They're teaching him that nothing is true, or more accurately, that everything is.  We're having a very interesting e-conversation right now.... I mostly feel pretty much like I'm trying to nail Jell-O to a wall.  I had a thought, though, and with this I ended the message I will send to him tomorrow:

"For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men-- as free, yet not using your liberty as a cloak for vice, but as servants of God.  Honor all people.  Love the brotherhood.  Fear God.  Honor the king.  Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.  For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.  For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer for it, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.  For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 'Who committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth'; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously......." 1 Peter 4:15-23

I am hardly ever here anymore, and so I don't even know if anyone other than me will actually read this.  Since you are here now, though, I really do welcome your thoughts.  This is going to be, at least in part, a journaling effort for me, as I am attempting to work some things out for myself. 

I just finished reading the very enjoyable book above, and have been thinking about some of the issues it raised for me.  It is a piece of civil war era fiction and in it the main character is a white doctor from the north who moves to Mississippi to set up his practice.  The doctor finds that he enjoys the company of the slaves he meets over the company of the landowners, and even is led to Christ by the humble, Godly black folks he meets.  The slaves exemplify what Peter exhorts us to do in the verses above, although they understandably long for freedom.

Yes, the book is fiction, but from other reading I have done, I think that many people who were actually slaves in this country responded with similar grace to their situations.  Nobody who truly understands the Bible thinks that it condones slavery, but it's obvious that God can be glorified even in the most horrible situations.  Pain affords us the opportunity to die to ourselves that prosperity does not.  We selfish critters tend to forget God when everything is going well, and think that our many blessings are somehow due to our own worthiness when nothing could be further from the truth.  I think we are seeing that in our culture today.... we have so many rights and we have equality (in theory, at least) and blessings galore and we (collectively) are not grateful and certainly are not a humble people. 

So in light of this, define "blessing".  Is that which brings us closer to God a blessing, no matter how horrid it looks to our natural eyes?  I'm thinking the answer is yes, although I have a hard time calling slavery a blessing nonetheless.  I can't escape numerous applications in my own life, though, and I'm wondering whether it is ever appropriate to demand your rights.  My guess is that God would allow us to do that, but we may miss out on what He would teach us and do through us if we do.  The slaves in the book wanted their freedom (naturally!) like I said and eventually got it....... Is longing for what you don't have wrong?  Or maybe I should ask if it could be wrong.  When or how?

I realize that this post could be offensive to some, and apologize for any offense I have brought here, but I do not ask these things lightly.

"Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."