Category: Thoughts on Culture

Posted on

The Paradox of Self-Centeredness and an Omnipotent God

Thoughts on Hebrews

We have all learned from experience at being humans to ferret out and subsequently be disgusted by self-centeredness. The paradox is that this tendency toward pride in one’s self may be one of the great hallmarks of humanity (and is the plague of those in pursuit as well). And due to the recent collapse of restraining virtues, it has become a condemning feature of our culture at large.

We hate this in others, yet we tolerate it in ourselves. Why?

I’ve been thinking about how God is perfectly justified to be self-centered. He embodies perfection; angels and humans were created to know and worship Him. Does this trigger our revulsion to self-centered behavior? Probably, if we don’t think through the situation much. Perhaps this is a chief complaint made by those offended by God—His glory conflicts with an unreasonable expectation of our own.

But pondering this honestly, we quickly realize that if God is exactly as He describes Himself, He fully possesses the right to be self-centered—meaning, He organizes reality to demonstrate His glory. This would indicate that He is the center of all things and knows this because it is true. Does this still bother us?

One more thing is puzzling—something we as imperfect beings don’t yet understand. The one who should rightly elevate Himself over all others chose to demonstrate that perfect self-awareness also involves sacrifice.

Where Do We See This in Scripture?

All throughout, if one pays attention. For instance, in Hebrews 2 we read:

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

A Monumental Change Happened

For a “little while” He “was made” lower than the angels. This was not His normal state. He is the one “for whom and by whom all things exist.” But He became lower than the angelic forms and joined humanity.

The Paradox, Resumed

Why did this change happen? The one who is the very definition of truth demonstrated that His form of self-existence was not complete without the rescue of the ones who were created to love and adore Him. For God’s glory is not the shadow of self-centeredness we have authored. It is something true and higher.

Posted on

My Thoughts about Recent Events

Bishop Sixtus II - Botticelli

I have allowed a few days to pass so I can better process my thoughts about Charlie Kirk’s recent assassination. As someone who is uncomfortable with politics, I wasn’t a passionate follower of Charlie and TPUSA, but I was very familiar with his videos and I enjoyed his debating style; honesty, directness, but sprinkled with compassion. In his videos, it was easy to see that he treated those he was debating like actual people rather than strawmen to knock over. He often asked for their story and would pause to make them feel heard.

I’ll be honest — when I first heard of his murder, it felt like a gut punch.

The Public Humiliation and Beheading of Bishop Sixtus II

Recently, I completed a series of books set in the 3rd century Roman Empire. One historical event that particularly struck me during this writing process was the murder of the Bishop of Rome—a man we now know as Pope Sixtus II.

According to historical records, Emperor Valerian launched an aggressive persecution campaign against the early Church, prohibiting collective worship and confiscating church property and funds. Despite these dangers, Bishop Sixtus courageously organized a large service in a remote cemetery, hoping to avoid detection by imperial authorities.

Unfortunately, an informer must have been present. Roman soldiers arrived at the cemetery, and according to historical accounts, Bishop Sixtus surrendered himself so his congregation could escape. The Romans later publicly beheaded him along with six of his deacons.

My Attempts to Understand the Impact

While writing about this event in “The Halls of the Shadow King: The Apprentice,” I spent considerable time imagining what the Roman church must have experienced watching their most trusted leader publicly executed. Seeing someone they may have considered untouchable brutally killed in public must have been shocking and deeply traumatic. Many likely saw Bishop Sixtus’ treatment as indicative of their own vulnerability in the future.

Then, this past Wednesday as I prepared to coach our school’s JV football game, it suddenly struck me that perhaps I now understood a little of what those early Christians felt.

In ancient Rome, I’m certain many people felt secure in their positions within the empire and openly mocked the humiliating death of this small Christian community’s leader. Some may have felt remorse afterward, but others probably appreciated the disappearance of this “irritant”, now enabling them to return to their undisturbed lives protected from any awareness of this community.

The Romans beheaded Bishop Sixtus publicly in August 258 AD. Yet just over fifty years later, Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity and by 380 it became the empire’s official religion. Meanwhile, Emperor Valerian was eventually captured by Persian ruler Shapur I and died in captivity. In 258, however, no one could have predicted these remarkable reversals.

There’s no way to know what will unfold from here, but history shows us how significant events—along with collections of seemingly minor ones—can create profound change.

If you’re interested in reading more about this time period in the early church, I’d welcome you to check out the full series, “The Halls of the Shadow King” in both Kindle and paperback formats on Amazon.

Other Links

Erika Kirk’s statement – what a courageous woman

Here‘s where I talk at length about the full book series in another blog post.

Turning Point USA website