God of Creation

That God created the world means that all material things reflect God’s glory and power. The incarnation cements this connection. Christ’s eternal and glorified new humanity means that human life is now enmeshed in the life of God. God’s story and the creation’s story come together in Christ, making things more than mere bits of matter, and opening our eyes tot their ultimate transfiguration. Creation, incarnation and the ultimate re-creation of the cosmos reveal a God for whom matter matters, and material things open our eyes to the One who is above and beyond all things.

Jesus Christ, God incarnate; God as matter, stuff, body, flesh and blood, has forever bridged the divide of creation and creature. In Christ’s incarnation, God now fully participates in the life of creation, and his creatures are represented before his throne with the ascended Lord. Christ is the primary and ultimate sacrament. By virtue of Christ’s taking on flesh, God is no longer a distant creator, but now, in Christ, "This is my Father’s world," and "he shines in all that’s fair." Christ, the sacrament of God made flesh, can again make the whole creation a sacramental place.

Leonard J. Vander Zee Christ, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper

The Bible In Our Life

The Bible is present in every courtroom and every presidential inauguration taking on an “iconic” status, while serving as the foundational book for those of the Christian faith. Further, within the Christian framework there are those who uphold a venerated view of the Bible (without error, without question, literal in every way) while others in the faith take a different posture. These differing views of the Bible lead to a varying array of practices reflected in both our personal living and our corporate politics. Over the centuries perhaps no other book as been used and abused than that of the Bible. It has been used to both defend the institution of slavery in the United States while at the same time serving as a beacon of hope for those looking for freedom from such an oppressive system.

In “The Bible in America” Nathan Hatch and Mark Noll write: “…Scripture has been nearly omnipresent in the nation’s past…however, the actual use of the Bible in American life has been attended with considerable complexity and decided ambiguity.”

Because of this I would like to have some conversation (over several blog posts) that revolve around the Bible; how we use/misuse it; its impact on our life/politics; and the message it brings.

Where do you see the Bible’s impact on our culture (either positive or negative)?