Biblical Worldview

   Throughout much of adolescence I was not enthralled with school. If anything, I was the antithesis to the concept of study. Part of this was due, no doubt, to poor experiences associated with certain members of the student body. However, there was also another equally paralyzing quantifier: Much of the lessons did not seem practical to my simple worldview ideals.
   In a tragic turn of events I found myself grasping for anything familiar in my childhood, desperately seeking relevance. Consequently, this turned into not only reflection, but also study.
   During a recent elective on biblical philosophy the facilitator, Pastor Harold, posed the following query: "Do you have a willingness to die for your core beliefs?"
   It must be admitted that at first I found such an allegiance to be, well, extreme. Plus, my immediate distaste for this concept also revealed how weak my faith is. In my mind I visualized myself being made to kneel before persecutors armed with swords demanding that I renounce my love of God and our holy Mother - would I crumble or remain resolved. The answer exists in those moments when we are tempted by concupiscence: Will I glorify our Lord or self? Since I have a proclivity of minimizing God and elevating my own interests in the moment...well, you get the idea.
   As we visited this concept more deeply, the Holy Spirit offered a moment of clarity. An alternative, if you will. Perhaps the willingness to die for core beliefs is not necessarily in the context of physical death, though valiant nonetheless, but the resolve to instead stand resolute in the face of adversity from contemporary culture! Would this, too, amount to death?
   How many rimes have we been confronted by so called friends to engage in some activity which failed to glorify God? Maybe we were the instigators? What about those times when we recognize the Holy Spirit encouraging us to proclaim our faith, whether through word or action?
   Those are tough questions and the answers soberly reveal where we are at in our relationship with our Lord and neighbor.
   I fail miserably in my constitution to live my Christianity. However, I can also see how far our Lord has brought me. Just several years ago I would not be seen with my Bible (it was not uncommon for me to conceal those words of life in a paper sack). I would not so much as speak of Jesus in mixed company. Yet, these past several years the Lord has increased my courage. Such has come at a cost, though. I have been fortunate to live in a Christian environment for the past several years; but, the resulting consequences have not been those of glee. See, because of the tenets of Christianity which I embrace are not popular (Catholic), life in this environment (predominantly Protestant) has been particularly lonely. Even among those who profess to hold the same beliefs.
   Thus, are we willing to stand firm in our beliefs in the face of ridicule and potential ostracizeation?
Marana tha....