I miss Tom Wolfe! At least nominally, he wrote from a Christian worldview--one of the last of an era in which that was possible under the steely-fickle withering gatekeeping of Manhattan's literary mandarins. IMHO, ~400 years on from the original, Wolfe's BFOTV absolutely nailed the mindsets of that time and place. (A number of college friends went to work on Wall Street for a few grueling-heady years until it spit them out.) Nothing new under the sun. I.e., on-the-rebound from the deleterious effects of their wild excesses, men periodically love to make great social shows of asceticism and outward piety. Only some of those shifts stick. Only some of those prove to have come from new-birth heart change, to God's glory alone.
Wolfe was a fine writer and THE ELECTRIC KOOLAID ACID TEST certainly piqued my interest in LSD; but I was disappointed that Mr. Wolfe did not use Christian imagery and mythology in the prison breakout scene in A MAN IN FULL.
I think God's providence used these situations for His good, however. Consider even Machivelli entering the scene post Savonarola and what we were able to read about his use of statescraft to manipulate people and now we can apply the proper understanding, when that happens now. Machivelli, by the way, was just using his understanding of the inheritted condition we got from Adam.
Maybe the people did experience enlightenment participating in the bonfire. When i was a young Christian i enjoyed Osteen and td jakes sermons and Osteen would always end by telling his listeners to join a Bible believing church. I did and over time by God's providence i recognize prosperity gospel for what it is and even though it tickled my ear it got me to read the Bible more and God reveals the truth, the Holy Spirit led to a better understanding.
I think that's a perfect example of Today's Reflection. Our spiritual leaders don't have to be perfect in order for God to still use them. The Bible tells us that those who seek God will find Him. As humans, we're sometimes too quick to judge the people under a fallen leader, but they shouldn't be punished for someone else's sin. God is more than capable of reaching hearts, even those who might not be getting all the right information.
Yes, the Apostle Paul would agree. Philippians 1:15-18. Like you said, Jason, God is capable of using anything and anyone, whether they do things out of selfish or sincere motivations. He will sort it out for His glory . . .
Fantastic article as always! Focused on one of the most important points - ultimate trust in God rather than having humans as top or only priority. This is very difficult for people to grasp even for those who've grown up in church. We can see why, as it is common for church leaders to be like Savonarola. Excellent Bible passages you included. This also reminds me of Biblical prophets, especially Elijah, who were selected by God. They did not aspire to being a messenger for God. Elijah also lived in a time of many false prophets elevating themselves (over 400 I recall) and actually had to demonstrate that he was a prophet of the one true God by setting rocks on fire (actually done by God). The other prophets could not do this and were exposed as false. Talk about clearing the house!
Now under the New Covenant, we need only to BELIEVE in His Son Jesus. God does still perform miracles every day.
One way to discern if people truly have God at top priority is to see if they are mostly led by manmade political views. I see local church leaders who are leading with political messages (both "right" and "left") even if not directly mentioned - using Bible verses and even Jesus to support their views. Jesus taught us that belief in God is for everyone. God is our Creator, our Father. All glory to God. It is NON political. The best church leaders and true followers are always pointing to God (as Jesus tried to teach us, giving thanks always for our food). To follow humans is to be misled.
These verses just popped up:
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
[5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. [6] Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Humanity has always struggled with the temptation to follow other men. The Israelites, for example, insisted on having a king, despite God's guidance. We often elevate people to a level they were never meant to hold, especially spiritual leaders. This is dangerous because no human is perfect. Everyone will fail at some point. But their shortcomings should never shake our relationship with God.
I studied many books on Savonarola and he is a fascinating, though complex, character. I think your assessment is valid. All human leaders are indeed fallible. And it’s extremely unfortunate that so many associate a leader’s failures with the message itself.
I miss Tom Wolfe! At least nominally, he wrote from a Christian worldview--one of the last of an era in which that was possible under the steely-fickle withering gatekeeping of Manhattan's literary mandarins. IMHO, ~400 years on from the original, Wolfe's BFOTV absolutely nailed the mindsets of that time and place. (A number of college friends went to work on Wall Street for a few grueling-heady years until it spit them out.) Nothing new under the sun. I.e., on-the-rebound from the deleterious effects of their wild excesses, men periodically love to make great social shows of asceticism and outward piety. Only some of those shifts stick. Only some of those prove to have come from new-birth heart change, to God's glory alone.
Wolfe was a fine writer and THE ELECTRIC KOOLAID ACID TEST certainly piqued my interest in LSD; but I was disappointed that Mr. Wolfe did not use Christian imagery and mythology in the prison breakout scene in A MAN IN FULL.
This powerful essay deserves much broader attention! Wonderful, indeed!
I think God's providence used these situations for His good, however. Consider even Machivelli entering the scene post Savonarola and what we were able to read about his use of statescraft to manipulate people and now we can apply the proper understanding, when that happens now. Machivelli, by the way, was just using his understanding of the inheritted condition we got from Adam.
Maybe the people did experience enlightenment participating in the bonfire. When i was a young Christian i enjoyed Osteen and td jakes sermons and Osteen would always end by telling his listeners to join a Bible believing church. I did and over time by God's providence i recognize prosperity gospel for what it is and even though it tickled my ear it got me to read the Bible more and God reveals the truth, the Holy Spirit led to a better understanding.
I think that's a perfect example of Today's Reflection. Our spiritual leaders don't have to be perfect in order for God to still use them. The Bible tells us that those who seek God will find Him. As humans, we're sometimes too quick to judge the people under a fallen leader, but they shouldn't be punished for someone else's sin. God is more than capable of reaching hearts, even those who might not be getting all the right information.
Yes, the Apostle Paul would agree. Philippians 1:15-18. Like you said, Jason, God is capable of using anything and anyone, whether they do things out of selfish or sincere motivations. He will sort it out for His glory . . .
.... And I thought The Bonfire of the Vanities was a book!
Fantastic article as always! Focused on one of the most important points - ultimate trust in God rather than having humans as top or only priority. This is very difficult for people to grasp even for those who've grown up in church. We can see why, as it is common for church leaders to be like Savonarola. Excellent Bible passages you included. This also reminds me of Biblical prophets, especially Elijah, who were selected by God. They did not aspire to being a messenger for God. Elijah also lived in a time of many false prophets elevating themselves (over 400 I recall) and actually had to demonstrate that he was a prophet of the one true God by setting rocks on fire (actually done by God). The other prophets could not do this and were exposed as false. Talk about clearing the house!
Now under the New Covenant, we need only to BELIEVE in His Son Jesus. God does still perform miracles every day.
One way to discern if people truly have God at top priority is to see if they are mostly led by manmade political views. I see local church leaders who are leading with political messages (both "right" and "left") even if not directly mentioned - using Bible verses and even Jesus to support their views. Jesus taught us that belief in God is for everyone. God is our Creator, our Father. All glory to God. It is NON political. The best church leaders and true followers are always pointing to God (as Jesus tried to teach us, giving thanks always for our food). To follow humans is to be misled.
These verses just popped up:
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
[5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. [6] Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
https://bible.com/bible/116/pro.3.5-6.NLT
Humanity has always struggled with the temptation to follow other men. The Israelites, for example, insisted on having a king, despite God's guidance. We often elevate people to a level they were never meant to hold, especially spiritual leaders. This is dangerous because no human is perfect. Everyone will fail at some point. But their shortcomings should never shake our relationship with God.
This is so true. Our hope should always remain on the word of God. Anything can be at fault but never ever his word.
However, like you said rightly, we are to honor our authorities. Or I should rather say that if we abide by God then we surely will honor authorities.
I really appreciate your writing. 😀
Thank you, Sourabhi!
I studied many books on Savonarola and he is a fascinating, though complex, character. I think your assessment is valid. All human leaders are indeed fallible. And it’s extremely unfortunate that so many associate a leader’s failures with the message itself.