Pope John Paul II

The recent death of Pope John Paul II caused a huge media stir.  What are we non-Catholics to make of this man?

Background

He was born in Poland, which is a strongly Roman Catholic country, in May 1920. Karol Joseph Wojtyla (pronounced Voy-tee-wah) was a gifted young man—an enthusiastic sportsman as well as being keen on literature and the theatre. In fact he delayed pursuing a career in the Catholic Church because he was strongly drawn to both football and acting as alternatives.

Eventually he decided for the church and trained in his native country, becoming a priest, later bishop, and finally cardinal (1967). He became Pope and moved to Rome in 1978, aged 58.

Unlike previous popes he travelled widely—visiting around 120 countries—and in so doing helped to revive the fortunes of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church. He was also a shrewd user of the media to increase his church’s visibility.

Moral stand

We can be thankful that Wojtyla was a man of strong moral conviction. He was outspoken in his criticism of the Germans during the Nazi occupation of Poland in his youth and, later, of Eastern European communism. Indeed, he was seen as a key figure in bringing about the eventual collapse of that atheistic system. His strong stand made him many enemies, and in 1981 an assassin shot him as he entered St Peter’s Square, Rome, but three months later he had recovered and went to the prison to talk to and forgive his would-be killer.

He spoke up strongly for human rights in many parts of the world. Sometimes his was the clearest religious voice addressing some of today’s deepest issues. He did not shirk from labelling homosexual activity as sinful, for instance, and strongly upheld the importance of Christian morality and a stable family life. He was also bold in warning against extremes in the practices of biotechnology (human cloning etc.), and roundly condemned both abortion and euthanasia. Oddly, he also remained opposed to contraception, though many Catholics no longer go along with this.

Pope John Paul II criticised the West as strongly as he earlier criticised the communist East. He regularly challenged western materialism, for example, and was direct in his opposition to the lucrative arms trade and recent wars in the Middle East.

Conservatism

On the doctrinal front he was a staunch conservative, upholding the traditional doctrines of the Roman Catholic faith against strong liberalising opposition.

He was a fervent advocate of the Catholic doctrines of Mary, which have no basis in Scripture at all, as well as such fundamentals as transubstantiation and papal infallibility. In line with Catholic theology he regarded himself as a direct successor of the apostle Peter, whom Catholics believe was the first pope, and was fond of the ‘bells and smells’ of Catholic liturgy.

Many Catholics believe his authoritarian style of leadership was inappropriate in a modern world where democratic ideals are held high, but he probably saw that approach as the only way of safeguarding the standards and views he held so strongly.

Assessment

It is always important for us to distinguish individual people from the religious systems they belong to, and this applies to our view of Pope John Paul II.

As Protestant Christians we naturally continue to hold major reservations about Roman Catholicism as a system. Many of its doctrines and practices owe little or nothing to the Bible’s teaching and in many cases contradict it. We are concerned about the emphasis on magnificent buildings, the powerful hierarchical system of leadership and the internal politics that mark the Catholic Church. At the same time, there is no denying that it was John Paul II’s position as head of the hierarchy that gave his pronouncements the impact they had.

Here we have to show some discrimination. We cannot rejoice in his upholding of traditional Catholic doctrines like the immaculate conception and the assumption of Mary or the continued hocus-pocus of the Mass. But we can certainly be glad about his firm stand on matters of biblical morality, his denunciation of anti-Christian philosophies, his warnings about the perils of materialism and his support for the family unit. In this respect ‘he’ll go down in history as the greatest of our modern popes. He’s been the strong conscience of the whole Christian world.’ (Billy Graham).

Tsunami!
A Christian perspective on
the Boxing Day 2004 disaster

The world has been shocked by the scale of this event and the vast numbers killed. How can we explain such ‘natural disasters’ in the light of our Christian faith and the teaching of the Bible?

These disasters stem from the fact that we live in a fallen creation. When our first parents sinned in Eden, God, being just, had to punish sin. The way he did so is interesting. First he pronounced a curse on the serpent (Satan); then he did the same to Eve, who from now on would bear children in pain. But when he addressed Adam the curse took an unexpected form:

‘Cursed is the ground because of you…’1

The word ‘ground’ in the original Hebrew is adam. That same Hebrew word is also translated ‘man’—in fact Adam, the first man, was named after the earth from which God had made him. This points to an important truth that runs right through Scripture, namely, that humanity and the earth are intimately connected. To be more specific, it is humanity’s moral condition that affects the earth more than anything else.2

Because of this connection, when Adam fell the whole of creation fell with him. Ever since that time, creation has been in a fallen condition and has been subject to phenomena that have often proved harmful to its human occupants: earthquakes, volcanoes, floods etc. The recent tsunami that swept so many to their death is yet another reminder that this earth of ours is deeply affected by human sin.

This does not mean that the victims were more sinful that anyone else or more deserving of judgment than the rest of us. The fact is, as sinners we all deserve to die.3 It is only thanks to God’s grace in Christ that salvation is freely available to all who will accept it.

The earth can only be liberated from its fallenness as man is liberated from his. To some extent that can take place now. A society that upholds godly standards of morality on a broad scale can help stabilise the created order. But not until Christ returns to put sin away once and for all will the earth be totally freed from the inner turmoil that causes natural disasters. Paul puts it this way:

‘All creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God’s curse. All creation anticipates the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.’4

In other words, the connection between humanity and the earth continues right to the end. When all sin is gone, when the curse is lifted and our redemption is complete, then the natural order will also be freed from the harmful phenomena that have tarnished its beauty.5 No more earthquakes, no more tsunamis then.
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Notes
1. See Genesis 3, especially v14-19

2. See, for example, Leviticus 26:3-4 where Israel is promised the earth’s blessings (rain in season and fruitful ground) in response to their moral obedience; Hosea 4:1-3 where, because of Israel’s rampant ungodliness ‘the land mourns’ in the sense that animals, birds and fish die; Isaiah 24:1, 3-6 where ‘the earth is defiled by its people’—it suffers famine because of their immoral behaviour; Zephaniah 1:2-3 where the order of natural disasters is a reversal of the order of creation in Genesis; 2 Chronicles 7:14 where, as the people ‘turn from their wicked ways’, God promises to ‘heal their land’ in the sense of allow it to prosper agriculturally (this verse, contrary to common usage, has nothing whatever to do with revival).

3. Luke 13:1-5

4. Romans 8:19-21 New Living Translation

5. 2 Peter 3:13

A Quiz on Your Understanding of Hell

Hardly a subject for a light-hearted quiz, you might think! But it's precisely because hell is such a grim subject that we need to be clear just what it is.

Sadly, popular Christian views on hell owe more to Greek philosophy than to the Bible. For this reason Edward Fudge has put together this series of multiple-choice questions, which will help you distinguish truth from falsehood.

He provides the correct answers at the end so that you can check your own, with Bible passages to look up. You could be surprised! Go to:

http://www.edwardfudge.com/hellquiz.html

Will Britain become an Islamic state?

Popular British Bible teacher David Pawson (pictured) thinks so. In fact he believes the Lord has revealed this to him.

Before writing off his claim as nonsense you would do well to listen to his 6-part talk on the subject, available on tape from Anchor Recordings. He has also produced a book on the subject

Out of months of detailed research he has put together a case for the attractiveness of Islam to British people in today's spiritual vacuum; the dark side of Islamic aspirations; the source of that religion; where the church has failed; and what we need to do to be the kind of church to stand up to the takeover he regards as a revealed inevitability.

Personally, I can see the real dangers of a takeover of Britain by Muslims but don't regard it as inevitable. After all, Jonah's God-given message to Nineveh was that God would overthrow them in forty days, yet when they repented he withheld the prophesied destruction.

For a good article on Islam and violence called Endless Jihad go to
http://www.catholic.com/library/endless_jihad.asp

A good Wesley hymn to start your day

Charles Wesley (18th century) wrote 7000 hymns. One gem that I often use as a prayer as I start the day is Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go. Try to see beyond the old-fashioned English to the fine sentiments it expresses.

Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go
My daily labour to pursue;
Thee, only thee, resolved to know
In all I think, or speak, or do.

The task thy wisdom hath assigned
Oh let me cheerfully fulfil;
In all my works thy presence find
And prove thy good and perfect will.

Thee may I set at my right hand,
Whose eyes my inmost substance see,
And labour on at thy command
And offer all my works to thee.

Give me to bear thy easy yoke
And every moment watch and pray,
And still to things eternal look
And hasten to thy glorious day.

For thee delightfully employ
Whate'er thy bounteous grace hath given,
And run my course with even joy
And closely walk with thee to heaven.

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Left Behind nonsense

Harry Potter has been a publishing phenomenon. Not far behind it, amazingly enough, is the Left Behind series of 'Christian' novels. The work of Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, they nave notched up 60 million sales worldwide—proof positive that the majority are rarely right.

The novels portray an imaginary outworking of the kind of premillennial dispensationalist eschatology that many Christians naively think is the only kind in existence.

Read the helpful article on the Left Behind books written by Gareth Higgins on the Ship of Fools website.

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A Grotesque Mismatch

It's a good image of Christ and his church. Jesus himself is the Head and the church his body. He is fully-developed, mature and glorious; the church is ill-matched to the Head, stunted and deformed. It is deformed by superficiality, self-seeking, tradition, division and doctrinal imbalance.

God intends the church to mature and grow so that it matches the glory of the Head. The match will be complete at Christ's return, of course, but God intends things to improve before then—and we Christians, who comprise the church, are responsible for working with the Holy Spirit to make it happen. Look carefully at these scriptures:

Are you doing your part?

Lord of light
   and God of the good times,
Lead me with gladness
   on paths of rejoicing
Up to the city.

Master of darkness
   and Lord of the low times,
Lead as I stumble
   through shadow-filled valleys
Up to the city.

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