Tuesday Tidbits

Here's a couple more great columns by David Brooks.

On escaping the mundane.

On a brewing spiritual battle.

And a friend just passed along a Times article on today's Ireland, a must read. Check out the slideshow. For my money (figuratively and literally) experiencing pub life is the best part of visiting Ireland. Check out the article here.

Conservatism across the Pond

Here's an interesting column by David Brooks comparing the stature--and message--of today's British conservatives with America's. I'm intrigued by the British conservative projection, at least, of a positive concern for society (i.e., rather than just being against negative forces) that seems to be coupled with traditional conservative economic themes. Who knows how this will be manifested in practice. Surely America's conservatives should be watching the situation closely and rethinking what shape today's conservative movement should take.

Doc's Pep Talk

Here's some funny stuff from the Sports Guy. I don't have a lot of confidence in the Celtics at this point.

Philippians 1:27-30, Part 3

The relative clause "which" in verse 28 does not, I take it, refer to all of vv. 27–28 but only to this late statement concerning how the Philippian Christians are to respond to their opponents. Paul here unpacks the significance of fearlessness in the face of all kinds of adverse circumstances arranged by those who (literally) stand against the Christ-believers.

A fearless response to attacks on the gospels signals ["a sign of," g. of apposition] two things: for those who opposes, it essentially as a visible proclamation of destruction; the gospel itself, after all, was birthed in/through opposition! By contrast, fearlessness for the believer who proclaim the gospel, for reasons that Paul will go to elaborate, becomes evidence of salvation. Being "partakers of grace" (1:8) carries with it a hope that can not be extinguished by human opposition, that of being resurrected from the dead and transformed in the body (3:10, 21), being "with Christ" (1:26), and seeing "every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (2:11). Ultimately, Paul takes care to note, the "salvation" that he Philippian believers enjoy comes "from God." This simple addition hints again at the inference that the opponents sponsored an approach to religion that relied heavily on personal achievement.

With an explanatory "since," Paul advances his argument for fearless suffering by undermining any element of surprise that such opposition may occasion for his church in Philippi. They are to understand that such opposition is their lot as followers of Christ. The passive "it has been granted to you" alerts the readers to the reality that God stands behind all circumstances that they encounter. And just as much as they have been chosen—not for their sake, but "for the sake of Christ" (1:29a)—to direct their belief to Christ, so too they have been selected to suffer "on his behalf" (1:29b). Suffering is part and parcel of the life of a Christ-believer. No big surprise given Christ's own bloody path to exaltation.

As the apostle does elsewhere, so too here he holds up himself as an example for the Philippians. While [temporal] they are engaged in suffering, they can realize they are walking the same path ("conflict") that their spiritual father, Paul, himself has gone down and continues to follow. They are to engage in imitation as a way of bolstering their confidence in Christ as they encounter opposition.

To summarize 1:27–30. Being citizens (1:27; cf. 3:20) of a heavenly kingdom requires a (i) unified approach, (ii) common striving for/in the interest of the gospel's message and purpose, and (iii) a fearless attitude toward opposition—which is a sign of (a) destruction for opponents and (b) salvation from God for believers, which is (c) founded on the call of God to suffer on behalf of Christ, and which process is (d) supported by the similar conflict endured by those who go before his in the faith [here, Paul].