ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 4, 2025
I don’t know why, but I have had a hard time writing this Etching. I have experienced moments of inspiration, started to type, only to shake my head and say to myself, “Well, that’s nonsense.” Now I’m pretty sure I have written a few Etchings over the years that were actually published, and upon reading them, you thought to yourself, “Well, that’s nonsense.” If it’s only a handful, I am okay with that. But it does make me ponder how we determine what is nonsense when it comes to much weightier matters.
Let’s be clear, we have a lot of nonsense right now, and I am really quite nervous when it comes to public health, specifically the disinformation around vaccines. Freedom is a marvelous thing, but there are times when a free society places some well-studied guardrails up for the protection of everyone, though specifically the most vulnerable. Lower speed limits in residential areas have proven to save lives, specifically the lives of children. And though some may not like the limitation and others may choose not to follow the posted speed limit, it does not make it nonsense.
Today, there is a robust debate among scientists on what exactly is dark matter. It is undetectable by traditional scientific methods, yet its existence is inferred because of the impact it appears to have on gravitational pull. It is estimated that it makes up more than 25% of the universe, and some scientists refer to it as the cosmic scaffolding holding everything together. Twenty years from now, scientists might prove that such a theory about dark matter is in fact nonsense. But whether that theory is true or not, does not impact my daily life. Calling well-researched vaccines into question with really no evidence is nonsense, and it does impact all of our lives.
Holy God, you have entrusted us with a capacity for wisdom, and though there are times we may not like something, it does not make it unwise. And sometimes the best way I can love my neighbor is choosing to do what is wise even when it is not convenient or not wanting to do. Amen.
