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A PRESTIGIOUS STANDING
Donald
R. Fox
Many
times and mistakenly we look at the word prestige to describe one as
who is a big shot. It is true that a person who has a widely
recognized prominence can enjoy an unearned prestigious reputation.
The word prestige is defined in part as, “The
level of respect at which one is regarded by others; standing. A
person's good standing among others; honor or esteem. High status or
reputation achieved through success, influence, wealth, etc.”
Seriously,
if we are known and respected, who
of us would give up a prestigious standing among our contemporaries?
In other words, would we not be thankful that people we know and care
about, respect us. We would be grateful that we earned and enjoyed
such honor and esteem with those who know us. Because of our
reputation, our good name would be extended to countless individuals
who never met us in person.
In
the pre-denominational era, which is before creeds and the rise of a
divided Christianity, Christians worshiped in a fixed authorized
manner. This established manner of worship and work of the early
church is clearly described in the New Testament of Jesus Christ. As
one reads “The Acts of the Apostles," the beginning of the
church, early evangelism in obedience to the “Great Commission,"
doctrine is abundantly and plainly manifested.
Notice
the following quotes and the paradoxical situation Christians found
themselves in during the early days of the church. You will notice
the description by Governor Pliny characterizing Christians as
law-abiding and ethical people. However, during this period, the
Roman government persecuted these same Christians.
“The
earliest description of the Christian worship is given us by a
heathen, the younger Pliny, A.D. 109, in his well-known letter to
Trajan, which embodies the result of his judicial investigations in
Bithynia. According to this, the Christians assembled on an
appointed day (Sunday) at sunrise, sang responsively a song to Christ
as to God, and then pledged themselves by an oath not to do any evil
work. To commit no theft, robbery, nor adultery, not to break their
word, not sacrifice property intrusted to them. Afterwards (at
evening) they assembled again, to eat ordinary and innocent food (the
agape). This account of a Roman official then bears witness to the
primitive observance of Sunday, the separation of the love-feast from
the morning worship (with the communion), and the worship of Christ
as God in song.” (History
of the Christian Church, Volume 2, by Philip Schaff, page 222-223)
Pliny
was a lawyer, an author and was Governor of Pontus and Bithynia from
109 to 111 A. D. “From his letter to the emperor we learn that
Christ was a real person, that He was worshipped as divine, that His
followers were accustomed to meet on a stated day for worship, that
there were many Christians and they were terribly persecuted by the
Roman authorities.”
(Why
We Believe the Bible, by George W. Dehoff, page 92)
PERSECUTION AND THE RESULTING WORLD-WIDE CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE
“The
long and bloody war of heathen Rome against the church, which is
built upon a rock, utterly failed. It began in Rome under Nero, it
ended near Rome at the Milvian bridge, under Constantine. Aiming to
exterminate, it purified. It called forth the virtues of Christian
heroism, and resulted in the consolidation and triumph of the new
religion. The philosophy of persecution is best expressed by the
terse word of Tertullian, who lived in the midst of them, but did not
see the end: “The blood of the Christians is the seed of the
Church.” (History
of the Christian Church, Volume 2, by Philip Schaff, pages 34-35)
RIGHTEOUSNESS AND GOODNESS WILL STAND TRUE
Consider
the Golden Rule:
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to
you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets"
(Matthew 7:12 KJV).
The
Golden
Rule expresses the world’s only perfect standard of conduct.
Government and Laws instituted by mere men will crumble, change and
eventually fail. Only the word of God has the true and unwavering
ethical guidance. Therefore,
“We
ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29 KJV).
“Holding fast
the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by
sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”
(Titus 1:9 KJV)
American
views of Islam going back to the origins of America have been generally
consistent. With a Christian worldview intact at the beginning,
Americans have naturally recognized Islam’s inherent hostility toward
Christianity and its fundamental threat to the American way of life. For
example, Elias Boudinot was a premiere Founding Father with a long and
distinguished career. He served as a member of the Continental Congress,
where he served as its president (1782-1783); he signed the Treaty of
Peace with Great Britain; he was a member of the U.S. House where he
helped frame the Bill of Rights; he served as the Director of Mint under
presidents Washington and Adams; etc. In his masterful refutation of
Thomas Paine’s Age of Reason, Boudinot labeled Muhammad an “impostor,” and insightfully observed that
Typically,
in the first semester of engineering school, an introductory course
presents broad concepts about engineering. Students may learn the basic
differences in the engineering fields (e.g., civil, electrical,
mechanical, chemical, structural, etc.). They may spend some time
considering ethical dilemmas that engineers have often faced in their
careers. First-year students also usually give some consideration to the
design process. Even in its basic form, the design process proves to be
very complex, even before considering the specialized scientific
knowledge required to design a given item.
this
Universe: between plants and animals; between animals and humans;
between the Sun and Earth; between the Moon and Earth; between insects
and plants; between the circulatory system and the respiratory system.
The list could go on infinitely. The finely-tuned machine that we call
the Universe is an engineering feat of amazing proportions. Consider the
knowledge level and expertise that would be necessary for such perfect
design—knowledge and expertise that humans lack. The created order
implies an omniscient and eternal Designer, Who must be the Chief
Engineer of all engineers, to have produced such a product.
If
someone were to throw a rock into space, would it eventually
spontaneously explode? And from that explosion, is it logical to
conclude that that rock would come to life, grow wings, and have babies
that evolve into other creatures? To ask is to answer.
