Worlds Collide

Many personal encounters that I have recently experienced have me thinking about our perception of reality...our worldview - or as it was originally phrased in German our Weltanschauung. Beyond thinking about how we view all of reality and how those views are shaped, I've also been contemplating the crisis of clashing worldviews - something important to consider in our current pluralistic environment as we are constantly confronted by many distinct visions of reality. The tensions of these encounters will only grow as we continue to move toward globalization. This world collision has been brought to my attention in new ways as I've begun an indepth study of the Gospel according to John.

(The image above is a representation of this Gospel, St. John was associated with the image of an eagle quite early in the iconography of the church symbolizing the heights to which the author rises. The author is a genius, as defined by inspiration, but the vocabulary and style of his writing is quite crude - giving hope to those of us who struggle with vocabulary and writing. You might not believe this, but I find these to be my weakest skills...well maybe after reading a bit you will believe...but God uses our weakness to display His glory.)

There is a sense in which this Gospel discloses the tension that is a result of two worlds that intersect in the very person of Christ. This is laid out quite clearly in the prologue (John 1:1-18) which sets out the framework for the story that is to follow, but more than that it gives the reader insight into the cosmic significance of these particular events.

En arche' en ho logos, kai ho logos en pros ton theon, kai theos en ho logos.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was toward God, and God was the Word!

There is so much to unpack in just this first verse, it is pregnant with meaning. The entire prologue is full of meaning, for that matter, and is one of my favorite sections of Scripture - probably because of the heavy theological significance wrapped up in such wonderfully poetic language. Whatever else we're meant to understand from the first few verses, we should at least get the gist that the Word, through which all of creation came into being, became flesh (fully human). The Light continues to shine in the darkness and the darkness could not overtake it and will never overtake the source of Light and Life. He came to the world that He created, coming to His own people and they did not receive Him. But to those who do receive Him, He gives them the authority (literally exousia - "out of being" meaning something one possesses within oneself) to become children of God, not born by human procreation, but born out of God!

In Christ the "other-world" collides with the "this-world" and all you have to do is read the rest of the story to witness the ensuing conflict. The stark contrast between light and dark is carried throughout the rest of the narrative, culminating in the Darkness' attempt to extinguish the Light by crucifying the Light only to find the light break forth on Sunday brighter than ever before. As the Light says later on in this very Gospel, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (Jn. 16:33) We can now experience the "other-world" the world of Light because Christ has given us that authority out of His very being.

What does this have to do with conflicting worldviews? I'm not completely sure, to be quite honest, but intuitively there seems to be something there. I have this nagging feeling that if we would meditate on the Scriptures we might have a better response to the colliding worlds of our time. Ignorance seems to play a large role in the tensions and conflicts that result from colliding worlds. Knowledge is another major theme of John's Gospel (one reason why the Gnostics utilized it so much, which slowed the process of it's inclusion in the Christian canon; however, it is clearly not a Gnostic writing. In fact, it was used as a defence against Gnosticism by Irenaeus in the Second Century). I would suggest that true knowledge of the other world (or worldview as the case may be) will help to ease the tension. However, as we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we are actually brought into distinct conflict with the darkness. But we don't overcome the darkness through violence - we overcome by our witness to the truth, by the shedding of our own blood (or taking up our cross), by becoming authentic disciples of Christ.

As Paul says to the Christians at Ephesus: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:12-17 TNIV)

There is so much more to be explored, but most folks probably won't even make it this far...so I'll stop pontificating. May we know the Light and walk in the Light in these complex and difficult days - for He is the way, the truth, and the life. Blessings ~ RLS