Jacob Shatzer - The Pandemic and Virtual Church

 I've got lots of thoughts on how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected Christian worship and witness ... mostly how the impact has been harmful.  But instead of writing a lengthy diatribe, I thought I would just quote some words from Jacob Shatzer's Transhumanism and the Image of God.

In the midst of talking about the importance of place in a Christian understanding of the church (and how virtual reality will never be real reality), Shatzer writes:

"Bearing witness requires presence; it requires being somewhere.  Christians can certainly bear a form of witness in virtual places, and as those virtual experiences provide more and more of a sense of presence, that will become more common.  Yet the virtual will never be the same as physical presence.  We cannot shed the metaphor of the church as the body of Christ - the analogy being to the physical body of Christ, not Jesus's Second Life avatar.

"I think that deep down, part of us still knows that presence matters, and this vestige points to something true.  For instance, being present at a wedding or a funeral is obviously different from joining via teleconferencing. ...

"There will certainly be ways of doing church using virtual technology, but to the degree that we neglect physical presence with other believers, we neglect the form of being the body of Christ that has shaped Christianity for the past two thousand years.  We haven't always been able to gather together, but that has always been a centering ideal.  Humans were created as physical beings in physical proximity, in face-to-face relationships." (Shatzer, Transhumanism and the Image of God, p. 139)

So, to those who wonder whether online church is just as valuable as in-person church ... it's not.  Even drive-in church is preferable to online.  To those who wonder why persecuted Christians in closed countries would risk imprisonment etc. by meeting in person ... wonder no longer.  To those who wonder why churches in the Western world were chafing at lock-down rules during Covid ... wonder no longer.  The physical gathering of the body of Christ in person is a central defining feature of what it means to be the Church.  Human beings are embodied creatures, and physical presence and contact is a non-negotiable need of human life.

Thank you, Dr. Shatzer, for putting into words the centrality of the local gathering of believers for worship!

For more, and an excellent discussion of transhumanism and post-humanism as philosophical and cultural trends in society, see:

Jacob Shatzer, Transhumanism and the Image of God: Today's Technology and the Future of Christian Discipleship. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2019.

Reflections on Jared Wilson's "Gospel-Driven Ministry"

 I've been enjoying a good bit of diverse reading this summer.  One of the books I recently finished is Jared Wilson's Gospel-Driven Ministry: An Introduction to the Calling and Work of a Pastor.  I have no intention (nor desire) to write a full-fledged review of the book ... but I would like to share a handful of wise nuggets that Wilson shares. 

Northern Reflections Part 3 - Body & Spirit

 Earlier this summer I read a delightful book of reflections by Desmond Carroll, an Anglican priest (Irish by birth) in Canada's Arctic.  The book also contains original painting-illustrations by Ted Harrison, a renowned Canadian artist.  I'd like to share just a few of Carroll's words of wisdom:

"Let Us Run with Patience"

The race that is set before us ... (Hebrews 12:1)

One can only marvel at the physical capabilities of the athletes performing in the Olympics ... The discipline and sheer hard work that has gone into producing these efforts must be admired and is a reminder to all of us of the potential of the human body.  St. Paul many years ago drew on the comparison of faith and athletic discipline, reflecting upon his own time and the affairs of that day that could encourage and give insight.

But there are dangers as we pay exclusive attention to the body and forget the spirit.  The Christian faith is incarnational - that is, it seeks to integrate the physical and the spiritual.  Too great an emphasis on either of these things can distort the true character of the message of the Good News.  There is the cult of physical perfection that would seek to claim some sort of eternal quality, some kind of ideal, that can only be reached through athletic prowess.  On the other side are those who would tend to despise the body (the physical) and forget that God made each one of us in his own image and of flesh and blood.

The incarnate nature of our faith begins to come into its own as we try to balance the physical and the spiritual.  Each carries its own discipline, each can be supportive of the growth of the other, and each can lose its strength as it seeks to journey on its own.

Carroll, Northern Reflections (p. 91)

Northern Reflections Part 2 - Enthusiasm and Delight

 Earlier this summer I read a delightful book of reflections by Desmond Carroll, an Anglican priest (Irish by birth) in Canada's Arctic.  The book also contains original painting-illustrations by Ted Harrison, a renowned Canadian artist.  I'd like to share just a few of Carroll's words of wisdom:

"Ah-ha!"

"All the world's a stage" - according to one of Shakespeare's characters, and the players thereon represent all sorts and conditions of men and women.  Let's imagine that there are three types of players who walk upon the stage and interpret life in a general sense.

The first type could be called the 'yeah-buts', those who generally respond to ideas and proposals with a cautious 'putting-on-the-brakes' routine.  "That's not a bad idea, but ..." is a frequent response.

The second type could be called the 'ho-hums', those who ponder at great length the issues of the day, weigh all things in the balance, and find it difficult to come to a decision.  They can be persuaded to adopt a position, but often need applied pressure to reach a conclusion.

The last type could be called the 'ah-has', those who embrace life with enthusiasm and express delighted surprise as life unfolds before them.  They always seem poised to jump and engage the issues of life with a hopeful expression on their faces, reaching out towards the vision.

Can we try to be 'ah-ha's'?

Carroll, Northern Reflections (p. 77)

For what it's worth, I love the sentiment that Carroll expresses, but also think he fundamentally mischaracterizes both the yeah-buts and the ah-has.  The 'ah-ha' approach, if undirected by wisdom and prudence, can lead to jumping off bridges into shallow waters and being shattered upon submerged rocks.  The 'yeah-but' approach, if combined with a true excitement about the possibilities of life, can lead to rigorously analyzing ideas and proposals in order to arrive at a workable and exhilarating outcome.  Where I can fully agree with Carroll is being suspicious of the 'ho-hums'.

Northern Reflections Pt 1 - Facing the Loss of Loved Ones

 Earlier this summer I read a delightful book of reflections by Desmond Carroll, an Anglican priest (Irish by birth) in Canada's Arctic.  The book also contains original painting-illustrations by Ted Harrison, a renowned Canadian artist.  I'd like to share just a few of Carroll's words of wisdom:

The Loss of a Companion

Someone has died.  The one who died was a young man, still growing into maturity, knowing the responsibilities of husband and father - life stretching before him, with that sense of immortality which can be so deceptive.

All this has gone and the family that once felt its oneness and completeness, is fragmented and shattered.

A friend has left us, a companion has died; we sense the disappointment and the sadness and yet we confront a mystery that is ever present.  In the silent moments we begin to glance at those who share our pilgrimage, and reach out to touch and be touched by our other companions who will share our burdens and sorrows.  We experience the fellowship of the Spirit that heals and binds together as the journey of life is continued.

The human race is not immortal, so why should death come as such a surprise and catch us so unawares? ...

For the ones that remain, especially one who has been chosen as a life companion, the time is confusing and there is a grasping for that which gives meaning.  Ancient words, borne towards us by our spiritual roots and traditions, sound true as they confront the reality of life.

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want ... yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil ... For thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Psalm 23)

Somehow, what has been up to this time a private world, begins to be transformed into a world which is universal and timeless. ... We do not hide our sadness in the sands of religious ritual, but rather our faith gives us strength to face the emptiness that death brings, and to grasp, at least initially in some small way, that life shared with God transcends time and space.

Carroll, Northern Reflections (pp. 36-37)

The Power of Story

 I'm just about finished reading Kyle Beshears' new book: Apatheism: How We Share When They Don't Care.  It's a tremendous volume which accurately diagnoses the prevalent spiritual malaise of the Western world (apatheism: lack of interest in God questions) and proposes numerous suggestions for engaging our apatheistic neighbors with the Gospel.  I highly recommend the book!

But this short post is to share one particular nugget from Apatheism, in which Beshears talks about the power of sharing the Gospel as the story which has transformed our life to bring us enduring joy.

Stories compel us because they draw on the power of imagination to penetrate our hearts and minds.  They have an uncanny ability to sneak past our barricades of belief, invade our buffered selves, and change us without our permission and sometimes even our awareness. (p. 105)

Earlier, Beshears talks about the centrality of joy in the Christian life and witness, and the necessity of incarnating and communicating joy in our interactions with apatheists (who themselves are pursuing joy but cannot find it amid the transient happiness that worldly goods obtain).

We as Christians have joy because of what God has done through the Lord Jesus Christ, and we rejoice in spite of our circumstances, whether we are healthy or hurting, satisfied or suffering, glad or grieved.  With Christ, it's possible to smile amid poverty, to rejoice in the face of cancer, and laugh through tears. (p. 78)

Kyle Beshears' Apatheism is the fruit of over a decade pondering contemporary spiritual disinterest.  It is a worthy, convicting, and encouraging read.  Highly recommended!

Descartes on Philosophy

 This semester I have the privilege of doing an Arranged Course on 'The History of Modern Philosophy' - not a subject I normally teach, and one that I am excited to work through.  I am looking forward to interacting with some of my philosophical heroes, and sharing golden nuggets from their thoughts.  Usually I will share some quotations or insights with relatively little of my own commentary or analysis.  This week: Rene Descartes (1596-1650), the French rationalist often considered the 'father of modern philosophy.'

Descartes' definition of Philosophy: "Philosophy means the study of wisdom, and by wisdom we understand not only prudence in affairs but also a perfect knowledge of all things which man can know both for the conduct of his life and for the conservation of his health and the invention of all the arts." (Principles of Philosophy, Preface)

Project & Goal: “Descartes ideal aim, therefore, was to construct [a] comprehensive scientific philosophy.  In metaphysics, the roots of the tree according to his analogy, he starts with the intuitively apprehended existence of the finite self and proceeds to establish the criterion of truth, the existence of God and the existence of the material world.” (Copleston, A History of Philosophy, IV.2, 71)

Self & God: “Descartes is concerned with the ordo cognoscendi, the order of discovery, not with the ordo essendi, the order of being.  In the latter order God is prior … But in the order of discovery one’s own existence is prior.  I know intuitively that I exist.” (Copleston, 79)