Monday, December 10, 2018
630 - The Power of Nonsense
Spirituality Column #630
December 11,
2018
Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary
The Power of Nonsense
By Bob Walters
“There is nothing like
suspense and anxiety for barricading a human’s mind against the Enemy (God)." – Screwtape,
senior demon, “The Screwtape Letters,” C.S. Lewis, 1942
Satan has a
tough job but suffers no shortage of accomplices or apprentices.
In his
devilish quest to rob God’s Creation of its wonder, beauty, and love, Satan
tricks mankind into self-directed and ultimately miserable prisons of jealousies,
guilt, concerns, and pride. The sinful,
self-absorbed human is Satan’s greatest artwork.
And he accomplishes
this all the while knowing that there is nothing natural in us – we humans
created in the image of God – to recommend the fearful horrors of a fallen,
God-rejecting world over the faithful pleasures of God’s Creation, the love and
goodness of his Son, and the perpetual comfort of the Holy Spirit.
Peace in Jesus Christ is the exact
opposite of Satan’s suspense and anxiety.
But there out in the world – in all
corners and altitudes and persuasions – are the obvious marching phalanxes and
the insidious sugar-coated-but-poisonous ideas of the true enemy, Satan. Is he
real? Yep, afraid so. Does he “own the world”? Yeah, that too. He is the “Lord of the Air” and we slip into
his grasp so easily. Instead of being
focused simply on what we do, Satan presses us to worry what will happen to
us. My mentor George Bebawi calls it,
“Being busy with yourself.” Humans find
that irresistible.
British author C.S. Lewis is the
great Christian apologist of the 20th Century. Better than any contemporary, he could
explain Christianity in Everyman language.
His Mere Christianity is the
book everyone has heard about, but The
Screwtape Letters published in 1942 – during Britain’s dark days of WWII – reveal
humanity from the Devil’s perspective.
The book, in its satirical yet profound truth, describes well why human
faith so often fails: Satan labors nonstop promoting our fear and
self-interest.
And it works.
Look at the panorama of cultural,
media, social, political, entertainment, and academic forces and personalities
– and sadly more than a few church pulpits – at Satan’s promotional beck and call. Even from the distant echoes of 1942 Lewis lays
out the nefarious and harmful charade of “Social Justice,” and nails the persistent
tragedy of human spiritual weakness: instead of trusting eternal survival in God’s
truth, we embrace and empower Satan’s devious doctrine of worldly survival. It’s nonsense.
“Eternal survival” is the good news
of the Gospel, while conquering this life is the great lie of Satan. God sent Jesus to show us godly love, divine
relationship, heavenly grace, the sole righteousness in God, self-awareness in
the Spirit, and virtue in loving other humans.
Forgiveness of sin? Oh yeah, that
too. Isn’t it ironic that Satan does his
best work by enticing us to focus on our sins and self? It keeps us in “me,” far
from God.
Need help? Here is a note to the wise. Next time you encounter a popular, heavily
promoted “self-help” book, before you read it see if it includes the biblical
truth of Jesus Christ. If not … you’re
wasting your worldly time, and making Satan’s job easier.
Walters
(rlwcom@aol.com) saw a news feature on renowned “self-help
guru” Deepak Chopra’s new book. Oy … that got Bob going: no discernable Jesus truth
there.
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