In pursuit of knowing God

A few months ago I posted a blog about the purpose of humanity in which I concluded that knowing God was the ultimate purpose in life and that connecting with this God brings ultimate meaning to our lives. Recently I have been reading a very erudite and concise little book called 'Think God Think Science' subtitled 'conversations on life, the universe, and faith' with Ernest Lucas, Vice-Principal and Tutor of Biblical studies Bristol Baptist College. So far the book has made some very interesting points, ones which I thought were very profound in my understanding of and relationship with God. I said in my previous blog that I hoped this endeavour to know our Creator God would progress and evolve into a more rounded and fully fleshed world view and I believe this book has helped me to do so.

One of the first points that struck me in the debate between Religion and Science was Ernest Lucas' response to Richard Dawkins' criticism of Religion producing a 'poky little medieval view of the universe'. Lucas suggests that what Dawkins describes is not the byproduct of religious skepticism towards Science as a source of truth but rather a trend brought about by our era of post-modernism and an emphasis on individualism and 'self-truth'. While I have been very familiar with post-modernism as a philosophical worldview; I had never thought about it's impact upon our society in creating such an insular, individualistic culture. There has been a shift towards the importance placed upon material gain and accumulation in our Western culture - a result, in part, of the greater emphasis placed upon our individualism by post-modernism. Therefore to discredit Christianity or Religion in general as being 'against' Science is unfair and tarnishes Religion specifically for what is a much broader problem created by certain philosophical leanings of society.

Secondly, the book covers the issue of cosmology and how our understanding of our place within the universe has changed since Ancient times. Our ancestors believed that the earth was the centre of the universe and that the universe revolved around us and not vice versa. Since our more recent scientific discoveries brought about through the scientific revolution of the 17th and 18th centuries by such men as Newton and Copernicus our understanding and perception of the significance of our planet and in deed the human race has changed. Therefore, do our lives hold any meaning and do they carry significance? Lucas' response to this question struck me as very profound. If, as the Bible says, God is a God of love then what he creates, he creates out of love and so has a deep love for what he has created, no matter how small they may appear in the grander picture of the universe. He draws upon the analogy of a parent, holding their new born baby in their arms for the first time. The baby in itself is small and has done nothing of significance in the world, but those parents love that baby unconditionally and completely. Size is not the benchmark for significance. God as our Heavenly Father loves us so deeply and so profoundly not because we are big physically, or because earth is the focal point of the universe, but just because he made us and because he is love. No one is insignificant to God. That is amazing.

The other point the book has made thus far, which I have found particularly captivating and intriguing, especially to my pursuit and understanding of a relationship with God bringing ultimate meaning to our lives is the concept of certain human abilities that transcend the basic need for surival. In the chapter about evolution and whether or not humanity has been made in the image of God, Lucas speaks of certain abilities that he sees as proof that we have been made in God's image, or at least what he understands by being made in God's image. Examples included higher mathmatics, fine art, music and an aesthetical appreciation for beauty. These qualities in us go beyond a Darwinian understanding and application of survival of the fittest. While basic maths and arithmatic is important for survival, post-graduate and higher level maths, the likes of which Einstein applied go far beyond any naturalistic requirement for survival. Likewise the complexity of our music goes far beyond the mating calls and primitive music that animals are able to produce in order to attract mates or warn of approaching predators. Lucas was not arguing that evolution is incorrect or untrue, rather that a theistic understanding of evolution is more satisfactory than an atheistic one.

This has massive implications for our lives: our societies and cultures speak of a Creator God - our ability to produce and have an appreciation for fine art, music and literature implies that we have been made in our Creator's image. Practically everything we do speaks of God. As I write this blog I am listening to Beethoven's 5th piano concerto, this music so complex and sophisticated, yet so beautiful to listen to speaks of a God who made us, to have this capacity to make such music; the computer I am using to type this blog and post it online again speaks of being made in God's image. We are intelligent, creative, self-conscious beings. We have been made in the image of God.

These reflections and meditations bring me such satisfaction when I think of my pursuit of knowing God and having a relationship with him. My pursuits and interests speak of being made in God's image, my ability to learn, adapt, appreciate and create things of intelligent design and sophistication speak of God and in our human race we can know something of what God is like.

One last thought, regarding the implications of these musings: Lucas draws a logical connection between being made in God's image, and the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus Christ. Lucas states:

"A lot of ink has been spilt over the question of what it means to be made in the image of God. I think the simplest way to understand it is that we represent God on earth, that we must be of such a nature that we can reflect something of God in our human personality. This is what makes Incarnation possible, the message of the New Testament that God can become a human being."

Many non-Christians and atheists alike struggle to comprehend how God can become a human being; to Jews and Muslims it is offensive to think of God having a 'son' or 'reducing' himself to human form; to atheists it seems absurd that a person could be at one and the same time a human and a god, with all the powers supposedly attributed to God. But if God has already created us with the capacity to reflect himself in us then being able to incarnate himself in a person, with a physical body and human limitations is possible. As the Bible says "nothing is impossible for God."

And so I come back to the person of Jesus Christ - God incarnate - in my spiritual journey to know God and have a relationship with him. To know Jesus is to know God and to believe in Jesus is to believe in the One who sent him, namely God.

think before you buy

It seems like ages since I last blogged, but now there is something sufficiently on my heart to share! This past week my church has had a 24/7 prayer week. I took a few hours out of my daily routine to go and pray and was struck whilst praying and waiting on God by one thing in particular: how we in the West profit from other peoples' poverty. As I read the material in the church about struggling people, young and old, from around the developing world I couldn't help but feel a sense of injustice and anger that many of the brands and labels we wear or come into contact with every day exploit their employees! Here in the West we live in a 24/7, on demand, whatever we want society. Our diets are not determined by the seasons anymore because we import many of our produce from other countries; some of which even struggle to feed themselves. We want cheap clothes, yet that requires paying people a pittance in order to make a profit from it. There are people working in sweat shops and factories in places like India where even the electricity used to light the factory and power the machines is dangerous and could cause serious injury.

As a history teacher, I was made to reflect on our own industrial past and how for many decades people worked without health and safety regulations; children were exploited for cheap labour, many of whom died. We would no longer tolerate those types of working conditions now, yet we turn a blind eye to it in other parts of the world! I came to realise there is an aweful amount of hypocrisy in our society. So what is the solution? Playing ignorant to the plight and suffering around the world, which we directly benefit from is not an option. It is unacceptable. Yes there are innitiatives such as 'fair trade', which gives farmers and workers a fair price and wage for their work. This should be a basic human right of everyone. But it is only the beginning. Greed is at the heart of the problem. It is the greed of corporations and businesses that charge high prices yet pay unacceptably low wages. Greed is not only a poison, which can infect the human heart, but it is also called idolatry in the Bible. So who do you serve? As Jesus taught, no one can serve two masters; so who do you serve? The most High God and His Son Jesus? Or money and our own greedy desire for an afluent, comfortable existence?

So next time you're in the supermarket or in your favourite clothes shop, just bear in mind will your choices deny others of their rights to a decent wage and living standard? Now I am no saint, and I am no martyr either; these are matters of consciousness that I am still grappling with myself. I feel strongly that it is right to support charities in the work they do to supporting the vulnerable of this world, as well as buying fair trade, but perhaps more needs to be done. Perhaps it is time for us to become more politically active in reaching out to our government to try and make positive changes in the wider international community? Seek God, listen to your conscience and do what is right to prevent injustice and exploitation.