Wyatt Graham

Faith | Books | Culture

One Reason Why Pettiness Is Regarded as Piety

by 1 Comment

Herman Bavinck once wrote, “There is so much narrow-mindedness, so much pettiness among us, and the worst thing is that this is regarded as piety.” Bavinck was referring to two Christian groups the separatist churches of the Grievers and Seceders. Both groups left the state church, but they could not get along. 

Why? Not because of matters of orthodox doctrine. Both had it. But because of pettiness and narrow-mindedness. It is the old problem of Donatism, of a drive for purity that that cuts itself off from other people. We often feel holier than the body of Christ. 

But Jesus accepts us just as we are by faith. And so the body of Christ should welcome one another just as Christ welcomed us (Rom 15:7). To do anything less is to miss the mark of Christ’s love and formation of his body, the church.   

One reason why we often become petty and narrow-minded as Bavinck says is because we do not understand how God’s Spirit gifts the created world and people in it, even of unbelievers or believers whom we disagree with. We think we are at the centre of it all. We are not because any truth or goodness that we find in this world has its origin in God.  [Read more…] about One Reason Why Pettiness Is Regarded as Piety

Byung-Chul Han: The Smartphone as a Digital Teddy Bear? And why the smartphone destroys empathy.

by Leave a Comment

Byung-Chul Han, in his recent work, Undinge, speaks about how children get stuffies as a sort of transitional object—it helps them feel safe until they are ready for the real world. They talk to the stuffy, play with it, hug it. It’s soft and they feel its softness.

The Smartphone, in contrast, has a hard surface, and so we feel our own presses. It presents to us what we want, when we want. It’s not a digital teddy bear that remains always the bear, not shifting with our whims. The smart does though. Unlike the teddy whom we keep for years, we replace smartphones. There is no permenance.

[Read more…] about Byung-Chul Han: The Smartphone as a Digital Teddy Bear? And why the smartphone destroys empathy.

Platonism and Naturalism by Lloyd P. Gerson (a review)

by 1 Comment

Lloyd P. Gerson ties platonism to five negations and one affirmation. Platonism denies nominalism, materialism, mechanism, skepticism, and relativism (18-19). Positively, it affirms the first principle of all, the Good or the One (19–20).  It affirms the reality of intellectual objects like truth, justice, and God. Platonism then, for Gerson, zeroes in on the affirmation that the world goes beyond nature, and that there is stable truth that grounds our life.  [Read more…] about Platonism and Naturalism by Lloyd P. Gerson (a review)

The “Demos” and The Truck Convoy

by Leave a Comment

As the truck convoy made its way to Ottawa, it planned a pit stop right next to where I live. I decided to check it out. I do not know what I was expecting. But here is what I saw: Canadians streaming down the streets with Canadian flags, in vehicles, and all protesting for their freedoms. 

I also saw F Trudeau flags. Later, I found out that some nearby also had upside-down Canadian flag(s). Elsewhere, some protestors used other gross and unacceptable symbols. As Pierre Poillievre said, however, one must avoid guilt by association. That some used unacceptable images and behaviour does not invalidate an entire group. 

Despite these negatives, the protest that I saw mostly comprised passionate Canadians. There was a sense of patriotism, excitement. After living in a Canada that has felt beaten and broken, the optimism felt right. [Read more…] about The “Demos” and The Truck Convoy

The Metaverse Promises to Disconnect Us from the Stability that Points to God

by Leave a Comment

Facebook, now Meta, promises to create a metaverse. The metaverse will allow us to experience a life beyond what is possible for us now. We can instantly communicate with anyone in the world. We can constantly see and experience new things. Information and data will be accessible to us in new and visually pleasing ways. 

Recently, a buyer spent $450,000 to purchase a plot of virtual land next to SnoopDogg in the latter’s virtual world. It is not as though the transition to the metaverse will be difficult. During the pandemic, days of Netflix and video games were the norm. Already, people play online games, creating communities (or clans). They spend hours a day on it. The digital world becomes their real world. 

The same sort of thing already happens on social media. Many of us spend hours on Instagram and TikTok and other platforms. We live for the like. We live to see another short video to entertain us. A whole culture has popped up through YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. It is the real-life of many, the life that feels closest and most important. 

The metaverse adds a new way of living in the digital world. The transition will not be difficult, as long as the technology works. We already live in a time where material objects have been replaced by digital technology. [Read more…] about The Metaverse Promises to Disconnect Us from the Stability that Points to God