softening the edges

i’ve been guilty of softening the story of God and his agency in the world

culturally, it’s a strong temptation.  dealing with the old testament can prove to be a test, at best, when trying to communicate the truth of a loving God.  it’s easy to yield to the urge to soften some of the more harsh and tragic scenes…

but the thought that these scenes can be softened is ludicrous

anyone who is paying attention can see the hypocrisy of it

what can, and i think should be done is this

wrestle with the discomfort of it

trying to make it something it isn’t is dangerous

honestly wrestling with all the apparent inconsistencies and paradoxes seems to be the only good way of dealing with it

i’m generally not a fan of those who say they’ve got it all figured out… i don’t trust them.  anyone who claims to have it all figured out would seem to be either colossally egotistic or monumentally naive.

however, i can’t feel bad about anyone who says “i don’t know”…  i mean we’re talking about the Creator, the God of the universe, the Infinite.  what other claim really holds water?

that isn’t to say there aren’t things we can know about God!

and it certainly isn’t to say we can’t experience intimacy with him

but to say we understand issues like whether the omniscient God changes his mind, or how a compassionate God can destroy every air breathing creature on the face of the earth except for those who fit in a boat he designed, or how all the souls of this earth will spend eternity… well these are things we may never have answers for

at least this side of the grave.

it’s hard because there are those who would say that if we don’t somehow soften the jagged points then many will never come into relationship with God.  i know personally the difficulty of dealing with how alternate and un-biblical doctrines can woo those who don’t want to deal with the tension of mystery.

but paradox and mystery are things we need to get comfortable with

one way or another

why is this so difficult for us?  i think it has to be a cultural thing… a left over of modernism perhaps.  i find it frustrating, this idea that there has to be an answer for everything

i think it is in part a terrible aversion to vulnerability that makes us uncomfortable with mystery…

if we can come to the place where we just say what we believe and stop with the certainties about the inherently uncertain, adopting a healthy approach to “i don’t know, but this is what i think about it…” i think we’ll begin to have more credibility in the world.  i think most of the people in the world, even in our world, are OK with us not having all the answers.  on the contrary, i think the biggest problem most people have with us is the perception that we do have all the answers.

when we aren’t insisting we have the answers to everything…

when we’re acting out the answers we do have…

that’s when i believe we’ll see the Kingdom coming in glory

and this seems to be consistent with the teachings of Jesus