I've just begun reading G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy as part of a group study I'll be doing over the next several months. In the first chapter he laments the fact that modern man seems obsessed with the 'new'. Partly because of human arrogance and partly because out of a desire to be unique, it seems as though most people want to construct their own new 'blend' of beliefs. Chesterton remarks that the philosophy that he outlines in the book (i.e. Christian orthodoxy) is not new therefore discarded by the moderns. Modern philosophy (and post-modern for that matter) places humankind at the base of their philosophical constructs. A modern philosopher starts with what they know (or think they know) about themselves and then attempt to extrapolate understanding of the universe from there ('I think therefore I am'). This seems to be one reason why modern philosophy has little basis for morality. At best modern philosophy can attempt to enforce the morals of the philosopher on the rest.

Christian thought is the inverse. God is at the beginning and I am the end. As understand more about God (through His revelation), I understand more about the universe and more about who I am and should be. In Chesterton's words, "I did not create it, rather it is creating me."

God is good all the time. All the time God is good.

So here is a question to ponder. What does it mean that God is good? Is there some absolute standard for good, outside of God, that He adheres to? Or does God define what it means to be good? Is goodness a reflection of God's character or is He simply the ulimate example of a good one?

"And the Lord God said, 'No that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.'" (Gen 3:22, NET)