if the music is groovy

Just had a great conversation that pushed me to this direction. In the context of storytelling, ethics and responsibility it has become quite evident that the Christian voice has walked away from the table of public opinion and is now having such a difficult time returning. And, of course, evangelicals take the 'high road' of claiming this is no fault of their own but that they are being persecuted and ignored because of their religious beliefs. The cite certain biblical passages which tell them that being pushed around by society is indicative of doing the right thing (even though Jesus' warning of the world's hatred does not cover cases of sheer tactlessness).

And the absurdity continues to grow and further remove us from our effectiveness. . .and our relationship with the divine.

The comment was made to me, "Christians are afraid of magic. Hence, Christians are afraid of mystery and the unknown which leads them in a direction way from God." Right on. Let us consider what magic means (I'll hit the F12 key and check; if you don't know what this means, don't worry about it).

"magic" - the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces

If there is anyone who should believe in magic, it should be Christians! Another reason for this blog now is that in just about one week from now there will be released a movie version of C. S. Lewis' classic, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. And in this book there is an emphasis on magic (i.e., chapters 9 & 10). I'm waiting to see if any fundamentalist wing of evangelicalism will decide to have a problem with this to appear consistent as there is a clash between "Deep Magic from the Dawn of Time" and the triumphant "Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of Time."

In our spiritual infatuation with having all of the answers we have paved the road away from the power and mystery and depth of a creator who stands beyond the veil. And we run from 'magic' like it will be our undoing. Perhaps it will be our undoing. . .and maybe that's a good thing.



[thanks to lovin' spoonful]