Selling chairs
"Hey Jones, I've come up with this amazing invention - it's called a chair. It has a flat plate held up on four legs of equal length and a back rest. You can sit on it and it is comfortable and very practical. Would you like to buy one?"
"Tyler, thanks but no thanks - I've been sitting on this stick for years. I'm used to it and I can carry it around with me. Chairs sound interesting though and I'm sure it's good for you."
One day I visited Jones in the hospital.
"Hey Jones, what happened to you?"
"Tyler, you know that old stick of mine that I used to sit on - well it broke one day and, well, I'm in a bit of pain as a result"
"Jones, fancy buying one of my chairs for when you come out of hospital? It's never going to do this to you!"
"I might give it a try"
When I go around talking up a Christian worldview I often get the response 'interesting - and good for you - but I've got my own worldview so I'll pass thanks.'
East of the Iron Curtain the worldview they used to hold was that once we put all the power firmly in the hands of the government and they treat all people equal then we'll find our utopia. This was their hope. Until 1989 when the Berlin wall came down and the USSR fell with it.
West of the Curtain the worldview we used to hold was that once we give everyone an equal proportion of power and the freedom to make what they want of themselves - free from regulation and 'big-government' - we'll find our utopia. This was our hope. Until 2008 when the shares fell, the banks failed and our savings and investments fell with them.
Last week people's materialist worldviews broke - and a lot of them (probably me included) got hurt by the reaction. The worldview that people have held since the 60s - the worldview that says accumulation of numbers in a bank leads to security, comfort and my utopia just broke. People will stop believing they can trust capitalism. They will stop believing in democracy.
But they've already rejected the Church being in charge (in the 1600s), the monarch being in charge (in the 1800s), communist philosophy (in the 1950s and 60s) and now they're rejecting 'me' being in charge. What is left for us?
My guess is that people will demand a radical form of socialism including a nationalisation of the banks but they will be scared of it - knowing that it leads down a path they don't want to go.
What if Christians step forward and say - do you want to buy our chair? Our worldview has God at the centre and people putting others needs before their own. It leads to the eradication of poverty, the development of close-knit communities (the reduction of 'moral entropy' if you like) and a hope in a utopia that has every chance of coming true! The west has been hurt by the stick - and now it's time to buy a chair.
Particularly in the light of the Credit Crisis I am not ashamed of the Gospel - I am damn proud of it!
"Tyler, thanks but no thanks - I've been sitting on this stick for years. I'm used to it and I can carry it around with me. Chairs sound interesting though and I'm sure it's good for you."
One day I visited Jones in the hospital.
"Hey Jones, what happened to you?"
"Tyler, you know that old stick of mine that I used to sit on - well it broke one day and, well, I'm in a bit of pain as a result"
"Jones, fancy buying one of my chairs for when you come out of hospital? It's never going to do this to you!"
"I might give it a try"
When I go around talking up a Christian worldview I often get the response 'interesting - and good for you - but I've got my own worldview so I'll pass thanks.'
East of the Iron Curtain the worldview they used to hold was that once we put all the power firmly in the hands of the government and they treat all people equal then we'll find our utopia. This was their hope. Until 1989 when the Berlin wall came down and the USSR fell with it.
West of the Curtain the worldview we used to hold was that once we give everyone an equal proportion of power and the freedom to make what they want of themselves - free from regulation and 'big-government' - we'll find our utopia. This was our hope. Until 2008 when the shares fell, the banks failed and our savings and investments fell with them.
Last week people's materialist worldviews broke - and a lot of them (probably me included) got hurt by the reaction. The worldview that people have held since the 60s - the worldview that says accumulation of numbers in a bank leads to security, comfort and my utopia just broke. People will stop believing they can trust capitalism. They will stop believing in democracy.
But they've already rejected the Church being in charge (in the 1600s), the monarch being in charge (in the 1800s), communist philosophy (in the 1950s and 60s) and now they're rejecting 'me' being in charge. What is left for us?
My guess is that people will demand a radical form of socialism including a nationalisation of the banks but they will be scared of it - knowing that it leads down a path they don't want to go.
What if Christians step forward and say - do you want to buy our chair? Our worldview has God at the centre and people putting others needs before their own. It leads to the eradication of poverty, the development of close-knit communities (the reduction of 'moral entropy' if you like) and a hope in a utopia that has every chance of coming true! The west has been hurt by the stick - and now it's time to buy a chair.
Particularly in the light of the Credit Crisis I am not ashamed of the Gospel - I am damn proud of it!
posted by Dan | 3:03 PM
1 Comments:
So when will poverty be eradicated? I know your post is from a while ago, but hey.
Well in many parts of this world, money does not work/ run the place so this could be one solution?
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