Standing on the wharf at Gerainger Fjord in Norway, a fellow traveller said to me, “Isn’t nature wonderful?” I replied straight away, “You mean Creation?” He was caught unawares, usually his repartee was quick, and in the moment of hesitancy I inquired, “Do you know the Bible calls it creation for a reason?” He, of course, didn’t know this, so I offered the reason: “The word creation points beyond itself to its Creator.”
In ‘How Should We Then Live’, Francis Schaeffer wrote:
“This book is written in the hope that this generation may turn from the greatest wickedness, the placing of any created thing in the place of the Creator, and that this generation may get its feet out of the paths of death and may live.”
Many of Schaeffer’s insights have proven to be prophetic. His accuracy in describing the path modern philosophy and culture have led us down accurately describes current Western values and behaviour. He foresaw that relative, rather than absolute, values were profoundly self-centred, being motivated by humanity’s desire for personal peace and affluence.
As I walked away from my fellow traveller, I reflected on the truth that idolatry may take different forms, but its essence remains the same.
We do well to remember our Maker…
Peter Thompson