I am tempted to create a blog post by simply
stringing together a series of Fleming Rutledge quotes. The words she uses are often
adequate to spark the mind and generate combustion. However, I shall do more
than that; I shall interact with some of her writings on the atonement rendered
by the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Much of what I write here
will stem from my reading of The
Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ, Fleming Rutledge,
Eerdmans, 2017. But, some thoughts will have their origin in other writings and
interviews with Rutledge.
Fleming Rutledge is an Episcopalian Priest
in the grand tradition of preacher, theologian, author, and scholar. She has
written much, preached much, and said much in interviews for many publications,
but her greatest work is The Crucifixion,
published in 2017. She says that it has taken her a lifetime to write this
book. Others consider it a landmark book and it has given Rutledge a
significant platform from which to speak. The most significant theme of the
book is stated this way,
in the grand tradition of preacher, theologian, author, and scholar. She has
written much, preached much, and said much in interviews for many publications,
but her greatest work is The Crucifixion,
published in 2017. She says that it has taken her a lifetime to write this
book. Others consider it a landmark book and it has given Rutledge a
significant platform from which to speak. The most significant theme of the
book is stated this way,
“From beginning to
end, the Holy Scriptures testify that the predicament of fallen humanity is so
serious, so grave, so irremediable from within, that nothing short of divine
intervention can rectify it.”
end, the Holy Scriptures testify that the predicament of fallen humanity is so
serious, so grave, so irremediable from within, that nothing short of divine
intervention can rectify it.”
Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of
Jesus Christ, p. 127.
Jesus Christ, p. 127.
She goes on to say that,
“If we think of
Christian theology and ethics purely in terms of forgiveness, we will have
neglected a central aspect of God’s own character and will be in no position to
understand the cross in its fullest dimension.”
Christian theology and ethics purely in terms of forgiveness, we will have
neglected a central aspect of God’s own character and will be in no position to
understand the cross in its fullest dimension.”
Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of
Jesus Christ, p. 131.
Jesus Christ, p. 131.
Her theology is not one that suggests we
can achieve human happiness or self-actualization through human achievement.
She is clear that the only hope for humankind is the cross of Christ and the intercession
of God. God has clearly entered into history in the incarnation, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, and Rutledge sees this as the only hope of a world
gone wrong.
can achieve human happiness or self-actualization through human achievement.
She is clear that the only hope for humankind is the cross of Christ and the intercession
of God. God has clearly entered into history in the incarnation, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, and Rutledge sees this as the only hope of a world
gone wrong.
“The New Testament
writings all presuppose that the fallen human race and the equally fallen
created order are sick unto death beyond human resourcefulness.”
writings all presuppose that the fallen human race and the equally fallen
created order are sick unto death beyond human resourcefulness.”
Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of
Jesus Christ, p. 141.
Jesus Christ, p. 141.
And yet, our
deeds are not without hope, and one sees in her words, threads of other
conversations heard in other places. Rutledge says,
deeds are not without hope, and one sees in her words, threads of other
conversations heard in other places. Rutledge says,
“Here is an important
distinction with far-reaching implications for Christian behavior. The deeds of
Christians in this present time — however insignificant they may seem, however
“vain” they may appear to those who value worldly success — are already being
built into God’s advancing kingdom.”
distinction with far-reaching implications for Christian behavior. The deeds of
Christians in this present time — however insignificant they may seem, however
“vain” they may appear to those who value worldly success — are already being
built into God’s advancing kingdom.”
Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of
Jesus Christ, p. 14.
Jesus Christ, p. 14.
Tolkien had words
like Rutledge in The Silmarillion,
when he said,
like Rutledge in The Silmarillion,
when he said,
I am Ilúvatar, those
things that ye have sung, I will show them forth, that ye may see what ye have
done. And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its
uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that
attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more
wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.
things that ye have sung, I will show them forth, that ye may see what ye have
done. And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its
uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that
attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more
wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, p. 15-18.
What they are both saying is that, even our
flawed, or sinful, or poorly aimed actions are capable of redemption, and can
be woven into the tapestry of the will of God. The crucifixion, though not
necessary at the creation of the universe, was required because of the sinful propensity
of every human alive and every human that has ever lived. God saw this
propensity, and saw that our actions had created the need for the cross; so, he
sorrowfully wove it into the pattern of the universe such that,
flawed, or sinful, or poorly aimed actions are capable of redemption, and can
be woven into the tapestry of the will of God. The crucifixion, though not
necessary at the creation of the universe, was required because of the sinful propensity
of every human alive and every human that has ever lived. God saw this
propensity, and saw that our actions had created the need for the cross; so, he
sorrowfully wove it into the pattern of the universe such that,
“The crucifixion is
the touchstone of Christian authenticity, the unique feature by which
everything else, including the resurrection, is given its true significance.
The resurrection is not a set piece. It is not an isolated demonstration of
divine dazzlement. It is not to be detached from its abhorrent first act. The
resurrection is, precisely, the vindication of a man who was crucified. Without
the cross at the center of the Christian proclamation, the Jesus story can be
treated as just another story about a charismatic spiritual figure. It is the
crucifixion that marks out Christianity as something definitively different in
the history of religion. It is in the crucifixion that the nature of God is
truly revealed. … we can assert that the crucifixion is the most important
historical event that has ever happened. The resurrection, being a
transhistorical event planted within history, does not cancel out the
contradiction and shame of the cross in this present life; rather, the
resurrection ratifies the cross as the way “until he comes.”
the touchstone of Christian authenticity, the unique feature by which
everything else, including the resurrection, is given its true significance.
The resurrection is not a set piece. It is not an isolated demonstration of
divine dazzlement. It is not to be detached from its abhorrent first act. The
resurrection is, precisely, the vindication of a man who was crucified. Without
the cross at the center of the Christian proclamation, the Jesus story can be
treated as just another story about a charismatic spiritual figure. It is the
crucifixion that marks out Christianity as something definitively different in
the history of religion. It is in the crucifixion that the nature of God is
truly revealed. … we can assert that the crucifixion is the most important
historical event that has ever happened. The resurrection, being a
transhistorical event planted within history, does not cancel out the
contradiction and shame of the cross in this present life; rather, the
resurrection ratifies the cross as the way “until he comes.”
Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of
Jesus Christ, p. 44.
Jesus Christ, p. 44.
In The
Crucifixion, and also in her other works, Rutledge even goes so far as to
say that Jesus’ descent into Hell was a necessary aspect of his death on the
cross.
Crucifixion, and also in her other works, Rutledge even goes so far as to
say that Jesus’ descent into Hell was a necessary aspect of his death on the
cross.
“The Old
Testament God” is the one who has come down from his throne on high into
the world of sinful human flesh and of his own free will and decision has come
under his own judgment in order to deliver us from everlasting condemnation and
bring us into eternal life. He has not required human sacrifice; he has himself
become the human sacrifice. He has not turned us over and forsaken us; he was
himself turned over and forsaken. This is what the Old Testament prophet Isaiah
says: Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed
him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the
chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. (53:4-5)”
Testament God” is the one who has come down from his throne on high into
the world of sinful human flesh and of his own free will and decision has come
under his own judgment in order to deliver us from everlasting condemnation and
bring us into eternal life. He has not required human sacrifice; he has himself
become the human sacrifice. He has not turned us over and forsaken us; he was
himself turned over and forsaken. This is what the Old Testament prophet Isaiah
says: Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed
him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the
chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. (53:4-5)”
Fleming Rutledge, And God Spoke to Abraham: Preaching from the
Old Testament, p. ?
Old Testament, p. ?
Notice Rutledge’s
carefully chosen words here. She is purposely saying that it was God who died
on the cross. She distinguishes an important concept by saying this rather than
speaking of God’s Son dying on the cross. This does indeed differentiate the crucifixion
from child-abuse (some have disparagingly suggested such an explanation of the cross) and Rutledge emphasises how it was God, who came to earth as a human; it was
God who suffered; it was God who died; it was God who paid the price; it was
God who descended into Hell to set free the captives.
carefully chosen words here. She is purposely saying that it was God who died
on the cross. She distinguishes an important concept by saying this rather than
speaking of God’s Son dying on the cross. This does indeed differentiate the crucifixion
from child-abuse (some have disparagingly suggested such an explanation of the cross) and Rutledge emphasises how it was God, who came to earth as a human; it was
God who suffered; it was God who died; it was God who paid the price; it was
God who descended into Hell to set free the captives.
Rutledge goes on to say that,
“We have to come to
terms with what seems to be godforsakenness in the world. Many people find that
difficult or even impossible. And people who find it difficult or impossible
will probably not come to church on Good Friday and will concentrate on the
happy aspect of the faith. But I think that’s too bad, because the real depth
and strength of the faith is its facing of the worst, and the fact that Jesus
faced and endured the worst is ultimately, for many, the only comfort we have
in the extremities of the kind of situations that I’m talking about.
terms with what seems to be godforsakenness in the world. Many people find that
difficult or even impossible. And people who find it difficult or impossible
will probably not come to church on Good Friday and will concentrate on the
happy aspect of the faith. But I think that’s too bad, because the real depth
and strength of the faith is its facing of the worst, and the fact that Jesus
faced and endured the worst is ultimately, for many, the only comfort we have
in the extremities of the kind of situations that I’m talking about.
The only comfort we
have is that Jesus was there before us and that somehow, he wrested away the
power of death and sin precisely in his abandonment. How that happened, I can’t
say. But the entire proclamation of the church, of the New Testament witnesses,
is that that is what happened. Precisely out of the abandonment, he descended
into hell.”
have is that Jesus was there before us and that somehow, he wrested away the
power of death and sin precisely in his abandonment. How that happened, I can’t
say. But the entire proclamation of the church, of the New Testament witnesses,
is that that is what happened. Precisely out of the abandonment, he descended
into hell.”
Fleming Rutledge, “Interview
with Rev. Fleming Rutledge”[1]
with Rev. Fleming Rutledge”[1]
Rutledge is a gift to the church at this
time in history. I encourage all to read her writings and particularly her
latest, The Crucifixion.
time in history. I encourage all to read her writings and particularly her
latest, The Crucifixion.
[1] Fleming Rutledge, “Interview with Rev. Fleming Rutledge,” Religion and Ethics News Weekly, April
19, 2013, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2013/04/19/april-18-2003-interview-with-rev-fleming-rutledge/18886/.
19, 2013, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2013/04/19/april-18-2003-interview-with-rev-fleming-rutledge/18886/.
The definition of a Turing Test, as developed by Alan Turing, is an interaction in which “a human evaluator judges natural language conversations between a human and a machine designed to generate human-like responses.”(1) The human evaluator would see if they could distinguish which voice was human and which was machine. Google just revealed their new Duplex AI systems. You can see a video here. Listen in on the conversation between human and machine and see if you could tell which was which if you were not “in on the charade.”
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is rapidly becoming more and more prevalent. Take for example, the little ads at the bottom of an Amazon.ca or .com page. When I look at my page, it has a section entitled, “Inspired by your shopping trends.” In there I see a selection of books it is suggesting I might like to buy. I don’t just use Amazon for books, but apparently that is what I have mostly done in recent weeks. As I look through the suggestions, Amazon has done a good job of selecting books for me. I don’t own any of those books and many of them are ones I would like to read. Those were all selected by an AI. AI is presently capable of keeping inventory of what is in my refrigerator and keeping the shelves stocked by placing the orders. I don’t presently have a fridge hooked up to the internet, but there is a good chance that the next one I buy will come equipped with wifi capability whether I plan to use it or not.
Don Pittis at CBC News makes the point that it is only a matter of time before AI will simply suggest that we should purchase something, and we will comply. Amazon is already looking at having certain items delivered to our homes before we order them just in case we want them. They rely upon our heightened interest in the product and can afford to have us turn it down and send it back.
All of the biggest tech companies in the world are investing the majority of their money and energy into developing AI. Much of this will be a great help to humanity, but, we all know that AI has a dark side. There is a potential for AI to take us places we should not go and as some writers and thinkers have warned, has the potential to make us its slave (either figuratively or literally). If you want to see more on what some are predicting, check out here “Robotic Laws”, here “Ex Machina”, here “Her”, here “Elon Musk”, here “Sam Harris“, or here “The Matrix”.
How do you feel about the ever-expanding presence of AI? What sorts of boundaries would you like to see put in place?
(1) See Wikipedia, Turing test, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_test
J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion is widely recognized as a great writer. He was also a faithful Catholic whose theology appears in his writings in poetic ways. His description of the way evil came into the world, as seen in the opening chapter of The Silmarillion is a work of art infused with theology. Here I quote a portion of Tolkien’s creation story:
There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made. And he spoke to them, propounding to them themes of music; and they sang before him, and he was glad. But for a long while they sang only each alone, or but few together, while the rest hearkened; for each comprehended only that part of the mind of Ilúvatar from which he came, and in the understanding of their brethren they grew but slowly. Yet ever as they listened they came to deeper understanding, and increased in unison and harmony.
And it came to pass that Ilúvatar called together all the Ainur and declared to them a mighty theme, unfolding to them things greater and more wonderful than he had yet revealed; and the glory of its beginning and the splendour of its end amazed the Ainur, so that they bowed before Ilúvatar and were silent.
Then Ilúvatar said to them: ‘Of the theme that I have declared to you, I will now that ye make in harmony together a Great Music. And since I have kindled you with the Flame Imperishable, ye shall show forth your powers in adorning this theme, each with his own thoughts and devices, if he will. But I will sit and hearken, and be glad that through you great beauty has been wakened into song.’
…
But now Ilúvatar sat and hearkened, and for a great while it seemed good to him, for in the music there were no flaws. But as the theme progressed, it came into the heart of Melkor to interweave matters of his own imagining that were not in accord with the theme of Ilúvatar; for he sought therein to increase the power and glory of the part assigned to himself. To Melkor among the Ainur had been given the greatest gifts of power and knowledge, and he had a share in the gifts of all the gifts of his brethren. He had often gone alone into the void places seeking the Imperishable Flame; for desire grew hot within him to bring into Being things of his own, and it seemed to him that Ilúvatar took no thought for the Void, and he was impatient of its emptiness. Yet he found not the Fire, for it is with Ilúvatar. But being alone he had begun to conceive thoughts of his own unlike those of his brethren.
…
Then Ilúvatar spoke, and he said: ‘Mighty are the Ainur, and mightiest among them is Melkor; but that he may know, and all the Ainur, that I am Ilúvatar, those things that ye have sung, I will show them forth, that ye may see what ye have done. And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.(1)
I should leave the words of Tolkien to themselves and allow the reader to grasp the beauty and complexity of the theology that is revealed in these poetic words. Yet, the words are old enough and strange enough to require some explanation and so I will do my best to enlighten the logic that is contained in Tolkien’s creativity.
In this account of how evil entered the world, it is through the pride and self-promotion of one of the Creator’s created beings. Melkor, here one will draw parallels to Satan, becomes impatient with the creation timeline of the Creator and begins to imagine himself creating Beings and things. He does not have the power to create things on his own, but he begins to weave his ideas into the songs rather than content himself with the themes of the Creator. He creates discord and disharmony and begins to pull more of his brethren along with him.
The Creator allows the discord for just a moment and then stops the music. He tells the Ainur – his created beings who were charged with singing the music of creation – that he will allow their songs to come into being. Even Melkor’s songs will be represented in the creation. Yet, the Creator’s theme shall be sung, and his will shall be done; the Creator will use the songs of Melkor to devise things more wonderful than Melkor or any other Ainur could imagine. For the Creator is the source of all and his will shall prevail.
Tolkien knew that poetry and metaphor were better suited to explaining the great themes of God than pure logic. May his words and further poetry continue to help us as we struggle to understand the great mysteries of God and the universe God created.
(1) Tolkien, J.R.R. The Silmarillion. London: Harper Collins Publishers, 1994, p.15-18.
“The arc of evolution is long and bends toward human
beings.”[1] When I speak of evolution, and my conviction that
God used evolution to create our universe, I am not speaking of a godless or
deistic process. I am suggesting that “in the beginning” God created the
heavens and the earth, and that he created all that we see and do not see. I am
saying that God started this process over 13 billion years ago and continues to
shape and mould the entire universe by processes that, from our perspective,
seem slow, appear random, often resulting in dead-ends and extinctions, and may
even look inefficient. Yet, God, the Master Creator, in his great wisdom, is
behind it all and the three persons of the Godhead or Trinity were all there
from the beginning in their creative work (Colossians 1:15, 16; Genesis 1:2, 26,
27).
beings.”[1] When I speak of evolution, and my conviction that
God used evolution to create our universe, I am not speaking of a godless or
deistic process. I am suggesting that “in the beginning” God created the
heavens and the earth, and that he created all that we see and do not see. I am
saying that God started this process over 13 billion years ago and continues to
shape and mould the entire universe by processes that, from our perspective,
seem slow, appear random, often resulting in dead-ends and extinctions, and may
even look inefficient. Yet, God, the Master Creator, in his great wisdom, is
behind it all and the three persons of the Godhead or Trinity were all there
from the beginning in their creative work (Colossians 1:15, 16; Genesis 1:2, 26,
27).
The arc of this process spans a vast time scale that is
beyond our comprehension. We struggle to imagine what life on earth would have
been like, 100, 500, 2000, or 4000 years ago. Our minds are much better suited
for the comprehension of a few decades at a time. When we drive west on the
Trans-Canada Highway from Winnipeg to Vancouver, we do not notice the curvature
of the earth as we drive the ups and downs of rolling hills and mountain roads,
but it is there none-the-less. The same could be said of our perception of the
long arc of evolution. Many billions of years ago it started with what has been
described as the Big Bang or Primordial Atom. Father Georges Lemaître (a faithful Catholic Priest) was
the first to describe this dramatic start to the universe. According to this
understanding, it took several billion years for the universe to develop to the
point where our solar system and its planets would be recognizable and several
billion more before life would develop on Earth. The earliest life would have
been something like self-replicating membranes, bits of ribonucleic
acid (RNA), and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). These would change over time
and go on to form primitive viruses, single celled bacteria, multi-celled
organisms, plants, animals, and humans.
beyond our comprehension. We struggle to imagine what life on earth would have
been like, 100, 500, 2000, or 4000 years ago. Our minds are much better suited
for the comprehension of a few decades at a time. When we drive west on the
Trans-Canada Highway from Winnipeg to Vancouver, we do not notice the curvature
of the earth as we drive the ups and downs of rolling hills and mountain roads,
but it is there none-the-less. The same could be said of our perception of the
long arc of evolution. Many billions of years ago it started with what has been
described as the Big Bang or Primordial Atom. Father Georges Lemaître (a faithful Catholic Priest) was
the first to describe this dramatic start to the universe. According to this
understanding, it took several billion years for the universe to develop to the
point where our solar system and its planets would be recognizable and several
billion more before life would develop on Earth. The earliest life would have
been something like self-replicating membranes, bits of ribonucleic
acid (RNA), and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). These would change over time
and go on to form primitive viruses, single celled bacteria, multi-celled
organisms, plants, animals, and humans.
Through this entire process, and including developments
going on in our present time, the trinitarian God of Genesis was there making
sense of it all. God was there ensuring that the arc of evolution would
continue to be bent toward the creation of the most advanced being in all of
creation, humans. He had a plan toward which the arrow, which He had released
billions of years ago, was gliding. He allowed the processes to reach their
ultimate end of a creature created by Him, for communion with him.
going on in our present time, the trinitarian God of Genesis was there making
sense of it all. God was there ensuring that the arc of evolution would
continue to be bent toward the creation of the most advanced being in all of
creation, humans. He had a plan toward which the arrow, which He had released
billions of years ago, was gliding. He allowed the processes to reach their
ultimate end of a creature created by Him, for communion with him.
As Douglas Wilson has said,
God knew that we were going to need to
pick up dimes, and so He gave us fingernails. He knew that twilights displayed
in blue, apricot, and battle gray would be entirely astonishing and beyond us,
and so He gave us eyes that can see in color. He could have made all food quite
nourishing, but which tasted like wadded up newspaper soaked in machine oil.
Instead He gave us the tastes of watermelon, pecans, oatmeal stout, buttered
corn, apples, fresh bread, grilled sirloin, and 25-year-old scotch. And He of
course knew that we were going to need to thank Him and so He gave us hearts
and minds.
pick up dimes, and so He gave us fingernails. He knew that twilights displayed
in blue, apricot, and battle gray would be entirely astonishing and beyond us,
and so He gave us eyes that can see in color. He could have made all food quite
nourishing, but which tasted like wadded up newspaper soaked in machine oil.
Instead He gave us the tastes of watermelon, pecans, oatmeal stout, buttered
corn, apples, fresh bread, grilled sirloin, and 25-year-old scotch. And He of
course knew that we were going to need to thank Him and so He gave us hearts
and minds.
Douglas Wilson, Is Christianity
Good For the World: A Debate, Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson,
2008.
Good For the World: A Debate, Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson,
2008.
This is the God, and this is the kind of evolution, of which I am convinced.
[1]Here I have created a variation on a statement made by Martin Luther King Jr. He said,“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Martin Luther King Jr., Baccalaureate sermon, 1964, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut. King, in turn had abbreviated the words of Theodore Parker, “Of Justice and the Conscience,” sermon, 1853, in which he said, “Look at the facts of the world. You see a continual and progressive triumph of the right. I do not pretend to understand the moral universe, the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. But from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.”
In 1 Corinthians 4:10, Paul, the Apostle for Christ, states that his dedication to Christ makes him appear to be a fool to those who consider themselves wise. This is a common theme for many today. On the one hand, we often demand physical proof for the statements of others and, on the other hand, have a tendency to trust whatever we read on social media. We are of mixed minds and our inner struggle shows itself in our faith, science, and psychology. Adrian Newman wrote a song which speaks of the struggle we experience as we seek to live by faith. Nichole Nordeman gives voice to the song here. Did Paul truly capture our plight or is this an example of his tongue-in-cheek rhetoric? Do you consider yourself a “fool for Christ?” Perhaps these questions will cause us to “tremble” before an all-powerful deity, give appropriate reverence, and go out in the grace of Jesus.
Fool for You
(Written by Adrian Newman; Performed by Nichole Nordeman)
There are times when faith and common sense do not align,
when hard core evidence of you is hard to find,
and I am silenced in the face of argumentative debate, and
it’s a long hill it’s a lonely climb. Cause they want proof,
when hard core evidence of you is hard to find,
and I am silenced in the face of argumentative debate, and
it’s a long hill it’s a lonely climb. Cause they want proof,
They want proof of all these mysteries I claim. Cause only
fools would want to chant a dead man’s name.
fools would want to chant a dead man’s name.
Maybe it’s true, yeah but….
I would be a fool for You, all because You asked me to.
A simpleton who’s seemingly naive,
I do believe, You came and made Yourself a fool for me.
I do believe, You came and made Yourself a fool for me.
I admit that in my darkest hours I’ve asked what if,
What if we created some kind of man-made faith like this,
Out of good intention or emotional invention,
and after life is through there will be no You.
What if we created some kind of man-made faith like this,
Out of good intention or emotional invention,
and after life is through there will be no You.
Cause they want proof of all these miracles I claim,
Cause only fools believe that men can walk on waves.
Cause only fools believe that men can walk on waves.
Maybe it’s true, yeah but…
I would be a fool for You, all because You asked me to.
A simpleton who’s seemingly naive,
I do believe, You came and made Yourself a fool for me.
I do believe, You came and made Yourself a fool for me.
Unaware of popularity,
and unconcerned with dignity,
You made me free.
That’s proof enough for me.
and unconcerned with dignity,
You made me free.
That’s proof enough for me.
I would be a fool for You (fool for you)
Only if You asked me to,
A simpleton who’s only thinkin’ of
the cause of love.
Only if You asked me to,
A simpleton who’s only thinkin’ of
the cause of love.
I will speak Jesus’ name (fool for you).
If that makes me crazy,
they can call me crazed,
I’m happy to be seemingly naive,
I do believe, You came and made Yourself a fool for me.
If that makes me crazy,
they can call me crazed,
I’m happy to be seemingly naive,
I do believe, You came and made Yourself a fool for me.
A fool for you.
Songwriters: Adrian Newman
Fool for You lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol Christian Music Group
The band I am in, Key of Zed, just released a new song. Because we don’t write a lot of worship songs, we teamed up with Pete Justine from Hazel Grey. It is a call to worship and you can listen to it on ReverbNation here.
Show Your Glory
(Peter Justine, Mike Charko, and Keith Shields, January 2018)
(Key of E)
Show your glory oh God
Show your glory in this place
We are waiting for you
To show your glory and your grace
We are waiting for your Spirit
Waiting for power
Come like a mighty wind
Fill us with your fire
Show your glory oh God
Show your glory in this place
We are waiting for you
To show your glory and your grace
Father to the lonely
Vision to the blind
Healer of the broken
Gracious and kind
Show your glory oh God
Show your glory in this place
We are waiting for you
To show your glory and your grace
God of glory
Show your works in the heavens
God of glory
Show your works in our lives
Show your glory oh God
Show your glory in this place
We are waiting for you
To show your glory and your grace
Chord Chart:
EB
EB
EB
ABE
AE
BE
AE
BE
Bridge
AE
BE
Bethany Sollereder, Ph.D., is a fellow graduate of Regent College and a Christian who has spent much time exploring the relationships between Science and Faith. She has written a helpful paper entitled, “Evolution, Suffering and the Creative Love of God,” in Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith.[1] It is a philosophical and theological paper that is technical enough that I will not try to analyze it here in this post. Her logic and conclusions speak for themselves and the paper is a valuable read for anyone who would like to explore these topics more deeply than is often done in this blog.
What I will note here in this space is the interaction between logic and imagination. Sollereder and I met once when I was at Regent working on the Comprehensive Exam for my Master of Arts degree. I was wrestling with the question of the historicity of Adam, and my supervisor, Ross Hastings, Ph.D. had suggested that I should interact with Bethany Sollereder on this topic. I found her to be an exceptionally brilliant and logical mind and knew that she would make significant contributions in the literature regarding Faith and Science, and Theodicy (a technical term for the theological study of why we have evil in a world created by a good God). In the paper to which I am referring today, Sollereder is not only extremely logical but also, at points, imaginative, creative, and poetic. One sentence in particular caused me to pause and think carefully: “In describing divine action, then, our compassionate imagination—rather than our logic—may be the more reliable guide.”
Here is an especially logical young mind arguing for the inclusion of a “compassionate imagination” in the technical fields of theology, philosophy, and theodicy. For a person like me who writes poetry, creative novels,[2] songs, science papers, and religious journal articles, this statement by Sollereder was an encouragement of the highest degree. It would seem to me that she is calling for an application of all aspects of the mind. For such interesting and difficult subjects as the relationships between science and faith, we must apply every aspect of our mental faculties. We do not simply use logic in one conversation and poetry in another. We use both to help us understand the intricacies of the universe in which we live. Indeed, the very consciousness with which we think, is capable of a variety of methods for coming at difficult topics. Sometimes, imagination and poetry are the only ways to adequately explain a concept and they may open other avenues of thought leading to a greater logical understanding.
In her paper, “Evolution, Suffering and the Creative Love of God,” Sollereder uses creative thought experiments and metaphors of life to logically explain possible explanations for the workings of God and our universe. The logic is exemplary, but her logic would not stand as well if it were not for the helpful images that bolster the logic. Perhaps this makes even more sense when we read Sollereder’s bio which states that she “enjoys hiking, horseback riding, [and] reading novels (particularly those of “the Inklings”).” This paper encourages me to continue to use creativity, logic, poetry, and metaphor to explore the universe and the explanations which help us live in this amazing place in which we find ourselves. May the spirit of writers such as Lewis, Tolkien, and MacDonald (some of the writers known as The Inklings) live on in the works of Sollereder and others.
[1]Sollereder, “Evolution, Suffering and the Creative Love of God,”Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith68, no. 2 (2016): 99-110, http://www.asa3.org/ASA/PSCF/2016/PSCF6-16Sollereder.pdf
[2]See the novel, The Great Beyond for an example of how I have dealt with complex questions of life and death, punishment and reward in a metaphoric fiction. https://amzn.to/2HUGeF5 or, in the USA, https://amzn.to/2ro8Lb2.
Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.[1] The Bible, although not always viewed this way, is a fixed canon that does not change.[2] The Church endures through all the ages.[3] Jesus Christ died once for all so that all might live.[4] Therefore, it may sound like a bold statement to say that Christian theology changes; but it does. We could find several more examples, and I am only seeking to highlight some of the less controversial, but here are a few ways in which our theology has changed in the short 2000-year existence of the Church of Jesus Christ.
1. The early Christians believed that the return of Christ would occur within their lifetime,
2. Early Christians also thought that they should not eat meat that had not been drained of blood. I hardly think anyone has been thrown out of the church for eating blood sausage in the last several hundred years,
3. Stipulations about hair length that were thought to be blatantly evident within “the very nature of things” are now disregarded. Christians are now comfortable with all fashions of hair on men and women,
4. It was once thought that the sun travelled in the sky relative to the earth and this was verified by statements in the Bible such as that in Joshua 10 where “the sun stood still in the sky,”
5. Those who got divorced were once barred from membership in the Church,
6. Before the Reformation, people required a priest to mediate between them and God,
7. And women were once required to wear head-coverings when they attended church or prayed.
The point is, the Bible doesn’t change, but our understanding, or theology, of the Bible does change.
We now live in a time when many of our cherished understandings of the Bible are being challenged by the science of the day. Luke J. Janssen, in an article in Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith,[5] says,
The scientific data now at hand pertaining to human evolution conflict with any theological worldview that is dependent upon the following:
(1) a “young earth,” or a timeline of less than ten thousand years….
(2) there being a primal pair…. [from whom all people have descended]
(3) the human species receiving a discrete command regarding what God expects, and all humans having broken that command.
Instead, we should account for hard evidence, such as
(1) Homo sapiens appearing a couple hundred thousand years ago;
(2) Humans being nearly genetically identical to other hominids who can be tied together on an evolutionary tree of life extending back millions of years;
(3) Interbreeding between humans and other species (Neanderthals and Denisovans);
(4) The evolution of religious thinking and practices long predating the biblical texts; and
(5) A gradual evolution of morality and awareness of God.
With all of this scientific evidence to deal with, is it not time that we set our theologians to the task of once again re-thinking how we understand our biblical texts? Some, such as Scott McKnight[6] and N.T. Wright have indeed become friends of Biologos[7] and have begun to seek to understand the Bible in light of the current scientific and genetic revolution. We need not fear such theological processes. If science is truth, and theology is truth, and indeed, if all truth is God’s truth, then such thoughtful processes can only lead to a greater understanding of that truth and greater understanding of our God. Those of us who love God and follow Jesus must not find ourselves in a battle with the science of the day. For the sake of our faith, we must embrace all of God’s truth.
[1]Hebrews 13:8
[2]See, for example, “The Canon of the Old Testament,” at Catholic Faith and Reason, http://www.catholicfaithandreason.org/the-canon-of-the-old-testament.html
[3]Ephesians 3:21; Psalm 145:12-14
[4]2 Corinthians 5:14-16
[5]‘“Fallen” and “Broken” Reinterpreted in the Light of Evolutionary Theory,’ Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, Volume 70, Number 1, March 2018, p. 44.
[6]See Adam and the Genome, by Venema and McKnight, Brazos Press, 2017.
[7]https://biologos.org/
If I were to go back to school to take more courses, I think I might take a few courses in orbital mathematics. The number of interesting orbits around masses in space has captured my imagination. Take for example the orbit of the latest NASA orbital space telescope, TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite). The following graphic shows the path as TESS orbits between the earth and moon, checking in with NASA at regular intervals in its 13.7-day revolutions.
TESS will be launched April 16, 2018 and will be NASA’s latest space-telescope. It will spend much of its time looking for planets outside of our solar system. Kepler, a similar space-telescope identified more than 5,000 potential exo-planets and TESS is expected to find even more and will focus on finding potentially habitable planets. Once enough potentially habitable planets have been found, scientists can begin to focus on the most promising planets for potential colonization. Of course, none of this will be easy since even the closest of these planets will be several hundred light years away. Someone needs to begin to work on that Warp-Drive to make it possible to quickly visit some of these distant planets.
I just discovered the Essentials album by Gretchen Peters. She has written songs for Bryan Adams, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, and many others. “Hello Cruel World” is one of my favourite songs on the album. It is full of angst and tensions of good and evil. It makes one think about the struggles of this world and the struggle of light and darkness, Jesus and the devil. The piano and strings are beautiful, she sings one of the sweetest “oohs” in all of pop music, and the bass line is melancholic. Enjoy this song and meditate upon the goodness of creation and The Fall.
Hello Cruel World
haven’t done as well as I thought I would
I’m not dead but I’m damaged goods
and it’s gettin’ late
I’m a rusty hinge, a squeaky wheel
at the bad end of a shaky deal
cursed by the hand of fate
and ooooooh – I’m a very lucky girl
yeah ooooooh – hello cruel world
I’m a ticking clock, a losing bet
a girl without a safety net
I’m a cause for some concern
you don’t live this long without regrets
telephone calls you don’t wanna get
stones you’d rather leave unturned
but ooooooh – the grain of sand becomes the pearl
yeah ooooooh – hello cruel world
some folks go the easy route
numb the pain or put the lights out
either way they got to go
me I’m gonna stick around
in for a penny in for a pound
cause I hate to miss the show
and ooooooh – I’m a very stubborn girl
yeah ooooooh – hello cruel world
hello cruel world
©2011 Circus Girl Music, administered by Carnival Music (ASCAP)
