Friday, June 4, 2010

John 7 -- it's not the lack of information ...

How do you transform an "is" into an "ought?" How to you go from the indicative (descriptive) mood in a statement to the imperative (command) mood? If you pile up enough facts, do you get wisdom? In one of his brilliant little fables compiled in The Cyberiad, Polish novelist Stanislaw Lem dealt with this question. An interstellar pirate wanted data. The two constructors gave him a machine that spewed an unending stream of random data, and quietly escaped.

Modern education, a wiser man than me once said, places all information in a single file drawer labeled Miscellaneous. [1]

Someone considering the claims of Christ can procrastinate, saying, "I'll make up my mind when I have all the facts." Ain't gonna happen. The issue is something quite different from lack of information:
Joh 7:17 "Eğer bir kimse Tanrı'nın isteğini yerine getirmek istiyorsa, bu öğretinin Tanrı'dan mı olduğunu, yoksa kendiliğimden mi konuştuğumu bilecektir.
The religious leaders of Israel pleaded "insufficient data." Jesus called them on that assertion. Those who wish to please the Father already have the means to evaluate the claims of the Son. There is no conflict, ultimately, between "the True" and "the Good." A love for the Good, for God and for His purposes, hones our instinct for distinguishing truth from its seductive counterfeits.

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[1] Of course, there's also the hidden curriculum. It doesn't matter what kids study, as long as they learn the real lesson of public education: truth is what The State tells you, when The State tells it to you, in the place and time The State provides, and under the direction of a State employee.

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