Called To Wisdom

I have come to appreciate wisdom more and more in the Christian life. Having taught the book of Proverbs as a class, going through it with our “Men of Iron” group, and doing some extra reading and preparation for the Preaching Conference at Lipscomb in October—I have come to appreciate the role of wisdom in my own spiritual growth and development.

This is why I was delighted to read the chapter, “Called to Wisdom” in Ralph W. Beiting’s book, Called to the Mountains. You may remember that I mentioned earlier that I took time during my summer vacation and read this wonderful autobiography. After working with the Christian Appalachian Project and working with poverty over the course of thirty years…listen to Beiting’s definition of “wisdom”:

“…Wisdom is the true goal of education. Wisdom is the ability to make connections between bits of knowledge and place value on different ideas. Wisdom is the ability to have patience and accept the inevitable mistakes, not as failures but as a part of learning. Wisdom is the art of listening to others.” [page 88].

I really appreciate his emphasis on having patience and accepting the inevitable mistakes that come with the life of wisdom. How does one become wise? By being unwise! What a paradox! But, if we ask God to help us to be open to learning from our mistakes, that is how wisdom slowly begins to shape and mold our hearts, attitudes and behaviors. 

I remember with chagrin many of my own unwise choices and mistakes in the past. They are all quite humbling! But if we believe that God calls us to live a life of heavenly wisdom, and to reflect the lifestyle of godly wisdom, then we have to be open to the discipline, learning, and patience that can come our way.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you”(James 1:5).

In Christian love, Curtis

Called to the Mountains

 

This is the title of an autobiography that I read during my vacation. Ralph W. Beiting tells some of his own life’s story and the founding of the Christian Appalachian Project. It was a paperback and not on my Kindle! Each chapter began with the word “called.” I am going to post on my blog for a while excerpts, ideas, and my own responses to this delightful book.

In 1964 Beiting founded the Christian Appalachian Project (CAP). Its stated purpose (quoting from his own autobiography) was, “…Offering long-term, self-help solutions to the problems that hold Appalachia’s people back, CAP gives the poor a chance to work themselves out of poverty.” [Preface]

I cannot imagine spending a lifetime working with the poor and trying to alleviate poverty. This would be indeed a special calling, and Ralph W. Beiting’s story is his response to such a calling. The first chapter is entitled: “Prologue: Called to the Mountains.” It is in these initial few pages that he has the following wonderful passage about growing older:

“We often think that the future is the focus of the young, but the young live for the present. When you get to be my age (I think he was 70 when he wrote this), you think about the future and what lies ahead. I have never felt as frail as I do at this point in my life. Getting old is not tragedy. It means, after all, that with every day I grow closer to meeting God in heaven” (page 3).

What an admirable and beautiful way to see getting older! The aches and pains provide the context for our vocabulary and narratives we share back and forth. And I suppose misery loves company, and shared misery is half the misery of getting older!

However, may we never forget two things that Beiting points out here:

1. Growing older is not a tragedy. It is a blessing. Each day becomes more precious and each relationship more sacred as time goes by!


2. Every day we grow closer to meeting God in heaven. We cannot even imagine the joy of being in the Divine Presence forever!

It was interesting to me that Beiting’s example demonstrates that having a passionate calling here and now gives meaning and purpose to the process of getting older. Yes, the “ravages of time” rage on. But, the purpose of eternity blooms and blossoms in our hearts as we passionately respond to the calling that God has laid on each of our hearts. May we be true to that individual calling!

In Christian love, Curtis

Love Wins (8)

 

Chapter 8 of Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins, is entitled “The End is Here.” Bell begins this chapter by telling the story of his childhood conversion and prayer. He concludes it by saying…

“I tell you that story because I believe that the indestructible love of God is an unfolding, dynamic reality and that every single one of us is endlessly being invited to trust, accept, believe, embrace and experience it. Whatever words you find helpful for describing this act of trust, Jesus invites us to say yes to this love of God, again and again and again.” [Kindle, location 94%]

After reading this comment I think I now know why Bell and I are on opposite pages. His claim throughout the book is basically that the “hell” we experience is of our own making because we do not claim the indestructible love of God for ourselves.

What Rob Bell misunderstands is that when individuals reject the invitation “to trust, accept, believe, embrace and experience” the love of God, there are eternal consequences set in place by God. Not everyone is going to accept that divine invitation.

I totally understand Bell’s angst. I think every thoughtful and respectful Christian agonizes over the reality that not all people are going to accept the invitation of the “indestructible love of God.” But our agony cannot determine the divine response to sin and broken relationships with God.

Yes, Jesus invites us to “yes” to the love of God, again and again and again!” We all believe that! What we do not believe is that a rejection of that invitation carries only consequences here and now of our own misery and making.

I am glad that I ordered this book on my Kindle and have spent the last 8 weeks reading it for the following reasons:

1. It helps me understand where the younger generation is coming from with an almost disdain for traditional ways of thinking and articulating the Christian faith.


2. It helps me understand how people are trying to make the Bible concept of hell more palatable.


3. It helps me understand how individuals view Scripture, not as much as authoritatively transforming and defining their lives, but rather a jumping off place for creating one’s theology for the world.


4. It helps me be aware of how vigorous and vital theological discussions are in our culture right now!


5. It helps me appreciate the effort to wrestle with the deepest issues of life and destiny.


6. It helps me appreciate my own theological journey and formulations.


7. It helps me realize that someone needs to write a serious response to this book.


8. It helps me pray for Christians who are getting lost in the ideological, cultural and spiritual landscape, groping for something to say that will be palatable for all.


9. It helps me re-evaluate my own faith. Why do I believe what I believe?


10. It helps me with a starting point for serious discussion with those who are reading and digesting Rob Bell’s book.


11. It helps me understand the emergent/emerging mindset and its reaction against traditional Christianity.


12. And, it helps me explore the most meaningful experiences and metaphors of my own Christian walk that I can share with others!

I am thankful that this book was written. I always applaud efforts of individuals who are trying to grapple with ways to articulate the good news in a world that is filled with so much bad news. Someone from a more traditional viewpoint of the Christian faith needs to write a response with the book title: “God Invites.” It is not about love winning. It is ultimately about God’s invitation and whether or not we accept it. If we accept it, it is good news. If we reject it, it is bad news.

In Christian love, Curtis

Love Wins (7)

Chapter 7 of Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins, is entitled “The Good News is Better Than That.” I want to focus on how heaven and hell are conceived in this chapter.

The first big point is that heaven and hell are about separation. It is based on choice and how one conceives of this situation before the Father.

Bell utilizes the Parable of the Prodigal Son to make his point. But to use this story to prove that the Father’s love is universally dispensed no matter what a person believes or practices is to engage in “eisegesis” and spurious hermeneutics. By this I mean, that the story as utilized by Luke in his gospel is being used to argue something totally foreign.

In the Lukan context, this parable is used as exhibit #3 to substantiate the claim against Jesus that “this man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” On this specific occasion tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathered around to hear Jesus.

The NIV correctly puts the word “sinners” in quotation marks. Who are the “sinners” in Luke’s gospel? Simply,  they are the disenfranchised. They are the beggars, the lame, the lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors, and any others who might be perceived as “low-life.” Jesus’ life touched the untouchables.

Yes, Jesus sits down and eats with untouchables.

Yes, Jesus wants to touch the untouchables.

The parable of the Prodigal Son gives us another dimension of an untouchable—a wasteful, prodigal son who runs away from home, blows all of his money, and comes back home broke and dejected.

An extravagant Father’s love and a resentful, judging attitude of the older brother.

This contrast sharpens just how much Jesus goes to touch the lives of those who need him and those who do not think they need him!

This extravagant love of the Father is experienced by both sons. Both sons are part of the family already. When the son leaves home, with his inheritance in his pocket before its rightful time (and as some have pointed out was tantamount to spitting in his father’s face and one of the most disrespectful acts a son could engage in!), he goes into a distant country.  While there, the Father believes the son is “lost” and “dead.”

Listen to Luke’s closing of this parable:

 “’My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”(Luke 15:31-32)

What makes the extravagant love of the waiting Father (Helmut Theilicke’s phrase) such good news? Because of such bad news! The good news of the gospel is that God’s invitation to come home is universally offered to all who are “lost” and “dead.” For Luke, even those who have had it so good in the Father’s family and leave, they can still return to the outstretched arms of a forgiving Father.

We need to be careful and not take the edge off of this powerful parable! When the younger son becomes destitute, hungry and with no friends, the story says, “when he came to his senses” (Luke 15:17). Actually, the Greek phrase expresses “when he came to himself he said…” This goes one step deeper than just coming to his senses. It is a statement of repentance. It is an inner change of heart and direction in one’s life.

This is substantiated by  his further monologue: “I will set out and go back to my Father and say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.”

Good news is only possible because we recognize the sin in our life. We recognize what we have done to ourselves and against our Father.

It is the bad news that makes the good news so good!

In Christian love, Curtis