If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? – – Psalm 11:3 (NKJV)

Introduction

We live in a political age. Although politics are not unimportant, the messianic character witnessed in the political realm became a reality decades, if not centuries ago in this country, and millenniums ago throughout the world. From the Pharaohs being deified to the divine rights of kings in the Middle Ages to FDR and the New Deal, to Johnson and the Great Society, and so on, etc., people have looked to the political class for some kind of salvation. One only has to recall the so-called pandemic in 2020 to understand how people look to politicians to save them from the flames and arrows of life. Humanistic presuppositions, not only in politics, but deeply Imbued in our culture, have replaced or made secondary most people’s faith in God. Over the summer, July and August, I’m going to write about how this culture looks to politics or various kinds of leaders to save it from the vicissitudes of life, sacrificing any semblance of godly faith. Even those who claim to have faith in Christ have so compartmentalized their beliefs to the point that they have no real bearing on the daily life struggles that people confront. This summer will be a preview for what is to come beginning in September when I kick off the official name change of Contemplations to Contemplations – Faith and Analysis: A Christian Perspective. For convenience, I will call this page Faith and Analysis. I will write a little bit about what that change means in this blog.

Faith and Analysis

There are a variety of ways to analyze what is going on in this culture, from the pure logic of the Enlightenment to the emotionalism of the Romantic era to the rhetoric of postmodernism. All of these methods though they may be at odds in strategic ways are man-generated. As such they ultimately lead to subjectivism and relativism. Faith and Analysis will provide analysis of cultural events from an unabashedly Christian perspective, a Christian approach that is Reformed and fundamental in its approach. Although I will touch on apologetics at times, this blog is not about proving the veracity of Christianity. I hold that without understanding God’s truth, given in Scripture, as foundational to all that we do, then all that we pursue will result in no meaning or purpose. Given this presupposition, Faith and Analysis will be Christian to the core. Church institutions that claim the name of Christ have splintered into many theologies. As stated, the content of this blog will align with Reformed theology and what are considered the five fundamentals of the faith (to be delineated more specifically in a later blog). Suffice it to say, I believe in 1) the existence of the Triune God, 2) the Incarnation and Deity of Christ, 3) the necessity of the Christ’s substitutionary atonement, 4) Christ’s death, resurrection, and second coming, and 5) the inerrancy of Scripture.

Expectations

Having stated my position, I’m sure one the major questions that will arise is what will be the primary content of Faith and Analysis? First, I hope to instill in people the desire to get grounded in Scripture. God’s truth is foundational to our existence and all that we do and pursue. Second, the content definitely will be theological. I hope to introduce readers to theologians over the decades and centuries who have written, lectured, and preached from a Reformed perspective, from the Church Fathers to the present theologians. My hope here is that the appetites of readers will be whetted to the point of checking out these individuals of faith through their writings, which are more numerous than we could get to in a life time. Third, although theological, I desire the main thrust of Faith and Analysis to be analytical, critiquing our culture from a Christian perspective. As Christians, we need to take every area of life captive to Christ. That means, not only theology, but economics, science, the political realm, the arts, family, and the areas of work we engage. All of this requires action on our part to live out our faith as fully as possible, knowing that we can do so only by God’s grace. Finally, I desire that Christians come to see that if we do not live out our faith in our cultural setting, then we hand the culture over to those who are humanistic and anti-Christian in their presuppositions and principles.

Conclusion

Contemplations – Faith and Analysis: A Christian Perspective will contain a variety of types of content, from analyses to historical portraits to book reviews to foci on current events. The word contemplation defines the action of looking thoughtfully at something for a long time. Additionally, it means deep reflective thought and the state of being thought about or planned. Although I established this website in the role of a professional counselor, God was providential in my using the title Contemplations. I can’t think of a better word that addresses our need to meditate on the truths of Scripture as inspired by God. As stated, this summer I will preview what is to come in September. I hope readers will join me for the ride.

John V. Jones, Jr. / June 14th, 2022

GENERAL ESSAY