Alternative Culture: A Grief Observed review

[The following post is dedicated to my friends Lisabelle and Rachel, who has helped me out so much in my Christian teaching journey in 2016.]

 "No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid."
-- C S Lewis

Some of the most well-meaning works on grief and loss are not honest enough. Most would try to snap the person out of their state by encouraging positive thinking or distracting oneself. Few books would try to deal with the problem emotionally.

C S Lewis wrote in a time of great personal loss. Using a pseudonym (as he did not want people to buy his books based on his reputation), he immediately confessed his feeling of fear, when he was not afraid. He offered few answers about the overcoming grief, yet affirms such feelings of anger and loss.

In a world where we offer mechanical solutions to every problem we encounter, we forget to take a breath, and reflect on our honest feelings during times of strife, confusion and pain. This is a book you want if you do not like sugar-coasted answers.

My confessions: My reflection on the 500th year of Reformation

Martin Luther was often credited to be the father of the Reformation

Mention the Reformation, and many of my friends look at me with ignorant faces. Some think it is a historical thing, while others restrict it to a Caucasian event. In fact, when my friend suggested I give a talk on how the Reformation affects Singaporeans, I laughed. It should be the simplest talk ever. It doesn't.

But it should.

The world today
It is hard to argue for the importance of the Reformation in this day and age. After all, the Reformation led to a period of religious wars in Europe, and religious disputes are often seen as dangerous, racist and uncharitable. We value peace and stability over truth and accuracy. Even my youth pastor once mentioned that the Reformation was over a dispute over minor matters.

Secondly as my friend puts it, "Singaporeans are a practical people".  Religion appears to have no practical effect on the lives of people other than appealing to tradition and culture. For the most of us, our knowledge of even our own religion tends to be superficial and third-hand. Even when we are interested in religion, we tend to try to find practical tips in Christian living, rather than digging deep and finding truth.

The importance of the Reformation
However, the message of the Reformation is still relevant as ever. The crux (key message) of the Reformation is about justification, or "what makes us just before God".

The Reformers argued that the purpose of life is to be justified before God, and to be counted as righteous. This runs contrary to our secular way of where we seek acceptance through our work, achievements or connections. And secular demands places a lot of pride in our work (and ignores God) and much stress on our health.

What should we do?
Instead of remembering the Reformation as some trivial history, I encourage everyone to dig down deep. Remember what Christ did for us, instead of assuming that we earned our way.