Seeing God in Greece: Athens
First of a series
My first night in Greece. My fourth floor Athens hotel room.
Check it out. Two single beds. A TV. A decent sized bathroom. Double
sliding glass doors onto the balcony.
I rolled back one of the doors and stepped out. My ears pulled me
first to the south and the sounds of the city: car horns screaming
for attention, motorcycle engines revving, people talking. But as my
eyes scanned the cityscape, I turned toward the north. I followed the
narrow street about four blocks up a moderately sloping hill. Then I
scaled a ten story cliff and peered, wide-eyed, on an ancient
pillared building perched high above the metropolis of seven million.
The Parthenon.
This huge, heavily columned temple to Athena has stood on this hill
since before 400 B.C. For centuries Greeks scaled the steep steps of
this huge hill, the acropolis, to worship the goddess they believed
cared for and protected their city and their nation. The Parthenon
was the center of ancient Athens. It was its soul.
A short distance away is Pnyx Hill where Athens' citizens met to
discuss and vote on matters of state. In the shadow of the Parthenon
is Mars Hill where Paul challenged the intellectual community to
trust the "unknown god" they had built a temple for. He identified
this God as the God of the Bible. At the base of the acropolis is the
agora, the market place, the mall. Centuries ago it would have teemed
with shops and shoppers.
All around this section of Athens are ruins of ancient buildings. A
temple to Zeus. Another to Poseidon. The Roman built Tower of the
Winds (a huge water clock). Two open air theaters. After all these
years -- for some buildings the better part of three millennia --
it's remarkable that they still exist even as ruins.
As I marveled at the Parthenon standing tall against the evening sky,
I wondered how much of our American culture will exist in 2000 years,
should Jesus choose not to return first.
Then I thought about Christianity. In another two millennia there may
be no physical evidence that our churches, even our denomination
existed. Perhaps there will be no evidence of any church buildings
anywhere on the planet. But the Christian faith will remain -- alive,
vibrant, and growing.
Christianity is not about buildings. It's about souls, "spiritual
stones," Peter says, that are built together on the foundation that
is Jesus to form the Church.
If the Earth stands for another 2,000 years, Jesus' Church will still
be here. Saved souls will continue to testify to his love and
forgiveness -- souls, not mute columns, will shout and sing about
their Savior.
Unlike the ancient religion of Greece that is now only a curious
artifact of history, faith in Jesus is here to stay. It is here to
stay because it is the truth -- and the truth cannot be silenced.
Cultures can attempt to mute it. They can try to outshout it. They
can ridicule and legislate against it. But Christianity will not die.
Our faith has existed from creation. And like those who trust it,
this faith will outlive the Judgment.
Consider what it means that Christianity will outlast the universe by
clicking here and going on to Deeper Thoughts.
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