Tonight was one of those nights I won't forget in a while. It started out normal enough. I went to a Padres game with Chris, my parents, and my best friend from home. (the Padres won, by the way). Anyways, after the game we come home, and I walk with my friend towards the car and start talking to him. This is where the night took a sudden turn.
We started talking about faith. I asked him how he was doing. He wasn't doing too well. Apparently over the past couple of years, he had started doubting a lot more. As a physical therapy student, he started believing evolutionary theory / psychology, and started to wonder about the nature of sin. As he described it, it's hard to recognize that you need Jesus if you don't exactly recognize the sin problem. Furthermore, he had spent time with a family in Mexico. He saw the way that they were perfectly devoted to Catholicism, which was different theologically than how he grew up. Despite this, they were just as friendly and kind to their neighbors as anyone he knew. Thus, why should his religion be the one true one? It's hard for him to believe this when there are countless people around the world believing other things.
As I was listening and talking to him, my foundations were being shaken. Perhaps the hardest part wasn't simply hearing what he was saying, but it was the fact that HE was saying it. This guy, my best friend, was the person who showed me what it meant to be a Christian. He was the one who brought me in and led me to Christ, in effect. Throughout high school I had looked up to him as a model for what I wanted my life to look like in Christ. Thus, to see him doubting and questioning faith, it was hard for me.
We talked for quite a while, talking about these topics and related ones. Coming away from it, I feel shaken up. I am starting to listen to my doubts a little more, and hear the questions ringing in the back of my head. Just the fact that my friend could have gotten to this state disillusioned me. If he could fall down this far, what makes me different. I used to look up to him, and look at where he is now? Also, I was upset with myself for not talking to him earlier. How could I have not noticed?
I'm going to need a lot of prayer in the coming days to get through this. I'm also going to ask to pray for my friend also.
Just before we left, I asked if there's anything I could do. All he said was "I won't refuse prayer." I reminded him of a story during high school. He used to pray before every time he would drive somewhere, for safety. Then, one time, he decided not to just to see what would happen. Then his car broke down. I hope remembering that story will both make him laugh, but also think again about his faith and what he believes. Please keep praying for him. I know I will be.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Churches / Cathedrals in Europe.
When you travel to Europe, you will soon realize that churches and cathedrals are everywhere. Often in many of the smaller towns, the significant feature will be the cathedral in the center of the town. For the larger cities, the cathedrals are popular tourist attractions that draw crowds to see their architecture, sculptures, windows, and history.
The weirdest part about seeing these cathedrals is that I would always have a funny feeling. It was almost a sense of despair. These cathedrals, built as places of worship, have turned into tourist attractions. At first glance, it is awesome that the cathedrals are full of people. However, it is soon apparent that the people inside don't come to worship, and may not even understand the Christian significance. Instead of entering a place of worship, tourist enter a building that has cool art. Many of the cathedrals even sell souveneirs - inside the sanctuary. I couldn't help but think about Jesus overturning the tables inside the temple of Jerusalem. What would he do to the commercialized Christianity that exists in Europe?
It really is tragic that Europe, previously a center of Christianity, is struggling to survive spiritually. Europe is spiritually dying, in desperate need of revival. It's hard to believe that an entire continent, saturated with churches and cathedrals, has lost understanding of their significance. However, it makes sense when you understand that the churches and cathedrals have often lost their Christian attachments. The physical infrastructure is there, but not the spiritual.
Some churches don't even close for Mass. I was at the Cathedral of Sacred Heart in Paris, and there was a mass going on. I couldn't help but feel sadness watching people walking around the cathedral during mass. It's as if tourists saw Mass as a spectacle, just another thing to experience while in Europe. What has happened to the reverence and respect that our God deserves? I know that if I were in a service, I wouldn't want tourists walking around and viewing me as an attraction. I also wouldn't want my place of worship to be an attraction, constantly drawing camera-laden crowds.
Let's pray for a revival in Europe. The churches and priests and pastors and missionaries are all there. What's missing is the hunger and desire for God. I pray for a spark to ignite the hearts of all Europeans, and then the desire and passion to see the flames grow and shine to the rest of the world.
The weirdest part about seeing these cathedrals is that I would always have a funny feeling. It was almost a sense of despair. These cathedrals, built as places of worship, have turned into tourist attractions. At first glance, it is awesome that the cathedrals are full of people. However, it is soon apparent that the people inside don't come to worship, and may not even understand the Christian significance. Instead of entering a place of worship, tourist enter a building that has cool art. Many of the cathedrals even sell souveneirs - inside the sanctuary. I couldn't help but think about Jesus overturning the tables inside the temple of Jerusalem. What would he do to the commercialized Christianity that exists in Europe?
It really is tragic that Europe, previously a center of Christianity, is struggling to survive spiritually. Europe is spiritually dying, in desperate need of revival. It's hard to believe that an entire continent, saturated with churches and cathedrals, has lost understanding of their significance. However, it makes sense when you understand that the churches and cathedrals have often lost their Christian attachments. The physical infrastructure is there, but not the spiritual.
Some churches don't even close for Mass. I was at the Cathedral of Sacred Heart in Paris, and there was a mass going on. I couldn't help but feel sadness watching people walking around the cathedral during mass. It's as if tourists saw Mass as a spectacle, just another thing to experience while in Europe. What has happened to the reverence and respect that our God deserves? I know that if I were in a service, I wouldn't want tourists walking around and viewing me as an attraction. I also wouldn't want my place of worship to be an attraction, constantly drawing camera-laden crowds.
Let's pray for a revival in Europe. The churches and priests and pastors and missionaries are all there. What's missing is the hunger and desire for God. I pray for a spark to ignite the hearts of all Europeans, and then the desire and passion to see the flames grow and shine to the rest of the world.
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