Finished Reading “Heretics”

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  "G. K. Chesterton, the "Prince of Paradox," is at his witty best in this collection of twenty essays and articles from the turn of the twentieth century. Focusing on  "heretics" - those who pride themselves on their superiority to Christian views - Chesterton appraises prominent figures who fall into that category from the literary and art worlds... those who hold incomplete and inadequate views about "life, the universe, and everything." He is, in short, criticizing all that host of non-Christian views of reality, as he demonstrated in his follow-up book Orthodoxy. The book is both an easy read and a difficult read. But he manages to demonstrate, among other things, that our new 21st century heresies are really not new because he himself deals with most of them." (Goodreads)

Lend Me Your Ears

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Sometimes I wonder if our house ever sleeps. Someone seems to be always watching TV or is on the computer and listening to music through headphones. Still someone else may be in her or her room playing their stereo or guitar. When the phone rings, all volumes drop (or should, theoretically) so the caller can be heard and understood. The TV gets muted, conversation quiets—or the phone is taken into a quieter room.

God sometimes speaks in such a still small voice that we may find it hard to hear Him when He speaks. It may require that the distractions be removed—those areas of sin which deafen our ears to the voice of the Lord.

The world loves noise because it does not want to stop and think, much less hear the voice of the Lord. The world loves to kill time, is always seeking ways to pass the time. An undocumented source observed:

“Picture, if you will, some solar ray suddenly causing all radio, cassette players, stereo sets and televisions to stop working. Trembling hands impatiently twirl dials, adjust knobs, flip switches. Eyes are dilated with fear. Breathing comes in spasms. Marx was wrong. Religion isn’t the opiate of modern man, incessant sound is. We’ll listen to anything to avoid silence--long pointless talk shows, boring conversations, round-the-clock news, and even rock and country music. We like sound because it blocks out the despairing cry of our own souls, as well as the still, small voice of God. But we need occasionally to take God’s hand and journey into the fearful land of silence. It can be both painful and healing--with the presence of the One who is able to still the despairing cry, and give us a new song of thanks.”

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