray the same for me.
Post a Comment