Trust is often assumed to be a virtue, but without
suspicion it could indeed be a detriment. Thus, when you’re considering
virtues, don’t leave out suspicion.
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Monday, June 10, 2019
Reflection for the Week - June 10
The
fierce debate about the similarities and differences of the God of the OT and
of the NT is well known. My modest attempt at a configuration of this would go
along these lines. God in both testaments is portrayed in a contextual manner; different
contexts bring forth different pictures, which all represent something of who
God is. Despite the cacophony there is a thread of transcendence that claims
that God is also beyond context. That is, the God of first and second
testaments is contextual, though not finally subject to it. There is a tension
here that cannot be resolved, nor should it be.
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Thursday Thoughts - June 6
Biblical narrative and nature are an astounding drama engaging God and humanity. This drama goes far beyond a dispassionate recounting or a merely experiential narrating. There’s just too much to tell and both objectivity and subjectivity fall short. Yet, in the unfolding theater of life and death, filled with a repertoire of mystery and complexity, there are particular viable resonances that connect to a realistic hope for transformation in the niche of a possible world.
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Living Spiritual Rhythms - May 29
To not be resigned to death in the midst of chaos and uncertainty is a challenge and a destiny. Fighting against addiction and abuse - the injustices of tolerance – takes hard work and deep commitment. As things fray from the peaceful center to the edges of despair and back, death frequently looms large on the horizon of existence. It perversely seeks to convince us that this is the final space. Frantic attempts to escape from this lie only enslave us and lead to false release. By contrast, life, worn as it may be, is a hopeful adventure worth embracing.
Monday, May 27, 2019
Reflection for the Week - May 27
Our reading strategies for the biblical text, self, other, and the world should have a similarity. That is, not too objective, nor too subjective (walking a tightrope might be a good image). These phenomena are not to be mere objects of analysis and study or simply personal subjects of possession and interest, but understood as related and distinct in tension. Falling into compartmentalized or collapsing approaches will lead to a short circuiting of making necessary tensional connections that will challenge and enhance our lives, while helping us recognize that we are in the midst of a complex living adventure filled with convictions, doubts, and questions concerning life and its emerging possibilities.
Thursday, May 23, 2019
Thursday Thoughts - May 23
Science
is fallible and sometimes gets it wrong. Granted. Some theologians use this as
a foil to discount science all together, whenever it goes against their
theology. “Oh yes” they quip, “science is often having to revise its findings, frequently
changing its views, and therefore it’s untrustworthy.” But this is absurd.
There is no reason to entirely discount the stable findings of science, which
are not going to change. Furthermore, science is frequently self-correcting and
capable of offering new and better understandings for where it was in error. Thus,
theologians should stop making excuses for not accepting valuable scientific
data concerning human evolution and the cosmos, and recognize its potential significance
for and justified challenge of some of their theological interpretations
regarding who God is and what God does.
Monday, May 20, 2019
Reflection for the Week - May 20
If
we start to ask questions about Divine action, it may challenge our faith in
the God we think we know. Some believers will not want to go here. But, I’d
wager it is worth asking just what view of the natural world and God we have
when we assume that God is clearing traffic jams to ensure we’ll make a flight
for vacation. The picture that God somehow reaches in from the outside to generally keep everything
going or to act in particular ways should be carefully re-examined. Yes, I
know. Exploring these types of issues will be difficult, yet in light of what
we now are beginning to discover about how the natural world works, simplistic
scenarios of Divine action are no longer viable, but have to be challenged. And
then? Well, we’ll have to see where this takes us when it comes to knowing God.
Robert John Russell has done some excellent work on this topic. Here’s a valuable
recent book he edited and contributed to.
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