One of the strongest catalyzers of the missions movement during the twentieth century has been the idea that in taking the gospel around the world we are actually shortening the time of Christ’s return. That is, we believe that we can somehow, in our schemes “hurry up” or “hasten” the coming kingdom of God. Is God on our timetable? Does God actually have some plan where once the gospel has reached this last place He will commence the apocalypse? If this were so why wouldn’t we just do a massive airdrop of literature with airplanes all over the world, that would seem to solve the problem, right? If all that God is interested in is making a necessary stop on the last island of Iwo Jima why don’t we just send a group over there, do a mass evangelistic campaign, and if nothing comes of it than nothing comes of it, but we have taken the gospel there, and that’s all that matters because we are that much closer to bliss. Now I have a difficulty with this mentality. There is no love in this scheme. There is nothing human about this thinking. Just like there is no love in the mass-marketing million dollar corporations who try to trick you into buying their product because they have some how convinced you that you deserve it or that this is your time. Why wait? Have it your way! Right away! Are we taking a product to people so that our benefit is the end of that scheme? If there is one thing about my culture that I despise, it is the marketing menace of corporate America. I can’t watch one play of the football game without some company shoving there name onto the screen somewhere. I can’t drive down the highway without seeing hundreds of billboards all clamoring for my attention. What is the purpose of the billboard? It’s to promote and plant seeds of a product into your brain until ultimately it leads to your ritual cultic expression as a consumer. You buy it. You buy it because you were told that you needed it, but did you really need it? You were told you needed it because the corporation wants you to give them your money so it will end up in the fat pockets of some bigwig CEO who needs to pay his off his multimillion dollar mansion. The marketing isn’t ultimately for your benefit, its for the benefit of the seller. To this conclusion I ask, What is our purpose in taking a gospel to a world? It would seem that our reasons are self-fulfilling, the same reason the rich CEO set up his sky-stealing billboard is the same reason we tell the world they need to buy what we are selling. God forbid that we should market the gospel to a desperate world so we can somehow take part in the pleasures of heavenly bliss. We proselytize in order that Christ may bring an end to this miserable world of sin and disgust. We market with one intention in mind (our happiness) all the while we offer a supposed selfless gospel of free salvation. What trickery, what sedition, what selfishness.
John Henry Newman sets out to defend the idea of Liberal (when I say "liberal" it is in the sense of a Liberal Arts degree)University for the training of young men. (His book is aimed at men and for the purpose of men... I dont know if the education of women at that time was still frowned upon). Within a series of nine discourses (which he initially delivered at the inaugural year of the University in Ireland)he sets out to defend his picture of what a University education should look like. Newman's arguments are logical and well defended with the arguments building, like a tower is built, upon one another. Each discourse takes up a specific thesis and is defended in the following pages. He first demonstrates that Truth is One, that is composed of one overarching, interrelated matrix. There are many systems of thought that are a play, but nonetheless, all Truth is delicately intertwined so that if you neglect one aspect of the Truth in essence you are unraveling the binds...