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Preface

Before Tom Cruise, Matt Damon, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and even Clint Eastwood, there was John Wayne. The iconic action hero of my youth, “The Duke”, as he was sometimes called, was famous for fighting, shooting, and tough-talking his way through every movie to protect the abused and vanquish the bad guys, wherever they were. To me, his characters seemed a source of stability on which I could build my sense of right and wrong. I loved going to movies to see the most recent John Wayne film, and believed that anything John Wayne did was, by definition, good. He was a role model to me. And then an unsettling thing happened. There, in one of my favorite movies, The Duke was driving while clearly intoxicated. This was before MADD and SADD and national sensitivity to the dangers of drunk driving, but my awareness of the issue had been raised when someone very dear to me had almost been killed by a drunk driver. When that accident happened, I remember wondering why someone would risk lives—t...
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36 CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX “To will one thing”: Section 18 (continued)

  Exploring challenging passages and ideas (continued) It seems unbelievable that, after seeing so many miracles and amazing things, the people of Israel, the disciples, John the Baptist, and even his mother, Mary, would ever doubt or forget what they’d seen and question or turn away. But then I reflect on my own ability to be overwhelmed by God or something else in my life, and then, shockingly soon after, doubt whether it had really happened that way, or forget or become deadened to the awe. And I think that’s not just me, but human nature. So not only does something like that happening over and over in the Bible (which at first seems unbelievable and not credible) upon reflection, seem like not a contradiction and reason for unbelief, it instead it seems insightful and lends credibility. We all have the tendency to forget our gratitude and awe, and ask “what have you done for me lately?” This can definitely happen from generation to generation, with inspiration being lost from o...
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36 CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX “To will one thing”: Section 18 (continued)

  Exploring challenging passages and ideas (continued) One reasonable question is “Why does God need to be praised all of the time?” For me, the answer is, he doesn’t. Elsewhere in my life I’ve experienced many situations in which the “giver” of something actually benefited as much or more than the “receiver”—in fact, I’ve seen situations in which, despite best intentions, the “receiver” didn’t end up benefitting at all, but the “giver” was transformed by the experience. As discussed in the chapter on Gratitude, giving thanks is a prime example. I believe that God seeks our praise not for his benefit, but for ours. There are hints of this when Jesus said that what he was saying or praying for was not just between him and God but for the benefit of those hearing the prayer. It often seems that a request or commandment by God isn’t at all about accomplishing the thing itself but about what doing the thing does for and to the doer (like the work being done by the trainee in Karate Kid...
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36 CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX “To will one thing”: Section 18 (continued)

Exploring challenging passages and ideas (continued) While it can seem that the old and new testaments offer very different perspectives on justice and mercy and God’s will, I believe that further study and consideration reveals the insight in St. Augustine’s statement that “The new is in the old concealed; the old is in the new revealed.” The challenge is in discovering and appreciating all the ways that is true—they definitely can feel very different in places. And we must be aware that translations can matter. For instance, Christ is generally quoted as telling the thief on the cross, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise,” from which most denominations conclude that Jesus was in Paradise on Good Friday. But it has been pointed out that the original Greek likely had no comma, and so the statement might instead have been (and the textual, linguistic, and other evidence might actually point towards it being), “‘Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in Paradi...
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36 CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX “To will one thing”: Section 18

Exploring challenging passages and ideas In the many posts that follow as part of this section I explore some of the challenges and difficulties and apparent conflicts I have discovered in the Bible, and, in many cases share my reflections on them. As a first thought, it seems to me arrogance on my part to think that I have the right and ability to fully understand God and that I shouldn’t or can’t believe if I don’t have all of the answers. As I discuss throughout this book, there are a great many things I don’t understand but still believe are true. In all, I try to heed to wisdom of Proverbs 3:5-6 (New International Version): 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. With all of that said, what follows are some thoughts, but also some challenges and difficulties I have discovered, along with research and possible resolutions where I have found them. This sectio...
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36 CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX “To will one thing”: Section 17

“Our own words” All of that said, there are unquestionable things that aren’t in the creeds—Paul lists some as “Acts of the Flesh” just before he lists the “Fruit of the Spirit.” For instance, I don’t think anyone can make a case that being hateful, jealous, or envious toward anyone is consistent with the commandments to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. Or that sexual promiscuity is God’s will for us (even if it seems the norm—as discussed in another chapter, this seems a good example of how following the law really is for our own good.) Or that gluttony, hubris, or sewing discord should be applauded. “Discernment” that condones or ignores these things must be seen as our “own words and not the word of God.” Being saved does not mean we are free to do whatever we want—as mentioned throughout, it actually means we seek to replace our will with his. And again, the fruits of the spirit provide evidence of our progress in that. I saw a billboard by the side of the road tha...
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36 CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX “To will one thing”: Section 16

Handling differing discernments I believe that my own thought process when reading or interacting with someone who thinks differently in interpreting the Bible and how we should respond in living our lives should be: 1.        God loves you. And we are called to love each other. 2.        I am not your judge—God is 3.        The law is a guide (for our good, which is what God seeks and desires—and understands best) but various interpretations have been accepted over church history from the beginning—consider the Council of Jerusalem as just one of these. You are justified by faith and not by the law. But Jesus said not one iota of the law would pass away, and so the law remains an important guide and it’s our job to try to live up to that, knowing that we will not be able to, but trying to nonetheless as outpouring and manifestation of our faith and trust in, and thankfulness to, God. We sh...
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36 CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX “To will one thing”: Section 15

The challenge of discernment In the introduction to his book,  Santa Biblia , Justo González recounts his response to a student at a lecture he gave who asked “Do you believe that the Bible is inerrant?” After a pause, he replied, “Yes! The Bible is inerrant. But the same cannot be said for any interpretation of the Bible. The error is not in the Bible, but in its interpreters, who often confuse their own words with the Word of God.” (p. 12) González goes on to point out, for instance, that it can sometimes be challenging to know where to take the Bible literally, since much in it is allegorical (e.g. Jesus saying “I am the vine”). In her book,  The Rock That Is Higher: Story as Truth , Madeleine L’Engle confronts that challenge, saying, There is no way that you can read the entire Bible seriously and take every word literally. Contradictions start in the first chapter of Genesis. There are two Creation stories, two stories of the making of Adam and Eve. And that is all right....
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