Mother Teresa: Holiness in the Dark by J.I
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KNOWING . OING &DC S L EWIS INSTITUTE Spring 2009 A Teaching Quarterly for Discipleship of Heart and Mind PROFILE IN FAITH Mother Teresa: Holiness in the Dark by J.I. Packer, M.A., D.Phil. Author and Theologian The men of the East may spell the stars, death in 1997 at the age of 87, has recently IN This Issue And times and triumphs mark, highlighted this perplexing reality, and the 2 Notes from the But the men signed of the cross of Christ easiest way to present the problem is to re- President Go gaily in the dark. view her story. by Tom Tarrants Night shall be thrice night over you, Darkness: the Personal Distress 3 Lessons on Grace And heaven an iron cope. in a Valley of Grief Do you have joy without a cause, Born Gonxha Agnes Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Yu- by Kristie Jackson Yea, faith without a hope? goslavia (now part of the Republic of Mace- G.K. Chesterton, The Ballad of the White Horse donia), she loved Jesus and wanted to be a 4 Evangelical, But missionary from a very early age. At 18 she Not Evangelistic by Stuart McAllister Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the left for Ireland to join the Sisters of Loreto, an word of his servant? Let him who walks in the education-oriented community whose work 6 Is Jesus Really the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of in India she hoped to share. She went to Cal- Only Way to God? the Lord and rely on his God. (Isaiah 50:10) cutta as a Loreto Sister the following year, by Dennis Hollinger 1929. She became a nun, Sister Mary Teresa here is a problem in the life of holi- (later, as head of a missionary order, Mother 8 A Vacation with ness that for many does not arise at Mary Teresa) in 1931. She took the name Te- Kingdom Purpose T all, for some emerges intermittently, resa from St. Therese of Lisieux. In 1946, so by Thomas Heard but for a certain number—more, I suspect, she reported, Jesus Christ her Lord called than ever acknowledge it in any public her into slum work. “Come be my light” to 10 Urban Plunge way—is virtually lifelong. It is the problem the sick, the dying, beggars and street chil- by Sarah Bruce of felt abandonment by God, the Father, the dren, was what she was sure he was saying Son, and the Holy Spirit, within the frame to her. She was given permission to start, 31 Of Meditation on Death of full commitment to God: in other words, and did so alone, though others joined her by Thomas à Kempis the desolation and seeming desertion of the before long. She became a household word deeply devoted. The case of Mother Teresa, in the West through Malcolm Muggeridge’s 32 Resources founder of the Missionaries of Charity in film and book about her, both titled, in a Calcutta in 1950 and their leader till her phrase that she herself (continued on page 12) In the legacy of C.S. Lewis, the Institute endeavors to develop disciples who can articulate, defend, and live C. S . L EWIS INSTITUTE faith in Christ through personal and public life. E S T A B L I S H E D 1 9 7 6 NOTES FROM THE PRESIDENT by Thomas A. Tarrants, III, D. Min. President, C.S. Lewis Institute Dear Friends, n the previous issue of Knowing & Doing, I noted, “Much of what is called Christi- anity in America is nominal. And even worse, much of what is authentic is quite Ishallow.” A quick look at some recent research helps to clarify the picture. The National Study of Youth and Religion found that the religious view of many teenagers consists of this set of beliefs: “1. A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth. 2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions. 3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself. 4. God does not need to be particu- larly involved in one’s life, except when God is needed to resolve a problem. 5. Good people go to heaven when they die.” This set of beliefs has been dubbed “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism,” and kids develop much of it from the values and behavior of their parents. What are some of the values and beliefs of American adults that give rise to such thinking among kids? The January 2009 issue of The Barna Update reports that the rampant individualism in American culture has led to many people simply “picking and choosing” what they like in the Bible and discarding the rest. Further, millions of people hold religious beliefs that are contradictory. Clearly, those who love Jesus Christ and want For example, while saying they believe that the Bible is totally accurate in all it teaches, they also believe to see him glorified and his church flourishing that Jesus Christ sinned and that “a person can do cannot continue with business as usual. enough good works to earn salvation.” Both views clearly contradict what the Bible teaches. And this is not surprising, given that the ways in which beliefs are developed today are also changing. People spend less time reading the Bible and listening to sermons and teaching, and rely more on emotions, “dialog, self-reflection, and observation.” Much more could be said, but this snapshot highlights a couple of indicators of the spiritually challenging times in which we are living. Clearly, those who love Jesus Christ and want to see him glorified and his church flourishing cannot continue with business as usual. In the next issue of Knowing & Doing, we will look at some of the time-honored steps we can take to move in that direction. Page 2 • KNOWING & DOING | Spring 2009 Fellows Feature Lessons on Grace in a Valley of Grief by Kristie Jackson C.S. Lewis Institute Fellow iving a life of contentment depends Since God had blessed them both with in part upon one’s expectations, and incredible intellect, they enjoyed each L there’s a disturbing trend among other’s insights, and they spent whole af- Christians to embrace expectations that are ternoons in deep conversation. Sometimes anything but biblical. Set foot in a Chris- I even felt as though Will was more a part tian bookstore, and you’ll see lots of titles of my family than I was. We had many about living a life of total enjoyment, stay- wonderful times together, and I cherish ing young, and keeping healthy. One might all those memories. even believe that with the proper advice But that season of life changed abruptly from the right guru, you could lead a life in the fall of 1999. One Saturday afternoon Kristie Jackson is a free- free from trouble. But the Bible says noth- in November my parents boarded a plane in lance writer who has been published in The Wash- ing of an idyllic or carefree life this side of Florida to come see Will and me in Wash- ington Post and Indeed heaven. In fact, Jesus couldn’t be any clearer ington, D.C. Because they were using pass magazine. She also writes in John 16:33 when he tells the disciples, “In privileges from my sister’s job with North- a weekly devotional on her website: www.kristiejack- this world you will have trouble” (NIV). west, they were making a connection in son.blogspot.com. She and Yet we are masters at ignoring this sim- Detroit, which is where I grew up. About her husband, Will, and their ple truth. We continue to chase that rain- five minutes before I needed to leave for the three boys make their home bow of a life that was never intended for airport, the phone rang. in Falls Church, Virginia. this world, and we’re keenly disappointed My brother Craig had the unbearable job when we run into heartache instead of a pot of telling me that our beloved father had of gold. And wasn’t this precisely the game had a heart attack on the airplane, and that plan of the demons in The Screwtape Letters? he had died before they landed in Detroit. Screwtape explained to Wormwood, “We I remember hanging up the receiver, and want a whole race perpetually in pursuit of just screaming and screaming and scream- the rainbow’s end.”1 ing. Will was on call at the hospital and we I ran into heartache several years ago. had just moved into the neighborhood the Before 1999, I had never really experienced week before. Someone called the police in true sorrow. I was happily married, and response to all the screaming and it was a I enjoyed the added blessing of my hus- surreal experience when they showed up band, Will, a physician, blending into my at my door. family to an unusual degree. During our When I paged Will, he rushed home from years of dating, my brother, Craig, and the hospital and did his best to console me. Will became the very best of friends. They He held me and read Scripture to me, but loved spending time together, and kept after many hours had passed, I still could each other laughing for hours on end. My not sleep. I went and sat on the bed where dad and Will also shared an uncommon my parents were supposed to be.