On God's Revelation

We come to know God through God’s revelation.  The creator discloses some of his character and his purpose to his creation, radically changing his creation in the process (Milgore, 2004, p. 22).  We can only know God in part.  God is revealed through general revelation (nature and human history) and special revelation (the Word of God) (Milgore, 2004, p. 29). 

General revelation is limited and is subject to special revelation.  Milgore (2004) states, “special revelation repeatedly challenges, corrects, and transforms all of our earlier knowledge of God, from whatever source, as well as confirming what is good and true in it” (p. 32).  Additionally, Tennett (2007) states that God’s revelation both transcends (“pilgrim” principle) and penetrates (“indigenizing” principal) cultural context (p. 13).  

Milgore (2004) argues that even scripture is subject to the revelation of God through the life, death and resurrection of his son.  He states “the truth is that neither ‘scripture alone’ nor ‘scripture plus church tradition’ is sufficient to communicate the gospel of Christ effectively” (Milgore, 2004, p. 41).  Christians then, both as a community, and as individuals, are called to make themselves available to be a part of God’s revelation to the world.  That is, I think, what the great commission is all about.    

Milgore, D.L. (2004).  Faith seeking understanding: An introduction to Christian theology.  2^nd Ed.  Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. 

Tennent, T. C. (2007).  Theology in the context of world Christianity.  Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan 

Ecclesiastes, Robin Williams, and the Urgency of The Great Commission

When I heard about the Robin Williams tragedy Ecclesiastes 1 instantly came to mind:
"3 What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. 7 Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. 8 Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content." 

I see parallels between Robin success and the kind of life Solomon must have experienced.  I know Robin Williams was battling depression - and I am not one to minimize the impact of mental illness - but clinically depressed or not, Solomon's lesson for us is that a life without God is meaningless...is HOPELESS.  I believe (and of course this is just an educated guess) that in addition to his struggles with depression, Robin Williams realized that all his work, all his accomplishments, all his success were simply meaningless.  Having it all, but still having nothing, that must have been a terrible realization.  

Ecclesiastes goes on to share that the presence of God in our lives gives us meaning, but it seems that Robin Williams never got passed the first chapter, and the meaningless of life it proclaimed.  So the Bible is clear, that life without God is bleak. 

And so, to those Christians who would be quick to judge Robin, and those who have committed suicide before him, I say, judgment is in order when we learn that someone has committed suicide, but I believe that the judgment should be placed on the church.  Robin Williams is accountable for his decision, I suppose, but he is NOT accountable to me, nor any other outside party who would "throw stones."  The Christian community, I think, is accountable for failing to bring hope to a seemingly hopeless situation.  That is after all, the Great Commission, in a nutshell.  Go and be the Good News, bringing hope to a seemingly hopeless world.  

So Robin Williams' tragedy convicts me.  It leaves me asking, how must my Christian witness be different?  How can I proclaim to all around me that there is hope in Christ, even in this seemingly meaningless existence?  To those quick to judge, I ask, what are your doing to be the Good News to God's lost children?