My little Gnudren,

Spring is in the air. It’s time to frolic through field with little lambs, and also test your resilience to pollen. Cherry blossom, magnolias are in full glorious bloom etc etc. ….  City dwellers, get out there! 

Meanwhile bombs are reigning down on some of our fellow planet dwellers, and the powerful few, very few have the peace of the world in their hands.

Old Gnu was introduced to the teachings of Mr. J.N. Darby (1800-1882) who originally trained as an Anglican Priest but left the Anglican Church and founded the Plymouth Brethren and then the Exclusive Brethren. The Plymouth Brethren were a group of Christians who enabled Gnu’s family to come to England out of a situation that ended up in bloodshed and civil war. They showed compassion and kindness.

Now to understand the situation that some Christians are caught up in, in the States, a mere 20-40 million of them, please type into Mr.AI “The Influence of J.N. Darby in America”, and read his succinct summary. And you ought to make time to read Mr. Waki Pedia’s article on J.N. Darby. It’s not long. 

Mr. Darby was a scholar and a godly man by all accounts. He made new translations of the Bible from the Greek and Hebrew Texts in French, German, Dutch and English. I think this is probably an unparalleled feat in Bible translation.  He wrote copiously and among other things propagated a view of prophecy and “dispensations” in world history. He mapped out where world history was going. As Mr. AI accurately says, these views have significantly affect American Foreign Policy and evangelical views of the State of Israel.

Now please remember that there are Christians in the States who do not hold to this sort of teaching. And those throughout the world who don’t, are in the majority – but Old Gnu hasn’t counted them.

Old Gnu hails from stock that started life in Armenian Apostolic (Orthodox) Church, but spent up to the age of 18 under the influence and teach of the Plymouth Brethren. An accident took him via the Music Department at Sheffield University to 6 more years in the Biblical Studies Department. That made him decide he could not hold a literalist view of all biblical texts.

But what is the point of all this? Once again, we have to say that we can use an approach to understanding the Bible that can damage millions of people. The “godliest”  of men and women are capable of doing an enormous amount of good, and also providing momentum for evil on an unprecedented scale in the name of biblical truth. 

“By their fruits you shall know them”, (and not by their truths and doctrines), says Jesus.

So, we have to ask ourselves what is it that we propagate, hold dear, regard as a non-negotiable tenet of our faith?

Has it the potential to generate good for all those we come in contact with? If not, drop it.

And please remember that all the biblical texts are the witness of writers through the period of a millennia who have found some inspired insight into the wonders of relating to God. Some of them are not directly applicable to our time, but point in a good direction. They are an invitation to partake in their understanding and experience of God. To try and formulate coherent views about a mapped out future, taking details from their writings, which and separated by  decades or hundreds of years, is for Old Gnu a mistake.  It leads to a magical view of the Bible where God somehow put clues about the future in sundry parts, written generations apart, which we can somehow ferret out and piece together …and then argue about the details. Because some will claim they have the future mapped out more accurately than others! That has led to the start of new denominations! 

Jesus says, “no one knows the time or hour” when God chooses to act decisively. 

You may have different views. Old Gnu rejoices that we have the opportunity together to be channels of God’s peace today, and tomorrow if he chooses to give us another day.

On that cheerful note, Happy Easter!  May all your bunnies be chocolate ones.

The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! 

Vetus Pater Gnu 
Academiae Musicorum et Theologia
Turris LA
II Mensis Aprilis MMXXVI