Taking some time off...

Esteemed reader,

I regret that I will be unable to post for a few weeks, but the end of the semester is looming, and as prudence dictates, I will be spending the majority of my time doing schoolwork in the coming weeks.  Because of this, I am taking a protracted vacation from my duties related to this blog.  I wish I could continue posting, but as the last two weeks have shown, I have other matters which must take precedence.  Thank you for continuing to read this blog, and I look forward to continuing our discussions in mid-December.

Your humble brother,
Addison

A New Hope

"To hear the phrase 'our only hope' always makes one anxious, because it means that if the only hope doesn't work, there is nothing left." -Lemony Snicket, The Blank Book

I am very excited about the blog post this week, for a couple of different reasons.  First of all, I am glad to be finished with the series on marriage, which took much more out of me than I expected.  Second, I am going to be writing this week about a topic I find very important: hope.

Hope is an somewhat common term in today's society.  People use it all the time in various and sundry contexts for various meanings.  Perhaps most famously, it was used as an integral part of the successful campaign which landed Barrack Obama in the office of president back in 2008 (I do not aim to make this in any way a political conversation, it just fits with the topic).

The problem I see is that Americans tend to have a very shallow or erroneous view of hope, especially in the religious sense.  So what I am discussing today is the idea of what hope signifies to a Christian.  My goal is that this article would help Christians better understand what the Bible means when it mentions hope and that more unnecessary miscommunication would be avoided between Christians and non-Christians.  I feel like many of the arguments between non-believers and us arise from semantic disparities.  As with any debate, it behooves us to properly define our terms.

What It Isn't

The best place for us to begin this discussion is by examining modern misconceptions of hope.  Hope is often diminished somewhat by modern Christians, and it is not entirely their fault.  To be honest, the distinction here is very narrow, and it might even appear to be splitting hairs.  But I promise, it makes all the difference in the world.

The point I wish to make is that hope as it appears in the Bible (i.e. a noun) is different from the verb hope which is the more common of the two in modern vernacular.  Hope as a verb is a very uncertain prospect.  It places a desired object or goal at the mercy or fortune or circumstances.  I might say, "I hope the cafeteria is not serving asparagus again today," or "I hope there is a parking spot open near the store."  In both of these examples, I am dependent upon factors completely outside my control, and there could be sizable probabilities that my "hopes" will not come to fruition.  I have placed quotation marks round thenoun hopes here because it is correct linguistically, but it means something altogether different from the hope of the Bible (which you rarely see in the plural).

Hope in the Christian sense is not an intellectual desire for a certain eventuality.  It is not a warm feeling telling you that everything will be all right.  It isn't positivism, escapism, or even optimism.  Hope is not ephemeral or weak, shallow or baseless, and it certainly is not blind or foolish.  What we are considering is something else entirely.

Certainty

The modern usage of the word hope seems to permit no discussion of certitude.  Nevertheless, examining its treatment in Scripture allows us to see this word in a different light.  The term appears explicitly one hundred eighty times in the current NIV translation of the Bible, with nearly twenty percent appearing in the book of Psalms.  By examining these instances of hope, we begin to see the disparities between the biblical and modern vernacular definitions.

To begin with, biblical hope is something that is placed.  People in the Bible are often described as "putting their hope in" something.  The contemporary connotation of hope is far too insubstantial to be illustrated in these terms; it is merely an object that we have - a possession of sorts.  Christian hope, on the other hand, is that which gives us surety even in the face of the bleakest circumstances.  It does far more than simply exist.  For that reason, we are able to affix our hope to a myriad of distinctive entities.  "But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love." (Psalm 33:18)  "Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption." (Psalm 130:7)  "That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe." (1 Tim. 4:10)  See also: Psalm 42, Psalm 119, Isaiah 42:1-9

As I mentioned above, biblical hope is much stronger and certain than modern cheap hope.  It is the pillar of certainty which keeps a person's life together when all else crumbles around him.  This is quite plainly a separate idea altogether than my earlier ineffectual wishing.  And this distinction is grounds for rejoicing, because what we have been regarding as a molehill is actually a mighty bulwark.

Endgame

Whether intentionally or not, each of us has placed our hope in something.  Many people I know have placed their hope in themselves, quite imprudently I might add.  Others have seen fit to hope in science and learning: whatever worries they have will be alleviated with more understanding.  It is frighteningly common in America for people to place their hope in money.  If their whole world comes crashing down, at least they will have a "rainy day" account to get their lives back.

The problem is that a great many of life's setbacks are much more severe than rainy days.  Deaths, disease, tragedy, and suffering are all too common in this broken and bruised world.  And none of the entities mentioned in the paragraph above have the ability to lend certainty in such times of unparalleled distress.  It is therefore foolish to put your hope in such things.  I have tried placing my hope in several different places, and only one have I found which is capable of guiding me through all the storms I have encountered.  The one being truly deserving of my hope is God, the almighty and eternal.  He has yet to let me down (unlike so many others), and if you have not yet tried placing your hope in Him, I highly recommend it.  In fact, I implore you to do so.

When Paul finishes his discourse on love in 1 Corinthians 13, he makes a very momentous statement that I feel is one of the more moving verses in the entire Bible.  "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love." (v.13)  Faith- the willingness to admit that I don't know everything;  Love- the willingness to admit that I don't overshadow everything; and Hope- the willingness to admit that I don't control everything.  These are all we have left.  It is interesting that Paul should use these words while writing to a church in Greece, where the ancient mythology told of a young girl named Pandora who inadvertently released all the evil in the world.  The only thing she was able to keep from escaping was mankind's most important gift: Hope.

There is a Hope which is not based on circumstances.  It is this sense of the word which I am discussing when I mention biblical hope.  And no matter what else it might mean to the world, it means everything to me.

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." -Romans 5:1-5 (italics mine)

The Marriage Ref: Vicarious Intimacy

"Starving men may think much about food, but so do gluttons; the gorged, as well as the famished, like titillations." -C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Today marks the end of my series on marriage.  I have put quite a bit of thought and passion into the past several weeks, and therefore next week's topic is likely to be somewhat less weighty.  Nevertheless, I have one more subject I wish to cover before moving on.

The matter at hand this week is pornography.  Modern Western culture, while not necessarily approving of this industry, at the very least seems resigned to its prevalence.  There are plenty of references to it on television and in the movies, and to say pornography exists on the internet would be a severe understatement.  In fact, it has been said that many modern technological innovations (such as the internet) were cultivated in their infancy primarily by this industry.  It seems as though most of the teenage male characters on television have a piles of magazines stashed under their mattresses, and whether or not this is treated as a bad thing tends to be a coin flip.  And their family members are always making weak remarks along the lines of "Well, I went through the same thing when I was his age." or "You have to be supportive of him even if you call him out."

Christians, likewise, have slowly begun slipping in our willingness to condemn lust and pornography to the degree they deserve.  One of the most common things I have heard in accountability discussions is, "I struggle with lust, but what guy doesn't?"  Maybe they're right, maybe it is only inevitable that we will all stumble eventually when it comes to these things.  Maybe they're wrong.

Lust is Bad

Let me get this out of the way first.  I hate pornography.  I believe it is one of the vilest and most harmful examples of human depravity ever concocted.  It hurts people physically, emotionally, relationally, psychologically, and spiritually.  And it gives nothing back but a shallow and fleeting feeling.  "...[T]he mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment." (Job 20:5)  There is literally no redeeming quality to it whatsoever, and it is just as addictive as it is evil.

But the "success" of pornography is only a symptom of a larger disease, known as lust.  While modern society understands at some level that pornography is bad, there is almost no resistance whatsoever against lust.  Just glance at the magazine rack the next time you are at a supermarket, or watch television for about half an hour.  Lust is not only accepted, it is even encouraged in many cases.  This should not be.

As Christians, we need to be consciously working to root out lust in our own lives.  We have been told unequivocally that lust is itself tantamount to adultery (Matt. 5:28), and for those who do not already know, adultery is one of the Big Ten which God calls out early on as being strictly sinful. (Exodus 20:14)  So let's start here: lust is sin.  All right, let's take a deep breath before we move on. ...

...

Ready?  So lust is sin.  That's fine to say, but it doesn't really hurt anyone, right?  Wrong.  Lust is just as potent as any other sin.  And people hurt.

Mind Games

Lust and pornography seem to be very personal, individual sins.  And in fact, the participant is normally the first person to be hurt by lust.  Lust warps your mind in many different ways.  What God created as people, you begin to see as nothing more than a collection of body parts, and the whole is not greater than the sum.  In fact, you are mentally reducing a someone's personhood to nothing more than a object to be used for your whims.  If you take out the context of happening in the mind, this begins to sound unnervingly like slavery.  Lust is, in its purest sense, a corruption of love.  Love bids us to appreciate the person for who they are, whereas lust suggests we appreciate the person for what they have.  Lust is one of the shallowest and most selfish states of mind imaginable, and it only survives due to its facade of only affecting the individual.

But even before it begins to show in obvious outward ways, lust has the potential to hurt others.  Despite what people might say to excuse it, lust is not simply recognizing beauty.  It is mentally taking possession of what was never meant to be yours in the first place.  It is trading years of joy for a moment of addictive happiness.  And like any addiction, each successive instance requires more to sate the appetite.  Eventually, lust leads to resentment toward the object of the lust for not fulfilling more of this desire, and without correction this will typically lead to one of two paths.

The first is to begin to show outwardly the abomination of what dwells within.  "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matt. 12:34)  Eventually, a person can become controlled by their thoughts, acting in ways they would never once have dreamed possible.  This is the exact opposite of the mindset Paul suggests in 2 Corinthians 10:5.  The second typical course of action is to turn to pornography, a world where unrestrained lust has been given full rein and people are treated externally like the objects the lusting man sees in his mind.  This is an exceedingly dark realm, where each loathsome desire is given the exhibition it never deserved.  And people hurt.

Acquiescence

Now we come to the most lachrymose section of this entire conversation.  I am actually having a difficult time typing these words due to the overwhelming sorrow and anger I feel when I consider these situations.  Pornography has permeated the lives of modern people even more than may be readily apparent.  It has ruined more marriages than I care to think of and been a contributing factor in many, many cases of abuse in this country.  I do not know exact figures, and I honestly do not think I can look them up at the moment, but please do so if you do not believe me.

The kinds of desires that give rise to pornography have also driven sex trafficking all throughout the world.  Women and men are being bought and sold as slaves to bate the cravings of others who do not even have the first conception of proper love.  For more information on this, check out Unearthed, a project which strives to expose these evils and drive them out through disseminating information.

And why do we continue to see healthy relationships ruined by this consumerist view of sex?  Because as a society, we have given into the hedonistic notion that the self is the highest authority.  Instead of sacrificing more for each other, men and women have begun demanding more than the other can give, so they turn to solutions outside their marriage, and then they are forced to cast their marriage aside like the hollow structure it has become.  And people hurt.

The Great Physician

As a solution to this problem, I have nothing more to offer than the Mercy and Grace of God.  Jesus died, not to take away your happiness, but to give you joy.  But joy sometimes demands sacrificing happiness, and until we as Christians and as humans figure this out, people will continue to hurt.  But God is faithful, and He will heal those who turn to Him.  I know this, because He is in the process of healing me.

As the Church, we should be serious about ridding ourselves of lust and we should be adamant about erasing pornography altogether.  I'll let Paul say the rest:

"It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you.  For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.  Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit." -1 Thess. 4:3-8

Please think seriously about marriage, and do everything you can to support this institution.  I cannot stress enough how important it is to the families in our society and to the society as a whole.  I am so grieved by the marriages that I have seen end, but I am also encouraged by others I see which are still full of vitality.  Please fight for marriage.  Love is always worth fighting for.

"Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral." -Hebrews 13:4

For further reading on this subject, please see the chapter from C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity and Porn-Again Christian by Mark Driscoll.