In this
issue:
i) The side of
truth - J. Carattini
ii) The Book of
Review (Deuteronomy - Chs 21 and 22) - Part 4 - C.E. Wigg
The side of truth
Jill
Carattini
It was for me a dawning thought
packed within the confines of a recurring chorus. "And the truth's not
contingent on me." I still remember the notion catching my attention and then
hanging there in my mind like a portrait I was having a hard time getting my
eyes around. At the time, it was an utterly startling and freeing image; namely,
God did not need me to uphold the pillars and pieces of Christianity to make it
a true and valid thing to believe in. It is an incredibly simple lesson with
which to be struck, perhaps exposing a self-centered worldview as much as my
misunderstanding of the old, old story. And yet, it was an awakening not only to
the Christian story as I discovered that day, but also to the very nature of
truth itself. Truth is truth whether we choose to stand beside it or not.
Perhaps as a reaction to the intense
rationalism of the modern era, postmodern thought tends to emphasize the idea
that all is not as it might seem. But the preference is now anti-rationalism or
anti-realism. We want to create our own reality, a mosaic of truths that will
suit our own needs. Intrinsic to this approach is the concept of practicality.
If it is in anyway useful to our lives then it is viewed as a "valid" truth. I
once heard someone note this in a statement she went as far as to call her
life's motto. She said, "If you can't use what you know to be true then it isn't
worth knowing." Such is the current mood; one where truth itself can be deemed
unworthy of knowing. Writes C.S. Lewis, "Man is becoming as narrowly 'practical'
as the irrational animals."
Yet the posture of preference and
practicality, though widely present among us, is hardly a new approach to the
quest for truth. As Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate he told him, "I came into
this world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to
me" (John 18:37-38). Before Pilate had even uttered his sardonic reply—"What is
truth?"—Jesus's words in that profoundly charged conversation cut to the
crumbling foundation on which men have stood from antiquity to postmodernism:
the search for truth is all too often not about truth at all.
As an acquaintance one time
commented, "I refuse to let anyone tell me what my truth is." But does such a
statement even make sense? Truth corresponds to reality, not preference or
opinion. If the quest for truth is about personal appetite, contingent only on
the individual holding the belief, anything and everything could be deemed true.
Such an approach taken in realms of science or history would be thoroughly
mocked in its ridiculousness. We know better than this.
The same Gospel that relays the
conversation of Jesus and Pilate on the subject of truth begins with the
powerful thought of God at the beginning of all things. Whatever truth is it is
something far beyond me, corresponding with reality, coherently giving shape to
my life. In the Christian story, there is a beginning, a middle, and an end,
none of which is contingent on us. Christ has come to testify to this reality
and lead us to truth itself. He is Lord whether we choose to stand beside him or
not.
---
[Copyright(c) 2005 Ravi Zacharias
International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with
permission.]
The Book of Review (Deuteronomy -
Chapter 21 and 22) - Part
4
Charles E.
Wigg
The very idea of a
woman wearing a man’s apparel is offensive to God. I know that the fashions
change from nation to nation, and sometimes within nations, as for instance it
is normal for women in the southern half of India, to wear a sari, but in the
north it is common for ladies to wear a curta-pyjama type outfit, with a scarf
that is thrown back over the shoulders. Both provide a head covering for the
wearers, and both are very modest and comely. Once in Western countries it would
be unheard of for a woman to wear slacks, but it is very common in these days.
The more that society gets away from the scriptures, the more fashions change
until in some cases it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between a man
and a woman.
In the case referred
to in our chapter God shows that as He has made the woman different to the man,
He wants that difference to show out even in the distinctive style of clothing
that they wear. Under the New Testament system of things, (in the Church), God
has ordained that the woman should be silent in the public meetings of the
Church. He has given instructions through His Apostles, as to what he requires
of both the man and the woman. We would be wise to give heed to what God
commands, and to abide by them. It is clear and plain that God desires the men
who are called to lead the church to be meek, patient, forgiving, to be good and
loyal husbands of one wife, and wise and godly fathers of their children. At the
same time He desires that the women should be submissive to their own husbands,
to be wise and modest, (comely) in the way that they dress. He desires that they
should maintain the different place that He in His wisdom has ordained for them.
For a woman to dress wisely, yet for her to want to occupy a place of public
prominence , or to want to be heard in the public meetings of the Church,
(either in praying or in preaching), is a contradiction. But sad to say this is
becoming the practice in the Western Church, and it is to be
condemned.
The next couple of
verses demonstrate once more the compassion of the heart of our Great and Loving
God..He wants His people to be like Himself, and to show the same compassion
both to men who have lost their way, and to the lower creation
also.
Verse eight shows us
that we are to be careful not to put any occasion of falling in the way of
others, either of our own children, or of those who may visit us. This verse
would remind us of the words of the Lord Jesus, in (Matthew 18:6-11), though
there it relates to little children. We need to be careful that there is nothing
in our houses that can in any way contribute to the downfall of any in our
family, or of any who might pay us a visit. Things such as reading matter, or
the television shows that we watch etc.
---
[Reproduced by
permission of the
author]