Thursday, August 27, 2015

Christians, Catacombs, and Chemistry Sets





Frequently, my attitude needs adjustment. The odd thing is that my own blog can be the catalyst for such “attitudinal correction.” Recently, looking for a quote by Annie Dillard, I came upon my thoughts as expressed on July 10 of 2011 (read them here). There, once again, Annie Dillard’s reflections about church caused me to shake my head and ask good questions about my perspectives. The following words inspired me to better thoughts regarding people and greater thoughts about God.

“On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return.”[1] 

Lord, save me from myself.


[1] Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters (New York: HarperPerennial, 1982), p. 52.

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