An Admirable Life-Monday, We Return to the Culture Issues

   Nihilism on the Left but way Left of Liberal. Fanaticism on the Right but far to the Right of Fundamentalism. Dithering away our time, when time is about ended.

   Yes, I can explain that one. As Daniel Boorstin intuitively wrote in his 1983 tome, The Discoverers, time actually exists only when it can be measured and not certainly then. (Yes, I remember the books I read, years later. Hate me.). God overlaps both ends of time, in eternity. Time exists in orbit, not in anyone's metaphysical reality. Time, like Rocky Road, is an idea coming to an end.

   We will miss Rocky Road more.

   The Adversary (make up a name here, like Satan) must love it when the Liberals shoot at the Fundamentalists for this means the Fanatics will be allowed free rein. Or, perhaps the Adversary knows he can get the Liberals excited about something the Fundamentalists possess, excited, at least, enough to wage war.

   Either way, the real cultural dangers escape unscathed.

   So, though my hit count indicates you love it when I pick fights over who gets the command of the sinking ship, Monday, it is back to the culture wars for aintsobad.

   This means we return to our scintilating discussion of what it means to live an admirable life. Once upon a time, American society, overwhelmingly white, even more overwhelmingly Christian and even more overwhelmingly lower middle class, just knew any good life had to include God. By God, Americans meant The One True Living God, Personal God, Triune God, not the diluted deity of the Post-Moderns.

   God gets light notice these days. By the time our culture gets through with God, He is neutered, depersonalized and gently ambiguous. The Fanatic response to the rape of God is overstress on divine wrath, which only they seem worthy to wield, and not all of them.

   So, I try to show what it means to live an admirable life to a generation apparently bereft of the information. How is this different from Bill Bennett's The Book of Virtues?

     A virtue is not admirable in and of itself. 

   Every virtue is a value, so the value of a virtue is roughly equivalent to the motive of its practioner, factored by the consistency of his application. The variable value of every virtue is skewed by its social setting. You will not be assessed nobility today for being a good slave owner, for instance, because we decided slave owning itself is bad. 

   So I am not writing about virtues. I write about an admirable life, which is virtuous, vital, valuable and valorous.

   And, all those other V's.

   Here is what you will need on Monday. Bring your Bible. We are going to visit about St. John's Gospel, Chapter 21, and about a part of the passage I have always missed. The most important portion of this passage is Simon Peter's declaration to the Apostles, where he says, "I am going fishing." Yes, of all the important information in this passage, Peter's pronouncement is the most important piece of information, for it tips all the others.

   Monday, I will tell you why.

 

 

Opinions expressed here are mine alone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[David Montoya]

Dr. Davis,

I am sorry your hit count only goes up when the fight (and the fight is turning more toward a relevant-less mess) comes to you. You do have profound things to share.

But I beg you to not completely wash your hands of the mess. There are still many in our midst who depend on folks like you for truth. Yes, sometimes it comes to verbal blows but without your willingness to step up to the line when you are needed allows the back-room boys to push their corruption and deceptions.

Whether we like it our not, the current dying BGCT is part of our legacy. We did not start the fight, but we most not give up our ground until the Lord lets us know he too is tired of striving with these dilapidated delinquents and their career climbing, one of which you named "the boy".

As the boys bow to their idol of position and profit, they pray for us to go away just as the Baal priest called for fire. We must not give them such satisfaction.

May the Lord continue to bless you.

[aintsobad]

David,

There are just many greater fish  to fry.

RD