The end of it all

Here are the current slides for a talk, "Comparison of Biblical and scientific eschatology" that I am giving tomorrow at a conference on the Church and the Academy.

Here is a choice quote from 1979 by a famous theoretical physicist, Freeman Dyson.

“I hope with these lectures to hasten the arrival of the day when eschatology, the study of the end of the universe, will be a respectable scientific discipline and not merely a branch of theology.”

Freeman Dyson, “Time without end: Physics and biology in an open universe”
Reviews of Modern Physics 51, 447–460 (1979)
[I should mention that I don't like Dyson's article, but that is another story...].

Rethinking authority, reality, and ethics.

Jonathan Burnside gave the opening address last night at the conference on the Academy and the Church. Here are a few of my rough notes on the talk, "The ethical authority of the Biblical social vision". Overall, I was challenged to rethink my ideas about the nature of authority and its relation to reality and ethics.

Due to the rise of Islam and secularism some Western Christians have developed a defensive "in the trenches" position with regard to their role in society. Instead, Christians should desire the common good, not just the self-interest and protection of their own rights.

1. What do we mean by the Biblical social vision?

It should be shaped by whole Bible. (2 Timothy 3:16). The Old Testament and New Testament have different ethical authority. Be aware of continuities and discontinuities. Neglecting this can lead to the God hates shrimp problem.

This is a vision that takes the Bible - and how it is written - seriously. In the West we think in abstract terms and so tend to translate the Bible into abstract systems of thought.
Consider the form of Bible - ancient literature - which embodies the Living Word.

2. Why does the Biblical social vision have ethical authority over us? 

Authority is a dimension of reality. (cf. Oliver O'Donovan, Resurrection and Moral Order). Authority in the Bible means a freedom to act within boundaries.
Existence of God is a reality which calls for an ethical response.
Humility, worship, and obedience. (cf. Deut 6:4,5  The LORD is one)
The reality of the nature of God.
The reality of human identity and human flourishing.
The reality of Jesus resurrection. (Compare this to the weighty ethical authority of the Exodus).
The Resurrection reflects God's commitment to restore the creation.
The reality of the mission of the people of God.  

3. How does Biblical social vision exercise ethical authority?

We need to be willing to change our culturally conditioned view about what authority is.  The Biblical vision has authority because it is spreading reality. Authority does not mean exercising control. God's authority is exercised in a relational way. (cf. God's act of creation). God the Father sends the Son and the Holy Spirit in power gives life.
Enables creation to be the best possible.
God's authority is exercised through human beings. [Our job is to be].
Look at parables to get a picture of what it is like when God is in charge.
The Word became flesh (not an abstract concept).

Christians are called to live the story of God to the world. Jesus exercised authority from a place of humility. In Isaiah 42 there is no yelling or shouting in the streets.
Moreso us, since we are not Jesus! We have a tendency to abuse authority.

Dealing with postmodernism. We are to be there for postmodernists when they discover the limits of their postmodern view [because they eventually suffer from ignoring the way the world is, e.g. parents and children suffer when all values and opinions are considered equally valid].

A flawless movie?

My son and I watched the movie Flawless and I highly recommend it. It is centred around life in the head office of the (fictional) London Diamond Corporation in 1960. A janitor joins forces with a disgruntled female manager to reek revenge on the company. I thought the story was highly original and I particularly enjoyed how unpredictable it was. There were quite a few surprises. Although not the main theme, the movie does highlight the immorality and duplicity of big business and its collusion with governments (capitalist and communist!).

It was refreshing to see a crime thriller that involves no violence or sex!
But, I sure noticed how much the heroine and some of other the characters smoked cigarettes!

Nevertheless, no violence and sex does not make a movie morally enriching. My son pointed out how the story celebrates people who take revenge and a "Robin Hood" view of philanthropy and justice. I was so intrigued by the story I missed this moral failure.

Lest we forget

One of the best articles in the last issue of The Week is The Pentagon Papers: lonely evenings at the photocopier by Rodney Tiffen. It originally appeared in Inside Story. Here are a few highlights.

In late June 1971, [Daniel] Ellsberg was arrested for violating the federal Espionage Act. Eventually, in 1973, the prosecution collapsed as a result of procedural abuses. First it was revealed that the Nixon White House had illegally raided the office of Ellsberg’s psychiatrist. (His file yielded nothing incriminating or humiliating.) Then it was revealed that they had illegally tapped the phones of Ellsberg and several witnesses. 

No such legal niceties inhibited the treatment of Bradley Manning, who has been held without trial since May 2010. Until April this year (when he was transferred to a somewhat less harsh prison regime) he was in solitary confinement twenty-three hours a day – not allowed to exercise, often required to be naked and checked every five minutes when asleep on the pretence of preventing him from harming himself – and underwent a process of physical and mental disintegration. The post-9/11 torture of suspected terrorists by US authorities – directly at Guantanamo and indirectly through rendition to third countries – was being inflicted on one of their own servicemen. The contrast in the two cases is a stark reminder of just how much the rule of law has been eroded in the United States in the last forty years. 

Supreme Court, ... in a six–three decision on 30 June [1971] found in favour of the press. What is perhaps the key argument was put best by District Court judge Murray Gurfein: “The security of the nation is not at the ramparts alone. Security also lies in the value of our free institutions.” 

....the most consistent narrative running through the New York Times stories was how government statements had deceived the public...  

Several Nixon insiders later wrote that Nixon’s reaction to the leak of the Pentagon Papers was the first step on his road to the Watergate scandal. The operatives, initially ordered to pursue Ellsberg, were then set up as a self-styled “plumbers unit” in the White House basement. Nixon was already obsessed by leaks and convinced that the press was his enemy; now, he became fixated on the idea that not only the Pentagon Papers but also other classified documents were being held by “liberals” at the Brookings Institution. Plans were made to mount an arson attack and, under cover of the resulting confusion, take back all the documents Brookings held. Wiser heads eventually prevailed, but not before plans to acquire a fire engine were well advanced. Eventually, this appetite for undercover operations led to the abortive raid on the Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate hotel in 1972, and to Nixon’s resignation – the only president to be forced from office – in August 1974.

Don't leave theology to the theologians

Today my son and I finished reading through Alister McGrath's Theology: The Basics. He bids the reader farewell with these thoughts from Karl Barth [originally from a 1934 Paris lecture]:

In conclusion, theology is not a private subject for theologians only. Nor is it a private subject for professors. Fortunately, there have always been pastors who have understood more about theology than most professors. Nor is theology a private subject of study for pastors. Fortunately, there have been repeatedly congregation members, and often whole congregations, who have pursued theology energetically while their pastors were theological infants or barbarians. Theology is a matter for the church. 

Karl Barth, God in Action,  1963, pp. 56-57

Speaking Biblically (but not knowing it)

The process whereby Biblical words, phrases and concepts enter popular culture is a fascinating one. One striking example from the English language is that of atonement which apparently William Tyndale used in 1526 [at-one-ment] to translate the latin word reconciliatio and to capture the significance of what Christ's death on the cross accomplished. [Minor aside: there is some evidence it was in some use before Tyndale].

But other words do not. Reading through John 15 with two friends this week they pointed out that abide is a not a word that has popular use. Nevertheless, the hymn Abide with me, is often sung in secular forums, and out of context, I as noted in this earlier post about an ANZAC day ceremony.

A dangerous movie

Last night my family and I watched the movie, The History Boys. On one level I think it is excellent and raises profound issues. What is the real purpose of an education? How does one balance a true education against the conflicting pressures for performance on external examinations? What is history? Many of the characters are beautifully portrayed and (unfortunately) quite believable in all their anxieties, foibles, and ambiguities.

However, in the end I think this is a dangerous movie, is morally dubious, and consequently undermines its main message of the value of education. Why? The "hero" is an inspiring (male) teacher who fondles his (male) pupils. The movie (and reviews) treat this abuse in a light manner: to me they "rationalise" and "trivialise" it in a celebration of the creative tensions and possibilities of moral ambiguity. [Here is a review of the original play in The Guardian]. This excellent blog post argues persuasively why we should be troubled by this movie. I think if the abusive teacher had been a priest the moral outcry against the play and movie would have been thunderous. And so it should have been!