The spirit and wisdom...
Illustration
The spirit and wisdom of the world and of the God of Scripture
constantly clash. Paddy Chayafsky in his drama, The Third Man,
has a self-professed Marxist say, "Religion is so pallid these
days; it's hardly worth being an atheist." Yet religion, per se,
never lacks for worshippers. In a letter to the Christian Century
years ago, the writer, Alfred E. Taylor, describes the nightly
ritual enacted by Peggy Lee. Before her performance, she lines up
her musicians behind the curtain, kisses each one on the
forehead, and taps each one on both shoulders and chest, after
which they hold a nightly ritual with a Buddhist flavor.
What a contrast with Michelangelo's painting of the Last
Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. He paints a horrible scene, the
final damning of the damned! And there, in the very bottom of
hell itself, Michelangelo has painted the shadow of the cross.
-- Keller
