Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono\u00a0 (Hawaiian)<\/p>\n
“The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. \u2013 Hawaii state motto.<\/p>\n
Part 1 Introduction<\/p>\n
Part 2 What my peers are saying<\/p>\n
Part 3 What Holland Says Himself<\/p>\n
Part 4 What I learned<\/p>\n
Epilogue<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Part 1 Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n In his book Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind<\/em>,[1]<\/a> Tom Holland reminds me of Hamlet\u2019s soliloquy, where he demonstrates internal struggles to BE (something). Act III, Scene I of Hamlet<\/em> by William Shakespeare: \u201cTo be, or not to be, that is the question.\u201d I sense an undercurrent exists in Holland\u2019s mind, to be a Christian or not to be a Christian.<\/p>\n Taking a more spiritual turn, Romans 7: 21-25<\/p>\n 21\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>So I find this law at work:\u00a0Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.\u00a022\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>For in my inner being\u00a0I delight in God\u2019s law;\u00a023\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>but I see another law at work in me, waging war\u00a0against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin\u00a0at work within me.\u00a024\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?\u00a025\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!<\/p>\n Holland appears to be wrestling with Faith. Unlike Paul, who has come to grips with his sins, Holland continues to struggle. In the meantime, he has made money from his internal faith debate through his books. Holland has found an audience that is also struggling with the pervasiveness of Christianity in society and yet desires to leave Christianity and God behind.<\/p>\n Holland does provide a systematic presentation of Christian facts and impacts.\u00a0 Without the Holy Spirit, however, he lacks the ability to develop a \u201cborn-again faith.\u201d<\/p>\n Part 2 What my peers are saying<\/strong><\/p>\n DLGPO2\u00a0 <\/strong> Travis Vaughn<\/a>\u00a0quotes another book Rodney Stark,\u00a0The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World within a few centuries. [2]<\/strong><\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>Christianity revitalized life in Greco-Roman cities by providing new norms and new kinds of social relationships able to cope with many urgent urban problems. To cities filled with the homeless and impoverished, Christianity offered charity as well as hope. To cities filled with newcomers and strangers, Christianity offered an immediate basis for attachments. To cities filled with orphans and widows, Christianity provided a new and expanded sense of family. To cities torn by violent ethnic strife, Christianity offered a new basis for social solidarity\u2026And to cities faced with epidemics, fires, and earthquakes, Christianity offered effective nursing services.\u201d<\/p>\n YES, a thousand times yes! Todd Henley highlights who we are as Christians. Whether others believe in God or not does not diminish our identity in Christ.<\/p>\n \u00a0DLGPO2,\u00a0Jenny Dooley<\/strong> writes from Malaysia, \u201cIndeed, I see the impact of Christianity in countries far less Christian than my own. It\u2019s unsettling to have a historian describe how the world remains influenced by Christianity while faith in the love and mercy of God is rejected. It\u2019s troubling to read how various interpretations of the Christian faith have brought both good and ill into the world.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Part 3 What Holland says himself.<\/strong><\/p>\n Actually \u00a0listening to Holland speak can be achieved in the YouTube video, The Making Of The Western Mind | Tom Holland,<\/strong><\/em> September 1, 2022 https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NUUkY164jhc<\/strong><\/p>\n Holland reviews the \u201cDifficulty in escaping the Christian lens\u201d and states, as an example, \u201cHuman rights are a leap of faith, but they are birthed from Christian ideals.\u201d \u00a0He sounds incredibly reasonable, yet misses the \u201cleap of faith.\u201d<\/p>\n Part 4:\u00a0 What I learned<\/strong><\/p>\n On Thursday, I am speaking about immigration (probably to a hostile audience). I hope to lead with scripture (it is a Bible study) and then discuss the personal actions I have taken to contribute to the immigration process. (My NPO is interlinkt.org)<\/p>\n My hope is that my actions will speak louder than words. (Words whisper, actions Thunder!)<\/p>\n I lack the eloquence to convince anyone, but my desire is that my NPO will demonstrate how big problems do start with small solutions.<\/p>\n While it is important to have a grip on the white and dark spaces of Christianity\u2019s past. I believe that our NPOs are focused on the future.<\/p>\n A Christian future.<\/p>\n All of our NPOs are HIS work. I believe that we are responding to Satell\u2019s Cascade\u2026creating ripples of change.<\/p>\n Epilogue <\/strong><\/p>\n As I watched Holland on You Tube, I am hopeful that when he has his major \u201cface plant\u201d in life (death, accident, or whatever), he will take the vast volume of Christian information that he has to realize that there is a God and that it is not him. I should pray for Holland and others to come to faith and for God to show me my path in helping them.<\/p>\n Peter Boghossian\u2019s book, \u201cHow to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide.[3]<\/strong><\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 <\/em>Boghossian writes, \u201cHow should you handle the problem of not being in complete agreement?\u201d Boghossian answers, \u201cSimple: Let people be wrong!\u201d[4]<\/strong><\/sup><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n I will probably never meet Holland or Boghossian. I am content to let them be wrong, knowing that God is not finished with them.<\/p>\n I have come to a rather cynical place. Our program and perhaps our society have become \u201cYou be you, and I will be me.\u201d But our latest readings (which challenge our faith) bring the unbeliever into our blog spot world.<\/p>\n My personal faith continues because of my testimony and interaction with God. While I feel obligated to share that with people, I don\u2019t expect to convert them; that is the Holy Spirit\u2019s job.<\/p>\n My job is to be \u201cMe with Christ in ME.\u201d My actions<\/u> are my response to the unbeliever. I will place my emotional, physical, and spiritual capital in God\u2019s NPO (I almost said my NPO) and HIS work in Ukraine and Kenya (GoodSports children\u2019s ministry). Doing these things, I am content to let others (Many of whom are family) be wrong.<\/p>\n God will judge them. I can only give them to the opportunity to observe my\u00a0 consistent life of faith that will help them move in his direction.<\/p>\n Sigh\u2026and Shalom<\/p>\n <\/p>\n P.S. Tom Holland should know better, “With great power comes, great responsibility.”<\/strong><\/p>\n P.S.S. Thanks all for UPGRADING me. I am forever changed by DLGP02.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Tom Holland,\u00a0Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind<\/em>, New York: Basic, 2019,12.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Rodney Stark,\u00a0The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries<\/em>, New York: HarperOne, 1996<\/p>\n