The Truth that Determines

"As a Christian I take it for granted that human history will some day end; and I am offering Omniscience no advice as to the best date for that consummation." (C.S.Lewis)

"In the end, the fate of the world will not be determined by our view of things, but instead by the truth of things. We do not judge that truth - it always judges us." (Richard A. Swenson).

Last night, as Vickie and I were watching a college basketball game, I questioned a coach's play calling. Once the play had been run and it had failed I said, "I can't understand why he did that. If they had deliberately fouled it would have limited the opposition to two points instead of the three points they scored. Now the game is tied and going to overtime."

When I watch sports my view of things tends to dominate my perception of the game - whether or not my view of things is the truth of things doesn't matter that much because, after all, it's only a game and I'm watching for enjoyment. 

When I was growing up sports commentators pretty much called a sporting event as they saw it, describing what they saw, sometimes conjecturing what might happen next. Today there has to be a storyline in every sporting event - whether real or imagined. Sports announcers now purport to be able to read players' minds and discern their motives - it's all part of the storyline; color commentators and play-by-play announcers want us to believe they are omniscient - we go along with the charade because...well...it's only a game. 

But the trajectory of the world, of humanity, of our generation is not a game - it is life and death, we are born, we live, we die...and then what? "In the end"...whether the "end" is our individual lives or our collective world - our view of things is not the determining factor - the truth is the determining factor  - and we will not judge the truth, the Truth will judge us. 

There are Christian color commentators and play-by-play announcers who are so sold on prophetic storylines that they are unable to consider other possible storylines unless it is for the purposes of criticism. They cannot entertain the possibility that they may not have the right storyline. And just like sports announcers who adjust storylines to fit the ebb and flow of sporting events, Christian prognosticators are adept at adjusting their prophetic timelines and trajectories to fit current events.

There is a lot to be said for not acting as if we are giving God advice on the consummation of the ages. I don't need to question the play-calling of God, nor do I need to act like I know the hows and whys of everything that is transpiring. What I do need to do is to love God with all that I am and to love others. I think that's why God put me on the field of play; I can trust Him with the rest.