Asheville Citizen-Times - 03/13/2021 Page : D01

March 13, 2021 11:08 am (GMT -5:00) Powered by TECNAVIA

Asheville Citizen Times | SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021 | 1D

‘HEROIC AND FLAWED’

At a time when Americans are seemingly as polarized as ever over the present, the country’s past also appears to be up for

debate. h The killing of George Floyd and the anti-racism protests it sparked and The New York Times’ 1619 Project, which

placed slavery central to the American narrative, have reminded people of the oppressive, exploitative and painful parts of

the making of the United States. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump’s 1776 Commission was created to counter

what the administration described as a “radicalized” view of America history. Its report, released in the last days of the

Trump administration, suggested that all Americans are “united by the glory of our history.” h But history is messy. It

doesn’t fit easily within binary thinking.

GETTY IMAGES

The Bible’s approach to history can teach us about America’s glory and shame

Mark K. George ILIFF SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

See BIBLE, Page 3D

LIVING

Imagine we were standing on amountainside, riverside or seaside, inthe ancient Middle East. First of all, wedon’t have any concept of being “East”or “Middle” of anywhere. We aren’taware that the world is any bigger thanthe world we see. As far as we know, theearth is flat and we are at the center ofthe universe. Everything revolvesaround us, if those lights in the sky re-volve at all. Our wisest teachers tell usthere is a “heaven” above – a realm oflight, the presence of God or gods, an-gelic beings, golden cities. Below us, aterrifying world of fire, demons anddeath. When we die we either fly up-ward with wings like those angels, or wefall into a deep, dark pit. This all fasci-nates and frightens. When a ship ap-pears on the waters of the Mediterra-nean, we are filled with curiosity. Whatis that? Who is that? When we hear a

new language, we are filled with won-der, laughing at the strange sounds(“bar-bar-bar,” they seem to babble;“barbarians,” we call them).

The Greeks had Atlas; we have atlas-es, globes, orbiting eyes. We know theearth is much larger than we oncethought; the universe is unimaginablyvast. In hindsight, we smile at our earli-er human selves. How could we havethought those things, believed thosethings? We hold in our hands manu-scripts from millennia past and ponder:they saw the world so differently, under-stood so little about the planet, a verysmall earth – not an “earth” at all, onlythe land they stood upon. We are com-pelled to ask: how can we believe whatthey believed when we have learned somuch more and comprehend so muchmore than they ever did? We can’t gettoo high-and-mighty arrogant aboutthat, but surely we are more grown-upnow in some ways (or have a more ma-ture sense of our immaturity?).

Ancient religions are aging by thecentury. And most of the ancient reli-gions simply don’t exist any longer.Faiths of the Persians, Egyptians,Greeks, Romans, Norse all died out.

Their beliefs and rituals, priests andgods, have all faded into dust. Why arethey gone? What was lost? It’s true thatwe still see vestiges of these in pocketshere and there. Small groups of Zoroas-trians still light temple fires; some Pa-gans honor Greek and Roman gods; westill honor Scandinavian divinities ev-ery week: Woden’s Day (Wednesday),Thor’s Day (Thursday), Freya’s Day (Fri-day). We aren’t worshipping these de-ities though we speak their names.Sparks of past faiths flicker from long,shadowy tunnels of history.

Religion scholar Mircea Eliade openshis book, “A History of Religious Ideas”with these salient words: “For the histo-rian of religions, every manifestation ofthe sacred is important: every rite, everymyth, every belief or divine figure re-flects the experience of the sacred andhence implies the notions of being, ofmeaning, and of truth.” What I take fromthis is what I take from religion itself:question upon question. What does “sa-cred” mean? Are we naturally religiousbeings? What gives meaning? How dowe know “truth”?

Standing on that mountainside in theancient world, we may ask these ques-

tions as well. We use our senses andminds to wonder, explore, and keep ex-ploring. Or not. This is what matters themost, as I see it. Religion either meanssearching for those “notions” MirceaEliade calls our attention to – being,meaning, truth – or religion ages withthose “manifestations” – rites, myths,beliefs (with accompanying scriptures,creeds, institutions) – losing the origi-nal intent: the search for the “sacred.”No one has ever rationally explained thesacred except to tell us it isn’t rationalbut they have “experienced” it. Or, theyread to us from an ancient text from an-cient people in ancient times, using ar-chaic words that possibly mean nothinglike what we think they mean. In otherwords, as a friend said to me a few daysago: “I’m good with mystery.” And wecan describe that with old words, newwords, or no words.

From our mountainside, the wholeworld, at least the whole world we see,stretches out before us. What is thisworld? What is our place in it? If there is“sacredness,” is it in everything we see,or only a part; is it in us, are we a part of

What happens when ancient religions grow older?

Highland ViewsChris Highland

Guest columnist

See VIEWS, Page 2D

Asheville Citizen-Times - 03/13/2021 Page : D02

March 13, 2021 11:08 am (GMT -5:00) Powered by TECNAVIA

2D | SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021 | ASHEVILLE CITIZEN TIMES

it? Is there any light still shining fromthose long-ago times? Surely there werewise people who reasoned, imagined, amore expansive world with wider land-scapes of knowledge and belief.

Most religions are very old. This factdoesn’t make them useless. It simply re-

minds us to think for ourselves on ourown mountainsides, riversides, sea-sides.

Chris Highland served as a ministerand chaplain for many years. He is ateacher, writer and humanist celebrant.Chris and his wife, the Rev. Carol Hovis,live in Asheville. His latest books are“Friendly Freethinker,” “Broken Bridges”and “A Freethinker’s Gospel.” Learnmore at chighland.com.

ViewsContinued from Page 1D

dates on services visit www.trinityash-eville.org/livestream-links.

Biltmore Church: Online services at9:15, 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. at live.biltmore-church.com or Facebook. RSVP athttps://my.biltmorechurch.com/rsvp/for 11 a.m. Sunday in-person service at35 Clayton Road, Arden. New WestAsheville location at 511 Smokey ParkHighway (old Bi-Lo in Enka) is open.

Church of St. Philip the Apostle:Visit our Facebook page for daily med-itation, teachings and weekly homily.www.churchofsaintphilip.org. 216Whitson Ave., Swannanoa.

West Asheville Baptist Church:Worship service at 10:30 a.m. Also liv-estream service on Facebook andwww.westashevillebaptist.org. 926Haywood Road.

West Canton Baptist Church: Wor-ship service at 11 a.m. Service also onFacebook. No nursery until further no-tice. 75 Lowe St., Canton.www.westcantonbaptist.org.

First Baptist Church-Canton: Wor-ship service at 11 a.m. Also on Facebook,YouTube, or listen at http://wptlra-dio.net/ or WPTL 101.7 FM 920 AM.Links are at www.canton-fbc.org.

Submit your event at least two weeksin advance online at events.citizen-times.com. Click on “Add your event” tosubmit details.

March 14

Online services: A majority ofchurches are still having online worshipservices. Visit church websites for fullinformation.

Grace Episcopal Church: Worshipon YouTube at 10:30 a.m. Sundays. 871Merrimon Ave., Asheville. Visitwww.graceavl.com for weekday ser-vices and events.

Lake Junaluska’s Memorial Chapelopen 11 a.m.-1 p.m. daily: Lake Junalus-ka Conference & Retreat Center, Lake-shore Drive, Haywood County. A sacredplace for prayer and meditation.

Newbridge Baptist Church: 9 and 11a.m. services. Online service atwww.newbridgebaptist.org and Face-book. Open for Sunday school and smallgroups. 199 Elkwood Ave., Asheville.

Trinity Episcopal Church: Lives-treaming Sunday at 10:45 a.m. and 5:30p.m. 60 Church St., Asheville. For up-

First Congregational Church, Hen-dersonville: Online service only at10:30 a.m. atwww.fcchendersonville.org. Emailfccinfo@fcchendersonville.org if youneed assistance.

Trinity Baptist Church: 8 and 10:30a.m. online services athttp://tbcasheville.org/. 216 ShelburneRoad, Asheville. Free food boxes 10a.m.-1 p.m. Thursdays.

Lutheran Church of the Nativity: 10a.m. online service at Facebook or You-Tube. www.nativityarden.org. 2425Hendersonville Road, Arden.

The Episcopal Church of Saint Johnin the Wilderness: Online service at8:45 a.m. on Facebook.www.stjohnflatrock.org/. 1895 Green-ville Highway, Flat Rock.

March 15

Sermon on the Mount online study:6-7:30 p.m. Mondays via Zoom, March15-April 26 (skipping April 5). Offered byPastor Greg Williams, of Grace LutheranChurch, Hendersonville. Register athttp://bit.ly/SermonGrace.

March 16

Puzzle Swap: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Tues-days-Thursdays, Mills River Presbyteri-an Church, 10 Presbyterian ChurchRoad, Mills River. Bins of puzzles out-side church entrance via back parkinglot. Also visit Little Free Library to bor-row children and adult books. 828-891-7101.

March 21

Ethical Humanist Society of Ashe-ville: 2:30-4 p.m. via Zoom. “Asheville’sUrban Renewal Legacy” by professorPatrick Bahls. Exploring history ofAsheville’s urban renewal from a quan-titative, qualitative and historical per-spective and its impact on marginalizedcommunities. www.EHSAsheville.org.

March 27

American Christian Fiction Writ-ers S.C. Chapter: 2-5 p.m., North An-derson Baptist Church, 2308 N. MainSt., Anderson, SC. Free and visitors areinvited. Workshop “Novels Part 3: Howto Create Unforgettable Characters.”http://scwritersacfw.blogspot.com/.

RELIGION CALENDAR

While serving a church several yearsago, our Bible study and prayer groupbegan a new topic. I remember that fornine weeks or so, we studied, discussed,and tried to understand a little better thegift of grace. We used the Companionsin Christ, The Way of Grace study seriesas a guide as we tried so hard to grasphow involved grace is in our lives, notonly as a means of salvation, but in theprocess of living.

Grace has been defined in a classicalway as the unmerited favor of God. It isthe fuel and energy that affects not onlythe spiritual world, but also the physi-cal. Grace is God’s gift to us. It cannot bebought or earned.

Grace is what makes it possible for usto see our need for salvation, and it isgrace that makes that salvation a reality

in our lives. It is grace that keeps us fromyielding to temptation, and grace thatallows us to come back to God.

It is grace that gives us patience, hu-mility, and love in the face of situationsand people who demand impatience,pride, and hate. It is grace that makesbearable the heartbreak, disappoint-ments, and even death of loved ones.

It is God’s grace that makes it possi-ble for us to live a holy and victorious lifein spite the evil around us.

God’s grace, if accepted by the sinner,is transformational. Even the mostwicked person in the world can bechanged into a child of God. It was themiracle of grace that changed the evilslave trader John Newton’s heart andgave him the words that we know as thewonderful hymn, “Amazing Grace.”

A man died and faced the angel Ga-briel at heaven’s gate. Gabriel said, “Youneed a hundred points to get in. You tellme the good things that you have done,and I will assign each one a certainnumber of points. The higher level ofgood for each work in your life will get a

higher number of points. We will stop ata hundred and you will be allowed in.”

The man said, “I was married to thesame woman for 50 years and nevercheated.”

Gabriel said, “Great! One point.”The man continued cautiously, “Well,

I was baptized, joined the church, andtithed my money and time.”

“Another point,” replied Gabriel.The man began to show panic as he

tried again, “Well, I open a homelessshelter and fed hundreds of people.”

“That’s wonderful!” responded Ga-briel. “But that is worth only twopoints.”

“Two points?” cried the man desper-ately. “At this rate the only way I’ll get inis by the grace of God.”

“Come on in,” said Gabriel.Scripture makes the centuries long

debate of “works vs. grace” very clearwhether we read the Old Testament orthe New. The most exciting aspect ofgrace to me is that it is the only means ofsalvation.

Works cannot save us. We could nev-

er work long enough or hard enough tofind favor with God. The New Testamentmakes abundant references to gracewhich comes to us through Jesus Christ.No code of laws or sacrificial acts can se-cure our salvation (2 Timothy 1:9).When God sows His Spirit and his Wordinto our hearts, we can expect divinefruit to be produced, i.e. good works.Just as God’s grace pours abundantlyupon our lives, our works will then over-flow as blessings into the lives of others.

Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8 that it isby grace we are saved, through our faithand not by what we do. Grace is a gift.Let’s reach out and receive this gift to-day. God has sufficient grace for allneeds and for every person. It is avail-able and will make our lives so muchricher.

This column is the opinion of the Rev.Tim McConnell, assistant pastor ofLong’s Chapel United Methodist Churchin Lake Junaluska. Reach him at 828-456-3993 or pastortimmc.blogspot.com.

Understanding the gift of graceDevotionalTim McConnell

Guest columnist

Pope Francis to visit Hungary inSeptember, cardinal says

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Pope Franciswill travel to Hungary’s capital in Sep-tember where he will participate in theclosing Mass of a multiday, interna-tional Catholic gathering, according tothe cardinal of Hungary’s RomanCatholic Church.

The Archbishop of Esztergom-Buda-pest Peter Erdo told Hungarian newsagency MTI on Monday that Franciswas originally scheduled to appear atthe 2020 International Eucharistic Con-gress, an annual gathering of Catholicclergy and laypeople, but it was can-celed in the wake of the COVID-19 pan-demic.

Francis will instead visit on the finalday of the eight-day 52nd Congress inBudapest on Sept. 12, he said.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Buda-pest’s liberal mayor Gergely Karacsonysaid it was “a pleasure and an honor”that the city would receive a visit fromFrancis.

“Today we can perhaps learn themost from Pope Francis, and not onlyabout faith and humanity. He expressedone of the most progressive programs inthe areas of climate and environmentalprotection in his last encyclic,” Karacso-ny wrote.

Traveling back to the Vatican from atrip to Iraq on Monday, the pope toldItalian media that following his visit to

Budapest he may visit Bratislava, thecapital of neighboring Slovakia. Whilethat visit isn’t confirmed, Slovakia’spresident, Zuzana Caputova, said shehad invited the pontiff to visit during ameeting in the Vatican in December.

Missouri pastor on leave afteroffensive sermon on wives

MALDEN, Mo. – A southeastern Mis-

souri preacher went on leave from hischurch and is seeking professionalcounseling after giving a sermon thatchastised married women who “letthemselves go” and held up former firstlady Melania Trump as the pinnacle offeminine beauty.

A video widely circulated on socialmedia shows Pastor Stewart-AllenClark’s sermon before the 1st GeneralBaptist Church in Malden in the state’sbootheel. The sermon was roundlypanned as sexist and counter to Chris-tian teachings.

In the video, Clark berated wives whogained weight after marriage and ad-monished that they should look good fortheir husbands, adding, “it’s importantthat he thinks you’re hot!

“I’m not saying every woman can bethe epic – the epic – trophy wife of alltime like Melania Trump,” Clark said, asa photo of the former first lady appearedbehind him on a screen. “Most womencan’t be trophy wives, but you know ...maybe you’re a participation trophy.”

The church’s website said Clark be-gan his leave on March 2 and is seeking

professional counseling.A statement from the General Baptist

Council of Associations, with whichClark’s church is affiliated, also con-demned Clark’s sermon.

“General Baptists believe that everywoman was created in the image of God,and they should be valued for that rea-son,” the statement said.

Son of slain Alabama preacher arrested in Texas

BUTLER, Ala. – The son of a slainAlabama preacher has been arrested ona murder charge in the killing of his fa-ther and the attempted slaying of hismother, authorities said.

Shannon Xavier Pearson, 25, was ar-rested Monday by federal marshals inPlano, Texas, the Choctaw County Sher-iff’s Office said in a news release postedon social media. He was being held on acash bond of $1 million in the shootingdeath of his father, the Rev. Tim Pear-son.

RELIGION BRIEFS

Pope Francis speaks to journalists on March 8, while flying back to The Vatican at the end of his four-day trip to Iraq. AP

See BRIEFS, Page 3D

ashbrd_act_03-13-2021_b_d_002.crop.pdf 1 12-Mar-21 14:30:07