The God Delusion? Public Lecture by Alister McGrath

Register online at http://bgst.edu.sg/mcgrath-lecture.

Smiles

I sometimes wondered why we get so thrilled and excited for the whole day when we see our baby smile, whilst there are so many people around us who smile at us throughout the day--but we seldom give much thought to these smiles.

Perhaps we have taken adults' smiles for granted. Just because they come so easily? Are such smiles any less real than those of babies?

Does a smile lose its meaning when one grows up? Or had we lost our sense of wonder?

More Close-Up Photos of Qin En...

This is kinda random...

Qin En is now 3 months old!

So let's smile along with her!

Does It Matter?

I recall a documentary about how a photographer from the West tried to help a group of needy children in India to break free from the vicious cycle of their society. These children, without intervention, are breed for child prostitution since birth, and were taught to submit to their 'karma'. They belong to the lowest of all castes and were indoctrinated that there is no escape from their fate.

The photographer tried to instil a sense of self-worth and meaning, a love for the art, by teaching them photography. "From the Eyes of a Child" was the theme in that documentary, to that effect (though I must admit I forgot the exact title). Her hope and intention was that, through this empowering, they would begin to see that they can have true freedom in life, if they would fight for it.

The documentary was deeply moving in the scenes when one can see the sparkle in the children's eyes as they explore a world of their own through the lens of the camera. For the first time in their life, life was happy.

But the story did not end well. Soon the families of these children wanted them back to continue with the sex trade. The children actually had the opportunity to go with the photographer to the West and pursue their newfound interest in photography, but none except one accepted the offer. "It's my fate", observed a child. Another committed suicide later in her life.

Thus the tragedy concludes, with all the loss of the potential happiness and meaning in the lives of these children.

How do we debunk such a distorted view of things? Of reality? Or are we to debunk? What is reality to us does not seem to apply to them. Is there an objective reality in the first place? Or 'to each his own'? Are worldviews relative?

Can we even suggest that what the children chose (in this case, to submit to their 'fate' and become sex-slaves) is wrong, and that there is a higher meaning and purpose out there?

One thing we know for sure: worldview does matter. It matters to the children, and it matters to the photographer in the documentary.

I recall this memory of that documentary because it reminds me of a friend who refused to consider God because he has always lived without one. His objection is this: 'I had done well all my life, and I do not need God to interfere, nor do I need a Book to 'learn' my morality from, since I pretty much know what is right and wrong for me'.

Is that valid? On the surface it seems to be, since the friend has no practical use for God.

But it is built on the assumption that God is valued for His expediency--if religion works for me, then it's good; if it's good, then it's true.

What if this equation works backward? God is true, therefore He is good, and whether religion works for you is not the main point.

It is also limited by itself: having done well without God (the person does not appreciate what is general revelation and providence) THUS FAR, he assumes that he does not need God as far as life goes. But how long has he lived? 20 years? 30 years? Can he speak for all of life? What about the question of death? Is there life after death? What about origin? We cannot know where we're going unless we know where we come from. What about the ultimate purpose in life?

[I'm not satisfied with a simplistic answer like, the meaning of life is 'to be happy'. Happiness is fleeting. 'To make others happy' fares no better. 'To better humanity' is a joke if all of humanity ends upon death. And death and decay happen to all men (and women). And even if one discovers physical immortality (if that is possible), how does that make life ultimately meaningful?]

My biggest objection against that objection is, it entrenched itself into a mud-pit. Like the Indian children, the friend could not see beyond his myopic life-view. Everything operates by his presuppositions about life. In the case of the child, karma, fate (fatalism) and the caste system are the facts of life. In the case of my friend, the a priori assumption that either God does not exist or that He does not matter.

It's not a question of 'he doesn't know what he's missing out.' Like the tragedy of the children, it's far, far worse than that.

生命的感悟

在一位会友母亲的追思礼拜中，有了极深的体会。

这位年长的姐妹虽身世平凡，但她信主之后的生命见证，尤其是她信心的坚定，实令我自惭形秽。

当我正值受到种种世说哲学的理性冲击，自己信心有些受挫之时，读了孙xx老姐妹的生命见证，听了她儿子家人的分享，大受感动。认识到她如何从一个教育不高、患多年烟瘾的乡下人，在信主之后转变成一位充满属灵智慧的长者，不但戒掉烟瘾，更是一生努力带领家人亲友认识基督，虔诚祷告，熟读圣经，圣洁度日……在葬礼之前，有七名曾被她感动的朋友及陌生人竟在瞻仰遗容时决志信主。不禁感叹，这是如此令人震撼的一生、如此令人赞叹的救主！

试问人的一生，价值何在？

金钱？权势？还是享乐？这些在我信心软弱的时候也曾想过要追求。但在孙老姐妹的生命面前，一切的奢侈显得格外渺小、不值，自己的庸俗更不在话下。

人生的意义在于信靠主耶稣、认识真神，一生跟随祂，而人对神的回应关键是信心。“人非有信，就不能得神的喜悦；因为到神面前来的人，必须信有神，且信祂赏赐那寻求祂的人。”（希伯来书11：6）

原来自己这几日来信心软弱，竟是因自己看轻信心，以为人的理性能解决一切问题，结果两边不着岸，不但问题解决不了，还弄得生命贫乏，无异于一个活死人！

认识了孙老姐妹，我醒悟了：失去对神的信心，就失去生命的力量。一个基督徒超然的生命力，源于对神的纯正信心，不是对自己有限的理性、护教学的理论凭据，更不是宗教情操的煽动起伏。甚至可说，信心就是生命，没有信心就没有生命。

求主保守小信的我，增加我的信心，持守到底，并借我有限的生命，帮助、关爱、服侍周围的人。

勤恩满月感恩

这是一个迟到的帖子……

我们的宝宝--莫勤恩，于正月十七日正式满月，在玮玲娘家举行满月感恩礼。关心义传道主持，赖牧师勉励，并为勤恩作特别祷告。



在感人的诗歌、真诚的分享、弟兄姐妹与亲戚朋友的关爱之外，最令我感动的莫过于牧师的祷告词中一句：



“……妳是勤恩，要切记：一生勤于报答主的恩典，一生勤于传扬主的恩典。”

是的，名字是家长对子女的期望与寄托，“勤恩”一名更是如此。开始时玮玲的概念相当简单：“勤劳读圣经，时时要感恩”，后来我联想到加尔文主义的两条信义：“不可抗拒的恩典”(Irresistible Grace) 及“圣徒持守到底”(Perseverance of the Saints)，觉得‘勤恩’这名字正是神的“恩典”与人的“意志”（勤）的平衡点。神的恩典，保守圣徒能够持守到底。

牧师的祷告，更是提升了‘勤恩’这名字的属灵含义。