Which
freedoms do you enjoy most as a Christian? (Serendipity Bible
10th Anniversary Edition, page 1365).
Unquestionably
a great benefit that Christianity has bestowed on civilization is the
distinction between the spirit of the law and the letter of the law.
The spirit of the law is based on principles all deriving from love
as Jesus revealed it. With a bedrock of spiritual principles that are
non-negotiable, EVERYTHING ELSE IS. In fact, Christianity
comprehends the basic irony of life that established laws created to
affirm compassionate principles under one set of conditions can in a
different set of conditions thoroughly undercut them. A simple
example—I say to my young child “Never leave the yard without
asking!” The next day when we are together at home alone, I fall
from a ladder and am knocked unconscious. Certainly the Christian
thing for my child to do is not obey the rule to stay in the yard,
but rather go to our neighbor’s house to seek help. It is to be
hoped that I have taught my child to be proactively compassionate,
not just fearfully obedient.
This
simple idea has tremendous implications that extend way beyond
“religious” matters. For example, in America a strong behavioral
determinate is the practicality of an action to arrive at beneficial
results (pragmatism). The traditional ways of doing things may cease
being effective (perhaps due to the law of diminishing returns).
Thus, with little chagrin we dump established behaviors for more
effective ones.
Underlying
a spiritual—not just a strictly pro forma—viewpoint is a focus on
facts. We care less about what is said to work, and more on what
works. This focus on actual results underlies much that has improved
our world.
Now
one might ask, is this really all due to Christianity? Of course
not! Even animals as obtuse as humans can learn from
experience. The final importance of Christianity is not the
introduction of flexibility of approach but the loadstone of faith in
love. Thus resolutely grounded, we can move forward into the future
with flexibility and new ways of thinking. While ideologies are
expendable, conviction never is. Only in this stance are we free to
flourish and move forward.
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