IrContent

My grandmother died this week. Having lost my other grandparents, she was the last of my “grand” generation. It’s strange that my parents are now grandparents and at the head of my family lines. There is a sobering sadness that, rightly, surrounds the passing of a loved one. We are reminded of how fleeting life is, and hopefully this prompts us to live better while we can. But I also think there is a deeper issue that lurks beneath the particular sadness that I would like to briefly discuss below.

Now, my family does not do death well. Both sides come from essentially secular backgrounds, so there just isn’t a lot for them to say when someone passes. When my grandmother on my dad’s side passed away we took a trip to one of her favorite spots and my dad spread her ashes over an overlook. When it was done he simply said, “Well . . . that’s it.” Now he was not in the least bit flippant when he said this. He was crying (which is rare for us Beaumonts), and I could tell his heart was broken. But what else could he say? If there is nothing after this life then that pile of dust blowing around in the breeze truly was “it” as far as his mom’s life was concerned. It was one of the saddest moments of my life.

The apostle Paul wrote this in 1 Thess. 4:13, “I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” The reason the non-believers had no hope was because they thought death was the end and the dead were gone forever. This sentiment is reflected in the movie Highlander during a touching scene montage showing the aging and dying process of the hero’s wife. The beautiful song being played in the background is “Who Wants to Live Forever?” by Queen. The chorus ends with these words:

Who wants to live forever?
Who wants to live forever?
Who dares to love forever?
When love must die?

These are poignant words indeed, but the problem extends beyond love. I would argue that nothing is ultimately worthwhile if this life is all we have. At the end of all things, if nothing is left, then nothing has any ultimate value. As I did when I lost other family members, I pondered this the night after my grandma died. I have many treasured memories of her, but these memories are not her. And when I die none of my memories of grandma will remain behind. My son who only met her once (see picture above) will not remember her, and by the time my son has grandchildren there will probably be no one left on earth who even knew my grandma. So what of her life? She produced children who each had children who will probably have children of their own. And if that is all there is, then, to quote my dad, “that’s it.”

Something about this rings awfully hollow doesn’t it? When I think about all that my grandparents went through, all they learned, all they contributed to my life, it seems patently absurd to think that within a generation or two it will all be non-existent and, therefore, practically worthless. Something that does not exist now has no value now. I am not talking about the effects of their lives, of course. But even granting that currently-existing effects of no-longer-existing causes can be considered valuable, that does not solve the problem because eventually these will be gone too. If materialistic philosophers and scientists are correct then the universe as we know it will someday cease to exist. Even if this isn’t for a few billion years it will still be gone someday, and gone is gone. Imagine that - all the lives, experiences, accomplishments, lessons, struggles, sufferings, and joys of hundreds of generations ending in nothingness. No memories, no lasting consequences, no ultimate punishments for evil or rewards for good. Just . . . nothing.

Unless, of course, this is not how it will end - or, rather, there is no end. If our lives have everlasting consequences, if our existence and the effects of our existence will never cease, then the intrinsic value we intuitively place on this life makes sense after all. With an eternal God and the promise of our everlasting existence our lives do have true, everlasting value. It does and will matter that my grandma lived her life. It does and will matter how I treat my son - whether or not he ever appreciates or even remembers all of it. It does and will matter that people have stood against (or for) evil. Moreover, it does and will matter whether one chooses for or against God.

The final chorus of the Queen song ends on notes of hope, but they are meaningless if not addressed to the everlasting God who can grant eternal life:

But touch my tears with your lips
Touch my world with your fingertips
And we can have forever
And we can love forever

I heard this post’s title in a line from a song by R.E.M. recently and it really hit home. I admit that I tend to be rather easily star-struck, especially when it came to my favorite musicians, authors, and apologists. I am pleased to say that I have met many of my heroes: bands like Saviour Machine, the Violet Burning, even Whitecross (hey, it was the 80’s give me a break!). But even more impressive is the list of apologetic luminaries I have rubbed shoulders with in the last few years:

Yeah, I pretty much know them all (and a few even know me!). What is interesting to me that it turns out that these are mostly just regular people once you get to know them. I think everyone knows that at some level, but sometimes it is hard to avoid celebrity awe. Beyond my own star-stricken issues, however, is something more serious. It seems to me that once someone gets their name in a brochure, on a poster, or (hold tight!) on the cover of a book, they automatically attain a kind of mythic status. I distinctly remember the first time it happened to me: It was my first time speaking at a large conference (name and picture on the brochure and everything!), and as I was walking through the building one of the attendees saw me. He approached with with wide-eyed wonder and said, “you’re one of the speakers!” I think I just blinked. I guess he thought that since I was listed alongside some big names I must be worthy of note. It’s closer to the truth to say I just knew some of the right people. But the experience made me realize that I probably thought the same way concerning others who I assumed were great because they were on a pamphlet.

The truth is that while many of these people have earned their lofty reputations, others aren’t nearly as impressive as they are made out to be. Some get inordinately popular by simply re-stating what real scholars have been saying for years. The truly praiseworthy ones have sufficient training in their areas, have original thoughts on their subjects, write carefully, and produce genuinely impressive works that contribute to scholarship. Unfortunately their materials often do not see the light of day because they “put the cookies on the top shelf” (i.e., they are written above the 6th grade level), and lack the funny stories, endless anecdotes, and pretty pictures necessary to sell well in today’s dumbed-down environment. Books that don’t sell well do not get re-published. Books that do not get re-published become very expensive and difficult to find. So they do not get read, and the authors don’t make money or get offered speaking engagements. And authors that don’t sell a lot of books or speak often don’t get published again. So guess who does? The guys who reformat them.

These popularizers get published because of new packaging ideas, not original thinking. Then they sell a million books and get on the speaking circuit so their adoring fans can can actually be in their presence. I’ve heard some of these guys at conferences do nothing but tell stories and prattle on about unrelated subjects, yet get standing ovations at the end. I’m sitting there thinking of many professors and even many students who could have done a much better job (with content, if not cheer-leading). It is frustrating to see truly original, high-level thinkers being ignored because they have not written dozens of pop-level books while their popularizers are made into celebrities. For example, I was in a church once that had just had Lee Strobel speak there the previous week. The Sunday School teacher was discussing some point of translation or theology concerning an ethical question, and said he sure would like to know what Lee thought about it. WHY? Now, it’s entirely possible that Lee Strobel knows Greek, ethical theory, or enough theology to be helpful - but I have never heard him give any reason to think so. what he has done is sell a lot of books where he interviews apologists. This generally goes unnoticed by the masses who do not know to check on such things; they simply assume that publication in any area qualifies someone to write on every subject under the sun with equal authority.

Further, some of the headliners I have met are just plain jerks. I don’t know what it is about celebrity status (if it is the cause or the effect), but many of those in the spotlight are, to put it mildly, socially deficient. Maybe it’s the constant adoration from people who don’t even know them. Maybe it’s pride. Maybe it’s the passes they often get get when they behave badly. Of course this problem is not limited to Christian celebs, but I guess I expect more from them.

I say all this because of my prior status as a star-eyed fan of anyone with their name on a book. I understand the gravitas that comes with publication, but there are simply too many ways to get it these days without warrant. When I was in seminary I took 2-3 courses per semester, worked 40 hours per week, ran a website ministry, and taught at churches and schools. Addi tonally, for two of those years I spent a considerable amount of time killing myself assisting someone with a book just so I would have my name mentioned on the “Thank You” page. Talk about desperation! After all that, guess how many people are impressed? Pretty much none (including myself!). It was a great experience, don’t get me wrong - but my purpose for doing the work was seriously flawed.

This and other experiences have taught me to be a lot more careful with who has hero-status in my eyes. My advice to you, regardless of your particular areas of interest, is to be careful who your heroes are (as well as why they are your heroes). Don’t be surprised if you discover that they are not really all that heroic. There truly is a lot of nonsense out there - and spotlights don’t change that.