Man of Thought

"Mark this well, you proud men of action! you are, after all, nothing but unconscious instruments of the men of thought." Henrich Heine 

A card with this quotation written on stands proudly on my desk next to the picture of my wife. It was given to me five years ago before I embarked on the beginning of my University education. As I eagerly await to begin another three years of Philosophy, it has become somewhat of a mantra for me.

In today's world it seems increasingly the case that the 'men of action' are the ones who receive the praise. It is those who get things done that inspire, those who are quick to act, pragmatic and useful to society. And in some capacity, this is understandably fair; it is the men of action, the doers who change things, who make a difference. But for me, it is the men of thought, the writers, the thinkers, the slow movers, who have inspired me, who get my heart racing. And perhaps they are in danger of being overlooked. 

Men of thought have the power to change how people think, to challenge presumptions and question the norm. And more than anything, it is how and what people think that influences what people do. I like to think that thinkers set the tone for how we march, they ask the questions no one else thinks are important. Most importantly, they get to the root of things, they establish the very point and purpose of why we do what we do. 

For me, it has been thinkers who have readjusted how I see my world and my faith. I think of Kierkegaard, Tom Wright, Sartre. These men have made me question realities I took for granted, to ask questions I didn't know were even questions. And ultimately these challenges have affected how I have lived. It was Tom Wright's challenge to me as a 17 year old boy that made me think for the first time about the Kingdom of God as a present reality. This has shaped how I have seen Christianity ever since. It was the words of Sartre, as an undergraduate student that challenged me to see the nothingness of a life without a God, and the constraints we put upon our own freedom. And as a Master's student, it was the words of Kierkegaard that challenged me to see faith as a constant leap, a living, breathing, active thing that is far beyond a doctrine to ascribe to.

As I begin my PhD in a few weeks time, it is this challenge I look to: not to be a useless thinker who sets himself apart from others, who cares about problems that have no bearing on reality, but to be a man of thought who can relate to the world, who can ask meaningful questions of his friends, who can challenge those around him. I believe that thinkers can make a difference, and it is to this task that I am committed to. I don't know how the next few years of my life will pan out, but by the faithfulness and goodness of God I have been given an opportunity to stretch and sharpen my mind, and I intend to do it for his glory. 

Of course Heine's claim is somewhat of a false dichotomy that will rightly annoy some of you. Being a man  of action by no means excludes you from being a man of thought. If you read the books of the New Testament written by Paul, you cannot but be blown away by his structure, the beauty and power of his writing. But Paul is unmistakably a man of action; he not only changes how people think, he tells people to: 'follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.' Paul is a great doer, bringing power and momentum to the good news of Jesus.

Inside the card is written the simple words: 'To Josh, a man of thought and a man of action'. I admit that I by no means live up to this recommendation. But it is this challenge that I strive towards.

Any Other Name

"Sometimes, there's so much beauty in the world - I feel like I can't take it, like my heart is just going to cave in."

The glory of God cannot be contained to mere ideas, words and conceptions. It floods this world that wherever there is beauty or majesty or unspeakable goodness, it is a reflection of one who is infinitely more beautiful, infinitely more majestic and unspeakably more good than we can imagine.

Don't misunderstand me, the world is full of darkness and evil and pain and suffering but occasionally I get a glimpse of the beauty of creation, of the goodness of humanity. When I hear a piece of music which moves me so deeply, when I see a film that speaks of a truth too profound to describe, when I see beauty in the most mundane of things, then I cannot help but worship the God who created all of this.

The glory of God is inescapable when you  begin to notice it, the very thought that there is something rather than nothing makes me so thankful. And then I see the hands of a loving God all around; it is reflected in a simple friendship, the creativity of an artist, the great minds of a philosopher, the simplicity of a child, the goodness of a parent, the generosity of a stranger. I see these things and I begin to understand what it means to worship. Through sickness, disease, evil and poverty there is light that shines even though sometimes it appears so dim. But when you see the merest glimpse of it, what else can you do but give glory and praise to the God who is beyond our comprehension, who is bigger than our understanding, but who is closer than the quietest whisper.

I live in the gap. The gap between this world with glimpses of glory and the world which will be nothing but glory and beauty. But I have hope, hope that one day all things will be made new. What is old will pass away, and what is beautiful will remain.