Topic

John Friesen spoke on the theme in 2 Peter 3:11, “what sort of people ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness?” Each culture, religion, generation and denomination tries to answer this question in its own way. Varying voices in modern society chime in as well, offering such things as self-help books on just about every aspect of living, and differing psychotherapy theories. John then noted that even the thinking of some Enlightenment writers attempted to answer this question by encouraging people to think of the human mind as one of the greatest achievements of all created things. Others have subsequently given precedence to human thought (and individualism) rather than God, and more recently, to people preferring to work and think alone rather than within a Christian community. On the other hand, when some Christians attempt to answer St. Peter’s question within the context of a Christian community, like the Pharisees, they emphasize ethics which depend upon works rather than personal relationships. John concluded by reminding us that Jesus developed ethics in which action flows from an attitude of love rather than from rules. [JEK]