O Lord, make me know my end and the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting our lives are.
King David, Psalm 39:4
Perhaps a passage like this hits me with more force because I am approaching my 59th B-day – and thus can only consider myself middle-aged if I plan to live to about 120 – but I am increasingly aware of how short life is. “Yes, Lord, teach us to number our days. Help us invest in all that matters to you and will matter forever.”
Thirty-Five Years Ago This Week: Back in 1984, when I was a second year graduate student at Trinity, I attended a discussion one evening between a Lake Forest College religion professor and Dr. William Lane Craig, then a Trinity philosophy professor. I no longer remember the name of the religion professor, or the topic they were scheduled to discuss. All I remember is that, as soon as the religion professor claimed that God and truth were “trans-rational,” everything came apart. Dr. Craig protested that if truth was non-rational, then conversation was impossible because anything could mean anything at all. I was reminded of all of this a few days ago when I was back at Lake Forest College speaking to a small group of students on the topic of faith, doubt and skepticism. BTW: 1) I consider that night my first exposure to post-modernity; and 2) Dr. Craig has gone on to spend many more nights in many more “discussions.” You can click here to find links to his debates against folks such as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins.
Eighteen Years Ago This Week: In the days just after 9-11, I interviewed Dr. Martin Marty, the prominent public intellectual at the University of Chicago. I had arranged to interview Marty months earlier, intending to solicit his views on the future of higher education. Given what had just happened, I instead asked Marty how he thought 9-11 would change the US. He started by asking if the events of 9-11 were an “earthquake” or a “glacier.” He then explained that while earthquakes get a lot of attention, as soon as they are over, people clean up the mess and things go back to the way they were. In contrast, though glaciers move so slowly that no one gives them much attention, once they carve up an area, it is never the same. Marty thought 9-11 would prove to be an earthquake, not a glacier. I think he was right. 9-11 briefly changed things, but not as much as anyone initially expected.
The Ohio State University: The US Patent and Trademark Office recently denied the Ohio State University’s application to trademark the word “the“. Given that I occasionally use the word the while writing The Friday Update – I am thankful. I’m also a bit miffed. Who do they think they are, trying to trademark the word the? Consequently, I’m now rooting for Michigan in any games The University of Michigan plays against any public college located in Columbus, Ohio.
Advice That is as Wise as it is Counter-Cultural: Here are two pieces of advice that will improve your life to the extent you heed them: 1) Kill sin before it kills you; and 2) If you want to be joyful, serve others.
Quotes Worth ReQuoting:
- There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind. C.S. Lewis
- Culture is never so bad that it can’t be redeemed or so good that it can’t be critiqued. Tim Keller
The Return of The Far Side. Just over a year ago, I discovered that Opus and his Bloom County comrades were appearing in new strips online. This week I read that Gary Larson is relaunching The Far Side.
The Story Not Reported: This past Wednesday, the Guttmacher Institute announced that abortion rates continued their decline from their highwater mark in 1980. Several months ago, The Wall Street Journal announced that live births are also down. In fact, the number of babies born in the US is at a 32 year low, and the US fertility rate (the number of births per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44) fell to the lowest level since the start of federal record-keeping. The main reason that both abortions and live births are down is because of birth control. However, there is another reason: people are having sex less often. Given Tinder, friends-with-benefits and ubiquitous porn, you may be surprised to hear that people today are less sexually active than people in the 1980s. But as it turns out, sex is a bit fragile. One of the deleterious downstream effects of the sexual revolution is sexual decline.
Closing Prayer: Almighty God, through the death of your Son you have destroyed sin and death. Through his resurrection, you have restored innocence and eternal life. We who are delivered from the power of the devil may live in your kingdom. Give us grace that we may believe this with our whole heart. Enable us, always, to steadfastly praise and thank you in this faith, through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. -Martin Luther (1483-1546)