A Stumbling Block or Living Stone?
Tonight we honored friends of ours as they celebrated the anniversary of the church they planted twenty years ago. Today it is a thriving congregation that has planted a host of churches and continues to reach out locally and globally. We have been in the trenches as friends throughout these many years weathering highs and lows together as we pursued God’s calling on our lives. It is through this relationship and the many more we have had along the way that show us what we value.
How do we come to believe in what we do? Where do our values come from?
According to Stephen Covey in his book “The 8th Habit”, “Values are social norms—they’re personal, emotional, subjective, and arguable…The question you must ask yourself is, are your values based upon principles? In the last analysis, principles are natural laws—they’re impersonal, factual, objective and self-evident. Consequences are governed by principles and behavior is governed by values; therefore, value principles!”[1] Our values dictate how we live our lives, but it is where we place our trust that sustains those values. One writer termed value as our “operating system” driving our everyday thoughts and behavior.”[2]
It is with this understanding of values that I delve into my reflections on Dominion by Tom Holland. Tom Holland is a masterful storyteller and reputable historical researcher. However, this book is not a book on Christian history, but rather a book that deems to find out how much of what we (specifically the Western World) believe comes from the role that Christianity has had throughout the centuries.
In my quest to find out more about Tom Holland, I found an interesting interview between Holland and AC Grayling, a New Athiest Luminary and Philosopher. Their basic debate was on whether Christianity formed societal thought throughout the centuries or whether Christianity was just one of many other religions and philosophies that formed thought (similarly held to by Joseph Campbell in A Hero With a Thousand Faces).[3] It was through this exchange that Holland summarized the main themes that Christianity has implanted in Western thought. “The lowest of the low do have a dignity” (as was displayed on Christ’s death on the cross amongst the vilest of criminals) and victims can triumph over those victimizing them.[4]
In my opinion, one of the strengths of Holland’s writing is that he does not sugar coat the struggles and discrepancies of these very values throughout the years. Christianity has had and continues to have its horrors to deal with due to its own human error and failure to adhere to the basic themes it promotes. As Holland states, “many of them (Christians), over the course of time, have themselves become agents of terror. They have put the weak in their shadow; they have brought suffering, and persecution, and slavery in their wake.”[5] And yet, these behaviors lay in direct opposition to the very claim of Christendom.
I am fascinated by Holland’s ability to articulate history in such a captivating way and draw the conclusions he does. However, knowing that he does not believe the basis of why Christianity is so powerful has me certainly perplexed. He is another Jordan Peterson, with an intellect so astute, he can debate easily and with confidence and yet misses the most elementary component of what he is promoting. His own personal takeaway is “a story told by a species that, as I knew from my own personal experience, cannot bear very much reality.”[6] How very sad. One can only hope that he finds Jesus to be more than a fictitious character.
I close with the powerful thought that Peter presents in 1 Peter 2:4-8:
“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone and a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.” (1 Peter 2:4-8, NIV)
In summary, Christ himself will either be a stumbling block or a living Stone to those who come to him. Furthermore, those who believe in Him as the living Stone will become living stones to further His Kingdom values and purposes. And those values will continue to radically change us personally and affect society at large for as many more centuries as God allows. For this society should be grateful because whether they accept the living Stone or not, they reap more benefits than they would probably ever know to mention.
[1] Hugh Whelchel, “Are Biblical Principles Shaping Your Values?,” March 1, 2018, https://tifwe.org/biblical-principles-values-actions/.
[2] Hugh Whelchel.
[3] Joseph Campbell, A Hero with a Thousand Faces (Novato, CA: New World Library, 2008), https://www.google.com/search?q=a+hero+with+a+thousand+faces&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS807US808&oq=a+hero+with+a+thousand+faces&aqs=chrome.0.0i355i512j46i512j0i512l4j0i22i30j69i60.4514j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:976681df,vid:Byli-Y8KonY.
[4] Tim O’Neill, “Review – Tom Holland ‘Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind,’” History for Atheists (blog), January 11, 2020, https://historyforatheists.com/2020/01/tom-holland-dominion/.
[5] Tom Holland, Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind (Abacus, 2019). 525.
[6] Tom Holland. 521.
About the Author
Esther Edwards
Esther has served in ministry leadership for over 35 years. She is an ordained minister, an ICF and CCLC certified coach, and licensed coach trainer. Her and her husband have launched their own coaching practice, Enjoy the Journey Leadership Coaching and seek to train ministry leaders in the powerful skill of coaching. Esther loves hiking, reading, and experiencing new coffee shops with friends and family. She enjoys the journey with her husband, Keith, their four daughters, sons-in-law, and their five beautiful grandchildren.2 responses to “A Stumbling Block or Living Stone?”
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What an honor to have ministry friends to encourage one another!!! You mentioned that Christ himself will either be a stumbling block or a living Stone to those who come to him. I imagine the many living stones that have furthered the work of the kingdom in the church plant you mentioned. So encouraging!!!
I appreciated the Holland’s historical account. So interesting. It reminded me of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs that was read earlier in the semester. Prayers as you approach the finish line in this journey.
Hi Esther,
I find it fascinating how easily we find inspiration in the heroes of stories, legends, and movies etc, as Joseph Campbell has so thoroughly explained, but find it difficult to have faith in the greatest story of all time. And, how easily we turn those unworthy of the title hero into one. That gets to your point. What we value we will worship whether it’s true or not. We can idolize history and not learn from it. I appreciated that Tom Holland didn’t sugarcoat anything. Did you feel that anything was missing from his account?
Have a wonderful Christmas!