Contemplating Wisdom

Wow, that's a big cup you have? Okay, back to the why question. Darwin’s theory identifies in the evolution of species the idea that suffering is an integral part of creation’s development. We know that when DNA replicates there often occurs gene abnormalities and mutations referred to as “errors”. From these, amounting to no more than slight differences, comes either better fitness for survival or lesser fitness prone to extinction. The better fitted characteristics survive, the lesser suffer against their environment and eventually perish. The evil we call suffering is literally part of the process of survival. It is important to make note of this insight because it negates a long standing, primitive human trait to feel that when a disaster happens it is because some deserving judgment has been rendered on the guilty. Knowing suffering is part of the process of life refutes the assumption such suffering is the result of mistakes in a previous life, a parent’s sins becoming the ...

Grab your cup and buckle in. This part of the ride is a bit bumpy. The question of how it is that Jesus saves leads to another puzzling question: if there is a God who is good, why is there evil from which we need to be saved? Even if we conclude there is a god responsible for creation then what kind of god is it that designs a world fraught with danger? And if god is indeed responsible for the design and is in control of keeping that design working then it is not hard to conceive of god as being vengeful, unjust, or just plain fickle. Considering the world’s chaos and suffering it is not illogical to conclude there is no reason, no good, and no god behind the working of creation. But first, let’s identify what we mean by evil. We humans create tremendous evil for ourselves and for others by the self-serving, shortsighted choices we make. A child is killed by a drunk driver and we say, “Why did God allow that to happen?” If God has culpability the culpability is limited to giving hu...

Now the problem is that coffee has caffeine and caffeine makes your heart rate go up, the flow of blood to your brain increases and the brain generates thoughts that weren’t there before. So, caffeine is good right? Yes, but then there is always the postulate that too much of a good thing can go the other way. Too much caffeine can result in too much blood pressure, wear you out, challenge your other organs, or worse case scenario lead to explosion in some part of your brain. So watch it! Me? In spite of my bravado I try to limit myself to one cup in the morning spread over three or four refills. That way my brain thinks I’m drinking more than I really am. Have another cup? I not only write early, with cup near by, but I read more than I write. In doing so I ran across this in one of my latest reading adventures by Robert Wright, The Evolution of God . Near the end (p. 440) Wright draws a conclusion on the idea of salvation and how its meaning has varied through history and in various ...

Now where was I? Oh, yes, pour another cup, I remember, it was about the progress of human redemption and how the change in our thinking is transforming our whole state of being. We don’t always get it right but we know, for examples, that human slavery is not acceptable, the helpless are not to be exploited, that violence and war are not to be waged for acquisition of that which belongs to another, and, in general, there are certain inalienable rights bestowed upon humans that we believe are endowed by the Creator. Converting our knowledge to universal practice takes longer but the mechanisms for achieving these higher principles are clearly revealed to us in a variety of religious traditions. For those who choose to be Christians we see these truths revealed in the life and teachings of Jesus. In Jesus we are challenged to follow more than just the letter of the law. He sets for us a higher ideal that transcends the old ways of setting values in concrete or writing them in stone. F...

Careful, this cup is hot. This is a new blend and it’s really smooth. So…if you ask me, “Why Jesus?” here is my answer: first, to show in the life of Jesus and his teachings the potential we have in how we live and that we have denied the very best of the potential God has placed in us. Second, in Jesus we see the ultimate picture of God setting right our relationship through love and forgiveness offered without price. Third, in the crucifixion of Jesus we see our human nature that blindly rejects and denies that God’s way will get us where we desire to be. And fourth, the power of goodness witnessed in the resurrection is an emphatic statement that nothing in life or death can defeat God’s desires to achieve for creation the highest good. Now if you were to ask of me, “What would you like to see in the Church of tomorrow?” I’d say for starters, let’s seriously rethink some key elements of what church goers hear sung, preached and taught in most churches every Sunday. Anselm’s 11th cen...

Well, its Sunday morning, coffee pot is brewing, and I’m getting ready for church. What better time to talk about “evil”. Evil has always been a sticky question for people of faith. From where does evil come and, if God is good, why does evil exist? There’s much to be said about happenings that we deem to be destructive evil but for this cup of coffee let me stick with some of our more antiquated ideas. Ancient thinkers have pictured God as having an adversary, a competing power, often called Satan or The Devil. I like the insightful Star Wars designation as “The Dark Side”. The anthropomorphic (human-like) attributes we apply to evil are quiet natural in the history of religious development. We project human qualities onto God even though we know that God is not limited or bound by such features. Communication about God in metaphoric terms that parallel our human experience helps us connect with God. The same need for metaphoric images is at work when envisioning evil. We give evil ...

I see you already have your cup. Good. Where did I leave off? Oh, yes, that question about why Jesus and was it really necessary for his life to turn out the way it did? Around the middle of the last century, noted British preacher Leslie Weatherhead wrote an insightful little book entitled The Will of God. The book has served as an excellent answer to that question for many years. Though I think Weatherhead’s answer needs updating his premise is still strong. Jesus’ rejections and death was not God’s intention, desire, or will. Rather, like so many of the prophets before Jesus, it was God’s desire that the people accept him and his teaching. The purpose of Jesus is the same as many prophets before him, to show us a Creator who loves us, who created us to love sacrificially, and including forgiving others as we have been forgiven. Though we as disciples consider Jesus to be unique in revealing God’s nature, some of his most poignant teachings are actually taken from earlier writings i...