interfaith

I went to an "Interfaith Choir Festival" last Sunday evening. It was an event arranged by the Interfaith Councils of several Orange County chapters to promote harmony and mutual understanding between different religious groups. It was held in a Mormon church (right across the Lakeview Senior Center in Irvine), with choirs and representatives from Catholic, Protestant, Jew, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, etc. Besides the traditional hymns from Catholic and Protestant groups, I heard for the first time live soul-style gospel singing by a black group, and a Jewish choir worshipping in Psalms. The Irvine Chinese Chorus, the only non-religious group invited, sang a couple of Chinese folk/love songs too.

In between singing, each religion/sect's representative went on the platform to give a short speech about their religion's beliefs, as well as some inspirational sayings. "Righteousness is the highest Virtue, it leads to enlightened happiness, this Radiant happiness comes to the person, who is Righteous for the sake of Righteousness alone, and not for any reward or fear of punishment", says the Zoroastrian Scripture. "One day of life is more valuable than all the treasures of the universe. You still have many years ahead of you, and moreover, you have found faith. If you live even one
day longer...how precious life is! So together we will offer a prayer of appreciation", says a Buddhist Scripture. Or "Truth is higher. Higher still is truthful living", says the Sikh Scripture.

I wish I had time to study all these different religions. It seems they all try to reach the same goal, as they say, just with different approaches. But, maybe that's where it matters. All religions may point to the same abstract truth: be good, be selfless, be loving, etc. But how do you achieve that? It seems to me Christianity is the one that gives most straightforward answer and effective way to achieve that: Jesus is the truth, be like him. Simple as that, with evidences you can't deny.

Enough of my monologue. This Saturday our men's group meeting will take a little different venue, going outdoor for a hike with the Saddleback Beginner's Hike group to the Riley Wilderness Park in Coto De Caza, if you will. Please see the following information. You can bring your family along if you like, and we can all walk and talk and enjoy a sunny, beautiful day in the wild!

halloween salute

Wednesday, the Halloween, kids' fun day, is coming. Stories and controversies abound about this day's origin and meaning and whether Christians should celebrate it or not, etc. But one thing historical and surely worth celebrating by all (or at least Protestant) Christians about this day, is that this is the day, exactly 490 years ago, the Protestant Reformation, the movement that split Christendom into Catholic and Protestant camps 'till this day, all got started.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a German priest/theologian, posted his famous 95 theses on the door of a church in Wittenberg, a little town in today's eastern Germany, to display his objection to the "indulgences" the Church was selling. An indulgence was a printed permit or coupon with monetary value of personal confession of sin. The idea was sinners could buy indulgences to release them from divine punishment, or "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs," went the commercial jingle of the day. The Church used such "fund raisers" to collect revenues to help rebuilding St. Peter's basilica in Rome, or as political payback by some local bishops to Rome for their clergical assignments. 

Though Luther's intention was to dispute and argue the subject within the Church, copies of these theses got spread quickly throughout Europe (making the controversy one of the first in history to be fanned by the printing press) and unleashed a reform movement that would eventually effect all political and social structures of the Western world.

Besides objection to the indulgences, Martin Luther had many other theological differences with the Roman Church of the day. His studies of the Bible, especially the epistles of St. Paul, had led him to the conclusion that Christ was the sole mediator between God and man and that forgiveness of sin and salvation are effected by God's Grace alone and are received by faith alone on the part of man. This point of view turned him against scholastic theology, which had emphasized man's role in his own salvation, and against many church practices that emphasized justification by good works.

Luther also condemned the vow of celibacy and, as a former monk, he married a former nun that he helped escape from a convent in 1525, when he was 42 and she was 26. By all accounts theirs was a happy marriage, with 6 children. One of their descendants was Paul von Hindenburg, President of Germany after World War I and before Nazi takeover.

Another great accomplishment by Luther is his translation of Bible from Latin to German language. He is not the first one to do such work, but is by far the greatest according to historians and literary scholars. The Luther Bible contributed to the emergence of the modern German language and is regarded as a landmark in German literature.

According to American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, these are Luther's most important theological insights:

(1) Humankind is entrapped in the ancient temptation to play God (Genesis 3:5), violating the first of all divine commandments, "You shall have no other gods."

(2)  Liberation from this original sin comes through faith of at least two people ... one who tells another of Christ as the source of freedom from sin, and one who, so addressed, affirms faith in Christ alone.

(3) The Christian life is one in which, though we are sinners by nature, we are at the same time saints by God's grace and love. 

(4) The Christian life is lived in two realms that belong equally to God ... church and society. This calls for Christian commitment to education, fair economic practices, and a life of mission to the ungodly.

Sounds pretty refreshing to me even today.

Happy Reformation Anniversary!