Anthropocentrism – it’s a big word with a simple meaning: man-centredness. All of us should know that this is a problem with our natural human condition. We want the world to revolve around us. By nature, we find a world with God in the centre difficult to accept. This way of thinking is common enough in non-Christian circles. How sad it is, then, to see this way of thinking also accepted by many who claim the Name above every name. In one of his books, popular author Max Lucado penned the following:
I’ve seen you stalking the malls, walking the aisles, searching for that extra-special gift. Stashing away a few dollars a month to buy him some lizard-skin boots; staring at a thousand rings to find her the best diamond; staying up all Christmas Eve, assembling the new bicycle.
Why do you do it? So her eyes will pop, his jaw will drop. To hear those words of disbelief: “You did this for me?”
And that is why God did it. Next time a sunrise steals your breath or a meadow of flowers leaves you speechless, remain that way.
Say nothing, and listen as heaven whispers, “Do you like it? I did it just for you.”[i]
That sounds nice. It appeals to our emotions. God’s acts of creation and providence exist just for us. Doesn’t that make us feel good? It might make us feel good, but it is not what Scripture teaches. In the Psalms (e.g. 8 and 19), for instance, we find that God’s work in this world is not for us, but for him – for his glory! Keep Reading>>>
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