Paul walked through Athens and his spirit was provoked. The city was full of idols. Imagine it: temples everywhere, every street corner with statues, the city humming with religious activity. But it was all empty. Decorative spirituality without knowledge of God. And Paul's reaction wasn't academic distance. It was provocation. His spirit was stirred.
I've spent my career studying world religions, and I've cultivated what I thought was appropriate scholarly detachment. But I'm realizing that detachment might be a form of cowardice. Paul sees spiritual lostness and he's moved to action. Not anger exactly. Not contempt. But genuine concern that people are seeking something real while worshipping nothing at all.
What would provoke my spirit? I've been trained to appreciate all religions as equally valid paths. But sitting in my university office, I'm wondering if that's actually faithful to what I believe. I believe the resurrection happened. I believe Christ is alive. I believe people can encounter him. And if that's true, then the absence of it matters. The seeking without finding matters. I'm starting to think Paul's provocation might be closer to love than my studious neutrality.
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