Thursday, August 16, 2007

At ease in the world

Also at Church Matters, Matt Schmucker on why today's church seems to have lost interest in eternity: "We hear 12 step sermons to make everything better in this life and rarely hear about the next." He suggests six reasons. The second:
2. We're too content. Living in America is to be comfortable. I know there are exceptions, but even the poor in America (according to recent studies) live better than most of all of human history. We're content. Why long for something else when things are fine - here? Our wealth buys us out of hard labor. Our healthcare buys us out of extreme pain. We are content/comfortable with this world, not eager for the next. And so we don't speak of eternal matters.
We are, almost uniquely in history, cushioned against pain and death. Unless a member of one of the helping or emergency professions, most of us go through life without really encountering either. This could hardly have been true in any other time or place, even for the wealthy and privileged. Our material and medical blessings can distract us from things of ultimate importance.

As if to drive home the point, at Challies.com, The Unbearable Weight of Hell

Church Matters: 9Marks Blog

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