Getting the facts straight on Christ

In December 1995, I read something that made me very happy.

I read that the entropic form of phason elasticity had been observed in a molecular-dynamics simulation using a realistic model of an equilibrium dodecagonal quasi-crystal.

Isn’t that great? But wait. It gets even better. The simulation revealed local phason fluctuations, connecting degenerate structural units, which were concluded to provide the entropy stabilizing the structure.

Don’t stop reading yet.

I’ve saved the best till last.

It’s now been verified that vacancies play a crucial role in the phason flips, acting as catalyzing agents. And these phason dynamics give rise to a novel form of atomic diffusion which demonstrates Arrhenius behavior within a range of temperatures.

Is that fantastic or what? Have you ever laid awake at night, worrying about what happens to phason elasticity in its entropic form?

Well, worry no more.

Mikhail Dzugutov has set the record straight. I’ve never met Mr. Dzugutov personally. But I know one of his relatives and it’s clear to me that Mr. Dzugutov is the real deal. Reputable. Very smart.

His professional affiliation at the time these findings were published was with

the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden.

That said, and all jesting aside, here’s what’s really intriguing. The intrinsic nature of phason dynamics didn’t really change as a result of Dzugutov’s research in 1992. Phason dynamics were what they were, and did what they did, long before this brilliant man made any of his findings.

His discovery, the papers, all the conferences – none of it actually changed any of the hard cold facts about phason dynamics. Phason dynamics can be carefully studied, brazenly exposed or totally disregarded. None of that really affects anything.

Even if we were all to deny the reality of phason dynamics tomorrow, phason dynamics would just keep on being what it always has been and doing what it always has done.

So what’s the point? The point is: This was an elaborate setup to illustrate a simple fact: Something can be true with or without our acknowledging it to be true. Fifty days after Jesus of Nazareth ascended into heaven, one of his closest associates in life made an outrageously controversial statement. Peter, the Jewish fisherman-turned-preacher, said, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36).

Who made Jesus Lord and Christ? According to Peter, God did. Not the Jewish high priest. Not the Roman governor. Not Jesus’ disciples. Not the church. Not Constantine or the Nicene Council. It was God who made Jesus Lord from even before time began. Today, Jesus is Lord whether or not you and I believe that he is Lord.

Jesus is Lord whether the Gospel of Judas casts doubt on the issue. Jesus is Lord regardless of anything that we might hear about the matter on CBS, CNN, CBN, HBO or PBS.

Jesus is Lord regardless of opinion polls. The views of Billy Graham, Deepak Chopra, Tom Cruise, Judge Judy, Dan Brown and Pope Benedict have no final bearing on the matter.

Neither does the voice of any of the writers of this column, myself included.

Hindus, Jews, new-agers, humanists, Mormons, naturalists, Buddhists and Muslims all have their own doctrine about Jesus. We should respect each group’s right to express its views. No one should be persecuted because of belief.

But fervent conviction and adamant denial do not change the simple fact that Jesus is Lord.

Why not? Because God made him Lord.

But isn’t that declaration itself just one more opinion among many? Not really. Unique and corroborating evidences that Jesus is Lord include hundreds of Old Testament prophesies, the harmonious theses of 35 separate Bible authors writing over a period of 1,500 years, and a Resurrection that has defied refutation for two millennia.

But isn’t it arrogant to make such an assertion? Probably no more than it is arrogant for those who dispute such a view to assert their own view that the Christian view is arrogant. The fact is, God highly exalted Jesus and “bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those

who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

How true. Whether or not you or I believe it.

The Rev. Daryl E. Witmer is founder and director of the AIIA Institute, a national apologetics ministry, and associate pastor of the Monson Community Church. He may be reached via AIIAInstitute@aol.com or through ChristianAnswers.Net/AIIA. Voices is a weekly commentary by Maine people who explore issues affecting spirituality and religious life.