Why I think perennialism
is the best way to live life.
Watch our Truth in Two to find out why (2 min vid + text).
Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young people in public university (1 minute video), teaching at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).
Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Angel.com
FULL TEXT
Perennials are flowers that grow back every year. Once planted, the flowers can continue to bloom from one spring to another. The word “perennial” signifies what the flower does, coming back each year. In history the word perennial means “evergreen, continual, or lasting.” I have taken the definition upon myself to identify who I am as a Hebraic-Christian thinker. I am a perennialist, a person who believes in universal truths which are true throughout time, applicable across cultures.
As a Christian perennialist, I believe that universal truth originates from The Originator of the universe, who is Jesus, according to Colossians 1.15-20. If Jesus is the origin of all truth, then His Truth exists for all time in all places. Truth properly applied can benefit all people everywhere. As a perennialist, I do believe that Heaven’s Truth can and should be applied; concepts such as justice, freedom, conservation, care for others, and creation of wealth are for the betterment of all.
Let me be clear: I am *not* suggesting that humans always employ Heaven’s Truth correctly on earth. Words like “justice” or “freedom” can be abused by everyone since we are all inherently corrupt; this is the reason why Jesus had to die for the sin of the world. Now, some of my friends would call me a “conservative.” In the sense that I want to conserve the great ideas and ideals handed down to me, they are right. I would, however, rather call myself a “preservatist,” someone who preserves the great ideas and ideals for future generations. Indeed, The Comenius Institute itself, captures the great, universal ideas of John Amos Comenius applying them forward, into the 21st century. Just like the flower, I believe in the everlasting, perennial nature of Truth as it adds beauty to the world. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking perennial truth, wherever it’s found.