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Quote by Lesslie Newbigin

“The strong counterattack against the values of the European Enlightenment has come just at the time when, for the reasons already given, the confidence of Europe in its own culture is collapsing. The result of the conjunction of these two forces is the phenomenon of multiculturalism, an ideology that celebrates cultural diversity as an unqualified good in its own right. When this ideology takes over, value judgments claiming to discriminate between different cultural traditions in terms of their intrinsic worth are ruled out of order. Cultural diversity is an unqualified good; judgments of good or bad with respect to different cultures are condemned as cultural imperialism.”

Quote by Lesslie Newbigin

Work

Proper Confidence: Faith, Doubt, and Certainty in Christian Discipleship

This book delves into the nuanced relationship between faith, doubt, and certainty as they relate to Christian life and devotion. It examines how believers navigate the challenges of uncertainty and the quest for spiritual clarity. more

Author

Lesslie Newbigin
Lesslie Newbigin

Lesslie Newbigin, born on December 8, 1909 and died on January 30, 1998, was a prominent Christian theologian and author. His work focused on cultural, religious, and social issues, and had a profound impact on contemporary Christian theology. more

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“Have you not come to fight against invisible foes? Did you not come here to take up the warfare against your passions? For what reason did you wish to be enlisted and take your place in the ranks of Christ’s soldiers? Was it to receive rations and pay on the same terms as they, and to sit at their table like those who on the stage eat their fill and get drunk? If that is what you think, woe to you on that day of judgment, when Christ comes “to repay every man for what he has done.”

“Mindfulness opposes judgment, conceptualization, words, language, reason, logic, knowledge, understanding, science, philosophy, mathematics, history, intellectualism, learning from the past and planning for the future. It reduces thoughtful humans to the state of thoughtless animals, prisoners of the ignorance of the moment, overwhelmed by primitive sense-certainty. And this is sold as a desirable state, something we should all aspire to!”

“They often say an idea is not as important as its execution, and that the judgment comes according to perspectives. I confess this be the truth of life. Well then, I should also calculate, that if I have an utterly cruel idea but execute it properly, people will judge me as a saviour, while if a heroic person like you fulfills his idea with the utmost sincerity, he shall be accused of villainy since he goes on extremes just to bring his idealistic vision to life. Aye, amigo – sincerity is rarely rewarded. Foxiness and hypocrisy win the hearts of the multitude, especially if one craftily hides their true intentions and desires with an innocent, hearty smile.”

“When we listen to ourselves with callous objectivity—trying to diagnose and eradicate our problems with effective solutions—this “listening” rarely works. Think of the people who treat you this way: those who can’t see beyond their labels and judgments of you. Those who only “listen” for long enough to decide which advice to give you. It feels horrible. This same attitude prevents us from hearing our inner conversations. When we feel like someone has an agenda, we resist. Trying to fix ourselves while pretending to love ourselves doesn’t work. We don’t heal through objectification. We heal through understanding. We need to feel appreciated by the people who help us—ourselves included.”