No Abiding City: Duane W.H. Arnold, PhD

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13 Responses

  1. filbertz says:

    All of us will need a frame of reference with which to calibrate the new normal–the lens you suggest is one all followers of Christ should centralize for their thinking. Thanks for the contribution.

  2. Duane Arnold says:

    filbertz

    Indeed, it’s not going to be “business as usual”. As you say, we’re going to need to recalibrate.

  3. Michael says:

    The new normal is that nothing will be normal or maybe even familiar after this.
    I can’t process what I’m feeling, nor articulate what I am thinking…but I do believe an apocalypse of sort has befallen us…of which Covid19 is only a part.
    Well done, as always Duane.

  4. Duane Arnold says:

    Michael

    I think we are all having the same difficulty in trying to process what is taking place. 22,000 have died, and that is just the beginning. Add to this the radical fringe actions of some religious figures and the lack of national political leadership and all feels very unmoored…

  5. Em says:

    WW2 ended when i was in the 4th grade. I had grown up thinking war was normal -blackout curtains, air raid drills at home and school, ration books for shoes, food and gasoline, Griffith Park near L.A. had a prisoner of war camp, waves of newly constructed bombers and fighter planes flew overhead regularly, everybody (almost) loved FDR, hated “Japs” and Germans (Nazis), then Roosevelt died (FBI family friend said he shot himself), Harry Truman dropped The Bomb 2 times and the Japanese surrendered. No war? I wondered what life would be now with no enemies to fight, no “bad guys?” But there’s always bad guys even if we have to make some up. ..
    God keep

    P.S. I have never been to France, but a world without Notre Dame doesn’t seem real. 🙆

  6. Jean says:

    The church is called to be the light of the world. “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

    The church is on such a hill at this moment in time. And, whether we like it or not, due to the disposition of the media, if you have just a few bad apples in a basket of otherwise good apples, the bad apples will be a lasting witness that everyone will remember. And due to the extreme contagiousness of Covid-19, one irresponsible church can create a medical catastrophe in a small town. Is that a good witness?

    So what is the “light” that the church magnifying on our society at this time? Are we loving and honoring our healthcare providers, by keeping ourselves and our neighbors out of harm’s way?

    Are we magnifying our love of neighbor by socially distancing to keep them out of harm’s way?

    Are we magnifying the authority of God’s Word by obeying our magistrates and governors?

    Are we magnifying our faith in the power of God’s Word by demonstrating that He can and will preserve us in the faith of Christ while in seclusion in our homes for a couple of months?

    Do we believe that the essence of the Christian witness during a plague is to be a poisonous snake handler? Because I see no difference between a snake handler and a pastor holding a physical church against the social distance guidelines.

    Ignoring the social distance guidelines does not honor God one little bit.

  7. directambiguity says:

    They should make an App that tracks people that have the virus using their smartphone and then they could warn others with smartphones if they are coming into contact with a person who has had the virus or if they are coming near wear the person has recently been and if they won’t carry their smartphone with them they could just implant them with a device and if they won’t get the device just don’t let them buy food or sell anything.

  8. Em says:

    directambiguity, you’ve just drscribed the new order of things, i think

    Jean, the Church keeps on keeping on, but the times are evil & may get worse.. ..

  9. Duane Arnold says:

    Jean

    “… the bad apples will be a lasting witness that everyone will remember.”

    I’m afraid that you are correct. I’ve been impressed with how most churches have been handling the crisis. The others that you refer to, however, are making use of the crisis to supposedly “make a stand”. They are the worst examples of publicity seeking opportunists. It would appear that love of neighbor is the last thing on their minds or in their hearts…

  10. filbertz says:

    While is far too early to evaluate things, the blame game seems to have started in earnest. There is apparently a deep seated need in the human heart to identify a scapegoat and thereby attach our animosity, fear, and misery. What a great time to practice grace after it has taken more deep root in our hearts.

  11. Duane Arnold says:

    filbertz

    From my point of view, in this crisis it is our own conduct which we need to consider…

  12. filbertz says:

    upon re-reading your post, the Eucharist emerges as central to this process and, related, the quote by Gregory Nazianzus is worth mulling over and over. I find the combination of both the incarnation AND crucifixion before resurrection another significant contribution. Thanks for having a post that gives more depth each reading. These are drops of rain on parched ground.

  13. Duane Arnold says:

    filbertz

    Many thanks. When I came upon the quote by Gregory I was stunned by by the stark reality of what he wrote. Stay well…

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