A Good Question

"... the most intractable of all human questions: what are we on earth for? Is history merely a series of events whose sum is meaningless? Is there no fundamental moral difference between the history of the human race and the history, say, of ants?
Or is there a providential plan of which we are, however humbly, the agents?"
Paul Johnson
A History of the Jews (1987)

I Guess it Depends on the Standard

Dave McIntyre 1951-2011



Elizabeth Taylor 1931-2011

Today I leave the little village on the Rhine where I've been staying for four days.
When I arrived the nine year old who lives here asked me two questions straight away. Did I know who Abbott and Costello were, and was I familiar with Gilligan's Island?
Strong affirmation on both counts.
"Wow," he gasped, "Ronnie knows everything."
It raised a good laugh at least.
I felt strangely drawn to his conclusion, but I fear it was based on insufficient data.
I guess it depends on the standard.
It took me 48 hours to learn of the death of my seminary friend Dave McIntyre.
Dave was a rarity among our classmates in that he served only one church for 34 years.
In the same hour I learned that Elizabeth Taylor had died, but that news reached me in about 48 minutes
The contrast between the two as far as relational perseverance goes is too obvious to elaborate.
More than once in the pulpit I've confessed that I'm able to name all Elizabeth Taylor's husbands in order. I confess it as an indefensible use of brain band width. Indefensible especially as I cannot name the Kings of Judah.
We absorb so many cultural artifacts unwittingly and even unwillingly. Few of us will have memorized the Beatitudes. But if I say,
"There she goes just a walkin' down the street."
most of a certain age will reply--
"Singing Doo wah diddy diddy dum diddy doo."
What do those words mean?
They don't mean anything, but nearly everyone in my generation memorized them.
To forgive a beautiful woman is the easiest thing in the world.
Homer knew that and he was blind.
In "The Illiad" King Menelaus meant to slay his faithless wife when he retrieved her from Troy. But when the moment came Helen's beauty overwhelmed him, and he took her back as his wife.
Debbie Reynolds, whose first husband left to become Elizabeth's fourth, later voted for her rival to receive an Academy Award. She even co-starred with her in a film.
I remember once hearing Richard Burton defend his wife on the grounds that, though she had married many times, there were only those particular men in her life. It was a dubious line of reasoning, but I suppose there were but few lines of defense open to him. She certainly made it hard for him to be loyal to his own wife and the same can be said for Michael Wilding and Eddie Fisher.
I suppose good manners require that we say nice things when a goddess dies.
Her son Michael Wilding was ready with an admirable tribute to his mother.
He said that the world had been a better place for her presence.
I guess it depends on the standard.

Prayers or Lies?

Many years ago I heard an evangelical scholar (he held a Cambridge PhD) declare that nearly all Christians are liars. He supported this provocative thesis by citing how quickly Christians assure others of prayer support without following through. He made no distinction between breaking a promise and telling a lie.
In Memphis last month I visited a saint in her 10th decade. She was hindered by infirmity but buoyant with praise. After I asked after her health she began to give God the credit for her physical survival and relative well being. The human credit she ascribed to my prayers.
Had I ever told her I would pray?
Quite likely.
Had I prayed for her?
I fear me not.
Is it dishonest to sustain a false impression by silence?
Can anyone be sure the answer is "no"?
I felt convicted but I said not a word.
Maybe we should leave off promising to pray unless we record the commitment and enroll an accountability partner immediately.
Maybe we should deflect the request by responding, "Will you pray for my prayer life?"
One thing needful is to pray WITH them immediately before leaving the impression that we will ever pray FOR them
I prayed for her just now.
I want to do better.
I could scarcely do worse.